The Adventures of Draikin and the Light Faerie

     After Ciara had flown away, the wind died away in the forest, but the sky remained dark and heavy. Draikin, the young Royal Ixi, stood alone in the now gloomy clearing, gripping his hat in his hands, stunned. Lord Darigan was his friend’s guardian? It was simply unbelievable.

     Oh, he knew that Lord Darigan was now considered by many to be Darigan Redeemed. He knew of the truces signed between Meridell and the Darigan Citadel. He even knew that some months ago, Lord Darigan had joined the leaders’ council in Altador to discuss the terrible grey that was overtaking Neopia. But all that aside, he was still Lord Darigan! Despite all the truces, despite the current peace, Lord Darigan’s name was still used by parents to frighten young Neopets and keep them from misbehaving. And this guy, the frightening and mysterious Lord of the dark-spired citadel hanging over Meridel—he was his best friend’s guardian??

     Draikin shook his head and rubbed his eyes, as if by doing so he would wake up and find that her admission had been a dream. But he knew that it wasn’t. No wonder Ciara wasn’t allowed to wander in the forest of Meridell! Her guardian must hate the fact that his ward would rather be in Meridell’s friendly woods than in his dark and scary citadel.

     Of course, the forest was not looking so bright and friendly these days, and particularly at this moment. The clouds that had covered the sky as Lord Darigan’s windy voice sought out his daughter had remained, and Draikin could even hear the low rumble of thunder. It sounded like a real storm might be approaching. He shuddered, put on his hat and pulled his tunic up around his neck. Hunching against the wind, he headed back to the castle.

     He snuck back in through the hole in the castle wall and crossed the courtyard again under the low rumble of thunder. The moment he entered the castle, however, Miss Taff rose from a bench beside the grand staircase and came towards him.

     “Your father wants to see you, Draikin,” the moehog governess said with forced politeness, tapping her tusk nervously. “He’s waiting for you in the throne room.”

     “Alright.”

     Draikin turned and headed to the throne room, with his governess heavily trotting along behind him. He entered the great stone room, looking at the flowing burgundy drapes that hung in the windows. Two Elephante guards stood in the shadows beside the door. His father, King Blackfawn, stood by an open window, looking at the approaching storm.

     “Draikin, come here.” The Ixi prince removed his hat and went to stand beside his father. The moehog governess remained beside the door. “Draikin, look out there. What do you see?”

     Draikin looked out across Meridell. From here, he could see Foothill Forest surrounding the courtyard, the roofs of the Town of White River, quite close, and much further off, just barely glimpsed beyond the Roaring Hills, the towers of King Skarrl’s castle rose into the sky. The heavy clouds still covered that sky, lightning flashing from them every so often, lighting up the land below. And as ever, hovering above it all, was the great dark spectre of Darigan Citadel. As they stood there, the patting whisper of falling rain could be heard, and a few drops fell upon the stone sill.

     “Meridell, Father. I see Meridell.” There was a low rumble of thunder again. Still gazing out of the window, the king said abruptly,

     “And Darigan Citadel too, no doubt.” Draikin cocked his head, immediately on alert.

     “Yes, Sir, I see the citadel too.” Did his father know about Ciara? How could he, when even Draikin had only found out that secret today?

     “There is a storm coming, it would seem,” the king said finally.

     “Yes, sir.”

     “Is there anything you wish to tell me, son?” King Blackfawn looked at his son. And as he did, Blau, the scrawny, yellow ogrin stepped from behind one of the heavy velvet drapes behind the king.

     “Yes, is there anything you wish to say to His Majesty?” Blau grinned maliciously.

     “Blau? What is he doing here?”

     The king looked at him sternly, and the thunder roared again more loudly. “The question, my boy, is what in Illusen’s name have you been doing in the woods? Is it true that you have been cavorting with one of Lord Darigan’s wards?”

     “Father—it isn’t like that! That is—it is kinda like that—but I only learned today about Ciara and—“

     The king shook his head, “Dag, all these years we let you run wild in the woods. Why not a little indulgence since you were not to be king? And Draiki,n everyone called you, because you’d rather run wild with the draiks and skeiths than stay at home like a young prince ought to. But still we indulged you.”

     “I would hardly call your neglect indulgence, Father.” Draikin said.

     “How dare you speak that way to me?” King Blackfawn sputtered. “The treaties that were signed between Meridell and Lord Darigan are always considered tenuous at best, even for the peace! And now that we are all defending our own lands against this horrible grey invasion—you choose to spend time with Lord Darigan’s ward? What in Illusen’s name made you think that you could toy with the safety of our land this way?”

     “I would never endanger Meridel, father!” Draikin said indignantly, “A truce should mean more than a frightened peace, Father.”

     “Who are you to tell me what a truce should mean or lead to? You’re still wet behind the ears! You’re just a fawn! You’ve no idea what it means to fight in a war!”

     “I am ready for battle when it comes, Father.”

     “You are ready?” The king shook his head. “You were just a Baby Ixi during the War for Meridell! What you remember you remember from behind the walls of your nursery and the skirts of your governess!”

     The king turned to the window again, and Draikin heard Miss Taff clucking nervously behind him. Beside the king, Blau snickered under his breath. Lightening flashed across the dark sky with a clap of thunder following it, and the king turned back to Draikin and continued.

     “Draikin. My son. You have changed. Any fool could see how much. You’re no longer the Baby Ixi who couldn’t speak to me without stammering. The child whose only love was running off to the woods, wild as any draik or a skeith. You have grown up, son. You are on your way to becoming a noble, Royal Ixi that any father would be proud of.”

     Draikin bowed his head. He had never thought to hear these words from his father.

     “Thank you, Sir.”

     The king shook his head. “But son, you must not spend time with that faerie any longer. Not if she is really the ward of that monstrous, grey wretch!”

     “But Father, she is my best friend!”

     “Son, from what Blau has told me, Lord Darigan feels he must somehow command the winds and the skies to call his daughter away from you! That alone is evidence that your association with her is dangerous to Meridell!”

     Draikin hung his head, unable to deny his father’s words. He had not thought of this himself.

     “Draikin,” the king went on, “You were so young, my boy, but I was on the battlefield when wave after wave of atrocity came down from that dark place. I was there to fight the waves of spiders and Zombie Petpets—even the peasants of Meridell were turned against us for a time.”

     “But Father—those were Lord Kass’ minions, not Lord Darigan’s! Lord Darigan helped to save Meridell!” A loud thunderclap startled Miss Taff, who yelped from her spot beside the door as the two royal ixi’s faced one another.

     “Lord Darigan rules the citadel!” the king cried, “And it was from the citadel that these monsters attacked us!”

     Draikin shook his head. “Father, you cannot forever hold Darigan responsible for everything that happened. The blame cannot always rest with him. Did he not attend the council of leaders at Altador? I don’t know why he doesn’t want Ciara to play in the woods here—but I want to find out!”

     “Draikin, I have tried to make you understand, but whether you do or do not, this discussion is over. You are forbidden to see that faerie again.”

     Draikin’s mouth fell open. “Forbidden?”

     The king nodded gravely. “Absolutely forbidden.”

     “Father, no!” Blau and Miss Taff gasped at his defiance. King Blackfawn glared at his son, but the young Royal Ixi stood tall. “You cannot forbid me to see her. Ciara is my best friend.”

     The king’s patience was at an end, and he roared at his youngest son as lightning split the sky and the patter of rain on the sill became a torrent.

     “Cannot forbid? How dare you defy me!”

     “Father!” Draikin cried above the din of the rain, “Please try to understand. Any changes you have seen in me—they are all her doing.”

     “We will see what I can and cannot forbid,” The king boomed, no longer listening to Draikin. “That hole beneath the castle, which you used to run to the woods all the time? It will be filled up immediately. And you, my son, we will watch like an Eyrie. You’re not going outside these castle walls again until you agree to obey my commands!”

     “But Father—”

     “There are no buts! Blau, see that Draikin returns to his chambers and stays there. Tomorrow you will resume your battledome training with your brothers, and we will not speak of this again!”

To be continued…