Moonridge story - Sleeping Sentinel, part 2

[dimity_blue]

Back to Part 1.



To Jim's surprise, he didn't mind Blair's company at all. The kid was interesting to listen to, even if half his claims were a bit extreme, and it certainly made the time fly by.

Lunch consisted of more fish, though Blair insisted on fetching various plants to make up a kind of salad. He'd found a patch of land that he swore must have been someone's garden once, and had happily pulled up and washed various plants from there.

Jim eyed his plate with suspicion. He'd faced death in battle, foes armed to the teeth with every weapon imaginable.

This green stuff was a bit unnerving though.

"It's lettuce, Jim, it's good for you." Blair bit into a leaf, as if trying to reassure Jim.

Jim wasn't reassured. The kid lived with six fairies - he could probably count on them to make him immune to the effects of various plants. However, Jim was a Ranger, and Rangers never shirked danger.

He was pretty sure Rangers had never faced lettuce.

Taking a bite, Jim chewed, then swallowed. "It's tasteless."

"It's not tasteless." Blair waved a leaf in the air before chomping on it. "It's just...subtle."

Jim tried again. Nope, definitely tasteless. Dropping the leaf, and the subject, Jim ate a bit of fish. "So tell me some more about yourself, Chief. What do you want to do with your life?"

Blair shrugged. "Merryweather keeps on talking about some destiny I've got." He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't feel destined for anything in particular."

Privately, Jim thought Merryweather was as nutty as a fruitcake. "What would you like to do though? You could become a Ranger."

"I don't think so, man!" Blair grinned.

"Or a chef." Jim eyed the lettuce again. "You could start a new line in uh...lettuce."

"Nah. I'd like to go to university, to study."

"Lettuce?"

Blair put the leaf he was eating down. "I swear, man, you are obsessed with lettuce."

Jim shook his head. He was a Ranger - they didn't get obsessed with green leafy things that had no taste. Well, not unless they were armed. "So what do you want to study?"

"People!" Blair's face lit up at the thought. "They're fascinating!" He waved half a tomato in the air. "Did you know there's a tribe in the Amazon who haven't had contact with any outside race at all?!"

Jim narrowed his eyes as he thought about that. "Then how do you know they exist?"

Blair shrugged nonchalantly. "They've been seen."

"But they didn't see the people who saw them?"

"No."

"So...you want to go study a tribe of blind people in the Amazon?" It sounded like a recipe for disaster to Jim. Blair couldn't go for a walk in the forest without getting lost - God knew what wouldn't happen if he got to the Amazon. He raised his eyebrows as the kid glared at him.

"Very funny, man!"

Nope, Blair definitely wasn't going to study anyone in the Amazon. At least, not alone. Jim had friends in the Rangers - and he was the heir to the throne, that had some advantages. If Blair went to the Amazon, he'd go with protection, and lots of it. And someone else to read the map. "So tell me about this tribe," Jim invited before taking a bite of his bread. Maybe he'd go too - the kid needed someone to keep an eye on him, and he'd probably talk rings around everyone else.

Next minute, Jim's mouthful of bread went flying across the fire. "They live up in trees?!"

Blair sat up again, glancing over his shoulder at the bread he'd managed to duck. "Yeah."

"You're not going." Jim shook his head decisively. "You fell out of a tree, remember? If that pool hadn't been there, you would've been killed."

"It's not your decision!" Blair retorted.

Jim opened his mouth to refute that, then paused. The kid was right; it wasn't his decision. However... "Merryweather would hate it. She'd worry." There. If that didn't work, Jim would think of something. Like a proclamation barring anyone called Blair from going to the Amazon.

"You don't even know Merryweather!"

"I'm sure she's a lovely old lady, and she'd worry about you." Jim ignored Blair's attempt at arguing and took his plate from him. "I'll wash these."

~'~

For a moment, Blair stared at Jim's back as he washed the plates, then got up and wandered over. "I can take care of myself, you know."

Jim straightened, shaking the water from the clean plates. "And how long were you wandering in the forest for?"

Blair bit his lip, then muttered, "A day or so."

"Make that two days, Chief," Jim replied, making his way to Sentinel and tucking the dishes away. "Anyway, maybe that destiny will come along before you get to the Amazon, so you'll be worrying about nothing."

"I'm not worrying about it!"

"Uh huh, right." Jim got up onto Sentinel's back and held out his hand. "Are you coming?"

Grabbing the hand, Blair scrambled up behind Jim. "You're such a jerk, you know that?"

"It's part of the Ranger training, Chief. I'm glad to know I'm not letting the side down."

~'~

This time, when they stopped to rest, Jim insisted on teaching Blair to catch fish. "After all, if you're gonna be lost in the woods, you need to know how to survive."

From the tilt of Blair's chin, he was doing his best to ignore that in a dignified manner. Behind his back, Jim grinned. The kid was so easy to tease.

His amusement vanished when he realised that Blair had managed to sneak more lettuce and other vegetables into his saddlebags, but Jim sighed and rolled his eyes, letting Blair add it to his plate, but steadfastly refusing to have it on his own.

His meal finished, Jim lay back, gazing up at the blue sky above. Sentinel was probably okay to carry them for another hour or so, but Jim felt a reluctance to go on. Every hour they travelled meant another hour towards Blair's home and, while Jim didn't have anything personal against the fairies the kid was living with, he just felt an inclination to keep him under his own eye. Where had Blair's guardians been when Blair was falling into the pool or making plans to go live with Amazonian tree people?

"Jim, you okay?"

Blair's voice broke into his reverie, and Jim opened his eyes. "Sure, just tired. I think we'll stop here for the night."

A grin lit up Blair's face. "Sounds fine to me. I'll go wash the plates."

Rousing himself, Jim fetched some more firewood and added some to the fire. Though the days were hot, the temperature frequently fell a lot during the night, and he didn't want the kid catching cold.

It wasn't until he was sitting by the fire again, this time with Blair cosily leaning against his shoulder, that Jim stopped to analyse that. Why was he so bothered over this? Even when he'd mentored new recruits, Jim had assumed they knew how to take care of themselves.

With a sudden grin, Jim knew why. The kid was literally off living with the fairies - who knew what he'd do next?

~'~

It wasn't until the cottage came into sight the next day that Blair realised he was almost home. While he hadn't liked not knowing where he was in the woods, once he'd met up with Jim, he'd felt fine. No matter where he was, Jim had known which way to go, so Blair hadn't felt lost any more.

But now he was home...and feeling lost.

"You okay, Chief?"

Blair drew a breath. "Yeah! Just realised where we are!" He filled his voice with fake enthusiasm.

"I said I'd get you home," Jim pointed out lightly. His voice changed, becoming serious, "Listen, I'm gonna be around for a few days. Mind if I call back and see you?"

This time, the enthusiasm was real. "That'd be great, man! I know the fairies would love to meet you!"

Jim's shoulders shook slightly though Blair couldn't imagine why. "I can't wait to meet them either."

~'~

Leaving Blair behind was a wrench, though Jim couldn't understand why. He'd only known the kid two days.

Gazing around at the irritating, noisy, smelly city, Jim sighed. Okay, so maybe Blair had kept him distracted - stopped him from thinking about his father, his mother, and the thousand and one reasons why he hadn't returned earlier.

Maybe he could camp out near Blair's cottage instead. Spend a few days getting to know the fairies - and Jim never thought that prospect would appeal to him. But every step that Sentinel took, took Jim closer to his birthright, and his father.

Maybe he could take Blair to the Amazon himself.

Jim was about to turn Sentinel around and head off back to Blair's cottage when trumpets sounded. Very, very loudly. He sighed; they'd spotted him. Pinning a smile to his face, he nodded and waved to the cheering crowds that were gathering.

Okay, so it was kinda nice they'd missed him.

It didn't take long for Jim to reach the palace, and he was surprised to spot his father lurking on the front steps, his neck craning as he strained to see.

Pulling Sentinel to a standstill, Jim dismounted and handed over the reins to an ostler, getting halfway up the steps before his father managed to speak.

"James!"

"Hello, Father." Jim smiled. His father really did look surprised to see him, despite the trumpets that had been blaring his arrival for the past mile or so.

"You're back."

"Um...yes." Jim frowned. Had his father always been this quick on the uptake?

"Well, that's handy. We were going to celebrate your thirtieth birthday anyway, but I guess it'll look even better if you're here to celebrate it too." William looked quite pleased about it all.

"Oh." Jim kicked himself mentally. If he'd known that staying away would annoy his father more, he would have gone to camp near Blair's cottage without a twinge of conscience at all.

However, it was too late now. Giving in to the inevitable, he followed his father up the palace steps and into the great hall.

"Grace, James is home!"

Jim smiled as his mother waved a wine bottle at him.

"Sho nice," she told him.

As William wrested the bottle from her hand, Jim sighed. Nothing had changed at all.

~'~

Fortunately for Jim's patience, the party was scheduled for the very next night. Unfortunately for the palace tailors, the party was scheduled for the very next night. So Jim spent most of the day with pieces of cloth hanging off him as the tailors worked their fingers to the bone trying to get his outfit ready in time. He'd tried to talk them out of it, saying that he had his uniform but, while the head tailor was ready and willing to listen to Jim's tales of being a Ranger, he was adamant that there was no way any prince of Cascade was going to make an appearance at the ball in anything but a Gaultion outfit.

"It's the principle, your grace," Monsieur Gaultion told him, the silver pins catching the light as they were rapidly jammed in place.

Jim flinched automatically.

"Oh, not to worry, your grace! None of my employees have ever damaged a client." Monsieur Gaultion leaned in close and murmured, "Well, except for that incident with the Duchess of Grandier - but she really should have warned us about the parrot."

Frowning, Jim opened his mouth to ask how the parrot came into it, but Monsieur Gaultion had reverted to the previous subject.

"However, as I was saying, it's a matter of principle. Your grace and his ancestors have been dressed by Gaultion's since Cascade was founded. It's expected."

The emphasis on the last word was not missed by Jim, who knew a heck of a lot about what was expected and what wasn't. And, as he'd spent the past few years getting out of what was expected of him, Jim thought the least he could do was accept it gracefully.

~'~

"Blair?"

Raising his head, Blair shut the book he wasn't reading and smiled at Flora. "Hi."

"We wondered if you were hungry. You barely ate anything at lunch, even though Merryweather didn't do the cooking."

Blair smiled as Flora handed him a plate of biscuits with a cup of tea. "I'm fine. I just...." Turning his head, he gazed out of his bedroom window where the spires of the distant city could be seen.

"Just...?" Flora sat on the edge of his bed and waited, smiling at him reassuringly.

"I think I miss Jim." Putting the cup and plate down, Blair sighed. "I only knew him for two days, but...I feel like I should be with him. Like there's something I should be doing."

Oddly, Flora looked pleased. "I'm sure it'll sort itself out in the end," she said, mysteriously. "Drink your tea."

~'~

"James?!"

Jim jumped slightly, blinking at the sunshine that poured in through the window. He'd been trying to see Blair's cottage, but the day had turned overcast, grey, with a thick mist that was impossible to see through. Now though, the sun was back as though it had never disappeared. He turned. "Yes, Father?"

"For a minute then...well, never mind. The tailors are waiting, have been for the past ten minutes."

Confused, Jim looked at the clock, then shook his head. He would have sworn it wasn't that late.

As his father followed him, talking about the ball, the guests, Lady Lash and her son who had been specifically invited (and James had better make sure to be polite to the pair of them), Jim went to his dressing room where Monsieur Gaultion and his employees were waiting.

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Monsieur Gaultion." The King nodded at the tailor, then frowned at Jim. "Mind what I say. Lady Lash is very well-connected and we don't want to offend her."

It was Jim's turn to frown as his father left the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. What on earth was that about?

~'~

By the time the party began in earnest, Jim was more puzzled than ever. Lady Lash, a lady of mature years with an overbearing manner and a very large fan, had been dropping hints about bringing their families closer together. That, coupled with his father's endless marriage plans, was giving Jim the horrific idea that Lady Lash had matrimony in mind. What her husband, a repellent weasly little man, thought of that, Jim had no idea.

Pinning a smile to his face, Jim escaped their company and grabbed the hand of the nearest debutante. Dancing - even if it led to his father planning how many children Jim and his dance partner would undoubtedly have - was infinitely preferable to listening to Lady Lash.

Finally, Jim took advantage of the slight scene being enacted as Lady Lash insisted that she had the right to eat the last of the mushroom hors d'ouevres, and slipped out of the room. All he wanted was a quiet few minutes to clear his aching head and then he'd return.

He left the ballroom, ducked behind a tall suit of armour to avoid some guests, then quietly made his way up the stairs. No one would be in his room - at least, he hoped not - so he'd be guaranteed to find a little peace and quiet there.

~'~

"James?" As entertaining as it had been to watch Lady Lash threaten people with her fan, midnight was approaching and, if William's soothsayers were right, midnight was the time when James would fall into that stupid zone-out and be woken by Lady Lash's son.

If William was honest with himself, the idea of being stuck with Lady Lash as a frequent visitor was one that appalled him, but it seemed that her son, David, was the only one who'd be able to wake James.

Snorting to himself with disbelief over all that One True Guide claptrap, William continued to scan the room. He couldn't see his son anywhere. For a moment, he debated asking Grace if she'd seen him, but she was more likely to have seen pink elephants than James. Besides, it looked like she was stealing the last of the hors d'ouevres and he didn't want to be nearby when Lady Lash figured that one out.

James hadn't left the ball, had he? William realised that it was entirely possible, and grumbled to himself as he headed up the stairs to James' room. If he couldn't find James there - and midnight was beginning to strike - then he'd have to have the palace searched. And the place was too damned big for that.

Fortunately for William's temper, he found James in his bedroom, gazing out of the window as he had been earlier that day. The midnight chimes were striking as the King hurried across the floor, his hand outstretched to rouse James from whatever dream was making him so oblivious.

A brief touch was all it took, and James seemed to collapse in on himself as the final strokes of midnight sounded. Catching at his son's falling body, William managed to guide it to the floor, losing his crown in the process, but not caring a jot as his horrified gaze took in the slack, unconscious face of his only son and heir.

"James?" Those damned fairies were right - and where the hell were they now his son was... He was just in a zone-out, wasn't he? "Jimmy?!" Abandoning the dignity that he'd preserved for so long, William called out to his son to answer, then watched carefully. After a few seconds, he slumped in relief. James was still breathing, at least that was something.

Getting to his feet, William hurried to the bell pull and tugged sharply, muttering impatiently as he waited for the butler and footmen to arrive. As soon as they arrived, William ordered them to lay the prince on the bed, then hurried down the stairs.

"David!" His arrival in the doorway seemed to have come at an inopportune time. The youngest member of the Lash family was nowhere in sight, but his mother had the punchbowl on her head while the Queen was bashing it enthusiastically with a ladle. For a brief moment, admiration flickered in William's heart, then he pushed it to one side. This was no time to egg Grace on. "Lady Lash!" he thundered. As she turned, the remains of the punch dripping down her face, Grace dropped the ladle and nonchalantly ate an hors d'ouevre. "Where is your son?"

He could see the effort it cost her to muster her dignity, but it was wasted as David appeared from under the table and hurried past her. The glee on the boy's face was clear to see, and William forced down his distaste. Instead, he turned and quietly followed the Guide up the stairs.

Once back in James' room, William dismissed the menservants, then swallowed his indignation as he too was dismissed with a haughty, "I work without an audience!"

As the door was shut firmly behind him, William began pacing. Putting up with Lash and his parents would be worth it if he could have his son back.

~'~

As soon as the door was closed, David smiled. He knew all about Prince James and his condition. His mother had hired the best tutors possible in order to make sure that he, David, would be able to bring the freak out of his zone-out. And once James was dependent on David, things would fall into place quickly enough.

Of course, his mother had her own plans. But he'd get rid of her as soon as she'd disposed of the King and Queen of Cascade. After all, there was only room for one power behind the throne, and David intended for it to be him.

~'~

Blair stepped out of the coach, then stopped, that strange need tugging at him again. He knew there was something he needed to do...or to be doing...but what?

"Come along, dear, no time to lose!" Flora pushed him forward gently, the other fairies fussing around him.

For once he ignored them, his mind intent on trying to figure out what it was he was supposed to do.

"Up the stairs, dear!"

Obediently, he hurried up the stone steps, barely hearing as Merryweather snootily informed the guards that they were all expected, and anyone waving pikes around would be turned into one.

Once inside the palace, the need grew stronger, and he hurried along the corridor, past a well-lit ballroom to the bottom of another flight of stairs. His foot on the bottom step, he paused, suddenly unsure, but his guardians were there.

"Everything's fine, Blair. You're doing perfectly." Erato smiled at him, and he managed a half smile back.

"I...do I...?"

"Just go upstairs and kiss the prince awake!" Merryweather told him, attempting to smooth his hair down.

"Kiss?!" That broke through the fog of confusion, and Blair stared at her, horrified.

"No, no!" interrupted Flora hastily. "No kissing - that's an entirely different kind of story. Just go upstairs and talk to him, dear."

"Oh, talk. I can talk." Blair heaved a sigh of relief. As long as he didn't have to kiss the prince, he could talk until the cows came home. He ran up the first few steps, then stopped as his guardians stayed where they were.

"Go on, dear," Flora urged him, the others murmuring their encouragement. "It's for you to do it all now."

Clio smiled suddenly, though he could see the tears in her eyes. "It'll be fine, Blair. This is what you were meant for."

Even more unsure of what he was about to face, Blair continued up the stairs. With each step, the need grew stronger, and he finally allowed his fears to fade and gave in to whatever was calling him so desperately.

Rounding the corner at the top of the stairs, he dived past the worried-looking man waiting there and threw open the door, shrugging off the hand that grabbed at his shoulder as he rushed into the room.

The man on the bed didn't move, but the one beside the bed did, straightening up as his face twisted. "Go away!" He raised the pin, dripping with blood, and pointed it at Blair. "This isn't for you!"

Furious, though he wasn't entirely sure why, Blair ran forward and pushed him away from the bed. "Get away from him!"

"What have you done? James?!" The worried-looking man was there too, bending over the figure and attempting to shake it back into consciousness.

Blair glanced at him, then kept his eyes fixed on the loathsome man with the pin, determined to keep him away.

"He wouldn't wake up - he was supposed to wake up." There was a definite petulant tone in the man's voice and he threw the pin to one side. "Fine. Cascade stinks, anyway!"

As the door slammed behind him, Blair turned back to the bed, then exclaimed, "Hey, Jim!" It was a mystery to as to why Jim was lying on a bed in the palace while a maniac with a pin jabbed holes in his hand, but there he was.

The other man looked at him. "You know my son?"

"Well, yeah. He gave me a ride home. I'm Blair, by the way."

The man, looking more confused than anything else now, shook his hand. "William."

The intense need had calmed though Blair still felt the need to get closer to Jim. As casually as he could, Blair sat on the end of the bed and waggled Jim's foot. "C'mon, man, you got visitors."

"I don't think -" William shut up suddenly as Jim yawned and opened his eyes.

"Father? Blair! What are you doing here?"

"Just passing. And good thing too, man. You need to be careful who you let in, you know?"

"Ow."

Blair watched as Jim raised his hand to his face and gazed at the streaks of blood. "Yeah, ow. Jesus, Jim, what were you thinking?"

"I guess I wasn't."

"Well, I'll go tell everyone the good news." As Blair looked up at William wondering what the good news was, William smiled widely. "The very good news. Then I'll make sure the Lashes leave."

The door shut behind him, and Blair frowned and gazed at Jim, who shrugged. "Don't ask me; I was unconscious."

~'~

Swinging his legs to the floor, Jim settled next to Blair and grinned at him, shoving him with his shoulder slightly. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Blair looked confused. "I'm supposed to go talk to the Prince but...." His voice trailed off and he stared at Jim.

"That would be me." Jim realised that he'd never actually told Blair who he was. For some reason, he'd expected Blair to know - to know him. Not because he was Prince James of Cascade but because...well, it was Blair. How could Blair not know him? Jim felt as if he'd always known Blair; he just hadn't met him before.

"Oh." Blair didn't seem upset anyway. "Okay." They sat there in silence for a moment, then Blair asked, "Now what?"

"I've been thinking I should move back in. Father's seems a little...distracted. It's probably due to all the stress - being King, being married to Mother. So...you know, I'm gonna need help dealing with them." He paused, then took the plunge. "You want to move in?" Jim really hoped Blair would say yes, if not, he was going to have to persuade his father to pass a decree preventing Blair from leaving.

"Okay."

Well, that'd save on paperwork. "Great! It'll give me a chance to meet Merryweather too, and the others."

Blair smiled, his face lighting up. "I think you'll like 'em."

"I'm sure I will." Jim stood, his hand automatically going to curve around Blair's arm. "Let's go downstairs. I'm sure that Father can't wait to introduce you around."

~'~

And so Jim, Blair, and all the natives of Cascade lived happily ever after. William was glad to get his son back, the lords and ladies of the court were pleased to have more opportunities for dressing up in fine clothes and impressing their neighbours, and the ordinary people who lived in Cascade just got on with their lives and did their best to ignore whatever "that weird lot up in the palace" were doing now.

As for Maleficent, she didn't even notice that Jim had survived. She'd left Cascade some time before to marry a widowed King in a faraway land, who had one daughter with hair as black as ebony and skin as white as snow. Maleficent was enjoying playing Queen and stepmother, even though the child looked like a member of the Addams family.

The end

23rd August 2007

Comments

[laurie-ky.livejournal.com]

Very tongue-in-cheek. I thought it very amusing.
Laurie

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Laurie. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Sorry you had to wait for part 2! :oD

[vamysteryfan.livejournal.com]

That was great fun!

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Karen. I'm glad you liked it. :oD

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

LOL - that's wonderful! Thanks for starting my weekend off so nicely *g*

I loved the bit about the gift of taste... you have an evil sense of humour *hg*

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Snails! I'm so glad you liked it so much. I hope you have a great weekend.

you have an evil sense of humour *hg*

Heh heh heh. As long as it works. :oD

[admiralandrea.livejournal.com]

:rolling on the floor laughing and kicking my legs in the air:

I love this! Priceless, absolutely priceless! *g*

I love the fairies names, I love how you bring in the Lashes, I love Blair being horrified at the prospect of kissing Jim, but that being another story *g*

Thanks for cheering up my Friday!

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Andi! I'm really glad you enjoyed it so much. :oD

Hope your Friday keeps on being cheery!

Btw, your icon is perfect. :oD

[admiralandrea.livejournal.com]

Actually had a bad night, but at least I went to bed with a smile!

The icon is by lit_gal and it seemed appropriate *g*

[peter-neverland.livejournal.com]

Absolutely adorable!

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks! I'm glad it worked for you. :oD

[caarianna.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOL! Oh, very droll! Had me laughing out loud. Really, really enjoyed this and salute your imagination. (And I kinda hope there'll be other fairytale adventures with Prince Jim, Blair who gets easily lost, and the six fairies!

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Arianna! I'm really glad you enjoyed the story that much. I don't know if the 6 fairies will be making a come back, though it's always possible. :oD

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, from lettuce to Snow White, that was great fun. Thank you. Made me smile this Saturday morning.

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. I'm really glad it had you smiling.

Thanks for the feedback! :oD

[chriselora55.livejournal.com]

"And so Jim, Blair, and all the natives of Cascade lived happily ever after....."


Awwww! I do love a story with a happy ending!

LOL! Great story. Heee! Just loved it.

Thank you for sharing.

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Heh, so do I. I think I'm addicted to happy endings.

Thanks for the feedback! :o)

[mio-83.livejournal.com]

As always, very good :-)

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Marie! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :oD

[izzie7.livejournal.com]

Hah! I giggled all the way through this - especially about the lettuce. Great fun!

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Izzie! I'm glad you found it funny. :oD

[angelvette67.livejournal.com]

I loved this. Kept a silly grin on my face all the way through!

[dimity-blue.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Karen. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. ::hugs::