Jadeviper glances in Orophin's direction and sends a grateful yet apologetic thought. She sits down with Laura and the bunnies and tries to get her head round why people keep trying to destroy their story when all they wanted was to open it up to everyone. She blinks back a tear fearing that they might be bringing about the destruction of the Swamp because people just don't understand and don't care.
The Swamp
JV, LAuRA, OROPHIN & GR realise that if you are in the swamp you are going to attract bugs so they each take out their bug spray ready for anymore invaders.
the bunnies start to wonder what is going on with the silly humans but GR tries to explain to them that there are people out there who are even more evil than the GR.
the bunnies start to get scared but the famous four offer to protect them.
Laura is still trying to wipe the stupid grin off of her face (you know... being kissed like that and all... 😮 ).
She agrees with GR that bug spray indeed is very necessary here in the swamps. Didn't do any good with Mosquito back then but... maybe the new bugs are more easy to manage.
'Okey dokey, then what? No sign of the tractor still, I guess he won't be joining us. Shall we leave the bunny rabbits and bid Mrs Alice farewell? Her clock seems to be ticking... maybe she has somewhere to go. What about us?'
Laura takes Jadeviper by the hand and tries to nudge some good mood into her.
Jadeviper tries to pull herself together, and hopes that the two packets of Jaffa cakes and box of chocolate chip cookies help... she offers them to Laura as she wanders away from the bunnies
'Wow, Jaffa cakes and chocolate chip cookies... thanks JV' Laura smiles to her friend. There are few things that can compete with chocolate chip cookies when you need consolation (some things obviously can she thinks to herself, and glances over at Orophin).
'How about we give a couple to Anwar too?' I know we spoil him rotten but he's so cute when he wipes the chocolate off his whiskers' Laura adds.
Jadeviper ponders and decides she has more than enough chocolate to give some to the huge lion 😊
... which makes the animal so happy that it jumps right on JV and pushes her to the ground (not hurting her, no, Anwar already knows how to control his muscle power). The lion licks JV's face and rolls around in the grass with her so that she cannot sulk anymore. JV giggles and Laura giggles and Mrs Alice looks really annoyed at all these noisy people and guides her little ones off to the nearby bushes.
Jadeviper shrieks with laughter as Anwar rolls her around on the ground, her hair flying out and shattering her gloomy mood.
Orophin was still drooling over the monster truck, checking every nut and bolt, every gasket, cylinder.......OROPHIN!!! the shock broke his concentration........"ok ok, i'm coming" he replied psychically to Laura.
"oh! Jaffa cakes"....he smiled and ate a few...(the whole box).
He waved goodbye to Mrs alice and co, then he lifted Luara up and walked toward the truck, their eyes locked on eachother all the way. "there you go" he placed her in the seat and looked ovr to he others......."ok folks, all aboard!!! we are off to the beach"
....."wow, these jaffa cakes are wonderful"
'Jaffa cakes... yeah right... I'll show you what is wonderful' Laura giggled in her mind. As Orophin was about to release her to her seat, she held on, drew him closer and gave him a deep and warm kiss.
She knew that all this smooching was probably disgusting the others, but it had been such a long time... 'I'll promise to behave from now on' she said smiling and let go of him as she heard noise from the outside and figured the others were approaching.
"aye carumba, mama sita!!" Orophin exclaimed blushing bright red....JV lifted an eyebrow and just shook her head at the two of them.
Jadeviper smiles to herself as she climbs up onto the very top of the truck. The hormones in the air are almost palpable! All alone at the top of the truck, the wind streaming her hair out behind her, she blanks her mind and just enjoys the ride...
Orophin looks up at JV, her tresses flowing in the wind....as much as she tried to hide it, you dindnt need to be psychic to see the problem. He turned back to watch the road...dont want another near-accident....."Laura" he thought, "we need to hook her up, dont u think"
Laura looked up at her and back to Orophin....she gave an understanding nod and smiled......"uh oh! you have that look again Laura" he raised and eyebrow "you have plan, dont you?!"
Anwar was fast asleep, he had gorged himself on the whole chocolat l'eclair gateu and he looked very satified.
Meanwhile, in a land not so far away........
Your majesty, we have located his highness. What is your order?
"Bring him to home" a soft but commanding female voice echoed throught the cavernous hall......."I'm sorry my son, but this is your destiny"
.........a sudden cold chill engulfed Orophin, he was shocked for a second but dismissed as nothing..."brrr! i think that iced tea i had earlier is coming back on me"
Jadeviper opens her eyes as she feels something far distant reach into the cab of the truck then retreat... a probe, searching for something - or someone. Closing her eyes again against the wind, she searches out the minds of her companions and just catches the chill in the elf. Luckily Laura seemed relaxed, she hasn't noticed. So, Orophin's on the run... but from whom?
Laura is relaxed and happy as they are getting nearer to the beach. Her abilities in mindreading have improved considerably since last summer, but the transmissions between the members of the royal family are still being encrypted and out of her reach. She knows it, and understands - when the time came, she would have access.
Besides, at this particular moment she was thinking about what Orophin had said about hooking up JV. Matters of the heart were tricky... there was the Highlander that she knew JV cared for deeply... but he had errands elsewhere... a good plan is indeed what's needed...
'Here we are,' Orophin interrupts her thoughts 'here's the beach'.
'Oooh', Laura sees the beautiful ocean, 'aaah' she feels the sea breezes on her face, and 'iiiiiik' she steps to the water line and lets the (somewhat) cold water run on her bare toes.
Orophin takes a deep breath..."ahh!! i love that sea air".....he helped Laura setup the picnic stuff. Anwar set off to explore, jumping and rolling in the sand like he was a kitten.
"Ok JV, i'd love some of those cool drinks you make so well".......she smiled and with a snap of her finger, out of nowhere a stream of ravens flew in, each carrying all manner of herbs.
"sweeeet!!!" Orophin excalimed...."totally!!!" Laura agreed in reply.
Jadeviper gets to work on the drinks, bashing away at ice cubes as she blends herbs and fruit juices, stopping every so often to laugh at Anwar as he discovers sand and the denizens of rock pools. Once, as she glanced at Laura, she caught the image of the Highlander, and she smiled wistfully to herself, wishing that he was around.
The waves look so tempting that Laura decides to jump in despite the coldness of the water. She enjoys the cool sensation on her body.
What she doesn't realize however, is how strong the current is and in no time at all she has floated far from the beach. Not that she's worried or anything, she is a pretty good swimmer...
... although ... no matter how hard she tries to swim back to the shore, she always seems to get further away from it. And the water is kinda cold, making her muscles stiffer... could the others hear her if she shouted? As soon as she opened her mouth, salty sea water made her gag... nope... this wasn't looking too good...
Orophin played with Anwar, rolling in the sand, playing the prey for the big cat to pounce on. JV was relaxing in a beachchair, sipping one of her cocktails.
Orophin smiled, he was happy to see her less mentaly preocupied...."I hope you dont get sunbu.......huh!!!" He was interrupted suddenly by a painful mental image.
He looked around franticly, trying to find out what was happening...JV noticed his distress and immediately jumped his aid. She asked "what wrong Orophin?"......"Laura, WHERE IS LAURA??" he screamed in reply.
Then, there was another image...."argh!" he shouted in pain....."damn it!"................JV grabbed his shoulder and lookes at him sternly "calm down and focus Orophin, you can find her"...JV's senses where dulled temporarily by her drinks, so she couldnt help much in that part.
"damn it, i should know better" he felt foolish, but his deep feelings and protective nature for Laura had clouded his rational thought.
He closed his eyes a thought of her...."OH SHT!!! SHES DROWNING!!!" he suddenly tore his way into the water, leaving a deep trench in the sand in his wake.
JV knelt down, holding on tight to Anwar, who was clearly as worried as her now....."please let her be ok" she muttered
The ocean waves were getting higher and higher. Laura couldn't even see the beach anymore. 'God I was stupid' she thought to herself, 'I should have stayed closer to the shore'. But she would have the time to scold herself later... now she needed to get out of the water.
Suddenly she saw a big rock sticking out of the waves right in front of her. Laura was able to grab hold of it and she pulled herself up. It was slippery and as the tide was turning, she knew it would be immersed in water in just a short while. But at least she would have a chance to catch her breath.
Laura was cold. Shivering. Scared. And angry at herself.
But then, just like a warm breeze something came over her, and she felt safe again. Maybe it was the sun shining on her? No, she felt it again. It was the images of Jadeviper and Orophin radiating reassuring thoughts in her direction. She could not see them, but she was certain they would figure out a way to get her out of there.
'I promise I never go swimming alone again...'
Jadeviper sits on the beach holding Anwar back from dashing into the sea - he's desperate to help, but his claws could really damage Laura or Orophin if he caught them in the water. "If only Tembo were here" she thinks. With both arms round the lion, she can't even keep herself busy sorting through her herbs incase Laura is injured.
Scanning the sea, she sees the tiny image of Laura hauling herself onto a rock. She sends reassuring thoughts to her, and an image of her position to the elf, hoping he can hear her over his own fear and physical struggle. There's nothing more Jadeviper can do but wait...
It was murky, it was like swimin through mud...."what was in here?" "why are my limbs so heavy?"....."i cant move!!"
The water engulfed him, even with all his powers and might, he was lost to his fear.
His still body drifted down, deeper and deeper into the murky depths......then he felt a warm sensation, he opened his eyes and saw JV. She willed him on..."get up Orophin! you cant let her down! go for her!"
He opened his eyes again, seeing nothing but the blue haze of the sun shinig through the water. "A dream? no, it wasnt!" he gritted his teeth and moved his limbs..."I WONT FAIL HER!!"....an aura surounded his body then he sped off like a torpedo.
He finally saw the rock, but where was she?....he looked down and saw her lifeless body falling. He swam down and held on closely to her....."i'm here now, you'll be ok!" with that he surfaced and flew back to shore.
He struggled to fight his tears as he layed her down on the beach but he knew what he needed to do.
He looked up at JV and closed his eyes, then placed his hands on Laura.
"cough cough!!" she slutered ......."welcome back babe!" he smiled down at her, tears streaming down his face.
...phew!!😉
Jadeviper released Anwar and hurridly set about preparing warm drinks for Laura and Orophin with healing herbs in case of injury. She too is blinking back tears of relief.
Laura woke up in Orophin's arms. She was still very shaky, shivering and frightened. But as she was lying there, looking at his eyes, a sense of relief slowly came over her. Safe. She was safe.
Her feelings overwhelmed her, the blame over her own stupidity, the gratitude, the love, the... tickling? Yep, Anwar was there too, poking his head against her side tickling her.
Laura was unable to say anything coherent as tears were running on her cheeks but she trusted the others could read her mind enough to know her thoughts.
She went to hug JV, and took the warm drink she offered. Then she sat back down, still feeling a bit wobbly.
Orophin helped Laura on to the chair then he sat on the sand beside her. He thought to her "you cant fathom how happy i am that you are okay......dont scare me like that again!".....she looked back at him and smiled.
As he stared at her he couldnt help noticing how aluring she looked with her wet hair draped over her face and shoulders and how the sun made her body glisten and........."whoah!! control your self man!" he shook his head and layed back on the sand.
Within seconds he had falen asleep, his face was still blushed from his previous thoughts. Anwar, follwed suit and sprawled himself across his masters' legs and dozed off.
The steady purr of Anwar in his sleep made Laura unable to keep her eyes open either so, in her lounge chair, she dozed off as well.
She was sleeping for a long time. Gradually her sleep became more shallow, she streatched herself a bit, changed her position slightly, yawned, but did not fully wake up yet.
luke has watched the actions of these special people for a very long time and has chosen not to interfere for fear of taking them somewhere they are not ready to and he believes they are still not ready to. So he continues to watch from afar as laura snoozes in the chair
Izzo rushed into the swamp to see what all the fuss is about, then decided that rather than read all 29 pages, he better get one of those raven thingies to get him a McDonalds...."Make that a Big Mac, hold the salad, mayo, burger & cheese....yes I suppose I do just want a bread bun"
"the king has returned" the crowd chanted repeatedly. She placed the crown on his head and hugged him. He took a deep breath and walked over to the balcony.
The sound was deafening...."why are they laughing?"......."hey, your highness, who's your tailor? an errant voice chimmed out through the din. He looked down and "ahhhhrrg!!!"
He woke up wiith a start...wiped his sweat sodden brow and thought..."phew!! Note to self, make sure you have clothes on at coronation!!!"