The Flying Ship: A Sulu/Chekov Fairy Tale
Title: The Flying Ship
Author: katmarajade
Uniwerse (TOS/XI/AU):Fairy Tale AU with a liberal splash of XI
Word Count: ~4000
Rating: G
Summary: Hikaru and Pavel are happy until an evil sorcerer King steals Pavel away. On his quest to save Pavel, Hikaru encounters the Enterprise. Great adventures ensue, but True Love will prevail.
A/N: Written for the Fairy Tale prompt at st_respect for Team chulu This story is loosely based off a Russian fairy tale called, fittingly enough, The Flying Ship. The characters belong to Star Trek, the riddle belongs to Tolkien. This was betaed by the brilliant burntace_skins and all remaining errors are totally my own.
Once upon a time on a far away planet there was a boy named Hikaru and a boy named Pavel and they were in love. The boys did everything together. They enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. They worked in the open fields growing beautiful flowers and medicinal plants for the village. And at night, they gazed up at the stars, trying to name every one. They were in love and they were happy.
One day, while they were gathering flowers for healing draughts, a strange man magically appeared. He was followed by three scary Minions. The first Minion grabbed Pavel and tried to take him away, but Pavel was strong and knocked him out with a punch. The second man came after Pavel, but Hikaru ran up and stabbed him with a sword. The third Minion got caught in a dangerous flesh-eating plant and melted away. But the strange man who had arrived first was very powerful. He grabbed Pavel from behind and they disappeared in a blur of blue light.
Hikaru cried out in anguish and threatened to kill the last remaining Minion if he did not tell Hikaru where they had taken Pavel. The Minion was weak and scared and not very smart. He told Hikaru that the man was the King of his home planet and he had stolen Pavel away to be his Queen.
Hikaru valiantly argued that Pavel was a boy and could never be a Queen, which seemed to puzzle the Minion.
"Well, he can't be King can he? There's already one of those. So he has to be a Queen. I don't know. The King didn't explain it properly, but he certainly came here looking for a Queen, stole the curly-haired boy away. So, I would say, yes, the boy is to be Queen. I really don't know anything else, so please don't kill me with your sword. I promise I can be very helpful."
Hikaru was very angry, but he did not kill the Minion, because indeed he might be able to help him find Pavel.
"How can I get to this man, the King? How can I find him and get Pavel back."
"Well, first you will need a ship that can fly among the stars."
"A ship that flies among the stars! You mean... a starship?! How could I ever find such a thing?" Hikaru stared in disbelief, thinking the man had asked the impossible.
Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from behind them. Hikaru pushed the Minion away and turned his sword to this possible new danger. Out of the forest appeared a tall man with messy hair the color of sunflower petals and eyes as blue as wisteria in the sunlight.
"Good morning, gentlemen! I've managed to get just a bit turned around out here and wonder if I might trouble you for some water and a bit of food." The man smiled so agreeably that Hikaru could not say no, and he rushed to find the man a bit of bread and cheese and a cup of fresh water.
The man ate with vigor, patting his stomach, and praising the food. He turned to Hikaru and said. "Thank you! That was exactly what I needed. Tell me, is there anything I could do for you in return?"
"Well, to be honest, an evil King just has kidnapped my True Love. The only way to find him and save Pavel is to find a starship. Tell me, do you know where I could find such a thing?"
The man chuckled and exclaimed, "You're in luck! I just so happen to be the Captain of the finest starship in the galaxy! Come with me and we'll find your Pavel." He pulled out a strange black box and spoke to it. Suddenly the Captain, Hikaru, and the Minion shimmered in blue and disappeared.
They arrived onto a large platform in a strange smelling metal room full of sounds and clanks and warbles. They were on a starship.
Hikaru looked around, amazed by the sights and sounds and smells of the flying ship. The Captain smiled broadly at the man in the shiny red shirt who waved at the three of them, saying "Welcome back, Cap'n. Made some new friends, have you?"
"We have a new task, Scotty. A quest to find what has been unjustly taken from this young man!" The man in the shiny red shirt seemed unsurprised by this and smiled at Hikaru and the Minion.
"Good enough. Welcome aboard, gentlemen!"
They followed the Captain to a huge room with a massive window out to the stars. He told the Minion to help a girl in a golden dress chart them a course for their quest. The Minion pointed to the stars on the screen and showed that his planet was by the second star to the right of their current position and then straight on at the speed of light until morning. The girl in the golden dress wrote the instructions in the complicated language of numbers and prepared the starship to travel faster than light itself.
The Captain called over the bravest and most skilled of those in his command and told them of their new quest.
"We must go to this planet and find the man Pavel, who was stolen away by a magical King. We cannot fail, for this man here is Pavel's True Love. For this quest, we will need Mr. Spock whose intelligence and reason are beyond measure. We will need Lady Uhura who knows the words of every star system in the galaxy. We will need Healer Bones, a doctor who can heal even the most terrible of illnesses. We will need Hikaru, a brave knight and Pavel's one True Love. We will need the Minion, who knows the way. And we will need me, of course, for I am the Captain and I never fail a quest!"
His zeal gave Hikaru confidence. And as the stars stretched into lines and the starship burst forth towards their quest, he felt sure that, even though they were boldly going where no man had gone before, they would succeed. They had to. Pavel's life depended on it.
Hours later the starlines wobbled and turned back to dots, and they saw a large green planet before them. The Minion told them how to find the King's palace, and Scotty, the man in the shiny red shirt, wished them good luck and sent the valiant crew down to the planet in another wibbly haze of blue light.
The Captain, Mr. Spock, Lady Uhura, Healer Bones, and Hikaru followed the Minion up the steps to a spectacular palace. Silver turrets rose into the sparkly green sky and climbing vines with beautiful white flowers lined the doors and windows of the palace, filling the air with their scent. They entered through an enormous silver door that glittered in the sunlight, making the creatures carved into it seem almost alive. They followed the Minion all the way into a beautiful throne room. The room had large white pillars, giant stained glass windows, and a raised dais, where the King himself sat on a high-backed silver throne and watched their approach.
"Ah, my Minion has returned. And brought guests, I see." The Minion bowed and, with many mumbled apologies, presented Hikaru and the crew.
"Stupid and a coward." Scoffed the King, unmoved by the Minion's repentance. He waved his hand in the air and the Minion flew backwards, slamming into a pillar. He fell to the ground dead. Hikaru stared at the slain Minion, stunned by the sheer power of the King's magic.
"I apologize for that display, but he was particularly useless. I hope it does not make you feel unwelcome." The King smiled at them; his face was sincere and amused but with a trace of pity. "You've come all this way to try to take back the boy? You should know I don't give up so easily. I am the King of twelve systems and a powerful Sorcerer."
"We wish to challenge you for Pavel." The Captain called out boldly.
"A challenge? Well, well, well!" The King laughed delightedly. "I admit that I have not had a worthy opponent in some time. I accept your challenge. You should know that you will lose though. I never fail."
"Well, neither do I," answered the Captain, looking very confident. Hikaru felt terrified and angry and called out, demanding to see Pavel.
The King waved a hand and Pavel appeared in front of them. He wore a plain white robe and a strange, glittering blue light shone around his wrists and ankles. Pavel looked just as frightened and angry as Hikaru.
"What is the meaning of the blue light?" asked Hikaru.
"Those are magical shackles that bind him to me. They cannot be undone unless you prove that you have greater power than I, which is unlikely. But I will give you a chance. That is only fair, after all. You have come such a long way. You must prove that you have courage, cunning, skill, and power. If you succeed, I will consider your request."
"So what's the test?" demanded the Captain. The King smiled in a frightening way that made the guards in the room cower.
"Courage." With that, the King waved a hand and ten foot high flames shot up, surrounding the dais where Pavel stood, obscuring him from view. The flames grew higher and higher and suddenly a great dragon stood between them and Pavel. The King smiled indulgently at the enormous dragon with shockingly violet scales and razor sharp claws as it angrily roared out spouts of blazing fire.
"Pavel!" cried Hikaru as he quickly unsheathed his sword. He knew that he could not face down this great dragon alone, for she was far too large. How could he ever get close enough to slay the dragon and jump through the wall of fire and rescue Pavel? Then the Captain leapt forward, dodging pillars of flame and slashing claws. The Captain ducked under blazing bellows and tumbled across the floor as he barely missed being crushed by a massive paw. He gained ground though, coming closer and closer to the beast, who was infuriated at the intrusion. She flapped her small purple wings and raised her head to roar in indignation, and Hikaru saw his chance. Taking the opening that the Captain had provided for him, he darted forward. With a mighty blow he stabbed the creature in the softness of her throat. She groaned piteously, no longer able to breathe her deadly fire, and with one last baleful glare, she collapsed.
The circle of flames around Pavel grew even higher, as if incensed by the dragon's death. The Captain ran to Hikaru, who stood bravely with his bloodied sword, looking into the fire as if willing the flames to vanish. With a loud cry of inspiration, Hikaru jumped onto the dragon's back and, with all his strength, sliced off one of the knobbly purple wings. Then with a dragon like roar, the Captain and Hikaru, each holding one end of the dragon wing ran through the fiery wall, using the wing as a shield.
As soon as they penetrated the ring of fire, they saw Pavel standing in the middle, safe and unharmed. His clothing was not singed and he had not a trace of soot on him. There was a mighty laugh and the flames vanished.
"Yes, yes, courage indeed!" The King clapped his hands in delight. "Marvelous!"
"We've passed your test. Give us Pavel!" demanded Hikaru, still covered in ash and the sticky black blood of the dragon, even though both the fire and dragon had since disappeared.
"Oh no, no, no. I said courage, cunning, skill, and power. You have demonstrated courage, sure enough. But three more remain. And for the next, you will find that your sword will be of no use to you." Hikaru sheathed his weapon and stared down the King, chin held high.
"What's the next trial?"
"Cunning." Said the King. He waved his hand again, and suddenly a great creature unlike anything Hikaru had ever seen before appeared before them. The enormous creature had the body of a powerful lion with mighty silver wings. Its tail was a black serpent that flicked back and forth steadily like a metronome. Its beady eyes calmly took in its surroundings and its fangs dripped with sticky, smoking venom. Its face, however, was that of a human. Not just any human, but the face of one of the most beautiful women Hikaru had ever seen.
The creature opened its mouth and spoke. Its voice was a beautiful human song, but Hikaru could not understand a word it said. He felt panic rise up in his throat-how could he prove his cunning when he did not even understand what he was to do? From behind him two people stepped forward and he found himself facing the Creature with Mr. Spock standing firmly on his left and Lady Uhura on his right.
Lady Uhura opened her mouth and sang back to the Creature.
"It appears to be a Sphinx, a creature of ancient myth famous for riddles." Mr. Spock spoke quietly to Hikaru as Lady Uhura and the Sphinx sang a hauntingly beautiful conversation together.
Lady Uhura and the Sphinx finished their song and Lady Uhura turned to Hikaru and Mr. Spock. "She says that she has a riddle for us. If we answer it correctly, she will leave us be and not harm us, but if we answer it incorrectly then she shall kill us all." Hikaru turned to look at the Sphinx again. The human face appeared serene, but the serpent tail flicked back and forth dangerously.
"We must answer it correctly then." said Hikaru desperately.
"Yes, indeed we must." agreed Mr. Spock calmly. "Have you translated the riddle?" They both looked at Lady Uhura expectantly, and she opened her mouth and began to sing. Hikaru did not understand the song any better when Lady Uhura sang it, but when she finished she spoke plainly.
"It is a poem. The Sphinx's language is nearly extinct, but I believe it translates to something like this:
It cannot be seen, cannot be felt
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter."
"Ah, the answer is quite logical." mused Mr. Spock. He turned to the Sphinx and bowed slightly before speaking.
"I present you with the answer to your riddle with the utmost respect." The Sphinx inclined its human head and its tail twitched faster.
"Darkness. Darkness cannot be seen, felt, heard, or smelt. Darkness is the space beyond stars and black holes. It lies underneath hills. Life needs light to survive. Before light was darkness and once all light is extinguished, darkness will remain, but life will perish."
"Well reasoned and most correct." sang the Sphinx. As soon as it had sung those words, there was a loud crack and the Sphinx vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Courage and cunning. You are proving a most worthy adversary, good knight." The King smiled benignly before continuing. "But now you must prove your skill at something far more difficult." The King waved his hand again and a man in a red robe appeared. The man looked dreadfully ill.
"This is my trusted servant. He became sick a several days ago and, despite my best healers and my own great power, no one has been able to cure him. Prove your skill and heal my servant."
The man in the red robe looked near death. He was pale and sticky with fever. Hikaru stepped forward, unsure what to do first, but desperate to save the man and thus save Pavel. A moment later, Healer Bones stepped forward and stood next to him holding a silver stick. Healer Bones waved the magic wand over the man in the red robe for several moments and then turned to Hikaru.
"This man has Sirian Fever. It is a particularly dangerous fever that does not respond to most medicines. I have, however, treated it before with Sirian willow bark, but, unfortunately, I do not have any of that in the healing kit I brought with me."
Hikaru despaired for a moment, wondering where they could find Sirian willow bark in time to save the man and save Pavel. Suddenly, he was inspired.
"I have no Sirian willow bark, but the day that Pavel was taken, we were collecting something quite similar to willow bark from my own planet. It is a plant that we commonly use in healing draughts to fight fever. I have some in my satchel!"
They opened the small satchel that Hikaru had tied to his belt and retrieved the leaves. They asked for boiling water and cloth, which the King's healer supplied wordlessly. Together they mixed a healing draught using Hikaru's plants and Healer Bones' healing kit. Then they fed the draught to the man in the red robe and waited anxiously to see whether it would cure him.
Amazingly, the man's fever began fading almost immediately, and within minutes he was speaking and breathing normally again. The King's healers were astounded and jubilantly carried the man off to his quarters so that he could fully recover.
The King raised an eyebrow, impressed by their skills and cleverness. "I thank you. Because of you, my trusted servant will now live. Courage, cunning, and skill. Most impressive. Most impressive, indeed. I must admit, I am surprised you have made it so far. It is truly admirable. However, all your skill and bravado is for nothing, because, for the fourth and final task, you must do the truly impossible. You must prove that you have something more powerful than I. I am the most powerful man on the planet. The winds, the people, and the world all obey my commands. How could you, such a young brash man, possess any power greater than my own? I'm sorry. I don't mean to fight unfairly. It is just that I do so adore my prize here. And I am most unwilling to give him up."
"You must give him up though, for I do possess something stronger, greater, and far more powerful than you." The King tilted his head in amused interested at Hikaru's words.
"Really? And what would that be?"
"True Love." Hikaru answered boldly, head held high despite the guards closing in all around him.
"Ah, True Love." The King nodded. "Indeed there is nothing in the universe more complex or powerful than True Love. That is true. However, you must prove that it is genuinely True Love with the one test that is impossible to fake. True Love's Kiss. But know first, that you have only one chance. If you kiss him and it's not True Love, then he will be bound here forever with me, and you, my friend, will die."
"And if it is True Love?"
"If it is True Love, then his magical chains will disappear and he is free. For even I cannot defy the power of True Love. The magic will sense that. Will you try, boy? Knowing that you will be killed if you fail?"
"Yes." Hikaru answered confidently.
The King waved a hand and Pavel was ushered forward again, flanked by guards and still bound with the magical blue light around his wrists and ankles. He looked murderous as he glared at the King, but his eyes softened and he smiled when he saw Hikaru still standing in the center of the room, alive and well. The King stepped aside and Hikaru walked bravely up the steps to the dais to stand next to Pavel.
"Hikaru!" Pavel gazed at him with worry and longing and love in his eyes.
"I love you, Pavel." Hikaru said plainly. Pavel looked a bit confused but answered surely.
"And I love you, Hikaru."
Hikaru smiled broadly. "I know."
And then Hikaru leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against Pavel's, kissing him with every bit of passion and love and hope that was locked inside of him.
At first, nothing appeared to happen. The King took one step forward but was halted by a shooting stream of green light. Followed by yellow. And then pink. Multi-hued beams of light sprang forth, beaming out in all directions, emanating from Hikaru and Pavel, who were still locked together in a desperate and beautiful kiss.
The energy around them crackled and the air near them glowed golden. They rose up in the air, spinning slowly, still oblivious to anything other than True Love's Kiss. Suddenly there was a tremendous crack and a brilliant flash of blue light illuminated the entire room. The King and the guards on the dais toppled backwards. The Captain, Mr. Spock, Lady Uhura, and Healer Bones stumbled but managed to stay upright. They backed away from the energy radiating from True Love's Kiss and watched in amazement as the rainbow of shooting light grew wilder and wilder before it began to gradually dissipate.
Slowly, Hikaru and Pavel came back down to the ground, their lips finally breaking apart as their feet gently met the floor. Still bathed in a vibrant golden glow, it was immediately obvious to all that the magical bindings on Pavel had disappeared.
"True Love's Kiss." The King spoke in awe. "I have never seen another of its equal. You are free, of course." He nodded deferentially to Pavel, who only scowled back at his former captor. "And you, brave knight, are truly to be admired. Your strength, courage, and cleverness are remarkable. It has been many years since I have encountered such a worthy opponent." He waved a hand gallantly and Hikaru's frayed, singed, and bloodied work clothes and Pavel's white robe disappeared leaving them clad in black trousers and fine spun shirts that matched the hue of the brilliant golden glow that had surrounded them.
Hikaru joyfully led Pavel back to where his new friends stood and introduced Pavel to the brave crew of the starship, without whose help he could never have succeeded. The Captain stepped forward and clasped Pavel's hand in warm greeting.
"I always win, my friends, and, with True Love on our side, how could we have failed?" The Captain said with a wide smile. "Your strength and courage are remarkable. Yours, Hikaru, for flying across half the universe to save your One True Love and facing down these dangerous trials with such courage and commitment. And yours, Pavel, for strength of character and will, even when captured. You never gave in." The Captain nodded in praise, his words seconded by his band of skilled and courageous followers.
Then, with a few words from the Captain into the little black box, they shimmered in blue once again and disappeared from the planet, leaving the evil sorcerer King behind forever.
Hikaru and Pavel in their new golden shirts found a new home on the Starship. They made many more wonderful new friends and had many fantastic adventures. They were in love, they were flying among the stars, and they were happy.
As always, I would love to hear what you thought!
Author: katmarajade
Uniwerse (TOS/XI/AU):Fairy Tale AU with a liberal splash of XI
Word Count: ~4000
Rating: G
Summary: Hikaru and Pavel are happy until an evil sorcerer King steals Pavel away. On his quest to save Pavel, Hikaru encounters the Enterprise. Great adventures ensue, but True Love will prevail.
A/N: Written for the Fairy Tale prompt at st_respect for Team chulu This story is loosely based off a Russian fairy tale called, fittingly enough, The Flying Ship. The characters belong to Star Trek, the riddle belongs to Tolkien. This was betaed by the brilliant burntace_skins and all remaining errors are totally my own.
Once upon a time on a far away planet there was a boy named Hikaru and a boy named Pavel and they were in love. The boys did everything together. They enjoyed the beautiful sunshine. They worked in the open fields growing beautiful flowers and medicinal plants for the village. And at night, they gazed up at the stars, trying to name every one. They were in love and they were happy.
One day, while they were gathering flowers for healing draughts, a strange man magically appeared. He was followed by three scary Minions. The first Minion grabbed Pavel and tried to take him away, but Pavel was strong and knocked him out with a punch. The second man came after Pavel, but Hikaru ran up and stabbed him with a sword. The third Minion got caught in a dangerous flesh-eating plant and melted away. But the strange man who had arrived first was very powerful. He grabbed Pavel from behind and they disappeared in a blur of blue light.
Hikaru cried out in anguish and threatened to kill the last remaining Minion if he did not tell Hikaru where they had taken Pavel. The Minion was weak and scared and not very smart. He told Hikaru that the man was the King of his home planet and he had stolen Pavel away to be his Queen.
Hikaru valiantly argued that Pavel was a boy and could never be a Queen, which seemed to puzzle the Minion.
"Well, he can't be King can he? There's already one of those. So he has to be a Queen. I don't know. The King didn't explain it properly, but he certainly came here looking for a Queen, stole the curly-haired boy away. So, I would say, yes, the boy is to be Queen. I really don't know anything else, so please don't kill me with your sword. I promise I can be very helpful."
Hikaru was very angry, but he did not kill the Minion, because indeed he might be able to help him find Pavel.
"How can I get to this man, the King? How can I find him and get Pavel back."
"Well, first you will need a ship that can fly among the stars."
"A ship that flies among the stars! You mean... a starship?! How could I ever find such a thing?" Hikaru stared in disbelief, thinking the man had asked the impossible.
Suddenly, they heard a noise coming from behind them. Hikaru pushed the Minion away and turned his sword to this possible new danger. Out of the forest appeared a tall man with messy hair the color of sunflower petals and eyes as blue as wisteria in the sunlight.
"Good morning, gentlemen! I've managed to get just a bit turned around out here and wonder if I might trouble you for some water and a bit of food." The man smiled so agreeably that Hikaru could not say no, and he rushed to find the man a bit of bread and cheese and a cup of fresh water.
The man ate with vigor, patting his stomach, and praising the food. He turned to Hikaru and said. "Thank you! That was exactly what I needed. Tell me, is there anything I could do for you in return?"
"Well, to be honest, an evil King just has kidnapped my True Love. The only way to find him and save Pavel is to find a starship. Tell me, do you know where I could find such a thing?"
The man chuckled and exclaimed, "You're in luck! I just so happen to be the Captain of the finest starship in the galaxy! Come with me and we'll find your Pavel." He pulled out a strange black box and spoke to it. Suddenly the Captain, Hikaru, and the Minion shimmered in blue and disappeared.
They arrived onto a large platform in a strange smelling metal room full of sounds and clanks and warbles. They were on a starship.
Hikaru looked around, amazed by the sights and sounds and smells of the flying ship. The Captain smiled broadly at the man in the shiny red shirt who waved at the three of them, saying "Welcome back, Cap'n. Made some new friends, have you?"
"We have a new task, Scotty. A quest to find what has been unjustly taken from this young man!" The man in the shiny red shirt seemed unsurprised by this and smiled at Hikaru and the Minion.
"Good enough. Welcome aboard, gentlemen!"
They followed the Captain to a huge room with a massive window out to the stars. He told the Minion to help a girl in a golden dress chart them a course for their quest. The Minion pointed to the stars on the screen and showed that his planet was by the second star to the right of their current position and then straight on at the speed of light until morning. The girl in the golden dress wrote the instructions in the complicated language of numbers and prepared the starship to travel faster than light itself.
The Captain called over the bravest and most skilled of those in his command and told them of their new quest.
"We must go to this planet and find the man Pavel, who was stolen away by a magical King. We cannot fail, for this man here is Pavel's True Love. For this quest, we will need Mr. Spock whose intelligence and reason are beyond measure. We will need Lady Uhura who knows the words of every star system in the galaxy. We will need Healer Bones, a doctor who can heal even the most terrible of illnesses. We will need Hikaru, a brave knight and Pavel's one True Love. We will need the Minion, who knows the way. And we will need me, of course, for I am the Captain and I never fail a quest!"
His zeal gave Hikaru confidence. And as the stars stretched into lines and the starship burst forth towards their quest, he felt sure that, even though they were boldly going where no man had gone before, they would succeed. They had to. Pavel's life depended on it.
Hours later the starlines wobbled and turned back to dots, and they saw a large green planet before them. The Minion told them how to find the King's palace, and Scotty, the man in the shiny red shirt, wished them good luck and sent the valiant crew down to the planet in another wibbly haze of blue light.
The Captain, Mr. Spock, Lady Uhura, Healer Bones, and Hikaru followed the Minion up the steps to a spectacular palace. Silver turrets rose into the sparkly green sky and climbing vines with beautiful white flowers lined the doors and windows of the palace, filling the air with their scent. They entered through an enormous silver door that glittered in the sunlight, making the creatures carved into it seem almost alive. They followed the Minion all the way into a beautiful throne room. The room had large white pillars, giant stained glass windows, and a raised dais, where the King himself sat on a high-backed silver throne and watched their approach.
"Ah, my Minion has returned. And brought guests, I see." The Minion bowed and, with many mumbled apologies, presented Hikaru and the crew.
"Stupid and a coward." Scoffed the King, unmoved by the Minion's repentance. He waved his hand in the air and the Minion flew backwards, slamming into a pillar. He fell to the ground dead. Hikaru stared at the slain Minion, stunned by the sheer power of the King's magic.
"I apologize for that display, but he was particularly useless. I hope it does not make you feel unwelcome." The King smiled at them; his face was sincere and amused but with a trace of pity. "You've come all this way to try to take back the boy? You should know I don't give up so easily. I am the King of twelve systems and a powerful Sorcerer."
"We wish to challenge you for Pavel." The Captain called out boldly.
"A challenge? Well, well, well!" The King laughed delightedly. "I admit that I have not had a worthy opponent in some time. I accept your challenge. You should know that you will lose though. I never fail."
"Well, neither do I," answered the Captain, looking very confident. Hikaru felt terrified and angry and called out, demanding to see Pavel.
The King waved a hand and Pavel appeared in front of them. He wore a plain white robe and a strange, glittering blue light shone around his wrists and ankles. Pavel looked just as frightened and angry as Hikaru.
"What is the meaning of the blue light?" asked Hikaru.
"Those are magical shackles that bind him to me. They cannot be undone unless you prove that you have greater power than I, which is unlikely. But I will give you a chance. That is only fair, after all. You have come such a long way. You must prove that you have courage, cunning, skill, and power. If you succeed, I will consider your request."
"So what's the test?" demanded the Captain. The King smiled in a frightening way that made the guards in the room cower.
"Courage." With that, the King waved a hand and ten foot high flames shot up, surrounding the dais where Pavel stood, obscuring him from view. The flames grew higher and higher and suddenly a great dragon stood between them and Pavel. The King smiled indulgently at the enormous dragon with shockingly violet scales and razor sharp claws as it angrily roared out spouts of blazing fire.
"Pavel!" cried Hikaru as he quickly unsheathed his sword. He knew that he could not face down this great dragon alone, for she was far too large. How could he ever get close enough to slay the dragon and jump through the wall of fire and rescue Pavel? Then the Captain leapt forward, dodging pillars of flame and slashing claws. The Captain ducked under blazing bellows and tumbled across the floor as he barely missed being crushed by a massive paw. He gained ground though, coming closer and closer to the beast, who was infuriated at the intrusion. She flapped her small purple wings and raised her head to roar in indignation, and Hikaru saw his chance. Taking the opening that the Captain had provided for him, he darted forward. With a mighty blow he stabbed the creature in the softness of her throat. She groaned piteously, no longer able to breathe her deadly fire, and with one last baleful glare, she collapsed.
The circle of flames around Pavel grew even higher, as if incensed by the dragon's death. The Captain ran to Hikaru, who stood bravely with his bloodied sword, looking into the fire as if willing the flames to vanish. With a loud cry of inspiration, Hikaru jumped onto the dragon's back and, with all his strength, sliced off one of the knobbly purple wings. Then with a dragon like roar, the Captain and Hikaru, each holding one end of the dragon wing ran through the fiery wall, using the wing as a shield.
As soon as they penetrated the ring of fire, they saw Pavel standing in the middle, safe and unharmed. His clothing was not singed and he had not a trace of soot on him. There was a mighty laugh and the flames vanished.
"Yes, yes, courage indeed!" The King clapped his hands in delight. "Marvelous!"
"We've passed your test. Give us Pavel!" demanded Hikaru, still covered in ash and the sticky black blood of the dragon, even though both the fire and dragon had since disappeared.
"Oh no, no, no. I said courage, cunning, skill, and power. You have demonstrated courage, sure enough. But three more remain. And for the next, you will find that your sword will be of no use to you." Hikaru sheathed his weapon and stared down the King, chin held high.
"What's the next trial?"
"Cunning." Said the King. He waved his hand again, and suddenly a great creature unlike anything Hikaru had ever seen before appeared before them. The enormous creature had the body of a powerful lion with mighty silver wings. Its tail was a black serpent that flicked back and forth steadily like a metronome. Its beady eyes calmly took in its surroundings and its fangs dripped with sticky, smoking venom. Its face, however, was that of a human. Not just any human, but the face of one of the most beautiful women Hikaru had ever seen.
The creature opened its mouth and spoke. Its voice was a beautiful human song, but Hikaru could not understand a word it said. He felt panic rise up in his throat-how could he prove his cunning when he did not even understand what he was to do? From behind him two people stepped forward and he found himself facing the Creature with Mr. Spock standing firmly on his left and Lady Uhura on his right.
Lady Uhura opened her mouth and sang back to the Creature.
"It appears to be a Sphinx, a creature of ancient myth famous for riddles." Mr. Spock spoke quietly to Hikaru as Lady Uhura and the Sphinx sang a hauntingly beautiful conversation together.
Lady Uhura and the Sphinx finished their song and Lady Uhura turned to Hikaru and Mr. Spock. "She says that she has a riddle for us. If we answer it correctly, she will leave us be and not harm us, but if we answer it incorrectly then she shall kill us all." Hikaru turned to look at the Sphinx again. The human face appeared serene, but the serpent tail flicked back and forth dangerously.
"We must answer it correctly then." said Hikaru desperately.
"Yes, indeed we must." agreed Mr. Spock calmly. "Have you translated the riddle?" They both looked at Lady Uhura expectantly, and she opened her mouth and began to sing. Hikaru did not understand the song any better when Lady Uhura sang it, but when she finished she spoke plainly.
"It is a poem. The Sphinx's language is nearly extinct, but I believe it translates to something like this:
It cannot be seen, cannot be felt
Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.
It lies behind stars and under hills,
And empty holes it fills.
It comes first and follows after,
Ends life, kills laughter."
"Ah, the answer is quite logical." mused Mr. Spock. He turned to the Sphinx and bowed slightly before speaking.
"I present you with the answer to your riddle with the utmost respect." The Sphinx inclined its human head and its tail twitched faster.
"Darkness. Darkness cannot be seen, felt, heard, or smelt. Darkness is the space beyond stars and black holes. It lies underneath hills. Life needs light to survive. Before light was darkness and once all light is extinguished, darkness will remain, but life will perish."
"Well reasoned and most correct." sang the Sphinx. As soon as it had sung those words, there was a loud crack and the Sphinx vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Courage and cunning. You are proving a most worthy adversary, good knight." The King smiled benignly before continuing. "But now you must prove your skill at something far more difficult." The King waved his hand again and a man in a red robe appeared. The man looked dreadfully ill.
"This is my trusted servant. He became sick a several days ago and, despite my best healers and my own great power, no one has been able to cure him. Prove your skill and heal my servant."
The man in the red robe looked near death. He was pale and sticky with fever. Hikaru stepped forward, unsure what to do first, but desperate to save the man and thus save Pavel. A moment later, Healer Bones stepped forward and stood next to him holding a silver stick. Healer Bones waved the magic wand over the man in the red robe for several moments and then turned to Hikaru.
"This man has Sirian Fever. It is a particularly dangerous fever that does not respond to most medicines. I have, however, treated it before with Sirian willow bark, but, unfortunately, I do not have any of that in the healing kit I brought with me."
Hikaru despaired for a moment, wondering where they could find Sirian willow bark in time to save the man and save Pavel. Suddenly, he was inspired.
"I have no Sirian willow bark, but the day that Pavel was taken, we were collecting something quite similar to willow bark from my own planet. It is a plant that we commonly use in healing draughts to fight fever. I have some in my satchel!"
They opened the small satchel that Hikaru had tied to his belt and retrieved the leaves. They asked for boiling water and cloth, which the King's healer supplied wordlessly. Together they mixed a healing draught using Hikaru's plants and Healer Bones' healing kit. Then they fed the draught to the man in the red robe and waited anxiously to see whether it would cure him.
Amazingly, the man's fever began fading almost immediately, and within minutes he was speaking and breathing normally again. The King's healers were astounded and jubilantly carried the man off to his quarters so that he could fully recover.
The King raised an eyebrow, impressed by their skills and cleverness. "I thank you. Because of you, my trusted servant will now live. Courage, cunning, and skill. Most impressive. Most impressive, indeed. I must admit, I am surprised you have made it so far. It is truly admirable. However, all your skill and bravado is for nothing, because, for the fourth and final task, you must do the truly impossible. You must prove that you have something more powerful than I. I am the most powerful man on the planet. The winds, the people, and the world all obey my commands. How could you, such a young brash man, possess any power greater than my own? I'm sorry. I don't mean to fight unfairly. It is just that I do so adore my prize here. And I am most unwilling to give him up."
"You must give him up though, for I do possess something stronger, greater, and far more powerful than you." The King tilted his head in amused interested at Hikaru's words.
"Really? And what would that be?"
"True Love." Hikaru answered boldly, head held high despite the guards closing in all around him.
"Ah, True Love." The King nodded. "Indeed there is nothing in the universe more complex or powerful than True Love. That is true. However, you must prove that it is genuinely True Love with the one test that is impossible to fake. True Love's Kiss. But know first, that you have only one chance. If you kiss him and it's not True Love, then he will be bound here forever with me, and you, my friend, will die."
"And if it is True Love?"
"If it is True Love, then his magical chains will disappear and he is free. For even I cannot defy the power of True Love. The magic will sense that. Will you try, boy? Knowing that you will be killed if you fail?"
"Yes." Hikaru answered confidently.
The King waved a hand and Pavel was ushered forward again, flanked by guards and still bound with the magical blue light around his wrists and ankles. He looked murderous as he glared at the King, but his eyes softened and he smiled when he saw Hikaru still standing in the center of the room, alive and well. The King stepped aside and Hikaru walked bravely up the steps to the dais to stand next to Pavel.
"Hikaru!" Pavel gazed at him with worry and longing and love in his eyes.
"I love you, Pavel." Hikaru said plainly. Pavel looked a bit confused but answered surely.
"And I love you, Hikaru."
Hikaru smiled broadly. "I know."
And then Hikaru leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against Pavel's, kissing him with every bit of passion and love and hope that was locked inside of him.
At first, nothing appeared to happen. The King took one step forward but was halted by a shooting stream of green light. Followed by yellow. And then pink. Multi-hued beams of light sprang forth, beaming out in all directions, emanating from Hikaru and Pavel, who were still locked together in a desperate and beautiful kiss.
The energy around them crackled and the air near them glowed golden. They rose up in the air, spinning slowly, still oblivious to anything other than True Love's Kiss. Suddenly there was a tremendous crack and a brilliant flash of blue light illuminated the entire room. The King and the guards on the dais toppled backwards. The Captain, Mr. Spock, Lady Uhura, and Healer Bones stumbled but managed to stay upright. They backed away from the energy radiating from True Love's Kiss and watched in amazement as the rainbow of shooting light grew wilder and wilder before it began to gradually dissipate.
Slowly, Hikaru and Pavel came back down to the ground, their lips finally breaking apart as their feet gently met the floor. Still bathed in a vibrant golden glow, it was immediately obvious to all that the magical bindings on Pavel had disappeared.
"True Love's Kiss." The King spoke in awe. "I have never seen another of its equal. You are free, of course." He nodded deferentially to Pavel, who only scowled back at his former captor. "And you, brave knight, are truly to be admired. Your strength, courage, and cleverness are remarkable. It has been many years since I have encountered such a worthy opponent." He waved a hand gallantly and Hikaru's frayed, singed, and bloodied work clothes and Pavel's white robe disappeared leaving them clad in black trousers and fine spun shirts that matched the hue of the brilliant golden glow that had surrounded them.
Hikaru joyfully led Pavel back to where his new friends stood and introduced Pavel to the brave crew of the starship, without whose help he could never have succeeded. The Captain stepped forward and clasped Pavel's hand in warm greeting.
"I always win, my friends, and, with True Love on our side, how could we have failed?" The Captain said with a wide smile. "Your strength and courage are remarkable. Yours, Hikaru, for flying across half the universe to save your One True Love and facing down these dangerous trials with such courage and commitment. And yours, Pavel, for strength of character and will, even when captured. You never gave in." The Captain nodded in praise, his words seconded by his band of skilled and courageous followers.
Then, with a few words from the Captain into the little black box, they shimmered in blue once again and disappeared from the planet, leaving the evil sorcerer King behind forever.
Hikaru and Pavel in their new golden shirts found a new home on the Starship. They made many more wonderful new friends and had many fantastic adventures. They were in love, they were flying among the stars, and they were happy.
As always, I would love to hear what you thought!