Of Faeries and Lupes: Part Three by neopets4241626 |  |
General Ares opened his eyes. He felt strangely rejuvenated, and a strange
feeling of strength coursed through his veins. "Wha… what happened?" he whispered
to himself. Struggling to sit up, Ares finally managed to prop himself up on
the soft bed he was lying on. He was in a room that looked unlike the ones in
the Psellia. Instead of the light blue curtains and walls with their
cloud-like pattern, he was in a room that had forest green furnishings with
a leaf-like pattern. This green had a soothing effect on the Lupe, and soon
he found himself relaxed and calm.
The green door to the room opened and Ares looked up to see who the person
was. His breath caught in this throat when he realised that it was the Battle
Faerie herself!
Ares fixed his eyes on the approaching figure. The Battle Faerie had the ability
to appear larger or smaller whenever she wished, and now she as about as large
as a Lupe "Good morning, General Ares. And how are you feeling now?" she greeted
the astounded Lupe, bowing low so that her plum coloured hair cascaded down
her slender shoulders.
"I'm feeling fine, thank you," Ares nodded and scrambled onto the floor. He
felt it was imperative to return the Battle Faerie's greeting standing. "I'm
glad to hear that," a small smile escaped the faerie's lips. Unknown to Ares,
he had been sleeping for two nights and three days, and everyone on board the
Psellia and the other battleships were worried for him.
"Where am I now? I'm certain this is not the Psellia. Is it the
Iyana?" Ares questioned the Battle Faerie. She smiled mysteriously and nodded
her head. "A keen and alert mind you have, General," she said approvingly, then
set the large cardboard box which had been cradled in her arms, down. "What's
inside that?" Ares asked curiously, putting one paw on the box and sniffing
it eagerly. The Battle Faerie placed an elegant hand on Ares' paw and placed
it back on the floor. As she did so, he felt a strange tingling sensation.
"It's something for you. Now, what you did was a brave and courageous act,
and the Light Faeries were especially grateful that you saved one of their kind.
All of them wanted to show their deep appreciation, and so on behalf of all
faeries, I will now present you with their gift," and with that the Battle Faerie
undid the parcel and out fell a pile of sparkling silver armour. Ares gave a
gasp. "Faerie armour!" he breathed. "Yes, quite clever! These were forged by
faeries a millennia ago, and they fit the wearer perfectly," the Battle Faerie
said. "Try them on," she added.
Ares took up the pieces of armour. There were ten pieces all together, compromising
of four silver leg armours, four silver arm plates, a silver chest plate and
a silver helmet. "They're beautiful!" Ares marvelled. He slipped the armour
on effortlessly, and found that the Battle Faerie was indeed right. It fit him
perfectly.
General Ares trotted over to the full-length mirror on one of the walls and
admired his new armour. "You look very handsome," the Battle Faerie complimented
him with a little laugh. "This is grand! Now all I need is my… sword…" realisation
hit Ares all of a sudden. His sword! He had not seen his sword yet, where was
it? His fear he voiced to the Battle Faerie, who turned away immediately. "It's
gone… isn't it?" Ares held his breath. Suddenly he did not want to hear the
Battle Faerie's answer.
"It's not gone…" Ares looked up quickly; hope igniting in his little heart.
"It's just… broken," and she laid the pieces of what was left of his trusty
Sword of Domar on the bed. Ares felt tears welling up in his large eyes, and
he had to turn away from the Battle Faerie. "But I can fix that," she said in
a gentle voice. Ares looked up, wiping away a tear with his red paw. "You can
mend my Sword of Domar?" he asked hopefully. The Battle Faerie shook her head,
"What's broken cannot be mended, but I have a gift for you."
General Ares looked in awe at the beautiful faerie. He knew that gifts, coming
from the Battle Faerie especially, were hard to come by. But the Battle Faerie
was already drawing out something for him, and when she placed it on the bed,
Ares gasped. "A Tri-Scimitar!" he exclaimed upon seeing the rare sword. "Hope
you like it," the Battle Faerie smiled. "Like it? It's beautiful! I love it!
But of course… nothing can replace my old sword…" General Ares told the faerie.
"Of course. I understand," and whether or not it was because the Battle Faerie's
smile was so kind and sweet, or because she herself was being so kind and generous
to him, Ares found himself engulfing her in a hug.
"It feels good to be alive. Tell me, who saved me?" Ares placed the Tri-Scimitar
at his side and looked up at the Battle Faerie. "It was I, General Ares. I,
too, heard the Light Faerie's cry, but I took a longer time to get to her. By
then, you had already rescued her and were in trouble yourself." Ares nodded.
"Oh yes, Battle Faerie? I do like the way you fight with your sword… it's as
if… as if you are one with your sword. How do you do it?" he asked the faerie.
"Simple, practice," she told the Lupe.
"Wonderful," he agreed.
"Before I forget, I think there's someone waiting on deck to see you, General
Ares. Perhaps it would be good if you show yourself soon," the Battle Faerie
told him kindly. Ares adopted his regal 'General attitude' and nodded to the
Battle Faerie, "Thank you, Miss. I'll head up on deck right now, as a matter
of fact."
Then just before he exited the room, Ares turned back and looked at the Battle
Faerie. "How do I look?" he asked her. Laughing and smiling, she said, "Like
a prince."
The minute General Ares set foot on deck, there was a loud cheer, and he was
surrounded by sailors and soldiers alike, most of them from the Psellia,
his battleship. Shouts of goodwill and congratulations reached his ears, but
it was only one word, one simple word that made his ears perk up.
"Ares!" someone called.
General Ares turned around and was greeted with the intoxicating smell of
fire. His eyes adjusted to the bright glare, and then he shouted joyfully, "Jack!
Jack old pal, what are you doing here?" For it was his best friend, Jack the
fire Scorchio, standing right in front of him.
To be continued… |
