The Ring and The Dagger: Memories of Ursalia

Anthem Six: Rolling Wagons and Suspended Dreams

It had been a weary journey back to Gummi Glen. Discovering that half the countryside had been ripped apart by violent windstorms had been no laughing matter. Nor had been returning to the Glen and having to explain everything that had happened in Vorallia, most especially the kiss and the events thereafter.

Gruffi had simply pulled up a chair by the fireplace and let Gusto explain it all, in his own friendly way, with Tummi interjecting bits here and there and Arte giving his own two cents. The pointed absence of the twins was much grief for Tanni, who sobbed into Zummi's shoulder.

"I swear, they'll tear the family apart with their feuding!"

She explained how her children were the direct descendants of the Vorallian Royals and that each generation seemed to bring a new curse or some sort of new feud. Part of it being that Delphi wanted to re-establish the line of Ursalian royals on the mainland and Denni wanted to stop this at all cost, even if it meant getting involved in the way of the Ring and the Dagger returning to Ursalia.

"Vorallia hasn't been the seat of royal power for some time," Tammi explained. "But Denni wants it to be restored to dominance as it was in the days of old. He even considers himself the Vorallian Prince. I've tried to control him, I really have. I brought him here hoping he would settle down a little, cause he was insistent on finding the Ring Bearer himself..."

"Well he found him all right," Gruffi interjected, his only spoken comment since the conversation started. "Me. Didn't like it much either, now did he?"

"So what are you supposed to do?" Ursa asked, looking between Gusto and Gruffi with a suspicious glance.

Gusto gazed across at Gruffi with panic in his eyes, and then begrudgingly answered.

"We have to get married...the Barbic way."

Silence, and Grammi gave a little cough.

"Well, it's about time I say! Really, you two are the most stubborn, clueless pair of bears I've ever met!" she rounded on Gruffi. "Well what are you sitting down for? We got a ceremony to plan! Can't have a wedding without a proper ceremony! Up, hop to it!"

A nervous round of laughter followed, breaking the tense mood and giving them something more pleasant to concentrate their minds on then the coming restoration of the fallen Ursalia.

-separator-

Rolling along in carts laden with provisions on their way to Ursalia, the original Glen Gummies were now crammed together all in one wagon, feeling lost and helpless amongst the larger group that had set out from the Glen. Gruffi sat with his back to the side of the cart, his legs stretched out before him and Gusto, asleep, was leaning against his side. He'd had very little rest since leaving Vorallia and Gruffi did not want to wake him for all the world. Not yet. He was so peaceful when he slept, so innocent, like a young god resting from a hard day of creating the world.

"Legend has it that the Kings and Queens of Ursalia had elaborate wedding ceremonies, with magic and costume parties and balls that lasted for days and days," Zummi said softly, his voice seeming to diminish the restless mood of the wagon passengers. "Great banquets and feasts that would draw visitors for miles and miles..."

"We won't be having much of a ceremony will we?" Gruffi laughed nervously, looking down at his sleeping fiancee with a sigh, softly caressing Gusto's cheek with his hand. "Just me and him in a ruined city. Will you officiate for us?"

"Why certainly! It would be my bonour...er der honour."

"Good old Zummi," Gruffi chuckled. "By Gum it's quiet, like the calm before the storm."

"Indeed it is."

"HALT!" suddenly Gritty's voice rang throughout the wagon train. "Who goes there?"

"DELPHI!"

Tanni lept from her wagon to run down the road to her daughter. Everyone was now peering out over the edge of their wagons. Gusto was roused from sleep immediately and he followed Gruffi from the wagon out onto the road.

Delphi was a wreck. She stood like a wraith in the road, shaking and shivering from the cold, her clothes tattered and her bright yellow fur blood stained. Tummi removed his cloak and immediately wrapped it around her. She leaned against him, tears in his eyes.

"I tried to...stop...him...Mother..." she said. "We fought...he stole...my magic mother. He...used...dragon magic...I didn't know...he could..."

"Oh Delphi," Tanni helped her daughter, lifting her arm and Tummi took the other. "To the wagon, tell us all."

"Not much to tell..." said the girl, her lower lip trembling. "I fought and was defeated, but the people of Vorallia rose up against him when he became a monster right before their eyes...he's about a half day behind me, Mother..." she looked up, and her eyes found Gusto. "He revealed his plan. He's infected him...plans to steal it from him...turn him against us..."

"Huh?" Gusto jerked, and Gruffi took his hand to steady him. "Say what?"

"Dragon magic," said Tanni softly. "Eons ago mages used to take the form of dragons, lengthening their span of living, giving them the closest thing to immortality. But the darkest dragon lord was afraid that human mages would overthrow dragon kind and cursed the mages. They can only become dragons if they steal the magic of other mage,s by touching them. With each mage the dragon touches and strips the power of the more vile and animal-like he becomes. I can't believe Denni would..."

"He's not Denni any longer mother..." Delphi said in a hollow voice. "He is now Deniphus, our ancestor, reborn. Somehow, the elder Mage has come back from the dead."

"It must have taken a hundred dragon mages! Where! HOW?"

"I think I know..." Gusto said, raising a hand so everyone stared at him. "When we went to the cave and he taught me to fight, there were dragon creatures there that he said were your ancestors."

"Your mage ancestors perhaps," said Tanni softly. "But there are other ancestors, good ones who never took the dragon form. It must have been your ancestors who infected you."

"Infected me?"

"The elder dragon is drawing power from you," Delphi said. "So he can control my brother's body completely. He's using my brother as a vessel, and Denni is fighting back a little, but it's a losing battle now. He must have switched soul spaces with him some time before Vorallia was restored."

"Yes yes! Deniphus was the one who cursed Ursalia!" Tanni said. "He must have survived inside the dagger!"

Gusto raised the dagger for a moment.

"His link to you must have given him a tunnel which he could escape from the dagger through. All he needed to do was for you to touch a mage. Now Denni's soul is trapped in the dagger..."

"I never touched Zummi, or Tanni, or even you, after getting the dagger," Gusto said sullenly. "But Denni put a hand on my shoulder in greeting..."

Gruffi was soon holding Gusto upright as the bear sobbed into his shoulder in misery. A moment of grief stricken silence filled the area and the Barbics set to making sure all those who weren't involved in the major conversation started to get dinner prepared and set up camp for the night. Delphi suddenly pulled herself free of Tummi.

"NO, we can't stop for the night! We have to keep going! He'll be so close behind us! He's infected Gusto with his magic, it will slowly drain his energy, and the magic of the dagger through him. Only uniting the Ring and the Dagger will stop him...only..." she looked over at Gruffi, who coughed.

"Yes well, we were going to...eventually..."


"Cold feet?" Delphi guessed. "Well, everyone gets pre-wedding jitters. Just be ready to get your clothes off before the third moon rises. Really, sometimes men can be such wimps."


A loud shock of dismay followed from the men, who coughed uncomfortably. Gusto was so horrified and embarrassed that he buried his face in his shirt sleeve. Only Ursa, Grammi and Tanni laughed.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again, I like how you think girl!" Grammi said. "Now let's get you to the wagon and get your cuts mended, before Gruffi dies from blushing."

"I'm blushing?"

Everybody laughed.

-seperator-

Darkness. His world was darkness. A whole world where he saw and had not seen. At one point he had been so merged with Deniphus that he hadn't been able to tell the two of them apart. But now Denni could see all the darkness around him was Deniphous, and all the misery was layers of Deniphus ichor, and his dragon shape too was more of Deniphus. Only this tiny lighted pinpoint of space where he floated was Denni, this small being of him that Deniphus had not been able to drive away fully. This place was dagger shaped, even his space, his haven was a place of evil, a weapon.

Through you and the Dagger I will find the ultimate power...Through you I will unleash my greatness upon the world...

No...my sister was right...she has the Ring and the Dagger, you may have infected him but you have no power over him. You can only drain his energy, but you can't steal his strength. Or have you forgotten that the Dagger is NOT the Fighter, but the Healer? The Ring Bearer is the Warrioress. Always she is.

Idiot bear! How many times must I say it! They have chosen a male for the ring, in their treachery, a perversion of ancient magic...

The Ring always chooses its own...Denni was repeating the old verses by rote. You can control it, but you cannot defeat it or Master it. You'll never Master it.

You lie!

Do I? Have you no understanding of what the Ring really does when she merges fully to the Dagger? No you cannot, for no pairing of male and female has done it. A child is always born, and that breaks the magic, the line, it breaks the true power of the ring...

Nonsensical power...

A child naturally steals it's parents energy, a made child moreso. When My twin and I were born our Mother's power broke in half. Each following child weakens a bond, and no physical union of a male Dagger Bearer and female Ring Bearer has ever not concieved a child. The magic is too strong...

Are you saying...

Female pregnancy is tied into the protective magic of the ring, Denni said. But without the instantaneous pregnancy of the woman, the true power will...wait...why am I telling you?

If this is true...you may have just given me the power to destroy them all...

Nothing else followed. Denni sank into his dagger shaped prison, waiting and praying for the moment when sharp metal pierced dark putrid flesh to free him from this space.