Going Home

The first one up the next day is Vincent.

"Today is going to be a long day," he sighed, stretching his stiff arms. "Hey, it's time to get up, Princess. We have a lot of travel ahead of us today."

His whispered words stirred the sleeping figure next to him.

"No. Don't wanna," Roma's sleepy reply came. Vincent chuckled, admiring her sleeping form, "Well, that's too bad 'cause it's time to leave," he said, emptying the contents of his canteen on the sleeping girl.

"Eek! Vincent," Roma screamed, jumping up. "That was freezing! I'm soaked to the bone; these will take forever to dry up."

"Ha, then I guess we better get going," Leviticus said, walking back to the camp from filling the canteens up. "The faster we get going, the sooner we will be out of the forest and into the sun. Then your clothes will dry in no time," Leviticus turned to Lucy. "Do you know how long we have to get you back to the castle?"

"Um, no. I don't know what month, day, or year it is," the girl said sheepishly.

"Oh, it's the twenty-third of March, 1467. Our birthday was the twenty-second," Ava answered Lucy. 

"We only have three months. My birthday is June twenty-third," she replied in a small voice, looking down at her feet.

"That's way more than enough time," Vincent assured the now teary-eyed Princess in front of them. "We've spent enough time sneaking in and out of all the countries on the continent. We know all the shortcuts."

Roma nodded, shaking like a leaf in the wind, and started waking the others up. 

"Hey, Lucy would you like to wear some of my clothes," Ava offered "I can't imagine that what you're wearing is very comfortable." 

"Oh, yes please if it's not too much trouble."

"It's not any trouble. Here you go," Ava said handing Lucy a white cotton shirt with a pair of brown cotton pants. "I'm sorry I don't have an extra pair of boots for you. I can try to make some using magic if you want."

"That's very kind of you but it's alright I'll be ok," Lucy responded putting the clothes on over the wrapped remnants of her old dress.

Once the girls were up and ready, the group made their way toward the edge of the forest. Blissfully unaware of the evil presence spying on them from the safety of the Nimwayen castle walls. Ava felt something pulling at her mind as the group left their campsite. The dull tugging sensation grew, and as much as she tried to ignore it, Ava could feel herself being dragged into a vision. Stone walls formed where there used to be trees, and as she looked to the front, she could only see two figures: an older man and a younger man.

Next to them, a large blue crystal stood, shimmering as the last of the magic powering it was recalled to the older man's hand. His light blue tunic clashed with his black pants and boots.

"Look, Mordo," he said with a sneer. "They think that they can get her back here in three months. I don't care if they know all the shortcuts. She will not get back here; well, not alive." He turned to look at the boy next to him. Ava moved so she could see his face better. He would have been quite handsome with the short black hair falling into his crystal blue eyes, sharp jaw, and cheekbones; if his mouth wasn't twisted into a grotesque smile showing off his sharp canines. The older man turned his back and busied himself with something on the table in front of Ava. Mordo followed the older man with apprehension. The fire crackled in a grate previously hidden by the other man, throwing shadows across his olive skin, and making his amber eyes glow. Fear clouded his eyes as he spoke softly, "Master, you aren't planning on killing her, are you?"

"Oh, Mordo, when did I ever say it would be at my hand," the loud voice laced with malice bounced off the stone walls around the older man. "No, it won't be by my hand. Maybe a terrible accident will befall them, or I could always send you and him to kill them instead.'

The sweetness in the noise filling the room sent shivers down Ava's spine while Mordo shook with terror.

"B-but you said you wouldn't m-make him d-do anything like that," Mordo stuttered.

"Well, then you better hope you can get the job done before it comes to that. Now I must go see the king."

As his master ascended the stairs, Mordo fell to his knees, shaking in fear of his orders. Ava wanted to comfort him, but before she could even move, the room disappeared, and now she was staring at a large oak door. The man knocked quietly on the door.

"Come in," a quiet voice came from inside. The door opened to reveal a younger man behind a desk. He looked remarkably similar to the man next to her. "Sir Leon is here to see you, my Lord," one of the guards told the king. The king looked up, his grey eyes trained on Leon.

"Brother. What news have you brought today?"

Leon watched his brother for a second. "We have not been able to locate the Princess. I'm sorry, Liyel, but there was no trace of her in the woods."

Leon's words brought tears to Liyel's eyes. The king moved to dismiss Leon; simultaneously, Ava felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Her vision flashed white and then went dark.

When Ava opened her eyes again, she watched Leviticus's eyes, full of fear, turn to relief as he shouted, "Roma! She's awake!"

Helping Ava to her feet, Leviticus held her close, afraid she would fall again if he let go. Ava took a moment to look around. The rolling hills covered in tall grasses and wildflowers told her they had left the forest not too long ago.

"Glad to see you're awake, Princess. But, uh, how'd you manage to fall off your horse?" The question hung in the air as Ava took a couple of seconds to think over the vision she had seen. Deciding that it was not a good idea to tell everyone what she had seen until further proof was in hand, Ava answered, "Sorry. I'm just a little tired. I must have lost my balance when River stumbled over a root."

She could see it written on their faces. They didn't buy her poorly thought-out excuse. Before they could question her any further, Vincent strolled up to the group. His quizzical stare shifted from Roma to Leviticus and came to rest on Ava. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul.

"Do you think you can ride," he asked after what seemed an eternity. The simple question caught Ava off guard.

"What! No way, Vincent; Ava just got thrown from her horse. She needs to rest," Leviticus answered for Ava, his voice loud in her ears.

"Hey, it's alright, Levi. I can, Vincent. How long was I out," Ava asked Roma.

"Just a few minutes. Are you sure you're ok?" Roma's question took Ava by surprise. She sounded so concerned for a girl she had only known for a few days. It was the first time someone besides her mother and siblings showed concern for her welfare.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine, seriously. Let's get going again; we've wasted enough time already." Levi helped Ava walk down the hill, she saw that Lucy had caught her beloved horse, River, for them. "Hey, girl. Are you alright? I didn't spook you falling off like that?" she asked, gently patting the horse's velvety nose.

"I don't think she was spooked," Lucy said, returning the horse to Ava.

"Thanks for catching her, Lucy," Ava said. The group remounted and followed the river down towards the first guard post. Silver-colored fish splashed along the surface of the river, rippling the slow-moving water. 

"Levi, do you know what kind of fish those are? I've never seen anything like it," Lucy remarked from the front of the group. Her emerald eyes shone with curiosity.

"They aren't fish. They are water nymphs. They are considered one of the nicest guardians of water. If the river or lake is threatened or entered by non-believers, they become violent, just like kelpies or water gods." Leviticus answered her, "These particular nymphs are native to this river only. That's why you haven't seen them before. To enter protected waters, one must pay tribute to the being that protects it."

"Father said that they decided to take the shape of an extinct fish that used to be native to the Laadan River. I think Father called it a Laadanashi. The nymphs took that form while the Laadanashi was still around," Lorane added.

"So we are following the Laadan River?"

"Yeah. This river flows through the whole kingdom. It's the landmark that every citizen of Nakatae will know. The Laadanashi Nymphs are well known for their beauty in and out of their fish forms. Many young men try to woo the Laadanashi in hopes of marriage. So far, only one man has been able to do it," Ava told Lucy, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Really? Only one man out of all the men in the kingdom. That's amazing. He must have been an extraordinary person. Do you know who it was?" Lucy's question startled the siblings.

"Well, first, you need to understand that for a mortal to marry a Nymph, he must gain the favor of the Nymph's protecting deity. Or she must be so in love with this man that she is willing to give up the immortality given to her by the deity she worships," Roma told Lucy.

"Oh, so it's pretty hard to charm either one, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is pretty much impossible. Nymphs know that most young men are only in love with their beauty, which they only keep if they stay immortal or marry someone who truly loves them. The deity knows that these young men will leave the Nymphs as soon as their beauty fades," Vincent said, anger seeping into his words.

"Anyway, before we get off track, the man who captured the heart of a Nymph was my father, King Benedict. When he met our mother, her name was Beduna. She was crying on the bank of the Laadan River when he stopped to water his horse. Mother said he asked her what was wrong. After that, we have no idea what happened; they never want to talk about it." Leviticus said.

"Is it the same for all Nymphs?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Roma said. "Nymphs are immortal beings that are connected to nature. The devotion to their deity seals their connection to nature."

Roma's answer placated the group and eased the tension. The group continued down the riverbed, stopping to feed and water the horses and eat occasionally. 

"It's getting late. We should look for a good place to set up camp for the night," Vincent said.

"What about the guard post?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"The post is just over this hill we are stopped at. We will get there first thing in the morning, Your Highness, but for now, we all need to sleep," Roma comforted the princess, "besides, the guards have turned in for the night anyway. There's no one to report to the king. He'll want to know we made it through safely."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Lucy. It's best if we stop here for the night. We get going first thing in the morning," Leviticus added. Lucy nodded and started gathering wood for the fire. When she returned, the rest of the group had finished setting up camp. Roma was working on some vegetables for soup, and Vincent was returning from hunting.

"I couldn't find anything bigger than rabbits. So that's what we're putting into the soup. And I don't want to hear any complaining. It took forever to find these," Vincent said; triumphantly, holding up two rabbits by the ears. 

"Those rabbits look nice. Bring them over so I can prep them for the stew," Roma called out as Leviticus helped Lucy start the fire. Roma dug around her pack for a minute before pulling out a metal tripod to hang the pot over the fire. 

"Those nymphs are no joke. To fill the canteens, the pot, and water the horses, I had to give them the rest of Roma's breakfast loaves, most of the fruit, and all of the fresh herbs I had left," Lorane complained. "Anyways, here is the pot, Roma." 

The rest of the group looked at Lorane like she'd lost her mind. "They could've just drowned you instead of letting you have the water, ya know. You're lucky that's all it took. Since we are now out of herbs, you and Ava should look for some in the forest." Roma hissed at Lorane. 

"Why should I have to go?!" Lorane asked indignantly. 

"Because your less-than-desirable negotiation skills cost us the herbs in the first place. And it will be a quick job with two people looking," Roma replied sternly. Lorane rolled her eyes in response and followed her sister into the woods to find the herbs for the stew. With Lorane gone the camp is quiet save for the soft crackling of the fire and bubbling of water as Roma adds the fresh rabbit to the pot. The silence doesn't last long as Ava and Lorane return from picking herbs. 

"Look, Ava, I'm just saying he shouldn't have said that to you. You're a princess and he is a soldier after all. And, because you're a princess, he's simply not supposed to talk to you like that. Regardless of his feelings-," Ava cuts Lorane off midsentence. 

"I get it Lorane. Gods I should never have told you about it in the first place. I knew you wouldn't understand." Ava yelled at Lorane

"I wasn't trying to make you upset. I'm just concerned for you is all. You don't need to bite my head off," Lorane's concerned tone eased the look on Ava's face. She nodded her head and continued walking toward Roma. A tense silence fell over the group as they watched the two girls. As the last light of dusk fell over the camp Roma started serving the rabbit stew she made. The tense silence still hung in the air as the group started eating. Lucy was the first to break the silence. 

"So, um, what was that fight about earlier? Lorane seems pretty concerned about it, but you don't Ava," Lucy asked the two girls. 

"It's not a big deal," Lorane started, "some palace guard was escorting Ava around the palace grounds and kind of confessed his feelings for her whilst Ava was practicing her truth spell. It was an accident. She didn't even realize it had been cast on him." 

"What!" Leviticus shouted alarmed. 

"Calm down Levi, no one else was around. Nobody heard, I could barely even hear him anyway," Ava tried to calm her brother's outburst. Her comment seemed to work as he settled back into a seated position. They finished their dinner in silence. When they were finished Ava took the leftover stew and the dishes to the river to wash them. Vincent put out the fire with some water from his canteen and smothered the dying embers in the dirt. The rest of the group finished up various chores while waiting for Ava to come back. A few minutes after they saw her coming back up the hill. Once she was safely back with the group; they all went to sleep.