Chapter 59

(A/N: Normally my chapters are five sim days/one season long, but I will be deviating from that during the next few chapters. If you adore fairy tales as much as I, you may notice a familiar set in this chapter.)

Day 269 - First Day of Spring

My calendar said it was spring, but the weather outside indicated otherwise.

I was worried that Colby would be too consumed with his baby dragons to pay any attention to Rory. I was determined to make up for it by lavishing extra attention on him.

But my fears were unfounded. Colby was just as excited to hold his fourth child as he had been with his first.

After Rory had been fed, I dressed warmly and told Colby that I was going stir crazy air after being cooped up in the house with the kids this past winter. I wanted to head into town alone for the morning while he watched the kids. To my relief he readily agreed.

But I had lied to my husband, as I had a destination in mind and I went directly there.

"Ah, Princess Zipharynia, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

I replied  a tad sarcastically, "I thought you knew everything, Mr. Tricavi. Don't you know why I'm here?"

Mr. Tricavi was nonplussed, "Indulge me, Princess."

"Is my husband under the spell of the dragons?"

"Yes."

I was stopped short by his brevity and honesty. But after a moment I recovered, "How can I break the spell?"

"You can't."

"Is there any way for the spell to be broken?"

Mr. Tricavi thoughtfully replied, "There are two ways for his connection to the dragons to be terminated. One, he passes to the Low World. Or two, he dies."

His reply sent a shiver down my spine, "All I have to do is wait until he passes to the Low World and I'll have my husband back again?"

"It's not that easy, Princess."

I grew frustrated at his short replies and remote attitude. "Could you explain it to me," I snapped angrily.

"Princess, the gate keeper is also the Lord of the Dragons. The bond between your husband and the dragons will be seen as a threat. He will kill your husband at the gate."

"No! Then we will not approach the gate! We will stay in Dragon Valley!"

"That won't help, Princess, the Dragon Lord will confront and kill your husband as his bond with the dragons grow stronger."

My voice was thick with tears as I whispered, "You are telling me that my husband will die, no matter what our choices are from here on out?"

"There is something you can do to save your husband's life, if you are willing to pay the price."

"What? I'll do anything!"

Mr. Tricavi raised his eyebrow, "Anything?"

My temper overtook my fear, "I won't sleep with you or bear your child if that is what you are hinting at."

"You say that now, but I wonder if you'll change your mind down the road," Mr. Tricavi mused. "But that is not what I was going to suggest, Princess. I happen to know that the Lord of the Dragons has had a prized possession stolen. By returning this possession to him, you could persuade him to spare your husband's life."

"And if I don't tackle this task?"

"Then you will be a widow before summer arrives."

"How am I supposed to find this stolen item?"

"I can tell you exactly where to locate it."

"Then why don't you go get it."

"First, I don't need to bargain with the Dragon Lord. Second, the item is behind an enchanted gate. Only royal blood may pass through the gate. I am not royal, you are."

"So I just walk through the gate and grab it?"

Mr. Tricavi stared at me as if I was a dimwitted child. He sighed wearily, "No, you need to go through the enchanted gate and make your way into the basement ballroom obtaining the heart-shaped stone key. Next you must climb to the highest tower of the castle and place the key into the matching lock. After that, you should locate the throne room and open the chest within that room. Inside will be the item you seek. Take it home with you and keep it safe. When the Ataegina full moon arrives take it with you to the Cardea Gateway."

"And that's it?"

"That is it."

"How can I trust that you are telling me the truth?"

"Upstairs in my shop is the History of Dragon Valley. Go read for yourself,"

He might find it insulting that I would not take him at his word, but I went upstairs to see for myself.

I scanned through, reading relevant pieces of the book. Mr. Tricavi had been telling the truth. The gatekeeper of Cardea Gateway and the Lord of the Dragons was one and the same. The Dragon Lord had something of priceless value stolen from him by a great wizard many generations ago. It was hidden in the now deceased wizard's castle. The info Mr. Tricavi shared as to obtaining it was not in the History of Dragon Valley; I would have to take that information in faith.

Before I shut the book and went home, I discovered something that startled me.

I arrived home to find Sean playing fetch with Flynn, the twins playing inside and my husband doting on his dragons.

I went inside to check on and feed Rory. He had been sleeping and his diaper was dry so Colby had not been neglecting him.

Once I had Rory tucked back into his cradle, I examined the mirror in my bedroom closely.

It looked identical to the mirror in the History of Dragon Valley. This was the enchanted Mirror of Truth or Falsehood. I could summon the mirror and present it with three statements. The mirror would respond to each statement with "Truth" or "Falsehood". So I summoned it, "Oh, Mirror Divine, I beckon thee for discernment of my three queries."

"Ask me what thy will."

"I can trust Mr. Tricavi."

"Falsehood."

"Presenting the Dragon Lord with his stolen possession will save my husband's life."

"Truth."

"The old woman's prediction is true and I am the Paradox of Tears.

"Truth"

After that exchange the entity in the mirror faded away and I was faced with my own reflection again. Far from guiding me, I felt just as confused as ever. But I didn't have much time to dwell on it as I went to call my family inside for a birthday celebration. I was delighted to see the snow was gone and it was beginning to feel like spring now.

Sean grew to a handsome young man with the new trait: Social Butterfly.

After Sean's birthday celebration, the boys settled down to a competitive game of chess while Shannon provided commentary much to their annoyance.

Colby took me by surprise by choosing not to head to his dragons after dinner. Instead we slow danced in front of the fire.

As we danced, I remembered this man I fell in love with and married. I didn't know what to think about everything I learned from the mirror, but I knew that I would go searching for the stolen object in order to save my husband's life.

Day 270

The day dawned overcast and rainy, it was not a day for quests of any nature. We celebrated Rory's birthday before his siblings left for school.

My little man had my bright hair color and his papa's eye color.

Thankfully the rain took a break as the kids headed to school. They were all excited about their new grade levels and meeting new friends.

I decided my day would be best spent tackling toddler training.

Colby did not show up for dinner when I called the kids that evening.

When I went to the cellar I was stunned to discover Colby was not there, nor were any of the baby dragons! I ran through the barn and into the yard, ready to walk to the tavern and search all over town if necessary. While in the front yard, I caught sight of light and movement in the greenhouse. I walked inside and was stunned to discover all of my pots and plants had been stripped away and my greenhouse had been turned into a dragon daycare of sorts.

Without thinking I reacted angrily.

I felt like my space had been violated. Colby reacted coldly, harshly reminding me that we would not be staying here much longer and that I didn't need to be worrying about growing plants right now. I gritted my teeth at his disregard for my feelings, having to remind myself that this was a man under a spell.

I stormed back to the house to discover Sean helpfully putting Rory to bed. So I sulked and ate my now cold dinner alone while the kids did their homework.

I spent the remainder of my evening playing the piano while I mulled over all of the events occurring since we arrived in Dragon Valley.

Day 271

I woke up determined to tackle my quest to find the Dragon Lord's stolen possession. I dressed early before Rory awakened, eager to head out as soon as possible.

I told Colby that I needed to go into town to shop for our return to the Low World. We had no idea how long it would take to find family and friends. We needed to be prepared to be self-sufficient for a while. I was lying to my husband again. I rationalized that my husband was under a spell and that I did intend to stop by the store, so I wasn't exactly lying, was I? Colby readily agreed to take care of Rory, deciding he would teach Rory how to talk.

I took the LLAMA to a pub on the edge of town, that would be as close as I could get to my destination. I would be walking the rest of the way.

I'm not sure what I expected, but just opening the door and walking in felt like cheating. Or as if I were being tricked. It was too easy.

I immediately had to make a choice to walk left or right. There were no signs or clear indications. I stopped, closed my eyes for a moment and then felt the compulsion to turn left.

I walked down the desolate walled corridor until I thought I detected the faint outline of a door. I pushed on it and it gave way opening up to a brick wall maze.

The brick wall wasn't that tall. I could see over the top. But somehow I kept running into dead ends. Either there were illusions or the brick walls were moving. The latter seemed ridiculous, but I suspected anything was possible.

I finally found myself out of the maze and faced with two identical doors. There were two blank signs by the doors, identical save the color. After a few moments of contemplation I made my choice.

Through the door, I found a staircase leading down.

I found myself in a small dark room faced with choosing between doors again.

And then again in a light filled room.

The latest door opened up to a subterranean corridor with haze drifting about and giant heads thrust up from the ground.

Through a set of glass doors on the left I spotted the heart-shaped stone key in the very hazy ballroom.

I walked into the room and through the cloyingly sweet haze to grab the key.

At once I was suddenly overcome by the haze and found myself slipping into blackness.

I don't know how long I lay there in a surreal state, but I swear I heard sounds of a grand party in the ballroom, then I sensed someone was standing very close to me. I managed to shake myself awake enough to bolt for the door.

I raced past the giant heads, down the underground hallway and stumbled up stairs to the outside.

I had surfaced into a swampy area. I navigated my way through trying to avoid stepping in any water.

Upon exiting the swamp, I transitioned to a nasty junkyard. That hardly seemed to be an improvement, but then I spotted a door and hoped it was a way out.

When I walked through the door, I cried out in shock.

I was standing in my bedroom, my childhood bedroom back on Xicanopia.

No! This could not be real! But there I stood surrounded by my furniture and toys.

"This isn't real. This can't be real," I murmured to myself. As I walked around the room, afraid to touch anything as my eyes went to my mirror. I walked up, looked into the mirror and then audibly gasped as tears began to fill my eyes.

Staring back at me was ME getting ready for my seventeenth birthday party!

I whirled away and raced back through and out of the room with tears streaming down my face.

I ran haphazardly through the heaps of junk, not stopping until I was clear of them all.

I discovered a bench in a small, pleasant clearing and I sat on the bench with my knees pulled to my chest sobbing.

I don't know how long I sat there, but I became aware of the lengthening shadows marking the passing of the day. My tears wiped away and my heart torn. I knew that I needed to go forward and complete my quest, but I longed to go back to that room. Part of me was frightened of what I'd find if I did. Perhaps it had all been an illusion and I wasn't sure I could handle going back and not seeing what I saw previously. And if it was all still there, I'd want to stay and not leave.

So again I faced the choice between two doors.

And faced yet another maze, this one made of hedges.

Then suddenly the castle I was seeking loomed above me and I began to climb.

I approached the front door and climbed stairs after stairs.

There was the lock as Mr. Tricavi told me. I placed the key into the lock.

Now two out of three steps had been accomplished. I returned down the stairs searching as I went and found the throne room at last. The unlocked chest opened easily.

There was only one item inside, it was a small red and gold chest. It was sealed shut without any keyholes or way of opening it. I would simply have to trust that this was the prize I had sought.

I walked out of the castle relieved and even more so when the way out was obvious. I breathed a sigh of relief to find myself outside of the castle grounds. It was now dark. My quest had taken me far longer than anticipated. I worried about Colby's reaction when I returned home as I walked to the nearest LLAMA.

I stopped by the market on the way home, making my purchases. Colby was shut in the greenhouse with his dragons when I arrived home and I chose not to disturb him.

The twins were attending their homework surrounded by dirty dishes and Sean was bathing Rory.

Sean let me know his dad had taught Rory to talk before Sean arrived home from school. Sean had been watching Rory since he arrived home while his dad went to the greenhouse. I suppose I shouldn't complain as I had been gone far longer than anticipated. I ate my dinner alone as was now my new norm. Then I climbed the stairs to lie in the bed alone and drifted off to sleep, fitful from the day's adventures.