The travel out of the vortex was a straight shot up - the spiral down was there to leave a sense of dizzy confusion on arrival. Alaisdair had a lot of questions, but he knew most were ones to have in private with his wife or, as it stood, his betrothed.
The troop with Fallon and Chad were on the banks awaiting the arrival of Alaisdair and the Filly.
Alaisdair and the Filly were greeted with rations laid out to eat, water sacks, and even a feed bag for the Filly.
The Cheering was an overwhelming experience. Chad took Filly's lead, allowing Alaisdair into the tree line. Alaisdair padded into the bushes, morphing back into his human form, and called to Fallon, "Uncle, I need your help. I am unable to untie my leggings from my arm."
Seeing the snarl in the knot, Fallon quickly untied and asked him, "Why not ask your wife for help?"
"Because she is not yet my wife in this reality." Alaisdair huffed as he pulled the leggings up and into place."Now let me go speak to the Filly."
Once Alaisdair had his rations, he held onto the mane of the Filly, leading her apart from the rest of the company.
"I know your voice, you whisper in my ear, and you're in my dreams - not as a Pegusus - you calm me when I am upset. I want us to be married either tonight or tomorrow. I know you cannot talk right now with the feedbag on, and today was strenuous for both of us. It would be best if you ate, and so do I. We will talk anon."
Meanwhile, on the Island of No Return, the cat crept soundlessly onto the tree branch where the stallion Pegasus lay unconscious. His head wound was apparent.
Her loose shirt snagged, and she sat and removed it from the bump on the branch. She knew it was easier to be without as long as she was a cat, but the first time she morphed back to human, she felt shame with her nakedness, so she must be careful. Seeing the stallion had addled her brain, she thought. She mumbled to herself, "Must be careful."
She deftly maneuvered around his prone body, leaning in to smell and then licked on the injury lightly. She continued to do so until the wound was clean of debris and the blood stopped.
She sat back, admiring his beauty, dreaming of freedom, when the Pegasus reared up, kicking her off the tree. She slammed into the adjacent tree trunk and fell to the ground, morphing into a young woman.
Clayton, slowly coming out of his stupor, looked down. And he, too, morphed into human form. He tried to return to his Pegasus form but could not.
Attempting to go down the tree quickly, he slipped several times and realized the woman may be dead - she fell the length of the tree after careening off the other tree. He slowed down and carefully made his way but, jumping on the ground, ran to see if she survived.
He felt for a pulse. Finding none, he decided to give CPR in case she had only had the wind knocked from her lungs. She had landed into a deep, soft pile of sand, so there was a chance she was alive. He had trained as an emergency helper in his world, and it took only seconds for him to start the respiration techniques of breathing into her lungs and pushing in and out. After a few minutes, Clayton felt the quicking of the heartbeat, and she started to cough.
He grabbed her into his arms, whispering. "Mercy, you are alive!"
Three kittens sat in the shade at the base of the tree she had fallen from. Seeing their mother moving, they ran to her, mewing, "Mama, Mama, Mama."
Releasing her, Clayton scowled and asked, "You are married?"
"No, yes, no."
"Which is it," Clayton snarled.
The kittens were all mewing and saying. "Mama, he's scaring us."
She said to the kittens, "Change into humans." The kittens instantly obeyed their mother.
She told Clayton, "These are my children, Lyree, Alee, and Lilee. Girls, say hello to Prince Clayton."
In unison, the three girls curtsied and said, "Hello, Prince Clayton. We are pleased to meet you."
"Hello, girls. I, too, greet you in peace," said Clayton.
"Mercy, I have no wish to scare your children. We need to talk. Ask them to play so we can see them, but not so they hear us discussing things."
"Girls, Prince Clayton and I wish to speak. Please go play quietly."
"Okay, Mama," said Lilee, "We are going to sit by the tree and finish discussing our math lesson."
After the girls were out of hearing range, "Answer my question," hissed Clayton
"Yes, Clayton, I was married by force and exiled here to the Island of No Return with a Tiger servant in your family's service. Your father, King Pursus, declared I was to be sent into the wilderness alone to die, or I was to marry the Tiger. My father said I would not disgrace the family by continuing to be courted by you."
"Is your husband treating you well?" asked Clayton
"No, not really. He, too, was forced because he was in love with your sister. I am now a widow. He died several weeks ago while defying restrictions about staying out of the water. The water has a large reptile who gobbles up anything edible."
"I am sorry for your loss. Did I know your husband?" Asked Clayton.
'Yes, he was your best friend, TomTom, and in love with Libee, your sister.
He did not want any love or friendship with me until right before the triplets were born.
We were forced into marriage, pledging fidelity to one another and God under the eyes of your father and my father.
We lived alone until he decided he wanted a wife. He and I came together only once. He said he felt as if he had betrayed his love. He loved and enjoyed the girls, but he never touched me again," said Mercy.
Clayton sat and stared at the woman who he thought was dead. He had long come to believe that TomTom also had died years ago, and that is when he went crazy.
He shook his head as if to clear of all the muddy times of the hate and obsession with Alaisdair and Pretty Lady.
He started to cry, unaware of the wetness, only the deep grief within.
He was elated that Mercy was alive but again grieved the death of his friend TomTom. His sister was also now married, and he had not considered his father's choice. It was for the 'good of the country.'
Mercy knew that grief and knew to stay silent until he returned from the suffering or asked for help. Years of being stranded and, most times, being shunned made her uncertain. Her stepmother did not want her around either, and if the servants were caught being kind to her, they got fired.
Her father was an Earl in the Earth sector of their world and had sent her to the Pegasus court to learn manners as a servant to the King's family. She was too independent, her father said, and she looked like his first wife - 'the biggest mistake in my life,' her father, the Earl of Edenboro, said.
Clayton rose and walked into the treeline, leaving Mercy on the sand. Mercy thought how wonderful it was for her to possibly have someone to talk with.
She stood up to also move, but the reptile's jaws tore her shirt from her back. Mercy roared and screamed!
The triplets ran towards their mother to help. She screamed at them, "Run and get Prince Clayton. Go now!