Always Be Appreciative of Opposable Thumbs

Chapter Two: Tall Tales and Stargazing

 Willow held on to the few remaining cabbages in the cart as it bounced over rocks and divots. She had wanted to help Hugo pull, but he insisted that she keep the cabbages from falling overboard. Though she suspected he just didn't trust Princess Sera with his produce.

Speaking of the princess, she was lounging in the cart, mouth wide open in a yawn, her legs crossed in a most unladylike fashion. While she did not match the image that most had of a princess, Willow knew better than anyone that not all people fit into neat little labels.

The cart rolled over another bump, and a cabbage catapulted into the air. Willow leapt forward and managed to catch it before it hit Hugo in the head. He peered over his shoulder at her, an eyebrow raised, and she offered him a quick smile. With the cabbage safely subdued, she settled back into the cart.

"So how long have you two been married?" asked Sera as she picked some wax out of her ear.

Willow felt her face go red. "Married? We're not married. I mean, we're only seventeen."

"So? I know kids younger than that who've gotten hitched."

"Well, we're not. Hitched. Married. Whatever."

Sera grinned wickedly. "Ah, living in sin, then?"

"No!"

Hugo glanced back at Willow's sudden outburst and cast her a questioning look.

She cleared her throat, her cheeks getting hotter with every second. "I mean, no, we're not . . . that is to say, we're . . . um. . ."

"Friends," Hugo said.

"Friends who live together?" Sera asked.

Willow sighed. "It's a long story."

"Long and unbelievable," Hugo added.

"I'd believe more than you'd think," Sera mumbled.

"So, Princess Sera," Hugo said, "tell us a little bit about your life."

"My life?"

"Yes, your life. You claim you're from Elaric, right? That you're their princess, in fact. So tell us about it."

"Well, you know. It's a kingdom. It belongs to my family. It's got . . . people. And . . . houses." Sera sat up. "To be completely honest, I've lived a pretty sheltered life, so I don't know a whole lot about the kingdom itself."

"What do you mean by 'sheltered'?"

"I was banished to a tower when I was sixteen."

Willow gasped. "Banished?"

"Well, I might be exaggerating a tad. I was put there for my own protection. But it felt like banishment."

"What were they protecting you from?" Hugo asked.

"It's quite an interesting story. Long, too."

"We have nothing else to do."

"Well, once upon a time, there was a beautiful, talented, charming princess."

Hugo snorted, but Willow smacked him upside the head.

"She was envied by every maiden and desired by every dashing lad. Fairies begged her parents to allow them to be her godparents, and knights longed to win her hand in holy matrimony.

"Unfortunately, this amazing princess also attracted the attention of a power-hungry king from a neighboring land. He demanded that her parents let him marry her. When they refused, he threatened to take her by force. So, in order to protect her, they sent her away to a tall tower in the middle of a forest, guarded by fifty soldiers. The princess was supplied with all she needed for four long years. Except for freedom. And a good ale."