Kahmileia Visits Terror Mountain

     As the sun came up in the Faerieland skies, the castle went into a complete uproar. The sporadic shouts and failed attempts to cover up panic trickled out onto the streets in a noisy buzz of anxiety. Those who passed by looked up in surprise. What could have this effect on such a composed and controlled staff? Surely they could handle just about anything, they were some of the most magical beings in all the realms.

     The answer was Light Faerie Lemons. Early that morning the gardener's assistant had made their way into the greenhouse, to harvest five fresh lemons that Fyora required immediately to whip up into one of her more potent spells. Only the day before travelers from Sakhmet had entered the palace seeking aid. They needed a spell to seal some particularly nasty scrolls that contained some very dark and spooky magic. In order to form the binding spell, it was imperative that the lemons be of peak quality. But when the poor apprentice went to harvest them, they found that that plants had severely wilted. It seemed the lemon plants that had been purchased from shady merchants only a few weeks prior were in much worse condition than had been stated in the transaction. Without the spell to seal the scrolls, the travelers were insatiable, threatening to bring the scrolls elsewhere to someone who could dispose of them with more pizzazz. There was much danger in this though, as the only remedy other than Light Faerie Magic was that of the darkest nature, and Fyora wouldn't hear of it.

     And so Kahmileia found herself summoned before the council. With the toe of her foot she kicked at the floor, fiddling with her hands behind her back. She was always nervous when they called her before them. All those eyes looking at her was unnerving for sure. All too often the poor little Meerca found herself standing before the royal quarters of many nations, but never could she quite get used to it. Being the Queen's Herald was often times much less easy than it appeared. Especially when it was bad news that much be delivered.

     "Leia," Fyora spoke in the strong whimsical voice Kahmileia had learned to love. Truly there was no nobler employer in all the world. "You are the fastest of my faeries, and I will entrust only you with this task. We need you to bring this message to the Lenny at the Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop in Terror Mountain. He will provide you with a vile filled with a serum meant to preserve and replenish our lemon fruit. You must bring it to me at once. I have authorized the use of a portal to expedite the process. It will lead you just outside the town. You must make haste! It is of the utmost importance."

     The little Meerca bowed so low that her tail almost fell over the top of her head, "Of course your Majesty, I know no other way." She stepped forward so that Fyora could hand her a sealed order - a pink parchment scroll with the Queen's crest seared into the wax. The importance of it weighed heavy in her hand.

     Kahmileia turned to exit through the grand double doors while the council resumed talking among themselves in worried voices. Her petpet, a small Blue Baby Fireball, hovered in the corner of the great hall anxiously waiting her return. As Leia came into view it fluttered toward her, casting her little glow over the cobblestones in radiant cerulean.

     "Where are we going this time?" The tiny ethereal voice brought a smile to Kahmileia's face.

     "To Terror Mountain! We're even taking a portal. They must really be in a hurry to stop those travelers from leaving." Portals were reserved only for emergency situations, and then they only ran to designated places. It took a lot of magic to open portals, such power had to be used sparingly. Leia had only used them a handful of times in her career, and they were by far the darkest of times indeed.

     Together they made their way to the familiar tower which contained the opening to the portal. It was a rather plain and uninteresting room, with no furniture or decor to speak of. Just the old stone walls, faded by time and the elements, adorned the lofty space. But there, in the center of the room, a faint blue glow gathered along the cracks of the floor, radiating upward dimly so that it misted the lowest six inches in it's luminescence. They walked toward it, preparing for the feeling of being pushed through worlds.

     It was always slightly uncomfortable. It was as if everything was forced inward until the only thing to do was expand, and the moment it felt like her particles were about to burst, the world re-imagined itself around her until she was standing in a light flurry of snow, the woodland dense and quiet around here. Looking down at her feet as she walked from the center of the second portal, she could see the same stone floor as that of the tower, laid into the snow, burning with the same faint hallow blue.

     "So who are we looking for?" Her petpet exclaimed, gazing up at her curiously.

     "The Lenny at the Super Happy Icy Fun Snow shop. Can you show us the way Ember?" Ember was an enchanted spark, and was given to Leia by Fyora herself. They were used as guides to the places and people the Heralds must visit. They could track down anyone - or at least Ember had never been unsuccessful. She came in handy for sure.

     Ember bobbled happily ahead while Kahmileia fluttered agilely behind her. In mere minutes they had entered the town, Leia shivering slightly from the cold. Faeries were not terribly fond of the frost, especially with their delicate wings. She was no exception, and thinking about the haze of ice around her did nothing for warm thoughts. That was why, as the Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop came into view, her heart gladdened considerably.

     They raced through the door. Kahmileia tripped on a stack of wet half-dried jackets on the floor, tumbling head first into a customer.

     "Oh my! I'm terribly sorry," Leia exclaimed, straightening up and snatching the dropped parchment from where it fell. The Usul just let out a huff, and muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

     At once the Lenny made his way over, looking perplexed, a small Ice Bruce waddling behind him, "How may I help you? That was quite an accident."

     "I'm so sorry! You see, Fyora sent me with urgency to see you, she asked that I deliver this," Kahmileia handed him the parchment, which he opened promptly, reading the flourished handwriting with what seemed like a single glance.

     "Ah yes of course! Hijohu! Bring our faerie friend to the back and put some of the elixir in a bottle for her. I must attend to my customers. There's been a mix up of shipments and it's costing me quite a lot of money." The young Ice Bruce smiled to Kahmileia, looking elated to be of help. She followed his stout little form through a set of swinging doors and into a kitchen.

     "You'll have to excuse my boss, he's been pretty grumpy today. So this stuff is for Fyora herself? Why on earth do you have need of this?" Hijohu asked curiously.

     "Well Fyora needs it for a spell, you see, our Light Faerie Lemons are dying, and without them we're one ingredient short. We're hoping this might help save them," She explained.

     Hijohu gave a sigh, "Oh boy! That is a problem. But fortunately this will fix them up for sure."

     "What is it exactly?" Happy for the conversation Kahmileia looked on in wonder as he removed a small jar from the bottom of a cabinet. It looked like an incredibly uninteresting liquid, dark green in color, and thick like molasses.

     "It's a preservative made from a rare kind of berry. It has the ability to reverse the decay of fruits and juices. It was even used in the concoction that made me! If you can believe it. It's incredibly powerful stuff. I'm sure whatever is ailing your lemons, this will fix it in a jiffy!"

     "Wow, he actually made you?" This news was shocking, Leia couldn't imagine the recipe that could create something so incredible.

     Ember, who had been silent til now fluttered over to him, looking him up and down as if he was a trick of the light. "That's amazing!" She exclaimed.

     "Yeah, he may be old but he knows more than you could imagine," Hijohu corked a vile he had filled with the gooey brew, handing it to Leia with a grin. "Well I'm sure this will help. Feel free to come back and visit me anytime! And if you ever find yourself here again I'll give you a free cup of Borovan! On the house!"

     They thanked both him and the Lenny profusely before they left in a flutter of wings and sparks. There was no time to spare! They must get back at once. The hurtled toward the portal with the greatest of speed, soaring straight through and back to the tower room. With careful cunning they maneuvered the halls of the palace back to the throne room, where the conversation of what was going on still festered loudly.

     Upon seeing the Meerca, Fyora held up her hand and they all fell into silence. "Kahmileia, you have returned so soon! Were you successful in your journey?"

     "Yes my Queen, this will cure the lemon plant, I am sure of it! Everything will be okay!" There was a relieved chorus of praise throughout the room. Fyora herself stood to take the vile from Leia with glee.

     "Thank you dear Leia. As always you have made your Kingdom very proud. We couldn't have done it without you and Ember," the little spark fluttered shyly behind her friend, pleased with the attention from the beautiful faerie.

     Kahmileia's heart swelled, there was no greater joy than knowing she averted yet another crisis. The world she loved so much was safe another day. With this in mind Leia promised herself a second slice of cake at dinner that night.

The End.