Ancient powers moved through the dunes, they crawled and tiptoed towards she who had woken them. Ixia could feel their closeness in the earth and sky, she pushed her hands below the hot sand and felt the vibrations of titan footsteps. Once she was certain she knew what approached she raced through empty city streets, the sun had only just begun to rise and the merchants and workers slept soundly. The dryad moved with grace and speed, more animal than woman, she scaled buildings and leapt across rooftops; golden light followed her ascent. She raced through draughty corridors and up stairwells to her Queen's bedside.
"Your majesty." Ixia hissed in the darkness, she lit the candle on Thea's bedside table, the Queen slowly coaxed herself into waking at hearing the urgency in the dryad's voice.
"What is it?"
"She has come." Suddenly Thea's mind was alert, she leapt from her bed and began to rip her nightclothes from her body to replace them with a day dress. Agathe, who had been sleeping in the next room raced in.
"What?" Agathe looked at Ixia's and Thea's rushed, panicked excitement. Her heart was pounding, she could sense something powerful and dark was afoot.
"The grove keeper marches." Agathe had long awaited that day, the prophecy was at long last in motion.
"Well we had best be ready to greet her then." Thea nodded to her handmaiden, while lacing up her own corset with hurried fingers.
"Get dressed, then wake the princess. Bring her here, hurry." Agathe bowed and accepted her command, elven gowns were much simpler and flowing than the dresses donned by human nobles. It would not take Agathe nearly as long to dress. She wore green to honour the old ones then left to collect the girl. Another gift of the elves was their ability to disappear into the shadows and move unseen. The castle was beginning to wake, servants stoked the morning fires and went to rouse their masters. Lady Agathe passed by undisturbed.
Silently she picked the lock to Prince Solomon's apartment and let herself inside. The prince had left, he had needed to feel the early morning sun on his skin. Lily was helping to dress Katherine in the centre of the room, both had their backs to Agathe. She paused a moment to listen to them speak of the previous night, the marriage had not been consummated, not that it mattered unless the public found out.
"Excuse me my grace." The ladies of the mountain were startled and turned to face Agathe with relief that it was only her. "You are needed urgently in the Queen's chambers." Lily was finishing the last embellishments of Katherine's outfit for the day.
"You seem shaken Agathe." Katherine commented. The usually cool exterior of the elven woman seemed harshened, her eye had a slight twitch and her usually graceful form was tense and stiff.
"I am. Now come." Sensing the urgency of the situation, Katherine and Lily followed Agathe through the castle. The guest chambers were not far, by the time they arrived Thea was dressed and pacing. The atmosphere was electric and stormy.
"Katherine." The Queen of sunlight sighed her name, "Lily. There is someone you must meet, she is on her way. We need to get out onto the desert without being spotted."
"Who?" Lily asked, the Queen was manic and breathless. Lily did not trust her.
"You will see, we need to go. Now." Queen Thea went out onto the balcony and her companions followed, the sun had climbed higher and was blistering. Below the balcony was a slanted roof and then a short drop to the sandy earth, Agathe helped Thea climb over the stone railing. "Come, come." She urged the ladies of the mountain, meanwhile she frantically checked for spies. Katherine and Lily followed, venturing out into the desert that late in the morning was a fools errand. After all they had been through Katherine and Lily were no cowards. Onward they walked.
The troupe of noblewomen wandered far from the castle, Ixia led the way; she paused every now and again to feel the vibrations in the earth. They became lost in a horizon of sand, there was no shelter from the suns unforgiving glare. They had set off in such a rush they had forgotten water. Even the breeze was sufferingly hot. They climbed and descended orange dunes, the blue sky was wide and unblemished by cloud. Ixia flowered in the sun, she was enchanting. Mirages began to shift in the distance, glistening visions of shaded water appeared on the horizon.
Ahead of the women lay a mountainous dune, it towered over their heads and they began the tiresome climb. Their footsteps were unstable, their feet fell into the sand. Tight silk gowns were cumbersome and drenched with sweat. The midday sun was relentless in her punishment. As they reached the dunes peak they discovered the shadow of prince Solomon and his amore, they stood together in animal skin armour, they looked out across the desert. The couple did not notice the noblewomen's approach, they were diverted by something in the distance. A marching mountain, with an army of faye around her ankles. Ixia dropped to her knees in an elegant bow, Thea and Agathe leant into respectful curtsies. The ladies of the mountain had seen many incredible things on their travels but the sight of the grove keeper made them dizzy with fear and awe, she was sublime.
Solomon and his warrioress companion approached the gathering,
"What terror have you brought down upon us?" The lion woman accused the Queen, her accent was deep and earthy. Thea had tears in her eyes despite the arid heat, she shook her head and beamed.
"No terror, salvation." The Queen sounded like a fanatic, perhaps she was. Driven to breaking point by her impossible desire for change perhaps she had put her faith in the wrong places, perhaps not.
"What is she?" Lily could not take her eyes off the dazzling giant, none of them could. Her footsteps were like thunder.
"Before the new Gods, before the old Gods, something else wandered this earth. Something ancient. She is the forest." Ixia explained the dyadic legends but her words did not seem to be much of an explanation.
"Why has she come?" The lioness demanded, she was tall and strong. In her grip she held a wooden spear, and on her back she carried a bow and arrows.
"She has come because I called her." Ixia remained on her hands and knees, she placed her ear to the sand. She could hear the chittering of pixies, and the song of nymphs. Her sisters were finally done sleeping. "The forest has been in shadow for centuries, no longer shall we magic folk cower."
"You wish to attack Maequil?" Solomon drew his sword, he could not comprehend the rise of one race without the fall of another. He had been raised on war and victory. The dryad laughed at him and stood, she looked straight into the princes amber eyes.
"We wish to live in peace. As we have done before." The dryad spoke, her words did not soothe him much but he lowered his sword. He believed peace could only be won through battle.
"Help us reforge the council of Kings." Katherine pleaded of her new husband, he had not heard that name in a long time; not since his childhood history lessons. "It has to be done by the desert and the mountain, to heal old wounds."
"I will try." Solomon gave her a weak promise but it was enough for the time being; in reality he saw no reason for the council, his world had enough peace.
The mythic army approached, the titan dropped to one knee before the ladies of the mountain. The grove keeper's voice made the hillock shake as if in the grips of an earthquake.
"The shield, the sun. I have waited aeon's for this moment. I feel peace in the air like you feel spring, its sweet fragrance rests upon your shoulders. I bless each of you that stands upon this hill." The goddess lifted her hand to shade her followers from the harsh sun. Ixia ran down the dune side, she had no fear of falling. She slid on an avalanche of red sand, down to be in the arms of her long lost sisters.
"What is our next step?" Katherine shouted up to the cosmic titan.
"Call a meeting, call every leader of every land. Call them to the throne of Kings, negotiate." The throne of kings was so placed that it sat at the perfect centre of every monarch's castle, fairness and justice had been its pillars.
"Shall we invite even our enemies?" Katherine asked, thinking of Isolde.
"Especially your enemies." The grove keeper seemed firm about this. "Now return before the sun poisons you, get this done." The giantess stood, her head blotted out the sun, a halo of light shone from her crown. "Call me when you need me." Then as if she had never been there at all, the grove keeper began to travel north. The army followed, they would follow her forever. Now it was time to rebuild their home in those whispering woods.