The Princess of Two Worlds

chapter six

Evaline faintly remembered being held in the General's arms as he ran towards the tent. Being laid down. Her name was called many times. A cool hand pressed against her burning forehead. Something bitter being spoon-fed to her.

'Lin, my love.' A pure unmistakably recognizable voice called out.

Looking down, she noticed her dirty faded yellow dress had now changed into a sleek lilac, shimmering gown. Her hair was half up and half down, with the one accessory she could never forget - the Cinnyricinclus medal. A bright white star embedded in a bronze circle, with the words 'Via Sturnorum,' which meant 'The Way of the Starling.'

She had always wondered what that phrase meant. Sure, they had their powers and many people were in awe of that. But were they something more?

'Lin.' Her other nickname. The only person who would call her that was somewhere close. But where? The white walls around her remained bare. Whatever it was, she needed to get out of here. Pressing her hands against the walls, she focused on her goal and absorbed in all the magic, shattering the walls, and leaving her in a dark abyss.

Evaline's eyes shot open to see Arlo about to lay a cool cloth over her burning forehead. Then his eyes widened when he saw her wake up. He dropped the dripping wet rag over her face, making Ev spit out the water and groan at him. "What the heavens, Sir Arlo?"

"General! She's alive!" Arlo yelled, ignoring her protests.

Leo opened the tent and raised his eyebrows. "And how is the Princess of Alesita doing?"

She glared at him. He was mocking her. "Just peachy, thank you."

Despite his rude tone and stiff demeanor, it could faintly be seen, his eyes seemed to calm when he saw her. "That was the stupidest thing you could have ever done. And that's just putting it lightly. You've done plenty of stupid things. We would have been down a princess if I hadn't heard that splash. What were you possibly thinking?"

She looked down at her hands and scrunched the blanket in between her fingers. "I was just, well, playing."

"Playing?"

"Yes." Ev whipped her head up and looked at him firmly. "I'm a silly princess who only knows how to play. Therefore, that's what I was doing."

After a moment of silence, he sighed and nodded. "Alright. I understand you still have a fever princess, but we must leave now. Arlo is getting Jasper and soon we'll go through here."

She raised her eyebrows. "But how? The ship is too big."

"Don't worry, I've thought of everything." He said, almost cockily. "I've had them prepare a rowboat with all our necessary supplies. We'll be good to go as soon as they arrive. So get up and dress in new clothes."

Evaline looked down at her own dress and blushed when she saw how far the neckline dipped down. Pulling it back up, she cautiously moved her hand and touched the left side of her chest where the medallion once lay. Now, it had disappeared as if it was never there.

Of course, it was a dream.

The three of them met up together at the edge of the lake just as the sun's molten orange and gold rays began to come up to kiss the waves. The princess shuddered. Now she didn't want to be near the cursed body of water. Perhaps this was the cause of the trauma.

Jasper walked up to her, looking anxious. "Are you alright, your Highness? I heard about last night's events."

"I'm a little bit tired still but nevertheless doing much better." Evaline smiled. His kind tone never ceased to amaze her. It always put her at such great ease. "How was the night on the ship?"

"I've spent many nights on ships so this was nothing. In fact, quite peaceful. It is rather nice around here. Might as well move." He chuckled.

"Oh, but then Alesita would lose one of its good knights." She laughed but soon Arlo stepped in between them.

"Your Highness, are you ready to go?" He asked. Ev nodded and turned but not before hearing a sharp whisper, 'No fraternizing with the lass, Jasp. You get that?' She giggled. It was certainly a fun way to start the journey.

They stepped onto the long wooden rowboat, Leo at the back with the oars, and pushed off, the vessel breaking through the murky green waters. Evaline sat at the front, careful not to lean over too close and right into the mossy lakes. Sighing, all she could hear was the oars pushing the water back and forth and the slight gust blowing through her copper curls.

Jasper leaned back and broke the silence, "This reminds me of another time when a simple creature was calling out for us."

This caught everyone's attention. Arlo raised his eyebrows. "How? Was it like the singing monster?"

Monster. Evaline bit back her objections and continued to listen. "No, this time, it was way worse. It was more screaming. The worst screaming you could possibly imagine. We tried to sail back as quickly as possible but then a huge fireball came and flew straight forward, almost leading us out of the swamp we were in. Perhaps there was something in that marsh that that creature didn't want us to go through."

The General was quiet then said, "Well, we all need to be on our guard. We're headed into uncharted territories. Princess, here." He reached into a bag and grabbed a black leather satchel with a violet accent pattern. There was a compartment for various items and a small dagger with a magenta design on the handle. "Only for emergencies. I don't want you killing me."

She took it and touched it with care, running her fingers along the delicate seams. "Wow, thank you. You know, you should definitely teach me. It would be better for me to protect myself." She smirked.

He looked at her gently watching her unseeing eyes feel the metal knife yet most likely would not know how to defend herself except by using the power of her voice. "Yes. I suppose you're right." Then, he suddenly shook his head and looked at their current location. "Blast, where are we?"

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Well, what did we think?

Thanks for reading, my flowers <3