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Chapter 14
Little rocks and huge boulders started to tremble from their ledges and fall to the ground. Sir Blunderbrain stood in front of the Princess, brandishing his shield. “Fear not, fair maiden! I shall – arrgh!” he yelled as Princess Gwenalot grabbed him by the back of the neck and ran off.
They reached the chasm walls and realized there was no way out.
“But milady!” Sir Blunderbrain protested, trying to break free of her grip.
“Over here!” yelled several lizards in raspy voices. The two Fraggles ran over to the lizards, who began to tunnel through the mucky walls. They burrowed a few feet inward and plopped down on the ground, exhausted. The two Fraggles huddled with them. “Sorry,” one of the lizards said sadly, “but we’re just not able to dig through rock like some other creatures.”
“You’ve kept us safe,” replied Princess Gwenalot. She heard screaming and saw utter devastation: some lizards were pinned by rocks, some had fallen into gurgling pools of mud, some had … well … many lizards were not going to make it. The Princess’ face fell and grew pale. “What can we do to help them?” she asked the lizards in a teeny voice.
The lizards looked sadly at the fate of their companions. “We’re afraid this fate is ours,” they said, telling the two Fraggles of the story of their kind.
They knew very little about their parents, waking up one moment encased in drying mud without a mother or father to watch over them. Though they were ignorant of their pasts, they could feel the sheer number of their kind and knew that perhaps they were TOO plentiful for such a confined space. They awoke and broke free of their mud all at the same time, causing a rousing echo that spooked them and sent them into a panic.
The lizards hung their heads. “The only thing we know of our parents is that they were supposed to tend to the mud vents,” they said. “We don’t even know what they looked like or what they were called.” They paused, saddened that after the rocks stopped falling, there were only a couple of dozen left.
“That’s terrible,” whispered Princess Gwenalot, with Sir Blunderbrain nodding in gloomy agreement.
The lizards’ heads perked up, shrugging. “Don’t be afraid. We know that we must tend the mud better. We’ll space ourselves out so the rockquakes won’t happen again. We must see our kind dwindle – but we don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
Princess Gwenalot frowned. “Just because there are a lot of you doesn’t mean you should … dwindle,” she told them, anger rising slightly in her voice.
One lizard smiled. “Creature, that’s what happens when too many wake up.”
“But --.”
“Princess, let’s go,” Sir Blunderbrain said softly, patting her on her shoulder. “Creatures must endure according to their natures.”
“But --!”
Despite Princess Gwenalot’s inability to accept the lizards’ comments, they worked their way slowly back up to the Great Hole. Princess Gwenalot stayed uncharacteristically quiet throughout their walk back, and Sir Blunderbrain decided he should try to comfort her. However, before he could open his mouth, Princess Gwenalot shook her head. “I don’t want the subject brought up again,” she told him matter-of-factly. “If I want to talk about, I will.”
He bowed slightly. “Milady.”
Just before they reached the Great Hole, Princess Gwenalot stopped Sir Blunderbrain. She stared into his eyes with a pain she was visibly trying to counter. “You know, that’s the second time you risked your life to protect mine.”
Sir Blunderbrain smiled. “Princess, as a knight I am bidden to protect you with my life!” He chuckled. “That’s just how these things are done.”
Princess Gwenalot finally returned the smile. “Your willingness for self-sacrifice will come back to haunt you one day.”
Sir Blunderbrain bowed and chuckled slightly in turn. He wanted to tell her that he accepted his life’s risks, but she had ordered him not to speak of such things until she brought it up.
Of course, she had just brought it up, but he wasn’t sure if he should follow through.
He cursed his inability to talk to his own Princess about important things.
Little rocks and huge boulders started to tremble from their ledges and fall to the ground. Sir Blunderbrain stood in front of the Princess, brandishing his shield. “Fear not, fair maiden! I shall – arrgh!” he yelled as Princess Gwenalot grabbed him by the back of the neck and ran off.
They reached the chasm walls and realized there was no way out.
“But milady!” Sir Blunderbrain protested, trying to break free of her grip.
“Over here!” yelled several lizards in raspy voices. The two Fraggles ran over to the lizards, who began to tunnel through the mucky walls. They burrowed a few feet inward and plopped down on the ground, exhausted. The two Fraggles huddled with them. “Sorry,” one of the lizards said sadly, “but we’re just not able to dig through rock like some other creatures.”
“You’ve kept us safe,” replied Princess Gwenalot. She heard screaming and saw utter devastation: some lizards were pinned by rocks, some had fallen into gurgling pools of mud, some had … well … many lizards were not going to make it. The Princess’ face fell and grew pale. “What can we do to help them?” she asked the lizards in a teeny voice.
The lizards looked sadly at the fate of their companions. “We’re afraid this fate is ours,” they said, telling the two Fraggles of the story of their kind.
They knew very little about their parents, waking up one moment encased in drying mud without a mother or father to watch over them. Though they were ignorant of their pasts, they could feel the sheer number of their kind and knew that perhaps they were TOO plentiful for such a confined space. They awoke and broke free of their mud all at the same time, causing a rousing echo that spooked them and sent them into a panic.
The lizards hung their heads. “The only thing we know of our parents is that they were supposed to tend to the mud vents,” they said. “We don’t even know what they looked like or what they were called.” They paused, saddened that after the rocks stopped falling, there were only a couple of dozen left.
“That’s terrible,” whispered Princess Gwenalot, with Sir Blunderbrain nodding in gloomy agreement.
The lizards’ heads perked up, shrugging. “Don’t be afraid. We know that we must tend the mud better. We’ll space ourselves out so the rockquakes won’t happen again. We must see our kind dwindle – but we don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
Princess Gwenalot frowned. “Just because there are a lot of you doesn’t mean you should … dwindle,” she told them, anger rising slightly in her voice.
One lizard smiled. “Creature, that’s what happens when too many wake up.”
“But --.”
“Princess, let’s go,” Sir Blunderbrain said softly, patting her on her shoulder. “Creatures must endure according to their natures.”
“But --!”
Despite Princess Gwenalot’s inability to accept the lizards’ comments, they worked their way slowly back up to the Great Hole. Princess Gwenalot stayed uncharacteristically quiet throughout their walk back, and Sir Blunderbrain decided he should try to comfort her. However, before he could open his mouth, Princess Gwenalot shook her head. “I don’t want the subject brought up again,” she told him matter-of-factly. “If I want to talk about, I will.”
He bowed slightly. “Milady.”
Just before they reached the Great Hole, Princess Gwenalot stopped Sir Blunderbrain. She stared into his eyes with a pain she was visibly trying to counter. “You know, that’s the second time you risked your life to protect mine.”
Sir Blunderbrain smiled. “Princess, as a knight I am bidden to protect you with my life!” He chuckled. “That’s just how these things are done.”
Princess Gwenalot finally returned the smile. “Your willingness for self-sacrifice will come back to haunt you one day.”
Sir Blunderbrain bowed and chuckled slightly in turn. He wanted to tell her that he accepted his life’s risks, but she had ordered him not to speak of such things until she brought it up.
Of course, she had just brought it up, but he wasn’t sure if he should follow through.
He cursed his inability to talk to his own Princess about important things.
It means "ill-omen". We don't figure out what happened to her in this story. Crooner had wished that Princess Gwenalot knew what it was like to have a best friend. The genie has apparently granted that wish, making Mallory "gone." The episode "Mirror, Mirror" has Mavis, of course, but Doc is trying to work on a similar mirror in his spots ....
I'm stretching what I think is the life span of Fraggles (as by the epilogue the date [edit: more or less] of the story will be clear), but it might still be workable, since they seem to be extremely older than anyone else.