The Sphere of the Seasons

The sphere is in peril. 2636 WORDS

The Sphere of The Seasons

Rodyn set the deeply etched crimson cauldron on the rowan wood fire. According to the ritual, when the magical waters within came to a rolling boil, it was time. He was more than anxious to begin.

As a newly mature frostling, from a long line of frost fairies that extended from the beginning of Magic, Rodyn enough not to get too close to the sacred fire lest he melt and disappeared before he could do his duty. His duty began with doing the Dance of Truth.

"Here goes," he told himself even as he trembled at the thought of what was ahead.

It was the first time that he, as the newest guardian of the Sphere of Seasons, would do this important yearly dance.

"It absolutely must be done strictly to ritual and in the prescribed order laid out in the ancient text that I was entrusted with only a few months ago."

To prepare, Rodyn had read and reread the text that outlined the order of the ceremony and its accompanying dance steps until he knew it by heart. From the time he was a mere frostlet, he'd known the reason behind it all and often dreamed of being a Guardian of the Sphere like his father, his grandfather and his great-grandfather.

"But I never expected to be called to this duty so soon!" he told himself.

But his father had been crippled by falling into a crevasse and breaking both his legs. Because he could no longer do the tasks of the Guardian, he was forced to pass it on to his eldest child as history and tradition dictated.

"Thankfully, he can still stand and has not lost his ability to fly, but he can no longer walk well, or more critically, dance!"

As all frost fairies knew, the Sphere was protected and kept securely in place in the welkin by an elaborate web of archaic runes and spells woven into The Dance Of Truth. They had to be renewed without fail during the time of the Winter Solstice. Which was why the frost fairies were given the task of guardianship in the first place.

In order to renew the protective webbing, it was necessary to bring the Sphere down from its place in the sky in such a way that it would land gently into the roiling waters in the cauldron. The only way to do that was to begin the Dance of Truth.

Rodyn shuddered. If the dance went wrong in any way and the Sphere were to land anywhere but inside the cauldron, it could spell permanent disaster for the natural world. For the Sphere Of Seasons controlled the seasons of the year on earth and without it, who knew what would befall!

"I've heard and read some dire predictions of what would happen then. But nothing's ever happened before, so I have no real knowledge nor does anyone else," he reminded himself.

Rodyn firmed his slightly pointed chin and vowed he would not be the one to be the first to fail at the Dance of Truth! Suddenly, the frostling feal a creeping uneasiness again. He had been feeling the same thing off and on for days. At first, he'd put it down to his nervousness at having to do the ritual for the first time, both properly and well. Now the feeling was growing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dennis stood at the top of a windy crag and mind-scanned the area.

"Where IS she?" he muttered into the wind.

In a moment of utter foolishness and love, he'd made her a promise.

"I promised her I would help her with the task she had set for herself in order to be finally free of Malicent, her evil stepmother and sometimes jailer. In order to hide her superior magic powers for that nemesis, she acted docile and empty-headed for years."

But upon the death of her beloved father and the coming of her sixteenth birthday, Lissa had begged the Witches' Council for a birthday boon. That she be allowed to rid herself and the magic world of the wickedness that was Malicent. By tradition, the Council was bound to grant any boon asked by a witch or warlock on her sixteenth birthday, so they reluctantly did so.

"When I last spoke to her, she told me Malicent had growing suspicions about her and would soon act upon them unless she stopped her for good. Since I am a more experienced warlock, I tried for days to dissuade her. I even offered to fulfill the task for her. But the Council forbade me from being anything more than an escort and guardian of her person while she completed her boon task. In fact, I had to swear a binding Warlock's Oath that I would only interfere if absolutely necessary."

Dennis shoved down the worries that were building inside of him to concentrate his mind on zeroing in on his beloved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lissa slipped and slide to the bottom of the gorge, landing awkward and confused onto a mossy outcrop merely dusted with snow. It offered
offered no reply when she whispered:

"Dennis, where are you?"

She had only gone a mile on her journey to find the Sphere of the Seasons when she regretted telling Dennis not to come with her, but to follow an hour behind her.

"It will be hard enough to return to the Snow Hag's Mountain with the Sphere in return for the secret that will ensure both Malicent's death and her ultimate destruction. But I must figure out how to keep from actually handing over the Sphere to the evil intent of the Hag."

For she knew why the Snow Hag wanted the Sphere, she had insisted on knowing. The Hag wanted to smash the Sphere of Seasons and scatter it to the four winds so that the world would see winter forever.

"At least if Dennis were by my side, I would be warmer," she murmured as she pulled her hooded silver fox lined cloak closer around her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dennis turned his head sharply.

"Lissa!" he shouted as he began to fly in the direction of the faint thought he'd finally managed to pick up. A blizzard began to blow up until he was forced to land and keep going on foot. It seemed like hours before he found her. She was peering over the top of a snow ridge at something.

"Lissa, what's going on? Youi have to get out of this storm," he yelled so she could hear him. When he tried to tug her up and away, she turned and hissed at him:

"Shhh! There's the Sphere of Seasons! That frostling is calling it down!"

On the other side of the snow ridge, there was no sign of a storm. A glittering frostling was chanting in a singsong voice and dancing around a red embossed pot on a fire that burned with a magic flame. Above the pot hovered a rainbow-tinted orb, revolving slowly in place, changing from spring green to summer yellow, then autumn orange finely frosted white.

As the couple watched, the crystalline ball began to descend toward the liquid they could see bubbling in the pot. As it moved, the frostling chanted ever louder and danced even faster. Just as the sphere was about to touch the liquid in the pot, Lissa uttered a spell and made a swift mystic gesture.

The orb rose abruptly and shot toward Lissa's outstretched palm. As it settled into it, a terrible cry rose on the icy air. In his surprised haste to rescue the Sphere, Rodyn stepped too close to the sacred fire. In less than a thrice, he was melted and gone.

Dennis turned in fury to face Lissa's shocked face. He scowled blackly at her.

"Since when have you started stealing sacred objects and killing other benign magic creatures?"

Lissa looked briefly ashamed but soon spun around in a flurry of fur and snow as if to retrace her steps into the howling blizzard. Dennis grabbed her arm roughly.

"Answer me! If you love me, why do you take the Sphere of Seasons? You know what its loss may do to our world!'

" I have to have it," she said in desperation as she painfully wrenched from his grasp.

As she ran from him, he was sure he heard her say: "If you love me, you'll have to trust me and come with me."

Because he never broke a promise made and most of all, because he loved her, Dennis knew he would go with her and protect her, come what may. He was hard pressed to keep up with her until he invoked a passage spell on both of them to speed their journey. As the storm gradually cleared, he was horrified to see where Lissa was leading them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As they neared the almost smooth crag of ice that was the home of the Snow Hag, Dennis grabbed his beloved's hand and spun her around to face him. Lissa cringed when she saw the boundless rage in his eyes.

"How CAN you do this? You know what she wants the Sphere for, don't you?" he asked tersely.

"Of course, that's why I don't intend to let her keep it," Lissa retorted.

"How do you expect to do that?" Dennis wanted to know.

"I'm not sure but I have a few ideas," she told him resentfully.

"I have the best one of all. Don't do it. Teleport the Sphere to the palace of the Frost Fairies before the Snow Hag knows we're here. It can be guarded there until it can be re-protected and returned to its designated place in its welkin."

"Ah, but you are far, far too late, gallant sir. This one is a keeper, young Lissa. Dennis, isn't it?" said a rusty, creaky voice from behind them.

The pair twirled around, gasping. The very round frosted and feathered figure before them was carrying a very solid looking staff of twisted ice and wearing a crooked grin that showed a mouthful of snaggled yellow teeth. It was clear it could be none other than the legendary Snow Hag.

Dennis tried to push Lissa behind him as he saw that The Hag was flanked Ice Ogres of such enormous size, she only needed two of them. He feared for their lives. He tensed for a fight, when Lissa began to send him some of her ideas telepathically.

He found himself to hide a grin as he relaxed slightly. He knew she'd let him know somehow what she needed him to do. It was amazing how uniquely attuned they were, and it was a big part of their attraction to each other.

The Hag stretched out a long, scrawny arm ending in a bony fingered hand tipped by curved talon-like nails, dirty palm up, still grinning. Lissa stepped closer, the Sphere held in both hands tenderly. She smiled in return in a way that made Dennis tense up again.

When she flashed a second glance his way, he rested his hand on the scabbard that held his sword-wand. He watched and waited seemingly casually for what would happen next. It wasn't long in coming.

"As we agreed, tell me the secret of Malicent's ability to live forever. Why can she not die or be killed? Why does she grow no older," persisted Lissa.

The Snow Hag's grin faded slightly.

"First the Sphere of Seasons, then the secret," countered the Hag in an angry voice like fissures of lake ice.

"You have ten seconds to tell me, or I send the sphere back to the welkin where it belongs and you shall never have the perpetual winter you so desire," retorted Lissa, some ice of her own in her voice.

The Snow Hag's purple lips were pursed in a grimace that seemed to Dennis to be a much more natural expression for her. Lissa began tossing the orb from hand to hand as she waited. Dennis sensed he might be needed soon.

"Ach, what do I care for that old, wizened up crone of a Malicent, she's hasn't done anything for me recently, I can tell you! You know that swath of purple hair that stands out in her black hair? Pull it from her head by the roots and she will die in agony," the Hag said as she lunged forward and made a grab for the Sphere.

In the same instant, Lissa tossed the Sphere at Dennis. With lightning-fast reflexes, he caught it and simultaneously teleported it to the Frost Fairies' stronghold far away. Once it was gone, Lissa plunged herself and Dennis inside a whirlwind to escape.

On their way home, they stopped briefly to explain what had happened to the Frost Fairy King, Froster and his Queen Crystalline. Amazingly, as they entered the palace, they were greeted by very frostling they had seen melt and disappear when Lissa had snatched the Sphere. When they showed their astonishment, he laughed and explained:

"Ah, my dears, Guardians of the Sphere of Seasons do not give up their posts or duties that easily;" Rodyn told them.

"When the fire died, I quickly reformed and hurried back to my people with the news. We've been watching the whole thing on our closed-circuit Tele-freeze cameras. You don't think we'd let a wicked thing like the Snow Hag loose without keeping a close eye on her every move, do you?"

"We are very impressed with you two, we must say!" interrupted King Froster as he came up behind Rodyn with his lovely Queen on his arm.

"We believe you must and should complete your birthday boon task, my dear," the Queen said.

"To that end, please give this to Malicent with our compliments," she said to Lissa while handing her a beautiful ivory comb chased in all shade of gold, from rose to green.

"Upon her using it, that purple lock of hair she is so vain about will be pulled out and both will vanish back here. We know how best to dispose of both hair and contaminated comb," continued King Froster with grave sternness.

"Thank you so much, Your Graces!" Lissa cried while curtseying deeply.

"Think nothing of it! Just seeing the Snow Hags face when you escaped her clutches with the Sphere is payment enough," the King chuckled.

Soon the whole court was laughing, for all the magic creatures of winter had felt the wrath of the Snow Hag at one time or another and the Frost Fairies most of all. With many fond farewells and promises to return for a visit, Lissa and Dennis flew home under the guidance of Rodyn. For he was charged with returning the newly protected sphere back to its appointed place in welkin without delay, if he wanted to remain the Guardian of the Sphere of Seasons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Dennis and Lissa were sitting under furs watching a crackling fire and drinking hot honey mead, Malicent swept into the room.

"The guards at the gate tell me you have brought back a gift for me from the Frost Fairies. Give it to me at once!"

Lissa stood up and pulled the gorgeous magic comb from her pocket, holding it out meekly to Malicent. The evil woman snatched it from her hand and began to coo and exclaim over its beauty. Rushing to the nearest looking glass, she began to comb her hair.

In less than ten strokes of the comb, there was a shriek of anger and pain as the purple lock was pulled out and it, along with the comb, disappeared. Malicent turned to grey dust and when she did, an errant draught blew her away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for Lissa and Dennis, fairy tales can only go so far and this one has gone far enough!

2636 WORDS 8/25/2025