SAND TRAP

III

Mainu shakily pulled off his hood and looked around. He was now in a dense forest, and he could hear a stream whispering ahead of him. His eyes widened. When no other mysterious forces presented themselves to block his way, he dashed towards the sound.

After a tentative climb down a steep, muddy hill that was seemingly held together only by the roots of a few overly accommodating trees, he reached what turned out to be only a disappointing trickle of water through a much larger, rocky streambed. It had been a dry fall, one of many recent dry falls. Mainu cleaned off his hands and face as best he could, but no matter how many times he scooped up the sandy stream water, a few specks of dirt remained. His bluish-gray robe was even more impossible. He could barely see the dust, but it still grated against his arms. He would just have to make do.

Mainu didn't like making do. With a scowl that would stop an army in its tracks, he plodded back up the hill to a break in the trees. There, past the mass of brownish-orange wilderness, was a city that approximately matched his memories of Ruptia from about five years past. He growled and kicked a stone back towards the stream's incessant gurgling. After all that, he was still supposed to carry on with the quest.

Then, something occurred to him. He was promised a reward. A reward from the fates had to be something impressive. He wasn't giving up when a huge discovery in spellwriting could be the carrot dangling in front of his nose. They would have to do better than that to keep him down, he thought, heading for the nearest road.

The cobblestone roads leading to and from Ruptia were the only well-maintained ones around, and they contrasted sharply with Mainu's recently acquired grubbiness. Avoiding eye contact with the many other travelers unlucky enough to cross his path, he made his way to the city walls, where a guard let him in after a skeptical look.

During his training, Ruptia had seemed quiet and reserved, but now, it was as if the city had been reborn. Merchants shouted their wares above the not-very-dull roar of carriage wheels, horse snorts and bustling chatter, and the air smelled of fruit and freshly baked bread. Mainu cursed his lack of money and any other sort of proper preparations. He'd been meaning to visit the city that very week to shop for more writing supplies, but that would have to wait.

After passing through a grand central square with a very flattering gold statue of the king as a centerpiece, he was stopped at the outer walls of the castle. "Halt," one of the royal guards commanded, "and state your business."

Mainu pushed a lock of hair out of his face with his staff. "I've been sent on a quest by the fates," he said matter-of-factly. "I need to see the king. The princess, really."

The guard scoffed, smirking under her armor. "So, you're a suitor."

He blinked. "No, I-"

"Aren't you a little old?"

Mainu snapped, "I'm twenty-five."

The guard studied Mainu more closely. Finally, she said, "Of course. Right this way."

Mainu hesitated, but deciding a route to a quick audience with the princess was better than not, he allowed himself to be escorted across the yard and over the moat, which he noted was filled with alligators. Or crocodiles. He could never tell the difference. Once inside, he was left in a large parlor-esque room with two maids to wait. It was oddly messy, with a few scrolls on the couches and assorted snacking equipment strewn haphazardly across several tables. He fixed up what he could and sat somewhere unoccupied with his staff across his lap, directing his attention elsewhere to avoid being too bothered by the obnoxiously pink décor.

His eyes were eventually drawn to the family portrait on the wall. It included the king, who was vaguely familiar to Mainu and seemed to stare at you no matter where you were, and the queen, who looked regal but somehow sad, despite her smile. In front of them were the young princess and her two much younger brothers, and they all bore a striking resemblance to their parents, complete with bright grins, ostentatious dress and straight, dark brown hair. There was also a tall, stern man drawn slightly apart from the royal family who could have been the children's father if not for his more modest wear.

Mainu's thoughts were interrupted by a muffled squeal of excitement from outside. "Is he handsome, father? Is he?"

"We'll see, won't we?" the king sighed as he opened the door.

The princess trotted in and beamed at Mainu. He stared back at her in complete disbelief. He wasn't entirely sure if the portrait of her portrayed the same person. She looked much older than her painted counterpart, at least twenty, her hair was a frizzy mess, and she was dressed in a grass-stained pink dress with a pastel yellow painting smock on top. Both garments were speckled with a rainbow of paint colors. The king, who was wearing his crown and a much more reasonable royal purple robe with white accents, came in after her. With a look of distaste, he directed the nearest maid to remove the smock, which helped only slightly.

The princess clasped her hands together in front of her in some failed attempt at royal propriety. "Hi! I'm Ipris. Who're you?"

After Mainu caught his breath, he said, "Your Highness, my name is Mainu, but I'm not a suitor. This was just the fastest way to reach you."

Ipris cocked her head. "Are you sure?"

For better or worse- No, for much worse, Mainu decided, Ipris continued to be completely unfazed by his appearance. "I would hope your suitors come more prepared than me. I'm here to protect you. I'm a mage of the Order of the Hydra."

The king looked unconvinced, which was understandable. "Where's your emblem, then?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I came in a bit of a rush, your Majesty. The fates ordered me here."

Before the king could interject with more skepticism, Ipris gasped, "Wow, you're like a real knight in shining armor!"

"He could be anyone," the king said measuredly. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

"But he's so cute!"

Mainu sighed, "Your Highness, please-"

She giggled, showing her dimples. "Just call me Ipris."

"Ipris," Mainu corrected despite his better judgment, "I'm not here to stay. I'll be on my way once I can assess the danger and cast a proper protection spell. Until then, I need to supervise you."

The king blanched. "Absolutely-" he started.

"Yes! I've never had a mage protecting me before!"

There was a knock at the open door, and the king swiveled. In the doorway was the other man from the portrait, which had been a nearly perfect likeness. He had the same clever eyes, pointed nose and hint of a tan beard. As if speaking was a tremendous difficulty, he said, "Sorry for interrupting, your Majesty, but the queen requests your presence in her study."

"Thank you, Torval. I'll be there in a moment," the king said through clenched teeth.

"Please let him stay, father! I'm sure he's who he says he is!"

The king eyed Mainu narrowly. "Perform a chameleon spell, and you can stay," he declared.

Mainu raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry?" He hadn't expected the king to bring up such an advanced spell, especially when invisibility was practically the same. Chameleon spells were just teaching exercises, he thought in confusion as he cast one on his robe. "Like this?"

With a huff, the king left, and Ipris smiled in delight at Mainu's floating head and hands. "We're going to have so much fun together!"