SAND TRAP

X

It began to rain. Ipris and Mainu dodged between the typically trod paths of the night guards until they reached the princess's room, and she let him in, sitting in front of her mirror to tug at a knot in her hair by the light of a single candle. Mainu leaned on his staff and stayed quiet, waiting for her to think of something to say. When she remained free of her usual quips, he said, "Where would you like me to be?" She gestured to an armchair with her chin.

As Mainu leaned back in the well-cushioned chair and gathered an offensively soft pink blanket around his legs and chest, it occurred to him that he wouldn't be sleeping at all that night, despite his tiredness. Ipris didn't seem eager to rest either. He held back a yawn, and when the silence grew too heavy, she spoke. "Mother is wrong about the drought."

He nodded. "I know. It's bad out there."

"I can't believe they still don't get it. Father-" She stopped herself. "The king doesn't care about anything anymore."

Always the realist, Mainu replied, "He cares about Ruptia."

"Of course. Because it's all he sees," she scoffed, putting away her brush. "Did you see the huge statue of him? It's new."

"I think I did."

"What a waste," Ipris huffed. "Just like all his animals. They need to be fed, you know." She shook her head. "These days, it's all about the city, and the gardens, and his perfect queen and princes." A sparkle of candlelight traveled down her cheek as she stared sternly at her reflection, and her eyes narrowed. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm not meant to rule. I'm still so childish."

"I don't know about that. It's definitely not childish to have your own opinions on such political issues."

Her gaze dropped to her lap. After a long pause, during which Mainu tucked the blanket in around him, she broke the silence again. "Have you ever had to question everything you've ever known?"

Mainu frowned and thought. "Maybe when I found out I was a mage," he offered. "My whole world changed. My parents weren't mages, but I defied the odds."

"Magic is genetic?" Ipris cocked her head. "I wonder if the king passed his to me, if he really is a mage."

"It's possible. Were you ever tested?"

"No. I've hardly ever even seen magic. Not since I was little." She sighed, licking her dry lips. "Things weren't always like this. The king used to be playful. Fun. He used his magic, with us, at least, and there were mages in the castle all the time."

Mainu raised his eyebrows. "So, something changed?"

"I don't know what. Around when Aries was born, the magic disappeared. Mother started to spend every spare moment in her flower garden, and the king stopped talking to me like he used to. But he was still my father. I never could have dreamed-" She sniffled and covered her face with her hands.

Mainu and the blanket considered each other. Then, he pushed it to the side and got up, putting a hand on Ipris's shoulder. Nothing needed to be said. She stood and cried quietly into his robe, clutching him tightly, and he wove his fingers into her chocolate-brown hair. The rain fell faster.

"I only had Torval," she shuddered. "Nobody else understood."

"Well, you have me now." He tucked her head under his chin and closed his eyes, trying not to cry himself.

"Are you really going to fight the king?"

"If I have to," Mainu told her with the conviction of the firmest promise, "but we don't know for sure if he's coming." Ipris's shoulders sagged, and he said, "You should go to sleep. I'll keep watch, don't worry."

When the princess was safely under the covers and her breathing had slowed, Mainu returned to the chair. Not an instant after he sat down, someone knocked softly on the door. He sprang to his feet, magic at the ready, but it didn't take too long for him to realize that a murderous monarch wouldn't announce his arrival. He opened the door, and Torval smiled at him. His eyes were shining. Confused, Mainu let him in.

"I figured I should help however I can," the manservant explained, not bothering to keep his voice down. "You shouldn't face the king alone." Mainu put a finger to his lips and glanced towards Ipris, but Torval only chuckled. "She doesn't wake up to anything. It's all right."

They both sat. Mainu repossessed his suspiciously fuzzy blanket, and Torval wrapped another one around his shoulders. The tension in the room could be sliced with a sword. Desperate for something to occupy the time, Mainu racked his mind for a topic of conversation. Eventually, something came to him. "What were those diagrams on your walls for?" he asked. Torval nodded unhurriedly, as if acknowledging how good a question that was, but he didn't reply. "Are you trying to swap two people's souls?"

"You're quite observant," Torval observed.

Mainu decided that was close enough to a yes. "Why?"

Torval looked around the room. Anywhere but at Mainu. "Everyone has their pet projects."

"Not ones that they hide away underground."

"I don't have a choice. The king uses his network of servants to monitor the entire castle," Torval explained, gesturing broadly with his hand.

Mainu replied, "Why would King Enri care?"

"Fates, you really are nosy," Torval said under his breath.

"I'm just trying to figure out how much I should trust you."

Torval's voice took a darker turn. "And what if you're prying a little too far?" Mainu shrugged, trying to hide his intrigue, and the manservant's eyes traversed past the closed window, the closed door, and Ipris's still form before landing on Mainu's curious face again. Torval deflated. "I suppose it doesn't matter. Tonight decides it."

Mainu sat up a bit straighter. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You know how-" Torval tried again. "There's a reason I call Ipris-" He massaged his temples. "That spell wasn't the first-" Mainu gave him a concerned look. "I'm sorry. I've never told anyone this before."

"It's all right."

"I'm her father."

Mainu's eyes had never been more circular. "You're what?"

"No, no, not like that," he stammered, holding up his hands. Thunder rumbled outside as the atmosphere became too thick for even the sharpest blade to nick. "Let me start from the beginning." Mainu was on the edge of his plush seat. "The king told you that I was a dangerous mage, right? That was sort of true. About ten years ago, Torval had become very skilled in the ways of magic, more skilled than me, and-"

"You're not Torval?"

"I'm getting there. Torval wanted my power for himself. So, he taught himself difficult spirit manipulation magic, and when he had his chance, he swapped souls with me."

"That's possible?" Mainu's mouth dropped open.

"With years of practice, yes. I've learned that none of the souls of the horses are where they should be." Torval, or, at least, whoever was in Torval's body at the present moment, laughed mirthlessly. "So, I've been trapped in this body, and I've dedicated a large portion of my life to learning how to switch us back. I just completed the spell. That's why I'm here."

Mainu was slowly putting the misshapen pieces together. But something was still missing. "Wait. If Torval took your body, who does that make you?"

"King Enri the second, at your service," he replied. "One could say I'm a little far from home."

Ipris sat up. "What?"