Prince of Penance

Chapter Twenty: Gathering The Splinters

Misti looked over the ocean waters with fear and uncertainty in her chest. So much was in peril and she felt entirely torn between her duties and her heart. Her heart was over the waters in spirit to another land, another place and time. It was as if her two personas were both trying to enforce their right of place upon her, Misti the Gummi and Thistle Rose the Queen. It was a seperation that was becoming more and more obvious as the days had passed.

But in the here and now her duties were to unravel this mystery of Sunni's disappearance. Talking to her servants she had learned that Sunni had received a message that morning. But the servant had said it was from Bryton, which confused her further, for Bryton had over slept that morning and she'd had to wake him as usual.

Then this evening the number of missing persons besides Sunni, and the truant Gruffi, had increased. Both Councillor Venti and Dalli Bella were nowhere on the island.

With all these worries in mind, and a simple cloak around her shoulders to keep the rain off her fur, she went down the stone steps towards the port. A messenger had arrived, telling her that ships had been spotted nearing Monteray, and they were sailing with an awkward gait which signalled they might be in need of repairs. As head of medical, and Queen and the only royal member of the family on the Island, it was her responsibility to go to the port and greet the ships, be they friends or strangers, and see to their aid.

She arrived just as a sailor on watch rang the greeting bell. Grammi and the rest of her family were there as well, and the entire population of Monteray seemed to spill out of their shops and houses to the streets waiting for the two beleaguered ships to dock. Zummi had his hat in his hands and was twisting it in anticipation. Cubbi was being kept from running to the port by Sir Wallaby, who was shaking his head in dismay at his energy. Poor old bear couldn't keep up to him, so was the word around the palace. She managed a brief smile at this, and then a bell sounded that signalled that the ships were now identified as friendly vessels.

"Your majesty," Captain Certus was immediately by her side. "They're definitely our own, the Lazenza has returned. The other is the Persephone..."

"Chummi and Tummi are back early," said Grammi, putting her hands to her cheeks in worry.

As the ships came close enough for those on port to see their markings, a thrill of dread and despair filled Misti. The Lazenza was obviously being towed; it had taken too much damage to sail on its own, and the flags that flew at half mast on both ships were black.

Somebody was dead.

Misti flew all caution to the wind and broke from the group to stand on the stone pier with the dock hands, Admiral Certus coming up beside her to take her arm gently.

"My Lady..."

It was an agonising wait. Misti expected when the gangplank was lowered from the Persephone that Captain Chummi, or one of his crew, would be the first down it.

She hadn't expected Sunni, who flung herself along the dock at an alarming speed and threw herself into Grammi's arms sobbing for dear life. Most alarming was her costume, that of a sailor, the belt tied around her waist causing the large oversize shirt to take on the strange proportions of a dress.

"Sunni, darling what's the matter dear?" Grammi said. "You're home safe now, its all right, why are you wearing those clothes? Goodness me you're chilled to the bone and you have a fever again!"

Grammi seemed not the least bit angry with the girl for her disappearance, and Misti could understand now why. Admiral Karse came to her and bowed, followed by Prince Bryton, whom she hugged with heart breaking relief.

"You're safe," she said softly.

"My Queen..." Karse bowed. "We...we have ill tidings..."

All motion suddenly ceased. A sort of quiet fell over the port. Misti pulled herself from Bryton to look past Admiral Karse to locate the cause. Tummi and Captain Chummi were standing on the dock, their hats in their hands.

It was Gruffi whose arrival had caused all motion to cease. He plodded down the gangplank in a jerking motion, like a pale, grim toy soldier whose inner springs were twisted. His face had a hollow look as he plodded towards Misti, and there was a confusion in his eyes that was heartbreaking. It crushed, it begged, it demanded to know the answers. She immediately went towards him, pulling her skirts up into her hands to keep herself from shaking him.

"Dearest Gruffi," she said softly, unable to quell the shake in her voice. "My brother, where is he? Why is he not here?"

Gruffi seemed to jerk, and their eyes met for a moment. She knew.

"Gusto...is with our Mothers now...my Queen...and our Fathers..."

Misti nodded, her heart leaping into her chest. Even in this dull gray hour poor simple Gruffi had chosen to speak to her in the formalistic language that she loved so dear. The strange lilting words that reminded her so painfully of her Mother.

"Oh..."

In a moment she threw herself into his arms, and she was clinging to him, sobbing into his strong stiff shoulder. It was over.

She had lost. Her fears had been realized. There would be no voyage for her and Gusto to Dunwyn. There would be no victory parties, and no more paintings to paint together. He was gone. Gone, and she had to live once again with the despair she had felt when he had left fifteen years ago.

But this was worse. So much worse. Gruffi wasn't crying. He wasn't bleeding pain from his eyes as she did. He seemed hollow and broken. Like a clock with no gears. So she just held him, and wept for him, and for the Glens, and for the people of Monteray who had still lost so much.

"My Lady," Karse broke through their moment with a soft apologetic sound.

"How did...this happen?" she said, releasing Gruffi, and turning to look at Karse wide eyed.

"If you please," he bowed low. "Our ship was taken over by pirates. The Kraken was summoned by the Master wizard, Councillor Venti, disguised these many years as Felli Bella, who has been dead without our knowing it."

Melli Bella made a sound of choking distress. She hadn't known this then.

"Dalli Bella, his daughter, had kidnapped young Sunni from the palace and smuggled her aboard the ship...they meant to sacrifice her to the Kraken my Queen, to give it more power over Monteray, to force Bryton to compliance. They were insane!"

"Good heavens!" Grammi said.

Karse seemed to lose his voice, and Bryton pulled Mysti gently to face him.

"Mother, when the Kraken was ready to tear our ship apart to get what it craved, Uncle Augustus sacrificed his life to stop it! He saved us all."

Bryton broke down into weeping, and Misti held him to her, brushing his hair away from his face as she had done so many times in his youth. Their tears on their cheeks mingled, and she could feel the pain and frustration in him, and the despair. Karse finally found his voice again, and slowly told the rest of the story to the astounded crowd. But then a soft voice behind Misti suddenly spoke, startling her.

It was Sunni. Her fur was damp with her sweat and fever, yet she was addressing Misti, obviously meaning to say something important.

"Y-your Majesty," Sunni said, bowing. "Bryton saved me. He jumped into the water to rescue me when the monster had left and I was drowning. Is...he going to be a King now? Has he p-proven himself now?"

Misti smiled at her. So she understood what being a Knighted King entailed.

"Yes my dear...he is."

Mysti suddenly realized they were all waiting for her to say something, to do something, to deal with all this. She was in charge suddenly and she chafed at this restriction. Sunni's pointed words were now in her brain and she turned to look at Bryton. He was now a grown bear, a Knight, and the King.

"Bryton is going to be King now. And I think I should leave the funerary preparations to him. My son, I shall take the Glen Gummis home to the palace to grieve in peace, and tend to Sunni's fever personally. Admiral Karse, will you deal with the prisoners?"

"With pleasure," Karse snorted, bowing to her, then he turned to approach Chummi and his crew, followed by Admiral Certus.

Misti turned to look at the Glen Gummis. Their wan downcast heads and the drawn lines of pain on their faces was enough to break her heart. She went to Sunni immediately to hug the girl, and taking a deep breath pushed down her pain and made herself a shoulder for them to cry on.

But Gruffi, she noted with sadness, had left the crowd, simply walked away to plod on weary feet towards the Palace.

BThere was nothing she could do about him. Only time could heal this wound. Only time.

--Awwww, sadness, and angst. Much more action, angst and stuff to come, I promise. *grins* Its not over yet.