I do not own anything to do with Epic.
(Nod's pov)
After flying as fast as we could until we were in the middle of the forest flying inside our borders; once we were far enough away we slowed down to a calming glide. I wanted so badly to fly back to boggan castle and save Ronin the only father figure I had left.
Mub and Grub had started to snore; Mk put a comforting hand on my shoulder as we fly. Soon five Leafmen surrounded us in a protection. Finn Ronin's second in command flew next to us. "You certainly took your time. Where's Ronin?" Finn said looking around for Ronin.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves I knew this wasn't going to be easy telling Finn that his friend and commander sacrificed himself so that we could leave.
"He. He gave us a head start" I said to Finn before facing forward. "But the Boggans aren't far behind. we have to get the Pod to Moonhaven now!" I said as I straightened my back. Finn looked at me in understanding and nodded before pointing to two Leafmen and motioning them to form a new formation.
(Mk's pov)
Looking down at Moonhaven in all it's glory with Nod was magical. I mean it always was magical to me but now the whole castle looked like it was glowing in the light of the moon and maybe the person I was with made it look spellbinding. "The Pods here" I heard someone yell from bellow. turning my head to the voice I saw a young flower jinn waving at us as she jumped up and down.
This sparked the rest of Moonhaven to wave, clap, or cheer at our arrival. We landed on the balcony that lead to the Pod chamber which was the same size as the ballroom. As we walked up the stairs and approached the chamber.
Nim greated us as we passed through the archway "You guys made it! I knew you would. And not a moment to soon" Nim said as we walked inside; fallowed by the entire kingdom.
the room had flowers growing to the ceiling their stems serving as pillars. A beam of light drifted from the ceiling that decended to a pedestal.
As we walked closer to the basin pedestal I couldn't help but feeling self-conscious as I gazed at everyone in their most fanciest clothes for this rare and wonderful day. Meanwhile I'm in a dress that now has dirt, mud, and rips all over it. The council members all stood near the pedestal and the whole council was there was Mrs. Shade, Mr. Riverside, Mrs. Evergreen, Mr. Huntsman the father of Jake Huntsman; he looks a lot like his son but he had green eyes instead of blue. I could get along with him. He was a level headed man that always fought for what he thought was right. The other members of the council include Miss. Bridget an old grey haired lady who was a stickler for tradition, and lastly Mr. Gregory he was new to the council only joined three years ago; he has red hair with grey streaks, and blue eyes, he was a former leafman who was promoted to the council. I didn't get along that well with Miss. Bridget and I just didn't like Mr. Gregory that well because he didn't like my father much.
"Now Moonlight comes through here moves and reaches Pod here" Nim said as he took the Pod from me and places it on the basin pedestal. "The Moon's highest peak, the only time it can bloom."
"We saved the forest" Mub yelled doing a dance with Grub. I walked over to Nod who was leaning on one of the pillars "Hey" I said as I stood next to him. "Hey" He said as he straightened his back. "So after all of this is over what will you do?" I asked Nod "I don't know. Maybe ask Finn if I can rejoin the Leafmen again" Nod said as he rubbed the back of his head. I just smiled at him and thought about Ronin and Tara the only mother figure I had left in my life now has left this world.
A young Marigold jinn that I saved at the pod ceremony walked up to me and pulled my dress to get my attention. "Hello" I said as I smiled down at her "Is the Pod going to bloom soon Lady Mk?" Lyra asked as she jumped up and down in excitement.
"Well" I said as I looked over to the basin pedestal as the Pod's vines reached towards the moonlight "It's about to begin" I said with a smile.
Everyone in the room had their eyes glued on the Pod when suddenly the vines recoiled as the moonlight disappeared. The silence was broken by the screeching of bats. "Boggans" Nod said as he clenched his fist.
"They're not attacking. They're just blocking out the moon" I said looking at the Pod that started to wilt. My Dad came running to me as the Leafmen and Nod ran to fight Mandrake.
"Mk" my Dad said as when he reached me "Your safe. As soon as I heard about Tara's death and that you are now in charge of the Pod I was so worried that you would be attacked, kidnapped, or killed". I stopped him before he could continue babbling on. "Dad I'm fine, but now Moonhaven needs your help" I said then turned to the girl next to me. "Go find your Mother and find a safe place to hide" I said quickly. She nodded her head and ran to a daisy flower jinn.
"Dad is that bat song thing you've been working on finished?" I asked urgently. "Well yes; but I haven't tested it yet" my Dad said as he adjusted his goggles "Why?".
(Nod's pov)
I ran to my barracks and put on my armor that was still their thankfully. I grabbed my sword and ran to my hummingbird. I got on jest as Finn came up to me on his hummingbird.
"Are you ready for this?" Finn asked his blue eyes shined with worry. He was like family to me while Ronin was my Father figure Finn was more of an Uncle to me.
"Are you kidding? We're out numbered, out of time, and the fate of the world is at stake. why did I quit again?" I said as I puffed out my chest and gave a grin to Finn.
"Well then I guess I'll see you up there" Finn said before kicking his bird and flying to the exit.
"As soon as I find my helmet" I said just as Grub came sliding next to me and wearing my helmet. I took it from him and place it on my head "Thank you" before kicking my bird to join the battle.
"Hey. Guys I'm going to need a uniform and a bird" where the last words I heard from Grub before I was to far away to hear him say more.
We circled around the castle once before flying to engage the Boggans. As we advanced I started to feel fear as I watched the dark vortex. I've never been in a battle before; sure a skirmish on the borders; but never a battle. I looked to my fellow Leafmen as saw all of them had determined looks on their faces as they yelled battle calls. It gave me strength knowing that I was not alone in this fight that I had my fellow Leafmen to back me up. I raised my sword and yelled a battle cry at the top of my lungs.
And the battle began; I shoved a Boggan off one bat and dodged an attack from another. Finn and Lily came to my rescue from three Boggans. "Thanks" I said as I continued to fight. "Don't mention it. and pay attention" Finn said as I ducked in the nick of time to avoid a hit the head.
Our defenses held strong as we made a large circle in the middle of the bats for the moonlight to get to the pod. I above the circle with a few other Leafmen as a reserve for the Leafmen in the circle. When I saw a large raven flying down to Moonhaven.
Then I noticed it's rider "Mandrakes heading for Moonhaven I called to Finn as I dived down to fallow him. I was fast approaching when a Boggan broke through the circle and attacked me. I dodged but more came until I was thrown from my bird, and my foot caught in a bats mouth. I kicked the rider off the bat and wrestled my way on to it's back.
I grabbed ahold of the bats ears and started to pull. Needless to say the bat was not pleased with this. I was finally able to steer it into the direction Mandrake was going. I was able to fly fast enough to catch up with Mandrake. I shoved the raven and dodged an attack from it's talons. Mandrake swung his staff at me and I easily dodged it "Missed me" I grinned as I continued to fly after him.
he turned and gave me a feral grin "I wasn't aiming for you" he said before facing forward and heading for Moonhaven. I looked down and saw that the bat was now just bones and I dropped like a rock quickly.
I was able to tuck and roll as I hit the ground saving myself from a broken neck. I laid on my stomach and slowly lifted my body up and I groaned in slight pain. I lifted my head up to see Mandrake's raven land on the balcony. I forced myself to stand on shaking legs. Even as my body screamed at me to stop there was only one thing going through my mind I had to get to the pod.
(Mk's pov)
"Well Yes; Why?" my Dad asked me with a raised eyebrow. "Wonderful" I said as I dragged him out of the palace and towards our house. Once we reached the house we ran to the shed next to the house and ran inside. Half of the shed lay my Dad's larger experiments and gadgets and the top half housed our half blind old hummingbird named Ozzie.
The old hummingbird fluttered over to us in a little circle from his perch. "Dad help me get this outside" I said as I pulled a large gadget a tulip some hollowed stems and a circular stone with etchings on it and a crank to make it work.
"Dad. How dose this work?" I asked as I grabbed some of the vines that were laying on the ground. "You just have to crank this" He said as he pointed to a paddle on the side of the contraption.
"Got it. Now help me with Ozzie"I said as I placed a saddle on Ozzie then tied the vines on the horn of the saddle. I then tied the other end to the contraption in the saddle. I was about to get on when my Dad stopped me "Hold it right there MK" Dad said as he pulled me away from Ozzie "You are not going to risk your life on this..". I was about to yell at my Dad when he smiled at me and pointed to himself "I am".
I looked at him in shock "Dad" I said I didn't want to even think about what could go wrong; I already lost one parent I didn't want to lose another. "You only get to see the the new queen being chosen once in your life twice if your lucky. I've already seen it once, and I don't want anything to happen to you if something goes wrong" He said with a sad smile. He gave me a hug before he started walking over to Ozzie; Dad took off into the air and flew into the forest.
I could hear nothing yet but the fighting in the sky until a loud screeching of a bat coming from the forest. One by one the bats started go deeper into the forest. I turned to head back to the castle and ran to check on the pod. hoping to Gaia that the pod and my Father are safe. I rounded a corner and entered the chamber and was greeted with the sight of the pod slowly blooming in the shadows. I looked up and saw that the bats were leaving but there are a lot of them.
I stopped in front of the pod and looked at Nim. "Should we move it?" I asked as I watched the pod slowly bloom in darkness. "No. The Pod must bloom here. It's in the scrolls" Nim said as he looked through one while his other hands were twiddling their thumbs. "Come on Dad you can do it." I said under my breath.
The sound of large wings flapping caused us to turn to the outside entrance of the chamber. Mandrake slid off his crow and walked menacingly to us. The Leafmen guarding the Pod charged at Mandrake. Mandrake simply slammed his staff and rot infected the ground throwing the Leafmen back and knocking them out.
"I taking that this is the delivery room" Mandrake said as he neared the Pod.
"What! No this isn't the delivery room; but I'll help you out. Down that hall take a left then a right, but if you see the janitor with the weird I you've gone to far" Nim said as he tried to block the Mandrake from the pod.
"Get out of the way!" Mandrake yelled as he shoved Nim out of his way. Mub and Nim grabbed Mandrake's cape as he continued to stalk towards the pod. "Move girl. My dark prince needs his daddy"
I bent down and picked up on of the Leafmen swords that had slid to my feet as Mandrake approached. I was used to daggers than swords so the weight was heavy; I could barely lift it off the ground and my body shook in fear as he moved closer. I just stood there petrified; I couldn't abandon the Pod and I wasn't about to let Mandrake get his hands on it. I stood my ground and waited for the blow I was sure would come.
Mandrake lifted his staff and brought it down in one quick motion. My body tensed up and my eyes shut as I braced myself.
But nothing happened; I slowly opened my eyes and saw Leafmen armor that was covered in scratches and rot. I looked up and grey hair closely shaved.
"I don't think it likes you"
"Ronin!" Mub said as he jumped from behind Nim.
"You know how many Boggans I had to fight to get here? Seriously, I lost count" Ronin said before turning his head to face me "You might want to get out of the way Mk. One more boggan wont hurt me" he said as he shoved Mandrake away.
Mub and Nim ran to the side to get out of the way of the fight. I quickly followed them.
Ronin jump kicked Mandrake pushing him away from the Pod. Mandrake ducked under Ronin's slash and stabbed his staff into Ronin's side. Ronin hissed in pain clutching his wound.
Mandrake lifted his staff and brought it down towards Ronin's head. Ronin blocked it just in time and shoved Mandrake away.
Ronin was panting heavily as the fight continued. Nim, Mub, and I watched as the fight got more brutal with Ronin taking more hits and his movements became sluggish. He had just fought off gaia knows how many boggans to get here and now he was fighting their leader. I wasn't sure if Ronin would survive this fight; at least not without some help.
"This time when I leave you for dead you will stay that way" Mandrake said as he kicked Ronin in the chest sending him flying. Mandrake stepped on one of Ronin's recent wound making him hiss in pain.
"What's that little saying you people have? Lots of leaves something-something. Very inspiring" Mandrake said as he lifted his staff up and prepared to deliver the final blow. "But in the end you all die alone" and with that Mandrake slashed his staff towards Ronin.
Ronin tensed up and waited for the hit.
(Nod's pov)
I made it to the delivery room I saw Mandrake standing over a Leafman. My eyes widened in shock as I saw the only father figure I had left that I thought had died was alive and in need of help. I jumped over Mandrake and landed next to Ronin. Blocking Mandrakes staff with my sword.
"No one is alone" I said as a pushed Mandrake back. "Not even him" I said as moonlight started to flow into the room. More Leafmen started to show up and form a 0protective barrier around the Pod.
Ronin started to stand up; he looked worse for wear but he stood strong and held his sword steady. The sounds of the last of the bats leaving Moonhaven echoed through the room as the moonlight lit up the pedestal.
Pulses of light left the pedestal and ran through us. Despite the fact that I just fought in a battle, and fell off a bat my body felt like I could fight forever.
Mandrake swung his staff one more time to try to get to the pod but Ronin and I blocked him.
Mandrake tried to over power us with his strength but Ronin and I pushed back. Our combined strength forced Mandrake to step back. This continued until the last pulse of power sent Mandrake flying out of Moonhaven.
A bright white light enveloped us all; It was time for a new queen to be named.
The Leafmen all backed away from the pod now that the threat was gone. The villagers all slowly came out of the bunker and made their way to pod. Their unease quickly leaving them as they stared in awe at the fully bloomed pod that was glowing under the moonlight.
Then swirling yellow light flew out of the pod and flowed around the people of Moonhaven; comforting them with it's warm soft light.
The light flew around Mk and Ronin hugging them both, and for just a second I thought I saw Tara for a moment before the lights quickly moving over to a young marigold flower jinn who stared in awe at the lights that stopped in front of her.
The lights formed the shape of Queen Tara "Look after them for me" she said and then looked at Ronin with all the love she had and would still feel for him. Ronin seemed close to tears but instead of crying he just gave a smile.
"There's that smile." Tara said before turning to the flower jinn and placing a kiss on the young girls forehead. Tara disappeared and the lights encompassed the girl before vanishing.
Once the lights where gone the young flower jinn was revealed her cloths were changed to a green and white dress and her petals changed color from orange to white.
The young girl gasped and turned to her mother with a large smile on her face. Her mother just smiled as she stared at her daughter who was now the queen. Nim and Mk walked up to the new queen and bowed to her.
"Your Majesty" Nim said. The new queen bowed to Nim as graceful as she could while happiness of being queen was still overwhelming her.
Everyone started bow to their new queen.
Mk was talking to the council while Mub and Grub were walking to the queen about their adventure with the pod. I turned to look at Ronin and seeing him alive even with all the cuts and bruises on him made me so happy. Of course I wasn't going to tell him that "You look terrible".
"Did you see how many times I got hit?" he said as he sat down and leaned against the pedestal. "I learned that from you".
"You're not going to make my say all the stuff. I learned from you now, are you?" I chuckled and sat next to him.
"Well, you'd have learned a heck of a lot more from you dad. I was a pretty poor substitute" he admitted and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Sure he had his bad moments but he was still someone I look up to and care for, I wanted to make him proud like I hoped my father was of me even if he couldn't see me.
"Don't beat yourself up. Lately you've shown some real promise" I said which caused Ronin to chuckle.
"Oh, Please. Just say you love each other" Mk said as she walked away from the council that was now leaving.
"I thought we just did"
"That was probably the closest call in history that the pod almost bloomed in darkness" Mk said as helped pull me up.
"True but it didn't and we have another hundred years to prepare for the next ceremony" I said. Mk just chuckled and gave my shoulder a small shove.
"That is true and I think Queen Lyra will make a fine queen once she gets a handle on her new powers" Mk said as she gazed at the new queen with fondness.
A loud clang was heard t the entrance causing everyone to turn in the direction of the noise. What we saw at the entrance was Professor Bomba and an old blind bird on the balcony.
Both looked disheveled. The professor's glasses where askew and his cloths were wrinkled. The bird's saddle was on the floor and some scattered flower petals.
Mk ran over to the Professor and gave him a hug both had tears running down their faces.
"I'm so happy you're safe" Mk said before being shoved by the bird causing her and the professor to fall. "And you to Ozzi" Mk said as she laughed.
Please review
I will probably do some more chapters about what goes on during queen Lyra's rule.