Chapter 13. The Strangest Thing of All.
As quickly as they had jumped in they were being pushed through hard, as if by a rock or weight of heavy metal from the other side of this extraordinary space portal.
Almost immediately they found themselves shuddering violently with cosmic energy and were staggered to find themselves falling through into the cave of the Great Cleft. Bashed by their hard landing and thumping onto the rough ground of the cave, some of them staggered to their feet, others just lay where they had landed completely disorientated, as if they had been pummelled in the head and their senses were out of alignment.
Gradually, as they helped each out of the cave they saw their stunned and relived friends waiting outside. At once they felt more normal, if they could ever use that word again! For in front of them were Diana, Celeste, Eve and Benedict. Everyone was shouting, or trying to. It appeared that only one day and night had passed in Londonatis but several sunrises had taken place in Greiglands. This was inexplicable to them all, but then with enormous cosmic magic comes enormous cosmic mystery.
As restorative drinks were given and embraces were forcefully shared and as a little calm was restored, the gathering friends saw Scylla in all her human beauty. They quietened and smiled gently towards her, clearly she was shocked and bemused by events. This dear creature who had known nothing but the Serpentine and The Magic Glade for the full eighteen years of her life. She started to wobble on her feet and was immediately supported by her mother and father. Everyone seated themselves on the grass outside the cave and tried to quietly allow Scylla time to look upon them all and digest what she saw.
It was true that Scylla had been shocked by all the bizarre things that had happened and there was one more occurrence that alarmed them all. At the very last moment before the gateway closed, a flash of red and a crazy, wild scream came from the cave. Honeybee, Raven Warrior burst through. Dead she was not. Alive she was.
Honeybee lurched and fell, there was more embracing, more questions many tears and smiles. Benedict stood back a little, there was so much commotion, he wanted to just look at her, he wanted to make sure his eyes did not deceive him. How, by Greta, had it all come right, how, by all that was sacred, had Honeybee survived this quest, Lilliana fell to her knees with gratitude. Genia gasped loudly. They barely believed her tale and yet there were Diana and Celeste to confirm that they had, indeed made the strongest rope in the universe in their bewitched misery at the hands of The Yellow Maiden. Now it all seemed worth it.
Princess Eve of Orion and Benedict had been fully occupied until this day, watching the stars and the portal with immense concentration. Hour by hour, minute by minute they had stared into the abyss hardly daring to hope that anyone at all would come back through, let alone Genia with a beautiful daughter in her image. Benedict had been lost and frustrated without Demetri and Honeybee. They had been in each other’s company for years, they had always shared their dramatic adventures. It was terrible for him to wait, so passive, so inactive and powerless. This waiting had been intolerable for him. To divert him from his worries Eve had spent happy hours teaching Benedict about the stars and constellations. They had grown quite used to sitting up through long nights waiting for events to unfold.
The group quietened and became aware that Benedict was standing slightly aside, he was dumbfounded to see Honeybee. Time slowed down and Honeybee’s eyes were fixed on Benedict’s and his on hers. He was relieved, shocked and delighted to see his playful love, and even more thrilled that she was not only alive but fighting fit. Slowly they came face to face, Benedict leant forwards as she cupped her elegant hand against his soft cheek and whispered this in his ear,
“ I’m pregnant Benedict!”
She smoothed her hand across his warm chest and smiled her broadest smile.
“Up you fly, you wild and wonderful Raven.”
He swooped her up and spun her around as she laughed and laughed, her red hair flew around tying them together. They couldn’t stop kissing and laughing.
It took a few days of resting and reviving at their small camp in The Cleft before everyone felt fit to ride towards The Western Farmlands where Genia could be reunited with her mother and father. As soon as they reached the nearest town they sent messengers ahead to prepare the Kings and Queens for the astonishing arrival. It would surely delight King Alchemela and Queen Papava that their son, Demetri, had travelled to an incomprehensibly distant universe and returned safely. What a quest! What an achievement, that such a young man as he had not only fought a long war, been deprived of his love, travelled beyond the stars and succeeded in rescuing her and their precious daughter.
Scylla gained some confidence after the first few days. She had become a little less shy. The others were so kind to her because they could see on her face that she’d been through strange and bewitching times. Greta-Rosetta alone knew what must have been going on in her heart after all the strife she had been through. She and Honeybee knew that Scylla would need to spend a long, long time talking to Lady Sage and the Queens to heal her properly. As well as this they knew that if Scylla met other young people, started to make friends and have some fun, then she would become much happier. Scylla was an educated woman, Genia and Jack had seen to that, but she had lacked the freedom and normality that the other young folk had known. The others had walked in the beautiful realms of Greiglands when all Scylla has known was The Serpentine and The Glade. Those places seemed like, and were, another world to her now. In her heart all that felt like dripping, miserable darkness while this new place felt like fresh air and clean sheets. Her senses were overwhelmed with new experiences and so far she liked them all.
King Sorre’s Princely sons, Alexander and Gregory were about Scylla’s age. They had joined the travellers on the road. Their youth and good humour lightened Scylla’s heart a little. Sometimes when she was talking, especially when the others were replying to her questions, she would glaze over and begin to yawn, she didn’t know where the conversation was going, or what her part in it was, so she would make half concealed yawns. When everyone got to know her a little better they would look for this signal and stop tiring her out with their chatting. After everything that had happened Scylla was often very, very tired.
For the first time in her life she was making friends with more people than she had ever met. They were finally reaching The Farmlands and she was fit and well. Riding through the beautiful Greiglands she had been more excited every day to see what wonderful green colours were painted on these fields and woods. She had to learn how all of nature’s creatures looked and behaved; to see storks high up in tall tress on their scraggy nests, to hear cows in the fields and sheep baa was as new to her as if she were a tiny child. She delighted in everything. For the first time she saw barley swaying across a rolling field. At night the friends all played sweet music and some sang, this was more beautiful than any of the sounds he had ever heard around the lake. Most of all she loved the fresh, tinkling streams and rivers, which called to her because she was a Water Maiden. She and Celeste delighted in bathing and laughed so much with the young princes as they all frolicked around in the water.
Demetri held Genia tightly in his arms beside the river one day as they watched their daughter swim with Celeste.
“We are grown older now my beloved. War and strife have changed us both. Do you remember I once said that one day you may feel differently towards me? The day when I told you that you were my love,” he said, smoothing the side of her velvet covered arm.
“Of course I do. I remember every word you said and I remember every move you made. You are part of me,” she replied with moist eyes. Genia looked openly into his wise brown eyes.
“ I did not imagine that any of these things would have been in our stars, did you?” said Demetri softly. “We have both seen dreadful and terrifying things and experienced shocking transformations in our life time. My hope is that we are wiser and more compassionate for it. We must give our lovely girl everything we can, and everything we know. We must protect her with love and give her freedom by experience. You have been the most wonderful of all mothers in the terrible pain of exile and powerlessness. I have Jack and Kalo to thank too. I am doubly blessed that you have returned to me with a daughter who I never knew existed. But let’s rejoice, for sitting here on the bank I feel that my heart remembers how to feel happiness in the sun, by the clear water of our familiar world, with you, and it is you who have always made me the happiest of all men, Genia.”
“Demetri, I have cried and I have felt pain. I have been broken hearted to see my child in distress and confusion when she was in the power of The Midnight Lady. My heart broke again when I believed Honeybee to be dead. But I have always believed in one thing, which is that you love me. You loved me from that day to this and for that I am the happiest woman in the world. Good has come of this, we have grown and I believe we shall be noble rulers when our time comes, for we have seen pain and joy and have come out the better not the worse for it. Look at our dear child, to see her swim I might have wondered if she still had a tail!”
Scylla was floating on her back as the clouds mesmerized her. She called out,
“How far beyond this light blue cover is our old world mother? For all that you have taught me about the cosmos I cannot drink in the distance between here and our home. My mind struggles to understand it.”
“Well, Scylla,” said Genia as she leant forward to reply.
“ It is too great a distance for me to imagine either, we were out of this universe completely, it is beyond our grasp to picture where we were. I suppose we must just be grateful that the sorcery that was created to send us there was strong enough to bring us back. I shall remind you of this though, that it is here in Greiglands that we are home. You are a Princess of The Western Farmlands, and I am the future queen. You are amongst people who love you, and home is here where you are rich in love. The whole court and all of the Kings’ people have been loyally wishing and desiring to see my return for eighteen years and they will be overjoyed to meet you. Your father and I shall try and protect you from too much noise and chaos, but the excitement of the people will be momentous indeed, you will not have experienced anything like it before.
After steady riding it was not long before all were reunited; mother’s daughters, lovers, fighters and warriors all.
Whilst they were amidst the throng of returning heroes and feast after feast and night after night of storytelling were public affairs, Honeybee and Benedict couldn’t wait for quiet moments together to share their precious joy and hopes for their child. Honeybee, Raven Warrior was the protector of all children and to be a mother herself swelled her heart with the greatest instincts she had ever known. As surely as the moon rose every night she was to be found with her head resting on Benedict’s shoulder gazing up at the stars asking the deities to bless them with a lifetime of health and glorious quests. They had no intention of settling down too much!
It cannot be said too often how happy Queen Rosemary and King Mallus were to see Genia. They struggled to let her out of their sight at the castle. They kept staring at her lovely face as if they the Queen had only just given birth to her. Looking at Scylla was like a miracle to them, they had no idea that Genia had worked so hard to raise her in such difficult conditions and they were forever grateful to Jack and Kalo.
Jack was rather embarrassed and thrilled to be so revered and respected when he returned to court. Trumpets sounded as he walked straight up through the great hall in his finery, it was very different from striding around the Glade in his leather apron. He was shy when he was introduced to Madame Venus of the Water, and even more shy when she officially asked him to visit her court after the celebrations were over. The Glade seemed like a surreal memory to them all, however if time had not been passed there at all then the history of Grieglands would have been quite different today .
Queen Rosemary and King Mallus saw both daughter and granddaughter with many tears of joy. King Alchemela and Queen Papava also met their granddaughter, Scylla, for the first time.
As Scylla had ridden up the grand road flanked by Demetri and Genia towards King Mallus’ castle people had gathered along the road side cheering, all smiles and elated that after the dreadful war their one hope had been to see Genia returned safely to them. Scylla passed the shining eyes of Queen Fysi’s statue and could hardly believe that this was to be her home. She was at once so overjoyed and wildly stimulated that she was too happy to be frightened.
Needless to say, the greatest feasting and weddings that Greiglands had ever known were to follow. Of course it was now a double wedding, for the grand and experienced princesses who had been out of this world and back. As the crowds gathered, the words were spoken, friends cried and sighed. The parents wept dignified tears as music and bells rang out. Genia and Honeybee were glowing with love and kissed their new husbands most heartily at the head of the beautiful great hall. Scylla was delighted and rather shyly let Prince Alexander put his arm around her waist and grin down at her in a way that she did not quite understand.
This was not an end but a mighty beginning.
THE END.
