Quen Nim (2 page)

“Oh, yes! Oh, yes! Oh, yes!” replied Lady May from three different locations such and so that quickly apart.

“May, you should settle. Step here,” said Dabber of the West, holding out a hand for his Lady to grasp. She fluttered to his side and clutched his emerald green hand in both of her tiny smoky bluegreen hands. She folded her pearly green feathered wings away and stood quivering in her azure gown. Her startling violet eyes searched her son's smoky emerald green face.

“She'll be here, Mother,” said Jay Dot in a shaky, not too convincing manner. “The craggers have dispersed to their ready flight stations. The hollowites are preparing the carpets. We will lift away at midnight and be over Blossom Castle when day breaks.”

“But will my daughter with the snapjaw mind join us on that journey?” offered Rindle Mer.

“Your … my … our … she … HA HAH!” stumbled Jay Dot until he leaped in triumph, spreading his own pearly green feathered wings and pointing up through the open skylight.

Rindle Mer frowned on the outside, thrilled on the inside to see her soaring daughter. Lady May broke from Dabber and fluttered in a whirl of excitement. Dabber smiled and his ash blue eyes got teary at the sight of Nimble Missst. She'd been away at the Falls for six long bar months. She wore the silver cape! Jay Dot grinned and ran his fingers through his shocking green curly hair. She had obeyed him. She had OBEYED him. She had obeyed HIM.

Nimble Missst swooped low out of sight and reappeared to land standing, fists on hips, elbows out, on her grandmother's black obsidian throne.

“I'm here,” she said. “I surmise that ye all have things to do before midnight. Why don't ye do ‘em? Hi, Grampa.”

Chapter Four

The Round Blue Room

High in the round blue tower of the Sapphire Palace in Cloud Castle City was a round blue room. It was filled with Ancient Orrunian scrolls and riddle runes on oat parchment pages and with assorted confusing constructs of straw, bricks, and cane. All were puzzles, puzzles completed, puzzles solved, evidence truly of Nimble Missst's snapjaw mind. So said, the Sapphire Palace was her own domain, and the round blue room in the round blue tower her private retreat. Such was so. When she wasn't away at the ledge next to O'Tan Falls, more likely than not she could be found studying texts or solving puzzles in the round blue room. A hollowite hurried there to dust and straighten on hearing the news of Nimble Missst's return to Cloud Castle City.

“Should have done this earlier, should have,” sang the hollowite to herself. She danced yes merrily around the room flicking the duster over the many and various puzzle constructs.

A hollowite dancing is a sight. Six trousered legs stepping in time while supporting a round pudgy body with stubby arms and stubby yellow wings might be oddment enough, but when topped by a froggy head with a curled up tongue which when unleashed could travel the distance of the room wall to wall, the sight is well …

“Ridiculous!” cried Nimble Missst as she opened the oaken door and entered the round blue room. “What are ye doing, Motty? Step lively. Take your dusting dance elsewhere. I've got thinking to do. Leave me.”

“Glad you're back. Happy to have you. Isn't it, though? Exciting I mean. The prince and all. A wedding. Queen of the Boad. How many ‘e's? Twenty? Twenty, I'll wager. That would show ‘em. My little snapjaw,” gushed Motty the hollowite. She trousered here and there, ignoring Nimble Missst's command to leave.

“Ridiculous, Motty, ridiculous! I need to think,” said Nimble Missst, pressing her hands to the sides of her head. “Ye may go. Bring me something to eat if ye need a ridiculous task to perform.”

“Your command. A bowl of ool, freshly squeezed, I think. I'm not full on sure about the hoddle. We might be scraped clean out of it. Ool without hoddle is good enough, true, but with it …”

“With! Without! Hoddle! No hoddle! I don't care! Ridiculous!” moaned Nimble Missst, and she paced in little circles.

“Don't fret. Don't worry. Don't pout. Efficient Motty is here to help you out,” sang the hollowite. She exited the room with a six-footed spin turn and, for good measure, flung her tongue high and far.

Almost at once, Nimble Missst heard on the stairs outside a short ruckus, a ‘Pardon me, Replenisher, I did not see you' and a ‘Step along, hollowite, and keep that tongue closer to ye'. Her mother approached. Nimble Missst composed herself and masked her jumbled doubts with a placid frown. She folded her arms and waited for her mother to appear in the doorway.

“That be the daftest of hollowites, I tell ye. Why don't ye send her off and replace her?” Rindle Mer greeted her daughter. “So ye be returned for this … thing. Ye do have a plan, don't ye?”

“Motty pleases me. She is ridiculous. I have a plan,” coolly replied Nimble Missst.

“What be it, Nimby? What be the plan?” asked Rindle Mer with one of her softer frowns.

“If I told ye, it would spoil the surprise,” answered Nimble Missst with her own soft frown.

They stood there, the two of ‘em, mother and daughter, narrow-eyed, probing, peering one at the other. Rindle Mer thrust her head forward and looked as deeply so such as she could into her daughter's startling violet eyes. Nimble Missst thrust her head forward and clenched her jaw to fend off the powerful glare of her mother's flame orange stare. For minutes they moved not a nince. Then Rindle Mer relaxed.

“I believe ye. Ye possess a snapjaw mind,” she said. “Sometimes I wonder if I should have restored the Woods Beyond the Wood. If I hadn't, this Blossom Prince business would not have developed.”

“It was good that ye AND Father restored the Woods,” said Nimble Missst. “It would be a ridiculous shame if there was no Blossom Castle with its terraces of blooms. I'm preparing the finer details of my plan now, Mother. Would ye like to step outside and allow me to continue?”

“Yes. Good. My snapjaw mind daughter. I'll never doubt ye,” said Rindle Mer with a gruffness and a frown, and she left the round blue room, closing the oaken door behind her.

Ye'll never doubt me? Ye already have! thought Nimble Missst. I have a plan. I will have a plan. I should have a plan. I've never yet been baffled. There's always a solution simple to see. She paced the floor. I wonder when I'll see it.

Chapter Five

In the Amethyst Grotto

Old Dabber of the West listened to the comforting rumble and churn of Cloud Castle City in flight. Deep and low in the Happy Dungeon of the Amethyst Grotto, he paced in time to the rhythmic meshing clicks of gears. He stretched one emerald green membraned wing and grimaced at the snap and crackle.

“Old body, never mind,” he muttered.

What was he doing there alone well past midnight in the Happy Dungeon of the Amethyst Grotto? Truth, he waited so such to meet his granddaughter. Hadn't he raised an eyebrow at her, their special signal, when the family confabulation broke up soon after sunsink? He had. Her snapjaw mind acknowledged his signal with a barely perceptible nod. Therefore, there he was. Where was she? He adjusted his formal ritual celebration azure tunic, the one May ordered him to wear so such that it might truly match her gown when they met the Quing and the Quang in the morning at Blossom Castle. He stared down at the azure boots he wore. He shook his head.

“Ridiculous, I agree.”

He turned in time to see his granddaughter completing the transformation from cloud to maiden. Her startling violet eyes sparkled, putting the magnificent amethyst walls of the grotto to shame. She strode with a purpose to the cupped slab bench and sat, taking up the curving cushion to hug.

“Nimby, Nimby, so here it is and here we go,” said Dabber of the West, and he placed an emerald green hand on the back of Nimble Missst's smoke ash green neck. With a thumb he caressed some few of the green-rooted flame orange curls of her hair. “It's a trial, to be sure. A great commencement. Rituals, duties, crowds.”

“Don't forget Zootch. Ridiculous,” grumbled Nimble Missst.

“Zootch, yes, a quiet sort,” mused Dabber.

“Quiet! Ridiculous! I'll wager ye've never heard his voice. I know I haven't,” spouted Nimby. “Why me? Why can my aunts turn it down and not me?”

Nimble Missst's aunts weren't really her aunts. They were cousins of her father, Jay Dot of Orrun. The Triplet Princesses Three they were. Their uninspired mother Malvina named ‘em Wun, Tuu, and Thrii. They fought a terrific scratching kicking laughing battle when informed that their brother, Kinng Forr, was retiring. Screeching “You be Queen, not me!” one at the other while clawing and pinching, they at long and at last placed their heads together and so such shouted in unison, “Nimble Missst!” Such was how things became so.

“They would be terrible Queens, no matter how many ‘e's they decreed. You, of course, will be wonderful and be yourself all at the self and same time. Why? Because you are my Queeen of Puzzles with a snapjaw mind, the snappiest,” soothed Old Dabber.

“My mind isn't snapping now, Grampa. Things aren't marching into pattern like as they usually do,” despaired Nimble Missst.

“Ah, not to worry. First things one at a time,” said Dabber, stroking his long wisp of a beard with the hand not caressing Nimble Missst's curls. “Tell me, have you decided how many ‘e's there will be in your Queen?”

“Yes,” said Nimble Missst, brightening a nince, lifting her chin. “Zilp with her fifteen ‘e's is ridiculous. Ridiculous! I'll decree one ‘e'. Quen. How do ye like that, Grampa?”

“A delight! Brilliant! A snapjaw stroke! Quen Nimble Missst of …”

“No, no, not Nimble Missst. Quen Nim. Quen Nim!” said Nimble Missst, sitting up straight.

“Quen Nim of the Boad, All Fidd and Leee Combined. A delight. Perfection. Could not be better. There now, Nimby … pardon me, NIM! You do have the start of a plan, don't you?”

Nimble Missst blinked her startling violet eyes and realized, yes, she did have the start of a plan. She gave her grandfather a smile. Her smiles were precious. His ash blue eyes were the only eyes that had ever seen one.

Chapter Six

Blossom Castle

The dawn found Cloud Castle City hovering above the high cobbled road outside the bound timber gate of Blossom Castle. Six craggers with their spidery arms and hands busied ‘emselves at the cranks, lowering ladder stairs from the bottom of the city until the sturdy steps softly bounced to settle on the high cobbled road.

“Why this ridiculous walking down stairs? Why don't I just fly in?” muttered Nimble Missst, leader of the procession, over her shoulder to Dabber of the West, second in line.

“The Quing and the Quang would consider it rude,” whispered her grampa in reply.

“Ridiculous,” said Nimble Missst, and she took a reluctant step down the stairway.

Dressed in the ordered celebration finery of azure slippers, silken azure pantaloons and tunic, she frowned her way down the ladder stairs, leading her Royal family parade. Old Dabber in azure followed next. After him came Rindle Mer, savagely glowering, deeply unhappy in neat azure gown. (Her badly stitched tunic she wore underneath.) Jay Dot of Orrun stepped lightly, azure ribbons on his azure cap. Lastly, the Lady May of Cloud Castle City, barely able to contain the fluttering frenzy of her excitement, stepped trembling in the place of honor. Nimble Missst, on reaching the cobbled road, advanced to the bound timber gate and knocked one, two -pause -three, four -pause -five times so such by ritual rule, all the while silently shouting inside ‘Ridiculous!' over and over again.

Blossom Castle thrust from the ground in a great circle of towers joined by high walls. Towers and walls crawled with thick twining riots of rainbow ivy. The bound timber gate was carven with fanciful leaves and flowers. It creaked as it opened to reveal the inner terraces. Circular gardens in tiers rose up, up, up to the Gemstudded Pod. Perfume of nectar filled the air. Flowers raged in hordes of the fiercest colors. Ripe orange. Rash pink. Blinding white. Zagger red. Sunyolk yellow. A twining path from the bound timber gate led up the terraces to neatly joined stone steps, which in their turn made the final climb to the door of the Gemstudded Pod. The Pod was truly studded with gems. Such was so. Stars, moons, and sky were depicted in emeralds, diamonds, and sapphires. Spelled out in ruby runes above its door was ‘Blossom Castle'. Water flowed from terrace to terrace in tiny falls and from the gaping mouths of Carven Dragon Fountains with flashing jewel eyes.

Nimble Missst marched straight through the gathered masses of fleckrunners, stonejagglers, nester musicians, leaftrimmers, soilsweeps, waterdrippers, tenders and weeders of every sort. She knew what her duty was, and she did it. Up the twining path she moved, up the neatly joined stone steps. She turned at the door of the Gemstudded Pod and waited for her parents and grandparents to take their ritual positions, one each to the left of the four Carven Dragon Fountains there on the topmost terrace. She looked at the crowd below and raised her smoke ash green arms.

“I am here,” she announced flatly before adding under her breath, “Ridiculous.”

All eyes turned at once to the bluest door in the tallest tower. The door opened. In haughty refinement out slowly sailed the Quing and the Quang of Blossom Castle, both of ‘em resplendent in exquisitely battered and finely pummeled silver and gold. Seemingly motionless, they somehow made the ascent to greet Nimble Missst.

“My heart leaps. I laugh with joy. I sing blossoms of praise,” droned the Quing, barely moving the flat thin line of her lips.

“I, too, am joyed beyond the peak of ecstasy,” monotoned the Quang dully from his stonily frozen face.

“Fetch forth Zootch,” droned the Quing, making the slightest motion of the index finger on her pale, plump, and soft blue right hand.