Heirs of the Gods

Ch 7: Never asleep, always plotting

Ella stared at her hands, folded and trembling on her lap, her damp hair wetting the back of her dress.

If she closed her eyes, she could still see flashes of her nightmare. Ella always thought it was ridiculous how dreams rarely made sense, yet they still managed to rattle and disturb just the same.

She'd dreamt that Jonas corralled her in that carriage again. Except this time, it was the body of those creatures that attacked the manor, with Jonas's head attached, lolling to the side limply, as if it had been snapped and poorly glued on top.

Just as abruptly, it had switched to a chase through the forest, where that hybrid monster tried to catch her, and Ella tripped and tumbled, unable to outrun it, no matter how fast she ran. She'd been able to smell the putrid scent of rot, the scrape of spindly claws trying to catch her, the ache of her lungs as she ran, and fear. Horrible, terrible fear.

She pressed her palms into her eyes and sighed roughly. It was a stupid dream, illogical and completely incongruous. Really, the monster in her dream looked like a child's shoddy drawing, it would be comical if she analyzed it logically. Still, it had managed to leave her shaken and nauseous, even after she took some fresh air and bathed.

A couple of knocks broke her out of her reverie. With a slightly furrowed brow, Ella opened the door to find Briar standing there, wearing a bright yellow, sunflower patterned dress and a cheery smile.

"Hello! I came to see if you were ready!" At Ella's perplexed expression, she said, "I invited you to see the lands yesterday, remember?"

Briar had, indeed, invited her to see the lands the night before. Ella had thought she'd said it as something cordial, a perfunctory comment made as a formality, such as when one promised to pass on greetings. She wasn't expecting it to be a real offer.

"Oh," her brows raised. "I thought you might be busy. Really, I don't mean to intrude on your schedule, I'm sure you have a lot to do."

Surely, the princess of a kingdom had plenty to do other than being saddled with nanny duty. And a human charge no less.

"Oh, it's no problem, really!" Briar said, waving a hand. "I was looking forward to showing you around, we never get visitors around here, I like doing something different for a change."

Her smile was genuine, as well as her kind expression. Ella was momentarily taken aback.

"Are you sure it won't be too much trouble, your highness?"

Briar scrunched her freckled nose. "Of course not! It'll be fun, I'll show you around and we can visit one of the towns nearby if there's time. And please," she said, "Call me Briar, you're our guest now."

Ella shifted on her feet and smiled tentatively, "Alright, I'd quite like that." Then she added, "Briar." She was rewarded with a bright, beaming smile.

"Good!" Briar said, clapping her hands once. "Do you like horses? The property is large, we could travel around and that way, we'll cover more ground."

"I really like horses," Ella let herself ease, smiling as well. It was hard not to smile around Briar, she found.

"Oh, you'll love it here!" Briar said, already heading down the hallway. Ella closed the door and followed along as well.

She still didn't quite know what to make of this... this kindness. It startled her, but she found herself grateful for something to do other than stew over bad dreams and anxious thoughts of her family.

It was difficult to think of dark matters when Briar chattered about the tour of the lands she'd planned. Ella found herself thoroughly entertained by her lively explanations and casual manners. Soon, she began to uncoil and engage in conversation as well.