Spring Break
Chapter 10
By Rachel76m
Edited by Don Kaufman

"Thank you, Historians for that rendition and telling of the story."

They both bow to King Dryden. "Thank you, my King. It is an honor to serve Angathorn Kingdom and Twainor in this manner."

The Historians turn around and walk back to their table near their Kingdom's section and sit down. They continue taking notes during the meeting to compliment what is recorded on the crystals. Later, with some helpers they will write, create scrolls, books and the other items needed for the Grand Library.

King Dryden looks around the Grand Hall as he speaks, “This is how it is going to proceed. My Chamberlain is going to be calling up some people. I'm going to ask some questions. I expect the answers to be truthful and honest. If you don’t know the answer, then honestly say ‘I don’t know.’ Chamberlain you may begin.”

King Dryden stays in the center of the stage. The Chamberlain walks up with his staff and taps it on the stage loudly. “Will the Port Governors of the following kingdoms please come forward: Laurentil Islands, Evenshard, Nevidre, Maranelle Islands, Eirecann, and Ringol? That would be Brenci, Anton, Riol, Rotai, Madok and Bettws respectively.

They look at each other in their respective kingdoms. All six men get up and walk to the front standing before the foot of the stage steps and stand still before King Dryden.

“I have a question about the war. What do you think caused those ships to sink out west on those islands in the very beginning?”

The six men begin to get nervous, as do everyone else in the Grand Hall except for those who are expecting this line of questioning.

~~~000~~~

What’s this? He is going after that? This is not good. Let’s see how far it goes.

~~~000~~~

“We were told the fishing fleet was destroyed by the ten kingdoms to gain those fishing grounds.”

“That’s right Brenci. It was the other kingdom’s fault for being greedy," confirming Bettws.

The other four governors said almost the same thing.

“Thank you for reminding me what you were told or read of past stories. But, I ask you again. What do you think caused it if the other ten kingdoms denied it?”

“I don’t know, King Dryden."

“They could have run aground on the shoals," answered Anton.

“Has anybody been out there to verify it? What do you say Riol?”

"The Sea Captains refuse to go there. Some consider it a memorial."

They look at each other and shake their heads ‘no’ or shrug their shoulders to imply 'I don't know."

“Apparently you don't know, Port Governors. I need to ask a different question now. Have you heard of any strange or unusual stories from your Sea Captains when they bring in the daily catches?”

They look at each other again. Then one speaks up. “No, my Lord, usually we hear of catches when there are plenty. Then there are weeks when it is very little.”

“Yes, even the nets come back torn, Rotai. We figure that they were fishing too close to the reefs, King Dryden.”

“As you say, low catches and torn nets. It looks like there are some people who have not learned the lesson.”

The Port Governors look at each other perplexed and worried.

King Dryden looks up and turns his head to look at everybody in the Grand Hall. “Chamberlain I need some eyewitnesses.”

“Will the Sea Captains come forward from these six kingdoms? Make room and stand next to your Port Governor. That would be Sea Captains Thaon, Mirra, Cuain, Berent, Moer and Tethion."

They come walking forward. The six Port Governors spread apart to make room as their respective Sea Captains stand next to them on their right.

“I ask again. You heard the Port Governors answers. Are there any strange stories on the seas?”

The six sea captains look at each other with worried faces.

“Why... why no King Dryden. It ... it is as they say.”

The other Sea Captains agree as well.

“I would think Captain Tethion, that whatever sank the ships would have to be just as big.”

Then there is more rumbling through the audience.

~~~000~~~

The fool doesn’t know. He’s just guessing. They will never know how they sank. I told the perfect lie back then.

~~~000~~~

“That’s impossible, my King. There is nothing that big in the oceans.”

The twelve men up front begin to agree with one another. King Dryden looks around and sees the other ten kingdoms agreeing as well. He sighs and shakes his head a bit in disgust.

He looks back down at the six Sea Captains. “Then apparently you and the rest of Twainor have not learned the lesson either.”

The Port Governors and the Sea Captains look at each other nervously.

Then the people in the ten kingdoms just became restless and moved in their seats and looking worried. But the Kings of the other ten kingdoms just became interested when they heard the responses.

~~~000~~~

King Quentin looks to his Legion Commander and whispers. "King Dryden is onto something we have not considered."

"That's right my Lord. I'm very curious now. If I remember right, no one else went out there to verify it. It is just hearsay."

~~~000~~~

I look to my right and give a slight smile at the Outside Helper next to me, Evrat. He smiles back. The kingdoms should be nervous.

Then King Dryden looks at everybody in the Grand Hall while everybody else looks at each other and get nervous to what that means. “I need someone up here who has learned the lesson. Chamberlain, will you please call the next eyewitness?”

“Yes, my King. Will Richard Moore, Outside Helper for Thryson Kingdom please come forward?”

I take a big gulp and stand. Here we go. Help me, Maker to stay calm and be alert. Sir Halgren stands as well. We both walk forward and stand next to King Dryden on his right.

The Outside Helpers look at each other and give a slight smile. The rest of the audience begins to grumble to what this means, except for Thryson Kingdom and Angathorn Kingdom. Thryson and Angathorn Kingdoms begin to smile to each other as well. All of the First Ones give a slight smile as well to each other.

~~~000~~~

What’s this? How can an Outside Helper know what the lesson is? Surely this is just a game they’re playing and wasting my time.

~~~000~~~

King Dryden turns to me. “Richard, I have been told you have some interesting stories from your world.”

“This is true Lord Dryden. These stories are very real and factual. I have seen and read many things about my world. I like to learn King Dryden.”

“That is good, Richard. It is important to know your world. Can you give some stories about your world that pertains to this situation?”

“Yes I can.” I bow my head towards him as he bows his head to me and we raise them up. I then turn and face the twelve Kingdoms of Twainor. I look around as I talk to them.

~~~000~~~

This ought to be real good for a laugh.

~~~000~~~

"My world has been in existence for billions of years. How do I know this? Our scientists know of a rare metal that very slowly changes into other metals. They can tell how old the oldest rocks are by seeing how much of the rare metal and how much of the other metals are in these rocks.”

“We have a skeleton and fossil record of animals that are amazing to see. However, they are buried underground and many places around the world. The creatures are reptiles mostly of various sizes and shapes."

I step forward to point how big. "I have seen one put together and erected. It can stand easily in this room to the ceiling."

I hear some 'gasps' in the throne room.

"Some of these reptiles eat meat, some eat plants. The creatures can be tall as you, but be just as deadly. We also have skeleton records of large sea creatures from that period as well."

"Time goes on, millions of years, until the earth changes again. One area could be a swamp and now becomes a barren desert. Ice and snow rules the continents. Most of the reptiles died off, but other animals who can survive do so."

"The best we can figure out what caused the climate changes would be large rocks that would be as big as your mesa here or maybe one hundred times bigger.

These rocks would fall out of the sky, blazing as hot as the sun, and impact our world. We had several such impacts over the years. Each one caused a change to the world.

One of the major extinction events we call is the Permian-Triassic extinction. It is thought to have been caused by tens of thousands of square miles of volcanoes erupting continuously for thousands of years. This extinction cleared the field for the age of dinosaurs to begin.

The last major impact was about 65 million years ago which wiped out the reptiles and dinosaurs.”

"Then it became the time for the mammals. Mammals are a name to describe a certain type. Mammals are air breathers and most have their young like you and I do. There are two species of mammals that lay eggs. A fair sized group of mammals, called the marsupials, only gestate the fetus for a short time, then it is deposited into its mother's pouch, wiggles its way to a mammary gland nipple, then grows into a baby in the pouch, also not like you and I do. The defining features of a mammal are to have hair and to nurse young with mammary glands, that is, on milk.”

“We also had the forerunners of men and women appear as well. They communicated by paintings and the things they made."

“Most of the writings of men and women did not come on the scene until about six thousand years ago according to the written record. They prospered and flourished for about sixteen hundred years until a major flood happened in one part of the world. But man was saved in that area when the Maker found a family that listened to his voice. He told him to build a very large boat for his family and for all of the animals who would be saved from that area. We estimated the population to be about three billion people before the flood.”

I hear more gasps and some prayers from the women. But this time I hear several unicorns neighing with tears. I pause and look at King Dryden. I have some tears in my eyes.

Lord Dryden sees my tears.

“You can come forward unicorns.” King Dryden smiles, he waves with his hand for them to come forward.

I step down from the stage to be on the main floor. I stand there as six unicorns step forward out of the eleven unicorns present; each one with fairies flying around and giving comfort to them. They nuzzle the side of my face with their tears; they press their heads onto my body and backside. I hug each neck as I cry with them and cry into their manes. The fairies fly around us with smiles and song as if giving a special blessing for the occasion.

There is hope to last
To have purpose to be.
To join the future and past
There is hope for all to see.

It takes awhile to compose ourselves. Then Avel spoke who I knew already from yesterday.

“You remembered us.” Then each of the other unicorns states it as well.

I smile at them. “What are your names?”

“My name is Silverwind. I was the first new born male killed."

“My name is Star Dancer, Silverwind's mate. I was the first new born female killed."

“My name is Einhorn. I was the first male child killed."

“My name is Athena, Einhorn's mate. I was the first female child killed. My mother gave me the Greek Goddess' name."

“My name is Makaela, Avel's mate."

“My name is Avel.”

“The only Avel I know is the son of Adama who was killed by his brother Kayin which is told in a story a very long time ago.”

“That is me. Makaela was the first woman killed by another on Earth. The Maker put my spirit and soul and hers into the unicorns to be a witness. When the Great Flood came, the Maker picked up my herd here and many other First Ones. The Maker brought us here to begin a new start. The other unicorns you see in the other kingdoms are our children.”

“There were many people and First Ones who begged to be on Noach's boat. There was a magician there who made a pair of centaurs to look like a horse with his mate. He made two unicorns to look like a white stallion and its mare. The fairies were easy; they hid like butterflies. The dragons were a problem, they were too big. So he gave them the ability to swim so that they cannot drown.”

“So when Great Flood subsided the animals left the boat and the magic ended for those who had the spell on them. They went where they could.”

“That’s right. That was the plan from the magician and the Maker.”

“I see. Thank you Avel.”

~~~000~~~

What?! What is going on here? These First Ones are from another world? Then they should all be killed. Twainor is for the people of Twainor!

~~~000~~~

“Continue with the story, Richard, you’re doing a good job.”

“Thanks, Avel.” We smile at each other.

The unicorns turn around and walk back to their respective Kingdoms. I turn and step back up to the stage. I look around and see astonishment in many faces all around and tears in many.

Some just realized that Richard touched the unicorns and did not fall asleep from the encounter, especially with six unicorns. Some of the people have awe in their faces and look at each other when the unicorns stood with other First Ones in their Kingdoms and at Richard. Each of the centaurs’ strokes their necks and fairies hovered around the unicorns giving comfort.

I step back up to the stage and I look to King Dryden. “I’m ready to continue.” I take a handkerchief from my pocket and dry my eyes.

He smiles, “Please do, Richard.”

“Thank you." I turn around to face them again. "Now I am going to skip to some key points about my world. About two hundred years after the Great Flood. The population grew to about one hundred thousand people from one family with three sons and their wives in six generations.”

“One of the leaders at the time decided to build a very large tower to reach the Maker. The Maker was not happy with that. Therefore he scrambled our language then to seventy different tongues. Hence, we get the foundation for seventy nations on Earth."

"But the biggest change was the reduction in our life span from eight hundred years to one hundred and twenty years maximum."

"It would take about three thousand years for our population to reach one million people. There were only a few nations that were able to hear the Maker's voice. The rest of the people had no guidance."

"Then another thousand years later, it reaches two million people. Nations come and go. Some try to conquer the world and all would fail. Then about thirteen hundred years later our population reached eighty million. Then we encountered a major disease when the population was reduced to sixty-two million. It took time, but we finally learned our body and how it works. Our life span average at that time was sixty years because of the problems to be healthy at that time. It is now about ninety years if you live right. Very few make it to 110 years."

"Inventions and machinery start to be prevalent as we understand industries to produce goods and foods for large amounts of people. Information began to be exchanged worldwide again. Then in seven hundred years we reached six billion people with over one and hundred and fifty nations or kingdoms."

I hear some 'gasps' and see astonishment on some of the faces. "Then about seventy years ago, we had a major reduction in our population to three billion people. In thirty years, this reduction was brought about by wars, diseases, natural disasters like erupting fire mountains, land and sea quakes, and large sea storms that would come on land and other disasters."

I take a big breath. "I said all that to say this and to finally answer King's Dryden question."

Then some of the Port Governors and Sea Captains finally express some frustrations.

"It's about time," asked Sea Captain Moer. "What does that have to do with us?"

Port Governor Riol asks, "What are you trying to say Richard?"

~~~000~~~

Yes, I want to know what you are trying to get at.

~~~000~~~

As I look at each one of the twelve before me, "What I am trying to say is this. We may know every inch of land that is exposed. Give a name to all of the trees, birds and other animals or scaled the highest mountain. There is one domain that is still a mystery to us. It is our oceans."

Riol asks, "What do you mean your oceans are still a mystery?"

"Because my world is thirty percent land and seventy percent water. Is it not odd to name a world called 'Earth' for land when it is not dominant?"

I get some laughter from people all around, including the First Ones. I give a few laughs myself. I see some angry faces on the twelve below me; Sir Halgren sees it as well.

I raise my hand to get their attention again, they quiet down. "Our oceans are so vast and deep, we don't know everything in it. Sometimes our fishermen would bring in catches that are difficult to explain. I've seen the pictures of these fish that should be dead and extinct, but they're not. There is one species that I know is twenty million years old. The fish is designed to live in the mid-level part of the ocean. Sometimes they would come near the surface to chase the smaller fish for food. That tells me there could be other denizens in the deep oceans who survived after a million years."

Then everyone hears a lot of 'gasps' and 'what?!' in the Grand Hall everywhere.

All twelve men begin to stutter, "Why... why... I... I..." Their mouths hang open then close their mouths slowly. The Port Governors turn around and look to their Kings and see no help. They see determination on their faces to know the answer. They look at their Sea Captains then back to King Dryden.

~~~000~~~

Two men are whispering to each other.

"I'm glad we had our revelation the other day, Logrin."

"I'm glad too; we know what is going through their minds."

"We'll ease their fears during the noon repast."

"Yes, we’ll do that."

"Shhh.... Richard is about to reveal his conclusion."

~~~000~~~

Each of the Sea Captains has a look of astonishment and awe. They try to look at their Port Governors and see no refuge. They see all of them getting a scowl look on their faces.

~~~000~~~

What? Now I know why he was chosen. He's very clever. I must bring this one to my side quickly.

~~~000~~~

I hear some more 'gasps' and see astonishment in the faces as I look all around. I see smiles from King Tierion, Queen Shiranna, Renard, Trianna, Eldwin, everyone in Thryson and Angathorn Kingdoms and all of the First Ones. I see smiles from others who finally understand the situation. I smile as well and look over to Sir Halgren he smiles also.

King Dryden finally asks the question, "Well... what do you all have to say now?"

The Port Governors quickly turn onto the Sea Captains.

"Tell us everything that you have seen out there on the seas!"

"That's right Brenci, we must know. We report to our King and Queen the status of our fishing fleets."

The Sea Captains look at my smile, they look around sheepishly as if they try to hide. But, they know they can't hide now. Then all six Sea Captains bend the knee to King Dryden.

Sea Captain Mirra pleads, "We're sorry, King Dryden."

“Please forgive us.”

The five other Sea Captains agree as well, "Yes, we'll tell all."

We hear other words of apologies as well.

"Rise, Sea Captains, we must know these stories on the seas. We need to know. You're our eyes and ears on the seas. We do not need to be brought into another war needlessly."

As soon as he said that, there came the loudest noise of words spoken by everybody throughout the ten kingdoms, except for Thryson and Angathorn Kingdoms.

"What is going on here?"

"Don't we know our own world?"

"We need to be told what is happening on the seas."

~~~000~~~

They're finally beginning to understand the problem now. It is not over yet. Sir Halgren and I look at each other quickly and give a slight smile. I turn my attention back to the twelve men standing below me.

~~~000~~~

King Tierion whispers to his Queen and Sir Trenton. "It's getting close, get ready. Richard and King Dryden are really pushing them for an answer. I can see Ruald's face getting really red with anger now."

They nod their heads in agreement as they look around.

~~~000~~~

Arrghh!! If he does not turn to my side, I'll kill this upstart when I get the chance. He's ruining my plans!

~~~000~~~

King Dryden raises his hand to quiet the kingdoms.

The Sea Captains rise and stand up.

"I just need a few of you to speak. If you have a different story than the other, please tell it."

The Sea Captains nod their heads.

Sea Captain Cuain speaks first, "Please forgive us, King Dryden. We will tell. One day on the high seas we were heading to an area where we knew the silver king fish were running. We laid our nets into the water and begin to sweep them up. After a half mark we saw our nets getting full. Just about we were to lift them out. The beam bends and snaps back up. We see our haul emptying out back into the sea through a hole in the net. We could not believe it. It was a brand new net."

"Something similar happened to us as well." Confirmed by Sea Captain Thaon, "We brought up our empty nets and laid them out on the decks to see the damage. We see the nets torn as if they were slashed in many directions from the center of the net."

Sea Captain Berent speaks up as well. "Once we saw our nets torn we immediately scanned the ocean surface to see what could have caused it. We saw a large tail fin slice through the water."

"We saw a series of large dorsal fins as well before it disappeared."

Another spoke, "The one fin that we did see was attached to a large body, we never saw the head."

"We never saw the head either, Moer. We were too scared to know what it means."

"Yes, so we kept the stories to ourselves."

The other Sea Captains look at each other and nod their heads in agreement.

~~~000~~~

Grrrr..... I hate this Richard! He will not live to see another day here on Twainor!

~~~000~~~

Lord Dryden stares down at the Port Governors and the Sea Captains and asks, "Richard, do you have any large sea creatures in your world's oceans like these?"

"We do, King Dryden. We have two in particular that can be like that. One is a shark, it is a meat eater. It has a very large mouth and many teeth, when it bites, your lower leg can disappear in one bite."

We hear some 'gasps' and 'oh no's'.

"The other is a whale; it eats only very small shrimp. It has a large mouth and no teeth; it does have a strainer to keep the shrimp. Both have very big bodies. They can be as long from where I am standing to the front row where the kings and queens sit center front. They both have large fins and tails."

~~~000~~~

"Here it comes," whispers King Tierion. "Be ready for anything."

Queen Shiranna and Sir Trenton nod their heads.

~~~000~~~

"I would say King Dryden. From what I have heard and seen during my time here on Twainor, that these Sea Captains probably encountered sea dragons."

Then all noise and mayhem breaks loose. Everybody starts yelling and begin to stand, some of the women scream for protection. The Port Governors and the Sea Captains look at each other with astonishment again. Then they start to get angry just like Drenan and Sea Captain Logrin did. They look at Richard and King Dryden and try to come forward to lay hands on Richard and the King.

"Arrghh...."

"How dare you insult us?"

“That it's impossible!” scream one of the Port Governors.

"There's no such thing as sea dragons!"

The eleven other escorts jump immediately in front of their Outside Helpers. Sir Halgren steps in front of me and gets into a self-defense position. Then the two Legion Commanders come from the left and right hand side with several squads. To gain control of the Port Governors and Sea Captains and put some of the guards up on the stage to protect King Dryden, Richard and Sir Halgren.

King Dryden looks at me and Sir Halgren, "It was like this in Thryson?"

"Yes, King Dryden," Sir Halgren and I respond at the same time.

King Dryden nods his head in agreement. We both nod our heads in agreement as well.

The only ones cheering throughout all this are the First Ones and the two Kingdoms of Thryson and Angathorn.

The same response also occurred in each of the other kingdoms pavilions as well because they have been watching the entire proceedings since the beginning. The other dragons out in the fields quickly determined what has happened and begin to roar with laughter when they see the reaction from the twelve pavilions. If you went to the other kingdoms elsewhere on Twainor, they would be reacting the same way.

The First Ones all begin to advance and walk to the front and form a row behind Richard and King Dryden. The dwarves, unicorns and centaurs walk up the ramps on both sides of the stage. The other Outside Helpers with their escorts come up front as well. The other Kings and Queens see this and begin to walk up as well to join them despite how the rest of their own kingdom felt.

The military from Angathorn and Thryson come forward to create a protective row to control the rest of the people in their seats. The Castle Lords and Ladies, Governors, the Sea Captains and the others in Angathorn and Thryson Kingdoms stay behind when they see the stage fill up quickly. They begin to cheer as well.

Then we hear the biggest laugh of all coming from Maranelle Islands Kingdom section. We all begin to quiet down to hear this laughter.

"Hah, hah, hah....."

It is coming from Ruald.

"Hah, hah, hah....."

~~~000~~~

A hooded man by the exit doors sees the spectacle unfold in front of him. Look out Ruald; I sense a trap coming from Richard. Corrbas smiles as he sees Ruald becoming more arrogant.

~~~000~~~

He continues laughing and begins to clap his hands as he walks forward. He brushes past the military units to get into the open space in front of the stage on the main floor.

Ruald quiets down. "I've got to hand it to you, Richard. That is the best piece of logic that I have ever seen played out. To think an Outside Helper has figured out that we have sea dragons on Twainor. You are very clever, but not clever enough."

I step forward a step but, still protected on the stage. "What do you mean? First of all, what is your name?"

"My name is Ruald. I am the Master Wizard for Maranelle Islands. You still did not get the answer what sank the ships on the islands to the West."

"Oh, I think I did."

"How, Richard?"

"It is known on my world that when you get a group of remote islands that is not populated by people, the islands, the reefs and shoals there are the perfect breeding grounds for birds, fish and other sea creatures before they head out to sea. I figured that it was sea dragons that came there to breed and raise their young. When the fishermen saw this, they thought they had a great find. They didn't realize what was going to happen next."

"What makes you think it was sea dragons? Dragons can't swim!"

"Then you didn't hear Avel's answer how a magician used his magic to help some of the First Ones survive the Great Flood. He used his magic to help the dragons swim the oceans without drowning!"

I start to laugh. The others start to laugh as well. We can see that Ruald did not like the answer.

He begins to grumble. "Grrrr...." His lips begin to flatten and eye brows lower. "Hmm, that’s very clever, Richard. If you think you are so smart. How did the First War start?"

I smiled, "That's easy. There had to be a survivor from that fishing fleet on those islands. It was confirmed to me in a dream from the Maker himself last night! Somehow that person came back home and started the lie. I told King Tierion and Lord Dryden the dream, they couldn't believe it either. So we kept that thought to ourselves until Sir Halgren and I heard the story from Belisar and Sir Peridan earlier this morning."

His eyes narrow as he tries to stare me down and look at the others, especially Belisar and Sir Peridan.

Yes, he's getting ready to show his hand. Let me push one more button to test his arrogance. "How old are you, Ruald?"

"Why I'm over one hundred and sixty-five years old and I don't have any gray hair."

We hear some 'gasps' from the wizards and sorceresses this time.

Eldwin speaks up. "That makes you old enough to be a young wizard in training. Were you assigned to the fishing fleet back then?"

"I was. Look at me. I'm young and strong. I'm the strongest wizard on Twainor."

"How did you survive on the islands?"

"How long were you there, Ruald?"

"That would be telling, King Dryden and Master Wizard Eldwin. I was not strong enough to transport from there at first. The wizard that I was assigned with died with the others when the sea dragons attacked the fishing fleet."

~~~000~~~

I whisper to King Tierion and King Dryden. "Arrogance goes hand in hand with the ego when they think they are strong. But they become blind to common sense and embrace greed and power for their own gain. They don't think too far ahead and foresee the consequences. It is why our jails are full all the time. We have to stop this."

Both Kings nod their heads in agreement.

~~~000~~~

"I hid on one of the islands that had the thickest foliage. Once they left, I knew I was all alone. I tried to live off the island, but there was not enough food. I looked at the sea dragons lying dead on the island shores. I decided to try eating some of the sea dragon meat."

All eleven dragons snort some smoke in anger.

Then we heard many 'gasps' and saw hands brought to peoples open mouths to hide them. The dragons behind us begin to growl in their stomachs and get warm. You can feel their rage building. I put my hand on Croin to calm him down. Caltron does the same. Croin slows it down. So do the other dragons.

"I could not believe the power it gave me. It took awhile to get used to it. But I finally was able to get it in under control. I then began to practice my spells. Within several moons I was able to transport back home. I was surprised how fast and easy it came for me."

"What happened afterwards? Did you start to feel faint at times when
you came home?"

"Why, yes,Richard. I knew I needed more meat to eat."

I smile to myself. He doesn't know how his body really changed.

"I went back to the islands with a jar and collected some of the green sea dragon blood and sealed it. Then I transported back. I knew this was not enough. I begin to try my hand on eating some of the wild animals on the Maranelle Islands and lo and behold it provided me the same power. I soon persuaded others to try it. Then with my new friends we began the rumors and lies of the fishing fleets."

"It was perfect. The two kingdoms almost conquered Twainor until the dragons withdrew from the battlefield."

This time I hear and see some puffs of smoke from all of the dragons in the Grand Hall. It sounded like, "humph."

They're trying really hard to stay under control.

"You should try it, Richard. The meat is very good."

I look to King Tierion and King Dryden and wink with my left eye and I step out in front of them. They give a slight smile and allow me to step forward.

"Oh, I don't know. The only meat that I have eaten is fish and some types of farm birds on my world."

"Well here, why don't you try a taste, Richard?"

He points a finger at me. Then all of sudden a small balloon appears in my open mouth when I say, "Ah why...” to respond to his question. The balloon bursts in my mouth and becomes covered in blood and some of it drips down the chin. Yuck!!!

I begin to cough a bit as the blood dribbles down and put my right hand to my mouth immediately. I quickly bend forward and turn around. I point with my left hand to my medallion to have it taken off. Sir Trenton takes off the medallion without getting it bloodied and hands it to King Tierion. I look down and see some blood drops on the shirt. I look back up and speak to them, "I'm fine." and smile. Some look astonish, some smile. I speak out loud now, "Can I have a hand cloth please? I'm going to need a drink of water eventually."

Croin looks at me a bit wide-eyed in amazement. So do the other dragons.

Sir Trenton smiles and hands me a handkerchief from his pocket.

I hear some gasps in the crowd and hear some 'ewwws', 'nasty' and 'gross' from some of the people.

I turn to face the crowd. I have no choice to but swallow what is in my mouth. It has been a long time; I hope my body will digest it. It does have a strong taste to it. ... Hmm, I wonder. I wipe my mouth clean and my hands the best I can. I hear some more groans as well.

I see a glass of water passed through the crowd and it is handed to me. I take a drink and hand the cup back to one of the guards nearby. "Thank you." I take out my handkerchief and wipe my mouth and hands some more.

I turn around to face Ruald, "That was not nice. My shirt is now ruined; I know it is difficult to remove blood once it is spilled on clothing. I'm going to need a proper wash up before the noon repast."

Ruald smiles, "That's all right Richard. Soon you will feel great that you can do anything."

"I can do anything, Ruald? There is one part of the story I had not told yet. I kept it hidden until now."

I hear people begin to hold their breaths to hear what I have to say.

Ruald smiles, "What is that, Richard?"

"When Avel's father and wife were living in the Maker's special garden. A particular reptile deceived them and caused them to go against the Maker's command. For their punishment they were kicked out and had to live off the land with great hardship."

I see Avel and his herd bow their heads in memory.

"To survive they had to grow their own crops. They also had to kill grass-eating animals for their skins to keep them warm. Some still remained true to eat only plant foods and fruits while some ate those grass-eating animals. They eventually learned how to make clothing. The blood of the animals began coursing through their bodies at that time. There were very few people who could hear the Maker's voice."

"After the Great Flood, the people and the animals begin to multiply and replenish the Earth's surface. Remember what I said that most people had no guidance and only a few could hear the Maker's voice?"

"Yes, I remember that. What of it?"

He's getting annoyed now. He has not listened to anything that I have said. His face is going to drop real quickly soon.

"Well, those people had a hard time living in the wilderness. They knew they could eat fruits and other crops from the land. Well they became very hungry sometimes and did not plan their winters well. They saw how the wild animals would eat the other for strength and survival. So they ate the wild animals as well. Well they did get strong like you said. But they also took something else in."

"What was that, Richard?" He smiles thinking everything is all right.

"They also took in their animal spirit and acted more savagely than ever before. They began to act like wild animals and eat more of them. They could not stop themselves."

"Huh.... what...?" His face drops and his mouth opens.

~~~000~~~

I thought so! It is the same effect here as it is on Richard's world. Corrbas smiles widely as he sees Ruald being outsmarted by a young man.

~~~000~~~

That look is priceless Ruald. That has been recorded for all time.

We hear other voices throughout the Grand Hall.

Some gasped, "What?"

Some looked astonished; we even hear some prayers from men and women.

"Yes, they lost all self control. Lawlessness began to run rampant. They began to kill one another and have wars. The innocent dies at the hands of the guilty. Their lives became shortened. New diseases appeared and so on. It took centuries before laws were enacted to have some type of peace. On average we have a war every one hundred years, sometimes less, anywhere on Earth. There was one war that lasted one hundred years. They killed millions of people when they tried to expand their control. They would fight over land, food or to control other nations, even the world if they could."

I look around and see the people finally getting the big picture and begin to nod their heads in agreement.

"I'm perfectly in control, Richard. I'm the strongest wizard here on Twainor!"

I yell down to him, "Prove it!"

"By my voice you're going to die." He points his finger at me.

Then all of a sudden a dozen darts appear out of nowhere and are seen flying towards me. I didn't see the darts fast enough to dodge them.

'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok', 'thok'

We hear screams from many people. Some people yell for justice.

We hear Ruald laughing as well, "Hah, hah, hah ...”

In rapid succession, a dozen darts stick into my shirt and jacket and I fall down to the ground flat on my back from the combined force. This causes me to lose my breath a bit.

Sir Halgren stands on guard looking everywhere. Then everyone else looks around, including the ones on the stage.

Then Sir Trenton kneels down by my side and some fairies come forward. "Are you all right?"

I speak in a low voice so that they can only hear during the screams. I breathe with some short breaths while I answer him. "It was the force ... pant... pant... of the hits that knocked me down...pant...pant... The idea worked Sir Trenton.... pant... pant... Fairies, tell Croin and two other dragons to be ready ... pant... pant... with a loud shriek like a sea bird... pant... pant... the assassins have to be in this room in the Ethereal Space.... pant... pant... I will give the signal."

"We understand."

The fairies fly up and whisper into Croin's ear and a dragon on both sides of him. They nod their heads up and down.

Sir Trenton and Sir Krellen help me get up. I lean on them to speak and to catch my breath. The people begin to get quiet to hear me, presumably with my last breath.

"... pant... pant... There's only one thing I have to say to you Ruald ... pant... pant... before I lie down."

"You will be dead within the mark. What can you say that will change that?"

"Croin, Now!!"

Ruald looks up at Croin, "What?"

"With pleasure, Richard." Croin and the two dragons take in a big breath and each let out a loud shriek, "Shhhhhrriiii-eee-eee-eeee-eee-ee-eeek!!!" It begins to reverberate throughout the Grand Hall. Everybody holds their ears to muffle it and some people begin to scream. They try to withstand it as it seeps into their brains. The walls vibrate, but they hold the dome up.

Soon everyone sees in the air twelve knights each on a separate wizard's back like riding a horse, appearing in the air above us and flying about.

The dragons stop the 'shriek' when they appear and smiles.

“That felt good Agaroan and Blacklaw.”

“Yes it did, Croin.”

“It is nice to deliver some pain again, but this time for the right reason.”

The dragons look at each other and smile.

The twenty-four men begin to fall to the ground with hands to their ears and screaming in pain.

"Arrghh!!!"

"My ears!"

"My head hurts!"

"The pain!"

"Help me! I'm falling!"

Quickly, the military units and centaurs move into place to catch them. Some of the smaller dragons fly up and catch some of them on their backs and bring them down. Other military units come up and take them into custody as well.

Once calm has returned to the crowd after a quarter-mark to get the ringing to die down in everybody ears. We hear Ruald yelling and looking around as his secret force is revealed. He then looks at Richard.

"What? How...how...?”

"It happened on the way here yesterday. I was flying in the Ethereal Space with my group. Renard had to avoid a group of sea birds to prevent us from dropping into the ocean. The birds sensed us and shrieked at us real loud, it really got into my brain to distract my concentration."

"So you had Croin, Agaroan and Blacklaw to do that?"

"That's right, Ruald. Oh and one more thing. What was in the balloon that you gave me besides animal blood?"

"It had a drop of sea dragon blood. Why?"

"Hmm... I was wondering why the strong taste. That had no effect on me at all. I have no urge to kill anyone at all or eat wild animal meat. It took centuries and thousands of years for a lot of people on my world to learn how not to kill other people or wild animals needlessly. I can kill if I wish. But, I don't want to. I have the mental tools in me to keep it in check. I was taught by my parents while growing up to eat the right foods and to try and listen to the Maker's voice whenever possible."

Sir Trenton speaks, "Richard guessed that he could be a target. He requested a breast and back plate to be made for him. There is one underneath his shirt."

I lift up my shirt half way to show it to him.

"Sir Trenton I need to take this off now. Please be careful with the darts."

"Yes Richard. Sir Krellen, will you please help me?"

~~~000~~~

Well done Richard. That's an excellent guess. I'm sure that idea is from your own world. Corrbas smiles widely as he sees Ruald being thwarted again.

~~~000~~~

They put some gloves on and remove the darts hanging on my shirt and jacket. They take off my jacket, and then I lift my arms as Sir Trenton and Sir Krellen lift my shirt off carefully. Once off, they fold the shirt up to secure the darts in the jacket. They also wiped the breast plate clean of any liquid found on it. They see a group of twelve nicks in the center of the breast plate about a hand width in diameter.

Ruald stands there dumb -founded with his mouth open as he sees me wearing a brand new breast and back plate. I smile back at him and begin to laugh.

Then laughter begins to spread throughout the Grand Hall.

Then King Dryden raises his hand, the crowd quiets down. He steps forward and speaks. "If you had spread that sickness to us; all hope for our world is lost. Our world will be like Earth."

"But, but the magic. We still have that!"

"I don't think so, Ruald. Ruald try to elevate me and move me down to the main floor."

"Sure. I can do that." Ruald spreads out his palms towards me and recites the elevation spell.

"I'm not moving, Ruald. You're not trying hard enough!"

Ruald gets mad and tries to concentrate real hard. Sweat appears on his brow. He recites the words again.

I don't move again.

"I don't get it. What's going on? I'm the most powerful wizard on Twainor!"

King Dryden steps forward, "I think I know what Richard is trying to say here. Because of your arrogance in trying get people sick and making them think they are stronger. You've also caused them to lose their ability to do magic when eating the meat and drinking the blood of wild animals. In effect the magic is removed by your own doing."

"No, that is not possible! Noooo....!" He slumps his shoulders a bit as he looks down at the floor in defeat.

Then the others who have eaten the wild animals in Maranelle Kingdom realized they will lose it as well. They begin to get mad at Ruald.

"That's what you meant the first day we met in Thryson Kingdom, Richard. If you had magic on your world, it was probably removed somehow."

"Yes King Tierion, it is possible. But I still need to check the history books any way." I nod my head to him and he nods his head as well as we smile at each other.

I still have two more tricks up my sleeve. Then Ruald feels embolden now to shout out a proclamation. "I will still spread the power of the blood. Thirty days from now you will all be like me."

"I don't think so, Ruald. We received a message from a servant in your Kingdom yesterday."

"A servant, where is he? So that I can spit upon him and curse him!"

A hooded man walks through the crowds and walks up onto the stage. His King and Queen come to the center of the stage to stand by him. He takes off his robe and hands it to his king. Belisar and Sir Peridan stand by him as well. The servant turns and smiles.

"YOU!!! Curse you Corrbas!! Curse you all!!"

"I don't think so, Ruald. Your reign of terror ends here and now. You have cursed yourself and the others for the last one hundred and fifty years.
Belisar and Sir Peridan were hoping to find someone among the Outside Helpers to warn King Dryden quickly." Corrbas turns to me, "Was it you, Richard?"

Belisar, Sir Peridan, Sir Halgren and I nod our heads in acknowledgment. Corrbas nods his head as well and smiles. He turns and faces Ruald again.

"Many days ago before the arrival of the Outside Helpers, I heard rumors that people will be sick after the noon repast is served today. I relayed that concern to Belisar and Sir Peridan so that they can tell someone. Which in turn that person would relay the message to their Wizard and King hopefully. Sir Trenton found me outside and I confirmed the story with him. He also told me that King Tierion and King Dryden know as well."

"Corrbas, may I?"

"Yes King Dryden."

"We went into the kitchen and found the servants you put in the kitchen and they were removed. We also found the blood jars this morning. All food in the kitchen was sent to the Fire Mountains to be destroyed. The Master Chef is starting over from scratch."

"ARRRGGGGH!!!" He lunges forward.

"Restrain him!"

Several guards and military units come up and hold him in place.

"Wizard Eldwin, do you have the sea tooth?"

"Yes I do Corrbas. Let me get it out." He takes the bag out of his satchel; he recites the spell to remove the seal on the bag. He opens the bag and takes out the crystal and hands it to Corrbas. He takes out the wrapped sea tooth and recites the spell to remove the covering to reveal the sea tooth and hands it to him.

"When I saw you act with no control one day. I began to investigate you and your past. I saw you holding a jar one day that you would not let anyone see. I had to find it. So I devised a plan to retrieve it. One day after a wizard in training class, you left quickly to go back to your room. Once your hand touched the door knob, you began to fall asleep. In your drowsiness you opened your prize jar and fell to the floor. Your face was very pale."

"Grrrr...."

"Sir Peridan took my pen knife and dipped it into the green blood. We heard the dragons roar in the distance. I sealed it in a box. The roars continued until you woke up and cleaned up the mess and sealed the jar properly. The next day we found a fresh carcass of a wild animal near the castle. Sir Peridan and I knew it had to be your doing. I began to study the green blood. Every time I unsealed the box, I hear the dragons on the islands roar in rage. I resealed the box, and then I remember the stories of the fishing fleets. I began to suspect just like Richard that it could be sea dragons."

Corrbas turns to me. "I was hoping one of the Outside Helpers would guess what was going on so long ago; especially when I put the sea tooth into your pocket yesterday."

We both nod our heads to each other and raise them up. We smile at each other.

Corrbas faces Ruald again, "I asked the dragons on Maranelle Island what color is their blood. When they told me it was green that confirmed my suspicions. The First Ones on the Maranelle Islands have been in hiding ever since. The people live in fear because of your deeds Ruald. I transported to the islands out West and found this tooth lying on a sandy beach. This is a sea dragon's tooth." He holds the tooth out for all to see.

Soon we hear some 'gasps' throughout the Grand Hall.

"Inside this tooth is the knife point dipped in sea dragon's blood which is now dry. Sir Peridan broke it off for me and to help hide my crystal inside the tooth."

We hear some mumbling of voices and some growling stomachs with smoke coming from dragons nostrils. They immediately calm down on their own. The dragons stare down at Ruald with a grimace for revenge.

Ruald looks at the dragons and gets nervous and tries to swallow some air in his throat, "Gulp."

"When I heard about the coming of the Emissaries and the Outside Helpers, I knew this would be my chance to set things straight. This sphere contains a copy of all my studies and proof that it was you who caused the war. It confirms what our former Master Wizard found decades earlier before he disappeared. His body was never found."

King Dryden speaks up, "We know how to find the people that you infected Ruald. Richard told us they will have the smell of blood in their breaths. They will smell like wild animals. Fairies go find the guilty ones now!!"

All of the fairies begin flying around until they find them. The hover above them and point them out. All of them are in the Maranelle Island Kingdom section.

King Hilmar and Queen Mirielle look with sad faces as they see their friends with the sickness.

"I'm so sorry my friends. We will have to search our kingdom and find the rest that you infected with this sickness. I knew there was something wrong in the kingdom when I saw the many carcasses lying about in various places. I had Legion Commander Jakan make sure as many of the royal court and the castle lords are safe. He is disappointed as well to see that he will lose his Army and Navy commanders as well."

"What are you talking about? Lose us?" The Army and Navy Commanders and some Castle Lords cry out for mercy.

"Guards, let us get reorganized. Go and quickly apprehend the ones the fairies pointed to and bring them forward. Everyone else back to their seats please."

Everybody goes back to their seats and bring order to the Grand Hall. King Hilmar and King Dryden remain standing on the stage.

The guilty ones are brought up.

"Fairies, I see the twelve wizards who bore the twelve assassins are not here."

"Yes King Dryden. I heard one of them speak. They were forced to do this."

"Is this true, Mystic Order of the Maranelle Kingdom?"

One of the twelve wizards stands and speaks, "It is true King Dryden and King Hilmar. We were forced to do this. They're holding our families hostage back home. We refused to eat the wild animal meat. We were told by Corrbas that there are at least twenty families that have the sickness there. Some are ready to bear young babes."

I should have made Corrbas disappear as well when I had the chance. Grrrr....

"What?"

King Dryden turns and sees my face and understands my question on what I said earlier this morning. He turns to Master Eldwin. "We need to get those people as well and bring them to judgment."

"Yes, my Lord."

"Judgment, we didn't kill anybody King Dryden?"

King Hilmar speaks up, "You're wrong, Ruald. I have the proof that it was you who kidnapped our Master Wizard to gain his seat so long ago. Our Master Wizard put his last message into a crystal sphere. He had his suspicions that it was you that started the lies to start the war. You are guilty for causing their deaths. He found a way to record your actions for several years. He gave me the instructions where to find these crystal spheres. They're in safe keeping."

"I... I..."

"Shut up, Ruald."

Ruald gets quiet and closes his mouth. He looks down in defeat again.

"Guards we need to take these people and put them in cells below until we get the other twenty families or anybody else there."

They stand at attention. "Yes, my Lord."

"Then when we have them all together; the sentence will be given upon agreement by the twelve Kings."

"Have mercy upon us, King Dryden!"

"We have not killed anyone."

"I'm sorry. The male servant who was found in the kitchen just tried to kill one of the fairies of Avel when he was pointed out."

"Gasp!" is heard throughout the Grand Hall.

"Just like Richard said. You do not have the mental tools to keep the rage under control. The other problem is that those twenty families will bear children who will then spread that sickness among the rest of us. What was the phrase you said Richard?"

"It will spread like wild fire. Future generations from now, all of Twainor will lose all ability to perform the magic on Twainor. Your crystal lights and spheres will remain dark. You will have to resort to the flame of the candle and a fire in the hearth to be warm."

Then Tek steps forward, "You will have to create unique inventions to use the crystal lights and spheres again despite the effect of the Ethereal Space. You will never be able to transport by magic ever again. It could be centuries or a thousand years before you have some sort of comfort in the homes."

"You will have to rely on your hands to make things for yourself," speaks up Iulia.

Belisar speaks up, "Your laws will constantly change to keep the peace. You will need to resolve arguments before war erupts again."

Then the people yell out loud, "No! We must not lose what the Maker
has given us."

"Tell us what to do, Kings and Queens of Twainor!"

King Dryden raises his hand to quiet the people. "We will discuss this and more. Hopefully you will have our decision before the Outside Helpers leave tomorrow or the next day. Guards take the guilty ones below now and lock them up. If they resist, have them put to sleep so they won't hurt themselves."

"Yes, King Dryden."

The guards with the help of the military of Angathorn Kingdom escort the guilty ones down below. A lot of people curse Ruald as he walks by. He looks down in defeat.

Once they all left, the people of Twainor breathe a sigh of relief and look up in hope.

"King Dryden."

"Yes, King Hilmar."

"I think it is best that we get the families in my kingdom now before they disperse themselves."

"I agree, King Hilmar. Then we'll have the noon repast."

"Wizards and Sorceresses of Maranelle Islands please come forward."

Twelve or so come forward and stand before King Hilmar.

"Take the fairies here with you and quickly search out the families who are sick. Take them to the holding cells in Maranelle Castle to keep until we decide what to do next. You know some will protest. But try to explain what is going on. If they resist, you have my permission to put them to sleep."

They all bow their heads. All of the fairies come up as well to offer the help.

"Fairies don't worry about the dead wild animals that you come across. I will have a group of knights and fairies from Maranelle Island Kingdom to find them and bury them on the spot. Only a few of the older skeletons will be left seen on the roads as a reminder what Ruald did."

The fairies nod their heads and smile.

"King Dryden."

"Yes, Avel."

"Remembered what the fairies did after locating the three servants in kitchen?"

King Dryden smiles, "Thank you for reminding me Avel. Fairies once the task is done you may go and get yourself cleaned up."

The fairies spin in happiness and fly in circles and cheered. "Can we use your private garden again?"

"I don't see why not. That way there will be no prying eyes. The unicorns will be there as well to watch over."

"Can Clarissa come too with a friend?"

"Sure, that can be arranged."

~~~000~~~

In another part of the Grand Castle there are screams of joy heard.

"I can't believe it! I'm going to help the fairies again. Come Lorraine
you're helping me."

"I can come?"

"Yes, you will love the experience. You will remember it forever. We must get a lot of towels and soaps with flower scents when they come here."

"Yes, let's get ready Clarissa. There must be forty of them; this is going to be fun. We'll need several baskets to carry the bath items."

The two girls stand up and curtsey to the ladies of the Court. The ladies bow their heads as well and smile at the two girls.

"Go, you two. Go and get ready. Be sure to tell us all about it."

"We will my ladies. Thank you." The girls turn and giggle as they try to contain their excitement. They practically run when they leave the room, giggling as they close the door.

The ladies giggle as well. They know this will be an experience they will never forget.

~~~000~~~

The fairies cheer again. Everyone else in the Grand Hall laugh as they see the fairies become joyful.

"All right fairies, pick your partners and team up with a wizard or a sorceress. Come back safely."

"Yes, King Dryden." The fairies sit on the shoulders of the wizards and sorceresses. They put their hands out and recite the transportation spell. They disappear in a flash of light.

Then King Dryden speaks, "Hopefully, that won't take too long. While they're doing that; we need to tie up some loose ends from the inquiry."

"King Tierion and Queen Shiranna please come up here and join me. We need all twelve Port Governors and twelve Sea Captains to come up as well.

King Tierion and Queen Shiranna stand up and walk up to the stage and stand by King Dryden and King Hilmar.

All twelve Port Governors and Sea Captains come up as well and stand on the main floor before the stage in a row.

"I want you all up here for a reason. You saw what happened here earlier. We all have responsibilities that are important for the welfare of Twainor. We now have proof that sea dragons exist on Twainor. Do you all agree to that?"

"Yes, King Dryden."

"I will be honest with you, I didn't know about this possibility until King Tierion and Queen Shiranna told me yesterday. King Tierion, will you please explain what happened in your kingdom when Richard arrived on his first day?"

"Yes King Dryden. When Richard arrived, Renard began gathering information about Richard, his world and where he came from. Once Richard heard the story of our first war, he provided some insight on a possible cause that we did not think about. What made me most upset was the fact that the sinking of the ships was not investigated properly in the first place, we relied on word of mouth only. Richard also mentioned the possibility of his world having a connection with Twainor through the First Ones. I knew then that Richard is special. Just like today, we had an inquiry in Thryson Kingdom yesterday."

King Tierion motions for Drenan and Logrin to step forward. "What were your reactions when Richard announced his conclusion?"

"It was the same as the six kingdoms who came forward my Lord."

"Yes, Drenan. We were very mad. We could not believe that an Outside Helper would know something about our world when he was never here."

"But, when we heard the arguments that Richard does not know everything in his oceans. Plus, the possibility of getting strange catches in the nets."

"We then accepted his proposal that we don't know our own world as well. Like Richard and King Dryden said earlier, it is important to know your world."

I turn and smile to the other Outside Helpers sitting next to me. They smile back as well.

"Then we apologized to King Tierion for being hasty in our decision and sought forgiveness."

Then the other eleven Port Governors and Sea Captains 'gasp' and realize what is needed. So do everyone else in the Grand Hall.

King Tierion turns to me, "Richard, please come forward."

Sir Halgren and I both stand up. Sir Halgren follows me to the front part of the stage. We stand to the left of King Tierion and Queen Shiranna. We smile at each other with pride.

"Drenan and Logrin, what did I say after you apologized to me?"

"We must ask for forgiveness from Richard as well. He challenged us if we knew our world. His stories confirmed that anything is possible in our oceans and with our world."

Then the most incredible scene I ever see happens before my eyes. Everybody stands, every man and woman in the Grand Hall bow before me. Including the other Outside Helpers and their escorts, even the Kings and Queens. The First Ones look around and see what is happening and smile.

They all say it at the same time. "Please forgive us Richard."

"I...I..." I start to shed a tear, "Please arise everybody." Everybody rises up and looks at me. "I ... I ... f.for..for...g..give ...you...all." I begin to shed some more tears and my knees buckle from the emotional outburst. Sir Halgren eases me down onto my knees. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna come around and try to comfort me like parents would.

Queen Shiranna asks, "What is wrong?"

"It is like the time... sniff... with my brothers ... sniff... but on a world scale now. Renard knows the story."

"Renard, will you please come up here."

"Yes, King Tierion."

Renard walks up onto the stage. "Richard said this is just like the time with his brothers but it is on a world scale now. Do you remember the story?"

"I do, my King." Renard looks at me, "Do you want me to tell the story, Richard?"

I nod my head up and down. I'm try to regain control, but I cry some more. It is so overwhelming. The whole world is asking for my forgiveness.

Then I hear a voice in my head.

Now you know how I feel sometimes, my chosen one.

Renard turns and faces everyone. "Richard has two older brothers in his family. When he was six years old, his brothers never gave him respect. They would come into his room and take things without his knowledge. But he knew they did. He did not have the proof. So he asked his parents for help. They lent him a recording device like how we use our crystal spheres. The device he used recorded anyone who came into his room. He recorded everything that happened for thirty days."

"Once done, he presented his proof to his parents. His parents were not happy how the brothers treated him. For punishment, the brothers were sent to their room for an entire month and their allowance was given to Richard for that period."

"Gasp."

"Needless to say, the brothers did come around and apologized for their behavior. In time, the family relationships healed and they became a loving family. The irony of it is this. Because of this event, the Maker led him in this direction for his specialty to be in computers and security."

"I think Richard became overwhelmed when all of Twainor sought forgiveness at once. I too, would feel overwhelmed if it happened to me. In time his heart will heal. He will become stronger. We have Richard's word that he forgave us. We should be thankful the Maker sent Richard to us."

Then shouts of praise are heard throughout in the Grand Hall.

"Thank you ,Maker!"

"Thank you for the Twin Moons!"

"Thank you for Twainor!"

"Thank you for Earth!"

"Thank you for the Outside Helpers!"

"Thank you for the First Ones!"

On and on it went.

I begin to feel lighter as I hear the praise. I look at King Tierion and Queen Shiranna and smile. "Thanks. I feel much better."

"Can you stand, Richard?"

"I think I can now my Lord and Lady."

They stand with their arms down for me take a hold of. With Sir Halgren's help I am lifted to my feet. King Tierion and Queen Shiranna hug me. King Tierion holds out the medallion. I bow my head to receive it again. I raise my head up and smile again.

Then I hear the crowd roar with applause and cheer. I dab my eyes with a clean part of my handkerchief. I need to get another one, yuck. I smile to them all and begin to laugh. Everyone else laughs as well while they continue to cheer and clap their hands. The other Outside Helpers come up and gather around me and hug me.

Then I hear my name chanted from Thryson Kingdom. Soon everybody else in the Grand Hall begins to chant my name. "Richard, Richard, Richard!"

I begin to look embarrassed. After awhile I raise my hand like King Dryden to quiet the crowd. I look at the other Outside Helpers and the escorts. "Quickly, like we chanted earlier this morning."

We all get in a circle and face each other. We begin to chant several times.

"We are the Outside Helpers of Twainor. We are united!"

"We are the escorts of Twainor. We are united!"

Everyone in the Grand Hall cheers. We array ourselves in a line across the stage and take a bow.

Then in the open space on the main floor, we see the wizards and sorceresses from Maranelle Islands appearing. We all get quiet as they arrange themselves before the stage. King Hilmar steps forward to stand by King Dryden.

Then the people in the Grand Hall notices something is not right about them. The Port Governors and Sea Captains immediately distance themselves from the group. People begin to hold their noses and murmur among themselves when they smell the stench.

"What happened on the islands? Why do you smell so bad?"

"We're sorry my Lord. Some of the families we found are living in unclean conditions with no care for themselves or others. The villages and towns evicted them to live elsewhere."

A sorceress steps forward. "King Hilmar, once we found the dirtiest ones. We tried to wash them up and change their clothes, but they still stink like animals. It is a terrible odor."

"We found wives getting ready to bear children my Lord."

"When they asked us why they couldn't do the magic anymore. We told them what Ruald did and the stories we heard here."

"Yes, they became dismayed, sad and some even became angry when they learned what they lost."

"They are seeking mercy and not to be sent too far away from their relatives."

"Richard, is there anything we can do here?"

"There is always a solution, but..."

Tek intervenes, "King Dryden, if you please. I have a suggestion."

"Yes Tek, what is it?"

"Since Richard has done much for Twainor so far. Please have the rest of the Outside Helpers use their special abilities to help you. We will investigate your world and provide ideas so that the odor and pollution can be taken care of properly. It is more than just sending it to the Fire Mountains."

Chls speaks up, "Because if this is not cleaned up then a disease will be invited that you are not prepared for. You will be at wit’s end testing your herbs or trying to find new ones to combat the new illnesses. The ones who do survive will pass the cure on to their children for the next generation and live."

King Dryden turns to the Twelve Kingdoms of Twainor and asks the question, "Do we accept their help, Twainor?"

Everybody stands and shouts with a loud affirmation, "Yes, we accept the Outside Helpers’ assistance."

"Thank you, Twainor. First things first, fairies, you may go to the private garden and get clean. Unicorns you may go with them. Guards, make sure they arrive safely with Clarissa and her friend that she chose to help."

"Yes, my Lord."

Four guards stand attention and escort the unicorns and the fairies to the private garden.

"What of us, King Hilmar and King Dryden?"

"You may go ahead and change clothes so that you can get clean as well. King Dryden, can they go to one of the local public baths here in Angathorn Kingdom?”

"Yes King Hilmar." King Dryden looks at the wizards and sorceresses, "Let the public bath owner know I'm paying for the services." Sir Dryden reaches into his pocket and takes out a bag of coins.

"King Dryden, allow me to pay for half at least."

"Thank you, King Hilmar."

They both walk down to the wizards and sorceresses and hands each them a double silver coin. "Here, this should do it for each of you and to get your clothes cleaned. If they ask for more, please let me know."

"Thank you, King Dryden and King Hilmar, we can make up the difference if they ask for more."

"I will speak to the Master Chef about the possible delay when you come back for the noon repast. We'll deal with the families after wards."

"Thank you again King Dryden." The wizards and sorceresses put their hands out and recite the transport spell and disappear in a blink of an eye.
"While they are doing that we can end the morning events and get ready for the noon repast. Kings and Queens of Twainor can we gather up here on the stage for a quick consultation before we break for the noon repast?"

"Yes, King Dryden," come the response from all.

"We'll start in a half a mark from now in the Grand Dining Room. Chamberlain if you please."

"Yes, my Lord. This concludes the Inquiry for Sea Dragons on Twainor." The Chamberlain taps his staff twice on the stage real loud for all to hear.

Then everybody begins to come down from the stage and in the kingdom sections and they all mingle together greeting each other.

Once I walk down onto the main floor, I’m quickly surrounded by people who put a hand onto my shoulder and thank me personally or a hug from the ladies. This is nice, Maker. It feels good to be appreciated.

Corrbas makes his way to me. We begin to laugh with what we share in common.

"Why did you choose me, Corrbas, to receive the sea dragon tooth? You had eleven other Outside Helpers to choose from."

"It helps to be a Fairy Friend. I ask the fairies for their help before I arrived here. Especially to relay any news about the Outside Helpers and their background once they appeared in the pavilions. Your background was the only one that intrigued me to trust your insight and possible connection to the First Ones."

"I see, so our arrival provided the best opportunity to rein in Ruald."

"That is right Richard. Is it that bad on your world with this sickness?"

"Yes, the potential is always there. Because it is in our blood from generation to generation it can happen to anybody. It depends how they are raised by their parents and the friends they have, they can be good people or bad. Ruald told a lie and caused thousands to die for your first war."

"How do you control the rage?"

"Well eating like you do here helps. Plus, we must constantly seek new herbs on our world to help fight any new sickness that comes about. Even rare flowers have proven to be helpful. But the trick is calming the spirit so you can live a meaningful life. There are various groups that seek the Maker's voice. There are some nations that do not provide the choice. They have leaders such as Ruald who want to rule with an iron hand."

"So, if the people don't rise up to remove them, are they stuck with them until they pass away?"

"The problem is that the leadership will surround themselves with like minded people to keep the subjugation for generations until the government implodes from within. They get richer while everyone else becomes poorer. There is always hope the people choose wise leaders."

"Yes, that is sound advice Richard."

"Be glad you are at this stage to stop this sickness now. Your healers will be at wits end trying to figure out the new illnesses that will afflict them in future generations if not stopped. Plus, your abilities to do magic will end. Do you have a mild sickness that comes around once a year no matter how hard you try to combat it?"

"We do, Richard. Usually it is bed rest and eating fruits or drinking fruit juices help the most and some hot soup."

"That's good for starters. It is the same for us. The hot soup is very
helpful. It should be a mild spice vegetable soup with some pieces of cooked bird meat as an option. Some might feel a hotter spice will end it quicker. It is great for cold days to stay warm as well. However, there will be some years when it will be stronger than others. The body does a remarkable job to heal itself, but it does need help once in awhile."

"I see, thanks for the tip Richard. Once I saw you in action against Ruald, I knew you were the right one to stand up to him."

"Thanks, Corrbas. We better get walking to the Grand Dining Room or we can be out here talking most of the day."

"I'm sure we can," he smiles at me. "But Tek is right; we need to use their assistance to give us ideas how to clean up this filth that some of these families created."

"It will be a good lesson for everyone on Twainor. Now we just need to figure out how to contact the sea dragons so that peace can be made with them."

"I agree, Richard. With the rage we saw today from the dragons here, it will be hundred times worse with the sea dragons."

"That is probably right. See you later today, Corrbas. Thank you for your perseverance. It is nice talking to you."

"You too, Richard; see you later."

We nod our heads at the same time and smile. We continue walking with the others as we walk to the Grand Dining room.

I wouldn't be surprised if the common cold is similar throughout the galaxy. I'm sure the dwarves brought it here.

Other people continue greeting me as we walk together out of the Grand Hall.

~~~000~~~

The Kings and Queens walk forward and step up to the stage for a quick meeting.

"What is this about, King Dryden?"

"Lord Beltrane, each of our Outside Helpers has offered their services to help us understand what is going on the Maranelle Islands. If we can understand this sickness that Ruald has done we have a chance to keep our magic on Twainor."

"I agree, Lord Dryden. These people who have the sickness must not spread it to the rest of us or all is lost. I am most disturbed on the report of this filthiness that happened."

"That's true, Lord Hilmar. It seems the best solution is to isolate them on an island where they can live out the rest of their lives."

"I agree, Lord Quentin. But for Ruald he needs the severest penalty."

"I was thinking of exiling him on those islands out West. He only has another ten years or so to live before he passes away. Richard made a suggestion to have him stare in his eyes and Avel's eyes and see if this is future he wants."

"How can we do that? Is there a way to transfer those memories to him?"

"I don't know, Lord Keltan. It would be nice if there is a way. He will have nightmares every night which I am hoping he will have."

"What about the sea dragons? How are we going to contact them and make peace with them?"

"Are any of the Outside Helpers from a water world like Richard's?"

"My Outside Helper's world is about half and half. But nowhere near like Richard's or ours."

"Same here, King Dryden."

The other Kings and Queens agree as well.

"That's interesting to take note of."

"Maybe we can ask Richard if he has any ideas, Lord Dryden. He has been correct about our world because of his experience with his world."

"Does everyone agree to that and ask Richard?"

All of the Kings and Queens say, "Yes."

"I would like to see these sea dragons today. It should be early morning there if we leave here in a few marks."

"Let's plan for now that we meet here at the Third Mark here in the Grand Hall after the noon repast."

The other Kings and Queens agree as well. "Yes then we have some time to decide who will be with us when we go."

"Is that a good plan everyone?"

"Aye."

"Yes."

Everyone responds favorably.

"Good, that concludes what I wanted to discuss for now. Let's go enjoy the noon repast and the masterpiece that my Master Chef has served up for us."

Then all of the Kings and Queens laugh as they break apart and gather together in the Grand Dining Room.