Let There Be Lighten: Part Two

     "You sure have a good sense of direction," Antikia suddenly commented.

     Samuel looked up at her, still rowing. "Thanks. It's somethin' I've been blessed with for me whole life. It really came in handy after I lost me sight in a nasty scrap with a Maraquan Jetsam."

     As the night wore on, Antikia didn't feel the least bit bored or worried, because Samuel told her about life in the outside world. It turned out he had traveled quite a bit in his days as a pirate, and had docked in many Neopian lands. He told her about the jungles of Mystery Island, the bustling crowds and shops of Neopia Central, the sun-baked plains of Tyrannia. She shivered with fear when Samuel described his run-in with Hubrid Nox in the Haunted Woods, and shivered with cold when he told how he hiked to the top of Terror Mountain. Samuel noticed that somehow, Antikia just being in the boat with him made him less tired, and he didn't stop rowing even once.

     The two of them barely noticed when Kreludor set and the sky to the east started to become lighter and lighter. In the pink light before the sun crested the horizon, Antikia suddenly noticed a small lump at the edge of her vision that didn't seem to bob up and down with the water. Samuel kept rowing, and Antikia strained her eyes to catch any details of the object, and as they grew closer, and the dawn grew lighter, she could see that it was a small island bordered by tall, sheer cliffs. On top of the cliffs was a forest populated by huge trees. They looked like weeping willows, but were as tall as redwoods and had thick, sturdy trunks. Purple flowers blossomed all over the trees, and vines hung down from their branches. The trees' tiny leaves made a calm rustling sound in the sea breeze. And, growing from the tree trunks, were hundreds of red mushrooms.

     "Samuel, it's my home!" Antikia cried. At the word "home," the sun appeared from beneath the horizon and struck the scene with an overwhelmingly pure, bright light, as if in celebration of Antikia's return. Antikia was awestruck at the beauty of the moment, and Samuel, although he could not see the sun's light, felt its warmth on his fur, and rejoiced also.

     Antikia was so overcome with joy that she sang the song she hadn't gotten to finish on the Buccaneer Bilguss. And this time, she sang the whole thing.

     Yen yiiht ayndir, vena yiiht fydan

     Tyo yiiht hekird, cisan yiiht fehdan

     Gaban uv lighten

     Cehkan UV lighten

     Antikia Lighten

     Dena yiiht sicurnus, lomuit yiiht cuem

     Cyht yiiht cay, nulg yiiht kinyc

     Panehkan UV lighten

     Mujan UV lighten

     Antikia Lighten

     Samuel stopped rowing to listen to Antikia's clear, melodious voice again. He sighed in relaxation. He knew the Faerie language had magic woven into every word, and Antikia's song probably had some elements of a calming spell. When Antikia was done, he asked, "What's that song mean?"

     "I'll try to translate it…" Antikia said. She recited,

     Air and earth, fire and water

     Day and night, summer and winter

     Keeper of light

     Singer of light

     Antikia Lighten

     Tree and mushroom, cloud and soil

     Sand and sea, rock and grass

     Bringer of light

     Lover of light

     Antikia Lighten

     "You see, Antikia Lighten is a title as well as a name," Antikia explained. "It was given to me when I became the guardian of the Forbidden Forest, in which Fyora's special crop of Health Shrooms grows. In the Faerie language, it means 'let there be light.'"

     "Arr…" was all salty old Samuel was able to say. He quietly picked up his rowing and they drew closer to Antikia's island.

     The waves smashed against the cliffs with fierce intensity, preventing the boat from getting close to the island. "Shiver me timbers! How d'ya reach the forest?" Samuel yelped, trying to maneuver the boat away from the breakers.

     "Oh yeah…the only way to get there is to fly…" Antikia looked sadly at her sprained wing. She tried moving it to see if it had healed overnight, but it hurt just as bad. The Shoyru hung her head sadly and tried to keep back tears.

     Suddenly, a purple light appeared at the top of the cliff. It floated downwards, towards Antikia and Samuel. Antikia didn't notice-she was too busy staring at the mossy bottom of the boat. She did notice, however, when a pair of gentle arms scooped her and Samuel up and flew back to the forest. Antikia looked up. It was the Faerie Queen herself!

     Fyora smiled and gently put the two pets down on the mossy forest floor. "Antikia! I'm so glad you're safe!" she said. "I had just come down to check on you, but you weren't in the forest. I was getting worried!" She turned to Samuel, who sat there, trying to figure out what had just happened, and why he was now sitting on the ground instead of a wet rowboat seat. "And who might you be?" the Queen asked him.

     "Samuel No-Eyes, at yer service, ma'am…" Samuel said, turning towards the source of the dignified female voice.

     Antikia looked at him in disbelief. He was addressing the ruler of Neopia! He was supposed to take off his hat and bow! Before she could tell him so, she remembered he was sightless and caught herself. Instead, she gently tapped him on the shoulder. "Samuel, this is Fyora, Queen of the Faeries," she explained in a reverent tone.

     Antikia was sure that, if she could see Samuel's eyes, they would have been as big as Pinannas. He opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out. Finally, he pushed himself to his feet, swept his three-cornered hat off of his head, and bowed deeply in Fyora's direction. "I-I had no idea 'twas you, ma'am…" he stammered.

     Fyora smiled at him. "Did you help Antikia find her way home?" she asked kindly.

     Antikia and Samuel told Fyora all about their adventure aboard the Buccaneer Bilguss and their run-in with Captain Gillfeather, and she listened intently, a furrow of worry forming on her brow with the mention of the captain. When they were done, she sighed. "I supposed something must be done with that scheming Gillfeather. I'll have the Water Faeries see if they can teach him a lesson or two." Then, she turned around and plucked two large Health Shrooms from the trunk of a nearby tree. She examined them closely and then said, quietly, "These will do." She turned back to Antikia and Samuel and placed the Shrooms in their hands, then pushed Samuel's to his chest. "A gift for you," she said, smiling, "for helping my Antikia Lighten." Antikia gladly ate hers and smiled when she gave her wing a few test flaps and found that it was feeling better than ever.

     Samuel carefully felt the Shroom to see what it was. "A-are ya sure, Yer Majesty?" he asked in disbelief.

     "Yes," Fyora replied.

     Samuel carefully took a small bite of the Shroom. It was thick and rubbery, but tasted refreshingly of mint and oranges. After swallowing the first bite, he quickly dug in to the meaty mushroom and finished the rest off in a few gulps. As soon as he finished, he felt different. Something had changed. A forgotten, foolish hope resurfaced in the back of his mind, and he tore his eyepatches off. His heart became caught in his throat as he realized…he could see!! He could see the lush, verdant greens of the forest, the golden morning sunlight streaming through the branches, warming his fur, and the brilliant purple flowers accompanied by the plump red Health Shrooms with red speckles.

     The visual explosion blew the Acara away. Colors, everywhere! He hadn't experienced colors in ages! Overwhelmed, he let himself fall on the ground, now staring at the soft blue of the sky and glorious white of the clouds.

     The face of a purple Shoyru appeared, blocking his view. It had been years since he had seen a Shoyru, and even now he had to remember the word's association with the appearance. This Shoyru was a pretty purple color and had kind eyes, but a worried expression. "Um, Samuel…are you okay?" Antikia asked.

     "Am I ever, lass!! I can see!!!" Samuel leapt to his feet, grabbed Antikia's paws, and pranced around merrily like he was a young Acara playing at Neoschool. As he spun around, he saw a stately, beautiful lady with long purple hair, a lavender dress, and large, purple, translucent Faerie wings. He tried to hold the tears back, but they welled up in his eyes as he smiled at her and she smiled back. "Thank you, Yer Highness…" he managed to croak, wiping his nose with his sleeve.

     "Anyone as brave as you deserves a gift as precious as sight," Fyora said. "I'm going to go back to Faerieland now-"

     "Um…" Fyora was interrupted by Samuel, who had regained his composure. "Would you…take an ol' salt like meself back with ya? Me mum's up there, and I would like t'quit the piratin' business and help 'er out…" He looked up at Fyora hopefully.

     "Of course!"

     Samuel turned to Antikia. "Thanks fer savin' me, lass…" he said.

     Antikia looked confused. "Huh? But, you were the one who saved me…"

     Samuel shook his head. "Arr, I know, but if you hadn't sung yer song and made me remember my life before the high seas, I would still be out there, pillagin' and plunderin' with ol' Gillfeather, never even thinkin' the wiser."

     "Nonetheless, I would like to thank you, too," Antikia said, smiling. "Will you come back and visit me? It gets sort of lonely here…"

     "Arr, or my name ain't Samuel No-Eyes!" Samuel said with a grin, then paused. "Hm, guess I'll have to do somethin' about me last name now, 'cause it's not exactly true any more!"

     Later that day the Buccaneer Bilguss was caught in a mysterious whirlpool that sent the Captain to his knees, promising that if he survived, he wouldn't be SUCH an atrocious person. Moments afterwards, the whirlpool let up. Gillfeather never kidnapped helpless Shoyrus to exploit their Faerie powers ever again, and Antikia and Samuel were the best of friends forever.

To be continued...