The Rokkoh Adventures

Rokkoh and the Princess, Chapter 8

Birds sing in the garden. The sun shines spectacular. The grass is soft under my bare feet. The breeze like the caress of a sweet kiss covers my unashamed exposed skin. Again, she sits at the little river. She has brown skin now, naked, kneeling at the water. But the scars on her back are too familiar. The lines of variant size and degree that mar the otherwise gorgeous skin remind me of my own. All rebellious and unruly tenants in the Tower of Lost Children were bequeathed such markings. I could recount the offense for each of these particular ones as if they were my own. Ours were often earned together, most of the stories one and the same. Though they are rarely on display, I recognize that they belong to Kym.

Her name escapes me as I draw near, kneeling next to her. Her face is hidden by her dark hair, but she looks down at her hands. She turns a golden circle over and over, her hands covered in red and staining the metal. All around, short spikes hold emeralds that have lost their shine. One by one, she plucks out the gems and tosses them into the brook. Soon, the crown loses its last jewel, yet Kym continues to fiddle with the thing. I say her name again, soft and loving and wanting. Her head snaps, her black hair skirting as her eyes meet mine. Her face, from hairline to chin, drips with blood. Fire razes cities in those dark eyes. I stretch out a hand to hold her face, hoping to calm the vengeance in her. The crown breaks in her fingers, the little pieces tinkling together as they hit the ground. The sound echoes through the meadow and grows loud until it is all I can hear.

There is no way to tell the time of day when my eyes open to the Jerl. Torvald is on his feet, staring at something on the wall. Evalina sits up, looking at it too. For a moment, I'm certain the ringing is the broken crown from my dream. But, in the low light, some tiny thing shines next to the ladder.

The bell.

Dammit.

"Up the ladder," I order, jumping off the bed.

For a moment, Torvald doesn't move. When I repeat myself, louder and rougher, he obeys. I crack open the door, finding nothing and no one waiting in the hallway. Closing the door with a silent click of the lock, I scoop up the princess and head up and out. To our luck, our carriage waits for us in the bright morning sun. Torvald takes the reins and, once the princess and I are safe inside the carriage, gets us moving westward. As we leave Red Bear behind, my thoughts go to the goblin of the Ursa Lodge. I pray a protection for him and hope it does not arrive too late.

"Rokkoh?" her little voice comes in the settling calm.

"What is it, little one?" I smile to her.

"Potty," she answers with a blooming frown.

"Oh." I am at a loss for words. For some reason, I had overlooked such a simple necessity. If the boy or myself needed to go, we could just pull over and take care of our business. But with her being so young, we're lucky she could even ask.

"Pull over," I command, poking my head out the door so Torvald can for sure hear me. He obeys, slowing us to a stop. I step out, guiding Evalina into the brush.

"Do you need any help or anything?" I ask, awkward.

"No, tank too," she says, minding her manners despite her little still-learning impediment. She steps into the shrubbery, her little footsteps politely asking the tall wild plants to let her pass through.

Movement stops for a while, and then picks up to the east. It starts, stops, starts again. Erratic, unnatural, unlike any animal I have ever encountered. Through the dense tall trees, I cannot see the shape of what moves. With a hand ready to let Lavender breathe again, I enter the green. I move toward the uneven steps, careful of my own footfalls as to not betray my presence. They move, I move. They stop, I stop. All the while, I keep an ear out for the princess. She has not moved for quite some time, and a new worry fills me. Could someone have gotten to her? Did she find a bush of poisonous berries and eat a handful?

"Hi!" she beams up to me. The knot in my gut loosens; from what I can tell, she is unharmed and there are no berry juice stains on her tiny hands.

"Hey there, little one," I smile back to her. "All done?"

"Yeah," she nods, her bow bouncing again. She raises her arms to me. "Hungry, please."

"We'll get you something to eat," I promise, picking her up. "Any requests?"

"Umm," she thinks as we head out of the woods. "Brekky!"

"Brekky it is," I chuckle. She offers a little giggle, and my heart melts. We cross the edge of the trees and rejoin Torvald. I get the princess settled back into the carriage and circle back.

"No trouble, I take it?" he says, climbing back to his seat.

"No trouble," I tell him, watching the silent trees. "Stop at the first inn or town we come across. She needs food."

"Oh, maybe some place that has bacon, or hotcakes?" Torvald suggests as he, either consciously or otherwise, rubs his gut. "Or both!"

"Better get us there fast," I crack a grin at him. "You're making me hungry."

Something shines in his eyes, his own smile spreads a little wider on his face, but he does his best to muffle it as soon as it comes. I could be wrong, but it could have been a glint of happiness, or some sort of satisfaction. Making a mental note to hold back at giving him a smirk, I climb back into the carriage. We take off before the door closes.