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starryserenade · 1 year ago

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Myth and Magic Ch. 19: The Eye

Fic Description: When Tir Na nÓg--the fabled land of the fae--falls to a dark power, the destinies of two young mice are set in motion. As each struggle to make their way in an ever-darkening world, they must learn to trust one another, or risk forever losing that which they hold most dear.

Chapter Description: The party encounters new friends, and receives discouraging news. Time is running short, and hasty decisions must be made.

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Prologue

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter: Coming Soon

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Minnie could hardly hear the others, though she knew they were arguing around her in panicked voices and desperate whispers. They were scared, and their fear drifted off of them into her own pounding chest, as if she needed any more of it. She was still cradling Mickey, who had quieted only for exhaustion but still writhed in her arms, blinking as if in a daze. His feathers fluffed and then flattened back and forth with no rhyme or reason, and a strange cooing bubbled from his beak every now and then, almost musical in sound. She wished more than anything he could just change back, certain that if she could only see his face she’d know just how to help, how to soothe the crazed look in his eyes.

It was Clarabelle who approached Minnie first, kneeling beside her with a gentle touch to her shoulder to let her know she was there. “If y’ask me, darlin’, this is a siren’s work,” she explained.”

“But then…” Minnie started quietly, never tearing her eyes away from the little creature in her arms. “Why was he the only one..?”

“Well, you’ve got to remember, he’s not a mouse just now. He’s got the hearin’ of an owl, which is…well, it’s plenty different than ours, that’s for certain.”

“…knew that eejit’s mistake would cost us!” Daisy’s voice gradually pierced through the fog of Minnie’s fear, and she turned to look her way. The duck was arguing vehemently with Morgana, her cheeks a fiery red. “I just knew it!”

“Enough!” Morgana snapped, in a rare bout of fury. “There is more to this than you know! We still don’t know for sure what’s happened, but as it stands, his warning may have saved us all. You’d do well to thank him when he wakes!”

“ Thank him?! I-!”

“Daisy…” This time it was Minnie who spoke, her voice weak and broken. Daisy’s dislike of Mickey hadn’t gone unnoticed by her, but she’d hoped it would fade. Her friend had always been temperamental, prone to outbursts and strong opinions. Sometimes that was good. Other times it was…well, Minnie was tired. And scared. And presently, all she desperately wanted was for her friend to shut her beak and help . Her eyes must have said that in some sort of way, because when Daisy whipped her head around to finally, actually take a look at Minnie – and the bundle of feathers in her arms – she paled, and swallowed roughly, like she’d just now become aware of herself.

She opened her bill, and then for once couldn’t seem to find the words. But that was all right. Silence was all Minnie needed, if that was what it took to keep the insults at bay. She simply couldn’t stand to hear them anymore, not with him in this state.

Morgana cast one last pointed look at Daisy, and then quietly made her way over to Minnie. She knelt beside her and smiled gently. “He’ll be all right, you know. It’s just a bit of spellsong, and he got himself away from the worst of it. Takes a strong faerie to do that much.”

Mickey squirmed uncomfortably in Minnie’s grip, and let out such a horribly pitiful sound that the tears she’d been holding back nearly burst through. “How do I help him?”

“Well-”

“Here.” The sound of another voice startled Minnie, but she looked up to find Daisy beside her, something lying in her outstretched palm. Minnie recognized it as a ribbon she’d been wearing in her feathers only moments prior. She wouldn’t make eye contact with Minnie, seemed too ashamed to try. “Use this. Spend enough time around sirens and you learn how to block out their tune.”

It was an apology, the best way Daisy knew how to make one, and Minnie knew this. As she took hold of the gift, she squeezed her friend’s palm, got her to look back, and smiled. “ Thank you .”

Daisy shifted under her stare – she never was good at this sort of thing – but then managed to smile back, and nod briskly. “Ha, what are friends for?”

Minnie laughed softly and turned back to Mickey, managing to calm him enough to tie the ribbon around his head, covering his ears. She kept brushing her fingertips through the feathers that lined his face and eventually he relaxed, slowly blinking up at her with those wide, full eyes that seemed to grow richer with every moment.

“You’re all right,” Minnie breathed, relief flooding every bone in her body as she watched him settle. “You did wonderfully. Thank you for coming back to us.” He chirped weakly in reply and nestled into the crook of her arm. Even without his normal features, she could tell he was exhausted, and she wondered how much longer he’d have to maintain the facade. She couldn’t quite tell if it was helping or hurting him to stay this way. “Do you think you can try to change back?” she whispered, and he twisted a bit. “It’s alright if you ca-”

But he interrupted her with a short, tired screech, and had already begun to try to wriggle out of her grip. This was a whole ordeal in and of itself, full of sloppy wingbeats and a flurry of downy feathers as he tried to clamber out of her lap and onto the ground. Minnie was almost thankful for the brief moment of chaos – it was so Mickey that it left no room for doubt that he was now entirely back with her…in mind and spirit at least.

He stumbled dizzily on the earth once he’d finally landed himself there, and Minnie had to offer her arm to lean on more than once to keep him from falling over. When he’d finally steadied, shaking the dust from his feathers, he looked up at her and tilted his head as if to say, ‘now what?’

Obviously she had no clue, and they both turned to Morgana.

“I truly am sorry for urging you into this so quickly,” the faerie spoke softly, setting her focus on Mickey. “I was worried we would not have time later on…but, ah, I’ll do my best to help you n-”

A chilling howl sounded throughout the forest and even with his hearing impaired, Mickey jumped and let out a screech before fluttering back up to Minnie’s shoulder. The other faeries and Morgana didn’t seem quite so afraid, Minnie noted, though an air of intense concern fell over them. There was something like recognition in the way they stood and looked towards the sound as if, whether foreboding or not, the source itself was of no danger to them.

The pulsing light of the foliage shuddered, and a brighter glow appeared in the shadows beyond, accompanied by the sound of…well, Minnie wasn’t quite sure what it was. Something like words…maybe? But garbled, wheezy, and completely indistinguishable, like whoever was speaking them (shouting, really) was trying to talk with a mouth full of something that was far too hot.

Beside her, Daisy drew in a breath and grinned, even as the rest of the mortal visitors tensed.

“SLOWDOWNYACRAZYMUTT!” the voice came screaming through as the foliage parted and an enormous dog burst into the clearing, an infuriated rider on its back. The other members of the party yelped and gathered up their skirts (or, children, in the case of Goofy) as it came screeching to a halt. Before the grumbling rider had even a moment to gather themselves, they had been tackled from their place by Daisy who, to Minnie’s unparalleled shock, was kissing the person all over, even as he tried to scramble to his feet.

“DONALD!!”

Minnie wasn’t quite sure what to focus on–the dog who now sat panting at the center of them all, looking rather proud and silly all at once with its head held high, tongue hanging lazily out its mouth – or Daisy and her… lover , she assumed? She realized now with a pang of guilt she hadn’t exactly asked her friend much about what she’d gotten up to in her absence – no wonder she’d not taken to Mickey as quickly as Minnie would’ve liked.

On her shoulder, Mickey seemed just as uncertain as she was, feathered head swiveling back and forth between the two very chaotic situations playing out before them. He piped a baffled chirp into her ear, but all Minnie could do was giggle softly and continue to watch. “Don’t ask me,” she whispered. “Daisy’s completely unpredictable.”

By now, Daisy had ceased her smooching just long enough to go through an inevitable mood swing, and now she was sitting red-faced and pouting just beside the dazed duck. “I was worried SICK,” she scolded him angrily. “I sent word to you days ago and not a single whisper back!”

“But I DI-”

“DAYS, Donald!” she screeched, and now she was crying, as he sat uncomfortably beside her.

“But I tried t-!”

“WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO THINK?!”

And Minnie slowly came to realize that, if Daisy had sent word days ago, there almost certainly wouldn’t have been time for him to reply before they’d started off on their escape from the castle. She had a feeling Daisy knew that too, but if she knew her friend, she was enjoying every second that Donald took to try to soothe her tantrum. Though she had half a mind to interject, she allowed Daisy just a moment more (only fair she should be rewarded for her earlier reconciliation) before speaking up. Then she piped in, an air of amusement in her tone. Whoever this Donald was, she knew she was rescuing him.

“Oh, Daisy! Who’s your friend?”

Sure enough, Daisy ceased her tears almost immediately and got a huge grin on her face. She grabbed Donald’s hand and yanked him to his feet, rather against his will, and Minnie saw then, with a bit of surprise, that he was a faerie too. He was wearing a simple cloak –as simple as you could get for faerie clothing, which still meant it was interwoven with all sorts of leaflike textures. There was a bluish hue to his attire that matched his wings, and he might have looked regal if the expression on his face wasn’t something of constant anxiety. He looked a little familiar, she thought for a moment, but then the feeling passed.

“Minnie! I never told you, did I?! This is Donald! (Say hi, Donald).” The rumpled faerie lifted a wary hand to wave hello, before he was altogether interrupted by Daisy who leapt in front of him and started rambling away. “We met before, don’t you remember? Back when ______”

And then strangely, Minnie couldn’t hear a thing. Mickey also tilted his head and then looked at her, rubbing up against Minnie’s shoulder as if to shift the ribbon around his ears. Then he lifted his head and seemed confused as ever, which is exactly how Minnie felt. Daisy’s bill was still moving (boy, was it), and no one else seemed at all shaken by the sudden lack of sound it produced. “Daisy, I’m so sorry, but I can’t hear a word you’re saying,” Minnie said at last, with a shy little laugh. “Can you speak a little louder?”

Everyone looked at her strangely then, and she felt a bit embarrassed, but Daisy was so caught up in her story she didn’t seem to mind. “Huh? Oh, sure! AND THEN______”

Minnie caught the first part just fine but then once again, the words seemed to vanish into thin air. Morgana seemed to catch her look – and Mickey’s – and raised a hand to stop Daisy from moving on. “That’s enough, Daisy, thank you,” she chuckled, even as the duck glared at her. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up later, but-” she knelt beside the dog, which had begun to whine beside her, and lent it a scratch beneath its chin. It wagged its tail happily. Mickey seemed to shrink back and released a wary chitter, eyes locked on the creature, and Minnie cast him a worried look, distracted by his anxiety as Morgana spoke. “Dear Pluto here wouldn’t have brought you here for nothing, Donald, and I have the nagging feeling it has something to do with our own worries, too. Is there trouble at the Haven?”

“Trouble’s an understatement!” Donald burst out, though it took Minnie a few moments to decipher his words. “TheWellspringdriedupandtheSidheattackedandthepixieshavebeen capturedandtherestareallcaughtupwiththesirensan-!”

“Slower, please, Donald.”

“The Haven has fallen!”

The faeries all drew back at that, and even Daisy’s eyes widened with fear. Morgana ran a hand through her feathers.

Everyone stared at her expectantly then, and it was as if the whole world was holding its breath. Then Morgana closed her eyes and balled up her fists, as if she’d just decided something wholly unpleasant. “I thought it was close but…” She sighed heavily. “Mickey. Minnie. I need to speak with you.”

Mickey and Minnie exchanged glances. The others looked at one another – all but Donald who just seemed lost. “Who? The bird?”

Mickey screeched, and Donald covered his ears, looking very much as though he was about to give him a piece of his mind for that. But then Clarice darted over and whispered something in his ear, and he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Changeling?” Minnie heard him whisper back, and the next look he cast Mickey’s way was one of strange respect. She wondered at that, as they followed Morgana a short distance away from the others. Pluto padded close behind, Mickey tossing wary glances his way all the while.

“You seem oddly terrified of this little creature, Mickey,” Morgana commented when they’d stopped somewhere just out of earshot of the group. Minnie giggled a bit at that and prodded him playfully. She was a firm believer that a bit of humor could soften any situation, and she had a feeling the next conversation was going to be anything but easy.

“Oh, he just doesn’t know a good boy when he sees one,” she laughed, and Mickey might have been frustrated if he hadn’t been soothed by Minnie’s scratches around his neck. “And after this sweet, little pup saved us, too!”

The comment seemed to trouble Morgana, even as Minnie knelt down to plant some pats on Pluto’s head. Mickey was frustrated then, but only because her attention had been taken from him. He clicked his beak, and jumped to her head to keep his distance from the dog.

“You’ve met before?”

“Oh, yes! Mortimer was after us, and little – Pluto, right? – well, Pluto here led them away from us.”

“Ah,” Morgana breathed a sigh of relief then, and Minnie assumed whatever she’d been afraid of had been negated by her explanation. “Yes, that…makes sense. One of his roles is to protect travelers from the Sidhe and their allies.”

“See!” Minnie laughed again, and held up an arm as she stood so that Mickey could jump back on it. Once he did, she poked him on the beak, giggling at the indignant squawk that escaped him. “Not scary at all! He’s just an innocent little puppy, that’s all. Nothing like how you described.”

Pluto panted happily beside her, puffed up by her praises. They had stopped beneath a particularly luminescent mushroom and his white fur, tinged with a golden hue shimmered in the glow of the forest.

Morgana froze.

“How…how did he describe him?”

A fog had settled around them, the best indicator they had that night had finally fallen, and its wisps threaded around Minnie’s ankles in a soothing stream of mist. Minnie was so preoccupied with how the colors danced in its wake, that she didn’t catch the apprehension in her words. Mickey had gone silent, watching Morgana with even wider eyes. He had caught the tone.

“Oh, it was from so far away at the time…I’m sure that was it,” Minnie giggled. “Something about a…a wolf? Isn’t that what you said, Mickey?” She laughed again, thinking it altogether ridiculous.

“With black fur?”

When Minnie looked up at Morgana, she was staring back at her with an expression she didn’t like. All at once, Pluto had begun to slink back, and Minnie’s smile faltered. “Y-Well…yes…” she breathed, that grin still gracing her lips but ever fading. “How did you know?”

Morgana didn’t reply at first. Her eyes were locked on Mickey, and Minnie could have sworn she saw her hands begin to reach for her heart, like something had just pierced her soul. “ Oh, child… ” she breathed, looking broken in a way Minnie didn’t think was possible for someone like her. But then she shook her head and it was gone, all but the smallest trace of something like sorrow. "Well..." she finally answered, only after swallowing hard. “You said it was from so far away,” she chuckled, though any humor seemed far detached from the sound. “It only makes sense he would have seen something like a silhouette. Silly mistake is all.”

Mickey nestled up against Minnie’s neck and she felt a shudder pulse through him. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like laughing at all. A suffocating silence settled over all of them, and the breeze at her heels felt more like ice, even in spite of the ever-warming air.

“What did you need to talk to us about?” she asked at last, desperate to be rid of the feeling.

The silence persisted even then, as Morgana stared off into the distance. She seemed to be debating something, like whatever she’d been so sure of asking had been thrown into disarray. Finally, she swallowed and released a decisive breath. “What do you both know of the Great Dragons, Fand and Lir?”

Minnie bit her lip, thinking back to the old faerie stories she’d grown up with. She’d known Fand to be a ruler or…protector of sorts of the faeries. And Lir, of course, was a grand hero to the mortals. Or had been once.

“Only a little bu-”

Before she’d finished, Mickey had perked up and screeched, then seemed to forget he was speaking Owl at all and kept going, ruffling his feathers when he got too worked up and batting his wings to clear the tension of his words. Only they weren’t words, and Minnie couldn’t understand a thing, no matter how many times he looked at her as if he was expecting some grand epiphone or reaction.

“Mickey, I can’t…Mickey, please…Mickey…”

Morgana clapped twice abruptly, and Mickey stopped mid-sqawk, tilting his head to stare at her.

“What’s he saying?”

“He’s met one of them before, not too long ago.”

Minnie gasped and looked at him, then frowned. “You met a dragon and didn’t tell me?”

He looked down at his talons, and released a pitiful chirp.

“There wasn’t time,” Morgana translated. “It was back at the castle, from what he says…”

And then she explained everything he’d seen and been told. About the witch, Magica, and the origin of the Sidhe. The ancient heroes and the Dragons’ egg – and their promise, that two souls would rise to restore its magic when it had weakened. And as her story went on, Minnie began to recognize just what Morgana herself was trying to say, however impossible it seemed.

“You think it’s us,” Minnie whispered at last. “Don’t you? You think we’re the ones meant to restore the Egg.”

“I wasn’t certain at first,” Morgana answered thoughtfully. “Rest assured, the other sirens and I came to your rescue at Daisy’s request, and I knew nothing of your powers. But a mortal granted life and magic in Lir’s domain? And Mickey – never mind Fand’s own blessing – I’ve not seen magic like yours from even the most skilled of faeries.”

He ruffled his feathers then, and lifted his head proudly.

“But if that’s true…” Minnie fiddled with the fabric of her dress. “What do we do now? Why can’t the dragons help us? What does this have to do with the Haven? And why-?” She thought about asking about her conflicting memories, but it seemed pointless now. Whether they’d been enemies long ago or not, it was clear she and Mickey were meant to be here together. Nothing could convince her otherwise now, she was certain of it.

“The Dragons…are no more,” Morgana answered gravely. Mickey’s demeanor fell at her words, and Minnie stroked a feather. She realized then what he must have seen, and why he’d neglected to mention it to her so far. “Without their power, the Egg’s magic is fading faster than ever. When it runs out, Magica will be free… and the worlds will die.”

As if to prove a point, a rush of hot wind swept across the forest, and the glow of the foliage dimmed. Morgana drew in a sharp breath and pursed her lips. She seemed sad then, a flickering sense of regret in her eyes and in the words she spoke. “None of this was meant to happen this way. I knew the Dragons, and they’d always hoped to help each of you grow before lending you their last bit of power. Magica’s interference made that impossible, but fate drew you to them regardless.”

She looked straight at Minnie then, and softened her voice. “I saw what happened during our escape, princess. That wicked king removed magic for a time, and it interrupted the spell keeping you alive. I knew then what you had to be. Lir’s magic flows through you, the power of the sea and all the memories its waters hold.

“And you, Mickey,” she continued. “There’s a light in your heart that’s undeniable, like that of the sun and stars. Fand had a presence among faeries like no other, and I felt that the moment you arrived. She imparted a gift upon you, I’m sure of it.”

Mickey leapt off Minnie’s shoulder and screeched. Morgana opened her beak to explain, but Minnie didn’t need a translation to know what he was saying. She felt it too.

“He wants to help,” she breathed. “People are in danger – my people and his …all of yours. If we were meant to do this, tell us how and we will.”

Morgana breathed another deep sigh, and Minnie saw that broken expression return to her, watched as it encompassed her whole demeanor. “Child…don’t make the mistake of thinking this story’s already been written. You may see yourselves the heroes, but heroes can fall. Are you prepared to shoulder the cost of this fight?”

A quiet breath escaped Minnie’s lips, but she felt a passion like no other roaring in her heart. She’d made the mistake of running away from her fears once before, and her people had suffered for it. Now she had the chance to save them from their fate, to right her wrongs. Even her own life was hardly too high a price to pay for that.

A quick glance at Mickey revealed a similar resolve, and he shifted his wings behind him as one might adjust their shoulders to stand up tall. Then he beat them once and let out a screech, and Minnie watched as those speckles drifted off his feathers to surround him in a whirlwind of magic. Whatever apprehension she’d been feeling melted away as she came to realize what was happening. When the dust had settled, he stood in front of her again. Not as the wide-eyed creature all swathed in feathers. But as Mickey. Just Mickey. Her Mickey.

She rushed to him and he swept her up in his arms, laughing all the while. In the moment he gently helped her back to the earth, when the tips of her toes had brushed against the grass and his hand still held her strong at her back, he took a moment to nuzzle against her cheek. A gentle whisper tickled her fur.

“Y’really think we can do this, huh?”

“As long as I’m with you, I think we can do anything .”

#not the most EXCITING chapter maybe #but #we're catching up #oh dear we're catching up #when I feel confident enough to make a chapter title that hinges on the next chapter having a corresponding title #you know we must be moving along lol #let's hope my brain doesn't deceive me #but if chapter 20 has to be a bit longer to compensate #so be it #StoriesComeAlive #myth and magic #myth & magic #my writing #mickey and minnie #mickey x minnie #mickey mouse #minnie mouse #fanfic #fanfiction

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