Council Woes

     "Hold on now; this doesn’t prove that their ailment is entirely safe, though! It could still spread or mutate, or who knows what!" King Skarl exclaimed, folding his arms.

     "I understand your concern, but since they seem to hold no ill will towards us and are the only ones with experience with how this ailment works, I think it would be best to move forward with this plan."

     "Agreed. Furthermore, their ailment and experience with the void could hold invaluable information about what is happening," King Altador chimed in.

     "I still think the dangers outweigh the-"

     "AHEM. I would think you of all of those in this room would understand their predicament. Wasn’t it just you whom others did not want to allow to stay due to your own current…gloomy condition?" Fyora rebuked harshly, causing Skarl's face to droop further. Lord Darigan, who was listening intently, scowled slightly at the Faerie Queen. King Hagan opened his mouth before deciding it would be unwise to interrupt the Queen. He could not help feeling that perhaps the Queen was rushing to a conclusion.

     Without glancing at any other councilmembers, Skarl grumbled. "Very well, if the rest of the council concedes then so do I."

     Skarl did not hear any of the other words being said, still fuming that a concern he thought was legitimate was so quickly dismissed, as if they were all ganging up on him. And he was especially sceptical of Queen Fyora allowing some random light faerie to barge in and overrule the cautious approach the council previously took.

     "Alright, we can adjourn for now," he eventually heard Fyora say. Still grumbling to himself, he followed the rest of the council members out to the dining hall. Normally the first one out the door, he shuffled along after everyone else was gone, barely noticing that Fyora had been holding the door for him. As he went through the doorway, Fyora began to speak to him.

     "We're still looking into ways to un-grey you. Please be patient with us."

     Skarl grunted a bit and continued down the hallway.

     "You alright, King Skarl?" Fyora called out after him. He continued without any response.

     Assuming that the curse was just making him extra upset today and that the situation seemed tense during the meeting at times, Fyora thought nothing more of the situation. She floated down the hallway to the Dining Hall. She noticed Skarl sitting off to the side, but strangely, he had not filled his plate to the brim like he usually did and seemed to be less interested in the food at all.

     Queen Fyora made her way through a buffet line, allowing every server to fill up her plate with food. She then sat down at a table next to King Skarl. The Skeith saw her out of the corner of his eye and inched his table slightly further away, still having barely touched his plate.

     "Is something the matter, King Skarl? Do I look or smell strange to you?"

     Skarl turned his attention to his plate. Fyora got up from her seat with her plate.

     "Here, I've grabbed some things you may like. I haven't touched anything so maybe I can…"

     "I wish to be left alone, Queen Fyora."

     The Faerie Queen opened her mouth and closed it. She moved over to a different table with her plate, honouring the King's wishes. For the moment, it appeared that things would simply calm down.

     With the queen gone, Skarl stuffed several chicken legs in his mouth and chewed vigorously. The Faerie Queen had joined Altador and several other leaders at a large round table at the centre of the room. She took a seat next to Lord Darigan, who looked up at her.

     "King Skarl didn't follow you here?" he asked.

     Fyora glanced over at Skarl who continued to inhale his chicken legs.

     "He's over there. I suppose he has other things on his mind," replied the Faerie Queen. She then took all that was on her plate and rolled it all up in a tortilla, making herself a dinner burrito.

     "Queen Fyora, I think King Skarl had a valid point today."

     The Faerie Queen shot Darigan a look of confusion.

     "What do you mean?"

     "While Luxinia probably saw the truth, it does not mean that Nyx and that Faellie of hers are completely safe to bring in."

     Fyora swallowed hard as Darigan kept a stern look on his face.

     "Look, I trust Luxinia and I believe that she saw all we needed to know. So, I think our guests are safe."

     "Wouldn't it be at least prudent to have them quarantined somewhere here and allow Jerdana and Dr. Landelbrot to confirm?"

     The Faerie Queen shrugged.

     "It's a little late for that now, they are in the same room with us, and nothing has happened. Are you going to tell them that you're suddenly going to force them into quarantine?!" Fyora responded, visibly annoyed that Darigan was re-litigating this. "You are cursed. Shouldn't you of all people get it? You've gone through the strange looks and strong aversion to your presence!"

     Her voice seemed to carry because all the other conversations at the table stopped and Hagan and Altador both fixed their eyes on Fyora. Darigan continued to sit, revealing no change in facial expression.

     "Queen Fyora, is everything alright? You don't seem…" Hagan began.

     "Yes! I'm alright!" she snapped at Hagan before gasping and covering her mouth.

     "You know what, I think I'm going to retire to my room early today. Thanks for the meeting today. It's clear to me that I'm needing some rest."

     The Queen excused herself and disappeared upstairs into her guest room. At that moment, Skarl wandered over to the table and took a seat.

     "Is she gone now?" he asked.

     "Yes, I think she's done for the day," Altador replied, throwing his paws up.

     "Well good. She's been an unreasonable bully today and perhaps shouldn't be leading this council anymore," he fumed.

     Altador glanced at Skarl's upset face. Darigan then laid his hand on Skarl's shoulder.

      "Queen Fyora's like this sometimes. I wouldn't take it personally. But I agree that she wasn't demonstrating the best diplomacy here," he said.

     "For a wise Queen, she certainly did not act the part," King Hagan sighed.

     Fyora could still hear them below and she felt a feeling of resentment sweep through her body.

     "I'm doing my hardest to get to the bottom of this for everyone's sake. I guess not everyone appreciates it," she muttered through her gritted teeth. Fumbling around for her guest key, she eventually slipped into her room.

     Meanwhile, Nyx, who had briefly stepped out of the room as Dr. Landelbrot and Jerdana tended to Juni, happened to overhear much of the loud portion of the conversation.

     "Look, we need to find my brother, so I don't have time to stay here long. So, I'd rather be on my way than deal with a quarantine," she said to King Altador.

     The king shook his head.

     "At this point, it's important that you work with Jerdana and Dr. Landelbrot so we can better understand what is going on. While a strict quarantine isn't necessary, it may be best to avoid contact with others until they clear you of any issues. We cannot stop you from leaving, but we believe that may be able to help all Neopia. In exchange, we can support your journey to finding your brother."

     "We promise we will help!" Luxinia said, patting Nyx on the shoulder and then handing Juni a treat. The Faellie instantly gobbled up the bone shaped treat.

     --

     Fyora awoke the next day early in the morning. Usually, she liked to sit along on the balcony to gather her thoughts before another day of strategizing. As she stepped out into the hallway and made her way to the balcony though, she saw the silhouette of someone else already there. She squinted and saw what appeared to be a figure of a Skeith.

     "Well, maybe I should try to talk to him," Fyora thought to herself.

     She approached the door to the balcony, took a deep breath, and slid it open. Skarl was indeed in one of the seats that faced out towards Altador City. The sun barely peeked over the horizon with a few rays beginning to illuminate the historic buildings of the city. However, the void rift in the sky was also coming into view, swallowing up some of the rays.

     Fyora quietly slid into the seat next to King Skarl who did not acknowledge her presence. Eventually, she began to speak.

     "Morning, King Skarl," she said.

     The king had no reaction to this. Fyora stood up from her seat and walked over to where Skarl sat and stood in front of him. He continued to ignore her presence.

     "Look, about yesterday. I'm not sure why you're upset. I'm sorry if anything I said upset you."

     Skarl then glared at the Faerie Queen as she continued, twisting his face in disgust.

     "The folks who visited us yesterday are extremely important to our mission, so I had no choice but to allow them to stay. I hope you understand that."

     Finally, Skarl could no longer hold back.

     "I have no idea why you continue picking on me. Unlike King Kelpbeard, I wanted to help our guests, but I only wanted to make sure they didn't pose a threat."

     Fyora shrugged. "Nobody is picking on you Skarl."

     "You just don't get it, Fyora. You're the one picking on me! I brought up a concern and all you did was dismiss it. Why do you even want me here if you're just going to ignore all of my concerns. You know what? My people need me. I shouldn't be wasting my time here."

     Fyora seemed aghast that Skarl was going after her, shocked even. However, she wasn't about to let Skarl tear down her leadership.

     "I did not say or suggest that your opinions and ideas weren't valuable. I really value your thoughts and-"

     Skarl stood up abruptly and turned his back towards the queen and appeared to be heading inside.

     "No, you didn't really act like you do," he muttered, turning to leave.

     The Faerie Queen followed behind him.

     "Look, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I still want you here to help."

     She tried to give Skarl a hug, but Skarl pushed her hand away and then the Draik guards tailing behind put themselves between Fyora and Skarl. Fyora's own Kougra guard along with a light faerie guard emerged and tried to move the Draik guards.

     "No, not now. Please do not get into a scuffle with Skarl's guards," Fyora ordered. The two sets of guards separated, but King Skarl was long gone inside again. Queen Fyora sank back into her chair.

     As Skarl made his way inside, he bumped into Kelpbeard who was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

     "Oh, hey Skarl. You're up early too huh?" The Koi took a sip. "Ugh, not the best tasting coffee here."

     Skarl shook his head and continued walking.

     "Oh, I totally agree with you. These void infested folks seem like nothing but trouble. The Faerie Queen is losing her touch these days."

     Skarl turned around and got right up to Kelpbeard's face.

     "You and I are not alike and never will be."

     Kelpbeard backed away slightly and set his cup down.

     "Whoa there, take it easy, Greybeard."

     Skarl reached out and grabbed Kelpbeard's coffee and emptied it in the sink on the counter next to them while staring him down. He then slammed the cup down and walked away, his guards trailing behind him.

     Fyora then slid the door open also with her guards tailing her.

     "Ah Fyora, just who I wanted to see. What's gotten into Sk-"

     "I don't have time for this, Kelpbeard. I really don't." The queen then walked briskly back to her room. She noticed a note attached to her door with tape. She grabbed it and took it with her inside.

     "Who would write a note when they could just talk to- oh…"

     Fyora froze as she saw who had written it. The barely legible scribbles were hard to make out, but they were familiar.

     "King Skarl…" Fyora whispered.

     She could barely read the contents, but there was just enough she could recognize for it to make sense.

     "I do not feel like my presence in this council is worth -- does not appear that any of my thoughts or ideas are -- given consideration -- given all of this, -- best for me to return to Meridell -- prepare my kingdom for battle should the void arrive at our doorstep."

     Fyora dropped the letter and then collapsed onto her bed. She grabbed her pillow and buried her face into it, suppressing any sound as she felt tears streaming down her face.

     "Oh, what's the use? I'm just a failure these days. I have no idea what I'm doing. I've made someone upset for some nonsensical reason," Fyora wailed into the pillow.

     Outside the door, the Faerie Kougra guard turned to the light faerie.

     "Should we check on her?" he asked.

     The light faerie vigorously shook her head. "No, give her some space. We don't want to make things worse."

     Further down the hallway stood Skarl, his guards carrying his packed bags.

     "Let's go!" Skarl demanded. However, before they could leave, Altador appeared in front of them.

     "Just where do you think you are going?" he said, confronting the Skeith.

     "I'm done with this, clearly Queen Fyora doesn't value my opinion. I see zero point in staying. I'm out of here," Skarl replied bluntly as he then walked past Altador.

     "She feels pretty awful about this right now."

     "Well, she clearly did not indicate so when she gave her half-hearted apology. Stand aside! I'm done with this council."

     Altador did not budge.

     "I said stand aside!"

     "I think you should stay."

     "Why? I brought up a real issue and all Queen Fyora did was dismiss it. Why bother staying? I should be home, helping defend the kingdom. All we are doing is wasting all our time here. And the food isn't even that great."

     "And she's also spent countless hours long after everyone is asleep to figure out how to cure your greyness."

     Skarl rolled his eyes. "That does not excuse her behaviour. In addition, she was dismissive of me when I turned grey too so… you know what? I'm leaving. Get out of my way!"

     Skarl boarded an Uni drawn carriage waiting for him and his guards. It was about to leave when King Altador stood in front of it, halting the Unis.

     "I think you're going to want to turn around," King Altador suggested.

     Behind Skarl stood Fyora, eyes a bit bloodshot from crying moments ago.

     "What do you want?" Skarl snarled at the Faerie Queen.

     "My apology last time missed the mark; may I reattempt?" Fyora began.

     Skarl folded his arms.

     "And how will I know you're being sincere? You certainly did not seem so before."

     "Well, I can't say anything that will reassure you there, but I will say that I'm sorry for dismissing your thoughts. It was in the heat of the moment and the appearance of a new lead got the best of me, especially one that came from a faerie. I'm sorry for acting dismissive; it was not my intention to ignore your opinions, and I understand I have work to do to fix my bias towards what faeries have to say. I was merely caught up with the opportunity to finally make a potential breakthrough after many days lacking progress."

     Skarl shook his head and turned away from the queen.

     "I don't think that's enough, Fyora. Ever since the war in Meridell, everyone has treated me as someone to be ignored, like someone we can all joke about because 'Oh, he's just a jerk who eats a lot.' I will not be bullied into submission here."

     Fyora knelt next to the carriage and attempted to stare into Skarl's eyes.

     "I swear that this is not what I meant to do. You were not yourself; you were cursed. I cannot blame you for all the events of the war. But I promise to consider your thoughts and be more inclusive of ideas in the future."

     Skarl still appeared unsatisfied. He turned towards his Unis and gave an order.

     "We are leaving."

     The Unis resumed leaving the Faerie Queen and Altador at a loss for what to do.

     "He's still leaving. What do we do?" Fyora cried.

     Altador reached out and patted Fyora on the shoulder.

     "I have a feeling he'll be back soon. I think he just needs a break from all of us. Let him leave."

     Soon the carriage disappeared off into the distance, and Fyora and Altador returned to the council.

     "Hey, where is King Skarl?" Darigan asked.

     "King Skarl will no longer be joining us for the time being. He had business to address," Fyora replied.

     Darigan did not appear satisfied with the answer but decided it was best not to press the queen on it. Fyora opened her mouth to start the meeting.

     "Alright so right now, the first order of business is to get a status update from Dr. Landelbrot and Jerdana."

     The Lutari stood up and cleared his throat. "Ahem, Nyx appears to be doing well. I am not seeing any signs of the void causing any contamination. I'm working on absorbing some of it from Juni though because he still has not woken up yet, but we are seeing positive signs."

     Suddenly, Fyora stood up. "Thank you for the update. I must go after Skarl. King Altador, hold down the fort."

     "Wait! Fyora!" King Altador tried to call out, but it was too late. Fyora had disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

     "I'll go after her!" Darigan announced.

     "Fine but be careful! There are void creatures near Meridell, battling our troops in Brightvale," Altador said. "Given her teleportation skills, she's likely already there. You'll have to fly quickly…"

     --

     Fyora reappeared on the outskirts of Meridell, near the Brightvale border. As soon as she took a step, she heard a loud whoosh. Turning around, she noticed a giant serpent-like Void creature.

     "ARGH!" she yelled as the serpent struck her heel, causing a severe pain.

     "OOOW!"

     She tried her best to ignore the pain as she drew her staff and tried to set up a pink barrier around her, but void creatures swarmed her, summoned by the Wyrm. She tried to raise her staff, but the Wyrm then struck her in the torso, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. She then screamed as the void creatures surrounded her in darkness. She raised her staff and then yelled something, causing a massive explosion.

     It created a massive crater in the area and destroyed all living creatures and plants in the area.

     "No! I shouldn't have done that!" she cried. "However, she had no time to dwell on the destruction she caused.

     The fight was not over. A huge swarm of Voidlings appeared once again. Fyora tried to zap them out of the sky, but there were just too many of them. Moments later, Void Prowlers also appeared. The sheer number of void creatures overwhelmed Fyora, and she refused to use her destructive spell again.

     However, as she continued, suddenly many projectiles slammed into the Void creatures, knocking them out of the sky. Fyora looked below and noticed a sizable detachment of the Meridell Army, surrounding Skarl, continue to fire arrows and rocks at the void creatures, hitting their targets with the highest precision while avoiding any friendly fire.

     Soon the void creatures cleared out enough to allow Fyora to land right next to Skarl.

     "Hello again," Fyora greeted. Another large Void Wyrm appeared before Skarl could respond, but a large stone slammed into it and knocked it out. Darigan then descended from the sky and landed next to the two of them.

     Skarl paid no attention to Fyora, but immediately zapped a Void Prowler that was sneaking up on her.

     "Look, I know we're probably not going to see eye to eye, so I'm not going to push you in any direction. But just note that I am very sorry for how I acted. I should have taken the time to listen to you and err on the side of caution rather than overriding all of your concerns."

     "Hey, don't just stand there, we have to fight!" Darigan said, interrupting them as yet another Void Wyrm appeared. The Wyrm instantly tore into Darigan's left wing, garnering a suppressed yelp as crumpled to the earth. Fyora and Skarl then pelted the creature with spells and arrows, eventually causing it to dissolve into the air.

     "Lord Darigan!" Fyora screamed, rushing over to his side.

     "Leave me! I am useless on the ground and injured. I'll withdraw to a safe spot. I know of safe home here, where a farmer's daughter made sure I was fed when I had lost my mind." The Korbat got up. "Clear a path for me, you two."

     "Ugh, this is all my fault, isn't it?"

     Darigan breathed heavily. "What's done is done, now clear a path for me."

     Skarl and Fyora kept their attacks up as Void creatures continued to swarm the area. Fortunately, Darigan managed to clear the battlefield and Fyora could make out the house in the distance where he was headed to.

     As Fyora stared though, she felt a bite on her right shoulder.

     "Eep!" Fyora yelped, discharging a large pink fireball from her staff which slammed into a Void Prowler knocking it out. King Skarl then took care of the surrounding Voidlings.

     "Anyways, what I was saying…"

     "I'm not ready to forgive you, but I'm willing to collaborate with you," Skarl replied before one of soldiers defeated another void creature near them. Eventually, they gained the upper hand, and the void creatures appeared to retreat towards Brightvale. With the fighting finally at a standstill, Skarl turned to Fyora.

     "You did not have to come after me, I could have managed it myself."

     "I wanted to-" Fyora began.

     "As I said, I'll need some time here. I'll return when I'm ready, but right now, my job is to protect my kingdom. Now you better get back to…. Whatever you and the council are doing. I am willing to work with you, but I don't think we're going to have a good friendship after this."

     Fyora hung her head a bit.

     "But I do want to apologize for…"

     Skarl held his hand up. "It will take me some time to forgive. Please afford me that."

     Her heart sank. She knew that she had blown the relationship up and repairing it would be difficult. But she still saw a silver lining in that he would still be willing to work with her.

     "I understand, King Skarl…" she said, still tearing up a bit. Not wanting Skarl to see her cry though, she once again disappeared in a puff of pink smoke. She was back at the Council Chambers where it seemed like the meeting had adjourned. Altador walked over to the Faerie Queen. The two briefly embraced before Fyora gave her report.

     "Things are under control. King Skarl needs some time away though. He shall return to us at a later date when he is ready."

     "What about your relationship?"

     Fyora's eyes began to water before she shook them off.

     "No comment. I'll just leave it at that."

     The Queen then headed back up to her room upstairs, abruptly ending the conversation. Altador sighed and shook his head.

     "I hope our council won't completely fall apart at this rate…"

     The End