| Logs |
2009 April 23
| When The Bough Breaks |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Bough Logs |
Third Movement, Fourth Verse
The small pub of Icewall Village is warm on this slightly snowy day at the Winter Palace. The group have come seeking Tigernmus, the mortal envoy from Mag Sleacht, to see if he would like to accompany them as they head towards Mount Meru. Instead of the cheerful barfight they expected him to be in the middle of, he is comfortably lounging and apparently talking with a number of other mortals, when the group arrives.
Tigernmus says, "Well, I was planning on returning to Mag Sleact shortly -- this group of fine folk have wanted to come see it." Several in the group of mortals at the table nod eagerly. "But I was also planning on returning here. I imagine that by the time you return here from Mount Meru, I will have returned as well."
Mikal looks disappointed -- it was the trip to Mount Meru that she was hoping the other mortal would join them on -- but she simply smiles and shrugs, "Ah, well. Safe trip to you all then."
Mikal glances at her friends, "Shall we go, then? No reason to stay."
Tigernms smiles and inclines his head to Mikal. "Thank you, Rabbit. And to you. Shall I look for your group when I return?"
Jareth smiles slightly and nods at the enormous large mortal, "We had hoped you would come with us to Mount Meru, but if you cannot, we wish you a safe trip."
Mikal smiles at the big man, "Probably not, but thank you for the thought."
Tigernmus nods to Jareth, then looks at Mikal appraisingly for a few moments. Then he smiles. "Safe travels to you, then."
Mikal blinks at being stared at, starting to fade back behind Jareth. Nervously she whispers, "What?!"
Jareth gently squeezes Mikal's hand and murmurs, "Let's go, Rabbit." To Tigernmus, he says, "I do hope we meet again when we both return."
Tigernmus smiles reassuringly. "I was just curious. You had seemed to eager to see Mag Sleact. But as your friend said, if you had wished me to go Mount Meru with you, I am afraid I have to decline this time."
Mikal nods to Jareth, glancing worriedly back over her shoulder and nearly scampering hastily out of the bar. She looks a bit relieved at the big mortal's comment, peeking around the door jamb to quietly call, "It's all right -- we'll just figure out the Wyld on our travels!" Then she darts in relief into the underbrush.
Norris feels an odd experience..like he was in stasis for several minutes, and then the occurances of that whole time come on him in a rush, and it takes a moment for him to recover, and process. He finally comes back to himself, though, and looks at Jareth, and then bemusedly at the brush. "Uh...what just happened? Wait, so...we's going t' the rakshasa on our lonesome?"
Jareth watches Mikal disappear into the underbrush and smiles wryly, "It would appear so. Tigernmus is going on a trip with the people that are in the pub there and cannot accompany us."
Norris nods slowly. "Aright. Well. We's kin do it on our own, yeah? We dun okay so far, no need t' chaperone. But, uh...why'd Mikal dissapear again. Ah thought she'd...ah mean...what's she nervous about?" He looks at Jareth. "Sommat happen that ah miss?"
Jareth smiles slightly and says to Norris, "I think we all miss a lot with this strange place." He calls quietly to Mikal, "Lapin, we could go to Mag Sleact first... and then to Mount Meru."
Mikal peeks out from the underbrush, a surprised look on her face, "I thought you wanted to help Raven by getting the rakshasa after Azrael, Jareth?"
Jareth crouches and smiles at Mikal, "I do, but we're more likely to make it through the Wyld with Tigernmus, and if we go to Mag Sleact, it will go more quickly than trying to slog through on our own."
At that point, Tigernmus squeezes through the doors of the tavern, looking a touch chagrined. "Ah, good!" he says, smiling. "I caught you before you left." He loks around. "Well, two of you, anyway. Where has Rabbit gone off to?
Norris head tilts. "What is this Mag Sleact, ennehway..." he blinks at the large man reappears. "Huh? Oh, uh...she's, ah...communin with nature. Kinda."
Mikal thinks about that for a bit, then smiles and shrugs, murmuring quietly to Jareth, "If you want, that's fine. Mostly I want us to practice getting along in the Wyld, so we can take care of ourselves if necessary. That, and I want to be back here in one hundred days, y'know?"
Jareth looks over his shoulder and up.. and up and up... at Tigernmus, "We're all here. Some of us are just harder to see than others."
Mikal slips nervously back into the underbrush. Tigernmus is just so big! Raphael pads over and sits next to Jareth and Norris, wearing his patient, 'Can we get going?' look.
Tigernmus arches a brow at Jareth, then laughs quietly. "Ah. So she's that type, eh? Very well! I wanted to let you know that I've reconsidered. I can delay my journey back to Mag Sleact if you would have me. After all, the mortals who were going to go back with me can wait a bit longer here, but you three are going out into the Wyld, and I would be remiss in not helping."
Jareth feels relief flooding through him, "We would very much appreciate your company, Tigernmus." He motions to Norris, "Did we introduce you to Bear?"
Norris is not used to looking up at people. And because he went somewhere else during the earlier interaction, conversation did not really happen between them. "uh, yeah. Hey, sir. Mister. Tigernmus. Pleased ta meet."
Tigernmus nods pleasantly in greeting. "And pleased to meet you, Bear. Calling me 'Tigernmus' is fine."
Norris bobs his head. "Yes si-...uh. Tigernmus." He looks sheepish. "Yer really all mortal?" he queries.
He laughs heartily. "I am, yes, I assure you! I have simply been in the Dreamtime for a very long time."
Mikal blinks at that, silently wriggling out of the underbrush to stand up by Raphael and half behind Norris, "Staying here will make us all grow?!"
Norris stares at the giant. "Uh? What...yuh mean that livin' in Dream time makes ya grow?" he queries, amazed by this. He looks over at Mikal. "THis gun be a problem, Rabbit. Fact what yer so small is part o' what makes yuh sneaky."
Tigermus looks quite surprised to see Mikal stand up right there. Then he laughs comfortably. "No, not entirely, Rabbit. I should have said, I have lived in the Deep Wyld for so long. Though truth be told, in the Waking, I was considered quite tall and strong by many of my tribe."
Jareth's ears almost visibly perk at that, "You know who you are in the Waking?"
Mikal grins at Norris, "Nah, I'm sneaky because of the way I move, Bear, not my size!" She blinks interestedly at Jareth's question, also very curious.
"Oh, yes," Tigernmus says to Jareth. "It took some time to recall all the details, mind you, but yes, I do recal who I am in the Waking. It helped that I stayed at Mag Sleact."
Jareth nods slowly, filing that information away.
Norris blinks. "Yuh mean that's where yuh was in life? R', uh...is it sommat about the place, helps ya remember?"
Mikal thinks about that, then adds after Norris, "And... how do you know that was the real you? I mean, I remember Staunton quite clearly, but Merlyn says that was a- er... not our waking selves?"
Jareth says quietly, "I remember Paris... bits of it, anyway."
Mikal flushes and grins shyly at Jareth, then hastily ducks back behind Norris.
Very quietly from behind him comes a forlorn, "Wish I remembered my real self..."
Norris blinks. memory flickering at the edges of his consciousness. "Paris? Like, Eiffel Tower Paris?"
Mikal's small hand is tucked into the back of Norris's belt as she murmurs, "Yup! It's pretty. I..." She frowns, thinking hard, then adds slowly, "I remember... warm?"
Mikal says, "And... lions. Big golden lions, gleaming in the sun."
Mikal says, "Even a few with manes."
Norris looks perplexed. "Wait, yew remember Paris too, Rabbit?"
Mikal smiles ruefully, "No, I saw what Jareth remembers." She thinks hard about what she was 'seeing' a moment ago, but Norris's innocent question has distracted her. She sighs a few heartbeats later, adding sadly, "That's all I get. Can we go now? Let's go try to be useful."
Jareth looks up at Tigernmus and says, "I apologize. We're still learning and it's distracting."
Hidden behind Norris, Mikal nods sadly to herself at that comment, and leans against the sturdy back of her friend.
Norris clearly does not understand. But he also doesn't know the right questions to ask.
Tigernmus chuckles quietly. "Well, there is a Mag Sleact here in the Deep Wyld of the Dreamtime. And there once was one in the Waking. It was that I was from the Waking one, and came to the one in the Dreamtime, that helped me to remember." He thinks for a moment. "Though I would not rule out the Dreamtime Mag Sleact being able to help you remember."
To Mikal he says, "You simply know, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Things start to come back to you, things you don't know you know, but you know them. And then over time -- or with the right stimulus -- you remember more and more until one day everything is lucid and clear, and you remember your Waking self.
"You have no reason to apologize. I understand the distraction of wanting to remember your Waking lives."
Mikal sighs quietly, feeling a little lost, and hopes they leave soon.
Norris grimaces. "Mebbe. Some things worth 'membering. Other things aint."
Jareth nods, "We need to get our things from the Palace, and I'm sure Rabbit would love to bring her stag."
It doesn't take long to find one of the 'dream-serpents' as Tigernmus called them. They seem to congregate near the grove where Armaros's cottage is. In fact, the first one they lay eyes on is, indeed, Virgil. The dream-serpent is carefully pulling the front half of his sinuous body up a tree, where he takes careful hold of a very large fruit of some kind in his mouth, before flopping lightly back down to the ground curling up and holding his prize in his hands. Before he bites in, however, he notices the group, and he lifts up his head. "Ah," he says, "Hello to you again. It's been quite some time. Are you acclimating well?"
Norris looks ruefully at their ride out of Stanton. "Fer some things, mebbe. Not fer others." He looks at the fruit. "Whuzzat?"
Mikal squeaks and ducks behind Jareth and Norris again -- then realizes there are definite benefits to having someone like Tigernmus along! She ducks behind him too -- now nothing can see her!
Jareth smiles wryly, "Things have been somewhat hectic and chaotic, when they haven't been being amazing."
Virgil holds up the oblong, pale-yellow-colored fruit; it is about the size of a human torso. "This? Dinner. Or, alternatively, a citrus-melon." He opens wide, a mouth filled with remarkably flat teeth, and takes a bite of the melon, rind and all, chewing a touch noisily and wetly before swallowing. "Please forgive my eagerness to eat," he says, at least trying not to sound like he just ate an extremely water-filled fruit. "I've not eaten in some time.
"And yes, that is the way of things, is it not? But I am glad you are settling in somewhat. Maerlyn and I had a very long chat about how he handled bringing you out of your dream-scape. He could have handled it quite a bit better." He takes another, slightly more subdued, chomp out of the citrus-mellon.
Jareth can't help a somewhat derisive snort and then reins himself in. "Please, eat. One must keep one's strength up. We... have something of a favor to ask.'
Norris nods. "'parrently, there's a gate we needs tuh open, but folks a kinda antasy about us opening it. So we's hopin we's kin work sommat out."
Virgil takes another bite of the fruit, nodding, his whiskers drifting a bit with the movement. "Mmm. I see. Actually, no, I don't. Please, do ask what your favor it?"
Mikal whispers from behind Tigernmus, "Need a ride across the Mirror, please?"
Norris clears his throat. "What she done said. We's heading t' Mount Meru., what would be an awful long trip iffn we go th' normal route. Hopin yew kin provide a shortcut, annat. If it aint too much trouble."
Jareth says, "Plus, it would keep them from having to open a sally port."
Virgil arches a brow, and leans a bit slowly to the side to look at Mikal. "Whyever are you hiding there? Dear, I assure you, I will not bite."
Mikal scoots carefully around Tigernmus to keep the very large man between her and the giant lizard. She peers warily out, keeping a careful eye on the big monster that apparently isn't a monster.
Norris says, "She likes hiding. I think it's part of a balanced breakfast, for her."
Jareth moves around to take Mikal's hand, "We've met Virgil before, Lapin. He's like Wolf."
Virgil chuckles softly. "Ah, I see. Well, I can assure her that I will not eat her. My kind don't eat meat. We do not have the teeth for it." He looks to Jareth and Norris. "Ah. I see now. You wish a shorter travel time by cutting across the mirror. But you will need the Seneschal's permission to open a sally port on the other side in order to cross the wall."
Mikal gives a choked giggle, poking Norris in the side! She just gives up eventually, and starts to duck into the underbrush and out of sight, to go fetch Iron Antlers -- but pauses and blinks at Jareth, "Er... he is? That, um..." she cautiously puts Jareth between her and the huge creature, "isn't, um, exactly a ringing endorsement...?"
Norris shrugs at Mikal. "Ah's point out taht most o' the folks what been givin us trouble been other humans, Rabbit. So far, th' supposed 'monsters' been the nicest folk out here."
Mikal pauses and thinks about that silently for several minutes.
Mikal finally shakes her head, "Myrrddin and Armaros aren't mortal, are they?"
Mikal says, "Nor is Azrael?"
Mikal says, "Or Mordred, now I think about it?"
Jareth says, "I don't think all the mortals are human."
Mikal looks surprised, "I thought they were?"
Virgil finishes off his citrus-fruit, again rind and all, and rests his head on his crossed arms. "Actually, Maerlyn or Myddryin or whatever his name is these days, he is a mortal. As is Mordred. Armaros is a fallen angel, and Azrael is an *un*fallen angel."
Norris smiles wryly. "Mebbe. But they all look normal, yeah? Not scary? Meanwhile Virgil is a big massive fella, but he eats fruit, not meat. All ahm's saying is that ya caint determine how someone is by how he dun look."
Mikal looks surprised again, "If Mordred is mortal, why don't the aelfar just kill him and be done with it?"
Mikal smiles at Norris, one arm looping relaxedly about Raphael's neck, "Oh, I know that, Bear. I just think it's smart to be cautious, you know?"
Norris says, "Because it's mortals what are most powerful, here. Iffn' he's leannig an army, ah spect it's not as easy as stickin a crossbow bolt up his nose."
Mikal giggles at Norris, then glances at the big lizard, adding, "So, um... can we go? I have a fey stag and we have some horses, but that's it?"
Norris says, "And, ah mean, mebbe they could take him out with a Lotus Seed, but that'd kill a lot of other folk as well. Not worth it."
Mikal glances in shock at Norris, "Oh, no! Definitely that would be bad!"
Virgil considers. "Well. A fey-stag and horses? I will need some accomplices. Why don't you ask Seneschal Rowan for a way to open a sally port on the other side, and I will gather other dream-serpents.
Norris nods. "Yeah. So it's not easy."
Mikal looks relieved the big snake monster is amenable. "Yay! Okay, we'll be right back!" She heads off at a jogtrot, impatient to be away.
Virgil watches Mikal depart, looking amused. "Excitable, she seems. Very well, give me some time, we will be ready when you return.
Rowan is initially reluctant to open a sally port, even one so far from the Winter Palace. But she shortly accedes, since the group is seeking to limit the Angel of Death who is interfering with Raven, and doing so will certainly limit the power that the Architect can bring against the Dreamtime as a whole. Still, the security of the wall is foremost in her mind; and so she compromises. She gives Jareth a wooden wand about a foot long, and instructs the group that when they have finished their work on that side of the mirror, they are to break the wand; this will send a magical signal to the Winter Palace, and Rowan will send a group of soldiers, by dream-serpent if the creatures are willing (she gives the impression that the dream-serpents are not subjects of the Palace) to re-open the sally port for the group, and seal it again when they have come through. In practice it is not unlike the procedure they undertook when investigating Snowcrest.
Mikal makes sure the horses and fey-stag are tacked up and ready to go, each with its own bag of grain in the saddlebags of camping gear. While the mortals will not need to eat or rest, the riding beasts do need to.
Mikal ponders idly how she'd like to change here in the Dreamlands. It'd certainly be awfully cool if she could change shape, but only if she could do the various things that shape ordinarily did. Being a dragon that couldn't actually fly, for example, she thinks would be a waste of time.
Jareth takes the wand and examines it carefully. He thanks Rowan for her help and even bows to kiss her hand if she seems amenable to letting him. The erstwhile goatherd takes unusual care with packing the wand.
Norris actually brings things with him this time: if he wanted to forge a weapon, it would be problematic, carrying an anvil around with him. By comparison, making leather armor is far easier. He can't start completely from scratch, of course, but aquiring some pre-treated leathers to fit Jareth to is not so hard.
Shortly, then, the group has reassembled at the grove. Virgil has assembled three other dream-serpents -- Dabo, ben Jared, and Bruno -- and the three are waiting patiently for the mortals and their mounts; ben Jared is noisily eating a citrus-melon as the group arrives. All of the dream-serpents, should any take notice, have the flat teeth of herbivores. The mounts seem to not be at all perturbed by the four-winged dragons.
Mikal blinks fascinatedly, cautiously studying the big creatures from the safe distance of Iron Antlers' back. She whispers to Jareth, "Do we have to pay them or anything?"
Jareth tips his head to the side, thinking, "Since it's supposed to be a favor, we would possibly owe them one in return. Unless they would like other payment." His eyes light up a little with mischief, "Do you want to ask them?"
Mikal blinks in alarm, shaking her head vehemently several times.
Norris considers. "They like fruit. Mebbe the rakshasa got some good fruit." He headtilts. "R' mebbe not. Rakshasa tend t' be depicted as carnivores."
Jareth smiles and pats Mikal's thigh affectionately, then grins at Norris, "That's just what I was thinking."
Norris grunts. He's just sort of taking it in stride, now, that he remembers things, and doesn't know how he knows them. To just be. "Well, it's a big worl' out there. We'll find sommat nice to bring back."
Virgil has managed to nudge ben Jared into finishing his meal, and turns to the mortals. "Are you ready to go? Rowan has given you some means of returning through the sallyport?
Jareth nods, "She has. One day, it might be interesting to understand how breaking a wand is going to let her know."
Mikal whispers softly, "Sympathetic magic -- the wand is part of something else, and what happens to it also happens to its sympathetic mate." She blinks a bit startledly... then hunches nervously down into her hooded jacket.
Norris grins. "Mikal's gettin smarter evry day."
Jareth nods to Norris, "Not so much smarter as remembering more things. She's always been smart."
Mikal blushes heatedly, ducking her head even further. She squeaks faintly, "Thenkew!"
Virgil nods, and the group starts to organize. ben Jared will be carrying Mikal, Raphael, and Iron Antlers; Virgil will carry Jareth and his mount; Dabo, Norris plus mount; and Bruno, Tigernmus.
Mikal looks nervous but resolute -- she knows her dragon has quite possibly the heaviest load.
Mikal whispers anxiously to ben Jared, "P-p-please d-don't drop us, lizard-man!"
Jareth waits until it's about time for the dream-serpents to take off before he asks Virgil quietly, "Will you and your companions need any payment for this favor?"
ben Jared laughs quietly and says, "I've no intention of dropping either of you, or your fey-stag, Shaina maidel. I promise."
Virgil replies quietly, "A favor, to be asked for later. But do not worry; if when you return you are concerned what sorts of favors a dream-serpent might ask of you, ask Armaros what we have asked for in payment in the past."
Jareth nods and lays a hand on Virgil in thanks for his his reassurance, "I had assumed it would be payment in kind, but I wanted to reassure my companion... and I believe you should know we have adopted pseudonyms. You heard our actual names, but we have been using Cat, Rabbit, Bear and Wolf."
Mikal looks more worried, putting her arms around Raphael's neck, "Er... or Raphael either, right? Right?"
Virgil chuckles softly. "Payment in kind would be difficult. You'd have trouble carrying even a hatching dream-serpent." He nods, "I will remember to call you only by those names, yes."
ben Jared laughs again. "Of course! That's why I said 'either of you.' Meaning both you mortals."
Mikal looks faintly relieved, although she stays by Raphael. It's only until a few heartbeats have passed, and she's calmed a little, that she timidly adds, "Okay. Um... wh-what's a shayna maid-L?"
"Oh, sorry. It means 'pretty girl.' But don't worry, I won't try to woo you. Slight size difference. Do try to overcome your grief and carry on." It's clear from his tone that he's gently joking with her.
Norris chokes on a laugh as he gets on board Dabo.
Jareth chuckles, "Indeed. You have our thanks. And I will take your advice on speaking with Armaros."
Mikal blinks blankly at the huge dragon -- then her eyes widen slightly as she remembers several stories of what dragons do with pretty girls! She hastily darts away from the dragon's head or clawed feet, unsure where to go so as to stay with her pack but still defend them if necessary. Finally, as quick and nimble as a monkey, she darts up onto the monster's back, settling between its shoulder blades. She takes a deep breath, carefully remaining silent so it'll be more of a surprise should she have to do something violent to keep the dragon from carrying her and her half-brother and Iron Antlers off to its cave.
Mikal hopes it's not a conniving dragon plotting to get her and Raph away from the others. Maybe it's really friendly, but just scary.
The four dream-serpents -- gently -- launch themselves into the sky, and each one's quadruple wings begin to beat rhythmically, as they increase speed and fly out over the mirror, as the sky turns the golden hue of sunset. "It will be dark soon," Virgil says, loud enough for the other dream-serpents and their riders to hear. "Stay close and keep an eye on everyone else. Do not get caught in the spiderweb, but if you do, do not panic, we will free you quickly."
Mikal whispers softly, "S-s-spiderweb?!"
ben Jared says, fortunately without jocularity, "Yes. Surely you noticed it when you -- I'm sorry, no, you might not have. But don't worry, even though it's creepy, it's easy to avoid. Virgil just likes going over things twice."
Mikal huddles down nervously into the curiously furred scales of the dragon she's riding, keeping a bracing arm tightly about Raphael as well. She hopes the dragon is keeping a good, careful hold on Iron Antlers, and that the fey stag doesn't panic or struggle. "N-n-n-nooo? I d-d-didn't realize the sp-p-pider wasps were here t-too?"
Norris hnhs. "There's spiders out there? Shame they caint take care o' the wasps fer us."
Norris looks at Mikal. "Wasps dinna make webs , Rabbit. The webs are from sommat else, it seems."
Dabo repies to Norris, professionally and simply, "Spider-wasps."
Norris blinks. "Wait, they do make webs? Uh. Okay. Yeah, now ahm a bit worried."
Dabo says, "They make webs, yes, though why, we do not know. It's not like they actually can eat anything caught in them."
Norris shakes his head. "Durn. These spider-wasps doant even act like normal spider wasps. No wunner they's such a paid."
Dabo asks, with a hint of amusement in her voice, "Is there such a thing as a 'normal' spider-wasp?"
Soon enough, the sky darkens, and the stars come out. The flight of dream-serpents remains close above the Mirror, a few wingspans above it, and the group moves at fantastic velocity. This close to the Mirror, it's almost tempting to see what's on the other side of the rippled surface that seems much like water.
Above and ahead, faint lines of glittering white seem visible now, running between the brightest of stars far above. Soon enough, a vast, glittering spiderweb stretches above them in the vault of the heavens, glittering as if dew is caught upon the silken strands. It's actually strangely pretty, from this distance.
Norris nods. "Yuh. An they aint enormous worl' eatin' creatures. They're called that because they lay their eggs in spider carcasses. Just a normal wasp, smaller than a grape. gettin along inna world."
Jareth's eyes widen and he clings to Virgil's back with unconscious fear.
Norris carries on this conversation with odd calmness as he looks at the wonder around him. He's not afraid now, like he was when he saw Oppenheimers weapon. He doesn't know why.
Mikal's breath hisses out of her in horrified shock as she realizes -- they're back in the bad place! She whimpers miserably, ducking her head against Raphael's thick-furred mane, trying to see and not see at the same time. The scene is too horrifying to watch, as far as she's concerned... but the thought of a spider-wasp somehow managing to creep up on her while she's hiding her face is skin-crawlingly terrifying.
Virgil pauses in keeping an eye on everyone, to glance upwards, and then gesture with his whiskered snout. "Look up at the center of the spiderweb, where there's no webbing. The empty spot in the center. Do you see the single star there?"
Norris looks where Virgil mentions, curious.
Norris says, "Whut's th' star supposed to be?"
Jareth raises his head carefully, body stiff with trying to stay seated upon Virgil's back. His eyes seek out the single star, "I see it."
Meanwhile, ben Jared says quietly and gently, "We're almost through, Rabbit, deigeh nisht. Would you like something to nosh on? I won't mind if you eat, this isn't a no-eating flight, after all."
Mikal isn't verbal at this point -- she's simply clinging desperately to the closest thing to solid land that she's got.
Virgil says carefully. "That is Polaris. Before the Godswar, the gods would hold council there, meeting with each other, apportioning their duties amongst themselves, and speaking together, communicating, so that they might peacefully resolve differences. It was once the brightest star in the skies over the Mirror."
ben Jared keeps a quiet, running one-sided conversation with Mikal, attempting to keep her grounded and focussed on the sound of his voice, trying to be as reasonable as he can. The language he eventually slips completely into is vaguely familiar to Mikal, and while she can't recognize it, it seems like the tone, and many of the sounds, should be familiar to her.
Jareth's voice is very soft as he says, "And what is it now?"
Mikal is in the frozen fear of the rabbit faced with the snake, but the calm, gentle tone helps her to not panic.
Virgil says, "It is still Polaris, but the sole occupant now is the Architect, his Heaven of Heavens. It is his prize for winning the Godswar. He has sealed it against all other gods. Some say that if he were to be cast out from Polaris, the other surviving gods might yet reassert themselves." At that, Virgil goes silent, concentrating on flying.
Mikal is too terrified to recognize the language, although she wouldn't be able to speak it even if she could.
The flight lasts for a long time, until eventually the Mirror below seems to begin to glow beneath them, taking on the hues of dawn.
"Ah," Virgil says, as if in relief, "Dawn is coming."
Mikal is shaking and crying silently in terror, trying to keep herself together enough to not panic.
Jareth looks worriedly at Mikal when she comes into view and clutches more tightly at Virgil. Trying to leap over there would be disastrous.
Shortly, then, Dawn does indeed come. It seems as if everything is suffesed by a bright golden light from below, rippling through everything, energizing and strengthening the mortals. Far ahead, the curve of the Wall is again seen; but there is no snow visible; instead there are riots of green, ivy clinging to the wall and thick fields upon the ledges that can be seen. Shortly, to the left, a peninsula can be spotted, and what is there is simply the largest tree any of the three mortals from Staunton have ever seen.
Jareth stares at the tree, eyes huge. Even through his worry for Mikal, the enormity of the largest living thing he has ever seen strikes him.
ben Jared says, in an language understandable to Mikal, "Rabbit, look... it's the Summer Palace. Please look? You might not get another chance...."
Mikal misses seeing anything past the blur of terrified tears, unfortunately. The Dawn helps her, though -- she continues clinging to Raphael and ben Jared.
The flight of dream-serpents wing their way over the Mirror, heading slightly deosil past the Summer Palace grounds, towards a large embankment some distance away from the massive tree.
Shortly the four dragons are alightly lightly upon the small plateau, setting down the mounts carefully. Iron Antlers and the horses seem none the worse for wear. ben Jared alights nearby Virgil and Dabo, the better to let Norris and Jareth help Mikal off him.
Mikal nearly throws herself off the dragon once she realizes they're on solid ground again, sobbing and almost hysterical. She scrambles, half staggering, towards the nearest forest she can see -- and if there's no forest, her goal is any undergrowth at all.
Jareth slides off Virgil's back, mumbling something about being right back, and rushes to ben Jared's side, calling out, "Lapin! Mon lapin! Wait!"
Mikal whirls as the voice registers, her tear-stained face pale and almost haggard with shock. When she sees Jareth she sobs in relief, running to him and throwing her arms around him with a small, definite thud of impact. She cries silently, shaking with fright.
Jareth wraps his arms around Mikal and just strokes her hair and back. He's not even sure what about the whole thing terrified her so.
Mikal has a small storm of weeping that eventually leaves her numb and purged of her terror... and exhausted feeling. She leans her head against Jareth, whispering tiredly, "C-can we camp for the night or something, Jair?"
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