Theodora: Part Three and Four

by xbluex

Part Three: Onward

No one knows this part. They know from what they have heard that Theodora later found the Queen. But the part that I will tell is the hidden story. The hidden part where it was instead the Queen who found the three NeoPets. And yes, it was a happy day.

After their first night together, Theodora constantly felt watched. She felt good about being watched. It was not the evil Queen. Alston repeatedly called her Theo. She had hated the name. Anyhow, the day soon went on. Then it became in the afternoon. When the light was the brightest. Interestingly, it was not hot. That was when their adventures began.

The Queen Faerie was young. She was bored. And she was looking for a quest to give to someone. And just then she saw three NeoPets. Walking together, side by side. Then she divided her attention to the white and spotted NeoPets.

"Interesting…" she mumbled. She disappeared to appear in front of them. They were startled. Or course. The beauty of the Faerie Queen is so captivating and enchanting that the three NeoPets were charmed. All they did was sigh in response to her mumble.

"I present you with a quest!" she announced.

Faerie Queen quests were rare, and demanding. They did not want a quest. They wanted to talk to the Faerie Queen. So they did not have to trek to her palace to find her after all! The little water map squealed, and suddenly, without warning, transformed into a little puppy with wings. It flew to the Queen Faerie and kissed the goddess. The Queen Faerie laughed.

"Oh, Pita! Stop it!" The Queen Faerie giggled. The little watery creature obediently obeyed. It turned back into a map.

"What is Pita doing with you?" The Queen Faerie demanded.

"Pita? No! But… What do you mean? She- it was a map!" Theodora said with her defences up.

"Aha, the smart one huh? Child! Do you know who I am?" the Faerie Queen said, stressing on the word who.

"Woo-who…" Riana said, then smiled.

Riana and Theodora turned to look at Alston. He was kneeling down.

"Blessings to the Queen of faeries, the enchanting Queen," he said.

Riana and Theodora instantly kneeled.

"No need for that," came the reply from the Queen, "Tell me your story."

The next few hours were spent quickly, as the Queen listened attentively. And she laughed.

"I wanted to see you? No. Inertia is a common surprise gift. You know, my mother might be frail and weak, but she is not entirely passing her throne to me until the Gods take her away. My guess is no one knows that I am taking her place yet. And Light most probably asked you to meet her. It is she who gave you the inertia. It is a gift. Seek her not. Everything is well is it not?"

Riana and Theodora were disappointed. A gift? Her color was a gift? Nothing more? Not an adventure, a mistake? Her father had been overly anxious? Sorrow touched her features and she lowered her head. While doing so, Riana saw a patch of dried leaves.

"Cube-cute," she said with a grin.

She started to walk towards the patch, careful not to make a noise and disturb her sad teacher and friend. She giggled softly. Theodora almost lifted her head up. But all she did was sigh and moan again. Alston was sitting beside her, interested in the bark of a tree. He showed no expression. Acting like a child she closed her eyes and jumped over mud puddles.

She was certainly never interested in dried leaves. She liked more water, rain and splashes. But this patch of dried leaves was beautiful. Not colorful but shiny and ancient looking. Beautiful bronze glitter shimmering above the ground of leaves…

And suddenly, she jumped. Temptation took over. Alston looked at her.

"Will she change color?" Alston thought as he raced wildly to catch her…

Part Four: No More

Riana changed into a beautiful silver Shoyru. Of course, she was happy that she had changed color. She did not understand why both Alston and Theodora cared so much about being normally colored. She was perfectly content with her color.

Alston gave her a sympathetic look. Theodora looked shocked and stoned.

"Al?" she said.

"I am so sorry," Alston said.

"Nah… I like color," she said with a smile.

"You just don't understand," Alston said.

Theodora walked towards Riana as if she was disgusted and upset terribly.

"Thee-oak-Doral," Riana said with difficulty, "I am oak-Kay."

"No! You just don't understand!" Theodora said.

"Wok is there to undid-stand?"

"You have never seen me suffer from this-this… Alston! What is it called?"

"Inertia," Alston replied.

"Whatever! Have you any idea the pain Riana! The pain! I wish I had this color through means of good magic and not-not an illness! Riana, we are not having free color! We are having a disease! Every hour you will feel a pain all over your skin. When it is night you will be free of that, but in a full moon you will be totally normal!"

The trio did not speak for the rest of the journey back. The striking silver Riana constantly reflected light onto their eyes, irritating them. Halfway home, Riana spoke.

"I feel saw. I tock the fairly Queen say it was gift?"

"Sore? That is nothing. That Queen is inexperienced. She does not know anything!"

The sun began to set, and Riana felt lesser pain. She missed her old self. But what was done was done. How would she know that there was this pain with the color? No one bothered to tell her. And therefore, she reasoned with herself, it was not her fault. Somehow she was tempted. After all, she was only thirteen! Theodora was not much older.

For many years later none of them spoke to each other. They lost each other as friends gradually. Theodora was never seen again, although Alston could sometimes be heard by Riana to be screaming a Tarzan yell. And everyone possible hunted Riana. Fours years passed. Riana and Theodora were seventeen, and Alston a dashing Aisha of eighteen.

They still had not visited the Queen of the 'queen' they had met. Light soon came again. Since they had failed their first test set by the Queen, the test of friendship.

A familiar light drew all three of them to the exact same spot they had met four years ago. A beautiful ageless Light Faerie appeared. They all knew who she was. She was light. Floating behind her was Pita, the watery puppy-like creature with wings. Light must have had taken Pita back from the 'queen' they met.

"You have failed," she sighed sadly, "The first test, and you have failed. For fours years I have pleaded with the Queen to see you uncourageous NeoPets. The Queen has consented. She will give you only one more quest. Pita will be yours."

"Together again," Alston said.

The threesome looked at each other, their eyes taking in everything. Then silently and instinctively, they walked together, saying nothing, as like four years ago on their last day, they walked together without saying a word, each thinking different thoughts, as the sun began to set.

The three, the charming Theodora and dashing Alston, and the lovable Riana, treaded the path that the 'queen' they had met trot. The three who would stay together even after the healing. And still the Dark Queen was watching. Once and again, she loved the thrill, and how would her enemy Queen react? Fight weakly against her?

To be continued...