The Fairy Diary Day 688 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Merlin and I had a few things to sort out before we departed. The wizard invited Navril to accompany us. Having completed his mission of contacting us, he planned to return to Laguayil – but Merlin reasoned with the elf that since he would not be expected back so soon anyway, why not continue on to the fairy capital for my investiture. 

This being agreeable to our friend, we next tackled how to transport the wagon and the small unit from Dunfallon’s army back to the repository. 

Merlin said there would be little problem since he could now employ a rainbow bridge – but what was absolutely necessary was a beast of burden to pull the wagon. His comment was overheard by Gabhe who immediately volunteered, stating that he was certain he could do it. 

I was incredulous that such a small mountain goat would be strong enough, but the wizard smiled and said that he was certain too. Then he winked at me and whispered, “I can make it so.”

And when Herblas asked to accompany us also, I was confident to invite him along. 

Thus, when we had it all together we bid Gilgorgon goodbye. We gave Gabhe his head and he soon mounted the rainbow bridge and before we knew it we touched down at the fairy capital. 

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The Fairy Diary Day 685 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Merlin met us upon our arrival last night. Before Cluyjil and the wagon were settled into their places, the cages and their occupants were lifted out of the wagon and spirited away into the depths. 

We each felt a palpable difference being in Gilgorgon’s mountain than times hitherto. And the dwarves were uncomfortable with it too. 

Merlin assured us and Gilgorgon in particular that the worst was past. Evidently in the time before we arrived the wizard had to demonstrate to the dwarf king and his dwarves that they had not doomed their kingdom by their gracious offer to imprison our malefactors. In fact, Merlin promised there would be a great reward. They needed only to add their spells to his to form an unbreakable seal that will sever any connection she has to influence the world outside of herself. 

And so with the new day, the heaviness that was sensed within the mountain dissipated. Normalcy returned throughout. 

And with that Dunfallon was eager to be off back to the pixie lands, even without a game of nine pins with his friend Gabhe the mountain goat. 

Rumble opted to join the pixie in his next adventure, but I decided to stay a while. I wanted to understand better what had happened, and had many questions to ask Merlin. I felt it particularly incumbent upon me given the position of High Fairy that I would soon be assuming. 

The Fairy Diary Day 684 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We took turns on watch throughout the night. And today, I found myself constantly scanning the sky about us – looking for more black birds, or for the hornet swarms that oft times were associated with them in the past. I must say that with the blackness filling the sky more and more to our front, it would be very difficult to distinguish them.

Thankfully the black plants have not spread beyond the pixie territory. The last ones we saw took up an entire meadow at the end of the forest. Dunfallon had coaxed Cluyjil to torch them all to ash. He now cannot wait to deliver our prisoners to their waiting cells under the mountain, and return to his beloved land of the pixies with the dragon and eradicate the rest.

As we came out of the rolling hills, a light shone out of the darkness ahead. Rumble directed Cluyjil and the wagon towards that beacon. And I ordered our fairy escort to form up and follow behind us.

There at the base of the mountain, Herblas was waiting for us beside a signal fire. He had no explanation for what was going on, and was hoping we might know something. We filled him in on our suspicions, then pushed forward in the dark, following behind his dwarves, illuminating the way with firebrands.

All was quiet within the cages. A peek inside was met with glum and long faces. Then I realized that the queen no longer stuck her tongue out at me. And probably could not. 

The Fairy Diary Day 681 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Gibley left for the canyonlands on Conjil this morning. Rumble joined Dunfallon and I to bid him goodbye. The goblin had offered to accompany us on our trip, but I thanked him and released him from any obligation that he was feeling and assured him that the three of us should have no problem reaching the dwarves safely. 

Together we three had Cluyjil harnessed and prepared to go just before Merlin and Tinadell arrived. An escort of fairy troops delivered the cages with our two prisoners and tied them down into the wagon. 

The Fairy King echoed the wizard’s assurances of yesterday to me. He thinks all challenges will be laid to rest by the time of our return from Gilgorgon’s mountain. 

Merlin instructed us on how to care for and communicate with our prisoners. We are to talk with the Caretaker and not the former queen. Additional spells are weighing her down and restricting her activity and abilities. He is confident she will present no problems. 

After Dunfallon reviewed his soldier less weapons and arranged their marching order about the wagon, we set out, following behind our fairy troop escort.

We bypassed Nonin-gal-dith and took the southbound road in order to retrace the path we traveled last time. Dunfallon still believes it wise to keep the distance between the renegades and the Will’o’the Wisp. 

The Fairy Diary Day 679 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Merlin has transferred me to the repository. I am under Tinadell’s orders to bring back the wagon and whomever and whatever I need to effect the transfer of the two prisoners to Gilgorgon’s mountain. 

The wizard then returned to the capital to be my advocate there. He explained beforehand the present circumstances to my friends here – Dunfallon, Noralei, and Gibley.  And spent some time privately encouraging me. He had long suspected that I had been human – but it is even more clear now to him that I am fully a fairy. 

I was thankful for his vote of confidence but perhaps more so for my current assigned task to keep my thoughts occupied and off that predicament. 

According to Gibley’s estimation the dragonlings are ready to assume their roles as guardians of the repository. So he asked me if he can accompany me in the wagon back to the capital and there retrieve Conjil and return to the canyonlands. I agreed but consequently had to decide to assign Noralei and Rayjil to remain in charge here for now. 

I wanted Dunfallon to join me in my assignment. So he harnessed Cluyjil to the wagon and selected a good portion of his soldier-less weapons to accompany us. 

The goblin and the pixie and I set out for the capital. 

The Fairy Diary Day 673 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We almost passed by the cutoff to the repository. Its approaches hidden by design, have been further obscured by the rampant growth of the neighboring vegetation since its abandonment. Merlin helped by close observation of the images supplied by the seers stone.

Thankfully, once we were on its track, Rayjil was instrumental in muscling the wagon and us forward. Noralei directed us right up to the entrance, and Merlin addressed the two monarch trees which bowed to his command and opened to allow us in to the close grown forest that is the repository.

The quiet within lasted about fifty wingbeats, long enough for its new protectors – Clemjil and Torjil – to enter and race about in a frenzy of discovery. Gibley sighed in resignation and added his opinion that it was best not to rein them in, but indulge their curiosity.

I was thankful that neither was yet fitted with igniter stones.

The first order of business was to set the Crack of Doom back up into its place high above. The fairy troops were effective in guiding the bell, preventing it from falling afoul of other structures – but the wizard – staff in hand – was the one to do the heavy lifting.

Once the bell rested in its place, we began the task of setting all else in order. The fairy troops tidied their barracks and Dunfallon’s “army” were welcomed back into their place of origin.

For now Merlin and Gibley set up in the former Caretaker’s chamber. Noralei and I saw to the care of the dragons and will seek places near them for our time here.

Tomorrow the next project begins.

The Fairy Diary Day 672 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

The sentencing of the confessed killers will fall to Tinadell. But it will not be right away. His majesty has decided that the remains of the High Fairy must be recovered and laid to rest first. 

I originally volunteered for that task, but Tinadell overruled me. He wants me to remain in the kingdom until I make my decision. Instead Rumble was sent on Conjil with Dunfallon on Cluyjil to the place revealed by the Caretaker in his testimony. 

The rest of us, including Merlin, prepared the wagon for transporting the bell and the young dragons to the repository. Dunfallon’s army too will be returning there. Besides our fairy escort, they will make up the garrison. The Crack of Doom will be reinstalled and Gibley and Merlin will see to the igniter stones for the two dragonlings. 

As an added charge Merlin and I will evaluate the repository as a potential prison for the convicted pair. 

Preparations were completed before the midday meal. So, we set out immediately after. Merlin and I sat up on the wagon with Noralei and Gibley as she started Rayjil into motion on the road away from the capital. 

The Fairy Diary Day 668 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Screeching became howling from our prisoner’s cages as we reached the last stretch to the capital. Already they were under the weight of impending judgment. I almost pitied them.

Merlin waited at the gates to the inn where the dragons and the wagon will be housed, and was first to receive us. Noralei remained behind to see to the needs of her charges. The wizard took a cage in each hand and led Rumble and me to the gates of the capital. Rumble supervised several fairy soldiers who carried the two boxes of scrolls. 

Just within the city gates, Tinadell stood to greet us. This encounter wrung another cry of despair from within the cages. Merlin handed over the prisoners to a phalanx of dungeon guards who whisked them away from our presence.

The fairy king himself ushered us up to the library where the boxes of evidence were deposited. There Tinadell extended an invitation to us to join him for dinner. Before he departed I asked him to send the same invitation down to Noralei. To this he said he would do so personally.

Merlin and I left Rumble to work on arranging the scrolls. As Dunfallon had not been on hand to meet us, I assumed the wizard had agreed with my request. He confirmed to me that the pixie had been sent to the canyonlands – not only to bring Gibley back to help with Clemjil – but also to have the goblin on hand as a possible witness in the trial.

This idea gave me pause. I said to him that that would mean all of us could be potential witnesses. The wizard only arched an eyebrow to my comment, and I knew that he definitely was being called as a witness.

The Fairy Diary Day 667 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

Even though Rumble went out early to collect the last of the evidence and returned in a short time, he insisted that it be put in boxes for safe keeping before we left. And that put us behind again while Noralei and Dunfallon constructed two large crates for the scrolls, and then placed them in the wagon. That last step did not prove too difficult as they took the place of a good deal of the supplies that we no longer need to carry. 

When Dunfallon finished with his part of that task, I sent him on to the capital on Cluyjil to confer with Merlin. In particular I wanted to know if Gibley had been sent for. And if not, did the wizard think it a good idea for Dunfallon to fly to the canyonlands to ask the goblin to come and help us with Clemjil. 

I did not have to ask the pixie twice and he was off before Noralei harnessed Rayjil to the wagon. 

With fairy troops before and after and Dunfallon’s army hemming us in, we set out too. I verily believe that everyone in Nonin-gal-dith turned out to gawk as we passed. 

There was audible grumbling in a couple instances, but no overt actions were launched against us. 

All was calm once we were out in the fields. And continued thus for the remainder of the day until we reached a place in the open where an advance contingent from our guard had prepared a camp for us. 

Here we will pass the night. Our prisoners are quiet – subdued actually. 

I will be glad to reach the capital tomorrow. 

The Fairy Diary Day 662 #TFDbyRWOz2

Meribabell writes:

We are finally down from Gilgorgon’s mountain. We were held up unexpectedly by a breakdown of one of wagon’s wheels. It was necessary to remove the bell while it was worked on. Noralei with the help of Rugis and Strukul repaired it in a very short time. 

I have noted a change in demeanor in the pair. So perhaps Merlin is right that they are no longer a threat. At the same time it makes me wonder if their recent demeanor was their own or the result of influence from her former majesty – who now, I believe, has given up hope along those lines. 

I admit I am still wary. And will be, until we leave them behind at the next border. 

Merlin entered the Caretaker’s cage to check on his complaints about injuries he sustained in the bumpy ride down the mountain. According to the wizard it was all a ruse in order to speak to him out of earshot of her former majesty. The renegade fairy is fearful for his future as we grow increasingly closer to the Faerie Kingdom. Merlin told him that he is not the one to speak to on such matters, and that he must wait until he can speak to Tinadell or those in his government. 

How I long for this trip to be over.