Iris, Prince Don, and the Phoenix Feather Lantern, Part 1

A single sob escaped Prince Don's lips at the sight of his mother lying in bed, grey as stone, eyes fixed unseeing on the ceiling. Then he drew a deep solid breath, squared his shoulders, and nodded to his father, King Les Ashe, who was standing next to the bed. He had been gazing down at his incapacitated wife when their son entered - not with love, as far as said son could tell, but then, he had never seen his parents look at each other with love. Theirs was a marriage of treaties. Many of which would be vulnerable were his mother to die. Or continue in her current state.

King Ashe dipped his head slightly in response to his son's nod, and gestured that they should leave the queen's presence and proceed to the sitting room joining the queen's bedchambers to the king's.

"She is unchanged," the king said to the queen's first maid, who waited there. The first maid bobbed a curtsy, and went to check on her liege-lady.

Father and son faced each other in the center of the large, ornate room. "Father, what ails her?", Prince Don asked.

"It is hard to be certain-" the king began, but "It is a Stonification spell, and a particularly nasty one," interrupted the first maid, slipping back into the room and closing the door behind her. She raised a placating hand as the king started to bristle at the interruption, and dropped another curtsy in recompense for raising her hand. "Begging your pardon, your majesty, but our sovereign's life is at stake, and action must be taken immediately to save her."

The king "Harrumph!"ed loudly. "The royal physician has not yet determined-"

"Well I have, it is very evident, and if the royal physician can't tell a Stonification spell from a Sleeping Draught overdose- that's what he told it was, correct?- then he must have been asleep during spell-diagnosis class. And still is!" The woman's hands were planted firmly on her hips, but she didn't hold the position long. She dropped her arms and gestured to the prince. "Come now, Prince Don, we must prepare for your quest."

The young man started. "What? A quest? Me?"

"Yes, of course, to save your mother! There is only one cure for this type of Stonification. Her skin is beginning to turn scaly. This is the work of a sea-witch. It is a particularly convoluted spell, which I grant you the royal physician may not have picked up on, and the counter-spell must be potent to be effective."

"Well, I want to do whatever I can to help my mother, of course," the prince said, but looked askance to his father. Who was about to strongly object, on principle, but thought better of it. A useless quest would at least get the stricken youth out of the palace, give him something to do.

"What is the cure you would have my son seek, mistress Lise?"

"The only way to break the spell is for Queen Erma to drink water from the Pool of Return, in which merfolk scales, freely-given, have been soaked under the solstice sun. It is fortunate that the solstice approaches, so there is a chance to save the queen, but it means the prince must leave immediately to gather the water and scales in time."

At this the king did bristle. "Who are you to order the prince about?"

"I am not ordering. I am advising. Do you wish to save your wife?"

"Yes, of course," the king blustered.

"And you, Prince Don, do you wish to save your mother?"

"Of course! I will do whatever is necessary!"

"Good! It will require more than one feat of daring to obtain what you need. And you will need assistance, a guide on your way. One moment." The head maid strode across the room, threw open the door. "Iris," she said, "come in here, please."

A young woman dressed in the palace colours of red and gold entered the room, ducked her head and curtsied to the royals present.

"Iris will aid you."

"A mere maid?" the king burst out. "The prince requires a proper bodyguard, a detachment of men-at-arms, not a toilet-scrubber!"

"A detachment of men-at-arms will not be able to find the merfolk. Iris' skills and knowledge encompass more than how to keep your suite immaculate, my lord. I thought you were aware that she is studying political science at Eiriso U. Besides, Iris sees more than most. She is here, skulking in the hall outside your chambers at a time when she has no real business being here, having completed her morning cleaning. Is that not right, Iris?"

The younger maid flushed slightly, bobbed a curtsy. "Yes'm. Begging your pardon, sire, but I did feel a need to be near. I am concerned about the queen."

"And what do you know of her condition?"

"Only that it is dire."

"Are you willing to help Prince Don in his search for a cure?"

"Assuredly, if there is any way in which I can assist, I will."

"Good. Do you know where the merfolk reside?"

The girl blinked in surprise. "Only that it is far out to sea, under the waves. But I have heard that the phoenix knows."

"And do you know how to find the phoenix?"

"It is said to live high in the mountains behind the village I was born in. I know of one who claims to have made the trip."

"There!" declared the head maid, "Iris will guide you well. I will gather provisions. Sire, they will need a good map of the kingdom, though it is unlikely to mark all the places they will go. You two, gather a minimum of belongings. You should travel fast and light."

The prince lit up. "We'll take my bike!" he suggested. He was always keen to get an opportunity to ride his motorcycle, and knowing he wouldn't be surrounded by guards certainly added more thrill.

They rode out under the portcullis a half-hour later, panniers bulging, Iris leaning against the back rest lifting a hand in farewell to the head maid.

Sun warmed their backs as they headed north and eastward around the coast of the island nation. Sea tossed white and all shades of blue to their left, spreading beyond the horizon, far below down steep cliffs that framed this coast. On their right ranged mountains, forest and farmland cloaking their foothills and the plains at their feet. Pine trees ran up the mountains and palms clustered the cliff's edge, reaching out to the sea below.

They rode without speaking for the most part, occasionally pointing out to one another a sight of particular interest or beauty. Traffic was light and they made good time. After nearly two hours on the road, Prince Don turned off the coastal highway into one of the small towns dotting the island, and pulled the motorbike under a horseshoe-shaped arch into the parking lot of the Good Fortune Pho House and cut the motor. Inside they ordered their pho from a server wearing a 'Hi, my name is Ali Cal' badge, then the prince pulled out the map the king had handed him and spread it on their table.

It was a standard road map of the queendom, with no notation for where merfolk or phoenixes might be found, unless you counted 'Mermaid Point', which was named more for its shape than reputed sightings.

"So, we're about here," said the prince, placing a finger on the map. And your village is- Clante?" he asked, indicating a dot near mountains. Iris nodded. "So we're about a third of the way there."

"But the last 50 klicks will be by far the slowest. The road in is in deplorable condition, my prince. We are a backwater, low on the priority list for repairs," the maid-cum-poli-sci-student jibed.

The prince was about to respond, when a gnarled finger descended and planted itself on the edge of the map. "You want fortune told?" the small bony woman the hand belonged to demanded, glaring at each of them from under unruly brows. She didn't give them a chance to answer. "Well I give it you. Lo! The ninth eel is rot. Ick! A pang for a pox on a gnu. O sir, go nod your poll-"

"I'm so sorry," their server hurried over, interrupting the woman's string of nonsense and trying to guide her away. "Gramma Cara, come on now, leave the prince and his guest alone."

"No, Ali, no prince, I must finish!" the older woman insisted, pulling back. She spoke directly to Prince Don, telling him firmly, "Nod your tan poll; you are nil. Opa!" Then she turned her back and stalked away muttering "Nut, nut, I am rem."

"I'm so sorry, your highness," the server stammered. "Your pho will be on the house." She curtsied and scurried away, returning moments later with two steaming bowls wafting deliciousness.

The pair simply shrugged at each other, Prince Don rolled up the map, and they set to their meal without another thought about the old woman's raving.

The sun set as they were winding their slow way up the side road to Clante. Following the small, turbulent Clante River, the way was narrow, rutted, stony, and overhung by spreading pines as it reached towards mountains.

The village was only a few blocks of simple one- and two-story buildings, mostly houses. They passed a convenience store, still open, a grocery store which was closed, and a combination post office/laundromat/liquor store, also closed for the night. Iris pointed out Flying Fred's Xtreme Camping Supplies. "We'll stock up there in the morning. It's unbelievable what they carry!" The prince saw from signs that there were also several bed and breakfasts operating in the larger homes, and a lodge somewhere upriver. Iris guided the prince to a small, brightly painted home on a back street.

As they pulled into the driveway a woman ran out of the house to meet them. Iris jumped off the bike and into her arms. They hugged tightly, then Iris introduced her to the prince as her mother Lee. Lee turned to the prince, curtsied awkwardly. "Your highness, welcome to my home. I am sorry I do not have much to offer you, but please accept my hospitality for the night."

The prince waved aside her protestations and graciously accepted her offer.

Lee beamed. "It is an honour to host you. And may I add, what a fine young man you have become! Come, come in, we are ready for you!"

In cosy kitchen, dinner was waiting for them, as was Old Pam, the woman who had been to the phoenix's valley. They settled down to eat, and she began telling them what she knew. "You must hike from here. Leave the motorcycle behind- the phoenix hates the sound of motors, and has very good hearing. Besides, it wouldn't get far on the trail, anyway. Your cellphones won't work anywhere in the interior of the island, or under the sea, of course, so you may as well leave them here, too. Take all your food with you- don't hunt in the phoenix's domain. And the phoenix considers the entire mountain range her domain. There will be fruit growing in the valley, but don't pick any without the phoenix's permission.

"Seek the Pool of Life after you've seen the phoenix. The river that runs through her valley will take you to the jungle. Follow the river from the phoenix's valley until it falls, and parachute off the cliff. I climbed down when I went, but you don't have time for that. Flying Fred has parachutes that pack up small. Jump.

"What have you brought to offer the phoenix?"

They looked at each other. "Umm, nothing," said the prince. "Will she require a gift?"

"It would certainly improve her mood if you offered one."

Iris' mother spoke up. "I have something that will suffice."

"What is it?"

"I will show you in the morning."

Old Pam just nodded, and continued telling them all she could remember of her own trek to the phoenix's valley so many years ago. Even her blunt address couldn't dull the allure of the wondrous garden she described, and the pair of questers were freshly fired up to go, and had trouble sleeping that night.

In the morning, Iris' mother called her in to her bedroom, where she was sitting on the bed holding something wrapped in black silk. "This is something I've had for a very long time. Now is the time to let it go." She pulled back the fabric.

Revealed was a stone the same size and shape as a hen's egg, shiny black shot through with fiery reds and oranges, flashing with purple and blue. Iris rolled it in her hand, entranced by the play of colours. "An opal! It's beautiful! Where did you get it?" Iris asked in surprise. She'd had no idea her mother owned such a treasure.

"It was a gift. Some people would pay more for this single piece of sparkling stone than for all the houses in this village combined. Possessing something so valuable has done me no good, since it must be kept always hidden."

"Why didn't you sell it, then? We didn't have to scrape by so much!"

Lee shook her head gently. "It wouldn't have been right. It was a gift, and I respect the giver."

"Maybe the giver expected you to sell it," Iris pointed out.

"Perhaps. But I did not."

"So why give it away now?"

"Because now it is right. Queen Erma is a good person, and if this will help her live, then this is the perfect time to pass the stone on."

"But, who gave it to you?"

"Oh, that is too long a tale for now," the mother said, clasping her daughter's hands around the stone. "Just take it. Next time you come home, we will have a long talk."

Iris raised an eyebrow in surprise, but "Okay" was all she said.

They made a quick run to Flying Fred's to pick up backpacks, parachutes, and other camping essentials on the prince's black credit card, and managed to be on the trail by noon, after an early lunch for fuel.

Iris knew the first part of the way well, and they passed quickly along the well-trod trail. She pointed out an asp as it slithered away at their steps, but otherwise there was little sign of wildlife. By nightfall they reached a wayside cabin perched atop a tor on a lower shoulder of the mountain, high enough to have a view, but the mountain still towered above. Iris built a fire in the pit in front of the cabin, tucked two foil-wrapped dinners in under the flames, and sat down to admire flames dancing before hills rolling down to sea. Prince Don came out of the hut holding a mickey of rum in one hand and a pre-roll in the other.

"Hey," he said, "Look what your mom stuck in my bag! My favourites! Ecbex rum and Xopal indica! Do you think she knew?"

Iris rolled her eyes. "Of course she knew! She's obsessed by royalty, and you especially. Didn't you see all the magazines in our house? And the plates? You were born the day after I was, in the same hospital, and she seems to think that gives us some connection. When I called to tell her we were coming, she said it was 'destined'." She gave another, exagerrated eye-roll.

The prince plopped down on a log beside her. "Yeah, I saw them. She wasn't as fawning as some royal-watchers can be, though. Doted on you, I noticed."

"What would the royal-watchers think of you now, drinking and toking in the wilderness?" Iris teased.

He grinned. "They'd be impressed by my camping skills. I'm a poster boy for responsible consumption."

She snorted. "Camping skills? You laid your sleeping bag out on a cabin bunk."

"That's enough to impress them," he smirked. Then he stretched, shrugged it all away, gave a relaxing sigh. "This is amazing," he said, after surveying the fading hills, darkening sea, and freshly-kindled stars. "To be out here, all alone- I mean without a body-guard and escort of at least four- is just so freeing."

"Tough life being a prince?"

"Even a prince is just a cog on the wheel, with no chance to indulge the id. But it has it's perks, for sure. Being king on the other hand- not looking forward to that so much. Too much responsibility. I'm certainly not ready to take on the role any time soon, so we need to find that phoenix as fast as we can and keep my mother alive."

"Yeah, well, tomorrow it gets hard. I've only been the way we want to go from here once before, and only another half day's hike. Actually the end wasn't hiking, it was bushwacking, broken up by climbing. Are you ready for that?"

The prince grinned. "Bring it on!"

Late next afternoon he was grunting more than grinning, pulling himself up yet another broken cliff. Heaving himself over the top, he rolled aside to leave room for Iris, slipped himself out of his pack and sat. His breath caught at the grandeur of the view - he could see a quarter of the queendom from here! Well, everything this side of the mountains, anyway. A strip of dark green forest, stretching away between rocky heights and a patchwork of fields...And the sea! The sea had never looked so big, so blue, so unending...

Iris rolled upright beside him. "Wow," she said, once she caught her breath. They admired the view just for the time it took Iris to take off her shoe and knock a stone out of it, and headed up again.

The next rock-face wasn't as high, and at its top they found themselves in a broad valley, with a ways to walk across alpine meadow before another big rise in elevation. A small lake glistened in the middle of the valley, and after consulting their map they decided to follow its shore, and find the river feeding it from higher up the mountain.

The valley was wider than it looked, it was a relief to not be climbing, and small yellow, white, and pink flowers were sprinkled through the grass while green and orange lichen covered rocky patches. Splashing clean in the lake was sweet freshness. They decided to camp at the high end of the valley, above the lake, and take stock of where they were and where they thought they had to go.

The prince insisted on setting up the tent and starting the fire, Iris felt to prove he could do it and justify the pride those royal-watchers would feel for him if they could see him. She didn't mind at all, and laid out their bed rolls while he got the fire going, then dug out the night's dinner.

Later, as they sat watching lightning flash out over the sea and passing a joint back and forth, he asked "Why did Lise assign you to go with me, anyway?"

"I don't know, but she always has her reasons," Iris answered.

"Exactly. Why does she want you near me?"

"How should I know? I don't know any more about the phoenix or any of it than anyone else from my village. Or than what you can find on Wikipedia. Except that it's real. Wikipedia doesn't know that- we villagers all do."

"How do you know?"

She paused, remembering. "We hear it, occasionally, when it makes a kill in the mountains nearby." She chuckled lightly, gave him a sidelong glance. "And by 'nearby' I mean about 20 klicks away. You wouldn't believe the sound she makes! A screech that goes on and on, and this huge thunderclap of her wings! Really awesome. And scary. I've never seen her, though. Few have."

"We will see her, in a just a couple of days," the prince assured her. The thought warmed them through the night, even when the storm reached them and rocked their tent.

On examining their maps next morning they reckoned it would be another day and then some, depending on the terrain they encountered, before they reached the phoenix's valley.

Almost three days later they were trudging through snow up a long, steep incline, wondering if there would be another steep hill to scale, or if it really was an end to the up. Iris reached it first, and whooped at what she saw. Prince Don perked up at that, and was beside her in a moment, panting but beaming.

Lushness spread before them. Every kind of tree, flowers of incredible shapes and colours, waterfalls, pools, meadows... They grinned at each other and started down the slope before them. Iris suddenly stopped and drew in a deep breath. The prince looked surprised, then his eyes widened and he, too, inhaled deeply, drawing in the heady scents of a thousand flowers combined. "Oh, wow," Iris muttered, and started forward again.

The phoenix's valley was a rich parkland, lush, bursting with colour, yet controlled. There were no paths, but enough clear areas to walk easily under the trees, amid the undergrowth. Conifers, broad-leaves, fruit trees, palms- all were growing intermixed. Flowering shrubs- lilacs, rhododendrons, frangipani, and many more- kept them craning their necks to see, and tipping their heads back to sniff.

Small animals darted through trees and rustled in undergrowth, birds flitted about, insects buzzed. The pair of questors strolled happily for a while, until they came to a small stream. "We might as well camp here," Iris suggested. "Figure out how to find the phoenix in the morning."

They ate a cold meal that night, not wanting to light a fire in the phoenix's garden (there wasn't enough dead wood lying around to build one, anyway), but were warmed through by the beauty around them. And the temperature, which was perfect.

Just as they hoisted their packs onto their backs next morning, ready to head off in the direction they'd determined, the air was rent by a ringing call. Not a screech, not a squawk, definitely avian, but like trumpets, with the tinkle of triangles. Hair stood up on the back of their necks. The man had never heard anything like it. The woman had heard a similar call, but never nearly so close. Well-being swelled, wonder filled their hearts. They drew deep breaths of satisfaction, and went to answer the call.

The phoenix awaited them in a clearing wreathed by trees bearing both fruit and blossoms, and backed by water cascading down a wall of pink granite. The mythical bird perched on a bush covered in crimson blooms. It glowed, its plumage radiant hues of orange, red, yellow, gold, with glimmering streaks of blue, purple, and green flashing through. A tall crest flowed back from its head, and its long tail wrapped around the rose bush and spread out on the ground before it.

Prince and student approached in awe. The phoenix was twice the size of an eagle, far too large to perch so lightly on roses, yet its claws grasped lightly, and it seem to rest at ease. It regarded them intently as they neared, arching its neck and turning its head to examine each of them with each eye. Under its gaze they withered, but felt strengthened, knowing they could be so much more than they had been so far. They had potential to live up to. Both squared their shoulders, and looked the phoenix in the eye.

"Welcome, humans!" it greeted them in a melodious brass voice. "Welcome, Prince Don Lee Theril. Welcome, Iris Jesle Jung."

Each started, then bowed when the great bird voiced their name, surprised they were known. Iris almost fell over when her nearly-forgotten pack, still on her back, shifted and knocked her off-balance mid-bow. She recovered awkwardly. The phoenix chuckled. "Relieve yourselves of your loads; we will converse here."

Gladly they did as suggested. "Thank you, great phoenix," Prince Don said. "We are very grateful for your courteous greeting. And astounded by the beauty of your valley." The phoenix acknowledged his words with a nod of her head and a look of expectation, so he plunged on. "We come seeking knowledge, and to offer you a gift."

"I know of your need, but not of the gift you mention."

Iris knelt and reached down into her pack, pulled out the wrapped opal. She uncovered the stone and held it up before the great bird, turning it slightly so colours flashed in the light. The phoenix's eyes whirled. It gestured her closer with a claw, reached out and delicately plucked the stone from her hand. This close to the glorious bird Iris could feel heat emanating from it. Respectfully, she stepped back.

The phoenix noted how the opal's scintillating hues reflected her own, and clicked her beak in pleasure. "This opal is of particular beauty and quality. I accept your gift. And I will aid you in your quest, for your need is the queendom's need." She paused and they began to express their thanks, but she continued, "Do not think my aid will make your task easy, for it will not. You have great feats to accomplish yet if you are to attain your goal. You must find and deal with the merpeople, and it is not easy to do either. There I can be of assistance, and will offer you a gift in return for the opal." At that the magnificent bird deftly plucked two feathers from its wing.

"With each of these you can create a lantern that will burn not only in air, but under water, as well. Use one to light your own way, and offer one to the merfolk in return for the scales you seek. To ignite it, simply blow on the base of the feather and say my name, Atheri Orisuo. Just be sure to have a container to collect all the ash as it burns, leave it undisturbed, and the feather will regenerate."

Iris accepted the feathers reverentially, wrapping them carefully in the black silk which had held the opal, and placing them on top of her pack.

The phoenix then invited them to pick all the fruit they wanted, and while they feasted on the freshest, richest-tasting mangoes, bananas, and peaches they had ever tasted, she told them more about how to find the merfolk, and the pools before that.

When the prince suggested that they would need scuba gear, the phoenix shuddered in disgust, sending off a spray of sparks. "Ugh! No! No breathing 'apparatus'! The merfolk hate that kind of thing as much as I do. Use magic."

"What magic will help us breathe under-water?"

"Many magics could work, but use a Transformation spell, since you are seeking the Pools anyway."

"What, we can get one there?"

"Yes. There are more than a hundred pools there, some large, some very small. Many contain regular water, but many hold potions, or poisons. Liquid curses. Be very careful of the pools you choose, the water you use."

"How do we recognize the ones we want?"

"Heed the signs."

The phoenix spoke with them for over an hour, offering them advice and marking their map, but also asking them for news of the island nation, and the world beyond.

By the end of so much time in its presence they felt stronger than ever before, confident that they would fulfill their goals, and ready to tackle another mountain range. They didn't have to to leave the phoenix's valley, though. With her guidance they enjoyed an afternoon of strolling downriver through her garden, plucking fresh fruit and berries whenever they felt the urge, sipping now and then from the sparkling water, full of wellness of being.

As the sun was setting they reached the dramatic end of the valley- the smooth-flowing river disappeared, the land fell sharply away, and dark green spread far below. They quickly set up their tent in fading light, then sat to watch the sky change colours above the world.

"Well, at least our packs are going to be lighter after this," Iris quipped the next morning, standing trepidatiously near the edge of the cliff, surveying the green so far below while the prince triple-checked her chute. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Prince Don responded more to her tense stance than her words. He was calmly cheerful, whistling snatches of an old tune about flying, tugging on straps, focused on what he was doing but hyper-aware of what they were about to do. It had been more than a year since he dove, and he'd never done it from a cliff. Hang-gliding, yes, but not parachuting. The site checked out, though. The phoenix had told them how to find this spot where the land jutted out in a narrow point, overhanging the distant jungle. They could make the jump safely.

Prince Don went first, with a big whoop running and throwing himself off the cliff, spreading himself to fall through the air, pulling his cord, hanging above green. Iris took a deep breath- she had never done anything like this before, but- and launched herself into air.

---to be continued---

Thanks for reading! You may have noticed I got a little carried away with this challenge and used all the words I found in the puzzle, without going to diagonals.

'Approved' words:

aid, alb, ale, ales, ant, ante, ash, asp, call, chute, clan, claw, claws, cog, comb, cycle, don, ell, fan, feat, feather, fort, fortune, gal, heir, hell, hoe, horse, horses, horseshoe, hut, ice, jazz, jungle, lantern, law, laws, light, lightning, lilt, lop, maid, map, mermaid, motor, motorcycle, nap, neb, nebs, opal, pal, par, parachute, pho, phoenix, ply, poo, pool, pools, scale, scale, scales, scallop, sea, seas, seashell, shell, shoe, sob, sol, solstice, tern, tic, tor, torc, tun, tune, ute

Other words: all, eat, eco, her, his, nix, opa, the

Names: Al, Ali, Ashe, Cal, Don, Erma, Iris, Jung, Lee, Lee, Les, Lil, Lise

Backwards words: car, cel, eel, gnu, ick, lag, lap, loo, loop, o sir, opa, nil, ninth, nod, pan, pang, pox, rap, rot, silt, silts, sloop, tan

Ben, Cara, Lil, Pam, Tom