The mermaid queen Bryn conducted the ceremony wearing a diadem of gold and sapphires with a necklace of sand dollars holding a golden harpoon. Tiffy wore a diadem of starfish with pearl necklace, her betrothal belt, and seaweed bracelets. Queen Bryn stood by the wet sand platform holding flowers, clam shells, and seaweed. The groom and bride approached the queen for the blessing. The queen asked if this couple should be married and the crowd cheered. Father of Tiffy came forward with his approval of this elf sailor from the Mermaid Islands to marry his daughter. Ilio spoke for Dagan’s family stating his father is a carpenter and mother trades with mermaids to obtain pearls and shells to make jewelry to sell. They would welcome Tiffy into their family home in Adea and trading home here in Titania. The couple knelt before the queen and she waved her harpoon over their heads speaking prayers in mermish. The couple stood for the song of praise from the mermaids playing wooden flutes and clapping with clam shells. They continue with the burning of the seaweed as a sacrifice to the goddess of the sea Lixi praying for fertility. Next came the burning of the flowers as a sacrifice to the goddess of love Ishtar. And finally, the clams held beeswax and a wick were lit with prayers of faithfulness to the mermaids and elves in times of trouble. Next the vows of loyalty are spoken.
“I, Dagan of Adea, son of Alviss and Charis take in marriage Tiffy of the North Sea, daughter of Noxi and Abivi. I will provide love, comfort, protection, home, and family for as long as we live.”
“I, Tiffy of the North Sea, daughter of Noxi and Abivi, take in marriage Dagan of Adea, son of Alviss and Charis. I will provide love, comfort, security, hope, and family for as long as we live.”
Queen Bryn read the marriage contract which was rather short. It announced Dagan’s servitude to Queen Lexie of the North Sea that provides certain privileges as well as demands. It declared the lack of property of each member of the couple, but included equal division of any future property. Their children will be educated in both merfish and elf cultures. It concluded with equal inheritance and dowry for their future adult children. Tiffy’s father then presented the dowry of pearls, shells, and a gold tipped harpoon. A song of celebration was played by the mermaid band. The marriage bond sealed, the queen announced the couple wedded. Dagan kissed Tiffy’s hand and they began the feast. The female elves from the village took Tiffy and the new elf clothes inside a bark lodge to bring Tiffy back out in her new wardrobe. The guests danced and embraced the couple. Gifts were presented and the couple gave thanks. Elves, merfish, centaurs, fauns, and a human conversed with one another as they feasted on the roasted animals and fruits stored in jars. The sun ran across the sky warming the cool morning air. The celebration continued all day with storytellers reciting poems about Titania history and children acting out the stories.
Then large tawny cats jumped out of the forest to surround the wedding party. Already in full armor for the ceremony, the guests repelled the predators with spears and arrows. Children were grabbed by their parents and carried to the mermaid bark lodges. Shields locked together by elves to form a circle with the fauns in the center shooting their arrows. Centaurs charged at the cats swinging battle axes with round shields hanging on their back. One cave lion was killed and the crowd cheered as the animals ran away back into the trees, but it was too late. Upon searching for family and friends, an adolescent mermaid, a male faun, and a foal centaur were missing. A small party of warriors went out to look for the leftover bones following the cave lion’s tracks. After a time they returned with the torn up bodies of the foal centaur, the young mermaid, and the faun. They also found a dead terror piglet and cave hyena cub on the forest floor, along with a Lotan forest cat family munching on a large hare and decided to leave them as they lay. Queen Bryn recited the funeral rites for the souls traveling into the afterlife. The young mermaid was dragged to the bottom of the ocean and the faun with the centaur foal was buried in the forest by a large willow tree. A pile of seashells marked the grave. The party continued into the day with a more somber tone. The feast destroyed by the cats, the mermaids searched for lobsters and crabs. Roasted crustaceans filled their stomachs and as night came the guests returned home. Tiffy loved her decorated home with garlands of flowers and a painted blue jewelry box with seashell necklaces. The next day they went out to find stones along the river to trade. A pair of griffins swooped down to carry off Edwina and Bodin. Atara’s painful neighs echoed through the forest as Dagan and Ilio looked for yarrow to stop her bleeding. Zanya left to follow their scent trail in the wind. Chitzi stayed to nurse Atara back to health. They waited for Zanya’s return. Ilio assured his friends he had cast protection spells around them so the captives are alive, the question was where.
Zanya returned to explain the griffins were heading towards the mountains and dropped their catch upon seeing a giant snake. They landed in a nest full of griffin eggs atop a tree. Edwina tried to climb down with Bodin to hide in the tree branches upon viewing a terror pig below. As the terror pig walked away, they heard shrieks of the returning griffins with bits of snake in their talons. Then Zanya arrived. She guided them down the tree and into the safety of a fairy hollow by the river. The fairy nests of woven grass, twigs, and bird feathers lay tuck inside large rose bushes. Edwina and Bodin rested under a willow tree. The fairies brought them berries and seeds to eat. Zanya left to tell Ilio where they were. Edwina prayed to the mermaid queen Lexie to send someone to help her find her way back to Ilio. Lexie did not appear to her, but to Ilio gathering supplies at his home to find Edwina. Startled at seeing Lexie, he quickly defended it was not his fault Edwina and Bodin were captured and had every intention of rescuing them for neither can survive the forest very long. Lexie then asked how far he would go to rescue Edwina. Would he kill for her? Would he die for her? Ilio snickered that he was immortal like his parents so cannot die for Edwina. Lexie raised her hand and Ilio’s magic crystal floated into her hand. Lexie confessed he is mortal now and if he can rescue his love without magic she will release him from her curse. Ilio assured the mermaid queen his parents refused to use magic in front of mortals so he is well accustomed of doing things the hard way. Lexie nodded and then disappeared.
Ilio looked at Zanya and said that Lexie didn’t say others couldn’t use magic. To fulfill Lexie’s desire that Ilio rescue his love, he only took Zanya and Chitzi with him. Dagan and Tiffy stayed behind caring for Atara. They packed up food, tools, and weapons to set off on their journey. They followed Zanya towards the mountains dodging predators and stopping to fish. Edwina notices a floating river otter hitting a clam with a rock and laughs. The otter looks around for the noise made and continues opening the clam. A baby otter joins the feast and Bodin comes out to eat the cattail leaves. Edwina comes out of the shade to start picking lilies and blackberries. The fairies seem to have disappeared, but the twinkling of baby fairies playing in their rose bush nests gave reassurance that they were among friends. Then the river otter came ashore with her baby to speak to the human and foal.
“Are you the lost ones the goddess spoke of?” asked the otter.
“Otters do not speak,” observed Edwina as Bodin nodded with a whinny.
“The goddess gave my power to speak to you, otherwise I chirp as your foal neighs. I am called Kalliope.” replied the Otter.
“I see, I am not accustomed to animals talking to me.” replies Edwina with a snort from Bodin.
“Bodin says he is always talking to you,” points out Kalliope. “Perhaps you are not listening.”
“Anyway, Kalliope, can you help us find out way back to the coast?” asks Edwina.
“The goddess sent me to do just that, follow me.” answers the otter Kalliope.
The human and foal follow the otter and her baby down the river heading toward the coast. They see animals stopping at the river to drink. They meet two mermaids with baskets looking for food and tell them of an elf family up the trail. The boy elf asks Edwina why she didn’t have a spear with her. Edwina recites the tale of being taken by griffins and her belongings were lost in the struggle. The elf woman feeds the visitors and they sleep outside under a large willow since it hides them best. The elf boy gives her an extra spear of his fitted with a flint point in exchange for the seashell beads sewn on her boots. They continue down the river passing deer, terror pigs, leopards, and sheep being herded by centaurs. The boy centaurs remember trading with Ilio before and glad to help Edwina out. They give chestnut bread and dried beans from their knapsacks and trade a copper axe for a few strands of Bodin’s tail. As Edwina struggles to start a fire with rocks she had found, Bodin chews up nearby leaves. She had seen this done many times, but never seem to do it herself. The otters suddenly jumped in the stream screeching something that Edwina failed to catch. Then a white wolf appeared and dropped two flint stones that were heavily scratched. Edwina starts her first fire and thanks the wolf. She asks if the wolf could talk also.
“Yes, but I did not wish to frighten you. I once was an elf but was changed by a witch and banished away from my home in the Olin Mountains. My name is Tavi.” replied the wolf.
“My name is Edwina. I was taken by griffins with my colt Bodin and we are finding our way home. My betrothed and friends live on the coast with Bodin’s mother so the otter Kalliope and her baby Noxi were guiding us there. She must have seen a fish to jump in the river as soon as you appeared.”
“They must have,” observes Tavi the wolf.
“I hope she found a big fish, I’m getting hungry.” says Edwina.
“Why do you not use your spear to hunt, something will come along to get a drink of water.” wonders Tavi.
“Ilio and Dagan did the hunting back home, I would probably miss.” replies Edwina.
“Very well, I will show you how it is done.” declares Tavi.
“You do not have to show me, Kalliope is coming with a fish. I mean, we do not have much time for cooking a large animal you would eat.” states Edwina.
“I gave you those flint stones out of kindness. I did not have to help you. All I want is kindness in returned.” tells Tavi as more wolves begin to come to campfire.
“Demanding favors in return is not kindness,” instructs Edwina grabbing Bodin’s mane to make him neigh into the twilight.
“Is that so, human dressing as an elf. If you do not kill our meal for us, then we shall eat you and your colt.”
Something large surfaced in the water and dove back down. Edwina begged to find Kalliope to help her locate a deer for the wolf pack. The white wolf began to howl at the rising moon and roars from cave lions echoed through the forest. Edwina felt strange as if something was pushing her down to her knees. Bodin jumped into the river to swim away toward a sea cow coming up to breathe and felt it brush up against him. Edwina saw her hands had transformed into wolf paws and started to howl with the other wolves. Kalliope surfaced nearby informing her that she warned her to run from the wolf witch and guided Bodin across to the river bank. Edwina asserts she did not hear what she screeched when she ran away. Kalliope enlightens that she is evil enslaving elves by turning them into wolves and enchants animals to drown themselves before eating them. Edwina could not believe she had been duped so easily and yet could no longer change it. Kalliope and Bodin ran into woods and disappeared.
Meanwhile, Ilio, Zanya, and Chitzi called upon parakeeps to search for Edwina and Bodin. They camped in trees every night avoiding nocturnal hunters. They found a sprite tree house and asked if they could spend the night. The female sprite was hesitant, but the male sprite picked them up. They were fed roots and clover bread. The sprites listen the tale of the griffins kidnapping their friends. The male sprite promised to help search. Neither Zanya nor the parakeeps were able to discover their trail again. The next morning, the male sprite found a copper axe and flint spear without an owner by the river. He suspected the white wolf witch had a new prisoner. No sign of Edwina or Bodin. Ilio continued his search asking fairies along the river if they had seen them. One fairy claimed to Zanya to see a foal running away with an otter holding a pup in its mouth while being chased by a pair of cave hyenas. The hyenas trapped the foal and otters near a slope to be attacked by terror pigs fighting for the meal. They escaped during the confrontation and ran into a thorny patch where elves grow pumpkins. Dissuaded from further pursuit, the hyenas turned against the terror pigs as more hyenas appeared. Then an elf showed up to scare away the attackers. He welcomed the traumatized creatures giving fish and carrots his wife preserved. The animals told the fairies they needed a magician to release their human friend from the white wolf. Ilio listened to the rest in horror. A strange wolf had been spotted with a wolf pack on the other side of the river. It gets up on its hind legs trying to walk and tries to grab things like rocks with its paws. Edwina was doomed. It is best to find Bodin first. The elf couple remembered the foal and the otters that rode on it. They left with a black bear heading for the river that morning. Zanya found the trail and found the black bear with cubs in the river catching fish. Bodin was eating ferns and moss. The otters and bears shared their catches.
Bodin ran to them neighing and rubbing against Ilio. Zanya said the otter was sent to Edwina by Lexie giving it speaking powers. Kalliope recited where she lost Edwina and had to help her baby Noxi and colt Bodin not be eaten. Ilio had to form a plan. The black bear knew the range of a nearby wolf pack and a separate lone wolf that had just left when the alpha male kicked him out. Ilio could use this wolf to draw her out. He then sent Zanya to find this lone wolf. She came back with news of lone wolf and a sprite house they could rest in. The sprites often find the leftovers from meals and gather what they can. They set up a plan to separate Edwina from the rest of the pack. Lone wolf would approach from a distance and court Edwina by acting elf. He would sit upwards with paws off the ground and jerk his head to the side like elves do when they hunt in silence. Then touch his face with paws as elves do when greeting someone. That should get her attention and hopefully not get chased off by the others. He was a born a wolf and cannot change into something else like the others had. Kalliope discovered their scent and Zanya followed the lone wolf to the meal. The wolf did his elf tricks from a distance as Zanya made sure Edwina saw him. He disappeared into the trees and while the others rested from their elk dinner. Edwina casually stepped away to drink from the river and cleaned her bloody fur. The white wolf looked at her strange behavior and turned away in distain of this wolf trying to act elf still. She followed Zanya’s tinkling into the forest to run smack into a lone wolf who licked her cheek. They crept away and swam across the river to dash towards the sprite house. Edwina was so grateful of her rescue. When the lone wolf grew tired, they rested under an oak. Zanya never left their side. Ilio and Chitzi came at the agreed place. The lone wolf nibbled on leftover elk. Ilio prayed to Lexie as he had completed the agreement to rescue Edwina without magic.
Lexie appeared to blow dust at Edwina returning her to her human state. The baby she is carrying however could not be the same. Having elf blood it could not become a werewolf, but having human blood that could the child could appear part wolf when born. The white wolf’s magic was powerful. So powerful, she tracked Edwina down when she disappeared. Magic returned to Ilio, he fought a wizard’s duel with the White Wolf. Lexie would not interfere other than protecting others from the misdirected spells. Ilio used his crystal to make beams of lightening to hurl at his opponent. He tossed magic rocks that made ivy walls entrapping the White Wolf. The White Wolf turned herself into a dragon to rip the ivy walls to shreds as she spit magic fire at Ilio. Ilio created a magic shield of light. The White Dragon swished her tail to send Ilio flying into a tree across the river. The White Dragon stomped across the riverbed and hurled one more spit of fire forcing half the forest to flee. Ilio raised the river to squelch the fire. The White Dragon scratched the Titanic trees to find the tiny elf hiding among the eagle nests. Ilio found a flying horse trying to move her babies from the raging Dragon. He created a golden bow and unicorn horn arrow from the unicorn bracelet he always wore to protect himself from sirens singing enchantments. He hid the Pegasus foals inside a griffin nest and jumped on their mother. The furious Dragon spit fire towards the horse and Ilio, jumping into flight above the trees. Dodging fireballs and trying to get a good aim, Ilio shot his magic unicorn arrow and missed.
The magic arrow hit the limb of a tree and sprouted a baby draghorn like a flying horse, except with a unicorn horn. The baby draghorn fluttered among the leaves and grew bigger and larger as Ilio kept swiping the powerful witch with a lightening sword that only scratched the enduring dragon hide. He managed to hit the armored scales of the beast, to have his magic arrows bounce off and turn into feathers floating down to earth. The baby draghorn, fully grown in minutes, flew towards the Dragon. The Dragon upon her hind legs, charged at the draghorn. The two creatures wrestled and spun to the ground, shaking the earth as they landed. The draghorn looked at Ilio sitting on the Pegasus and charged the White Dragon that recovered onto its feet. With one blow of its horn into the mighty scales of the Dragon’s chest, the Dragon screeched curses as she turned black and crumbled into dust. The draghorn reeling from losing its horn, collapsed at Ilio’s feet. Lexie rushed to the animal and used her magic crystal to create another horn. Lexie brought the creature made from magic to her home on Blue Island. There it joined the water horses and lake monster that guard Lexie’s palace. Lexie relented Ilio’s curse, though refused to give him a title. He will simply have to make his own home, wherever his wishes. Next centaurs appeared. Their homes in a glen were next to the river and needed water to put out their homes. Ilio and Lexie used magic to stop the fires. Oh, what stories they had to tell the centaurs. The next morning, they followed the river towards the coast with gifts from the centaurs in celebration of defeating the White Wolf. Soon, strange men appeared who were companions to the witch were and joyous they were free. They came upon ships from faraway lands blown off course to Caledonia. A few were elf boys who were eager to find their way home. Four days later, they saw the sea cows and fresh water dolphins. Then the beach was in view. They found unfamiliar mermaids on the beach trading with Dark Mountain elves from Lotan. The strange men boarded the elf ships and mermaids guided their way to Queen Bryn’s beach. They crossed seal nurseries and nests of waddling auks. Tiffy and Dagan ran to their friends as did Atara and Chitzi. Together at last.
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