Chapter XXIV ~ The Sapphire Gaze

 As the hours felt stretched and sure, Odette prayed hard for it to not end. She, as well as her sisters, could see the peek of golden light over the distant mounts and the tensity in her brow roused the protective man who held her close. Quasimodo only simply softened sorrowfully at her, with small traces of tears in the corners of his eyes. Her anguish was his own. After what was shared, with barely any words to describe so, it only became more paramount. She gazed down at the blue yarn she knitted into her cloak.

At her shaken sigh, Quasimodo curtly nodded to her as he removed his arm from over her shoulders and began to fold the cloak that covered them both through the night. Noting the sewn parasol on the end, Quasimodo drew in a breath before he stood up first, just moments before gently taking her hand. At this gesture, she took his hand while recalling the lying vision’s horrid trick. She silently rose up, while he began to buckle his belt back on, both of them holding a sullen mood, out of mere exhaustion. 

As silently exnouraging as he was before, he offered her his canteen. Seeing his mood and matching it, she obeyed and drank with that same glazed look in her eye. His saddened gaze prompted her to

“We’re only a week in, and we have long to go…” he began to tell her, with the others listening in. Eleonor stood nearby with her arms thoughtfully crossed.

“Towards France, still?” she asked.

“It is one way, once we enter inside we can provide each and every one of you sanctuary… To begin some sort of normalcy, after this.” he explained to her, tired from his watch. He bit his lower lip though, as if a thought intruded on him. 

“You would have us join you so simply,” Mary lightly spoke, her little voice almost being carried away by the wind. She gazed over at Eleonor who thoughtfully idled by, nodded curtly.

“We have left Mondfall too far. We probably won’t find it ever again.” she stated, with a sort of certainty.

“Guarded by her, the Blue Fairy…” Odette remarkably spoke, her voice ragged from misuse.

It sounded as though her heart had returned, after being brought out of that nearly eternal abyss. Their gathering had given her renewed hope. She was tired, as they all were, so now the time was drawing near for them. The glimmer of the water was hypnotic, as much as Odette tried to avert her eyes… she painfully looked into Quasimodo’s, while squeezing his hands before she had to follow her flock to the bank. With longful eyes, he could only watch as the sun graced over the rivers edges until it kissed the women’s skin and hair. That torturous tinge of emerald amidst the glimmer of the water, the sheen of their beautiful wings was no sight of a miracle anymore but a single moment of longing. 

As each swan stretched, and shook their weary heads, the floated soundlessly in the dawn. The horsemen rose and gathered their riders. The dwarfs mounted their bucks, and Quasimodo soon mount Fidele as soon as the encampment was packed and disposed of. With one final pull of his reign, he watched one last time as the swans all began to pick up speed and begin to fly. Odette’s diamond glimmered in the sun, with their beautiful wings so pristine. He studied her form, as it was weary but focused, with her wing tips softly kissing the waters as she went, her feathers glinting in the sun. 

During her flight, Odette’s mind peered into strange memories that felt as though they were not her own. Someone always waiting for her, watching out for her. Brown eyes, a soothed stone… the smell of paper besides that of wood and musk. Old things that she used to never think too hard on when she was only a young girl. Brown eyes always looking out for her as she would hide herself away. Was that really true? As she flew on, trying to keep her eyes on the army below as agreed, Odette felt heart begin to pick up on the fact that something was missing… Something felt disconnected or held… She glanced down, meaning to hope and pray on that diamond that seemed to glint in the light with passing beat of her wings.

I know my mind is being ran down… I realize that it’s creating a wrinkle between me and the others… Back in my mind, I know he is there. I know he’s closer… I remember. I saw him in the mirror… The kind man with brown eyes… Odette prayed close to the Diamond. I yelled at him but how can that be so when I do not remember ever yelling at this man. I know for a fact that he’s important to me just as much as everyone else with me… He is my father… Richard - she showed me… The green mirror -

Dearest Odette, I hear you, beloved… spoke the honey, deep voice of the Blue Fairy. Your heart is complete in spite of the spell… Your first heart before your grounding with Quasimodo, it is true, that this man has always been a part of this voyage with you… You have been taken from him for this horrid war… His eyes never stopped searching for you, through the eye of a silver key. Your father, Richard waits for you, in sleep…

In sleep? Why? Is he…? Odette asked, feeling a jolt of fear for a moment. 

His heart is strong and he will awaken upon a morn when this spell is shattered, and I promise you that we will all see that day. I had placed him under guard until then so that his strength shall bring you both together again, a part of this grand fellowship when the time of peace comes upon us.

You were always there! Always, with him and me… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry for everything… Odette shook her head when her hope was right. She had a father, enchanted like her and all of them… I know you are protecting him, please do not let his heart break, I would never forgive myself… He was always there for me…

Eleonor could tell their Diamond wearer was going through something silent and gruff by how she swung her head every moment or so. Mary gazed at Eleonor with worry before the blackwing flew ahead to be beside Odette. 

Whatever could it be, to make you go mad. Why are you flying like that? Eleonor asked.

My father! I was forgetting him… Odette told her. He began it all…

Richard? Ida yelped out. Could it be that it was he who made you who you are? His name sounds kingly. she asked, out of mere curiosity.

Not a King, but mind as well be… Odette remarked, with a mark of exhaustion in her voice as she focused better at this point. The Blue Fairy has been with him since the start… Like she had with me… That damned black gown… she wanted me to forget and I almost fell for it… It was taking me away from everyone, and I am so sorry everyone, for all of this — I am so sorry for yelling, for not trusting - That wasn’t even me, Elle’ she expressed to Eleonor.

We know… Eleonor calmly reassured her as their alignment had gotten better and straighter to the eyes of the Parisians below. 

We have gone for so long, two years… Odette was overcome however she was bold enough still to keep her flight steady. We were never alone, never alone ~

Her memories, and everything else following after them, only hit her with more clarity than ever before. Quasimodo had her name, and she had her first heart’s name given to her, willingly, by the very magic she wore at her breast. The magic she had shown doubt for, repeatedly, in spite of Jiminy’s protests and corrections. He truly was her conscience besides being a mere translater. Must not give in, mustn’t give in — she told herself, sharply to make up for that aching truth that Jiminy was gone. The familiar weight on her back amidst her feathers. All familiar senses had to be tenderly tucked in her heart and soon woven into the cloak each night. It was one way to keep herself sharp and ready from this moment on…

You must not give in, my child. I know how much it hurts, and has hurt us… This war limits so much and even I cannot fight alone against it. However I am able to provide protections, over our hearts. By any means necessary… Keep your hearts guarded… Sir Jiminy’s was nearly shattered. 

Odette gasped. Jiminy Cricket was alive! This encouraging knowledge led her to fly stronger as she cast her eyes down to the horsemen below to make sure she was not too far or too slow. The fight was ongoing but at least her spirits were whole, her whole flock was whole and not scattered… her profound love blossoming for the Woodsman could be the main path so far, the love that bound them together…Her courage was intact and he beacon was leading the charge beside the Justice below. Eleonor took beside her with Ida on her ride side, the glee of the flock behind stayed close to her tail. 

The enemy had tried to break their spirits and Odette needed to place her trust firmly now. She knew her lost one’s name and her love was shared. She was once again the head of the formation, the one these women were hoping to meet since the Black Swan’s first appearance. No matter how her mind was meddled with on this journey, she knew where her worth was. Magic had been a part of their lives ever since that green shimmer within her father’s mirrors face. Her memory was weak on that for now, however destiny was at play here and it was far from random. Glancing at her sisters and at the tips of her own wings, she could see the sun dance off her own feathers and the others own, as her spirit rang up.

*

As grand thunder ignited in the distance lands, as feared by Eleonor upon the lakeside, there came a supernatural touch in the former realm where Odette resided. The home of her resting anchor ~ King Rayan, as they regarded him as vowed. Within the deep forests that were once thick with mist, a shadow of black wolves sprung forth, leaping over the bushes and the curbs, all in the dead of night. The city lights seemed to flicker, and the swings of the park lightly swung by some unknown force as an odd rumble purred from the skies over the seemingly dozing neighborhood…

Flora, the kindly adorned red-gowned fairy, had gently peered out through the curtain of the Rayan residence, observing the odd weather change. Slipping out of sight right then, she boldly drew a breath as she was able to tell that that very same darkness that chased the flock and their men was trying to breach here - The Swan King’s stand… 

“As foretold, even with our grandest spell, she still tries to snake her way in.” Flora boldly stated as she reformed into an orb of ruby and darted from the living space and then up the stairwell. She must prepare her sisters ~ her fellow magical guards of the sleeping anchor.

The master bedroom was the very heart of the enchantment. It was where the poor father lay, eternally still, and loyally guarded as the promise still stood for the beloved daughter. Him - Richard - was plainly in the bed where he remained. The man’s pallor was as white as snow, his face so unnaturally serene that he looked younger, as the magical preservation was still holding strong to this day. His arm laid calm by his head, slightly over by his head as he slept on.

Fauna, the life giver, was studying him as she lifted her wand from the man’s chest. The silver key he wore about his neck was no longer cold. The pane had shown the ground from mid air. Their flock was in flight again, with a new hope instilled. 

“The key is not so cold, anymore, Flora… and his heart is strong. It healed.” she notified her sister as she entered the shimmering room.

“Unknown to him, his sanctuary is known but not found.” Flora told her and Merryweather. “The enemy is getting desperate, so we must be quick.” she alerted as they both gazed at the protected man. Merryweather tracks Richard’s steady breathing as she takes all this in.

“Yes, no one is getting close to him or her.” she stated, with determination. “Like with the French Prince’s rose - Aurora’s eternal sleep - this is the first time this magic ever came over to this world…”

“If even in this modern world, evil tries to leak its way in - it tormented his mind first, and then snatched her because of that ruby star stone.” Flora spoke, with a passionate disdain. “The shard of a trove, supposedly, stolen.”

“This curse can’t be forever. It can’t be!’ Fauna choked with unshed tears as she was by Richard’s side, with her soft hand over his chest. “… their love has to be the one thing, and they kissed. Why hasn’t it shattered yet…?”

“We have to be hopeful, girls. Things can’t happen the same way. Especially not this time.” Flora asserted. “… the Blue Fairy specifically told her she had to endure to the end, and she is now doing so as we speak. And we must maintain our guardianship until this day is to come, and beyond it, I find…”

“We never have spoken to this man or his daughter.” Merryweather’s voice softened. “… and yet it feels as though we’ve known them for years…”

“All the more to keep our posts, and right now… there is a pack of black wolves trying to locate this house… Come, he is sound. Merryweather - Go to each window, and be sure the spells are latched tight. I’ll tend to the knobs. Fauna, do not leave his side.”

Merryweather used her wand to ensure each window and pane were tightly bound by an invisible bind as claws saught to scratch through the enchanted rock and brush that kept the home hidden, but they ran passed it when their sense of smell had gotten confused and dashed to the next house. Their claws dug at the panes and windows and doors, snarling and digging under the boards and porches… Nonetheless, this was apart of the Fairy’s glamour to keep as many lives safe as possible, concerning innocent passerby and disillusioned lives. 

Swift orbs of red and blue darted through the garden, distracting the vicious beasts and leading them on to scattered paths behind homes. The wolves knew what they were looking at, and even fake shadows had confused them to dive into the forest brush beyond the properties. 

“That was close. Too close…” Merryweather sighed, huffing out a big sigh as she rested against the front door.

“Be glad they’re stupid, so far…” Flora fixed her hair, and her remarked earned a scoff. “Whatever she is trying to do, she is messing with the wrong people. It’s as if she underestimates the human heart way too often.”

“If I weren’t mistaken, did she have a loved one herself once…?” Merryweather recalled under her breath.

“It does not excuse her from this. That does not excuse her from willingly hurting others for her own interests… She is too consumed in her own darkness to see…” Flora spoke. “… therefore, she wants the world gone, because she has no world of her own.”

A tear fell down Merryweather’s cheek as she held her peace. These two years already felt like an eternity to them, and they kept loyal still, a deep compassion driving their stance for Odette’s first adoring presence in her young life. Precious and kind, and Odette, in her life here, had broken a spell before she even knew this destiny were to come. It came for them both. It began with Richard, to try and destroy the girl before she could even get to this point in her life. Even then, it failed…

“Flora! Merryweather~ come see!” Fauna called from the second floor. The two broke away to her instantly.

When they returned to the master bedroom, Fauna looked to them as they came back to Richard’s bedside. The key’s pane was now displaying a new scene within its depths. Through it, the three were able to see the storm brew over the land. It is the very same one Eleonor had foreseen coming over the mountains by the lakeside. Richard’s deep breath gave a signal of hope amidst this storm as a vow was permenently given between the Diamond Swan and the Woodsman. 

As they peered through, a brilliance overtook the pane before the very presence of the Blue Fairy had made itself known to them, in the form of a white dove. One with someone perched on her back, embracing her feathers as though his life depended on it. The three entrusted guardians, after their successful maintaining of the breach, surround the duvet covered bed, respectfully acknowledging the bird’s presence. How the room shimmered stronger at this given moment. Jiminy felt the shift from the chill of the storm, to the warm and braced magic of the common homestead, all in a manner of seconds. He gasped out as the dove chose a gentle landing atop of the lampshade. After his own rescue, this was the one way to steer clear of the impending danger of the storm. The pane of the diamond studded key around a resting man’s neck sealed itself tight once more.

“Oh, my goodness~ my lady, oh my goodness-“ Jiminy shivered out with his own old stammer as he shook some snow off his hat and coat.

It is all right now, the shadows cannot follow us here. This is my own perimeter, the dove spoke to him as she stretched her wing along her tiny leg.

The cricket took in his surroundings, utterly confused, until his sights landed on the preserved life in the bed. “Who is … Is that?” he softly asked, lowering his voice.

Our Odette, our Cassandra… This was where she had grown up. This home was where Maleficent tried to touch her, when she was still small and healing. She chose to attack her one guardian in this very room… The war began here, sir Jiminy. The man you see resting there is the father she was stolen from. Her first heart… Maleficent had desired to destroy the prophecy before it could fully take hold - however, she had failed.

“How he lies there, ma’am. He isn’t just sleeping…” Jiminy analyzed.

I had to intervene. This is of my own creation, Jiminy Cricket, and no one else can touch him or this place. This was her safest haven when she was young… and it has to be sustained. The attack on her memory as this curse grows through out the enchanted lands was intended to strip this love away, to keep her compliant as her potential trophy, and thus him as well. I had placed him under a protective rest. His heart was cracking under the pressure of a vigil of needing to watch her mind dwindle as the curse was young. His name is Richard, and he took our Cassandra in when she had no one… He is the reason for her being who she is, the very base. Had he been forced to witness the current assault on our side, Richard would have died.

“Oh, my lady~” Jiminy’s breath hitched at this revelation. “A-all the more… as you are keeping all of us together, even here in for her past to never be forgotten, you placed him safely under your wings during this horrible war. Even to come after little old me in that horrid mountain — “

Our voyage continues on, sir. Odette and Quasimodo had become a single unit, by a single vow… This global strain - I am enforcing against our enemy’s tug - has a time limit. This as gone too far, and too many innocent lives have been ached and broken by her hand. Even for one like me, this enrages me. As her shadow minions spy on our work, she will try to intervene again~ and I fear Quasimodo will be her focus. 

“No… Not him… He has been the heart of the journey, since I saw him in the prisms… What is to become of this?”

It is been told that their endurance is to have an end, and I am seeing to that as much as I am seeing here. In four months from now, there will be a sunrise. A final dawn of the Winter Solstice. the benevolent Fairy soon reformed from the lampshade, from the body of the dove to her full human form, in a more dimmed down then before, showing her tired state in the midst of this struggle. I have enchanted this dear man’s mind to be freed on this day. He is our hourglass as we speak, not just a protected father for our beloved swan’s heart. 

“This feels as though this is close to Prince Adam’s enchanted Rose…”

Of a sort. His life was given for her as my promise still stands… For now, I must ensure my work is strong. the Fairy lowly replied as she nodded to the three guards as she slowly brought her wand out for them to see.

Before their eyes, the Blue Fairy, Evangeline, kneeled at Richard’s side. With great care and immense respect, she hovered the tip of her wand over his chest, above the silver key in a deep study for a moment. It was a physical check as Jiminy watched with pure wonder, at seeing this magic at work. This was no sleep, and no curse either. They were standing in a locked vault. With a hum of calm satisfaction, the Fairy’s beautiful white and gold face softened into a near tearful smile at the ultimate result that Richard’s ached heart had healed over this appointed time. He will live on, gladly… In a soft motion, she planted her palm over his chest providing a wonderful warmth through him. For the first time in days, Richard slowly stirred, in great comfort at the swimming heat, a slight stretch through the sheets before settling deeper.

Lastly, with a butterfly soft stroke over his lashes, Richard slightly emerged by fluttering his brown eyes open for merely a second. His pupils were wide, holding a distant glow within them - a gaze of sapphire. It was proof that her spell was bright and strong, keeping those clouds from ever touching his mind ever again. They gazed at her, as if drawn. They closed once more when she rose slow and easy… 

They witnessed a single long sigh from the man, a sign of honest relief and the air of the room warmed, as did the key with a sort of unique spice to the air. This place was sealed, and not even a single shadow was able to penetrate it. 

Our work continues, my friends,  the Blue Fairy thus began again, turning to them with a darker gleam in her blue eyes. Our enemy is angered and growing more persistent. Your vigils have done brilliant work on this side of the coin. I have strengthened the lock here, and the flock’s voice will be returned to the Diamond wearer. On this Last Sunrise of the Winter Solstice, Odette but look into the eyes of Quasimodo at this moment in time when the sun peeks over the horizon… When her father opens his eyes on this single morn, you will know that Maleficent had failed.”