| Chapter Five The Forest of Dreaming
Jack soon learned that "just down the road" was not as brief as Lora
had lead him to believe. They had to stop several times for the
Guardian to rest, and their progress was slow. They traveled for
a day and a half, Jack in a constant state of anxiety over Lora's
condition as she guided him deeper and deeper into the unending
woodland. Her usual graceful movements had become jerky and
unsteady, her dulcet voice small and weak. Even the shining
quality of her hair had dulled, the silver strands hanging bedraggled
and gray over half of her face.
It was the first time since their journey had begun that Jack's attention was not on the forest around them, so when he first caught motion of out the corner of his eye and turned to look, he was shocked to find not birds as he'd expected, nor insects or flying lizards, but fish! Swimming casually through a tangle of low-hanging branches as though submerged in water, was a large, shimmering trout, the rainbow hues of its body reflecting brightly in the sunlight. Jack turned with mouth agape to ask Lora about this phenomenon, but before he could speak an entire school of brightly-colored guppies darted across the path in front of him, a large oscar following in hot pursuit. "F-fish?" he sputtered at last. "Flying fish?" "Welcome to the Forest of Dreaming," Lora said coolly, looking at him. "But, how is it possible?" Lora shrugged, wincing at the pain in her shoulder. "Something about the way water reacts with the biology of living things," she explained, gesturing to a stream near the path, where fish dipped in and out of the water as readily as though the barrier between the two did not exist. "Fish and other aquatic creatures are completely airborne, while non-aquatics with a high percentage of water in their bodies are unable to fly, but capable of some impressive aerobatics all the same." Awed by this, Jack watched fish and birds dart through the trees, often in pursuit of one another. Sparrows darted after minnows, then fled from a very large bass cruising near the forest floor. Tiny bluegill hovered perfectly still but for the subtle motions of their tiny fins, staring at a tree trunk, the baby fish nipping lightly at the insects on the bark before becoming motionless again. The fish that caught his attention the most, however, was a large, fat fantail goldfish the color of butter cream, with one golden eye and one blue. The goldfish wobbled a bit as it swam through the air, its large, double tail elegant but clumsy. It swam over to Lora, pecked once at her nose, then swam away again, the Guardian nodding and closing her eyes. A moment later, a girl dropped from the trees, her bright brown eyes wide and excited as she bounded towards Lora, wrapping the Guardian in a hug around her middle and squealing gleefully. Jack was momentarilly alarmed, worried that the exhuberant girl would aggravate Lora's injury, but the look on Lora's face was more resigned than pained. "Lora Lora Lora! Are you here for a visit? I've missed you so much! Should I tell Mother you're staying?" the girl yammered on, her face flush with excitment. "Gently Fonnie--I'm injured," Lora said calmly, and the girl released her immediately. "Ooo, it was those mages, wasn't it?" Fonnie growled. "I swear when I become Queen I'll pulverize the lot of them!" Jack watched in amusement as "Fonnie" punched at empty air, Lora resting her hand on the girl's head to calm her. The girl looked to be no older than sixteen--though after meeting Lora and Tut, Jack was reluctant to assume anything about age from appearances. She dressed in elaborate but practical clothes, her hair cropped artfully and pinned up in a style that reminded him suddenly of home. As she beamed at Lora, the fat goldfish orbited her head, occasionally pecking at her shoulder or face before resuming its airborne swim. "Fonnie, I would like you to meet Samurai Jack," Lora said, breaking Jack from his thoughts. "Jack, this is Princess Fonifisous Odrin, or 'Fonnie' for short, and this is Piebald, the goldfish," She went on, gesturing briefly to the fish now greedilly devouring little pellets of food from Fonnie's offered hand. "A pleasure to meet you!" Fonnie said brightly, bowing her head quickly and keeping her bright eyes on Jack. "Likewise a pleasure," Jack responded, bowing deeply to the princess before turning to Lora. "Is this the place we will be taking sanctuary?" he asked her. "Not here," Lora replied, shaking her head. "In the palace. Fonnie, if you would be so kind..." The young princess nodded once with a large grin before turning and bounding away down the road. Jack noted with amazement how light the girl was on her feet, able to jump as high or even higher than even him. She would skip a ways down the path, either through the trees or along the ground, then stop and wait for them to catch up, using that time to gather wild fruits and nuts from the trees. As they traveled, Jack began to catch glimpses of the palace through the thick canopy of leaves, its tall walls and turrets carved of white stone and gleaming in the sun. The sounds of people bustling about on their daily tasks reached his ears, comforting him in their simplicity. The dirt trail became paved with cobblestones, the trees beginning to make way for cultivated farmland and homes. Jack supported Lora as she started to sway on her feet again, and she didn't protest, her head hanging slightly from weariness as they approached the city gates. They stopped to have a few words with the guards, but Jack did not hear them. His eyes had scanned up the side of the palace walls, past the notched turrets to see a massive shadow pass over head. His jaw dropped in amazement as an enormous humpback whale cruised leisurely over the palace wall, its long, knobbly fins seeming to just miss grazing the top of the wall. Jacks neck craned back as his wide, astonished eyes followed the whale until long after it had passed over head, and it wasn't until he heard a soft cough and giggle from Fonnie that he snapped back to reality. "Truly your world is amazing," he said absently as they were lead into the palace, his eyes still wide with shock. As they were guided into the palace courtyard, he found himself surrounded by lush gardens and fountains, fish darting amongst the flowers like finned butterflies, birdsong filling his ears. Fountains portraying winged people, unicorns, dolphins, whales, and an assortment of other creatures splashed and bubbled all around, Piebald darting off to dip into one of the fountains before rejoining Fonnie once more. They were led to a regal-looking woman with a handsome face and calm eyes, her voluminous gowns elaborate and heavilly decorated with embroidery and frill. As she turned her gaze to study Jack, she bowed her head slightly, and Jack bowed his head in return, still supporting Lora. "Always an honor to have you grace our realm with your presence, Lady Guardian," the queen said, noddiing once. Aware that Lora was on the verge of collapse, she did not wait for a response. "Your usual room is ready and awaiting you, my lady. Should we arrange seperate quarters for your companion?" "I doubt," Lora breathed, her voice weak from exhaustion, "that he would want me out of his sight, honestly." Jack flushed bright red and looked at the queen sheepishly, but the monarch meerly nodded again and gestured for a nearby guard to lead the way. "As you wish it, my lady," she said. Fonnie followed them through the various corridors and passageways that took them by and by to Lora's quarters. Jack's mouth dropped open again as they neared the massive double-doors carved of rich, dark wood, two enormous stone unicorns flanking the door. "If you ever get lost," Fonnie told him with a grin, "just ask for directions to the Unicorn Room." The interior was just as extravagent as the exterior, the room large enough to put to shame most royal quarters, one wall a row of brightly-lit windows opening out onto a vast balcony. Potted plants grew and bloomed and vined their way throughout the room, a few small fountains splashing amongst them. There was only one bed, and Jack's face grew red again, but before he could protest, servants arrived with a bedroll, laying it out near one wall and bowing to him. "I hope you don't mind just a matt on the floor," Fonnie said, looking at him. "Compared to sleeping on the rocky ground, it will be heaven," Jack assured her, helping Lora to the bed. The large bed looked soft and welcoming, but Jack was content with the roll he'd been provided. Lora seemed in a state of incoherency, concious, but only just, her eyes glazed and shadowed, staring at nothing as she laid down upon the bed and rolled onto her side. "We should let her rest," Fonnie interjected, taking Jack's hand and guiding him away. "Come on--I'll give you a tour of the palace." |