"Could you hand me those pliers, Your Highness?" Renat asked politely.
Mairwen held up two different sizes of the same tool. "Which one?" She cocked her head to one side and raised one eyebrow. The boy might be brilliant, but he was not very good at instructions.
Renat reached for the one in the the Princess's left hand. "This is what I am looking for. Thank you." His fingers accidentally brushed hers as he took the instrument. The boy blanched. "I am so sorry, Your Highness! I did not mean to touch you!" Mairwen stopped him from dropping to the floor in another bow.
She rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "You have been saying sorry for days for every little thing. Sorry for asking for the wrong tool. Sorry for the steam coming too near my dress. Sorry for tripping over the edge of the table and landing at my feet. Sorry upon sorry for not knowing I was the princess…"
"I am still sorry about all of those, especially the last one. I am such an idi
"An attack?!" Renat was in shock. He was not trained for battle and had never seen so much as a minor skirmish.Mairwen's face was serious. "We have to warn the garrison."Eira shook her head. "You have to stay here, Your Highness. You must stay safe.""I am of the Royal Family. I will not stand idly by and let others suffer or die." The Princess fled from her hiding place. Eira and Renat were forced to follow her as she ghosted along the ground. Fortunately the enemy was coming at an oblique angle and not focused on them. By the time the opposing force noticed them, it was too late to intercept the trio. Trying to do so would have given away their position. Instead, a lone arrow whizzed wide as they shut the small kitchen entrance.Mairwen looked for the night watch. She spotted the one guarding the door, who had drawn his sword at their entrance. He lowered it as he recognized the newcomers. "Rouse the troops. An attack is incoming. Find the spymaster."
"Get the water buckets!" Beadu screamed. A company of flaming arrows came toward the wall. The first missed, landing in the dirt. The next few lodged but missed the pitch and hissed out in a fit of steam. Finally one landed in the pitch. A quick thinking soldier dumped his water down the wall at just the right moment and doused the flame before it could catch.Those on the wall relaxed for a moment. Then another set of flickering stars lit along the ground before arcing through the air. Had it not been fiery arrows meant to kill her, Mairwen thought the sight was almost beautiful. More of the arrows hit high enough on the wall this time; the archers had moved closer. The princess used the origin of the lights to take out as many of the archers as she could while the others fought off the flames.One, two, three of the fiery arrows were extinguished, but the forth bit deep into the wall in the center of the pitch. For a moment it seemed that nothing would happen. Perhap
Captain Caleb could see something lighting up the sky far off. His troops were marching through the night hoping to get some rest and relief when they reached the garrison. Aurora had sent him personally to secure the fort, and he took that charge very seriously. But now the pillar of light and smoke—for he could see now that is what it was—caused him to quicken the pace."I hope the troops from further south have already made it," he said to no one in particular.The officer on the horse next to him grunted. Caleb had expected to run into the other division at some point, but so far they had not made contact.Over two dozen loud bursts of energy shook the air, causing the Captain to nearly fall from his steed. He had never heard anything sound so violent. Caleb was glad his horse had nerves of steel, or he would have been thrown clear. As they entered the twilight of the morning, the soldiers could feel their bodies tense. Something was very wrong.
Aurora stared, reading the same page for the hundredth time. Her mind could not focus. Having received a brief account of what had happened at the fort from a messenger late the night before, the Empress had been unable to sleep. Instead Aurora found herself pouring her time into working on her son's problem: ridding his body of magic and its damage.After sunrise, Councilman Birger had joined her in scouring the books for a solution. As promised, he had diligently come every day to read with her, and when she was particularly tired, he would read aloud to her. Just now they were sitting quietly in the palace library when Aurora slammed the book shut in frustration."The princess should have been here by now. Perhaps the messenger did not know to find me here. Nurlan!" Aurora called. The guard appeared instantly. "Make sure the front gate knows where to find me. I want to know the minute Mairwen and Brinn enter the city so I can meet them when they arrive""Yes,
At last the victorious party entered the gates. They were weary from their journey. Thanks to all their prisoners, they were also an entire day later than expected. Brinn contemplated bringing Mairwen home ahead of the group, but hoped that all the extra people would stunt the anger of the Empress. Mairwen would not have gone with her anyway. She wanted to ensure the troops made it safely into Valiant.The Empress, clothed in all her splendor, looked over those entering. Her troops saluted her, proud to see their leader. The prisoners bowed their heads before her fierce gaze, knowing that their fates were in her powerful hands. Aurora was only partially paying attention to those who entered. While her face showed strength, her eyes searched relentlessly for the person she was aching to see.Finally, Mairwen rode proudly through the gate and dismounted. Her long dark hair framed her delicate face, and Aurora struggled to think of a time when she had ever seen a sight so
"My servants tell me that Renat has found his way to the infirmary," Aurora commented as she walked down the hall with Brinn, Mairwen and Zan."Is he sick?" Mairwen was worried."Did you hurt him, Your Majesty?" Brinn was quickly returning to her plucky self.The Empress looked at her friend sidelong. "Not yet. Renat seems to have taken up well with the doctor. Great minds must gravitate towards one another."Mairwen only heard the threat at the beginning of her mother's words. "Please do not hurt him! Remember that he saved my life and yours too with those special glasses. Renat is one of your most loyal subjects. Anyway, he is just a friend so there is no need for alarm." The last part was more to herself than to the others."I will reserve my judgement until after I have met him," the Empress responded, suppressing a smile. It was nice to have the tables turned after days of fretting over her daughter. 'Let her sweat a little,' Aurora thought. A
Mairwen tensed and backed away humbly. In her heart, she hoped that her mother had forgotten to punish her. Of course, the Empress never forgot anything. The princess answered quickly, "I should have been honest with you about my intentions to follow father. I should not have gone alone. I put myself and possibly the Empire in peril by my reckless actions. I submit myself to your judgement.""Not that you have a choice," Aurora reminded her. "But appreciate your graciousness. I know you have already suffered unspeakable horrors because of your choices. So I will make this brief. You will complete menial labor for the next month. You will assist in the building of the rest of those unique orange glasses and any other things that the scientist thinks will be useful in the defense of the Castle Valiant…"Mairwen nodded dutifully until the words sank in. "Wait, you will let me work with Renat?!"The Empress held up her finger. "You must always have at least T
Cafer came above ground with Alaron in a cloud of dirt. Their stops were frequent as the gnome kept having to surface to communicate with Xander via leprechaun. The messages were increasingly expensive, and Cafer was running out of coin. His frustration and greed made him decide that continuing to use magic to travel underground was his best option. The gnome had been making record time even with the extra strain from the teenage boy.Alaron stepped away from the gnome and brushed himself off. "It is a good thing I am not claustrophobic," he grumbled. "But I will admit it is fast. How much further do we have to go?""A day or two if we keep up this pace.""Will we have to go underground the rest of the way?" Alaron was obviously not fond of the idea."The other option is traveling via eagle." Cafer suggested. He was also tired of using his magic.The prince scrunched his face. "An eagle? The small bird?""No, an eagle big enough to carry bot
Alaron told the Empress his story. She was amazed by his words. However, it made his altered appearance make sense. His white hair had been gained by meeting the Maker while visiting the Mystic Spires, and his now silver eyes were earned in answer to his call."A Guardian," the Empress mused. "It is a high honor."The young man lowered his head humbly. "Not an honor I deserve, but one I will try to be worthy of.""But…it has been a year since all this happened." Aurora looked at him with a thousand questions in her eyes.Alaron nodded. "The Fates thought it best if I remained gone for a time. Let the world begin to heal. I spent the last year among the Fates in the Mystic Spires and got to know some of them quite well. But I knew that my time there had come to an end, and before I could return to take my place as a Guardian to help mend the world, I needed to mend our family first. That is, if you will forgive me." He bowed low again. "Will you?"There was a king painful silence. So l
The voice of the figure was one etched deep in Aurora's memory. It was almost as familiar to her as her own. It was the voice of a ghost now, yet the figure before her she was sure was flesh and bone."Clear the throne room," the Empress ordered.Nurlan stood behind her close to the throne with his hand resting lightly on his sword. "Your Majesty?" he asked, uncomprehending."Everyone out except him," she motioned to the cloaked man. "You may stay, Nurlan, if it eases your mind. And see if someone can find Hanna."The general quickly went to work. With the help of the other attending soldiers, every soul was removed from the room except the Empress, Nurlan and the mysterious figure. The man waited patiently, seemingly unconcerned with the flurry of activity his few words had caused.Aurora took a deep breath. While the figure had allowed them to be alone, she was still slightly scared that he might disappear at any time. "What forgiveness do you seek?""I seek the forgiveness of the
"Wake up! Rise and shine, Your Majesty!" Hanna said cheerily as she threw back the thick curtain that blocked the balcony. Light streamed into Aurora's bedchamber, but the woman pulled the covers over her head like a child. "You're back," the Empress groaned in a muffled voice. "I think it is sweet that you think I actually ever leave these days. Now get up!" Hanna yanked the covers back, but Aurora held on tightly. "Go away!" The stubborn woman wouldn't even open her eyes. She would not let the Fate win. "Where are my ladies-in-waiting?" "Anna, Bella and Candela are busy." Hanna answered unapologetically. "And my husband?" "He took over your very important duties and told everyone to let you sleep. It is a good thing I do not answer to him." Hanna fluttered her eyelashes innocently, but of course, Aurora did not see. Sensing the Fate would not give up her chipper attitude, Aurora pulled the only card she had left. It was, in the end, what made her unwilling to get out of bed "
With slow progress, the prisoners and the victorious army headed for Valiant. Since the city was still empty of human citizens, there was no fanfare or grand welcome for them. That was fine; they were all just happy to be one step closer to being home.Only a small skirmish awaited the Imperial Army from those left behind. The palace was easily reclaimed without the catastrophic results of the last battle fought there. The sight of the large human force in the wrong shade of blue made the gnomes flee immediately, and those left of the ill-named New Emperor's Army only put up minimal resistance.The servants on the inside of the palace, seeing their rescuers in sight, freed those in the dungeon and set off a myriad of traps and clever devices that had been left behind by the scientist but never deployed.One such device covered the unlucky recipient in a slimy goo that made them slip and slide, never able to stand in that area again. Renat was thoroughly chastened for it later and force
Brinn hurried to Ithel and her father in the corner of the tent. Out of respect for the king, Zoltan had a curtain hung around him, so it was only natural that Aurora had not spotted him and Ithel earlier."Father, I thought you were dead!" Brinn said a she rounded the partition. Her face went from hopeful to grim."I may yet be," Zoltan answered with a gentle smile. "However, the unicorns think I shall live, even if I am not exactly whole."Zoltan's body from the waist up seemed normal enough, but his lower half and legs looked horribly wrong. His legs and feet twisted awkwardly, and his pelvis was much flatter than it should be. The boulder from the giant had done irreparable damage."Oh Father!" Brinn eyes were wide with fear."It is not as bad as it looks. Well, maybe it is, but I do not feel any pain." The king received a cup of water from a servant. With Ithel's help, he sat up slightly to drink. The elven princess just stared, not knowing what to say or how to comfort her fathe
Brinn used her keen hearing to listen for her husband as she scanned the carnage of the battlefield. Alvar was many things, but quiet was not one of them. She was sure that with enough patience, she would hear the elf she was searching for.Along the ground, some fairies were popping in and gathering up the wounded and taking them to the healers. Other fairies had the more difficult task of collecting the dead. Separately she passed by elves who were still gathering the gnomes in groups to hold them until the peace talks were complete.It was amazing how quickly things had been organized. Brinn realized that these plans must have been made before the battle began because neither the fairies nor elves seemed to need direction or supervision.Even more amazing was the new King of the Gnomes. The timid, mousey gnome that Brinn had witnessed at the palace when she was pretending to be Mairwen was gone. The difference was night and day.Lukoss was walking around and ordering his new subjec
Justum considered her words. "I cannot control how you feel," he answered at last. "But the victory is yours. It is over. We will leave you to your tasks."Aurora stared past him with empty eyes. He was right about one thing. It was over.Turning to his fellow Fate, Justum held out his hand. "Your mission is complete, I assume," he said with an arched brow. "Either way, your banishment is over. Will you be coming back with us?"Hanna smiled demurely, "As welcoming that invitation was…" Her face changed to be one of concern as she looked at Aurora. "Now that I am permitted to see the Empress, I shall stay a while to make sure things run smoothly."Expecting an argument, Aurora was surprised when Justum simply nodded. "I understand."He turned to the fiery-haired woman and bowed respectfully. "Farewell, Your Majesty. May the rest of your reign be a peaceful one.""Thank you," Aurora curtsied, her years of training taking over. She then moved forward toward the Fate holding her son.Just
The entire company of the Fates exited through the celestial portal and filled the sky with their terrifying presence. Their light magic emanating from them was oppressive even to the other magical creatures.As soon as Hanna grabbed the Empress's arm, Aurora blinked and was instantly across the field beside the slowly waking Cafer. The Fate slapped the magic blocking cuffs on the gnome and stepped back as he came to his senses.Cafer grabbed his head, unsure of what had happened. The last thing he remembered was being blasted by a light before everything went dark.He had seen, but been unable to process, the source of the light on the other side of the battlefield. Whatever it was had power beyond anything he had ever seen.As he opened his eyes, he was greeted with a reproachful look from his least favorite Fate. He instinctively tried to use his earth magic to repel Hanna. That is when he noticed the cuffs on his wrists. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded as he stood to hi
Mairwen and Nurlan had finished dispensing with the leprechauns and were monitoring the capture of the dark blue troops. Minor skirmishes were going on here and there, but overall the New Emperor's army had surrendered."I want to know how Mother and Father are doing," the princess told the general. They both glanced behind them and toward the sea. They could see neither of the battles clearly. However, they could hear the sounds of war wafting over the Beachy plains and see that at least some of the ships were still floating in the sea. The Emperor and Empress still had work to do."A fairy will come and get you once it is safe," Nurlan assured her. "Until then, we will stay put."Mairwen sighed and bit the inside of her cheek. "The waiting is harder than the battling."Not wanting to contradict the princess, Nurlan shrugged. "The time certainly seems to go slower when nothing is happening," he mused.Listening quietly, Eira was glad for the moment of peace. There were far too few of