The four male Mystic Knights, sat quietly around the small wooden table, each one eyeing the other. They sat still, five cards in hand, thinking. The knights had been sitting like that for hours, playing this new game that Ivar had introduced them to. He never told them the name of it, but it was, nonetheless, very addictive.
Angus carefully pulled two card from his hand and laid them, face down, on the table. "I'll take two."
Ivar nodded and handed him two new cards, which Angus grabbed and slid into his hand, hoping that the others hadn't seen them.
Rohan grinned and said, "I'll stay with what I have." Rohan also had the largest pile of pebbles in front of him. He had caught onto the game very quickly.
Ivar nodded again and looked to Garrett. "Any for you?"
Garrett shook his head and said nothing. He had the small pile in front of him, and didn't want to take a chance with the cards that he had. They weren't bad, but he figured that they probably weren't as good as Rohan's.
"What are you guys doing?" A little voice asked.
Rohan glanced up and saw Aideen fluttering nearby. He held his cards up to him and frowned. "We are playing a game, Aideen."
"Ohhh, can I play?" she asked.
Angus shook his head. "No, this is guys only."
Aideen crossed her little arms over her chest. "Well, fine, be that way." With that she fluttered away.
They all laid down their cards, not noticing the hurt little fairie. Rohan grinned and scooped the pebbles into his pile.
Outside the hut, just under a cart, was a man. He had been listening to the four knights, wondering what plans they were making against Temra. Torc frowned when he discovered that they were only playing a card game and decided he would head back to his queen.
Aideen flew out of the hut. How dare Angus talk to her like? And Rohan hadn't even defended her. She was mad and she knew just what she would do. She turned to the hut and held out her hands. A pale blue light flew from her finger tips and sprinkled over the hut and all that surrounded it. As the light faded away, she smiled.
Several hours later, a satisfied Ivar and an angry Garrett left the hut, making their way back to the castle. Inside the small abode, Rohan grinned. He had won most of the hands and had the biggest pile of pebbles.
"Don't look so happy." Angus growled.
"Why? I won."
"Obviously."
Angus groaned. He laid down on his cot and prepared to get some rest. They had an early patrol in the morning and he needed his sleep. He bade his friend goodnight and rolled over. Rohan grinned and said the same.
Within moments the two friends were fast asleep.
Garrett lay in his bed, trying to figure out how he could have lost so badly at a game that seemed so simple. After several minutes of thought, he finally came to the conclusion that Rohan must have been cheating. With that thought in mind, he slowly drifted off to sleep.
Ivar on the other hand, was fast asleep dreaming of young woman and wine. Actually more like dreaming about Deirdre and wine. For some reason. all of his dreams seemed to centre around her. A smile crept across his face as he dreamt of a particularly interesting scene.
In the castle of Temra, General Torc, lay in his small bed, snoring. His sleep was dreamless but restful. It had been another one of the kinds of days that he hated. Nothing to do but listen to Maeve complain about the Mystic Knights. He longed for the moments of sleep he gained. He needed it.
The morning sun's rays broke over the Kingdoms of Kells and Temra, waking its inhabitants. In a small hut, shared by two friends, the light was just creeping in. Angus rolled over, his eyes opening slowly. He didn't want to get up. He was having a particularly nice dream about Deirdre. He stretched his stocky frame and quietly threw his legs over the side of his cot. He knew that Rohan would have to get up soon, but he didn't want to wake him. The thief stood and stretched again. That's when he noticed it.
A shrill scream flooded the small village outside of Kells.
"Rohan! Wake up!" Angus cried.
The warrior started. Angus stood near him, pointing to something. Rohan rolled over and squinted at him.
"What is the matter?" he asked, still rather groggy.
Angus screamed again and pointed at Rohan.
"It happened to you too!" he shouted.
Rohan rubbed his eyes. That's when he noticed something was definitely wrong.
Angus jumped up and down, pointing at his chest. "Look at me chest! I've..We've..got...things!"
Rohan looked down, realising that he did indeed have..things. He jumped to his feet. "By Dadgha!" He grabbed his blanket and wrapped it around his chest, hoping that no one would notice.
Angus did the same, noticing that his stuck out more. "Mine are bigger!"
"We should find Cathabad," Rohan stated, unable to hide the fear in his voice.
The thief looked at him, wide eyed. "And let him make fun of me even more?"
Rohan grinned and left the hut, knowing that Angus would have to follow him.
A knock at the door brought Cathabad's attention around. He had already had two visitors that morning and more would just make things difficult. He slowly opened the door. Angus and Rohan stood outside, looking like two frightened children.
"Cathabad, we have a problem." Rohan said as they brushed passed him and entered the chamber.
"Let me guess. You woke up this morning and something wasn't right." Cathabad closed the door.
"How'd you know?" Angus stared at the druid.
"Because it happened to us to."
Rohan and Angus jumped, turning around. Garrett and Ivar sat on the druid's bed, blankets over their chests.
Suddenly, the absurdity of the scene, hit Rohan. He started laughing, unable to control himself. As usual the laughter was catching. Before long all of the knights and the Druid were laughing themselves silly in the small stone chamber.
"My Queen!" Torc shouted from the entrance of the throneroom.
She glanced at him, then glanced away. "What is it?"
He rushed up to her, his arms crossed over his chest in a peculiar way. "I have a bit of a problem."
She looked at him, obviously annoyed by his intrusion. "What now?"
He removed his arms, causing Maeve to gasp. The shock only lasted a moment. She quietly started to giggle, then chuckle, then cackle.
"My Queen, it isn't funny." Torc insisted.
"Yes..it...is," she blurted between fits of laughter.
A smile started to spread across his face. In a way, he guessed it was kind of funny, but only if it wasn't happening to him.
The door to Cathabad's chamber burst open and Princess Deirdre walked in. Unfortunately, the knights were too busy laughing hysterically to cover themselves up.
"What is going on here?" she demanded. She looked around, thinking that Cathabad had accidentally dropped some laughing powder. Then she noticed. She gasped and turned around.
Rohan grabbed his blanket and covered his chest, embarrassed beyond belief.
"Cathabad, do something," he demanded.
The druid did his best to recover his senses. He knew that he should help, but the whole scene was just too funny.
"Might I ask what happened?" Deirdre queried.
Angus rushed forward to explain, forgetting his blanket. "I just woke up and there they were."
"How do you deal with these...things?" Garrett asked, rather shy about the whole incident.
Deirdre grinned. "I guess it just comes with age and a little practice."
The druid rushed around, gathering herbs and potions, hoping that he could find a way to cure the problem of the four male knights. He had never encountered anything like it before, so he wasn't sure what he could do.
"All right, all of you, quiet." He mixed together some potions, hoping beyond hope that he would find the right one. Satisfied with his mixture, he turned around, bowl in hand. "Whose first?"
"Me!" Angus rushed forward.
The druid nodded and sprinkled some of the mixture over Angus' head. They all watched, waiting, but nothing happened. Cathabad shook his head and turned away. Another mixture was in order.
Maeve had stopped laughing long enough to call for Mider. The fairie appeared, curious as to why she had tears running down her cheeks. She pointed at Torc, who was blushing as he stood next to her throne. Mider stared at her general, then burst out laughing.
"This isn't funny!" shouted Torc, hoping that they would stop making fun of him.
"Yes, it is!" Mider cackled, little flashes of green fire bursting around him.
Torc grumbled. "Do something!"
Maeve and Mider composed themselves, or at least mostly. The whole predicament was just too humourouss. Mider raised his hands, smiling, obviously burning the image of Torc with breasts into head. A burst of green light surrounded the General of the Temra armies. As the light faded, so did his embarrassment. Torc looked down, relieved to find his chest back to normal.
"There, Mider has helped once again."
Meanwhile, in the chambers of Cathabad the druid, things were not going as well. He had been unable to find a potion or herb that could take away the obvious embarrassment of the knights.
"I am afraid that there is nothing that I can do." The druid let his hands fall to his sides.
"What?" Ivar leapt to his feet.
"What do we do now?" Garrett frowned.
"You will have to go to Tir-Na-Nog." Cathabad looked at them and then at Deirdre, who was still trying to contain her mirth. "I am sure that the Princess would be happy to escort you there."
She snapped her head up to look at him, her eyes wide. "I what?"
The druid looked at her, innocence written on his face. "The Mystic Knights should always stick together through thick and thin."
She sighed, obviously annoyed with the thought of the Princess of Kells, being stuck with four guys with obvious problems. "All right, but," she looked at the four knights. "Just don't walk to close to me."
The nodded, hoping that Fin Varra could help.
The Mystic Knights walked quietly through the village and countryside on their way to the dolman that would transport them to the fairy kingdom. Many of the Kells people looked at them, oddly, trying to figure out what was different. Some of them did, others didn't. But they all knew that this oddity would never be forgotten.
The fairie ring was quiet as they entered. Deirdre held her hand over the small stone in the dolman, waiting patiently for the others to adjust their blankets. Slowly, they all placed their hands over the stone. A soft red glow covered them and they disappeared.
King Fin Varra looked at the sight before him. He had never seen such a thing. The four male Mystic Knights stood, holding blankets over their chests. Deirdre was smiling, obviously amused by whatever had befallen her comrades.
"King Fin Varra we need your help." Rohan insisted.
"With what?" the little King asked.
The four knights looked at each other and slowly lowered the blankets. The King gasped. All of the fairies in the small kingdom burst out in uproarious laughter. The little King's face broke out in a broad smile.
"This is a predicament."
Angus got down on his knees. "Please, I am begging, help us."
That was too much for the Princess of Kells. The laughter escaped it's hiding place and rang throughout the small kingdom.
"It's not that funny, Princess." Ivar frowned, knowing that the situation was very amusing. But, he mentally noted, it would have been much funny had he not been involved.
The King of Tir-Na-Nog managed to gather his wits about him. He raised his hands. A blue light surrounded the knights, erasing any effects that had befallen them.
They all let loose an audible sigh of relief. They were normal again.
"Thank you, King Fin Varra." Rohan bowed. The others thanked him as well.
As they prepared to leave, the little King raised a hand. "In the future, Mystic Knights, don't make a fairie mad."
