The Summer Vacation
Chapter 15
Written by rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

King Tierion wakes up in the morning just before sunrise. He sees that Shiranna is just stirring to wake up.

“Good morning, my love.”

“Good morning to you too, my love.”

“It's time to get dressed for the day.”

“All right.”

They give each other a lingering kiss.

“Hmm . . . that's nice. That will keep me warm all day.”

“I hope so, Tierion. You always keep me warm.”

King Tierion looks at Shiranna and smiles. She smiles back.

King Tierion gets up and out of bed. He walks to the dressing room. He sees the two servants there already getting the clothes laid out for the day. They see the King.

“Good morning, King Tierion.” They both say it at the same time.

“Good morning, Tamra and Brandt.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“We did.”

Then the Queen walks into the dressing room as well.

“Good morning, Queen Shiranna.”

“Good morning, Tamra and Brandt.”

“Did you sleep well, also?”

“I did for the most part. Some dreams crept in about Richard and our Kingdom here.”

“Was there a good ending to the dreams my Lady?”

“They were, Tamra.” She smiles as she remembers the dreams.

“Then those were good dreams.”

“Well, let's get ready, Brandt. We have a busy morning. We're expecting the five western kingdoms to be here after the morning repast.”

“Yes, my Lord. Will these clothes do for their reception?”

“Yes, that is a good choice, Tamra and Brandt.”

The Queen walks behind a long folded decorated partition with Tamra. The partition practically divides the room in half.

Behind the partition is furniture for the Queen to sit down and begins to change her clothes. There is also a mirror and a table to get her face ready with some light make-up. Once undressed, Tamra helps her to get herself clean and smelling beautiful for the day.

Brandt does the same thing with King Tierion. Once he is undressed, King Tierion does a quick scrub with the cloth, water and soap all over his body.

“We'll do a proper bath tonight, Brandt.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

As soon as both are clean, they begin to get dressed. Once Tamra and Brandt are
satisfied on their appearances, they step out to see the results in the mirrors.

“So, how do we look my love?”

“Beautiful as ever. Your voice matches your beauty.”

“With flattery like that, I know someone who will enjoy the evening sunset.”

“By all means, we'll save the dance until then my love.”

They both smile at each other and give each other a deep hug.

Tamra and Brandt smile as well to see that these two love birds are still in love.

In case you’re wondering readers, Twainor's love birds are different from the ones on Earth.

Queen Shiranna puts her arm around King Tierion's arm. Brandt goes to the double doors and open them to the sitting room. Tamra follows them. Brandt then opens another pair of double wooden doors to the main hallway on the third floor. The knight on guard there snaps to attention as they pass by. Then he goes to a relaxed stance.

The King and Queen continue walking down the hallway and descend the stairs to the first floor.

Brandt closes the double doors. Tamra and Brandt begin to clean up the royal suite for the day.

~~~000~~~

The King and Queen walk down the hallway to the main dining room. They open the doors and see the staff has the table fully set. They see Renard, Braden, Trianna and Ma-ani there already.

“Good morning, my King and Queen.”

“Good morning, Renard, Braden, Trianna and Ma-ani.”

“Our dwarf ambassadors should be here very soon.”

“Good, Braden. We know you have a busy day to fly around the kingdom.”

“That we do. Sorceress Ma-ani will be assisting us so that we can cover the Kingdom twice as fast.”

“That's good.”

Then the doors open. The dwarf ambassadors come into the dining room.

“Good morning, my dwarf ambassadors.”

“Good morning, King Tierion and Queen Shiranna.” All four respond at the same time.

“Come let's sit and enjoy the morning repast together.”

The dwarf ambassadors take off their traveling satchels and put them on the tables near the doors with the other two.

Everybody takes their seat around the table. The dwarves have a special step-chair so that they can eat at table level with the others. They climb and take their seats. Some servants come in and help push them in closer to the table.

Sir Tierion looks at Renard and nods his head once he sees that everyone is ready. “You may begin, Renard.”

“Yes, my Lord. Maker, we thank you this morning for what happened last night. We thank that Twainor's secrets are still safe. We thank you for this food you have given us. May it give us the strength as we prepare another day to defend your creation. Thank you Maker.”

Everyone responds, “Thank you, Maker.”

The servers come out and deliver the first dish. It is a light salad. It contains a vegetable, mushrooms from the under kingdom that are sauteed with nuts and a slice of fruit. The conversations begin at the table.

“So how are you dividing up the Kingdom, Telgon?”

“Dolina and I will do the northern half while Durlond and Thalsia will do the southern half.”

“That seems reasonable. The only problem right now is how many air fighters they will they send to each kingdom. For that size of a star ship, I'm guessing the two hundred air fighters at first, then the one hundred if Mal-tor is right.”

“I see, they would not be able to attack all of the kingdoms effectively. That would mean, they could focus on the major ports, towns and castles.”

“That's my thought as well, Durlond.”

“We'll have to rely on the sensitivity of the dragons when these air fighters enter our skies. They will know where they are because of our Ethereal Space.”

King Tierion sees that everyone is done with the first plate. He nods his head to the servant to bring out the main dish.

She sees it and turns around and enters the kitchen. Then additional servers come out and pick up the empty plates and return to the kitchen. They come out with the main dish and place it in front of the King, the Queen and the guests.

They see it is a fish dish that is grilled with some grilled fruit slices and a certain spice to go with it. There are also two different vegetable servings as well on the plate.

Everybody enjoys the dish that Master Chef has served up. The attendees come out and refill their drinking cups for the main dish.

“King Tierion, this dish is delicious. Never would I have thought of adding fruit to a fish dish. This is great. Did Beharn come up with this idea?”

“Not at first, Thalsia, Richard suggested smoking some wood chips from a fruit tree when he was here last year.”

Everybody laughs as they remember Richard from last year and what he did for Twainor.

“That's great. So, I take it Chef Beharn has been experimenting on different combinations and cooking styles?”

“Yes he has, Telgon. If all goes well, he will present some new ones at the midsummer festival here.”

“I look forward to tasting the treats. Our chefs in the under kingdom have been trying it as well. Some work, some do not.”

“That's the whole point of experimenting, my friends. That way it is definitely not boring and tasteless as Richard said once.”

Everybody laughs on recalling the comment that Richard made about cooking.

“So, how is Richard doing, King Tierion?”

“Richard is doing fine. Before he left for Correlle Kingdom, he gave Sir Trenton, the commanders and staff a starting point to train. He provided ideas on the possible weapons that will be on the star ship. He's with the Legion today here in Thryson. Tomorrow he will be at Beserte port in Angathorn Kingdom.”

“I've heard about that already. Our brigades that are assigned to the kingdoms have reported back on the progress. Our military leaders are impressed on what is being taught.”

“It's too bad we won't be able to create light weapons of our own. At least our magic and the Ethereal Space can make up for it.”

“That's true, Durlond, and our ingenuity in problem solving.”

They look at the plates and see they are done eating. King Tierion looks at an attendee nearby and nods his head up and down. He leaves the dining room and enters the kitchen.

The servers come out and remove the main dish plates. Then they come out with bowls of fruit for each of them. They see the fruits cut up largely with most of the seeds removed. They see a spice sprinkled on top.

Everyone enjoys the challenge of trying to remove the fruit from the rinds. The juices collected in the bowl create a nice finish that is mixed with the spice as well.

“This fruit dish is a joy to the taste buds. It will definitely linger all day while we travel King Tierion.”

“I think that's the point, Dolina. It will definitely help you remember what you need to do.”

“It might cause me to come back here and order some more.” She smiles.

They all laugh as they enjoy the fruit bowl. They have to use the napkins to clean their chins and mouths occasionally. Once they are done, they lean back and savor the flavors still lingering on their tongues and lips.

King Tierion looks to an attendee. “Please have Master Chef Beharn and the kitchen staff please come out here.”

“Yes, my Lord.” She bows quickly and returns to the kitchen.

A little bit later, the kitchen staff comes out with Master Chef Beharn. They all line up and face the table.

“Thank you, Master Chef Beharn, for this wonderful dish. We've been commenting on it while we've been enjoying it. It definitely satisfied the taste buds. It seems they want more.”

Everyone begins to clap and cheer. The kitchen staff smiles.

Master Chef Beharn steps forward and bows.

“Thank you, King Tierion and honored guests. Well, if you want more, then you will need to come back or wait for the midsummer festival.”

“Well at least we know what to smell for at the midsummer festival.” She smiles.

“That might be true, Dolina. But my dishes might be getting some stiff competition from the others out there this year.”

“At least yours are unique and tested.”

“Thank you, my King.”

They all clap and cheer again.

The kitchen all bows again and rise up. They turn and walk into the kitchen.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna stands up. Everyone else stands up as well. Some attendees come and help the dwarves with their chairs and pull them away from the table.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They get down from the chairs.

“You're welcome to be with us ambassadors.”

“We've thought about it last night, King Tierion.”

“We'll greet them when they arrive. Then we'll be off before you go inside.”

“I appreciate that very much. Thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

The dwarves pick up their traveling satchels on and put them on their shoulders.

Braden and Ma-ani put their traveling satchels on their shoulders as well.

They all walk out of the dining room. They enter the foyer area and wait for the arrival of the five kingdoms.

We continue walking in the foyer area waiting for the kingdoms to show up. We look out the windows from time to time.

Then they start to show up in the court yard one group at a time. There are a King, a Queen, a wizard, a sorceress and two knights in each group.

Soon they see them all there. They talk among themselves waiting for their hosts to show up. They see the scout ship in the court yard.

“Sir Drexton, it is time. Is the throne room all set?”

“Yes, my Lord. All of the tables and chairs are set.”

“Well, let's go out there and ask them in.”

Four knights get together with Sir Drexton. They form the leading party. The knights open the double doors. Sir Drexton, walks out with two knights. Then King Tierion, Queen Shiranna and the others in the foyer walk out with them.

The guests see them come out from the castle. The knights lead the entourage out. Then they split in four directions. Sir Drexton walks up to greet them.

“Welcome to Thryson Kingdom, honored guests. Everything is set in the throne room for your meeting.” He then steps aside.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna walks to the other Kings and Queens.

“Greetings, my friends. Welcome. Before we go inside, I would like to introduce our dwarf ambassadors. This is Telgon, Dolina, Durlond and Thalsia. They're about to take off and spread word to our kingdom of the refuge centers in their under kingdom.”

“Greetings, dwarf ambassadors,” King Gregor steps forward. “It's an honor to meet you.”

“Greetings King Gregor. Thank you very much. Has King Bnar's Under Kingdom opened their doors yet?”

“They have, ambassadors. We're making arrangements as we speak.”

“That's good. Hopefully, the dragons will take down these air fighters quickly.”

“We hope so too. But that star ship is another problem. Hopefully, Twainor's forces will be victorious on the star ship and bring justice to the enemy.”

“That's what we all hope.”

“Well, we must be going, royalty. We have a long day or two ahead of us.”

“Then let us not keep you waiting.”

Then, Braden and Ma-ani steps forward. Telgon and Dolina put hand to shoulder to Wizard Braden. Durlond and Thalsia put hand to shoulder to Sorceress Ma-ani. They recite the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

“Well as you can see my friends. The scout ship appeared here last night.”

“Yes, we see that. When will it be taken to the cave?”

“It is going to happen right now. Wizard Renard, please contact the wizards who are transporting the scout ship to the cave.”

“Yes, my Lord.” Renard takes out his contact crystal. He places his right hand above it and concentrates. It glows yellow. Soon an image of a wizard appears there.

“Greetings Renard. Good morning.”

“Greetings Wizard Gryphon. Good morning. It's time to deliver the scout ship to the cave.”

“We'll be right there in a moment.”

“Very good, see you soon.”

The image disappears. Then six wizards appear in a blink of an eye in the court yard.

“Are you ready to deliver the scout ship wizards?”

“We are, my Lord. The dragons are waiting for us to arrive. They're circling above it right now.”

“Then let's not keep them waiting.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The six wizards walk around the scout ship. It's three on one side and three on the other side. They put both their hands on the hull and grab a part of the scout ship.

“On the count of three fellow wizards.”

“Yes Wizard Gryphon.” They all respond together.

Wizard Gryphon counts out loud, “one, two, three. Now!”

The six wizards recite the transport spell together. Then they and the scout ship disappear in a flash of light.

“Well that is done. Let us go inside now and have our meeting.”

~~~000~~~

The wizards fly north then westward to the Thryson Mountains. They see four dragons circling near the fourth mountain peek. The dragons sense them coming near.

They fly lower to the cave. One of them shoots some flames toward the cave entrance. The wizards see the cave opening.

The wizards see there is enough room to put the scout ship inside and for them to get out. The wizards guide the scout ship in carefully and land on the cave floor. They maneuver the scout ship as far back as possible.

They end the transport spell and they appear in a flash of light. They work their way carefully by side stepping to the cave entrance and gather there.

“We'll leave now, dragons of the Rainbow Falls. Thank you for the assist in finding this cave.”

“You're welcome, wizards. From the way it looks in there, we can seal the cave so it can't be seen.”

“Yes, it does.”

“To find it again, we'll have some of the boulders blackened after it is sealed.”

“That's a good idea, Croin. See you all later, dragons of the Rainbow Falls.”

“See you later, wizards.”

The wizards recite the transport spell separately and disappear in a blink of an eye. They hover nearby and see the dragons seal the cave.

The three large dragons take several large boulders from above the cave and drop them on the slope above the cave. It dislodges the loose boulders up there. Then a fair amount of boulders come tumbling down and cover the cave entrance.

They do it one more time to make sure. Once they are satisfied, Croin flies close to the entrance. He shoots some flames at some boulders. He sees that he has scorched about four or five large boulders.

They see everything is all right. Then they take off and fly southward to the Rainbow Falls. The wizards then turn around and return to Thryson Castle.

~~~000~~~

Avel is nibbling some grass in a glade as he eats his morning meal. He looks around and sees his fairies busy with their duties. Some fly around to make sure the honey insects are going from flower to flower to pollinate them. Others are busy watching the wild animals and see where they go as they graze.

Then Avel sees one of his fairies sitting on a boulder. She is not interested in helping with the other fairies. Avel walks over to her. She sees him coming near.

Using the name Richard gave her, “What's wrong, Amber? You look heart-torn.”

“I am heart-torn Avel. I'm torn between you and Richard.”

“Ah . . . you're starting to feel a connection growing with Richard.”

“Yes Avel. I don't know what to do about it. I know Richard will leave and go back to Earth one of these days.”

“That's right Amber. Are you feeling that you want to go back with him?”

She looks up quickly at Avel and sees his big eye looking right through her.

“Yes, I want to go back with him.” She looks back down.

“Are you afraid that you'll be alone?”

“That's part of it. The other is I don't know how long Richard will live. He might join the Maker before I join the Maker. When I'm with you, I know I will live longer.”

“I see. Also, there is the hope of finding fairies there hidden in the deep forest where he has the family cabin.”

“That's a big hope, Avel. It would be great to make that re-connection to our kin.”

“Yes it would be. So, let's focus on the here and now, Amber. Richard has to get ready to meet our ancient enemy. He needs a clear mind to do that.”

“Yes, Avel.”

“Now I need you to have a clear mind while you're still here.”

She looks again at Avel. She sees him smile. She smiles back. “All right Avel, no more sad face. I need to keep that giggling flow of laughter to brighten the day for all.”

“That's right, Amber. We still have things to do in the forest when these air fighters arrive.”

“Yes Avel. I'll check the latest movements of the herds nearby.”

“You better take your soul mate with you. I don't want you alone either.”

“Yes Avel. I'll go find him.”

Amber takes off flying looking for her fairy soul mate. She finds him hovering near a group of flowers. He's making sure the flowers are being pollinated by the honey insects. Once that is done, he'll look for Amber.

Amber flies near him. She sees his beautiful deep blue eyes sparkling in the sun.
“Ah, there you are, my love.”

He sees her flying to him, “These honey insects are almost done. Are you ready to check out the local wild herds?”

“I am. I had a talk with Avel.”

“Do you feel better that you have done it?”

“I do. I just need to focus on what we can do here and now. I'll just have to trust the Maker that Richard will be taken care of and returns safe to us.”

“That's right. I too feel a pull to Richard as well. His soul still needs some healing. Perhaps in time before he goes back, some of that will be done by the Maker.”

“Then let us hope, my love.”

“Well, the honey insects are done here. They're flying to another group of flowers. Come, let's check those herds.”

Amber and her soul mate fly off together to check the nearby herds of wild animals. They need to sense their moods while they're grazing. They know it will change when the air fighters arrive.

~~~000~~~

The four knights turn and open the doors for the royal entourage. They enter into the foyer. Two knights at the throne room entrance open the double doors for them. They close the doors once everyone is inside.

They all enter in the throne room. It is brightly lit with the crystals. They see the tables and chairs have been rearranged in a circular pattern. There is a banner for each kingdom near the tables.

Each kingdom member takes their seats near their banner. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna take their seats that are the near the front of the throne room.

The kings and queens’ chairs are fully padded and decorated as such for royalty. The other chairs are padded, but not as luxuriously as the royal chairs.

Sitting with King Tierion and Queen Shiranna is wizard Renard and sorceress Trianna.

Once everyone takes their seat King Tierion begins the meeting.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning.” Everyone responds.

“Well, as you can see when you arrived, the scout ship appeared here in our court yard. We would like to give a summary of what happened last night.”

“Please do, King Tierion. We’re very curious about it.”

“Wizard Renard, please give an account of last night.”

“Yes, my King. When the scout ship arrived, I was able to open the doors. It used the same four tone melody from the first scout ship. Braden and I went inside and put the crew to sleep right away. They were unconscious any way when we got inside. King Tierion then told us we need to check out the crew and the ship itself. Richard, Sir Trenton, Sir Halgren, Braden and I went inside to check it out. Richard accessed their machines and determined that only the distress signal was sent and nothing else. We checked out the crew members. All of them had the implants. Richard powered down the scout ship. Then Braden and I removed the implants.”

“Did the implants explode, Renard?”

“No they didn't, King Loran. Sir Trenton set up a tub of water for us just in case. When I removed the first implant and put it in the water, it didn't explode.”

“That's odd.”

“We thought so too. Then Richard made a good observation comparison.”

“What was it?”

“The first implants exploded when the first three crewmen experienced stress in recalling their memories. The implants were suppressing their old memories.”

“I see.”

“So, when we put these crewmen to sleep right away, they didn't experience any memory stress problems.”

“Now I see why our forces are trying to put the ship crew fast asleep when they get on board first.”

“That's right, King Jeriel. When we opened the implant, we saw it was still active despite being in our Ethereal Space.”

“That means our forces on board the star ship have to be wary of any situation up there.”

“Yes, King Sherwyn. It is very important.”

“So we removed the rest of the implants safely last night. They are being held in the holding cells below here.”

“That's very good, King Tierion. Now we can take them with us and hold them in our own kingdoms.”

“The leader's name is Yisrati. The others are Traven, Colban and Evande.”

“The four men will be split up, two to the northern kingdoms and two to the southern kingdoms.”

“I imagine Ringol and Eirecann will take one each. Who will take the other two to the southern kingdoms?”

“Why don't the Laurentil and Maranelle Islands Kingdoms take them? I have plenty of room on Nevidre being the anchor kingdom there for the potential refugee problem.”

“Do you agree, King Gregor and King Hilmar?”

The look at each other and nod their heads up and down.

“We agree, King Tierion and King Sherwyn.”

“Very good. Is there anything else that we need to discuss while we're here?”

“I have one concerning our defense strategy.”

“What is it, King Loran?”

“The Legion Commanders seem to have a handle on it when the air fighters come. The dragons should be able to defeat them. Is it possible that one can slip through and cause damage on our surface?”

“That's a very good possibility. If the barrier shields are still on. They will be difficult to bring down. Then we'll have to use our wizards and sorceresses to help defend us.”

“What if they attack a town or port that is not defended well?”

“That is a problem. You will need to send word to your Legion or to the Castle Lord nearby that has the means to help you.”

“The wizards can send boulders and logs at the air fighters.”

“They will need protection as they are doing that, Sir Jeriel.”

“Yes they will, King Gregor.”

“Don't forget, King Loran. These air fighters will be in our skies and the Ethereal Space. The dragons will know where they are.”

“Yes they have been looking forward to this for days. It is more than doing something new, they are proving to themselves they can help us defend Twainor.”

“I see, King Gregor. How many do you think will come?”

“That's the hard part. If Mal-tor is right, it will be two hundred in the first wave. Then the one hundred outside the star ship will be sent. You divide that up among the kingdoms, it's not so bad as you think.”

“Perhaps, King Tierion. I’m worried about their weapons. They can inflict a lot of damage.”

“Perhaps, King Gregor. But we must trust the Maker that we will win.”

“Yes, this trust is just like when we sent the call out for our Outside Helpers the first time. We didn't know who was going to come.”

“That's true Queen Mirielle. Each one is different with their abilities. Now we need to rescue them as well.”

“Yes we must rescue them and the crew as well from the Nefelim.”

“When I heard the word Nefelim, I didn't know what it meant.”

“We know that word now, King Sherwyn. I'm surprised as well of the connections that are being made between Twainor and Earth. Obviously the Maker has a plan that has not been fully revealed yet.”

“Yes, the Maker has a plan. We're just one piece to the puzzle. More of it will be revealed if we are still here days from now.”

“Then we must hold fast to the plans that are being laid now. They show the most promise to succeed. We must be united in this together.”

“The Earth Wizard was right in saying that Twainor's greatest strength is when we are all working together.”

“That's right, Wizard Corrbas. Thank you for the reminder.”

“You're welcome.”

“So, my friends. Let's act together at this time. I have four scout ship crewmen below that need to be in separate kingdoms.”

“Yes, King Tierion. Let's retrieve them.”

“I think it will be best that we do it one kingdom at a time down below. There are four stretchers in the hallways down there already. Bring them out here to the courtyard. Then you can arrange yourselves how you want to fly back.”

“That's a good idea, King Tierion.”

They all stand up together. Everyone hears this and they agree as well to the plan.

The wizards and knights leave first. They open the doors to the throne room. They see the Captain of the Guard standing there for Thryson Kingdom.

“Come this way my friends, my name is Sir Largan. I'm the Captain of the Guard.”

~~~000~~~

“While they are doing that my friends. We can go out into the courtyard and enjoy another beautiful day there.”

They look at each other and agree to that.

They all get up and walk out together. The knights open the doors for them as they exit the castle.

They walk among the flower gardens. The Kings agree that it is another beautiful day. It helps them relax for the days ahead. The women definitely see the need to remember the beauty that the Maker has created for them.

They walk in small groups here and there as they enjoy the sights and aroma of the garden.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile, back on Earth about three weeks ago, an elderly man is seen walking into a three-story building in Charlottesville, NC.

He enters an elevator on the main level. He pushes the button for the second floor. The door closes and the car moves up to the second floor. The elevator doors open and walks into the hallway.

He walks past several doors on his left and right-hand side until he gets to the last one on the end.

He sees a nice wooden door with small sectioned windows on the left side of the door. He sees the sign indicating his destination.

He opens the door and walks up to the secretary. She looks up and sees him standing in front of her.

“Hello, sir. Welcome to the Dawson Law Firm. How can we help you? Do you need some legal advice?”

Looking at the name on the desk. “Thank you, Brenda. I have an appointment to see Ms. Anna Dawson. My name is a bit unusual, but you can call me Grand Elder.”

“Let me take a look on the appointment screen.” Brenda touches a few symbols on the screen. The screen changes and looks for the entry. “Here it is. Yes, please have a seat. I'll inform her that you are here.”

“Thank you.” He turns around and sits down on a cushioned chair. He looks around and sees how the office is working.

Richard has a good lawyer. You don't have too many of those. She has done well in looking after him and his family interests. The Maker needs to make sure there is legal protection for Richard and his family for generations to come.

It will be taken care of Wizard. Thank you for your concern. Ms. Dawson will not lack a relative to over see Richard's needs.

Thank you, Maker.

Brenda pushes a button on the intercom. “Ms. Dawson, your ten o'clock appointment is here.”

“Thank you. I'll be out shortly.”

Brenda continues her work at her desk.

Then the door opens to the main office.

“Welcome, Grand Elder. It's an honor to meet someone who has connections to the local Cherokee Nation.”

He stands up and greets her, “Thank you, Ms. Dawson.”

“Please come inside and sit down.”

“Thank you.”

They both enter in Ms. Dawson's office. She sits behind her desk. The Grand Elder sits in the chair opposite from her.

“What can I do for you?”

“Well, it's a bit hard to describe. This is really about one of your clients. His name is Richard Moore.”

“Richard? I know him well. Is all well with him since he lost his family?”

“From what I can figure out, he's doing fine at NC State. As you know, he'll be taking a summer vacation when the semester ends soon.”

“Yes, he gave me his schedule at the beginning of the year. He's not taking any courses during the summer because of his personal situation.” He must know the NC State class schedule.

“Well, I would like to make a request for you to meet him at his family cabin in Mount Blanc.”

“That's unusual. Is something going on that I should know?”

“Yes, as you know he's dual gender or intersex as some doctors call it.”

“That's not common knowledge right now. But, that's right if you've done your own investigation.”

“Well, it seems there will be a gathering there of more people at the family cabin. Some will be from Mount Blanc like the mayor, the Wilkersons, the police chief and some Cherokee Elders.”

“That is some gathering, Grand Elder. From that list, it sounds to be like a special ceremony of some sort.”

“It is Ms. Dawson. I'm also planning to have Dr. Sarah Mitchell to be there as well to check him out.”

“That's interesting. Is there anything I need to bring with me besides a copy of his file?”

“You'll you need to take some notes and your PC laptop. When Richard gets examined again, there will be some new challenges to set some precedent and for his privacy.”

“Hmm . . . a precedent. In what direction will this precedent be?”

“It will be a special medical case.”

“Hmm . . . I wonder what it will be, Grand Elder?”

“Let me write down the words for you. You can do some research in preparation.”

“Sure, I don't mind doing some homework.” She reaches for a pad of paper and pen. She gets up and pushes it to the edge of her desk near the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder takes the pen and writes a few words on the pad. He pushes the pad and pen back to Anna.

She picks up the pad and sits down and reads it.

“You're kidding me? You want me to do some research on this?”

“I am most serious Ms. Dawson. When I see Dr. Sarah Mitchell, I'm going to have her do the same thing.”

“All right, I'll do it. Can Brenda help me on this?”

“She can, Ms. Dawson. I know she will keep this in confidence.”

“Thank you. What day should I be there?”

“Make it for the first Sunday of the next month.”

“That's the day he'll arrive there, Grand Elder.”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, let me take a look at the schedule.” She turns and looks at her PC screen. She touches a few symbols on the screen. The screen changes to the view she wants. She pages a month forward and looks at it.

“Yes, I do have that date open. I'll set it and be there. Besides it will be good to visit that town again. It's very beautiful there.”

“Yes it is. Plan to be there about 2 P.M..”

“Well, I better call the hotel there and make reservations. Hopefully there is a room available when I call. I'll check in the day before and be there for a week.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Thank you for taking the time for this talk.” Don't worry Ms. Dawson there will be a room available when you call.

“You're welcome, Grand Elder. Say 'hi' to Sarah for me. I'll see you in Mount Blanc on the first Sunday.”

They both stand up together.

“Thank you, Ms. Dawson. I'll give her greetings as well.”

Ms. Dawson escorts him to the door and opens it for him.

“Have a safe travel, Grand Elder.”

“You do the same. Be careful on those mountain roads.”

“I'll certainly do that.”

The Grand Elder turns and opens the door and leaves the office. The door closes behind him.

“Hmm . . . I have another question.” She walks to the door and opens it. She doesn't see the Grand Elder walking down the hallway. “He sure disappeared fast, Brenda.”

“Yes, he did Anna. Did I hear right you're going on a trip soon?”

She turns to Brenda and let the door close behind her.

“Yes, on the first Sunday of May, I will be in Mount Blanc, NC to see Richard Moore.”

“Are you going to need to take something?”

“Yes, I will be taking a copy of his file there. The Grand Elder wrote down some words that we need to do some homework on before then. Here is what he wrote down.”

She hands the pad to Brenda. Brenda reads the words.

“This is an odd request Anna. I haven't read those stories since middle and high school.”

“I know. I read those unicorn and fairies stories too. I've a feeling those stories will pertain to Richard when we see him.”

“Who else is going to be there?”

“There will Dr. Mitchell, myself, the mayor, the police chief and some Cherokee Elders. I think it will be a ceremony of some type.”

“It does sound like it, Anna. Well, let's get busy. You still have four more clients coming by today.”

“All right, we'll do this research in our spare time and compare notes.”

“I like that, Anna.”

Anna returns to her office and closes the door. Brenda continues with her duties at her desk.

~~~000~~~

Sir Largan leads the group to the main door to the holding cells. The knight on guard there opens the locked door for them.

“There is enough room here just inside for you all to be together. You'll see what once you get inside.”

They walk inside and see an anteroom and a hallway opening to the holding cells down below.

“Yes, we'll wait here one at a time until we are back here with the crewmen. Then we can leave together.”

Sir Largan leads the first group down below. They walk down the ramps until they see the guards down there and the four stretchers folded up.

“This is the first one here on the left. He is the leader, Yisrati.”

The Thryson knight recites the spell on his contact crystal and places it on the stone ledge. They see Yisrati in there asleep on the mattress.

The two knights connect hand to shoulder on Wizard Matous. He looks at the image and then recites the transport spell. They disappear in a blink of an eye.

They reappear in the holding cell. They walk up together and stand near him. The Eirecann knights bend down and pick up Yisrati. They hold him up together with one hand each and wrap their arms around him.

Then with their free hand they put it on Matous shoulders. “We're ready Wizard Matous.”

“All right.” Matous recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye from the holding cell.

They reappear in the hallway. The knights carefully lay Yisrati down on the floor. Then they reach for one of the stretchers and bring it near. They open it up besides Yisrati.

They pick up Yisrati and put him on the stretcher. The knights pick up the stretcher and they walk back up the ramps and hallway to the anteroom.

They put him down and wait for the retrieval of the rest of the crewmen.

The next group walks down the hallways and ramps. They arrive at the next holding cell.

“This is Evande.” Indicated by Sir Largan.

“Thank you, Sir Largan.”

Master Wizard Arlen sees the contact crystal is in the stone holder and activated. He sees the image inside the cell room. The Ringol knights connect to Arlen. He recites the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

They reappear in the holding cell. The walk over and get near Evande. The knights lift up Evande and hold him similar to first group. They put their free hands on Arlen.

He recites the transport spell. They disappear in a blink of an eye. They reappear in the hallway. The knights lay Evande on the floor carefully. They pick up the stretcher and place it near Evande and open it up.

The knights lift Evande and place him the stretcher. They pick up the stretcher and carry him back up the hallway.

The groups repeat the process two more times. Maranelle Islands retrieve Colban. Laurentil Islands retrieve Traven last. When the Laurentil Islands groups come near. Sir Largan walks up to the door.

“We're ready, Sir Talbet.”

“Yes, Sir Largan.”

He turns and opens the door to the anteroom. The groups walk out one behind the other. They walk down the foyer to the main doors. The knights open the stone doors for them.

They exit the castle and enter the court yard. They walk out there and space themselves apart. The knights put down the stretchers and stand by them until they're ready to leave.

The kingdoms see them entering the courtyard. They walk toward their respective wizard and knights.

“Well, I see they are here my friends. Thank you for coming and visiting us.”

“It's been an honor and a privilege to do this.”

“We'll need to get together again. Perhaps during the regional fall festival this year.”

“Yes, we need to do that King Tierion.”

Everyone groups together by kingdom. The knights pick their crewmen and hold him like before. They place their free hand on their Master Wizard. The Kings and Queens connect to their respective Master Sorceresses.

“Keep in touch, my friends. Have a safe journey back.”

“You keep safe as well King Tierion and Queen Shiranna.”

The wizards and sorceresses recite the transport spell and they disappear in a blink of an eye.

The kingdom groups fly back to their own kingdoms and get ready for another day in their kingdom.

Queen Shiranna puts her arm around King Tierion's arm. They walk back into the castle to resume their duties for the day.

Renard and Trianna go inside as well. They walk toward to their Mystic Order meeting room to continue their preparations as well.

Then Sir Largan orders the knights to pick up the stretchers and have them put back where they belong in the storage room near the holding cells.

~~~000~~~

Meanwhile, back on Earth about three weeks ago. The same elderly man is seen walking into a four-story hospital in Charlotte, NC. He walks up to the receptionist.

“Hello sir. How can I help you?”

“I'm looking for Dr. Sarah Mitchell.”

“Let me take a look at her appointment schedule.” She looks at her PC. She presses some symbols on the screen and finds her schedule.

“She's in today sir. Are you here for an appointment?”

He looks at the name plaque on the desk, “Yes I am, Ms. Patricia. I'm here for the nine o'clock appointment. I'm the Grand Elder from the Cherokee Nation.”

She looks down the list. “Yes, here it is. She's in room 314. I'll let her know that you're here.”

“Thank you.”

She pushes a series of buttons on the telephone pad and picks up the phone. “Hello, Sarah?”

“Yes, Patricia?”

“You're nine o'clock appointment is here Sarah.”

“Good, I'll be down in a moment.”

“All right.”

Patricia hangs up the phone. “She'll be down to see you.”

“Thank you. I will wait patiently.” He starts to wander around the lobby area and look at some of the art work on display. Then he starts to walk closer to the elevator doors.

The doors open and Sarah Mitchell almost walks into him and stops. “Oh, I'm sorry. I came down as soon as possible.”

He smiles, “That's all right, Dr. Mitchell. I need to talk privately with you for a moment.”

“Sure, come to my office and we'll discuss it there.”

They both enter the elevator car together. Sarah pushes the number three on the glass panel. The elevator ascends to the third floor.

“So, Grand Elder, what is this about?”

“It's about one of your patients. It's Richard Moore.”

“Richard? I think he's in college right now.”

“He is. Oh, and Ms. Anna Dawson says 'hi'.”

She smiles. “Thank you. She's a good lawyer.”

“Yes she is.” He smiles back.

The doors open to the third floor. They exit together and walk down the hallway. They soon arrive at room #314. She opens the door and they both walk inside. Sarah sits in her chair while the Grand Elder sits in the extra chair in the room.

“So, what about Richard do you need to know?”

“Well, actually this is an invitation. I would like for you to come to Mount Blanc, NC.”

“Isn't that the town where the Moore family cabin is located?”

“It is Ms. Mitchell. Richard will be arriving there to begin his summer vacation. I would like for you to check him out physically as a witness that he is all right.”

“Hmm . . . Yes, I would. I'm sure his state of mind will be ready to relax from the trauma he learned this year.”

“Yes, it has been an unfortunate year for him in some ways. But, in other areas it has been beneficial for him.”

“I see. Are there going to be other people there besides me?”

He smiles, “You're very astute, Ms. Mitchell. Yes, there will be other people there to greet Richard. The mayor, the police chief, the Wilkersons, Richard's lawyer will be there along with some Cherokee Elders.”

“Wow! That is some gathering of important people. What is this about really?” She stares at him.

“You're very perceptive Ms. Mitchell.” He smiles. I think she knows who I am. Have I met her once before? “It has to do with Richard himself. Something wonderful will happen during the time that you're there. I just need your expertise to make sure everything is fine.”

“All right, I trust you so far, Grand Elder. I have a feeling you're aware of Richard's physical status.”

“Yes I do Ms. Mitchell. I'm aware of his dual gender situation. I would like to give you some homework before you arrive there.”

“Homework? What do I have to study up on? A new medical procedure? I know the Cherokee Nation has an excellent resource in herbal medicine.”

“I need to write down what you need to study for.”

“All right. I'm game, Grand Elder.” she smiles. She takes a pad of paper and pen near her and gets up and hands it to him.

He takes it and writes down a series of words. He hands it back to her.

She sits down and read the words.

“You're kidding me?”

“I'm not, Ms. Mitchell. In fact Ms. Anna Dawson said the same thing.”

“She is? You're having her doing the same thing?”

“I am, Ms. Mitchell. I need you both prepared and not to be shocked when you see Richard.”

“I see. When are we having this meeting?”

“It will be the first Sunday of next month.”

“Let me check my schedule.” Sarah pushes some symbols on the PC monitor to bring up her schedule. “I do have that date available. I'll need to put a request in right now to the admin secretary.”

“I'm sure they will approve it on short notice.”

“It has been known to happen. That will give me some time to get ready. I'll be there.”

“That's good. Ms. Anna Dawson will be checking in the day before at the hotel in Mount Blanc.”

“That's fine. I'll do the same. Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Well, take your traveling medical bag at least.”

“What about x-rays at the local hospital?”

“There is no need for that. Just bring your notes from the homework and your laptop PC. Richard has a PC satellite connection in the family cabin if you need access for more information.”

“I'll do that. Well, this has been an interesting meeting. If I don't know any better, I feel like I have been talking to a well-known doctor.” She smiles at him.

He smiles back, “Thank you for the compliment. Well, I need to get going. I have other pressing matters to attend to.”

“Well, I won't hold you up any longer.”

They both get up. She opens the door for him. “See you on the first Sunday of next month.”

“See you then, Ms. Mitchell. Drive safe on those mountain roads.”

“I'll do that.”

He leaves the office. She closes the door. Then she thought of another question. When she opens the door and looks down the hall, the Grand Elder is no where to be found.

“He sure disappeared fast. Well, I'll see him next month.” She closes the door and sits back down in her chair.

“Well, I'll need a copy of Richard's medical records and x-rays. I'll need them for comparison later. I need to set that time off for Mt. Blanc. Fortunately I have some vacation time to use. I'll use a week and enjoy some fresh mountain air while I'm at it.”

She picks up the phone to call the Director and explain about the time off coming up. When she does that, she looks at the words again on the notepad. He wants me to do a study on unicorns and fairies? That’s a strange request. If Anna is doing the same, then it must be for a very good reason. Well, let’s get busy. I have still have a couple of patients I need to check up on.