May
Day
Celebration!
May
Day
Celebration!
It promised to be a beautiful day. "I think everything is just about ready," Aine muttered to herself. It had been a busy morning getting everything ready for the May Day Celebration at noon.
"What did you say?" Selkie asked. She was carrying a handful of garlands.
"What?"
"I thought you said something," Selkie replied, giving Aine a worried look.
"Oh. No, I was just mumbling. Make sure everyone has a garland for her hair," she said referring to the bunch in Selkie's hand.
"Sure thing," she said and headed towards the Chateau.
"The food has all been set out." Aine spun around to see Alexa and Alice in their white dresses. The whole harem was decked out in white dresses of various styles with either a pink or green sash. The pink symbolized love, while the green represented spring growth.
"Great. It's almost time to get started. What's that racket?" The three ladies turned toward the west lawn to see Troll Princess and Trollheart leading a parade of goats all decked out in ribbons and bells.
"They didn't like it, but we finally got them ready," Troll Princess stated. "Yeah, they kept trying to hide from us," Trollheart added.
It was such a funny site that the ladies couldn't help laughing. "Just keep them away from the food tables," Alexa warned.
And what wonderful food it was. There was strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered cherries, different kinds of icecream, donunts, fresh fruits, and a whole assortment of other goodies. As usual, the ladies in the kitchen had outdone themselves. Of course there was a whole cooler full of blue frosting stashed under a table.
"All the flowers are in place," Mab said as she joined the group. "Wow, the goats look great!"
"Thanks," TP and Trollheart said.
"It's time to drag the Master away from Etain," Aine said. Replies of 'I'm not doing it' quickly followed. Aine and Mab looked at each other just as they both got the same idea.
"Attilla," they said in unison. "I'll go let her out of the basement," Alice offered.
The harem had begun to assemble out on the lawn that faces the ocean. They made a striking site in their white dresses and sashes. Most of them wore garlands in their hair, and bracelets and anklets that jingled for dancing.
Teri came running out of the Chateau towards the group. "The guest are arriving!" she yelled. "Who's here?" Aine asked.
"Joe and Duncan just arrived together," Teri answered.
"Joe!" Lauren shrieked and took off towards the house. "Oh yeah, and Dragon Lady said she was going to help Duncan park the T-bird," Teri added.
"Yeah, she'll help him right into the backseat," Gandoph smirked.
Just then, Methos came tearing out of the Chateau. He made his way around the food tables and hid behind Kelly, Immortal Phantom, Izzi, and Cami. Everyone turned to see Attilla barrel out of the house. "Master, wait up!" she cried.
Wally's Familiar and Susanna went to cut her off. "Hey 'Tilla, come help us tear DL off of Duncan," WF said as they led her back into the house.
"Who's responsible for letting her out of the basement!" Methos yelled, his face red.
"Now, Master," Mousie conjoled as she led him over to the large chair that was to signify him as the guest of honor. She continued to talk to him in soothing tones.
"How does she do that?" Wintersong asked. "It must be a mouse thing. She's the only one who can calm him down like that," Snow Princess observed.
The guests were finally starting to make their way out onto the lawn. A disheveled Duncan was followed by a grinning Dragon Lady. Ritchie headed straight for Troll Princess. Fitzcairn came out flanked by Jean Marie and Trollbabyfeet. Joe was led out by Lauren and Nibblet, and finally, a very contented looking Etain, who had already spent the first half of her birthday with Methos, floated out to join the large group.
Aine spotted Mike over by the maypole. She thought back to the argument they had had earlier that morning over his celebration attire. He had blatantly refused to wear the white shirt and pants she had brought for him, making some comment about how he wasn't going to dress like a marshmellow fluff.
It hadn't been a big deal, but CyDoc and Patches had rushed in to rescue Mike. He looked like he didn't mind getting to be the one rescued for a change either.
She headed towards Mike, taking in his bright blue pants and white silk shirt, his attempt at a compromise. She figured it was about time to apologize. He looked up at her and smiled, and she knew right away that she was forgiven. Mike always understood.
"You calmed down yet?" he asked.
"Hardly, but I'm sorry for this morning." "Don't worry about it. You just needed to let off a little steam. Besides, CyDoc and Patches were very attentive." Mike smiled as he remembered just how attentive they had been.
"Yeah, I'll bet," Aine replied. "However, you still didn't have to act as though I was trying to put you in a skirt or anything."
Mike laughed as he watched her walk away. She never completely gave in. "Mike, honey," Twig purred, "come help me with my sash."
"It's noon!" Mab announced. "Everybody around the maypole." The ladies gathered around the tall pole, each choosing one of the multi-colored ribbons. The guests and the goats surrounded the pole, while Methos watched from his place of honor. This was also one of the days the harem chose to celebrate his birthday, since he couldn't tell them when it really was (or so he said). Any excuse to party......
"This is going to be fantastic," Kiki said excitedly. "Definitely! I just love holidays that have dances," Harem Dancer said.
"I just hope we don't get ourselves all tangled up in these ribbons," Leeze commented.
"Yeah, the Master would get a big kick out of that. It would be us tied up for a change!" Troll Princess exclaimed. "He'd never let us live that down!" Methosess cried.
"Athena, will you start us in the song?" Mab asked. As Athena started the first verse of the song, Mab led half of the ladies in one direction around the pole, while Harem Dancer led the other half in the opposite direction.
We are the power in everyone
We are the dance of the moon and sun
We are the hope that will never hide
We are the turning of the tide.
The ladies sang as they wove their way around each other in the old pagan dance. The observers clapped, and the goats jingled. It was almost surreal, and Methos felt that same feeling he had felt the first time he had ever witnessed the dance centuries ago.
The dance had almost become a frenzy as the ladies' excitement grew......
We are the spirit in everyone
We are the dance of the rising sun
We are the love in everyone
We are the dance of the setting sun.
Laughter abounded, and everyone started to grow heady with its effects. Finally, the ribbons were spent, the pole was wrapped, and the dance was over. But the celebration had only just begun.
Mab motioned to the ladies as she walked over to one of the tables, a strange gleam in her eye. She pulled a bunch of ribbons out from under the table. The ladies immediately understood, and many broke out into giggles.
"Grab him!" Methalice shouted.
"Oh, no!" Methos exclaimed as he attempted to get out of the chair, but he didn't have a chance. The ladies had him surrounded before he could flee. The guests broke out into guffaws as they realized what was about to happen.
There was nothing Methos could do as his harem proceeded to use him as another maypole. "C'mon, Master. You know you like ribbons," Cybergoddess said jokingly.
The ladies laughed and joked as they danced around Methos, wrapping him in the ribbons. The goats joined in, making an outer circle around the dancing women. They had him wrapped from head to toe in a matter of minutes. "Good job, ladies." Mab said.
"Let's hit the food," Etienne pronounced. "Sounds good to me," Ashraf agreed. The ladies took one last look at their Master, who was now a glorified multi-colored mummy, and headed for the food tables.
"Llrrmph!" cried the ribbon clad ancient one. "Lemph eee onna hrrph!"
Fitz and Ritchie were laughing so hard that they were totally useless, and Duncan was too busy snapping pictures to be of any help. Joe and Mike decided they had better unwrap him before he really lost his temper. Ater they had gotten him loose, he turned toward the harem to vent a little of his temper. As soon as he saw them, though, he forgot whatever he was going to say.
"Athena!" Aine exclaimed. She had just caught the Tequila Wench trying to spike the lime punch.
"I needed something with a little more kick than the champagne," Athena argued.
"But couldn't you have put in the strawberry punch instead? I had planned on putting vodka in the lime punch. Maybe with a little Triple Sec and it could've been kamikazi punch. Oh, well." Aine thought for a second. "You going to put anything else in that?" she asked, motioning to the punch.
Athena smiled as she turned to Maxie who, pulled out a bottle of Triple Sec.
There was a tug of war going on between the trolls and the goats. Ritchie was trying to help, but it seems his hands ended up more on the trolls than on the rope.
Fitz was roaming around trying inventive was of looking up the ladies' dresses. Unfortunately Katana caught him trying to sneak a peek up her dress and took out after him across the lawn followed by a few goats.
Selkie and Nikke had surrounded Duncan, and Selkie was trying to rub some kind of lotion on him while Nikke distracted him. A group of ladies had gathered around Joe, after Harem Hostess had supplied him with a guitar.
Dragon Lady had opened a can of frosting and grabbed a bottle of chocolate syrup and had taken out after Mike, who wasn't making a very successful getaway.
"I guess it's time for frosting!" Patches announced. Methos smiled. Life would be boring without his harem.
By 2:00, everyone was covered in frosting. It had been a wild afternoon, and it looked like it was only going to get wilder. Etain took Methos by the hand. "He's mine again, sisters." She led him towards the Chateau.
It was time to continue with the rest of the celebration tradition, where the young people scatter in the woods to do a little "celebrating" of their own. Each of the guests and Mike went off in a different direction, accompanied by several harem ladies. Thank goodness it was such a large estate.
"I think I'll stop by the Oasis room and pick up a few things," Aine told Selkie.
"Good idea. Get that bottle that I have marked 'Duncan's Favorite' for me," Selkie said.
Laughter and the sounds of merrymaking could be heard from all directions of the estate. "It's going to be a long night," Aine thought to herself.
She was greeted by Darby, her little Scottie, when she
entered the Oasis. "Hey Darby girl," she said to the
little dog as she sat down on one of the couches to pet her.
"Now what all do I need?"
12:20AM May 2
"What a day," Methos thought to himself as he left Etain's room. He was tired after all the celebrating over the past 24 hours. "I think I'll go down to the Oasis and get some of that wonderful message oil that Mab keeps." He was definitely sore and he had another birthday to get ready for on the third.
He walked into the Oasis and saw Aine asleep on one of the couches, Darby curled up next to her. "She must be exhuasted," he thought.
Methos pickes up the sleeping Aine and carries her up to her room with Darby trotting along side him. He puts her in the bed and gets in beside her. He should be safe here until morning.
"Goodnight, Aine," he whispers.
"Goodnight, Master."