The Lost Stone Ring

To Love a Princess

So. Much. Walking! I am so over this. Once we get home I am going to take the longest bubble bath in the history of bubble baths and then lay in bed and let Ari wait on me hand and foot like she wishes I would let her all the time, for like a month! "Come on sweetheart, we will be there soon." Mom tells me rubbing my back as I try to fall over once more.

"I am so tired Momma. Can't we rest, just for a bit?" I ask Juri who looks ahead of us and then nods. I collapse to the ground not even waiting for something to sit on to appear, the ground is nice and I show my love for it by rolling to my stomach and hugging it as tightly as I can. "I love you ground, you always catch me when I fall!" Mom and Juri laugh at me as they both sit down on a large rock that they find nearby.

"Let's eat lunch. I know it's a bit early but it might help you get some of your strength back Mika." Mom decides and I am not arguing. Juri takes off his pack and starts to rummage around in it producing bowls of instant noodles and a few bottles of water. We fills each of the three bowls before heating them up and passing them out with forks for me and my mom and chopsticks for him. I smile happily at the noodles sitting next to my head, the smell of the beef wafting into my nose with the slight breeze that is just enough to tease but not enough to actually cool you down. Brilliant observation, Africa is HOT even in the summer. Well, winter here at the moment I guess, we are below the equator. I pull my tired body up and pick up the bowl before eating it very quickly and then chugging down the whole bottle of water that I am given next.

"I'm glad you like it." Juri teases me.

"Thanks Juri. It was good." I smile at him before I curl up into a ball. "Time for sleeps."

"Oh no you don't young lady." Mom warns. "There is no time for that. We are in open land and it is dangerous for us to stay here with no cover. There will be time to rest when we get home Mibear."

"She is right Mika, we still have a little over half a mile to walk, we need to get going soon. We have been lucky that there have been no monsters attacking us yet, but I do not expect that to last much longer. There is only so much good luck a person can have." I nod and sit up, handing my trash to my friend who sticks it back in his bag to dispose of later.

"My feet hurt. Can I fly?"

"You don't have wings dear." Mom tells me with a small smile.

"But I can apparently control the air. So with that being a thing then shouldn't I be able to fly? That is, if logic is a thing that the fae have."

"It takes years to learn that kind of control my sweet, besides, you are still weak from rescuing me." I pout once more crossing my arms over my chest, the bells jingling merrily, mocking me. I am STILL in the outfit from that party on Olympus. Unfortunately, when I get home it may have to be burned, I have apparently been in it for over a year, at the very least four days. Shame too, I really love this bright outfit, I could wear it to a festival as a Romani if I tweak it a little. It would be the envy of all the costume designers there! Maybe I can get a new one made just like it... "Wait. It's July! Juri what day is it?"

"Actually it is still June, but yes, you missed your birthday two years in a row Mika. It is the 30th. You are now nineteen."

"Nope!" I pop the 'p' at the end. "I am only eighteen because while it has been a year here I have only been not here for a few hours. so HA!"

"She is correct Juri, she is only eighteen. However you are now two years younger than Gabriel." Mom says thinking.

"Oh well, we are fae, so we will live forever and I don't have to worry about him dying on me."

"Not of natural causes anyway. These are dangerous times and Alida, though trapped and bound still has her dark minions to fight us." Juri reminds me as he helps me up and we continue on our way.