 Omen and Oracle
by heautontimouromenos
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Ellie gasped and sat upright in her bed. She was covered in sweat, and out of breath. Her room was dark. The morning wouldn’t come until a few hours later. The wind chime next to her window tinkled because of a soft breeze. Outside, she saw the colourful buildings of Roo Island. The night had stripped them of their colours and turned them grey. All was well again. But what was it the young Blumaroo had been dreaming? She tried and tried, but could only remember fragments. Her sudden awakening had shaken most of the dream out of her memory. There was a celebration of sorts. A crowd had gathered … There were wonderful scents in the air. There was music too, the sound of drums … Then the ground began to shake … Somebody screamed, and the crowd panicked and dispersed … Ellie rested her chin on her paw. She shuddered. Whatever she had been dreaming, it hadn’t been a very nice dream. She snuggled up to her pillow and fell fast asleep again. --- “Mom, do you think some dreams can predict the future?” Ellie asked at the breakfast table, carefully spooning up her cereal. Her mother stopped washing the dishes for a second and answered: “I don’t think so, Ellie dear. Why? Have you been having vivid dreams again?” Ellie let out a soft sigh. She didn’t know whether to answer the question truthfully or not. Her dreams always made her mother anxious. She decided to tell her a half-truth. “No … I don’t remember.” Ellie’s mother walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the head. “There are no such things as dreams that predict the future, dear.” Technically, this was the truth. Ellie’s powers lay elsewhere. But none of the Blumaroo family knew this. Not yet. “Aren’t you going to be late for the storytelling contest?” --- Ellie bounced quickly towards the storytelling building. Even though Roo Island wasn’t large, she had to cross half the island to get there. It wasn’t rare for her to arrive late and miss the introduction to some really good stories. The room was crowded, so she seated herself on the floor, away from most of the tourists. She glanced up at this week’s storyteller, an old, bearded, Yellow Mynci. She had never seen him before, but his allure drew her to him with curiosity and a bit of admiration. He coughed as if to let the audience know that he wanted to begin his story. The crowd went silent, except for a few whispers here and there. “Let me tell you a story that features a Blumaroo whose name all of you will recognise, Rohane of Trestin, who may or may not have truly existed. Before he became a great adventurer and saved the town of Trestin from impending doom, he had befriended an unnoticeable Kyrii. It is the Kyrii who will be the protagonist of this tale.” He paused and gave the audience a meaningful look. His eyes rested on Ellie for a couple of seconds. “Sometimes, great things happen in unexpected places.” “Of course, nothing great was ever expected of Rupart the Kyrii, son of Pongoras, the village potion-maker. All who knew him assumed that he would follow in his father’s footsteps. From a young age, he was trained in the craft of potion-making. He would become rather good at it, and was called upon by his lifelong friend, Rohane, before unfortunate events led to the Blumaroo leaving Trestin. Rumours of Rupart’s skill, however, had spread near and far. It was not uncommon for complete strangers, who were travelling from far beyond Trestin and its valley, to visit Rupart’s workshop. Much to the dismay of the local folk who wanted to be left in peace.” The Roo Island inhabitants and visitors who came to hear the story clung to the Mynci’s lips. He curled them into a sarcastic smile. “But, of course, you didn’t come to hear about such an unimportant character in the history of Neopia …” The building almost trembled with the sounds of protest. Ellie shouted the loudest of all. She wanted to hear the rest of the story. “Alright, alright,” continued the Mynci, the remnant of a smile still on his face, mostly in his playful eyes. Ellie seated herself once again and let the mysterious Mynci’s words transport her thoughts to Trestin. --- “... Then, one day, Rupart was approached by yet another weary traveller who had heard about his extraordinary potion-making skills. This time, however, the stranger didn’t want to buy a potion to heal a loved one, or to defeat an enemy. The stranger was a wizard who was sent to reveal to Rupart that he had magical powers, and there were others like him.” Even though the Mynci had been talking for over an hour now, the crowd still listened attentively. “Rupart, much to his surprise, was invited to join a secret order of Neopets. It is said that because of him, a lot of members of the order lived to a very old age. Yet, his lore is easily forgotten, in comparison to the great achievements of his friend Rohane. It is a pity, for not all heroes wield a sword,” concluded the Mynci. “With the help of Rupart, the order helped to maintain peace in Neopia for many, many years to come. It was only long after Rupart had died that things became unstable again, but that’s a story for another time.” The listeners, tourists and residents of Roo Island alike, started clapping, and a few of them gave the storyteller a standing ovation. Among the standing Neopets was Ellie, who had found the story absolutely marvellous. It had completely put her mind off of the nightmare she’d had. Then the door flew open, and in came Jacquimo, the messenger of King Roo. “Ahem …” he tried. “AHEM!” Heads turned toward the messenger. “There have been reports of strange phenomena that happened overnight in Tyrannia. Amongst other things, there was an earthquake like none ever experienced before. All tourists need to be evacuated, and habitants need to take precautions against a possible tsunami.” As the crowd started pushing towards the doors, the events in Ellie’s dream came flying back to her. It wasn’t the future she had been dreaming of, it was the present! Ellie hurried home to her mother. --- “So, what do you make of her?” “She seems … innocent, alright. She’s just a kid.” “Don’t underestimate her.” “I do not. But she’s still so young.” “You seem to have forgotten when the seed of evil was first planted in Xandra. We need her on OUR side.” The Mynci sighed. “I haven’t forgotten.” “Then we will proceed as planned.” “Very well, Rasala.” “Oh, Ganfrey?” “Yes?” “If she survives this, there WILL be a place for her among us.” “Yes, Rasala.” Ganfrey retreated to his chambers. “This is ridiculous,” he thought to himself. A child having to prove herself against a natural disaster as an entree ticket to the Order. Rasala had not seen her! But he had. And she was completely innocent. Powerful, but still innocent. Yet, despite her young age, the rules of the Order prescribed that Ellie faced her challenge alone. Ganfrey grabbed his cloak. “If nobody knows I’m there, there will be no harm done … … And Ellie will be the youngest ever member of the Order. Younger even than Rupart was when Ganfrey first met him.”
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