The wolf man howled, with his fur lit up like a torch, alerting everyone. Zora quickly grabbed one of the baby blankets and put the box inside. She twirled and twirled from the stands. After a few turns, the box was hurled into the arena. That is when she yelled: "King Arogan! Remember what I told you! In case of emergencies?"
The crowd was as quiet as a mouse, fearing their rulers defeat.
The king turned, nervous. All that he could do was gulp and try to avoid attacks mercilessly coming his way.
The witch noticed the king taking cover. She looked up and was stunned by her own powers.
"Oh no," she could utter, before the box hit her in the head, exploding on contact. The shield, keeping the audience safe, allowed for a dazzling sight. It resembled a fire inferno contained in a turned glass bowl.
"What about me!" Aidan yelled in pain. His fur was completely engulfed by flames.
The queen looked at him as if in disbelief. "Just turn back into a human."
The burning werewolf yelled something out and, not a moment later, turned to his old self. Luckily, the flames did not harm him, but he was covered in soot. "Phew!" he sighed relieved.
The viewers were looking at the thick smoke, which seemed to have completely filled the protective magic field. As the smoke cleared, coughing could be heard. On one side, the witch was burned to a crisp, with a charred skeleton being the only thing remaining. Everyone looked worried at their ruler's side. But he was not there.
Outside the designated circle, he laid facing down on the grass. His head raised slightly, dirty and covered with cinder but otherwise intact. His cheeks resembled a gopher's, filled to full capacity with tiny golden apples. He gulped almost chocking, but still he slowly stood up to the relief of the audience. "I'm okay," he said clearing his throat. Everyone rejoiced, cheering for their king.
The wizards quickly approached. "You lost!" the judges ruled. The king turned to the charred remains of his opponent.
"Is she dead?" he asked.
"Very much so," the judge replied.
"Then it's fine by me," he shrugged, pleased to be alive.
The crowd gathered around him to lift their ruler on their shoulders. "Hip, hip, hooray!" they sang, carrying him to his castle.
As they celebrated, the king waved to everyone, smiling as he was carried to his castle. Aidan climbed down the bleachers, needing a minute to compose himself.
"Are you alright?" his flying friend asked.
"I do not know," Aidan replied. "It will be a minute before I turn back into a wolf. That is certain."
The bird made a puffing sound. "Fear of fire is inborn in animals. It simply means you are no longer mad to consider it a friend."
Aidan tried to smile but he was still shaken. Cleaning himself up, he looked at the group of leaving wizards. "Anyone you know, by chance?" e asked Chirp.
The bird turned. "Why all of them."
"Pardon?"
"Yes. They have existed for a long time. In secret, of course, and independent of any kingdom. My previous master desperately wanted to join. That is why he created me."
"I see," the young king said. "Do you have any ways of reaching them? With all that continues to happen, they might be useful."
"Chirp! No problem. I am the bird for the job," he declared proud.
"Aidan, are you alright?" Zora's voice was heard. "Does it hurt anywhere?"
The little bird, flew away startled.
"Only my pride, dear," he said nonchalantly.
Running towards him, she checked him carefully and said: "Good. If you are ready, we can go to the palace. King Arogan wants to honor us."
"I see. What an interesting persona. Out of all the things he bragged about, he always insisted his powers were weak. And yet he managed to survive such intense magic."
Zora looked away, uneasy. "That might not have been his doing alone," she said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Aidan frowned.
Her eyes looked around, as if she was wondering what to say. "I might have given him a few golden apples. To heal himself if need be," she finally uttered.
"How much did you give him?" he asked, a bit irritated.
She pressed her lips, timid. "A handful."
"A handful?"
"Or two. I brought the entire chest box and scooped up as much as I could with my small hands…" she said.
"You didn't give him all of it, did you?" he uttered, panicked.
"No! What kind of a person do you think I am! Of course, I kept a few for us."
"A few!"
"More than enough! And besides, we'll get another batch next year," she added. "We'll send a delegation. It will be fine."
The man groaned and arched his head back.
"Come down," she said soothingly. "We will be fine."
Still, there was no time to sulk. At the celebration party, the grateful king declared: "And here are our guests of honor. Without them, that evil witch would still be roaming through our minds, making us fear every bad thought and emotion. Cheers."
The two bowed as everyone raised their glasses.
"If there is anything you ever need from me, simply ask and it's yours."
The couple looked at each other. "Thank you your Majesty," Aidan said. "But in all honesty, what we wish now is to go back home."
"Yes. It has been a while and we do miss our life back home," Zora explained.
"Fair enough," king Arogan shrugged. "Just stay till after the party. I want to talk to you about something. Something important."
The royal couple did as told. By the end of the night, they were ushered into a small room by the guards.
The king was sitting near the window. His reflection seemed a bit solemn.
"Now that we are here," Zora started.
"I will be honest with you. Those golden apples are really useful. I was sure I would die in the explosion. But they kept me alive. It was a miracle. I might not worry about assassinations ever again. Can you get me more?"
The couple glanced at each other.
"They are a little difficult to get," Aidan explained.
"I am a wealthy king. I am sure that, whatever they cost, I can pay," he said abruptly.
Zora tittered. "It is not that, your Majesty. What we mean is that... Their protectors may not part with them so easily."
"I don't mind going to war for them, either."
"No!" both yelled out. "No, please. That is not necessary."
"Then what? How do I get them?" the king was relentless.
Aidan thought long and hard. "Well, I do not think there is a law banning entry. I walked in there without an invitation, and the queen allowed me to take them after listening to my story."
"What was your story?" the king asked.
"Zora would die if she did not take them at a specific time."
The king made a face. "Well, that's no good. My wife is as fit as a fiddle. Is there anything else they like? A nice gift perhaps?"
Aidan pondered on it for a moment. "There may be one thing they enjoy."
And so it was. A delegation was sent to the distant land. They politely explained themselves and offered trade in exchange for the life-giving apples."
The fairies were skeptical at first - but seeing the presents. The delegation went home with a full box, as the fairies were left to gaze upon themselves with their new, reflective hand-held silver mirrors.
On their way home, Zora and Aidan reflected upon their experiences.
"I think that went well," Aidan concluded.
Zora shrugged. "For now. Let us just hope it does not come back to us in any negative way."