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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 7th day of Awakening, Yr 27
The Neopian Times Week 122 > Continuing Series > The Lost Queen: Part Ten

The Lost Queen: Part Ten

by laurensama

Fenella stayed away from most of the denizens of the castle for the final two days in which the pendant was being made. Each night her nightmares became worse and worse, staring down at Drentylia and feeling the intense loneliness of each of the lost Faeries, especially the sadness of her dear friend.

     She couldn’t stand the feeling and wondered if perhaps she was being punished by her ancestors for failing them. Fenella even wondered at times if she was still fit to be a queen at all…

     The night previous to this night was the worst, it truly was. Instead of peering down the hall and seeing Drentylia, in her evil splendor, her journey took her into a portion of the Haunted Woods that appeared dark and more terrifying than the rest of its cursed grounds.

     Fenella stood in her royal splendor against the twisted trees and eternal night. Quietly she waited, but what she waited for she couldn’t say. The waiting made her uneasy, wishing that she could simply beat her wings and fly off to where the sun was shining and a tender breeze blew, but she knew she had to wait, and so she did.

     And then they came, one by one through the trees like horrible specters out of the twisted tales from old. Fenella recognized them at once not by their faces, but by an intense sadness that tugged at her heart each time they moved a step closer. She knew what this feeling was, though she had never experienced it before, simply because it was a feeling in which you need not words nor prior experience to understand something to deep and eternal as this…

     There they stood, the wingless Faeries, each of them captured and used for Drentylia’s ascent to power. Fenella tried to speak, but their sadness was all consuming and she could only stand there and bite her lip, willing the tears not to come.

     A former Light Faerie glared at Fenella, her long blond hair no longer blond but an awful grey, as if she had aged many years in the past weeks. Her dress too was tattered almost like she had traveled for many miles, but Fenella knew that she had never ever left Drentylia’s watch. An Earth Faerie, an air Faerie, all of them suffered the same graying fate, including the Dark Faeries, which wore the most angry and contemnors glares of all.

     “I-I…” Fenella sputtered, the tears choking her senses as she looked at her sisters, the ones she had failed. What could she say to them? Those to whom she had failed after they had trusted her so! They were no longer to fly about the skies because she simply was not attentive to the signs, which sprung up all around her.

     But the Faeries said nothing as they continued to merge from the shadows, one by one. Some faces were twisted in rage, angry at Fenella for forgetting them, for letting this happened to them. Others were crushed, filled of the realization that their great queen, the one whom they promised to help for as long as they could, would not return the promise to them.

     And then they began to yell and scream with voices that were cold and piercing, like the winds that whisks past you on bitter winter nights.

     “You didn’t save us!”

     “I can’t fly anymore!”

     “I was the best in my class with my magic!”

     “I wanted to be a guardian!”

     “Why didn’t you help us, my queen?”

     “We served you and you desert us!”

     One by one their accusations ran, but Fenella did not rebuke them for they were true and she knew it. So she stood there, weeping openly and bore the brunt of the insults as she stared into each screaming face.

     Though the throng of angry, graying faces, however, there was one that was different from the rest. It was that of a young Faerie, an Earth Faerie Fenella assumed, that stared at her not with hurt nor anger, but simply with a smile of recognition

     Instantly she knew the familiar the face and whispered the name aloud.

     “Tae’la…” Fenella whispered. Instantly the other Faerie’s voices hushed and died, whisked away by the air that flew through the clearing. They stood there simply watching with their cold eyes as Fenella approached her wingless friend.

     Tae’la was graying too, her lovely wings missing from her back. The hair that was always tied back in a graceful and sleek brown braid was still in such a braid, but her hair was disheveled and dirty, with pieces of the hair jutting out from the tress here and there.

     The young assistant stood there, her face smiling openly, growing wider and wider as Fenella’s attention because more and more devoted to her.

     “Queen Fenella, I must thank you…” she whispered. Her voice was silent and horse, but it still held more emotion than a normal voice could.

     “Thank me? Why do you thank me Tae’la? I sent you to this fate…because of me you no longer have wings!” She cried, wondering if this too was mocking. But the Faerie stood there, her grey eye bright as she looked up to her queen.

     “But you are going to save us all! I know it. I know you have had sleepless night over our plight, and I thank you for your concern. Us young Faeries really have few chances to say that the Faerie queen actually worried about us,” Tae’la continued.

     “This will not be easy, that much I know. You will win, we can all tell that…but you will pay a price Queen Fenella,” Tae’la said sadly.

     “I deserve to pay a price, after what happened to you…all of you,” She whispered, turning towards the Faeries.

     “Fenella, patch up your bleeding heart and get on with your plans,” Hissed a voice form the shadows. Nendlitha was leaning against a tree, her expression bored and mischievous. It was heartbreaking for Fenella to see the Dark queen reduced to a wingless Faerie as well, her short hair no longer sleek and black, but an unsightly grey color.

     “Nendlitha…” Fenella whispered. “It’s all my fault…”

     “Ugh, must you really think that all of Neopia revolves around you? Did you ever think that Drendlitha might be plotting more towards the world than simply making sure you have a bad day?” The Dark Faerie rolled her eyes.

     “My queen, please be strong! We will be fine. Do not think of us, but please just do what you must,” Tae’la implored. Before Fenella could say anything the young girl hugged Fenella around the waste, the way a child might hug her mother. The queen simply stood there shocked, never having such a caring show of emotion brought before her. But she laid her hands upon Tae’la head and smiled.

     “I promise Tae’la and everyone… I’ll save you…”

     Fenella’s eyes slowly opened that morning as she stared at the ceiling. Was it a dream or not? She did not know…but she knew what she had to do now.

***

For years to come Fenella could never get over the sheer irony of the atmosphere that afternoon. She sat in her throne, staring out the windows that lined her room.

     Silently the crafts maker entered the room, the item of either peace or downfall in a small box. The queen took it without saying a word and held it in her lap, her mind a complete blank. As the craftsman bowed out of the room another figured entered, Valeane. She was dressed in her usual attire, her large wings poking out from her traveling cloak as the twin blades glittered at her sides. The two said not a word as the Faerie queen opened the small box and gently handled the pendant to Valeane.

     “It’s beautiful, my queen,” the Faerie said as she took it. Fenella gave a nod before she sighed and quietly stood up.

     “Good luck today Valeane,” Fenella said before the Faerie bowed herself out. The queen stood there a long time, staring at the closed door trying to organize the swirling mass in her mind. There was no use making heads no tails of anything, which had passed her by so fast, and she simply laid her head on the side of her throne and drifted off to sleep, not caring anymore of anything. And when Fenella awoke late that night, though the world was still turning and everyone in Neopia still went on with their lives…in her heart she knew that an hour ago everything had changed for one Faerie,

***

Fenella knew about Drentylia long before Valeane came back to the castle, long before the celebrations started, long before the young Faeries were rescued….gray but still alive. Though she was immensely glad for all of it, the price upon her heart was heavy, and she spent the day locked in her room wondering what had she done in this whole mess?

     Eventually she came down to the main hall, where many Faeries were rejoicing in an extravagant hall. Light, fire, earth, water, and air… all were in the palace gabbing and gammoning about, celebrating the demise of one of their own. Fenella tried not to think about it this way, but it was difficult for her.

     Food had been prepared for this spontaneous occasion and even more food was still being brought in by the cooks from all around the city. No one seemed to notice the Faerie Queen’s entrance, which was perfectly fine with her… for once she simply wanted to melt away into the shadows and observe everything, not feeling the guilt that all of this could have been avoided earlier.

     “Fenella,” whispered a voice in her ear. The queen gave a jump as she saw the Earth Faerie Fiona next to her, beckoning the queen to follow. Fenella did so as she was lead away from the party into the higher levels of the castle, completely deserted of Faeries (for everyone was downstairs celebrating this fine occasion).

     But one room was not.

     She could feel that they were in the room even before the pair had gone down the hall. Her shoes were instantaneously filled with lead as the same sadness engulfed her heart…and she recognized this sadness.

     “You know?” Fiona noticed as Fenella desperately tried to hold back a cry. The queen nodded and leaned against the wall sadly.

     “I cannot face them, I feel as if I failed them,” the queen sobbed into her hands. The Earth Faerie frowned and looked heartbroken as she shook her long hair in disagreement, moving in close to the queen.

     “Fenella, you did what you could and had to do. No one can blame you for not seeing that which is beyond the sight of our eyes and time, and if they do, then they are simply pathetic beings looking for something to blame other than the fact that they cannot control what happens to them! You cannot let those simple minded fools ruin your life…Fenella you just cannot!” Fiona pleaded. Fenella’s heart was weary, but that small ounce of strength helped her, soothed and strengthened her at the same moment. The queen whipped a tear out of her eye and, with a glance back at the Earth Faerie, wandered towards the group of grey Faeries waiting in the room.

     The sadness tore at her heart, but she had to explain the news to each of them. Their faces were the same, just like in the dream. Some were angry while others were simply crushed, but Fenella stared at their faces and bore their guilt. She was the object of their shame and anger, and so she took the blow because deep in her heart she knew that she deserved this horrible punishment.

     “I must admit that seeing you all here alive… it does provide me some relief. I cannot imagine, nor will I pretend, I know what you had to endure through this ordeal, but I do know that your strength and resilience has guided you through it.

     “You wings… are missing, and that much I know. You all know what happens when a Faerie looses their wings I assume. They turn grey and slowly loose all magical abilities whatsoever. However, there is a cure for this curse. You must find yourself a new name,” many of the Faeries perked up at this knowledge. A chance to get their wings back?! A real second chance?!

     “I cannot tell you how to get a new name for the discovery must be made by you and you alone. If I aid you in a large portion of this, the magical will not properly work and you will loose the possibility of a second name.” Following this, Fenella stopped and took a deep breath, fighting back the tears that threatened to blur her vision. The stares emitted by those of the grey stature did not waver in their disgust, simply growing more and more furious that she would dare show weakness in front of them who had faced more than she dare to even dream of.

     A gentle tug at Fenella’s skirt brought her back to her senses as the Light Faerie from her court came over. She quickly motioned for Fenella to follow as she began to hurriedly jog out of the room. The queen didn’t want to follow, feeling as if she may have abandoned her sisters yet again, but sadly she bowed herself out of the room and followed the hurrying Light Faerie, who was down the end of the hall tapping her foot in worry and annoyance.

     “Fenella, this is bad! Really bad!” she quickly yelled as the two jogged down the hall, the sounds of the party echoing from below. “Valeane has been attacked numerous times on her way back to the castle!” the Light Faerie yelled as she wrenched open the door to Fenella’s throne. Inside the court was quickly huddled about Valeane who sat upon one of the chairs that lined the room.

     “Valeane!” Fenella yelled as she rushed to the Faerie’s side to check her well-being. Indeed, she did look as if she had come off worse in a fight… or four. Between defeating Drentylia early that morning and suffering sneak attacks all through the day, she thought that the Faerie looked rather worse for the wear. But her resilience was evident as she held on to a respectful smile and gently denied any help to remove herself from the chair.

     “What happened?” the queen asked in hushed tones as she shifted her eyes from Faerie to Faerie They all began to talk at once hurriedly and panicked.

     “The rumor has spread about Drentylia far faster than we could EVER have suspected!”

     “People are glad, even the Dark Faeries, but there’s some problems! Everyone wants that necklace!”

     “They know of its power, my queen and they fear it… and are horrifyingly drawn towards it.”

     Fenella quickly held up her hands to stem the speech, it was all too much to take in at none moment. They quickly stopped and stared at her, itching to be the first to explain it all to their queen.

     “Now, one of you… only one… please explain this,” she said gently. The court looked at each other and stayed silent until the air Faerie cleared her throat and began to explain the situation.

     “Many people have learned about Drentylia, but not so much what she did… but what she was defeated with. The rumor has grown among the pets, Faeries… and even darker creatures… that this is possibly the most powerful thing to ever be created on Neopia. Fenella they’re afraid of it… they don’t know what could happen to them and their way of life if the wrong hands get it,”

     “But that’s no matter,” Fenella sighed with some relief, fearing that perhaps something much worse was coming to pass. “We can simply assure them that this will not be used again ever and keep it under the tightest surveillance and security. In a few hundred years time the legend will be dead and we will have nothing to fear!” The queen explained, simply throwing away the situation. The air Faerie slowly shook her head, sending her blond hair in every direction.

     “Yes, but you see many of the monsters that live around here want it as well. They know what it can do and they each want it for purposes that I dare not even think about! Valeane was attacked for this reason, to obtain the amulet. Luckily it wasn’t on her at the time, but the barrage on her has continued!” she quickly explained, dropping her eyes to Valeane who sat in the chair, looking abashed.

     “I only wish that I could have fended off those fiends longer,” she snarled before laying her head in her hands. Fenella’s expression turned from relief to worry again as she began to see the picture and that threat was that was soon taking the place of Drentylia.

     “They’re joining together Queen Fenella, to try and simply take over the palace and steal it. Thought I know we can hold them off…we cannot do it forever. If they all join together, we could only last a short while before…” The air Faerie stopped, looking horribly upset. The queen held her head in her arms as her headache insured through the grief.

     “We can guard it, I’m sure that our power can out do them,” Fenella explained, only to send the court in a flurry again of disagreements.

     “For now! But how long?”

     “Or power cannot hold out forever,”

     “One slip up and we’re all doomed!”

     “Then simply destroy it,” Fenella continued to keep her voice in restrained calm, the panicking of the Faeries slowly throwing her into a rage at others. How could she be so moronic to let something like this happened?

     “…we tried… we can’t. Once the power is given, it cannot be taken back… and it’s too powerful to be destroyed.” The Light Faerie hugged her arms and shivered, thought it was not the least bit cold inside the room. They didn’t have to say it, but knew that someone would have to voice the idea of it, and so the silence of its mere thought spiraled around the group, though none dared to utter its name.

     No one, but Fenella.

     “If the pendant cannot be guarded here, then it must be guarded by someone else… which only means,” the queen looked up at the court, her expression solemn and tired, “that a Faerie must accompany it and go into hiding.”

To be continued...

Previous Episodes

The Lost Queen: Part One

The Lost Queen: Part Two

The Lost Queen: Part Three

The Lost Queen: Part Four

The Lost Queen: Part Five

The Lost Queen: Part Six

The Lost Queen: Part Seven

The Lost Queen: Part Eight

The Lost Queen: Part Nine

The Lost Queen: Part Eleven

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