Dead princess walking, p.15
Dead Princess Walking, page 15
“Did we do the right thing?”
“Now?!” Binks shook his head. “Now you ask that? After he already left?”
“I...,” It had happened so fast. Was it the right thing? A feeling deep inside me said it was. I nodded. “This was the right thing to do. The only thing we could do.”
We settled in to wait for Harrid’s return. We had no idea how long it might take and I wished I could have gone with him. Some part of me felt this was Harrid’s path though, one he had to take on his own.
I chucked another pebble at the wall opposite me. It seemed like days had gone by since Harrid left but I knew it was only an hour or so. We’d eaten a sparse lunch as we waited. A few Goblins had refilled our water pouches for us. Growing up, there were stories of Goblins told to scare us. At first glance, I could see how Goblins may frighten a child but they were turning out to be surprisingly gentle.
“Don’t be fooled,” Miky warned when I said that. “These Cave Goblins may seem gentle but those teeth aren’t just for decoration. You do not want to cross one or dare to take their gems.”
The hollow dark that clouded his eyes made me wonder what horrors he has seen. Then I thought, might be best I didn’t know.
“How long does it take to ask a bunch of Fairies how to get past the spell??!’“ Binks growled in frustration.
“Binks,” Hunter cautioned, surprising both of us.
“Whatever. I’m going to take a nap,” He flew over to my hair. “Wake me if - when - the Goblin returns.”
Hunter sighed once Binks settled into a hammock. Cynthie switched guard with him and I asked her how long she had until her little one was born.
“Not long,” She smiled as she rubbed her belly, already a tiny bit bigger then yesterday. “Sprites only take a full moon cycle to be born.”
“That soon?!” No wonder how they could have so many and look so young.
“I’m glad this one will be born before the season changes. It shall have time to grow enough to survive the winter.”
Her simple statement saddened me. I could tell there was at least one tiny Sprite that had not survived by her wistful tone.
We fell silent again. The tension built as each minute passed.
“Should we send someone to check on them?” I whispered to Hunter who shook his head. “What if they were turned to toads?”
“Then it wouldn’t do any good to send others to the same fate.” Hunter patted my hand. “Have faith. Harrid is a warrior.”
I wanted to ask Hunter how he knew that but didn’t. I could tell it was something other warriors can sense and I wouldn’t be able to understand. I just wished I had his calm while we waited.
A little bit later the ground began to shift in front of my feet. I must have dozed off because the soft vibrations woke me up. I scrambled to my feet, the same time as Hunter. Either it was Harrid and the two Goblins returning or it could be a new danger for us to face.
Guess which one I was hoping it was.
“What?” Binks mumbled from my hair. “Are we there yet?”
Ignoring Binks, I stared at the spot where I felt the floor shifting. I didn’t realize I was gripping Hunter’s wrist until he tried to pry my fingers from it.
“A little lighter, Princess,” Hunter gritted out.
“Whoops!” In the time I looked away, the two Goblins had popped through the earth.
“Harrid?” He wasn’t with them - at least not yet anyways.
“He’s on his way,” The Goblin with a nose the size of a plate assured.
“Did he find the Fairies?”
“Oh, he found them all right,” The Goblin grinned and started to laugh.
“You won’t believe what happened,” The other Goblin with four arms added before she started laughing too.
“He was turned into a toad?” I gasped, assuming the worse.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
“W
hat?!” They gasped, realizing how what they said sounded like.
Before they could elaborate, the ground shifted and out popped Harrid.
“Harrid!” I shouted much louder than I had intended.
Binks jolted from the noise and tumbled out of my hair. He must have fallen back asleep. He managed to spread his wings and catch an up draft before he hit the ground.
“What?” He sneezed, then shook the sleep from his eyes. “What I’d miss?”
“Nothing yet,” I could barely contain my relief that Harrid made it back.
“Oh, hey, they made it!” Binks cheered when he saw the three Goblins. “No one got turned into toads!”
“It was close there for a moment,” Harrid shuddered as he recalled what happened when the Fairies first saw him.
“But you talked to them?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Harrid rubbed the back of his neck, not really making eye contact with anyone.
“So what happened?”
“You should have seen it, Princess,” The first Goblin eagerly began talking. “There we were, deep in the castle, when they spotted us!”
“I’d never seen anything like them,” the other Goblin chimed in.
“Three of them there were!”
“Pink, blue, and purple they were!”
“Flying around, guarding the door to Briar Rose’s bedchamber.”
“One turned into a dragon when she saw us, she did!”
“A pink dragon!”
“We barely missed the fire!”
“Harrid pushed us out of the way!”
“Right into her bedroom doors,” The second Goblin rubbed one of her elbows, where I imagined she’d bruised it.
The other one demonstrated getting shoved and falling through the door.
“We fell hard, we did. As flames roared above us!”
“Harrid rolled us into her room before pulling the door closed and locking out the dragon!”
I was getting dizzy turning my head between them but there was no way I was going to stop them.
“That’s when we saw her,” The first said in a reverent tone.
“Laying on that bed, not moving!”
“We thought it had to be Briar Rose!”
“Such a beauty, if you like humans, that is.” I detected a slight envy in the second Goblin’s tone as she gave Harrid a side eye.
“Harrid was quite surprised to see her!”
“He gazed at her longer than what’s passing.”
“Then the Fairies flew in, right angry they were!”
“Wanted to know how we got by their spell!”
“That’s when Harrid told them that’s why we’re there!”
“He explained that you needed to get to the Quelling Fields and wanted something to get through without falling asleep.”
“The Fairies were plum fit to be tied at how Harrid had gotten past the bramble and thorns, not to mention the spell.”
“They circled him, throwing questions at him faster than he could answer!”
“They backed him right up to Briar Roses’ bed, until he stumbled!”
“That’s when he touched her, to catch himself!”
“The Fairies stopped peppering him with questions when he did!”
“For her hand changed beneath his touch!”
My eyes grew wide at what that could mean. Hunter sucked in a sharp breath as well. Binks made a loud sound that was a cross between laughter and a donkey baying.
“Eeeeewee! Harrid, no way!” Binks buzzed over to him. “Is that true?”
Harrid’s blush flushed his cheeks a deep red as he shifted his feet, kicking a loose pebble before looking up again.
“They have to be wrong.”
“No, Prince Harrid, we saw it. We all did,” The first Goblin insisted. Harrid paled as he did so.
“That’s the only reason they gave us these!” The second Goblin held up two bottles in each of her four hands.
“Because you can wake the Princess!”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Harrid protested. “It was probably a shift in the light.”
For reasons I could only begin to fathom, Harrid was denying that he could be the one to break the spell. I could almost guess as to why but that’s all it would be - a guess. Why would he be denying it? Briar Rose was said to be quite the beauty before she touched that spindle. But the spell was meant to last a Thousand Years. Maybe that’s why Harrid was denying it.
“If I could wake a princess, I don’t know that I’d be so quick to deny it!” Binks pointed out, only to get hit in the head by a pebble Cynthie threw at him. “Ow! Baby! I was talking as if I was him!”
Binks flew off to charm her out of her tiff.
“He has a point,” Hunter said into the quiet. “It is said only a true love’s kiss can wake the sleeping beauty. To be the true love of a Princess is no small thing.”
“How can I, a Goblin Prince, possibly be the true love of a human princess?” Harrid scoffed.
And there was the reason why he was denying it.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
“B
ut the Fairies didn’t seem to mind!” The first Goblin moved closer as he continued. “They only gave us the bottles on the promise Harrid returns to break the spell!”
“They promised dire consequences if he doesn’t,” The second Goblin whispered.
“Harrid?” I worried what fate I had sent him to. One task and his world may have been forever changed.
“Don’t worry about it,” He waved his hand in dismissal. “They gave me time to save my father and help you. I’ll go back; try, fail, and they will see they were wrong.”
“His shirt is singed!” Binks shouted. “There really was a dragon!”
Binks flew up from behind Harrid who had turned when Binks said that. There were holes in his shirt, blackened and tattered, some still giving off the scent of smoke. Covering my mouth, I shook my head, amazed he had survived.
“You could have been hurt.”
Harrid turned before I could touch him, gently capturing my hand.
“We all stand to be hurt if you do not succeed, Princess. I was not hurt and we have your potion to get past the spell.” He gave me a lopsided grin and I could tell he was not comfortable with all the focus and attention.
“Your bravery today will be remembered,” I lightly curved my hand along his jaw. “You might be surprised when you go back to Briar Rose.”
Harrid chuckled.
“Don’t tell me you’re a matchmaker, too. My parents have been after me to settle down for a couple years now.”
“Princess,” Hunter broke in. “We should get going. We’re losing light.”
“Okay, so how does this work? Did the Fairies tell you what we’re to do with the potion?”
“They did!” The Goblins cried.
“Take the potions before you pass the bramble and you will not sleep!”
“Save a few, for you may need them to get out.”
“Wait - they want us to save a few. Why?” Hunter stepped up to the Goblin holding the potions, making her a little nervous.
“The Fairies did not say. Just to save some.”
“But, there’s only eight!”
“Is there more?” I asked, taking a bottle and holding it to the light. The potion swirled in the bottle as I turned it. Pale luminous shades of pink, blue, and purple reflected the light as I moved it.
“No, that is all the Fairies gave us.”
“I can wait here,” Cynthie volunteered.
“Us too,” Miky and Bells floated by her.
“I’ll stay with them,” Clove added.
“Cynthie?” Binks flew over to her, his wings turning a deep blue. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“It’s all right, Binks. You will come back to us in no time.” Her smiled held a warmth of love and pride.
“I’ll protect her, Dad,” Miky assured. “The Princess needs you. Celestia said so.”
This was making me wish I could tell them all to stay behind. We could do this - Hunter and I. We could, couldn’t we?
Hunter caught my expression and I couldn’t tell if he thought they should stay behind or not.
“Miky is right,” I almost fell over when Hunter said that. “I’m sorry, Binks, but there’s a reason Celestia wants you with the Princess.”
I was impressed with how Hunter resisted adding that he didn’t have a clue why. It was completely there in his tone but he did manage not to say it.
Binks was just as shocked as I was. He dropped a foot before he caught himself.
“Yea, but those bottles don’t look Sprite sized! What if we can just share one?” Binks spun to ask the Goblins and Harrid, “Did you tell them there were Sprites going?”
“We did!” The Goblins said in unison.
“And?” Hunter asked.
“That is all they gave us.” The girl Goblin held up her four hands as she shrugged.
“They said nothing about sharing or if the Sprites should take a little bit.” The first Goblin looked worried they’d done something wrong.
“What happens if you take too much?” Binks asked.
“What happens if you take too little?” I asked. “Can the potion wake you up?”
“I don’t think they know the answers to any of these questions,” Hunter sighed. “It’s up to you, Binks, what you want to do and what you want to risk.”
“Gimmie a minute,” Binks said as he flew over to the potion bottle. He stared into the liquid, as though he was hoping it would tell him the answers. He looked at Cynthie as he said, “No one thinks about Sprites when they’re making something. For all we know, I’m immune to the spell.”
“You’d find out fast enough when we reach the bramble.” Hunter mumbled.
“Yeah,” Binks got a light in his eyes that scared me a little. It meant he had an idea. “Yeah, that’s it!”
“What’s it?” I asked, warily.
“Let’s wing it!”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
W
inging it meant exactly how it sounded. Binks wanted to know if he was immune to the spell like the Goblins. He figured if he passes out, one of us could give him the potion.
Since we didn’t know if the potion would work or not, it was a big risk. I offered Iris the option to stay in the tunnel with the others.
“No, I’ll go,” Iris didn’t seem all that worried. “I’m the only one small enough to get the potion in him if he passes out. But, I want to drink mine before I go.”
“So, that’s four right there. That leaves us with four more.”
“Three more,” Harrid said with firm determination.
“No.” I stated just as firmly. “Your people need you.”
“And you’ll need me to get through the brambles and thorns.”
“You can’t be the only one who knows how to get through them.”
The girl Goblin that had held the potions cleared her throat.
“I’m the only one I’m allowing to go.”
“AH-HEM!” The Goblin cleared her throat much louder this time.
“Not now, Nettie!” Harrid snapped.
“Yes, now!” Nettie moved up in front of Harrid. “The Princess is right. You’re needed here. Not just for your people, or your father, but to come rescue us if we don’t make it back. I know the way. Probably better than you do!”
I didn’t like the idea of not making it back but she had made a great argument about Harrid needing to stay behind in case we do need to be rescued. From his wide eyes and silence, I think he knew that, too.
“Fine.” He gritted out, waving Nettie ahead of him.
“Okay, then. We have three left. Wait, it’s still four because Nettie shouldn’t need one!” I nodded as I handed out the little bottles of potions. They fit in my palm and were only a couple inches tall.
“I was wondering when you were going to remember that,” Binks muttered. “I think the Prince wanted to pocket one for later.”
The blush that colored Harrid’s cheeks let me know that Binks was right. I wanted to be mad at Harrid for the deception but I didn’t blame him. Now I saw his trying to come with us in a different light.
“You were going to pretend to drink the potion, weren’t you?”
“Yes,” He looked me straight in the eyes when he answered me.
“Why?” Hunter demanded to know.
“Because this potion is a powerful gift from the Fairies. Having the antidote to the spell could be very useful in the future,” Harrid explained.
“But you’re going to break the curse, so you won’t be needing that bottle,” I held out my hand, waiting for him to place it in my palm. He held onto it when my fingers wrapped around the bottle.
“You don’t know that for sure,” Harrid allowed me to see the fear in his eyes. I tugged hard and he let go of the bottle.
“Well, you might start changing that attitude because now you should be hoping you do.”
I pulled my pack around my shoulder and stuffed the four bottles into my rolled up clothing hoping it was thick enough to protect them. The others had remained silent during the exchange, waiting I think to see who won. I turned with my bottle and headed to the door.
“So, we’re doing this? We’re drinking the potion?”
Hunter and Iris nodded at me. I popped the cork and a little smoke wafted out. Scrunching my face up, I took a cautious whiff.
“It smells like sweet summer berries!” I exclaimed in surprise.
Hunter uncorked his bottle and took a whiff too, nodding with a lopsided smile as he did.
“Bottoms up!” I was nervous about what it would taste like and if it would hurt. I decided to down it all in one big slug from the bottle.
It tasted just as it smelled. The sweet flavor lingered on my tongue and I felt warmth spread through my fingertips.
“I think it’s working,” I smiled at Hunter, checking to see if he felt anything too. He had swallowed it all at once as well. “I feel a happy warmth.”
