In the Neighborhood

He and the others suddenly find themselves upon the Teleporter pad (a surplus unit acquired from the Federation that Dr. Vincent used to create the magical machine that he used to teleport), back in Terra Prime.

Several people are thankful that the Key didn't drag along the horses as well as Rowena, Fred, and Thelma. Lord knows what kind of mess the beasts would have made if they'd found themselves elsewhere suddenly! Indeed, the stableboys who'd been bringing the horses forth to Captain Locke and others (for their journey to Suffex) had barely been able to calm them before the journey had been interrupted in the very inception by Jarlath's groups sudden arrival in the very courtyard!

That aside, there are still questions. Understandably, once the newcomers get over the shock of suddenly finding themselves in yet another place (only a short matter of seconds) they have some questions for the pale and shaken Doctor Vincent (who had the scare of his life when he'd seen something on the teleport's sensors try to reach out and divert the transportees elsewhere) and the others.

All Dr. Vincent can think while this is going on is how thankful he is that he scooted everyone else out of the room before this had began! God knows how much more chaotic and full of questions this room would be with others about! Frankly, he had a few questions of his own and he'd hate to have to wait to ask them himself!

However, the good Doctor understands that it'll wait when Jarlath shouts for silence. He gives his cloak to the still naked Thelma (then transmuting it into a set of serviceable woman's clothing) before continuing.

"All questions will be answered soon," he says finally, "But it must be done back in Fred's place. Time is of the essence!"

He had already made the connection (like Annafrid, who'd just recently been indoctrinated in the family history by Lady Champlaine) between this Fred and that of the story of Fred 7 when he overheard Fred's comments right before things started getting....difficult.

Because of a gut feeling he had (something he could stomach....much better than the visions of old), he felt that the clock was ticking and something BIG would happen in 48 hours. They disappear and suddenly reappear in a small forest glade. Rowena's and Fred's jaw drop in surprise as they see through a break in the trees.

<P.They were home!!

That, and they'd had a Gods given vision while.....traveling to here from....wherever they had been. They had a....feeling of connection between these strange people. But be that as it may, Rowena can't stop herself....

"Who are you people?" she asks, finally.

"I'd like to know that myself," Thelma adds under her breath, "Especially about myself."

Jarlath looks at the others and sees that nothing but the truth will do. This Fred and Rowena (As well as the mystery woman Thelma) seemed to know something and.....lies just wouldn't do! Besides, there was a certain feel in the air

"Very well," the young mage says, "But you probably are going to have a hard time believing this....."

So, they tell about themselves.

Jarlath D'Honaire - The seventh son of Charles D'Honaire, he went against his father's wishes and went off to the Tower of Ilxior to study magic. From then until his death, Charles D'Honaire refused to acknowledge his youngest son, apparently due to an inherent mistrust of magic. After his father's death, Frederigo attempted to contact Jarlath only to find the Tower of Ilxior had been razed, his brother apparently taken with it.

Jarlath was present at the razing of the Tower, and he was burned very badly as well as blinded. However, this explosion unhinged something in him, both mentally and metaphysically. Jarlath may presently be the most powerful wizard on the planet, even though his own magic is eating him alive from the inside out. Another peculiarity bestowed on him by the explosion, Jarlath is blind, yet has perfect precognition of all the upcoming events in his life, serving as a second sight in spite of his deadened eyes. A frightening aspect of this sight, though, is the fact that all the visions he has end at the point at which he reaches the Grove of the Seven Sisters.

Whether he would have die at that point is uncertain, but what he had known was that when the time comes, he would be well and truly blind once more.

But...

Due to the disruptive nature of the odd nature of the insertion of the Champions of Order and Chaos into the equation of things.....fates changed and Jaralth was struck blind earlier than expected. That was unexpected and frightening to the fated young wizard. Bus soon he found himself welcoming it when his normal sight was restored....getting adopted by the Elder D'Honaires (the analogs of his parents)... and then accepted into the ranks of the Champions. No longer stuck to one course of action, the young mage is happy to be part of the D'Honaire family of Terra Prime.

Under the tutelage of several of the dragon mages, the young mage is better able to harness his powerful magical gift to where it doesn't try to consume him within. Oh, with his new found immortality, he could have kept doing it the old fashioned manner....but why court pain?

Also is now more stable, but still a bit eccentric.

Has married his loves Astra 9 AND Annafrid.

Astra 9 D'Honairer - This is what HAD been the younger version of the same person, Astra 10, before a rather vindictive Infernal twisted time and space, and alstered Astra 10's past.....

The young girl, at age ten, watched as her mother and family was killed in an attack by giants. Fleeing the sight of the attack at the dyeing command of her mother, the frightened girl soon came across her old mentor, Annina.

After a terrible trial, she soon was adopted by the only living person she had left close to her, Annina. But soon grows to love the other Annia of Terra Prime, her other mother under the law of the land.

Astra is brave, kind-hearted, determined, quickwitted and resourceful. She is outspoken, and occasionally acts rashly. A beautiful yet athletic woman in her early twenties, her outstanding features are her height and her flaming red hair.

She soon became a Champion (like the others) and now at age twenty...but looking eighteen (due to her status as Champion) fell in love with Jarlath (and Annafrid) while on a quest to save some elfin children. She, Jarlath, and Astra 9 joined together and now are very happy indeed.

Joan D'Honaire - This is a Fred who'd been transformed by a Belboz into a buxon, dark skinned beauty with a jewel in her navel, dressed in a harem dancer's outfit, and given a compulsion to dance! This was done to keep Fred from killing the Dragon of the Southern Caverns and keep Belboz from getting slapped with a lawsuit for failing in his duties by contract. Fred was whisked off to a far away land to dance forevermore in front of drunken, leering men. However, a demon took interest in her and altered her transformation, making it permanent (i.e. altered her Matrix). The demon, RF, sent the still dancing woman to Terra Prime (as a statue) for later fun.

But we know that RF was killed, so sick games never came about.

Instead, she soon was cured of her dancing compulsion by Urnath...got adjusted and liking her new form (had to adjust and accept it....else madness would happen).

She became a Champion like those of her new family and enjoys it very much now. She doesn't age and she likes it! She likes to dance still and likes to date. She's very much adjusted to being a woman. She's still a brave person and can fight with much skill. She still has a core of "Freddyness" to her....but it's expressed in a most female way, now. Go figure.

Andrea 2 - Lady Andrea Croix spent most of her life within her father's own fiefdom, cared for by servants, brought up extremely conservatively.

However, as a child, the tales of her nursemaid Fritha filled her with an intense wanderlust. The old woman's folk stories and little white magick charms made an otherwise dreary life bearable.

In time, Andrea grew up and Fritha passed away. The banality of her day to day life got to her, and so when she could stand no more, she slipped away under cover of darkness.

As she fled at a gallop upon her horse, she was discovered by Astra of Aquilaria, who, considering it her duty, brought her back to Croix Keep.

They did not find what they expected.

Seizing an unknown window of opportunity during Andrea's abscence, her father's advisor had betrayed the keep to the dragon's men. She and Astra only narrowly managed to escape.

Following several revelations about Astra's newfound curse and a trip to Mount Cicatrice to find the necromancer Belboz, possibly the only man who could cure her, Andrea discovered she had bewildering magickal powers, above and beyond the simple cantrips taught to her by Fritha. Shortly after this, she was attacked beneath the full moon by Astra, and would contracted the disease of lycanthropy herself.

Soon, she was captured by the Unseelie Court and soon became the trophy to a challenge between the Court and a set of Champions from Terra Prime. The Champions won and not only did they win her freedom, they were able to cure her of her lycanthropy.<P.

Fine and well, but she missed the sense of freedom that it seemed to bring her. She had been stifled and caged her entire life, and that had been the first taste of freedom for her. She wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to her father, but was going to do it out of duty...and love.

However, she was injured in an ambush set by the followers of the Dragon of the Southern Caverns (right after the Champions had killed it and the mage known and Minestus). She'd been horribly burned and had broken her back, and extreme measures were needed to save her life.

So in order to save her life, with her permission, one of the demifox mages bit her and she became a demifox when the lycanthropy from the bite took hold.

She well knew that she'd become a social outcast because of this, but she never thought that her own father would disown her.

Shocked at this and heart broken, she decided to go with the others and became a member of the family (of sorts) as well as a Champion. In her anger, (as something as a gesture against her father) she decided o stay a demifox (and is now forevermore a demifox due to the special nature of being a Champion).

Due to a special request by one of the demifox mages to the Rules, demifoxes are no longer lycanthropes, but an actual species all onto themselves now. No longer products of a magical curse, their bite no longer causes lycanthropy in others.

Demifox lass or not, her magical powers translated over and she now is a mage of worth and her power is still growing as time goes on.

"....and that is my story, Fred." Andrea sighs, looking up at the knight, "We came here for several reasons, but one in particular is to aid any....kin that we might come across. You may have good reason, I'm sure in thinking bad of magic, non-humans, and all...."

Fred 5 and the others who'd come from a similar setting as this world had admitted feeling like that later, shamefacedly.

".....but as a gesture of good faith," she finishes, with a shouted magical phrase a sword called Nelheth-Mord cracks....then crumbles into a million pieces, freeing Fred from it's accursed hold.

"Go warn Duke Dred of what you've seen," Jarlath says, walking off with the others, "Captain Locke should be days away by horseback and I rather doubt that the family mage, who was instrumental in aiming Rowena in your direction, will pass any bad warnings to Dred. Whatever you decide next, we shall wait here to await to see what you plan on doing next."

Fred blinks, looking first down at the ruins of the sword, then over at the gaping Rowena, the castle, then back at Jarlath.

It was almost too much, but the young knight suddenly sees several things. Things that must be said, then done.

One thing that must be done is to warn his father of what he's seen. Through the actions of this Jarlath and his friends, he got Fred away from Locke (who'd been more of an obstacle than anything in Fred's mission) and......within the small glades just within a few miles of the castle on the hill! What had looked to have been a journey made longer by Locke....was now almost done! Thanks to a mage!

That bespoke of several things, including a need to re-evaluate several growing ideas about mages worth in the scheme of things. The stories that these strangers had spoken had been bizarre, but....something in his heart made him believe it. If this was some plot, however, then Fred failed to see how it could be so.....because it was just too weird!

And....he wanted to believe them.

He and Rowena.....

"Jarlath, wait!" Fred called out, "I.....would be honored if you and your friends accompany me into my home....and......

"I need help finding Astra....my Astra," Fred whispered, "If you can aid me, please. If you can I'll swear myself to you as your servant. Please....."

Jarlath protested that such wasn't needed, but Fred was adamant about it. Jarlath had a feeling that the relationship between this Fred and this other Astra had taken similar turns as the others in his family, and could see that the relationship that the others had for each other was also here as well.

Thelma, making a snap decision, announced that she to would help in this quest and also asked Jarlath (swearing herself to him) in helping her find her sisters.

(Author's Note: this is taken in part from episode 14859 by Y).

The Castle Montefort of the House D'Honaire was the place to be on the sixth sunset after the Grand Daye of Commissioning. The Duke and his Lady, their daughter and their ducal court held a lavish festival in continuation of that which began in the halls of Caemlyn. There had been jugglers and poets, gildmen and faire-maids; the food was overflowing as was the drink, and all were invited from the high down to the low. That was the place to be, but that was before the misfortune came. First there was the black fire that spewed forth from the Shreken, then came the news that Lord Frederigo was no more, and after that the Lady Rowena disappeared. The Castle Montefort was not the place to be in those days, nor since, and not especially now.

A woman lay sobbing upon her bed while her husband was raging in the study. "This is OUTRAGEOUS! How can my daughter be involved in the machinations of some… some… some bastard who dare call himself my son?!!!?"

"Uh, sire?" the family mage coughs, coming up from the side, "May I....speak?"

Dred looked stormily over at him, but waved for him to speak.

"How do we know that your son is dead?" the mage says softly, "Yes, we read the reports and have spoken with those who've visited the sight of the battle. But no body was found. I've seen and weighed the evidence......and I just can not believe the conclusions many have come to. There was no body found......I...could settle this question with your permission."

Dred and Champlaine looked at the mage, knowing the method that the mage was speaking of, draw back with a bit of trepidation. They had taken the mage in before the public outcry against spells such as that and had forbade the mage from using them....else be labeled by their peers as willing accomplices in the dark arts and such.

They were unaware that Rowena had been able to sway the mage to break the vow (secretively, of course). The mage had not come forward to reveal his part in why Rowena ran off on her quest (fearing, rightfully, for his life), but to salve his conscious (he felt guilty for not revealing his knowledge of the truth of Fred's status) he now was suggesting this radical solution.

Dred was going to loudly berate the mage, only to be brought up short when his wife and love, Champlaine.

"Dear, I wish to know if by some miracle of the Gods and Goddess in the heavens, if this Denom is a charlatan or not," she says softly, "If our mage has a means, let him use it."

Dred seems to deflate, anger draining out of him as he looks into Champlaine's pleading eyes.

1. "Very well, but let's be quiet about this," he says softly, "We need not bring more grief by letting this get out."

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