The Sacred Tree was different from any other tree that Kristina, Davina, or Hester had ever seen, and though its shape was very similar to that of an oak tree, it was much larger than even the largest one on Earth. It was made out of a vibrant, shimmering crystal, and it had many, many limbs and many, many branches on the limbs. Its branches reached so high up into the sky that they could not tell where they ended. The tree shined like the sun in the sky, but it was different than the sun because it didn’t hurt their eyes when they gazed upon it.
“Can we go up to it?” Kristina asked Werrien, excitedly.
“Maybe Graham’s up there, waiting for us,” Hester said enthusiastically.
“Let’s go,” Werrien said.
They made their way back up the mountain, this time with ease, for the biggest obstacles in their way were only small brooks created by the melted snow. On their way up, they noticed that the closer they got to the Sacred Tree, the greener and fresher the grass became.
“Look at the grass. It’s sprouting up everywhere,” Kristina said, amazed by the sight of it.
“And look at the little red flowers growing all around us,” Davina said excitedly.
“It’s the fairy blossoms.”
The fairy blossoms were growing all around them before their eyes. Other plants and flowers began to grow, too, and by the time they all reached the base of the Sacred Tree, the mountainside was covered in stunningly beautiful wildflowers of whole ranges of colors. The tree itself gave off warmth, and it brought about a feeling of utter joy and happiness.
As the group stood beneath it, they suddenly found themselves become very happy, and smiles came across all their faces—all except for Hester’s.
“Maybe Graham somehow escaped out the back of the cave. Once the cave started crumbling, I remember seeing a small hole with light shining through it from outside,” Kristina said to Hester, trying to be optimistic.
“There is one positive side to not finding him up here. At least we haven’t found him dead,” Davina said bluntly.
The longer they all stood under the tree, the more joyful they became, even Hester. Then, as if from hearing a hilarious joke, Retzel began to laugh. And then Werrien, seeing how funny Retzel’s face looked when he laughed, also began to laugh, and soon after that, they all found themselves laughing, including Hester. Raymond joined in and became so excited that he leaped off Retzel’s shoulder and bounded happily over the lush green grass. Davina became so joyful that she forgot about the pain from the cut on her leg. She even tried to do a cartwheel, but being not very coordinated, she ended up falling before she finished it. When she got up, she was amazed to see that her leg was completely healed. “Look, everyone! My leg is better!” she said amazed.
“That’s because you fell in a cluster of fairy blossoms,” Ugan said.
While everyone was frolicking and having fun, they were suddenly interrupted by a familiar caw. They saw Roage, flying high above them in the bright blue sky. He glided down slowly and landed on a branch of the Sacred Tree.
It’s good to see you, Roage. Come down and join us,” Werrien called up to the raven.
Roage cawed loudly again and then left the tree branch. They watched as he glided down effortlessly with his wings stretched fully out. It seemed he was going to make a landing on the other side of the tree, so Werrien and Kristina quickly went to the other side to greet him.
38
When Werrien and Kristina reached the other side of the Sacred Tree, they found Roage standing on the ground under it.
“The spell has been broken, Roage,” Werrien said excitedly to the raven.
“Yes, it has,” Roage agreed. He stretched out his wings as far as they would possibly stretch and began to flap them vigorously. They moved so fast that they became a blur.
“What is he doing?” Kristina asked Werrien.
“I’m not sure,” Werrien answered.
As Roage continued to flap his wings, his form suddenly began to change. His neck stretched longer, and his body grew much larger and taller. His wings began to change into the form of human arms, and at the tips of the wings, human hands began to emerge. His thin, scaly legs grew longer and larger, and his talons changed into human feet. Last of all, his face changed into that of a man’s face. Werrien looked at the man Roage was turning into, and when his face was fully formed, Werrien suddenly recognized him.
“Father?” Werrien gasped.
“Werrien, my son,” his father, King Warren, responded. He held out his arms and Werrien ran and embraced him.
“I thought you were dead.”
“Oh, no, I’ve been under a spell that was cast upon me.”
“So Roage was actually you?” Werrien was amazed by the reality of it.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but yes. I was turned into a raven many years ago, when you were a very small boy.”
“I guess that explains why you were such a great help to us.”
“I wanted to help you even more, but I was so limited, being a raven. I’m just glad that I planted the gold case in the trunk of the tree before the spell was cast upon me.”
“I wondered how Roage knew about the gold case.”
Suddenly, they heard a loud howl, and they turned to see the wolf. As it trotted toward them, it, too, began to change into a man.
“Uncle Corin?” Werrien said.
Corin walked up to them, and father, son, and uncle embraced.
While they talked, Kristina stood nearby, waiting. King Warren glanced over at her. “Come here, Kristina,” he said to her.
Kristina felt nervous about meeting King Warren because of the times she had been short-tempered with Roage.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.” King Warren warmly offered his hand to shake.
As Kristina shook King Warren’s hand, she noticed that Werrien looked very much like him and that they both had the same hair color, blue-green eyes, and very similar facial features.
“It’s very nice to meet you, too,” Kristina said shyly, avoiding eye contact.
“I’m sorry, but is something the matter?” King Warren noticed her apprehensiveness.
“I feel that I need to apologize for not being so nice to you, when you were a raven.”
“Well, let me tell you what I think. If I had to go through what you went through, I would have acted no differently than you did.” King Warren had a serious yet kind look on his face.
Kristina could tell that King Warren was a good-hearted man, and so she began to feel more at ease. While they conversed, Ugan, Retzel, Davina, Hester, and Raymond came to their side of the tree.
“What are you two up to? You’ve been gone a long time.” Raymond bounded over the grass toward them.
“Hey, guys, I want you to meet Werrien’s father, King Warren, and his uncle Corin,” Kristina said to all of them.
After everyone was introduced, Kristina explained to King Warren and Corin that while they were escaping the cave, Graham went in the opposite direction and never made it out with them.
“I’m worried he might be dead,” Hester said nervously.
“When I was still Roage, I soared high above this mountain, and I saw all of you escaping. Unfortunately, I also saw Sentiz escaping down the backside of the mountain as the cave began to break apart. There were others with her, but I couldn’t quite make out who they were due to the dust and debris that filled the air and flowed over them.”
“Do you think Graham may have been one of the others?”
“It’s quite possible, but if he was, I don’t know which would be worse—his dying in the cave or escaping with her.”
They decided to head down the mountain, and this time, all that surrounded them was lush green grass, wildflowers, little brooks, busy bees, and butterflies that flew in and out of the flowers—a very nice contrast to the cold, treacherous, icy slopes. It was such a lovely hike that even Hester seemed to forget about Graham for the time being.
When they ne
ared the bottom, they could see a large crowd waiting to greet them. There were many gnomes, dwarfs, fairies, and animals, all cheering. Some were holding small children on their shoulders, and others held poles with brightly colored streamers, which they waved back and forth. Others enthusiastically waved their arms in the air. They were chanting “Long live the chosen one, Kristina, and long live the true prince of Bernovem, Werrien.” When they actually got close enough to see their faces, Kristina noticed Leacha standing near the front of the crowd, and not too far from her were Taysha and Lisheng. Taysha whinnied happily, and she and Lisheng trotted up the hill to meet them. They both lowered themselves down for Kristina and Werrien to climb up onto them. Werrien looked at his father to see if he and his uncle would like to have the honor of riding the horses the rest of the way down the mountain, but before he could even say anything, King Warren said, “You and Kristina best get on those horses fast. You don’t want to keep that anxious crowd waiting. We’ll do just fine walking down with the rest.”
So Werrien mounted Lisheng, and Kristina, Taysha. Then they rode down to meet the crowd. Werrien rode directly to Leacha, and when he got to where she was, he jumped down to greet her. Leacha ran toward him with tears in her eyes and her arms open wide. “My dear child, I’m so glad you returned safely and in one piece!” She squeezed him tight.
“And I’m so glad to see that you are well also.” Werrien returned the embrace.
When Leacha finished embracing Werrien, she turned to Kristina and embraced her as well. “Our little chosen one! My, what a brave girl you have been.” She smiled so hard that her eyes disappeared into the folds of her fat cheeks. “Did the fairy blossom come in handy?” she whispered into her ear.
“If I hadn’t had it, we probably wouldn’t have made it back.” Kristina returned the embrace.
“I’m so glad I was able to give it to you.” Leacha beamed happily.
King Warren, Corin, Davina, Hester, Ugan, and Retzel, with Raymond sitting on his shoulder, joined Werrien and Kristina, and when the crowd found out that King Warren was back, they went wild with happy cheers, hollers, and hoots. Then a certain dwarf blew on a large ivory horn. The sound it made was so loud, it silenced the noisy crowd. “Make way for our queen!” the dwarf said.
Both Werrien’s and Kristina’s stomachs went queasy, for they both thought of Queen Sentiz. But from the spot where they stood, the crowd separated to form an open path, and the queen suddenly appeared. There was no need for them to worry, because it was not the horrible Sentiz but the true Queen of Bernovem, Lafinia.
“Mother!” Werrien shouted. He and his father quickly made their way toward her, and all three embraced each other.
The people in the crowd lowered themselves down on one knee, including, Kristina, Hester, and Davina.
When the three finished embracing, the crowd stood back up and cheered wildly.
Then the certain dwarf blew again on the ivory horn. “Now let us all head to the celebration!”
A beautiful horse-drawn carriage, adorned in ornate gold, appeared at the back of the crowd.
“Your coach is ready, my king, queen, and prince,” the dwarf said.
King Warren, Queen Lafinia, and Prince Werrien headed toward it. They were just about to get in it, but Werrien suddenly stopped and said, “Wait a minute. I’ll be right back.” He could see Kristina standing with Hester and Davina, and he went to her. “Come on; I want you to meet my mother.” He took her by the hand. The two of them ran back toward the horse-drawn carriage. When they arrived at it, a gnome, dressed in a purple velvet outfit with gold piping on the neck and sleeves, opened the carriage door.
Kristina went in first and when she saw Queen Lafinia sitting inside beside King Warren, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She hadn’t realized how beautiful the queen was when she’d seen her from a distance. She was slender, with long blonde hair, just like her own; strong facial features; and radiant gray-blue eyes that matched her gray-blue velvet gown with mother-of-pearl accents.
Kristina sat down across from the queen and king. Werrien entered the carriage and sat down beside Kristina.
“Mother, I’d like you to meet my friend Kristina. She’s the one who was chosen to deliver the Warble to it resting place,” Werrien said.
Queen Lafinia smiled warmly. “I am so happy to finally meet you. Our family has been waiting for many, many years for the return of the Warble, and now that it has finally come and brought peace to our land, I can be nothing but forever grateful to you.” She took Kristina’s hand, kissed it, and then she placed something in it. Kristina opened her hand to find an elegant gold necklace with a shimmering crystal attached to it.
“It’s the most beautiful necklace I have ever seen!” Kristina was dazzled by its splendor.
“It’s for a girl who is just as beautiful,” King Warren said.
The crystal glistened and sparkled just like the Sacred Tree.
“May I?” Werrien held his hand out toward her.
Kristina put the necklace in his hand. He opened its clasps and placed it around her neck. Then she held the crystal in her hand again to admire it.
“This necklace is going to take you home,” the queen said softly.
Kristina was so enthralled with the crystal’s beauty that she didn’t seem to hear what Queen Lafinia had said.
“Kristina?” Werrien gently nudged her shoulder.
Kristina took her eyes off the necklace to look at Werrien. “Yes?”
“My mother was just saying that this necklace is what is going to bring you home.” Werrien looked seriously into her eyes.
“It is?” Kristina seemed a little caught off guard by this statement. She turned her head to stare out the carriage window, and as she gazed upon the lovely green meadow they were passing, it began to sink in that her time of being in Bernovem was coming to an end. She would have to leave her newfound friend Werrien, and would never see him again. The thought caused a tear to well up in her eye and slowly trickle down the side of her nose.
“Is something the matter Kristina?” King Warren asked her.
Kristina quickly wiped the tear from her nose. “No, I was just admiring the pretty scenery.”
“It is very lovely, isn’t it,” Queen Lafinia agreed.
Kristina sniffled. “How is the necklace going to bring me home?” she asked.
“When the crystal turns a deep red, it will take you home.” The queen smiled warmly.
“And what about the others? How are they to get home?”
“They also will be given a crystal that will take them home.”
The carriage came to a sudden halt and the door swung open. Loud cheers flooded into the carriage, and the same gnome stuck his head inside. “The crowd anxiously awaits you,” he said to the four of them. As Werrien, Kristina, and the king and queen exited the carriage, they could see that the sun was receding behind Mount Bernovem, and it was a very lovely sight. “Would you please follow me?” the gnome asked Kristina.
Kristina looked to Queen Lafinia to see if this was the right thing to do. The queen nodded, and so Kristina followed the gnome. He brought her to a tent in the meadow, not far off from the crowd. When they arrived at it, he opened the door flap, bowed, and waved his hand for her to enter. Inside the tent were Bronya and Neela, busily sewing the last stitches on a beautiful fuchsia and moss-green gown. They were so busy that they didn’t even notice that Kristina had entered the tent.
“Hello,” Kristina said.
Both girls looked up, and when they saw that is was Kristina, they instantly laid the dress down on a chair and quickly went to her.
“We have just finished the dress you are to wear to the party. Come with us and try it on,” Neela said cheerfully.
Kristina’s pale-blue eyes lit up. “Party?”
“Of course!” Bronya said.
“In honor of our chosen one,” Neela said.
They helped Kristina into the dress. While Neela was fastening the back of
the bodice, Bronya brought a chair for Kristina and suggested that she sit down so that they could fix her hair. The two rosy-cheeked, plump gnome girls brushed and combed Kristina’s hair, sprayed it with herbal hair remedies, and braided parts of it, all the while discussing how lovely her blonde hair was and that any gnome girl would do practically anything to have it. Once they had her hair exactly as they wanted it, Bronya pulled out a number of hair pins from a woven basket. Then Neela picked up a vase that was filled with fairy blossom and carefully plucked a handful of the freshest, brightest-colored ones for Kristina. They continued working on Kristina’s hair, pinning in the blossoms. When they finished, Bronya hurried to get a long mirror for Kristina to view herself. Kristina could hardly believe it was her reflection that she was looking at. The bright fairy blossoms matched the fuchsia and moss-green dress perfectly, and the crystal around her neck sparkled vibrantly, reflecting all the colors she wore.
“She sure looks radiant,” Bronya said to Neela.
“I’d say like the portrait of Queen Lafinia, when she was her age,” Neela said.
The tent door flaps began to shake, and Bronya went to see who it was. It was the same gnome who had brought Kristina to the tent. “Is she ready?” he asked Bronya.
“As ready as she’ll ever be.”
As Kristina exited the tent, Werrien was standing right outside, and when the two of them laid eyes on each other, both were amazed.
39
“You think I look stupid, don’t you?” Kristina asked Werrien, feeling quite awkward in her dress and new hairstyle. At home, she had worn a dress maybe three times in her entire life.
“As a matter of fact, I was thinking how nice you look,” Werrien said. “And what about you? I saw how you looked at me.” He also was dressed up, in a white shirt, royal-blue tunic, black breeches, and black shoes. His blue-green eyes narrowed and he smiled at Kristina. “Could it be that you think I look stupid, dressed like this?”
Kristina blushed. “Well, you do look a few centuries behind the times, but I must say it does suit you.”
The Warble Page 22
