Parallel Summaries (part 8)

Frederigo shakes his head, wondering what he was thinking, and comes to his senses. That is, kind of. 

Slowly, but with growing force he begins to.....giggle in delight as a warm, soft, wild and fey feeling invades his heart! It fills him, and for a brief mad/sane moment.....Fred's eyes are unbound and he sees through the absurdity of it all. 

He laughs and glares at the demoness....as the room shifts and changes back to the very place that he'd been. Astra is nowhere to be seen (yet a small part of Fred's benumbed mind and heart whispers that she's right here with him.....somehow). At the demoness' feet lays the charred and smoking corpse of the Mage/Scientist Vincent Priceless, as well as Bobo. Fred finds a small part of him is sorrowful that the befuddled man (though not the gorilla creation) is dead. As horrible as what Vincent had done in "repairing" Fred, the young knight knew within his heart of hearts that the eccentric old man meant well. Indeed, he'd even tried to undo the damage (only to die from whatever magical backlash that had done all this). The backlash had killed Vincent and Bobo. It had teleported Astra away to somewhere far away (but some part of her was right with him.....). It had also brought forth this very demoness, who'd found the unconscious (but restored) knight and had tried to trick Fred into damning himself with a pale imitation of Hell (Fred shudders at the thought of what the REAL thing must be like)! 

Fred does not know how he knows this, but he knows! 

For a brief moment in time, as Astra's heart reached out and ensared his, his human senses are augmented to rival that of an elf. 

Elves are more alert....more aware of the reality around them than their human brothers. Thus is why Fred is able to see the falsehood that the demoness (?) had tried to use in her attempt at getting Fred to damn his immortal soul! 

The apparent demoness pauses in consternation as she senses the ruse has been revealed. Her/his master will be less than pleased. RF isn't the most forgiving of demons..... 

The demoness drops her disguise, and a eerily familiar man appears before the laughing Frederigo. The man appears strong and solid, but shows signs of his skin being ravaged by some strange plague! As for the face.....that is hidden behind a leering brass mask! 

Despite the fact that Fred can't see the face, his eyes widen as he suddenly "sees" who this monster is. 

It is himself....but not himself. An evil, twisted version of himself! 

The Brazen Man quickly raises his hand to end this fools life and perhaps find something else to appease his master when Fred's sword seems to fly out of it's scabbard of it's own accord and slices through the protective magical shield.....and the demon's black heart! 

This Fred's sword is a magical sword made of a certain metal that only Allarians know how to make. This Fred himself had used his skills will apprenticed to a dragonsbane metal smith and had forged the sword with his own hands. Then he'd had his mage brother, Dredrick (who was skilled in magic....but a bit odd in a strange fascination with fire) enscroll the sword so it would slice through the spells and wards of dragons. The magical sword, combined with the quasi-mystical nature of the metal dragonsbane, is enough to slice through the twice dead man's spells......and end the fell creatures life! 

That is....with the help of an unexpected arrival..... 

A magical backlash travels up the sword and knocks Fred unconscious as the Brazen man falls to the ground. He feels himself dying and makes a fumbling attempt to heal himself before the wound catches up with him (while vaguely berating himself for being complacent with this toy). He might have been able to even save himself, if another swipe from behind hadn't finished the job started by Fred. 

The Brazen Man's mask leers up at the demon who's claws dispatched him from behind. The Demon (the form for today), licks his claws and savors the blood. 

"With just a hint of plague.....I like it," the Demon smiles at his sour looking comrades. 

"If it wasn't the fact that the Norms were making a bid for instituting her mythos onto the entire multiverse.....I'd go and lay in your department's corrections handling facility before I'd ever work with the likes of you!" The Elder Rule grinds out, disgusted with the Demon. 

The others look at him strangely. A Rule passionate about something? Showing feeling?! 

"OH, for crying out.....don't you people read the interoffice paper?" the Rules mutters before they disappear again.....with their trophies. 

Seconds later, as the ground begins to shudder as an earthquake of strange origin begins to shake the mage's tower.....Fred's unconscious body disappears.....and he awakens someplace else. 

They've been scooped up by Rule 4 and company, initially because the Rules and Agents were responding to an apparent attempt to gain unauthorized access to on of their Champion's (E'ysha's) timeline. The three are placed in a detention center, soon are greeted by an angel and a Rule. 

The angel tells the mage that he'd been given the gift of seeing into the future to be able to change things and NOT to be anchored to a fated death. Furthermore, the angel said that now the mage must go out and help Charles D'Honaire slay the dragon.....and now use his gifts to help Allaria instead of hiding away! Questions as what this change in history would do to Fred and Astra gets.... 

"But....what of them," the mage finally manages to say in a quivering, fearful voice as he points to Astra and Fred, who look rather interested in what this change will do to THEM! 

"We will spare their lives and make them whole when the time line they are from changes....and time orphans them," the Angel says softly, "We have need of them. Now go." 

The mage disappears without even a noise, and the human and elf look fearfully up at the divine being before them. 

"What would you have of us?" Astra manages to say respectfully. Warrior princess she may be, there was no pulling rank on beings like heavenly hosts! 

"My part is done," the Angel says softly, "'Tis his turn, now." 

The Angel disappears from view and Rule 4 comes into view. 

Rule 4, needing to get two new Champions to balance out the Champions added when Agent 4 enlisted a dragon circle and yet another Fred and Astra couple, approaches the elfin lass and Fred with an offer at becoming a Champion. They jump at the chance, for Champions are well chronicles (and revered) in their homelands! Their Matrixes are altered to accommodate and protect them from the changes done to history when the mage set off to defeat the dragon and aid Charles D'Honaire....."time orphaning" them. 

That done, they are gifted with immortality and such. Rule 4 also offers Fred to be changed into an elf, to better match his now elfin love and to enjoy permanently enjoy those temporarily heightened senses he enjoyed when Astra's heart touched his. Fred accepts, and then there were two (elves) in the room. Spliting images of Gilmuriel and E'ysha. 

Finally, the new elves took the names of Kethiani for Astra and Feir-dalen for Fred. 

Lastly, the Rule tells them that their services aren't needed at the moment, but asks instead for a personal favor..... 

"Now," Rule 4 finishes, "This part is going to surprise you. While Rule and Agents always can use help in things.....I don't have any tasks for you except for something more of a personal favor." 

Both new elves quirk eyebrows in askance and then their hearts seem to melt as the Rule produces seemingly from the thin air a small bundle. A small, reedy cry comes from within the swaddled clothing, and Kethiani and Feir-dalan see the fussy elfin, silver haired, girl infant within. 

"Name her what you will....and raise her as your own," the Rule smiles at the adoring elves as they look at the elfin infant....who has stopped crying and suddenly breaks into a glowing infant smile as her little heart is soothed by the sight of what she somehow know will be her loving parents. Vague memories fade and terrible fears ease and go away....leaving an infant who is delighted at the sight of her new loving parents. 

"Her history is rather special," the Rule says, "She's very special....and needs love and care to help her get over a rough period that she and a few others will face come eight year from now." 

And may the deity you believe in bless you and your upcoming marriage and family, Rule 4 sighs as he sends them to a special place on Terra Prime......to meet those who will eventually welcome them within the loving clan of House D'Honaire..... 

"Go and learn from those special people on Terra Prime....and thus be truly prepared when you finally are called upon." Rule 4 smiled as he and the Angel left for their next assignment. "What I really like about all this is that we don't have to use our powers to muddle their minds to take the job." The gies that a certain Master would have gotten is a rare exception. "We both get what we need and are happy with the arrangement....eventually." 

The elves find themselves at a rather odd meeting place. Not the safest of places, but with all the possible guards, safer than what you'd think...... 

They appear on Terra Prime, and soon join other new analogous Freds and Astras in going to Terra Prime's Ethiopia to be guests at a wedding.....