To Drown In Icy Depths

The rescue of the princess

It was autumn, the frosty bitter-cold winter drawing ever nearer in Aurelia, bringing promises of sparkling white snow and shards of ice that looked like crystals.

But for now, most trees still held their leaves, though the ground was carpeted with golds and browns and reds. The swallows were still in their trees, not yet departing for warmer lands. And the sunlight sifted through the branches of the small wood in the House of Aurelia, dappling the ground with spots of light.

I ran through all of this, shrieking with laughter in my little buttercup yellow dress. The hem is stained with mud and there's a small tear near the bottom of the skirt. But that's what happens when you give adventurous seven year-olds fine dresses and hardly any rules.

My hair, which was a lighter brown in my youth, is tangled with yellow ribbons that once fastened my braids. My cheeks are rosy and chubby, my cheekbones having yet to emerge.

Suddenly, Caelum dashes into view.

He's tall, and gangly, his pale blonde hair just as messy as mine.

"Princess!" he yells importantly, taking an air of superiority, "Don't worry princess, I, Prince of the fae, will save you from the barbaric gypsies of the forest!"

I had no idea what barbaric meant, but it sounded like a cool word. I quickly composed myself to play my part in our little game.

"Please hurry my prince!" I tell him, "The gypsies said they're going to give me to their enchantress...Elira!"

I swing myself into a tall, broad oak tree and scramble through the branches, snagging my dress and tearing it even further. Finally, I reach the highest point I can climb too and seat myself in a fork in the branches.

"Quickly, quickly!" I call to Caelum, "The enchantress is coming!"

He scrambles up the tree after me, climbing up to me and then bowing.

"You're safe now, princess," he tells me.

Suddenly a wonderful plot twist comes in to my head and I begin to laugh cruelly.

"I have fooled you, prince of the fae," I cackle, "I am not your beloved princess, I'm the enchantress Elira, and I will kill you!"

Caelum leaps back, aghast.

"What have you done with my princess?" he demands bravely.

"She is tied underneath the bridge..." I invent. He knows which bridge I mean, the majestic one further along this path. "When the tide comes in, she will drown!"

"No!" says Caelum.

"Yes!" I reply, "And now pretend I'm using my dark magic to create lots of wolves and bears." I tell him, "And they're all attacking you."

I make a complicated enchantress-like gesture with my hands and then thrust my arms at him. I can almost envision myself, hair floating and spiralling around my head, my arms and legs tattooed with runes and spells, and my lips as black as death.

Caelum begins slashing wildly with a stick; his fae sword.

"Now pretend that I've killed all the bears and wolves," he says, and begins to climb towards me.

"You cannot defeat me!" I say in mock anger.

"I can!" he says, his eyes twinkling, "Because I know you're weakness enchantress." - I feign surprise - "In my hand, I have the heart that you cut out when you first started to do dark magic. And in my other hand, I have my sword..." - he brandishes his stick - "...Goodbye enchantress!"

And with that, Caelum plunges the stick into an invisible object in his other hand, and I pretend to die, choking on blood and gasping for breath, my body writhing, until I finally fall silent.

"Now for the princess!" says Caelum.

We both scamper out of the tree and I jump onto Caelum's back. He runs to the bridge, where I hastily pretend to be tied underneath it.

"Help!" I call, "Help!"

Caelum jumps under the bridge, his stick held high. He slashes through the imaginary ropes binding me to the bridge and we both stand up.

"You're safe now princess," says Caelum and we both smile giddily.

We make our way out from under the bridge and start walking back towards the wood.

"You were so brave!" I tell him, "How can I ever repay you?"

He flashes me a cheeky grin.

"Come back to me to the land of the fae in the Hinterlands." he asks, "And there's something else I want Edie..."

"What Caelum?" I ask him.

His grin widens.

"You have to give it to me, ok?"

"Ok," I reply.

"You swear?" he asks.

"I swear."

"Good."

"So what do you want?" I ask him.

"A kiss," he tells me.

"No!" I say, "I'm not giving you a kiss!"

"You have too," he tells me, smiling wickedly, "You swore you would."

"But I didn't know!" I whine.

"That's your own fault," he replies smugly.

"Fine," I say grumpily, and I lean over and place a shy peck on his cheek.

And then I run away.

I open my eyes. It's late, so late it's getting early.

I'd forgotten this memory. Perhaps blocked it out because I thought it embarrassing.

I role over and fall back to sleep.