|
Golden Hope
It was the strangest thing…
Somewhere between wiping the tears from my cheeks
and wailing hysterically, a revelation came to me. In that moment… the Star
broken, my best friend dead and me kneeling in front of the world's most powerful
Dark Faerie, helpless and alone… I had never felt more hope.
We had made it this far, Tessalea and I. She
had been willing to rush into certain death to get that Star. For Neopia. And
for me.
The last bits of sunlight fled from the world,
on this, the night of the dark moon. The stars were the only source of light
in the heavens. They were all I needed. As Jennumara cackled (had I ever called
that cackle terrible? It didn't affect me now.) I inched forward and touched
the rough edges of the fallen Star. "Nothing is impossible." I whispered.
A single tear slid down my cheek, quivered at
my chin, and dropped onto the Star. And something happened. I guess you could
call it a miracle…
An explosion of golden light, silent but powerful
enough to knock Jennumara unconscious. A gust of warm wind that coaxed me to
my feet and caressed my cheeks. And in that wind, I felt Tessalea's paw. Drying
my tears, like she had when she freed me from Maloporg. Now, she was freeing
me again. From despair, from doubt, from fear. She was warming my bitter cold
insides, filling me with the warmth of her courage. The supernova of light dimmed
to a soft glow, and I saw the pieces of Star rising until they were a few meters
above my head. As they rose, they became less solid and more… more like mist.
It shifted in shape and color, turning white, then silver, then gold, writhing
like a snake. Finally, the mist took on a more familiar shape. It formed a body,
a tail, wings, a beak… and solidified into a living creature. He grew feathers
so white they made the snow seem dull in comparison. Gold highlights graced
the tips of his wings and gold striped adorned his body. His tail was tipped
in gold and he had three gold stripes on his head.
He was a white Weewoo. The symbol of dreams coming
true.
I tried to back away in awe, but my feet refused
to leave the ground. I tried to speak, but my tongue would not obey. I felt
like I had no control over my body. Of its own accord, my hand raised itself
up, and my index finger went straight and stiff, as if inviting the Weewoo to
come and perch. With the grace and speed of the wind itself, he dove down at
me, flaring his wings at the last second and perching. He let out a resounding
cry, one that would ring in my ears and haunt me forever.
"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewoooooooooooooooo…"
I felt my entire body tingle with the power of
his magic. I closed my eyes briefly, overwhelmed by the power he was channeling
through me. The tingling grew more intense, then stopped. It was a few moments
before I dared to open my eyes.
My skin had regained its rosy hue, quite unlike
the pallor of my skin before. I was clothed in a shimmering gold gown, simple,
but warm enough for the mountain air and quite unlike the ragged thing I had
been wearing before. My hair was blonde, smooth and shiny. It reached slightly
past my shoulders and was pulled back out of my face by a gold-colored headband.
On my feet were dainty high-heeled gold-colored shoes. Even on the rocky ground,
I had no trouble walking in them.
Best of all, a pair of flaxen butterfly wings
grew out of my back, shimmering in the light of the stars. And when I looked
at my reflection in the flaming pond, my eyes twinkled back at me with the light
of a galaxy of stars.
"Thank you," I whispered to the Weewoo, stroking
his back gently. His feathers were softer than a new chick's down.
It was my pleasure, the Weewoo said,
though he didn't move his beak. It was more like he was speaking to my mind,
using a sort of telepathy. Look at you. You're beautiful. You always were,
you know.
"I know," I said softly. "But now I have wings
on my back, stars in my eyes again. All I need is a new name…"
You have one, now, the Weewoo said. Kirastra,
Kira's Star of the Renewed Hope Light Circle.
"Kirastra…" I whispered to myself. The name
sounded sweet and musical on my tongue. "Kira's Star…"
The Weewoo gave a coo of pleasure. Yes.
"What's your name?"
My name… I don't really have one. I guess
you can call me Impossible. Because that's what I am; Impossible.
"I'm not the same as I was…"
Are you referring to your physical changes?
That you're no longer an earth faerie? That couldn't be helped. After the Star
was shattered, only two elements remained in its depths; light and darkness.
Because it was a darkness faerie that split the Star, the Star decided only
to let its light energy loose. And it manifested itself in the form of a white
Weewoo. Me.
If you're referring to the changes that you
can't see, the changes that happened in your mind and in your heart, well those
can't be helped either. You've been though a lot, Kirastra. You've fallen from
power and lain in the prisons of a dark faerie. You've escaped and met Tessalea
Bordorian, fiery warrior and daughter of Lupe conquerors. You've traveled miles
and miles. You've battled Lupe packs, dark faeries, and Eyries. You've defeated
the odds and came out on top, rising from the ashes of your destruction like
a phoenix.
"Phoenixes come in many shapes and forms." I
said softly, remembering Lady Darkmoon's words.
Yes. No one can ever be quite the same after
going through all you've been through.
I nodded. "After losing my magic… I didn't think
I'd ever get it back."
Lose your magic? Impossible flared his
wings in surprise. Lose your magic? You never lost your magic, young one.
My jaw dropped in shock. "But… grey faeries don't
have…"
Regaining his balance, Impossible gave me a look
of pity. Poor dear, thinking you lost your magic. You didn't lose it, it
just changed.
"But how…"
Did anything peculiar ever happen to you while
you were a grey faerie? When you were feeling sad or afraid? Have you ever…
changed your surroundings?
Remembering what Tessalea had said about her
home, I sat down in shock. "Bordor Mount?"
You mean Eyrie Peak? Yes, you changed that.
The rivers, the streams, the trees, the wind, all retained a bit of magic from
their former Eyrie owners. Thus, they reacted to your magic, throwing the mountain
into misery and despair.
"And the Lupe pack…"
Your tears enchanted them into running away.
"And the Star…"
Yes, when you tear hit the pieces of the Star,
I emerged. See, a grey faerie's magic is in her tears.
I sighed, remembering Tessalea. How I wished
I could cry now, and bring her back to me! As if reading my mind, Impossible
nudged me with his beak sympathetically. I'm so sorry about your loss, Treali.
She was a warrior brave and true. But you know what? She gave you your wings
so that you could travel Neopia, helping other grey faeries get their wings
back.
"But that's impossible…"
That's my name, don't wear it out. The
Weewoo joked.
"No, no. I mean we can't… the Star is broken…"
Impossible gave a shrill coo that sounded like
a laugh. Dear, there are other ways for a fallen faerie to grow wings. The
Star was just one of them. No wing-growing method is easy, I can assure you
that.
"So… let's go free some faeries!" I said enthusiastically.
"Maybe someday, we'll free all of the grey faeries in Neopia…"
Impossible laughed again. Maybe, Kirastra.
Maybe.
* * *
That night…
Jennumara awoke under a ceiling of a thousand
stars, cursing that grey faerie and her Lupess companion. "Well," she muttered,
"There are other ways to free Kilamara. I don't need that Dessro to do it. Oh,
but no one makes a fool of Jennumara, the Eldest of the Fourteen Sisters of
Starless Peak, and gets away with it! Mark my words, Treali. When I get my hands
on you, you will pay for this dearly."
So wrapped up in her angry mutterings, Jennumara
never realized that her younger sister was still alive. Coughing, sputtering,
and vomiting lake water, but alive. "Foolish sister," she cackled. "She forgets
that the Ancient Magic runs through my blood. Therefore, the Flame of Evil won't
kill me. Oh, but no one makes Grindomara look like an idiot. I'll have my revenge
on Jennumara, and that grey faerie and her thrice-cursed Lupess." (Being unconscious
for so long, she didn't know that Tessalea was dead.) "Then I'll be the most
powerful of the Fourteen Sisters! At least, until the Darkest Faerie returns…"
The End
| 
