𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝙾𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚜 | ✏️

『4』

     "Welcome to my lair," I say, spreading my arms wide to show off my hideout for the past thirty years. It's a cozy room set off of the main library, with a window looking out over the kingdom.

     The table in the center is covered with books, maps, and candles to weigh the corners down, and the walls, like the library outside, are lined with polished mahogany shelves. "Wow," Katie breathes, walking to the window to take in the view.

     From here, you can see all the villages to the west of the Castle, and on a clear day like today, you can see out to the coast. A pang of homesickness goes through me, and I wince. Usually I was okay with this view, but seeing these small children - I mean, capable Hunters - had brought back up my old memories.

     Especially ones of Brian, of running through the marketplace, nicking bread and apples. Of writing our names on the parchment, crossing our fingers and hoping we'd get chosen. Of standing on that stage, of walking into the castle, of Brian trailing his fingers over the books.

     Just like Katie. She's just like him, and the ache is so strong it hurts. I tear myself away from the window and my depressing thoughts about my late best friend and sit down at the table.

     "So," I say, clasping my hands together and indicating the largest map, spread in the center of the table. "This is the King's Forest. Maps are few and far between, since only Hunters are allowed in there, and most of them are too busy, you know, hunting, to do any mapmaking. But luckily..."

     I grimace, realizing this was probably going to be a very awkward subject. "Luckily, a certain Hunter had a perfect memory, and with his recall and my...subpar drawing skills, we created a map of the Forest."

     Katie leans forward, drinking in the details of the map. My drawing skills leave much to be desired, but the key points are there: where Trader's Road is, all the streams and clearings within the boundaries (most of which are so small they're still unnamed), and where the edges of the forest lie.

     There was also something special on the map, and Jamie is the first to see it. He touches it gently, as if he's afraid the paper might crumble beneath his finger. "Is that where you saw the witch?" he asks.

     I nod, then reconsider. "It's where we were first cornered by her," I say, gesturing at the black dot. "Brian- er, the Hunters weren't with me when I got dragged away alone, but they thought we went west."

     Katie looks me in the eye, and says, "It's okay, you know. You can say his name. I don't blame you for his death. I know you guys were very good friends, and...he cared about you a lot. If he trusted you with his life, if he trusted you enough to never tell a single soul your secret, I trust you too."

     Although I try not to show it, I'm supremely touched. A part of me that I hadn't wanted to acknowledge had been worried she blamed me. I crack a weak smile, and reply, "He did tell a soul: you. The same applies to you though; if he trusted you with my secret, then I trust you too."

     Jamie clears his throat. "This is all very touching and sweet, but can I trust you?"

     "Do you trust me?" Katie wonders.

     "Yes," he replies without hesitation.

     "Then you can trust him," she says firmly.

     Jamie nods, and we all turn back to the map. "Like I was saying," I continue, "no one really knows where I went when the witch kidnapped me. But I went west, so maybe stay away from that area when you go on the Hunt."

     "What do you mean, 'stay away'?" Katie counters. "The whole point of us being here is to expose the faery and/or the witch, and we can't do that if we're running away from the place we know she has been seen."

     "It's too dangerous," I argue. "I got us into this mess, I have to fix it. You guys are here to assist, not put yourselves in mortal peril."

     "No," Katie retorts, "we're here to help you. And last time I checked, you needed a lot of help, since you're actually almost fifty and still a fugitive from the law."

     Jamie is looking back and forth between us like he's watching some sort of show. Slowly, he opens his mouth to speak, then shuts it. Then he sighs, and says, "Okay...I don't love the idea of intentionally putting myself in 'mortal peril', but I agree with Katie. The seer said we're here for a reason, and that we're instrumental to the fulfillment of the prophecy. So we're not just your assistants - we're a part of this. You might have started this mess, but you're not alone in fixing it."

     I throw my hands up, "Fine, put yourselves in danger. I do need help, and I guess you insufferable morally-right teenagers were the perfect people to get sent to me!"

     Katie gives Jamie a big smile and a wink, and I start to wonder what I did to deserve these annoying kids. Oh, that's right. I stole a valuable magical artifact and basically started a war. Okay, I definitely deserve this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written February 1 and February 10, 2024

Word count: 904

{jamie and katie are small, annoying children and i am loving it}

{{also wtf i think of rheid as their age bc yknow he's 17 but he's BEEN 17 for 32 yrs which means he's actually 49????? i wrote this and it is still weird to me}}