Counting with Fairies Ch 11

Chapter 11

As soon as Sally crawled away, the Doctor began to crawl in the opposite direction, straight to the heart of the battle.  He had to find Lady Columbine.  So far, she had been the kindest to him and the most reasonable to talk to.  Perhaps he could do something to help her.

He felt pain in his leg as a blast of orange light grazed it, singeing  his pants.  It wasn't bad, but he didn't want that to happen again.

"Columbine!" he shouted.  The next thing he knew, a blue Poikyo was in his face.  He recognized her as one of Queen Shai's ladies in waiting.

"Shh, Doctor," she looked around, grabbed the Doctor's jacket lapel and pulled him over to a near-by tree.  "Doctor, can you really take us away from here?"

The Doctor was surprised by her question, but he recovered from the surprised and answered her, "Yes, I can."

"Would you, though?  Would you be willing to take us, after we imprisoned you?"

"Of course," he answered.  "No harm would come to any of you.  I would give you my protection and take you some where safe."

"Thank you," the Poikyo said before she disappeared, leaving a blue train of dust behind her. 

Moments later another light appeared in the Doctor's face.  This time the light was purple.

"Columbine!" exclaimed the Doctor.

"Yes, Doctor.  Our queen is injured.  If the Poikyo will not leave, would you consider taking us away?  I would rather see the Fai live on another planet than become slaves of the Poikyo or worse, dead."

"Yes, I could take you away," the Doctor said.  The two queens were stubborn, but each had ladies in waiting who were willing to do what was best for their people.  The Doctor admired the two fairies who had come to him.  Columbine disappeared as quickly as she had arrived, leaving the Doctor to sit and wonder what was coming next.

In a flash of light, two fairies and two Poikyo, appeared at the same time in front of the Doctor.  They were as surprised to see each other as he was to see all of them.  In an instant, both sides took on a fighting stance.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The Doctor shouted.  He stuck his hand out in between the two parties.  "We can work this out.  No one will attack each other while you are here with me.  Understood?"

The four fairies nodded in agreement.  The Doctor first looked at the Poikyo.  "I'm sorry, my ladies, but I don't know your names."

"I am Bai and this is Meorka.  We are two of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting."

"I am Columbine and this is Rain," Columbine introduced herself to the Poikyo.  "We don't want to fight. We are here to ask the Doctor for help."

"That is what Meorka and I are here for, too.  Our people have suffered great losses over the last several years.  I don't want to see more of us die."

The two groups of fairies turned to each other and began to talk.  The Doctor stood by, listening, ready to mediate in their negotiations.  Another Poikyo appeared and bowed to Bai and Meorka.  "My ladies, the queen has died."

Everyone stopped talking to look at the messenger.

Meorka turned back to look at Bai.  "If this is true, Bai, then you are queen."

Bai considered for a moment what had just happened.  The welfare of the Poikyo had been placed on her shoulders.  "I want this war stopped. Columbine, can you stop your people from fighting?"

"Yes, I can," Columbine answered. 

From her hand, Columbine shot a white light into the clearing.  It burst like a firework and took the shape of a daisy.  Bai did something similar, except her blue light burst into a blue and red star shaped flower, native to her home world.  Immediately the forest grew silent.  Bai, Meorka, Columbine and Rain flew together into the clearing.  They looked at each other's signs that floated in the air above them.

"Our ways are more similar that we've cared to realize, I think," Meorka said.

Fairies came out of the forest, into the clearing and gathered together under the daisy.  Poikyo did the same, but grouped together under the star-shaped flower.  The Doctor stood near-by watching the two groups.  He waited.  This needed to be done by them.

Many of the fairies and Poikyo were looking worse for the wear.  Most all of them had injuries of some sorts.  Some leaned against each other for support.  Others carried their wounded who could no longer fly.  Each group looked at the other suspiciously.

Columbine was the first to speak, "Fairies and Poikyo!  We have fought, we have each loss many and no one has won.  Our queen is injured and theirs has died."  At this pronouncement, there was a great deal of shouting and talk among the groups.  Columbine raised her hands to call the groups to silence.

"Under the laws of the Poikyo, when the queen has no heiress, the crown passes to her first lady-in-waiting, Lady Bai.  Queen Bai is our new ruler," Meorka announced.

"Queen Bai and I have talked.  We don't want to see more of our people killed," Columbine said.

Bai spoke, "As Queen of the Poikyo, I declare this war is over.  The Doctor, here, has offered us safe passage to a new world.  I have accepted it.  We will go with the Doctor.  In my observations of the Fairies since we arrived on this world, I have seen many similarities.  We are very much alike, the Poikyo and the Fairies."

From behind the group of fairies, a winged horse cut a path through and to the center of the groups.  Queen Oona was being pulled on a stretcher by her horse.  It hovered in the middle.  "Lady Columbine and Queen Bai, you are much better rulers to our peoples that Queen Shai and I ever were.  Because of your boldness and humility, you have stopped this terrible war and have brought us together.  Thank you."

Meorka approached the injured queen.  "Your majesty, I am Lady Meorka.  If you will grant it, I would like to stay here with you and your people.  I want to live among you and be an ambassador for the Poikyo."

"Granted Lady Meorka, with all my heart," Queen Oona said.  A great cheer went up among the two groups.

"And Queen Bai, I would like to go with you," Lady Columbine said, bowing to her new friend.

"Then you shall.  I would be most honored to have you by my side."  Queen Bai said. 

The Doctor smiled.  He lived for this kind of thing: peace.  He wished more rulers could be as level headed as these two queens.  He knew exactly what planet he would take the Poikyo to.  A lovely planet called Lisi; forested, few inhabitants and a mild climate.

Chapter 12