Robbie And The Rubbish Dump

      School was over for Robbie now, and the summer stretched out before him, hopefully, a steady stream of long, hot days like today, digging up potatoes on his family's farm. Some of his fellow school friends had scoffed at his summer plans. "Boring!" they'd said, rolling their eyes. "Who wants to be stuck here in Medieval Meridell, surrounded by potatoes and dung and the stench of the Rubbish Dump, when you could be out exploring other Neopian lands?"

      "But there are the truce celebrations happening next week!" Robbie had protested. "Everyone has been planning this all year!"

      His friends had been dismissive. "Who cares about the stupid Meridell and Darigan truce? All that stuff is ancient history!"

      And so his friends had cheerfully departed Meridell a few days earlier, hoping to backpack across Brightvale, Neopia Central, the Haunted Woods, maybe even the Lost Desert.

      Robbie had waved them off, excited for them on their adventure, but relieved that he himself was not going. He was been looking forward to the truce celebration party and parade. He had no need to leave Meridell. Everything he loved and needed was right here. And after a while, you didn't even notice the smell that wafted from the Rubbish Dump.

      The Rubbish Dump had been particularly popular lately and, from his field where he worked, Robbie had watched the hordes of tourists who descended daily on Meri Acres Farm. They were loud and uncouth and poked fun at the rustic beauty of Meridell and trod on the carefully planted crops. Rumour had it that valuable treasures had been mysteriously appearing at the Rubbish Dump, donated by an anonymous benefactor. Robbie had heard tales of innocent Turtums and Turmacs captured on the dump by these greedy tourists, and sold at great profit, forced to live away from Meridell with new owners who knew nothing about caring for such Petpets. More recently, there had been stories of paint brushes appearing on the dump, but Robbie didn't know anyone who could substantiate this. Robbie had no care for paintbrushes. He was a simple Ixi, painted a simple blue, and that suited him just fine. But he cared greatly for the Meridell Petpets, the Whinnies, Dragoyles, Mortogs, Turmacs and Turtums, who while searching for tasty morsels, were brutally stolen away and sold.

      "Hey you! Where's the Rubbish Dump?" A large Grarrl rudely interrupted Robbie's reverie. The Grarrl was surrounded by a gaggle of giggling smaller Grarrls. "It sure stinks here! We must be close!"

      The Ixi pointed in the general direction of the dump, and the Grarrls headed off that way without even so much as a smile or a thank you. "Imagine living here!" he heard one say. "Whole place is a rubbish dump!"

      Robbie felt both angry and sad. These intruders had no right to come here and take what wasn't theirs! These intruders had no right to call Meridell a dump when, in fact, with its lush green meadows and undulating hills and cool glades and sparkling streams, Meridell was a place of outstanding beauty and charm. It made no sense to him that expensive treasures should suddenly be appearing at the Rubbish Dump, or that innocent Petpets should be paying the price of the sudden influx of tourists swarming their home. Why was this happening?

      He plunged his spade deep into the rich soil, a serious look upon his face. Something wasn't right here and Robbie was determined to find out!

      Of course, in the heat, the smell wafting from the Rubbish Dump was particularly pungent as Robbie made his way over to chat with Charlie, the dump's custodian. It was early evening now and the crowds at the dump had more or less dissipated. Only a few obstinate treasure hunters remained. Robbie felt satisfied, having put in an honest days work and unearthing what felt like a record number of potatoes. He wouldn't know the exact number until Alton Moughbry had one of his team count them, but Robbie knew his family would be proud of his efforts, as they always were.

      The Rubbish Dump was a mess and Charlie, the Blue Kacheek, was muttering crossly to himself as he tried to rake up errant bits of rubbish that were strewn across the field. He was oft grumpy, was Charlie. He was very protective of the Rubbish Dump and he disliked more than anyone the sudden upsurge of visitors to his beloved place of work.

      "Particularly bad day today!" he called out when he saw Robbie approach. "At least four Turtums and three Dragoyles gone, and that's only the ones I saw being captured. Happening right in front of my eyes and I can't do diddly squat about it!" He scowled and prodded his rake at a rotten tomato, then offered up a rare smile. "What brings you here today, young Robbie?"

      "The same thing that is troubling you," Robbie replied. "I just can't figure it out. Rumours of treasure in the Rubbish Dump. I can't fathom the how and why of it."

      "Not just rumours," Charlie said, shaking his head. "Saw it today with my own eyes. Five paint brushes! Just there hidden in the dump. Surprised you didn't hear all the yelling and commotion."

      "I don't know how anyone can find anything in here," Robbie said looking around at the huge heaps of rubbish and the few remaining stragglers sifting through it.

      Charlie shrugged. "Easy to spot, these were. Big hunks of purple sticking right out."

      "Purple paintbrushes? Are they very valuable?"

      Charlie raised his eyebrows and frowned. "Not purple, young Robbie. Darigan. These were Darigan paint brushes. Right there in my rubbish. Darigan."

      Something flipped in Robbie's heart and he shivered involuntarily, feeling his blood run cold. "Darigan?" he stammered. "You don't think ..."

      Charlie interrupted him. "Darigan paint brushes just magically appearing in Meridell? After all this time? You going to tell me this is just a coincidence? Something ain't right here. Trouble's brewing."

      The pair of them, Blue Ixi and Blue Kacheek, looked at the dump, at a sliver of purple poking out of the mass of rubbish, then another sliver of purple, then another. With gleeful cries, the treasure seekers pounced on the paintbrushes, which now suddenly seemed to be sprouting everywhere, grabbing as many as they could, stuffing them into sacks and pockets.

      "For the love of Fyora, what is going on?" Charlie shook his head, bewildered.

      Robbie had no idea but he knew that whatever it was, it was not good.

      He looked across the Rubbish Dump, over to King Skarl's castle where the flags of Meridell proudly flew. Feeling uneasy, he watched as the early evening sky turned darker, hues of blue turning into dark shades of purples and black.

      He knew his history of course, did Robbie. Goodness, there was hardly a soul in Meridell who did not know of the war between Meridell and Darigan and the uneasy truce which later formed and was still in existence. Indeed, this year was supposed to be a time of celebration for it would mark 20 years since war between the two lands first raged and both Darigan and Meridell had been planning celebrations of their now peaceful times and the tentative friendship which had been growing. It was widely known that in the famine of 300BN, the Knights of King Skarl I stole a mysterious orb from the Darigan Citadel, which brought prosperity to Meridell but also war when the King refused to return the orb to Lord Darigan. Darigan was defeated, but when Lord Kass took over, Meridell was invaded and destroyed. At school, Robbie learned all about the legend of Jeran and his sister Lisha who managed to go back in time and rewrite history, defeating Lord Kass and enabling Meridell to survive. With Kass gone, Lord Darigan took over the Citadel once more and ever since the two realms had lived peacefully.

      That evening, Robbie poured over his history books. He recalled how Sally, a young farm girl from Meridell, had found a bat-like creature in her barn, which turned out to be Lord Darigan, who somehow survived the first war and wanted to stop the second war, lead by Lord Kass.

      Would Lord Darigan want a third war? Robbie wondered to himself.

      Reading on, Robbie remembered that the Meridell Army had magically been able to increase the size of Meridellian Petpets such as Turtums and these giant Petpets were used in the war to storm the Citadel. He gasped, realising that Meridell had had so many of their Petpets stolen from them in recent months.

      "It must be part of a nefarious plan!" he cried out loud. "Lord Darigan has his minions stealing our petpets from the Rubbish Dump so that we cannot use them if there is a war! And he is planning a war! He's planting Darigan paint brushes so that everyone will paint themselves Darigan and be part of his army!"

      Robbie's heart was beating so fast and so loudly he was certain that the whole of Meridell must be able to hear it. He raced downstairs to tell his parents what he feared was happening.

      His parents were sewing bunting for the upcoming truce party, turning sackcloth into cheerful flags. Meridellians were resourceful and like to recycle whatever they could. Initially, Robbie's mother seemed worried when Robbie told them about the Petpets and the paintbrushes, but Robbie's father was far less concerned. "I'm on the truce committee," he said. "Both Meridell and the Darigan Citadel have been in talks for months about the celebrations. There's no war coming, son."

      "But Father," Robbie implored, "wouldn't this be the best time for Lord Darigan to plan a war? When he knows we are all preoccupied with planning the truce celebrations?"

      His father smiled gently. "I rather think the sun has got to you today. Get some sleep, son. The farm needs you tomorrow."

      That night, Robbie slept fitfully, with broken dreams of digging up purple potatoes, and a bat-like creature found in his parent's barn.

      Over the next few days Robbie continued to work hard on the farm but could not shake off the feeling that trouble was indeed brewing, as Charlie had said. News had quickly spread about the spawning of a plethora of Darigan paintbrushes at the Rubbish Dump, and now the visitor crowds were immense. Every evening Robbie and Charlie went over the figures Charlie had tried to tally, trying to determine how many petpets had been taken that day, how many Darigan paint brushes had appeared. The figures were increasing alarmingly, as was Robbie's feeling of horror.

      "It's no good, young Robbie," Charlie said with a defeated sigh. "The numbers are too great. I can't keep counting anymore. Even with Alton's potato counting skills, we can't keep up. If your theory is right, we're doomed. By the time of the celebrations, there will be no Meridell Petpets left, and most of Neopia will be turned Darigan."

      "We must tell King Skarl!" Robbie cried, but Charlie scoffed at this suggestion.

      "And how will you get into the castle to see him? All Skarl is interested in is finding new court jesters who can make him laugh."

      "You're right," Robbie conceded reluctantly. "And right now there is nothing funny at all about what's happening."

      The pair sat, feeling hopeless.

      "Say," they overheard Xweetok claim as she examined the Darigan paintbrush she had just pulled from the dump, "isn't Meridell where Illusen lives? I can't think for the life of me why a faerie would want to live in a place so disgustingly stinky."

      In unison, Robbie and Charlie both leapt up to their feet.

      "Of course!" Robbie exclaimed, "Illusen!"

      "To the Glade!" Charlie cried out.

      Away from Meri Acre Farm and the rubbish dump, Robbie and Charlie raced to Illusen's Glade. Shaded by large leafy trees, the Glade was tranquil and peaceful, seemingly a world away from the madness of the crowds at the dump. Here the air smelled sweetly of the flowers Illusen planted around her cottage, and water bubbled and burbled in a nearby stream. The only faerie not to live in Faerieland, Illusen had been a great help to Meridell in the war, sheltering peasants and protecting them from the Darigan army. An Earth faerie, she was known to be kind and helpful. Robbie was surprised he had not thought of seeking her guidance earlier.

      She was tending to a bed of roses when they found her. She smiled serenely as both Robbie and Charlie relayed their fears of Lord Darigan's plan to take over Meridell.

      "What vivid imaginations!" she murmured softly. "Meridell and Darigan are allies now, and this will always be so."

      "But ..."

      Illusen silenced Robbie with a hard stare. "There is no but. Such awful rumours in these peaceful times are not appreciated. Is there anything else I can help you with? Perhaps you'd like to do a quest?"

      Robbie was taken aback at the look the Earth faerie had given him. This did not seem like the kindly faerie he had heard so much about. Had he imagined it? She was smiling sweetly at him again now.

      "Take a rose for your mother," she held out a flower which Robbie accepted, and she bid them farewell.

      Walking away, Robbie was filled with confusion. "I expected something ... different ..." he said.

      Charlie was frowning. "Oh, that was different, all right," he said. "I've known Illusen a long time, and I have never known her to act like that." He nodded at the flower Robbie was holding. "Purple roses, eh."

      In shock, Robbie dropped the rose. Indeed the leaves were a dark purple colour, the edges tinged black. He looked back towards the glade where Illusen was still tending to her garden.

      All the flowers she was growing were the purple and black colours of Darigan.

      "We need to see the king!"

      They had run from Illusen's Glade to Meridell Castle, and Robbie could barely get his words out, for a mixture of emotions and exhaustion.

      The castle guard, a Kougra named Thyet, eyed the pair with disdain, Robbie gabbling incoherently, and Charlie near collapsing point from the unexpected physical exertion. Charlie was still carrying his pitchfork, which he used to pick up rubbish, and the guard drew his huge sword. "Back off with your weapon, Kacheek!" he snarled. "King Skarl won't see you, you peasants. He is currently being entertained."

      Robbie's mind was racing. "It's not a court dancer, is it?" he asked, remembering how in the second war a court dancer sent by Lord Kass had put a spell on Meridellians who had watched her bewitching dance. Perhaps Illusen was under a spell. That would certainly explain her strange behaviour. And now King Skarl was being bewitched!

      Thyet laughed. "Do you take us for fools? Court dancers have been banned from the castle since the war!"

      "The king is in danger!" Robbie cried out. "I'm sure of it. The whole of Meridell is in danger!"

      Thyet laughed again. "No one is in danger! It's just a tiny bird, entertaining the king with its birdsong."

      "A purple bird, I'll bet!" Robbie ventured.

      The guard's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Robbie, full of suspicion. "And how would you know that, young Ixi?"

      Robbie could feel his fur prickle with the acknowledgement that his guess was correct. "It's a bird from the Citadel, it has to be! All the petpets are being stolen, so we can't use them in a war, practically everyone in Neopia now has a Darigan paint brush or has turned Darigan and unwittingly joined the Darigan army, Illusen is growing purple and black flowers, and now King Skarl is being bewitched by a purple bird sent from the Citadel! Can't you see?" he begged the guard, "Lord Darigan is slowly taking over Meridell while we sit at home sewing bunting!"

      Thyet seemed uncertain. Hesitantly, the Kougra guard agreed to let the pair into the castle. "Follow me," he said to Robbie and Charlie.

      Once upon a time, this would have been a dream come true for Robbie, to be allowed into Meridell Castle. Within the castle walls, he would have marvelled at the decor and been enthralled by his surroundings. Today, however, he just felt fear and a sense of urgency to get to the king. The trio marched through the corridors. "This had better not be a prank," the guard warned them.

      "I only wish it were," Robbie replied.

      Suddenly, there was a huge commotion behind them, and a creature whooshed down the castle hall, a gust of wind knocking the trio against the wall. "We're too late!" Charlie cried, and Robbie felt his heart sink as the creature came to a stop beside them.

      "Lord Darigan!" Robbie exclaimed.

      Robbie had heard all about Lord Darigan, of course, but had never actually seen him, not in the flesh. He was a huge, imposing creature, supposedly Korbat, with large ears spiked on his head, and huge wings that spanned nearly the width of the hall. This is it, Robbie thought. We're all doomed. He thought of his parents, the farm, the verdant fields he loved so much, the potatoes and turnips he had yet to dig up. He thought of his school friends, backpacking across Neopia, thankfully safe (for now) from this terror. Perhaps he was foolish not to have gone with them. No! he told himself. He was wise to stay. Meridell needed him!

      "You can't have Meridell!" he shouted bravely. "We'll defend our land with everything we have got!"

      Lord Darigan looked down on the small Ixi. "I like your spirit!" he boomed. "I'm not here to take Meridell. I'm not here to break the truce."

      "But all the things that have been happening ..."

      "And that is why I'm here. I've heard the rumours. Something is amiss." Lord Darigan flapped his wings angrily, sending a gust of wind down the hall. "None of these things are my doing. Now, where is King Skarl?"

      With Thyet leading the way, they entered the throne room where Skarl sat on his throne, mesmerised by a small purple bird which fluttered around the king's head.

      "Skarl!" Lord Darigan bellowed, but the Skeith did not hear him, so entranced he was by the tiny bird. "Bird!" the Korbat demanded. "What are you? Who are you?"

      The purple bird stretched its wings and grew in size before their eyes until it was a fully grown Darigan Eyrie. Robbie could only look on in shock.

      "Kass!" Lord Darigan spat out in disbelief.

      The Eyrie swooped around the room and settled in front of them, in a flurry of feathers and evil laughter. "You're all too late," he crowed. "The plan is already in place, it cannot be undone now. First, I'll take Meridell, and then Darigan will be mine once more. I am the rightful Lord. The Citadel is mine! The only celebrations taking place will be for my new reign!"

      Robbie watched in horror as the two Darigan Lords squared up to one another. "We need to do something," he whispered urgently to Charlie and Thyet. "Here, give me your pitchfork."

      Robbie took Charlie's pitchfork and carefully aimed it at Kass. With a deft throw, the prongs pierced the Eyrie's wing, and the unexpected attack was enough to distract Kass and enable Lord Darigan to overpower him. With Kass caught and weakened, Skarl was released from his spell.

      "We will decide your fate together, Lord Darigan and I," Skarl told the defeated Kass. "Nothing will break the truce between Meridell and Darigan. Instead of inciting another war, Kass you have only strengthened the bond between the two lands. Perhaps we should thank you!" King Skarl guffawed.

      On the day of the truce celebrations, the streets of Meridell were filled with jubilant citizens of Meridell and Darigan. None of them knew of the threat the two lands had just narrowly avoided, or why a tiny purple bird in a cage made from the strongest materials was on display for all to see as a symbol of peace and friendship. Robbie's mother gently touched the Meridell bunting draped around the cage. "Your bunting looks good!" Robbie told her.

      King Skarl and Lord Darigan headed the parade that marched past them. Robbie's mother gasped when she saw the two leaders. "Did they just wave at you?" she asked her son incredulously.

      Robbie laughed nonchalantly. "Just a coincidence," he told her.

      Next to them, a young Wocky stared at the caged bird for a long time. "It's quite ugly, isn't it?" the Wocky said to her mother. The mother laughed, and the pair turned away.

      No one saw the bird's eyes glow red.

      The End.