Lavender -- Part 2

They had traveled to just a little less than a mile away from the dragon’s cave the day before. The trio were all rested up and as ready as they would ever be. They had already packed up. They left their tents, and most of the other items that they knew they would not need, where they had camped overnight. They took their clothes, some food, water, their weapons, and they wore their armor. They quickly traversed the rest of the mile and got to the mouth of the cave. Inside the cave, they saw three tunnels.

“Which way do we go?” Lavender and Feldspar asked at the same time.

“I once heard that when facing a maze, always turn left,” replied Talc, “You will then be able to cover the whole maze. It might be slower, but at least we would get through.”

“So, we’re treating this like it is a maze?” Asked Feldspar.

“It’s worth a try, at least,” answered Talc with a shrug.

          They headed down the furthest left passage. They had not gotten very far when it went completely dark. Fortunately, Talc had a few torches in his pack. He pulled one out, lit it, and then held it up so they could see. Looking back the way they came, they could not see an entrance. Talc went back to investigate.

“It’s a solid wall,” he called to them.

“How could that be?” Asked Lavender.

“I do not know,” replied Talc, “but I do not like it.”

“Well,” said Feldspar, “I guess we have no choice but to go forward. Hopefully, your maze idea works in magical dragon lairs.”

          They continued forward. When a chance to turn left came up, they took it. It seemed like they had been traveling forever when they came to a large domed room. There were paths everywhere. All of them were five feet away from the next one, and each tunnel was about five feet wide.

“There are at least twenty paths we could choose,” Feldspar complained, “How are we supposed to choose one?”

“I propose we mark the entrance we use in case we end up back in this room or if we have to retrace our steps,” Talc said.

“What will we mark it with?” Asked Lavender.

“I will use my knife to chip a little ‘X’ into the left side of the entrance,” replied Feldspar, “in fact, I will do that to every entrance and exit we go through.”

          “So,” said Lavender, “which one are we going to pick first?”

“I will mark this path we just came through, and then I guess one of us should just pick a random one and hope for the best,” said Feldspar.

He marked the left side of the hole they just came out of. Lavender went to the center of the chamber and spun around with her arm out in front of her, pointing straight out. She spun a few times around with her eyes closed and then stopped. Her finger pointed to the fourth entrance to the right of where they had just come from.

“Mark that one and let’s go,” she said.

          Feldspar ran over to the path that Lavender had pointed to and carved a small ‘X’ on the left side. Then, he started down the path with Lavender and Talc following close behind. They went as fast as they could without stumbling or losing anything. They went around corners and up and down underground hills. There were no alternate routes to take, which made the going easier. They had been running for probably about half an hour when they stumbled into another large domed room.

Lavender looked around and sighed, “it is the same exact room with the same exact tunnels.”

          “I will mark this one that we just came out of and then we can try another one,” said Feldspar as he marked an ‘X’ by the tunnel they had just come through.

Talc picked a tunnel, Feldspar marked it, and they ran down it. This tunnel was just like the other one; no other tunnels branched off of it. They ran and ran, and soon, they were stumped. They tried to continue, but the tunnel kept getting smaller and smaller. Soon, they were crawling, and even sooner after that, they were inching their way on their bellies. Feldspar was in front, and he could go no farther. He called back to them to stop.

“We need to go back,” he said, “there is no way we can get any farther.”

          They started crawling backward, which they found was much harder than crawling forwards. As soon as they could turn around, they did and crawled back the way they had come. As soon as they could stand up again, they stood up and ran. They were losing precious time. They arrived back in the large domed room. This time, Feldspar picked the path. He marked it and they all started down it together, with Feldspar slightly ahead of the others.

          They had not run very far when Feldspar called out.

“HELP!”

Talc slowed and looked around for Feldspar. He looked up and down and all around. He then looked beyond his feet to a cliff. He looked down and saw that Feldspar was hanging from one hand, dangling into a deep and wide crevasse.

“Hold on,” Talc said. He passed the torch to Lavender and got onto his knees.

He reached down and grabbed hold of Feldspar’s wrist and started pulling him up. As soon as he could, he grabbed Feldspar under the arms and pulled him the rest of the way up.

          Feldspar was drawing deep breaths, but despite being saved from falling to his death, he still looked sorry and depressed.

“I am sorry. I’m sorry. I am so sorry,” he started mumbling while shaking his head.

“What?” Lavender asked, “Why are you sorry? What happened?”

“I dropped my knife and a few other things when I fell,” he replied sadly, “How are we supposed to mark the tunnels now?”

“My question is,” Lavender replied, “How are we going to get past this? What if it’s the right way?”

          Talc bent down and picked up a few pebbles. He threw one, quite softly. There was no sound for a while.

“Lift up the torch a little higher,” he told Lavender.

She held it up as high as she could.

“Well it is quite deep, but not as far across. It might be only a few yards wide.

          He took out the rope and his grappling hook. He tied the rope to the hook, swung it around, and threw it as hard as he could. It hit something solid. Talc pulled down hard, trying to get it to anchor somewhere. It finally stuck; Talc pulled sharply, making sure it would hold.

“Be careful,” Lavender told him, keeping the flame high so they could see.

He then held very tightly to the rope and jumped off of the side of the cliff. He held his feet out in front of him so that when he got to the other side he would not smash into pieces and fall. He would also be able to brace his legs on the wall as he climbed up the side. He got to the other side and climbed up the rope, hand over hand, using his feet to stabilize himself while climbing.

          When he got to the top, he lit another torch and leaned it against the wall so he could use both hands. He then found a large stone and tied the rope to it, making sure it would not slip out. He threw the stone across the chasm. Feldspar caught it with ease.

“Here Lavender,” Feldspar said, turning to Lavender, “you go next. You are more valuable in this mission than I am.”

Lavender nodded and held onto the rope.

“Do it exactly how I did it,” Talc called to her, “If you get stuck, just yell up and I will pull you the rest of the way up.”

Lavender took a few deep breaths and vaulted off the side of the cliff. She swung to the other side, feet first. She flinched from the impact of her feet hitting the wall; it jarred her more than she thought it would. She started climbing. She was about five feet from the top when she started slipping.

“Talc!” She called, “Pull me up! I am slipping!”

Talc pulled on the rope will all of his strength and hauled Lavender slowly to the top of the precipice. Breathing hard, Talc threw the rope back to the other side of the gorge where Feldspar stood waiting, and then helped Lavender to her feet. She was shaking slightly from the exertion of climbing up the wall and from the fear that she had felt when she had started slipping.

          It did not take Feldspar very long to swing over and climb up the wall and stand with Talc and Lavender. Talc untied the rock and the hook from the rope and put them back in his pack, throwing the rock on the ground.

“We should be a little more careful,” commented Talc, “It is important to get through here fast, but from now on, the person carrying the torch needs to go first. All three of us should have our eyes peeled for any more hazards.”

          Talc held the torch high and started off again. The path was winding, and it started to slowly decline. They could soon see a bit of light up ahead.

“Be ready for anything,” Lavender said.

They slowed when they got closer to the exit, wary of anything awry. They stepped out of the tunnel and into a dimly lit room. It was the largest room they had been in on this journey so far. There were small lanterns on different parts of the walls. They were filled with fire, ranging from bright greens to deep reds and blues. There was nothing else in the room except a stone table, six feet long and four feet wide. There were no tunnels or any other exits that they could see.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Rhodrolth felt three distinct presences enter the mouth of his cave. He moved to look into his scrying ball. To his amazement, he saw two dwarves and a young human woman. He snorted in amusement. If my traps don’t kill them, I’ll have a tasty meal at the end of their journey. Nobody steals my treasure. He grinned as he thought of the delicious meal awaiting him. He wouldn’t even have to work for it, no hunting, and he didn’t even have to leave his cave. They would come to him.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          “Now what?” Feldspar asked with a hint of despair in his voice.

Talc walked over to the table, searching for meaning. Lavender had wandered over to the closest flaming lantern. She stared into it, studying it, feeling it. She took it off of its hook and carried it to the table, almost as if she were in a trance. With the magical fire glowing on the table, words began to appear.

You seek the door that leads to me

Tasks to do, count one, two, three.

The end of your goal you will find

after three trials you bind.

She moved the flame downward and it revealed more of the message:

The first you must do

to lead you to two

is burning above

and resembles pure hate or love.

Each one has a name;

naming them is the game.

Achieve this and the next clue you will earn,

but only after the names no longer burn.

She moved the torch lower, but no more was revealed.

          They sat in silence for a while.

Then, Feldspar spoke up, “Well, it’s pretty clear we have three tasks, or challenges, to overcome.”

“But what does the first one mean?” Asked Lavender.

“Well, the ‘burning above’ part is clearly talking about the lanterns,” replied Talc, “and they need to be extinguished somehow.”

“All of them?” Feldspar asked, looking around.

“It seems that way,” answered Talc.

“Why don’t we just stomp out the flames?” Suggested Feldspar.

“I do not think that will do anything but burn us,” replied Talc, “this is magical fire.”

          Lavender looked around the room, “There are so many of them though. And some are out of reach.”

“We will figure it out as we go,” said Talc.

“We better get started then,” said Feldspar.

“We might as well start with this one,” Lavender said, holding up the lantern.

Lavender blew hard on the flame, but it did not even waver. Feldspar tried spitting on it, but all it did was sizzle.

“How do we put it out?” Lavender asked, already frustrated.

Talc took the lantern and crushed it under his foot, stomping on it quickly. Nothing happened to the flame; it just sat there on the ground, neither growing nor diminishing.

“I thought you said we shouldn’t try to stomp them out,” Feldspar said.

“Well, nothing else was working,” Talc grunted, “I thought I would give it a try.”

          A large sigh and humph came from the three travelers. Lavender walked away, exasperated.

“Each one has a name… no longer burn… each one has a name… a name..” Lavender mumbled as she paced.

“What does that mean?” She asked herself.

While she thought so deeply, Feldspar and Talc continued to try and put the fire out.

          Suddenly, Lavender spun around, shouting, “The names! The names are the key!”

Talc and Feldspar stopped and stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Names of what?” Asked Feldspar, “The dragon? The flames? Lovers?”

“Hmmm,” she mused and continued to pace and think.

“Wait!” she said, spinning towards them again, “Names of those hated and loved. The riddle says that each flame has a name and that the flames resemble pure hatred or love.”

Talc blinked.

“We have to let those feelings go,” she explained, “In our hearts burns hatred or love for certain people.”

“So we have to name everyone we love and those that we hate… And, what? Let the love or hatred go? Quit feeling anything for them?” Asked Feldspar.

“That is exactly what I am saying,” replied Lavender.

          “Try it then,” Talc spoke up.

“Okay,” replied Lavender.

She thought about whom to start with, and then she spoke his name. “Chris, protector of all that is good, my true love, my fiancé, and the other half of my heart. I must let you go,” she said, letting the feelings of love for him flow through her and into her words; the feeling flowed through her heart, up through her chest, and out of her mouth right along with her words.

She felt empty and tired. They looked down at the ground and saw nothing; the flame that had just been burning on the ground had gone out.

          “Julia, my mother, my friend, my guardian,” Lavender spoke, quietly, “I release you.”

A green flame on the wall behind her went out. A small cry escaped her lips, as well as one tear that escaped her eye and slid down her cheek. She took a deep, shuddering breath and sighed.

“Jade, my mother, my rock, my foundation for my entire life and love and hope,” said Feldspar, “I let you go.”

A blue flame fluttered and then disappeared. Lavender put her hand on his shoulder, comforting him.

“Sapphire,” Talc started, “my love, my life, the one who broke my heart, the one who left me after leading me on. I forgive you and let you go.”

A red flame disappeared instantly. They named name after name, and let each of them, along with the hatred or love that accompanied them, until all of the flames were extinguished.

          The room was dark and still. Tears could be heard dropping onto the cold, unforgiving floor of the room. Soon, all of the crying stopped as a new flame flickered to life. It was white, with no blemish or color. It was inside a tunnel leading away from where they had come, and away from the empty, heartless room. Feldspar marked the tunnel silently with a stone from the ground, making a white chalky mark to the left of the tunnel, and the group trudged into the tunnel, not quite over the experience of the flame room. The white flame seemed to follow them down the tunnel, never getting more than a few feet ahead or behind them.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Rhodrolth checked his scrying ball again to see how far the trio had come. He was amazed that they had figured out the first riddle, and even more impressed that they completed it. Intrigued, he continued to watch the travelers in his scrying orb.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Chris woke up with a pounding headache and a pang of gnawing hunger in his stomach that told him he had not eaten for days. He tried to sit up, but his headache intensified, making him black out for a few minutes. When he awoke again, he forewent sitting up and just looked around. He was in a bed that was not his. He looked around a little more. The stone walls were bare; there was one wooden door and no windows. The only item in the room besides himself and the bed was a little table with a tray. Right now, the tray was empty, except for one small glass of cool water.

He then looked down at himself. He was not wearing his clothes anymore; he had on some white, sheet thin, garments. His feet were bare, and his arms were bare as well. He noticed the bandage on his arm for the first time. His blood had soaked through in one spot about the size of his thumb, but the rest was as clean as his sheets.

He heard a slight grinding sound and then a click. He turned his head toward the door. It opened slowly. At first, all he could see was an arm, and then he could see a lady in a white gown. Noticing that he was awake, she motioned behind her and walked in the rest of the way. Behind her, Chris could see another nurse with a tray of food and a goblet of water. She set the tray of food on the table beside his bed.

“Glad to see you are awake,” the first nurse said, “I am Margaret, and this is Danielle.”

“Hungry?” Danielle asked.

“Starving,” he replied with a smile.

Both nurses giggled, and then one of them said, “That is not a surprise, you have been in a coma for over a week.”

The other nurse added, “We thought that maybe the king would have no heir after all.”

There was a long pause; Chris just stared at the two nurses in shock. Finally, Chris was able to talk.

“A...A WEEK!?” He exclaimed, “How could I have been out for over a week?”

Then he started rambling, “My poor Lavender… gone for at least two weeks now… I have failed her... How could this happen?”

Chris’s voice had risen, and he pushed himself up off of his bed.

“You need to calm down, your Highness,” Margaret said, quickly but gently, “You will make yourself sick.”

She put out a hand and gently pushed Chris back down onto his bed.

“After a day or two of healing, most of your men went back out in search of Lavender,” Danielle stated, “there has been little news - ”

“A little?” Chris inquired, cutting her off, “What is it? Where is she?”

He started to rise again.

“Prince Chris, really,” Margaret replied, “if you do not calm down, I will have to sedate you.”

“As I was saying,” Danielle went on, “there has been little news on the whereabouts of your fiancé, and all of them have been rumors. We do not know any facts yet.”

“Are we at least picking up on the leads?” Asked Chris, “Are we testing these rumors?”

“Prince Chris,” Margaret said, curtly, “your men can only do so much. They cannot start chasing after wild rumors!”

“We have to do something!” Chris exclaimed, “Even the littlest rumor must be searched!”

“We are doing all we can,” replied Danielle gently, trying to calm the prince down, “The best thing you can do to help is to stay calm and focus on getting better.”

“Yes,” agreed Margaret, “focus on getting better. After all, cragdillo spike venom is highly toxic and very hard to cure. Luckily, we had just the right herbs on hand to conjure an antidote.”

“Cragdillo spike venom,” added the other nurse, “is very nasty stuff and works rather quickly. You were fortunate to have survived at all.”

          “Anyway,” Margaret continued, changing the subject, “we did not come to talk about how close to death you were, sir. We came to feed you, that is if you had finally awoken.”

“That is right,” agreed Danielle, “What will it be? Creamed potato soup? Or mashed potatoes?”

“What is the difference?” asked Chris with a chuckle.

“One is a bit more liquid, while the other one comes with gravy,” replied Danielle.

“Mashed potatoes with gravy it is then,” replied Chris with a slight smile.

          Danielle helped Chris sit up in his bed and placed a pillow behind his back. She then placed the tray on his lap. He took a tentative drink first and immediately felt better. He scooped up the potatoes and consumed them all. When he had finished, Margaret took the dishes away while Danielle helped the prince lay back down.

“Rest, sir,” she commanded softly, “Your strength will return soon enough.”

Chris nodded and thanked her before turning over and closing his eyes.

They turned another corner and were soon faced with a dead end. They turned around to go back the way they had come, but where the corridor should have been was a wall. They were boxed in with no way out. The flame suddenly sputtered and went out. Panicked, Lavender grabbed onto Feldspar’s arm. Unexpectedly, a voice sounded. It was deep and ominous. It seemed to come from all directions at once.

One task out of three

is what you have overcome.

Now listen to me.

I know the room you seek

to come closer to me.

Three riddles I will speak

One for each of you.

Only then will you see

the place you wish to sneak.

The first to answer shall be, who?

The three exchanged glances, and without even speaking, decided that Talc should go first.

He nodded and then answered, “I shall be first.”

All of the sudden, Talc dropped right through the floor. Lavender shrieked and ran to where Talc had just been standing. She knelt down and felt the floor, looking for a trap door, or any other way down. Nothing was there. The stone floor was as smooth as a baby’s behind. There were no indentations or cracks, no indication that Talc could have even fallen through the floor.

Talc did not fall for long; he was soon sitting on a very unforgiving floor.

There was some natural light coming from somewhere, but Talc could not see where. He looked around and could tell that he was alone. The room he was in was no more than thirty feet across each side, nor was it very tall. Suddenly, a voice sounded. It was the same one he had just heard in the other room.

“Talc, son of Gem and ‘Sidian,” it bellowed, “Do you wish to proceed?”

Talc was a little confused and hesitant, but quickly regained his confidence and replied, “Yes.”

There was a brief hiatus before the voice sounded again:

A mother and a father have four daughters,

and each daughter has a brother.

With the least amount of kin, how many people are in the family?

There was silence. Talc thought about the riddle.

“One mother, one father, four daughters, and each daughter has a brother,” he thought to himself, “but… they do not all have to have a different brother.”

He paced a little bit and then continued, “Even if there was one son, all of the daughters would have one brother… the same one!” He had gotten it, and he knew it!

“Seven!” He exclaimed, “There are seven: one mother, one father, four daughters, and one son.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Not much time had passed when Feldspar vanished unexpectedly. It was like the wall behind him had just opened up and swallowed him. Lavender was now alone, and more scared than ever.

Suddenly, the voice bellowed, “Lavender, daughter of Julia, do you wish to proceed?”

“Yes,” squeaked Lavender, then much louder, “Yes, I am ready to move on.”

Voiceless it cries,

wingless flutters,

toothless bites,

mouthless mutters.

What is it?

There was an ominous silence. Lavender was stumped. The riddle made no sense to her. How could something cry without a voice? Or with no mouth mutter?

“Could this be a creature I have never heard of?” she asked herself, but she turned it down almost immediately. She felt like she knew the answer was not too hard. She just had to think outside the box.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Feldspar had been standing by Lavender just a second ago, and now she was gone. He had felt some movement and then was alone.

“Where am I?” he thought aloud.

Out of nowhere, a voice boomed, “Feldspar, son of Jade and Flint, do you wish to proceed?”

Feldspar looked around, startled.

“Uhm,” he said, dumbfounded, “Uh… Ya, I guess.”

There was a long silence and then the voice continued:

Two fathers and two sons went fishing.

Each caught one fish.

So, why did they only bring home three?

“Why did they only bring home three?” Feldspar asked, “That is a dumb question.”

“Maybe they were not hungry enough for four,” he said, “Or maybe one was too small, and they threw it back.”

“There are endless possibilities of why they only brought back three fish,” Feldspar continued, now starting to mutter to himself.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Not long after he had answered the riddle a passageway opened out of nowhere. Talc hesitantly headed towards it, keeping vigilant in case it was a trap. He headed down the corridor, slowly, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement or unusual activity. The natural light seemed to grow brighter and brighter the farther he went.

He continued walking. There were never branches off of the tunnel he was heading down, but it definitely swerved and looped around quite a lot. Sometimes, Talc felt like he had already been down a certain part of the hall. Soon, he lost all sense of direction and could not tell how far down he might be.

The light was gradually getting brighter and brighter as he moved along another fifty paces, and he was suddenly in a large domed room. In it were three chairs. One looked as if it had been made out of green gemstones. Another looked to be carved straight from a giant block of jade; the last one was much different from all of the others. This one was not made out of any kind of stone; it was made out of grapevines, lilacs, and some purple flowers all woven together. Talc could only guess what types of flowers; maybe Veronica, or Pride of Madeira. No. Possibly Wisteria, Lupine, or Betony. No, no, no. And then the thought of the perfect flower that it could be: Lavender. Of course!

These chairs must symbolize each of them. He wondered what would happen if he sat in one. Since he was closest to the lavender chair, he sat in that one. Automatically, the vines started to recede and wither away. He leaped out of the chair, and it went back to normal. Curious, he walked over to the chair sculpted out of jade. He sat down on it. It slid back into its block, forming a perfectly rectangular block of jade, leaving Talc sitting stunned on the cold, hard floor. He was no longer curious.

He decided to sit in his own chair. He hesitantly lowered his body into the green gem chair. When nothing bad happened, he relaxed into the seat. As soon as he was sitting back, a bright green light filled the room. Talc was startled and stood up; the light went out immediately. He looked around and sat back down; the green light filled the room once again.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Lavender had been thinking forever, or at least it felt like forever. She was so close to just giving up and curling into a ball.

“How about a little hint?” She tried but was only answered by silence.

But soon, a gust of wind blew in, freezing and ruthless.

“Ouch!” Lavender shrieked, “This wind is biting cold! And it is so loud!”

She covered her ears while trying to huddle into a ball. Then, she stopped.

“Wait a minute,” she said, “the wind is biting me, and it has no teeth. It is crying but does not have a mouth or voice.”

The wind stopped.

“The answer is the wind!” Lavender shouted. A doorway appeared and she shouted and leaped with joy.

She ran through the hallway, eager to move on. The more she ran, though, the steeper the ground ended up being. Soon, she had to stop running and catch her breath. The floor had become so steep that it was almost vertical. She decided to slow down and started walking. Soon, the floor started sloping back down. At the bottom of the hill, there was a small opening. Lavender crouched down to see if she could crawl through. She ended up on her stomach, army crawling through the opening. When she got through, she stood up and looked around. The hole she had crawled through had disappeared.

She turned around again and saw three chairs. Talc was already sitting in one of them. Lavender took a closer look and saw that his chair was made of green gems, and it seemed as if a light emanated from within, casting a green glow around the room. She started walking toward Talc. Hearing her footsteps, he turned around and smiled.

“I will save you the trouble of becoming embarrassed,” he said, “The purple one is yours. Do not even try Feldspar’s.”

Lavender turned to see her chair. It was beautiful and all-natural. She walked over to it and sat down. Instantly, a purple beam shone in the room, not mixing with the green, but more like balancing it. Wonder grew in Lavender’s eyes as she looked around. The beauty of the light brought tears to her eyes.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Feldspar had had enough. He was only a young dwarf; he did not have the wisdom to solve this riddle. He plopped on the floor and rested his head against the wall. Feldspar then strained his ears; he could hear a voice. It was not the booming voice from before. He tried to focus on what the voice was saying.

“You are running out of time,” the voice said.

It repeated this over and over again. Feldspar recognized that voice! It was his grandfather. Feldspar became confused. His grandfather had been dead for years. Feldspar did not believe in ghosts. And he was right, this voice was not from a ghost. It sounded like his grandfather but was not.

Suddenly, the voice changed to a much stronger man’s voice, “Feldspar,” it said, “your friends need you. They are counting on you.”

“Father?” Feldspar asked. The voice repeated the lines a few more times until only a slight echo could be heard.

A lightbulb went off inside Feldspar’s head.

“Let us go fishing, father,” he said excitedly.

“Although my dad is a son himself, he is also a father,” he started, “and his father was a father. And I would make the last son!”

“There were never four people,” he continued after a slight pause, “Just three people, where one had two roles.”

He took a deep breath. “They only brought home three fish because the group of fishermen was a grandfather, his son, and his grandson.”

Feldspar heard a scraping noise behind him and turned around. A large rectangular doorway had formed behind him. He walked through it. The first thing he noticed was that the room was filled with colorful light. He then noticed Lavender and Talc both staring at him. They were each sitting in their own chairs, which seemed to be giving off the colorful light that was dancing around the room.

He went to the only empty chair, the one made of jade, and sat down. Immediately, the room was filled with turquoise light. All three comrades looked around. It was unlike anything they had ever seen. It resembled the aurora borealis but was much more vivid. The colors balanced each other perfectly.

Suddenly, the colors started to move around the room like spotlights. They sped up faster and faster. None of the adventurers could keep up with their speed. Soon, it looked like the whole room was filled with the light again, but Lavender could tell that the spotlights were still moving. All of the sudden, the colors stopped. They joined to make one circle over on the wall to the right of all the chairs. The wall opened up at the point of the circle to reveal another tunnel.

All three comrades got up and headed to the tunnel. Once they were inside, the wall closed up behind them. They turned around, stunned. Where the outlet had been was a sturdy, whole wall; there was not any indication that it had once been open.

“You don’t think sitting on those chairs was the last test?” Asked Feldspar, quietly, “Do you?”

After a brief pause, Talc answered, “I think that we would be mighty lucky if that were the case.”

They all hurried down the tunnel, wanting to get this whole thing over

with. There was no telling how long they were running through that tunnel. Talc’s second torch was burning low, so they had to have been in there for more than just a few hours. It had probably been six or seven hours since they had entered the opening of the dragon’s lair. Their way was suddenly blocked by a large metal door. There was an inscription right in the middle. Lavender looked at it. The words were not familiar to her.

“What language is this?” She asked. Talc studied the writing.

“This is ancient Dwarvish,” he replied, “I think.”

“You think?” Lavender asked, confounded, “You are a dwarf, shouldn’t you know for sure?”

“It is not like I studied it extensively,” he replied, “and some of the words are still the same.”

“Can you read it?” Feldspar asked, timidly.

“I can try,” was all he said.

Talc stepped closer to the door. He held his torch closer so he could make out all of the words clearly.

“It starts here,” he said, pointing to the first word.

“And it ends here,” he said, shifting his finger down a couple of feet, “After that, I cannot read it.”

“Beyond this door lies the answer. The um… key to further your journey… You must overcome, or best, the beast, call forth the… um… the… bird of light… This will grant you the key to continue,” Talc’s voice trailed off.

“Is that all?” Feldspar asked.

“It also says that the death of our foe would end in our incarceration forever,” Talc said, quietly.

“So,” Lavender said, “We have to ‘best the beast’ without killing it?”

“How do we do that?” asked Feldspar, “Won’t it be trying to kill us?”

“It will most likely be trying to kill us, yes,” Talc answered, “but there might be a way that we could conquer this beast without killing it. I would need time and concentration… Lots of concentration.”

Lavender could almost see the wheels working in his mind. He then told them the plan he had formulated.

“If something happens at the wrong time, everything could go wrong. We might even die,” Talc explained, seriously.

Lavender knew they could not back out now, so she nodded.

“Just do what I told you and make sure you are concentrating on what you are doing,” Talc said, “Pay no attention to me. At all.”

          Lavender and Feldspar nodded. Talc put his hand on the door and pushed. It swung open and he stepped in, flanked by Lavender and Feldspar, who had both taken out their weapons. Once they were all in, the door banged shut behind them. Lavender could not help but jump and look back. She quickly turned her head away from the door. It was a good thing she was fast; the creature was already charging them, and she only had seconds to dodge it. Getting a closer look at it, Lavender noticed a few things. The creature was fairly short but not nearly as short as Feldspar. It had an extremely long beard, almost so long that he could have tripped on it. The rest of his head was covered in shaggy brown hair, each strand a different size, ranging from one inch to five inches. She noticed that its feet were unusually large and hairy.

She heard beside her a gasp and then, “It’s a troll!”

          Lavender was trying not to concentrate on Talc, but she could hear that he was singing. His voice was low and almost hypnotizing. She shook her head and blocked him out, focusing instead on distracting the troll. She and Feldspar had to keep the troll away from Talc so he could use some magical dwarf song to put the beast to sleep. The troll had a double-bladed axe and something else in his belt. Lavender could not quite tell what it was, but it glinted when it caught the light from the torches on the wall. Lavender and Feldspar had to work their hardest to keep the troll at bay. It seemed to know what they were trying to do; it kept feigning going to the left and the right, trying to get around them. He tried to cut through them with his big axe, but Feldspar and Lavender had both trained to fight while on the road, and both had improved dramatically. They fought like this for a few minutes, keeping the troll away from Talc as long as possible.

          Suddenly, the troll stopped, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. he swayed back and forth and then flopped onto the ground. Only then did Lavender notice that Talc had quit singing. He was hunched over, out of breath. Talc straightened and walked toward the troll hesitantly. Lavender lowered her arm a little, but not completely, just in case the troll was not completely unconscious.

“You know,” said Feldspar, “now that I am thinking about it, why didn’t we just hit the troll on the head to knock it out?”

“Two reasons,” Talc replied, “One: troll skulls are so thick that it would be nearly impossible to knock a troll unconscious with a simple hit to the head. Two: even if we knocked it out, it would not stay unconscious as long as the spell would.”

          “So, what now?” Lavender asked, putting her weapon away.

“Well,” replied Talc, “We know we have to summon a bird.”

“How do we do that?” Lavender asked, “And what kind of bird?”

“The Bird of Light,” Feldspar said, “Also known as Caladrius.”

Talc and Lavender looked over at Feldspar, perplexed.

“What?” Feldspar asked innocently.

“How did you know what it was?” Talc asked him.

“It was in one of the books I read,” replied Feldspar with a shrug.

“What else did it say?” Lavender asked, eagerly.

“Well,” replied Feldspar, “they have special healing powers… And they lay eggs that are gold.”

“Was there anything about how to summon one?” Lavender asked.

“Well duh,” replied Feldspar, rolling his eyes, “It would not be a very good book if it did not.”

Lavender gawked at Feldspar.

After a few seconds, Feldspar realized his mistake, “Ooooohh!”

“That is why you were asking,” Feldspar said a second later.”

“To put it in your terms,” Lavender said, “well, duh!”

          “The Bird of Light can be summoned only one way,” Feldspar said, ignoring her comment, “One must make a nest of hair from an ogre… Wait! No! From a troll!”

“And..” Lavender prompted.

“And someone who has been bestowed with the power of the wild can call it forth,” Feldspar said, “using its name and asking it to show itself. Only then will it appear and lay an egg if it deems the caller and his or her cause worthy.”

          “Well, we have got tons of troll hair we can use,” Talc said, looking down at the troll, “I wonder how big the nest needs to be.”

“Well a Caladrius is a little bigger than an adult bald eagle,” Feldspar replied.

“So the nest should be a few feet in diameter,” Lavender mused, “and at least half a foot tall.”

“Okay,” Talc said, “let’s start getting the troll hair. Does anyone have a knife or any type of shaving utensils?”

No one did, and Feldspar shrugged, not knowing what to say.

Then, Lavender spoke up, “I saw a small object glinting in his belt. Maybe it is a knife or something.”

Lavender said. Talc reached into the troll’s belt and found a knife. It was very sharp, and they were done cutting the troll’s hair in no time. Talc pocketed the knife, knowing it would come in handy.

          They gathered the hair in the center of the room and started building a nest, weaving some of the hair so it held together. Once they had constructed a crude nest that was three feet wide and half a foot tall, they stood back. Talc sent Lavender a look that said, “your turn now.”

Lavender took a step toward the nest. She cleared her throat and then said, “Oh mighty Caladrius, Bird of Light, please show yourself unto us. Grace us with thy presence and an egg.”

She stepped back and lowered her arms, not knowing why they were raised in the first place. Her eyes suddenly flashed purple and then went dark.

          A beam of light appeared in the center of the nest. Feldspar, Talc, and Lavender looked away, not wanting to be blinded. After about fifteen seconds, the light dissipated and all three of them turned back toward the nest. There in the middle stood a pure-white bird with its wings unfurled. If there was a way that a bird could look regal, this is how it would look. It was indescribable. The bird looked straight into Lavender’s eyes. Their gazes were fixed for several minutes before the bird bowed its head.

          Suddenly, the bird was gone in a short beam of light. In its place was an egg. Its shell seemed to be made of pure diamond. Through the polished diamond, Lavender could see that the rest of the egg was pure gold. Lavender slowly stepped toward it and scooped up the egg. It was not heavy like she expected it to be. Instead, it was as light as a feather. She stepped away, cradling the egg.

“I thought you said it was just gold,” Talc said, teasingly.

“Obviously, books do not know everything,” Feldspar replied, “or maybe it was just talking about the egg itself, not its shell.”

          Lavender spotted the exit, not sure if it had been there the whole time, or if it had just appeared.

“Let’s not stay long enough to let the troll have a say,” Lavender said quickly.

“Right,” Feldspar and Talc said at the same time.

Lavender led the way through the exit and into the tunnel. They kept a fast pace but did not run; they wanted to keep the egg as safe as could be. They did not want to drop or break it after all they had been through.

          The tunnel was straight for quite a while but then turned left. After about one hundred yards, it turned right. After another one hundred yards, it turned right again. They sped-walk through the tunnel. Finally, they came to a door. They tried to open it by pushing and pulling and sliding, but nothing would work to open it. After a few minutes of trying, they finally decided to examine the door. It was very ornate with carvings and pictures all around. It seemed to be made of solid obsidian. It was completely black, but light danced off of its smooth, shiny surface.

          “What do we do now?” Feldspar asked.

“There’s got to be a key and a keyhole somewhere,” Lavender said, already looking for an answer, “The inscription on the metal door said that the bird would give us the key, right? So the egg must be the key to the door.”

“Start searching for a hole or an egg-shaped depression,” Talc instructed, sounding excited.

They searched the door, high and low. They found only one hole, but it was too small.

“Maybe it is near the door,” Lavender said, “not on it.”

For the first time, they noticed the wall. It had all kinds of holes in it, some small, some big.

“Which hole fits the egg?” Feldspar asked. “Maybe we should just start trying holes until it fits,” Talc guessed.

          They started sticking the small end of the egg into holes. None of them fit right. They were stumped again. They did not know what to do.

Then, Feldspar suggested a new idea, “Why don’t we try the other end of the egg?”

“Why did I not think of that?” Lavender asked, scolding herself.

She turned the egg around and started sticking it into holes, trying to find one that fit just right. She stuck the egg into one hole near the floor and heard a small click. She decided to turn it. It turned a quarter of the way, clockwise. There was another click and then a sound of gears turning. Then, the door started to open; it swung inward, away from them. They turned their heads to see what was beyond the door.

          Lavender looked back at the egg. The diamond shell had cracked open and had fallen off. Now, only the gold part remained. She quickly snatched the egg out of the hole and all three of them went through the door before it closed. They looked around. They were in a giant room; it was nothing like they had ever seen before. It was so tall that you could barely see the top. The room was large as well as tall. There were heaping piles of treasure - there was gold, silver, gems, and more – as far as the eye could see.

          They were so mesmerized by the sight of it, that they did not notice the dragon.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Rhodrolth knew the trio would be arriving in his treasure room any minute. He turned away from his scrying orb and meandered over to where his treasure lay. He waited in an offshoot until he saw the adventurers enter. Quiet as a panther, he stalked his prey. Unable to help himself, he decided to have a little fun before devouring them.

“What are you doing in my home?” He asked, his voice was big, deep, and booming.

Startled, the three of them spun around and saw the dragon.

“We have come to retrieve our king,” Talc stated boldly. “You have, have you?”

The dragon asked, amused, “And if I do not deliver?”

“Then we will be forced to fight you,” Talc replied, seriously.

The dragon chuckled, “Many have fought me, all different and all strong, but none have defeated me.”

“There is a first for everything,” Feldspar muttered.

The dragon heard him and turned to talk to him, “You are a small dwarf child with barely any experience, yet you think you can best me?”

“Well, we bested the rest of your ‘home’” Feldspar replied, “You might be surprised at what we can do.”

“Those traps are nothing compared to my might,” The dragon boomed, “Tell me, little one: are you fireproof? Do you have armor strong enough to withstand my claws? Can you fly if I decide to pick you up and drop you?”

Feldspar gulped and stayed silent, backing up a little.

          “We do not wish to fight you,” Lavender spoke up, “but if you would return to us the king of the dwarves, we will give you a gift in return.”

“Oh?” the dragon asked, turning to her, “And what would that be?”

Lavender held up the gold egg, “this is what we offer.”

The dragon laughed, “That? You want to trade a tiny piece of gold for a king? As you can see, I have plenty of gold.”

“Except, you see,” Lavender replied, “This is no ordinary piece of gold. This is a Caladrius egg. If you sing to it every morning and every night for three days and keep it in the sunlight, it will hatch into a Caladrius. It will fulfill all of your nonviolent wishes.”

          “I do not need a bird following me around,” the dragon said, “And since you have nothing else of value to offer, I will have to fry you, or eat you.”

The dragon started to growl, and his belly rumbled. Smoke came out of his nostrils as he readied his fire. Talc and Feldspar readied their weapons. Lavender stood there, still holding out the egg. The dragon blew fire at Talc and Feldspar. They both rolled out of the way and hid behind piles of treasure.

“Lavender!” Feldspar cried, “Look out!”

Lavender finally snapped out of the trance and quickly dove out of the way, narrowly missing being scorched.

          Talc and Feldspar leaped out from behind their piles and charged the dragon while he was distracted. Talc’s sword clanged against the dragon’s flank, but not even a scratch showed. Feldspar used his sling and shot a jewel right into the dragon’s green eye. The dragon roared and swung his tail as he turned around. Feldspar backed up, but soon found his back up against a pile of treasure. The dragon smiled, seeing his prey was cornered. His tail swing side to side. Felspar reached behind himself for another projectile and loaded his sling. The dragon whipped his tail around, smacking Feldspar’s hands, knocking the sling to the floor and leaving his right hand dangling at an awkward angle. Feldspar cried out and clutched his arm. His eyes got wide as smoke started coming out of the dragon’s nostrils again. he turned his head away, closing his eyes.

          “Enough!” someone shouted.

It sounded like a girl with two voices sounding at once. Lavender stepped out from behind the stack of precious treasures. Her purple eyes were glowing. She started to lift off the ground.

“Having been granted the wild power, I am the queen of the wild, and protector of all things in it,” she said, her voice split in two, “You will not harm innocent creatures, Rhodrolth.”

The dragon turned to stare at her; his slitted eyes narrowed.

“It is time to give back what you stole,” Lavender continued, “The trickery has been repaid.”

The dragon’s nostrils ceased to smoke. He stared straight into Lavender’s eyes. It seemed as though they were having a silent conversation.

          A few seconds later, the dragon lowered his head and said, “I understand.”

He turned and snorted on Feldspar. His arm straightened and he breathed a sigh of relief. Lavender nodded and floated back down to the ground. When her feet touched the floor, her eyes quit glowing and she collapsed to the ground. Talc and Feldspar ran over to her. She blinked slowly and stood up. The dragon left them standing there.

“What happened?” Lavender asked weakly.

“You do not remember what just happened?” Feldspar asked, amazed.

“We will tell you later,” Talc said, making sure Feldspar did not start, “When we get out of here and save our king.”

          The dragon came back with a short man with grey hair and a very long beard. His eyes were closed, and it seemed as though he was only sleeping. The dragon lowered the man to the ground. The dwarf lay there, sleeping. Talc went over to him, trying to wake him, but could not.

“King Gabbro!” He shouted at the dwarf, “Can you hear me? King Gabbro!”

He looked up at the dragon.

“What is wrong with him?” He demanded.

“I put a spell on him,” the dragon replied, “he will stay like that until he is out of my domain.”

Talc gaped at the dragon.

“How are we supposed to get him out of here?” He questioned the dragon, angrily, “He must weigh almost as much as me, if not more.”

“That is not my problem,” the dragon replied, “my part is done.”

He turned and started to stomp away. He turned back around for a brief instant and added, “And by the way, the quickest way out of here is straight through those golden columns.”

He pointed far away from himself at two gold columns.

Then, he turned around and left, calling one last thing over his shoulder, “And if you happen to take anything, I will know, and then none of you will be able to leave.”

He walked off, never looking back.

          Lavender looked toward the exit and back to the old king laying on the ground. She had no idea how they were going to get the king out of there and back home. She looked at Talc, hoping he would have an idea, but he just continued to stare at his king with a thoughtful look. He stood like that for several more seconds, then shook his head.

“There is only one way we can get out of here with the king,” he said, “We are going to have to carry him.”

“But you said yourself that he probably weighed about as much as you,” Feldspar said nervously.

“Well,” Talc said, “there is no other way. We've got to at least try.”

Lavender nodded in agreement, and replied, “We can even take turns when the other gets tired.”

“But Lavender,” Feldspar responded, “neither you, nor I, will be able to carry him by ourselves. We are too small and not nearly as strong as Talc.”

“Then you and I will both carry him as one when Talc needs a break,” Lavender replied.

They all nodded their consent. They knew this is what they had to do.

          Talc lifted the sleeping king into his arms and onto his shoulder, carrying him fireman style; he shifted his feet, trying to get his balance with the extra weight. He finally stabilized himself and they headed off toward the golden pillars. It was farther away than they had originally thought, and it took even longer than expected because they had to weave around giant piles of treasure.

          They neared the mouth of the cave, only having to switch the king back and forth twice. They saw that the sun had already set. They had been up all day, from dawn until dark. Suddenly very exhausted, Talc lowered the king to the ground right outside of the cave. They all looked at the king expectantly. Nothing happened; the king continued to sleep.

“Why is he not waking?” Feldspar asked, starting to panic.

“Maybe the dragon’s domain is not just the cave. Maybe it is the entire valley,” Lavender answered, hoping that it was not true.

Talc groaned. They had barely made it across the cave and outside with the king. None of them knew how they would be able to carry him across the entire valley.

“Why don’t we go back to where we left our stuff, set up our tents, and go to sleep?” Lavender suggested, “Then we can figure out how to get the king out of here in the morning.”

Talc and Feldspar could not argue with her logic, so they nodded and stood up. Since Talc had been the last one to carry the king, Lavender and Feldspar bent down and picked him up. They started walking west, toward their camp.

          It took them almost an hour to reach their camp from the cave. They hurried and set up their tents and laid the king on the ground in Talc’s tent. They were all exhausted and went straight to sleep.

Lavender awoke to the chirp of a bird. She stretched and stood up. She walked to the front of her tent and moved the flap aside, and then stepped out into the beautiful morning. Her skin bubbled with goosebumps as the chilly air brushed her flesh, but the sun was shining brightly that morning and Lavender knew it would not be cold for long. Lavender looked around and saw Talc skinning some rabbits near the fire. He looked up and gave a small wave and went back to preparing the meat. Lavender looked up from the rabbits and saw Felspar emerging from his tent, stretching, and yawning.

          Lavender went over and sat by the fire.

“How long have you been up?” She asked Talc.

“Not too long,” Talc replied, continuing work, “I was up a little after dawn.”

Lavender looked up at the sky. By the position of the sun, Lavender guessed that dawn had been a couple of hours ago.

Lavender looked at Talc, both seriously and compassionately, “Are you all right?”

Talc barely shook his head, but Lavender caught it.

“What is it?” She asked, putting a hand on his arm to stop him from skinning the last rabbit.

Reluctantly, Talc lowered his arms and slowly turned his gaze to meet hers.

“I have been thinking about a lot of stuff,” he said, “like how to get our king back home when he cannot carry his own weight until we get out of this valley.”

He paused, then went on, “or how our people will react with the king back. We have not had our king for over two years.”

          Lavender could tell that something else was bothering him, but she did not push him for more information. Instead, she got up and started taking her tent down while Talc finished with the rabbits.

Lavender had just gotten her tent down and wrapped up, and went over to help Feldspar with his, when Talc called out, “Breakfast is ready and cooked! Come and get it while it is hot!”

          Lavender and Feldspar both dropped the tent and hurried over to the fire, ready to fill their bellies. Not eating much the day before had left them all starving.

“Maybe I should have gotten more meat,” Talc said in between bites.

He had gotten three rabbits, one for each of them. It almost was not enough, but Lavender did not quite finish hers, so Talc ate it when he was done with his own. Even though the meat was not seasoned, it still tasted terrific.

          They finished breakfast and were more than ready to start going. They were all ready to get back home. Talc thought of a brilliant plan during breakfast. He shared his plan with the others as soon as they were all done eating. He told them as they took down the last two tents. Feldspar and Lavender both agreed that Talc’s idea was the best; his idea to transport the king across the valley without tiring themselves out too much was much better than anything Lavender or Feldspar could come up with.

          Talc got his tent put away, but kept the rainfly out. They were going to wrap King Gabbro in it. Then, they would use part of the cords from the fly to keep it wrapped up tight and use the rest of the cord to attach him to the makeshift sled. Each of them would have a different rope. That way, they would all work together the whole time and the burden would not be too bad. To make it so that the fly would not get all torn up, they put together planks of wood that Feldspar had cut up with his axe. They made a makeshift sled out of the planks and strapped the king to it with the cords, then used some extra rope as tethers to pull the sled.

          They all grabbed hold of a line of rope and started to pull the sled toward the other side of the valley. It was easier than Lavender thought it would be. The sled made it easier to pull; it slid across the ground swiftly and even went over bumps and hills with ease.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Chris had been moved from his solitary hospital room back into his own quarters. After a few days in his old room, he showed signs of improvement, so the nurse decided that he could stay there. She continued to monitor him, though, making sure he had no lapses and that he was healing all right. He was not allowed to wander much, but Chris did not mind. He was still fairly weak and could not move around for very long anyways.

          He continued to worry about Lavender, but he listened to Margaret’s and Danielle’s advice about focusing on getting better. They were right. He was no use to Lavender, or the search for her if he was sick and disabled. So, he made sure to eat well and exercise every day so he could get healthier faster and build his strength again. At first, he could only walk from his bed to his bathroom and back, but after a while, he could go through the halls. Finally, he was able to go up and down the stairs as well. By the end of one week, he was so much better and stronger that he was doing some riding. He would ride his horse, Phyllip, around the courtyard, always having someone there either watching him or riding alongside him.

          One day, while he was riding his horse around the castle, one of his guards came galloping toward him.

“Prince Chris,” he called, and when he had gotten closer, “There have been many rumors about Lavender being spotted traveling with two dwarves.”

Chris stopped immediately and turned quickly to face his guard, “What?”

“Lavender has been spotted with -” his guard started again.

“No, do not say it again,” Chris interrupted him, waving his hand, “I know what you said, I just cannot believe it.”

“Was she being held captive, or hostage?” He asked urgently, “Was she traveling on foot? Where was she traveling?”

“Those answers are unknown,” replied the guard gently, but firmly, “The rumors only spoke of someone, who fits Lavender’s description, with two dwarves. We know nothing else.”

          “We need to get to the dwarves immediately,” Chris said, “We are not declaring war… yet.”

“You are not well enough, your majesty,” the guard replied, doubtful.

“Nonsense,” Chris crisply replied, “I am fine. And I’m going to finally help my love and do something for a change.”

His voice hinted a little anger and so much stubbornness that the guard decided not to pursue trying to keep the prince at the castle.

“I will gather a few of your inner guard and we can ride together to the dwarf kingdom,” the guard stated, giving a small salute, and then galloped off to spread the word and to collect a few of his fellow guards, including the captain.

          Chris sent a message to his father, telling him where he was going and why. He led his horse to the east end of the castle. Some of his guards were already there, and Chris could see the rest galloping toward them. As soon as the captain rode up, Chris pointed his horse to the path that would lead them to the heart of the dwarf kingdom. Knowing there would be objections if he sped off, Chris started down the path in a trot, instead of a gallop. They took the easiest paths all the way, even if it meant getting there later.

          They arrived at the entrance to the dwarf kingdom in two days. The dwarf on guard looked up at them, recognized Chris as the prince of the humans, and then waved them through the gate. The captain of Chris’s guard maneuvered his horse so he would be in front of Chris, in order to better protect him.

          One would think that since the dwarves were so small that all of their doorways and rooms would be small as well. Instead, Chris and his guards rode through grand, gleaming, metal gates, which were at least fifteen feet tall, into a large tunnel. The tunnel was made of polished stones. The horses’ hooves clopped on the stones, making loud echoing noises as they walked down the tunnel. The tunnel soon opened into a large, grand, underground city.

          Chris had only been to the dwarves’ main city once before in his lifetime. Few of his men could even claim that. They looked around in awe. The captain, who had often come to the dwarf king on behalf of his own king, moved on. Reluctantly, the other men quit looking around and followed their captain. He led them to the entrance of the castle.

          They arrived at the stairs of the castle, dismounted their horses, left one man behind to guard them, and climbed the stairs to the large castle doors. The doors were quite ornate; jewels were embedded into the marble doors. The jewels, as well as some carvings, made up the dwarf crest.

          The captain of Chris’s guard stepped up to the door and knocked with the large, golden knocker. He stepped back and waited. No one came. He stepped up to the door again, this time, he used both hands, knocking even louder. He stepped back again, waiting. After a full minute, he finally decided to consult Prince Chris.

“What should we do, sire?” He asked, turning to Chris.

“Break down the door,” he answered quickly and seriously, “I want some answers, whether they want to give them to me or not.”

“Sir,” the captain replied, “the dwarves will not look kindly on anyone who breaks into the holy palace.”

Chris turned to look the captain in the eyes, “As a fellow monarch, I have the right to come into this palace as I please. I will not be hindered by doors that will not open. Have them do what they may, but they cannot come in open war against us because of it.”

Chris and his men broke down the door. They started searching the palace. No one was around. They were about to head back out and demand an explanation when they came across the throne room. Prince Chris decided to knock first, but with no immediate answer, he stepped in. No one was there. The room was dull and grey.

“We are going to find some answers,” Chris said.

          He stormed through the palace and out of its doors. He headed for the temple of the elders, hoping they would have an explanation. He knocked on the temple door. A dwarf answered.

He saw the angered look on Prince Chris’s face and stuttered, “Prince Chris. What an unexpected surprise. P-Please, come in.”

“I am not here to seek refuge,” Chris replied, “I came for answers. Where is Pumice? I must speak with him.”

The dwarf bowed and went to fetch the head elder, Great Elder Pumice.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          They had been pulling the dwarf king through the dragon’s valley for a little more than two days now. The sun was once again setting. They were almost to the other side of the valley. They all knew they could not stop, even if the sun went down and it was completely dark. They had to reach the end of the valley tonight. They were exhausted from pulling the king and could not do it another day. They could see the top of the hill that marked the end of the valley. It was approximately fifteen yards away. The slope had finally become much less steep. They surged on with the last bit of their might. All of them were sweating buckets.

          The last few yards were the hardest. Even though their goal was in sight, they all wanted to quit early. But they knew they could not. They heaved the makeshift sled, and the king, to the top of the hill, finally reaching the edge of the valley. After topping the hill and making sure they were on flat ground, they all collapsed from exhaustion. They looked at the king expectantly; nothing happened.

          Lavender started to cry.

“How much longer must we do this?” She inquired, asking no one in particular.

They all thought that the king would instantly wake up when they got out of the valley.

“Well,” Talc said, breaking the silence that followed Lavender’s question, “might as well set up the tents and get some sleep.”

Feldspar walked over to Lavender and helped her up, “He is right, Lavender.”

She nodded and started putting up her tent.

          All of their tents were set up and the king had been moved into Talc’s tent. They all fell asleep the instant their heads hit their pillows, too exhausted to fight sleep anymore.

A loud noise awoke Talc. He jerked awake and saw a shadow tangled in something, wriggling on the ground.

“Who is there?” He asked as he got out of his sleeping bag and reached for his lantern.

The rustling got louder as the thing continued moving around. He quickly lit the lantern, and the tent was illuminated by its light.

          Talc could see King Gabbro tangled in his packs and a length of rope along with the tent fly that had been wrapped around him. He tentatively walked over to the frazzled king.

“King Gabbro,” he said calmly, trying not to startle him.

The king turned around. Talc could see he was very confused.

“What am I doing here and why am I tied up?” King Gabbro demanded.

Before Talc could answer, King Gabbro accused him, “You thought you could kidnap your own king? And for what?”

“That is not what this is at all,” Talc said quickly, trying not to sound too defensive, “We are rescuing you.”

“Rescuing me?” King Gabbro scoffed, “I do not need rescuing. I am the dwarf king! You must have waited until I was asleep in my bed, and you tied me up like this and kidnapped me! Treason!”

          Talc was becoming very frustrated and defensive now. He was about to retort back, but at the last second decided against it and was able to compose himself once more. He started explaining.

“King Gabbro, Your Highness,” he started, “we just rescued you from the home of Rhodrolth the dragon. We are heading home now. You have been lost to us for years.”

King Gabbro quit struggling and just stared at Talc.

Talc continued to explain, “You were unconscious when we rescued you. We just topped the valley earlier tonight.”

“If you did not kidnap me, prove it. Untie me.” King Gabbro said, less forcefully and more hopefully.

          Talc went over to the king, bent down, and started untying the ropes restraining him. He stepped back and offered a hand to help his king to his feet. King Gabbro grabbed Talc’s hand and stood up.

“You must be telling the truth then,” King Gabbro muttered.

          “How long has it been?” The king asked Talc.

“A little over two years,” Talc replied solemnly.

“Then there is no time to waste,” replied King Gabbro, “Pack up your things. We should leave right away if we hope to get home before dawn.”

Talc stopped and stared at the king, bewildered.

“It is over a week’s journey from here to home,” Talc said.

“Not when you are the king,” King Gabbro replied with a wink and a little twinkle in his eye.

          Talc went to Feldspar’s tent and woke him up. In turn, Feldspar woke Lavender. Together, they took down the tents and packed up their belongings as Talc relayed what happened in his tent. They gathered together around the king.

“Now you must each hold to a part of me,” he instructed them, “Make sure you’ve got a firm grip.”

Lavender and Feldspar each grabbed onto one of the king’s arms. Talc grabbed hold of king Gabbro’s cloak near his shoulder. King Gabbro started to chant:

Tra kems vekrak su ba ruka,

mu kura em verdarmakt su ruok.

Toda ik ruka, mus doaek.

Nuv, vesr mu kura daroaek.

          The world warped around them. Lavender felt as if she were folding in on herself, but also expanding outward at the same time. The next thing she knew, she was standing somewhere completely different. She was still holding on to King Gabbro, but the scenery around them had drastically changed. She felt her hand lowering and looked over her shoulder trying to find out where they were. The king had fallen to his knees. Lavender whipped her head back around, sensing something was wrong. She knelt down right next to him.

“Is everything okay, Your Majesty?” She asked him.

King Gabbro smiled weakly and replied, “I have not done that in such a long time. I forgot how much energy it could take.”

He looked up at her with a bigger smile and started to stand.

“I will be fine in just a minute.”

Lavender nodded and stood up as well. She noticed that Talc and Feldspar were looking around in awe.

          Lavender finally took a good look around. They were in a throne room. More specifically, they were in King Gabbro’s throne room. The king walked over to his throne and picked up the staff that was beside it. As soon as his hand touched the staff, the green gem on top shone brightly. The rest of the room lit up as well. Talc and Feldspar paused mid-step.

Lavender sent Feldspar a look that asked, “What? What is happening?”

“I feel something here,” he said, replying to Lavender’s look, pointing to his heart, as soon as King Gabbro grasped his staff.”

“I felt it too,” Talc said, “and I bet the entire dwarf kingdom did too. Soon, everyone will know that their true king is back.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Chris was too furious and anxious to sit, so he paced around the room. A few minutes later, Elder Pumice returned with the dwarf who had answered the temple door. He bowed.

“Prince Chris,” he said, “What brings you to our door?”

“Where are King Gabbro and everyone else who are supposed to be at the palace?” Chris asked.

Pumice’s demeanor changed slightly. Chris could see the fear in his eyes.

“I must keep to the truth with you, Prince Chris. As are my ways,” he replied, “He has been captured by Rhodrolth, the dragon. King Gabbro has been missing for over two years.”

          “Two years?!” Chris exclaimed, “Why was I not notified of this?”

Pumice trembled a little but kept his composure.

“I believe your father knew,” he replied brazenly, “he is, after all, the king of your kingdom and the one who communicates with us directly.”

Chris was taken aback at the dwarf’s boldness. He had to pause for a little, having an inner battle with himself.

When he finally spoke again, he asked what really was on his mind, “My fiancé, Lavender, has gone missing. What do you know of this?”

Elder Pumice quickly answered, “I did not know that such a thing had happened.”

His eyes shifted ever so slightly. Chris detected the lie and could also see sweat forming on the dwarf’s brow.

          Chris’s eyes narrowed.

“Elder Pumice,” he said, “do not lie to me. What do you know of the disappearance of my beloved?”

His voice grew as his question ended.

“I-I know of no such thing,” Pumice replied, stuttering, trying to maintain the act of innocence.

Chris became even more furious. He was ready to beat the answers from the dwarf.

He took a step forward, “Tell me what you know, Elder Pumice. I know you are hiding something. You know something about where Lavender has gone. Tell me!”

The dwarf backed away slowly.

Chris moved forward angrily, “If you do not tell me what you know, consider it an act of war. Now, think before you speak, Elder. Be careful of what you say. You might just have a war on your hands.”

          The elder opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He looked confused at first but soon regained his composure. He whispered something Chris could not quite hear.

“What?” He demanded.

“King Gabbro has returned,” Elder Pumice and the other dwarf answered simultaneously.

It was Chris’s turn to look confused.

“How do you know this?” He asked.

The elder touched his chest right where his heart would be, “A feeling here is all.”

The dwarf who had opened the door nodded, “I feel it too.”

          Chris and his men, along with the two dwarves, charged back to the palace. They were about to charge in when the front doors slammed open. There stood King Gabbro, Talc, Feldspar, and Lavender. Chris quickly kneeled and then got back up and ran straight to Lavender. He picked her up and spun her around, and then kissed her passionately in front of all the dwarves. He put her down. His face immediately turned to stone.

          “What happened?” He demanded when he saw she was not tied up at all.

“Where did you go?” He asked her, his voice rising with each new question, “How could you leave me? Why are you with these dwarves?”

Lavender did not want to hear the questions; she just wanted to go back home with Chris. She had spent such a long time away from him. But he was attacking her with all these questions, accusing her of abandoning him. As if she had a choice. She tried to explain, but he was not listening. She looked at him and saw his face. At first, all she saw was anger, but as she looked closer, she saw a hint of relief but mostly hurt, some frustration, and a lot of confusion. He had pulled away from her; he was stiff and cold.

          Finally, she lost it.

“Hey!” She shouted.

Chris stopped and stared at her.

“You are being completely unfair! If you would just let me explain.”

“Explain what?” Chris replied harshly, still yelling, “how you abandoned me for some dwarves with no word at all?”

“See? There you go again!” Lavender replied just as loudly, “not even letting me explain. It has not been like that at all. This was hard for me too.”

Chris was dumbfounded.

Realization settled on his face, and he turned on the dwarves, “It was you, wasn’t it? You kidnapped her?”

His rage had completely turned from Lavender and was now focused on the dwarves.

“Prince Chris,” King Gabbro said calmly, “you must calm down. I know you are upset.”

“Upset?!” Chris screamed, “Upset?! You think I am upset? I am much more than that! I am downright furious!”

          Lavender reached a hand out and touched Chris. He looked down at her hand on his shoulder. Her cool touch brought him back and the immense anger bubbled back down as his eyes traveled from her hand to her eyes.

“Why don’t we sit down?” Lavender suggested, “Then each can tell his or her side of the story and maybe we can make sense of all of this.”

Chris consented, trying to disperse the rest of his anger and slow down his breathing. King Gabbro led them all to the conference room. There was a large circular stone table with 15 chairs around it. One chair was slightly more ornate; King Gabbro went over to it and sat down. The rest of their party followed suit and took seats on either side of the king.

          When they had all sat, King Gabbro suggested, “Why don’t we start with Lavender? After that, Feldspar and Talc can add anything they feel the need to say. And then we can go from there.”

He looked around the room and added, “I want no interruptions.”

He looked pointedly at Chris before gesturing for Lavender to begin.

          As Lavender told her story Chris became more and more dumbfounded. The more she went on, the more his mouth became agape. She told how she had woken up the morning in the castle with a note by her bedside telling her to solve riddles so that she could meet Chris for breakfast. She continued describing every detail she could remember. How she was kidnapped and taken into the swamp. How she had met Feldspar. She told the whole story up until the time they reunited. By the end of the tale, Chris’s eyes were bulging, and his mouth was hanging open. His chair had been knocked over from his abrupt ascent. His palms were pressed against the stone table. Not being able to speak, Chris looked around wide-eyed. He slowly closed his mouth and pulled his chair upright again and sat back down. Once Chris had reclaimed his calm composure, Feldspar and Talc added a little more to their side.

          After a few minutes of silence, and everyone staring at Chris waiting for a reaction, he finally moved once again; he sighed.

Lavender finally broke the silence and said, “I know it is a lot to take in. I barely comprehend all that happened, and I actually lived it.”

It went silent again. Everyone could see the gears turning in the prince’s head.

          He stood up again and declared, looking at Lavender, “We must find out who constructed this devious plan and who kidnapped you.”

Lavender nodded, but Chris could see a little hesitation in her eyes. He understood that look.

“As soon as we marry, of course,” he added, taking Lavender’s hands in his. Lavender smiled and nodded. Chris could see the tension flow out of her.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Chris helped Lavender onto his steed and climbed up right behind her.

He grabbed the reins and turned back to the dwarves for a last goodbye, “Be careful, King Gabbro. I sense an agitator of decency lies in wait for us all.”

He turned to his men next and declared, “Let us go home.”

His statement was greeted with cheers and happy faces. He nudged the sides of his horse, spurring it forward. Lavender waved to Feldspar and Talc as the horses galloped away from the dwarves and headed back to the castle.

          Lavender did not have to try hard to stay on the horse; Chris was an excellent rider. She was able to relax. She let herself lean against Chris’s body. It was warm and inviting. She could feel his muscles against her and felt safe for the first time in a while.

          They arrived at the castle an hour before sundown. Chris escorted Lavender inside where her mother and King Stephen were waiting anxiously.

She embraced Julia and whispered, “I missed you so much, mom.”

Through tears, Julia replied, “I missed you too, love.”

Once they had been reunited and dried their tears, they each went to their own bedrooms and went to sleep. It had been a long day for all of them.

          The next morning Lavender awoke. There was a beautiful white dress on a stand in the corner. She stood up excitedly remembering what day it was. Today was her wedding day; she was finally going to marry Chris. She showered and got dressed in her wedding gown. Her mother appeared in her room right as Lavender was doing up the last button. Julia paused a minute, taking in the beauty of her daughter. Her eyes began to fill with tears.

“My, aren’t you gorgeous?” She asked, breathless. Lavender turned around, surprised. She blushed and turned back towards the mirror so she could adjust the dress a little more.

          Julia came over and commented, “You really do look beautiful. Let me do your hair, please.”

Julia looped a necklace around Lavender’s neck. Lavender looked at her mom through the mirror.

“Of course, you can, mom,” she replied, smiling wide. She turned and gave her mom a giant hug.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Chris was trying on his different tuxedos trying to figure out which would be best for his wedding day. He decided to go with the elegant, slim, black tux with a purple bow tie that matched Lavender’s eyes perfectly. His shoes had been recently shined and he could almost see his reflection in them. He combed his hair so he looked his very best. He met his father in the hall.

“There’s my boy,” his father said proudly, opening his arms for a hug.

They embraced. Chris’s father then held him at arm's length and had a really good look at him.

“Let’s get you to the chapel. I hear your fiancé is almost ready.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

          Lavender walked down the hallway trying not to let her nervousness show. Julia followed behind holding Lavender’s train. They arrived at the large double doors that lead into the chapel. The doors swung open, and music started playing. Lavender walked down the aisle, her feet moving slowly in time with the music. Everyone stood to see her. She could see Chris standing under the wedding arch, his father by his side. He sent her a loving smile and the edges of her own lips lifted in turn.

          Lavender finally got up the steps to the wedding arch. She turned to look at Chris and he turned to her. She could see the immense love in his eyes. They turned back to the priest simultaneously. The music stopped and the priest began speaking. Lavender’s heart raced; she could hardly make sense of the words coming from the priest’s mouth until he got to the part that really mattered.

“Chris, protector of all that is good, wilt thou have this woman to be thy lawfully wedded wife, to live together? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?” The priest asked.

Chris looked into Lavender’s violet eyes and then turned to the priest again and replied, “I do.”

The priest then turned to Lavender and asked, “Lavender, lady of the wild, wilt thou have this man to be thy lawfully wedded husband, to live together? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

Lavender looked straight at the priest and with all her heart replied, “I do!”

“You may now kiss the bride,” the priest announced to Chris.

          As Chris lifted Lavender’s veil, the captain of the guard rushed through the doors, causing a loud bang. He quickly bowed and then rushed to Chris’s side.

He bowed again and said, “My apologies, Your Majesty, but a new lead has been found regarding the kidnapping of princess Lavender.”

Chris nodded for him to continue.

“Many footprints have been found along the castle grounds, and even more near one secret exit in particular; it is the one that leads from the study that Her Highness was in the day of her abduction. They are the footprints of the Garshaw.”