The Last Princess

Chapter 48

"So...you wanna try my air thing?" Aiden asked, looking at me.

I looked at him, surprised. "Can I?" "Well, duh." He grinned with one side of his mouth. "Of course, I'd love to!" "Let's begin." He said.

According to Aiden, we were very close to the rebel camp, and would probably reach by evening. I was looking forward to it, but also apprehensive and worried about Arden and Maple. I was trying to stay positive, though.

"Okay, so visualize the air moving the way you want it to." Aiden began. "While walking?" I asked. "Close your eyes, I'll lead you." I looked at him uncertainly, but at his nod, I closed my eyes. Luckily we were in a mostly treeless plain, so I figured he couldn't get me too hurt.

I was wrong.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, bumping into a tree and messing up my concentration. "I said left!" Aiden said. "This is left." I pointed out. "Oh... oops. Okay, concentrate now." Aiden instructed. I sighed and closed my eyes again, praying he directed me correctly.

I though a ball was the easiest thing to make, so I imagined air from far coming and resting in my hands. I felt a tugging in my head. "It's working!" Aiden said excitedly. I opened my eyes to see a sphere (smaller than what I had imagined, though) filled with white winds, constantly shifting, supported by my hands.

"Wow." I breathed. Aiden laughed. "Yeah, it is amazing."

I spent most of the walk playing around with my little ball of wind, though it was tiring, and I was elated when, while eating some berries around noon, Aiden said, "We're almost there."

About two or three hours later, Aiden pointed ahead, and I could make out white flags waving in the distance. My heart gave an excited jolt as Aiden started running, me sprinting right behind him. We heard a shriek in the distance, and before we knew it, a small figure with blond hair flying out behind her was running to us, fling herself into Aiden's arms.

He swung Meadow around happily, while she giggled with excitement and relief. And then Birch and Grove were running towards us, and Grove surprised me by not going to her son first, but embracing me. When she pulled away I could see tears in her eyes. "You're all right." With a caress of my face, she enveloped Aiden and Meadow.

Birch gave me a fatherly hug, and then good-naturedly pulled his now weeping wife off of his son, to hug him himself. I watched happily, if somewhat wistfully. The feeling that I wouldn't have my parents love me like this was slowly disappearing.

When they finally broke away, I asked what I knew Aiden and I had both been dying to know. "Arden and Maple?"

Birch answered. "They sent a message yesterday. He has her, and they're coming. Soon. I don't know exactly when, though."

I think I shrank a bit when I sighed, so relieved. "Thank Nalvia."

Grove nodded, wiping her tears. "You must be tired. Why don't you eat something and then sleep?" I nodded, feeling the tiredness in my bones, but my heart would't let me sleep. What if Arden and Maple arrived in the night? I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep.

Still, Aiden and I ate a little, sitting on the ground there, before we were both ordered to sleep. Because the camp was only equipped for the rebels who lived there, we had sleeping bags on the ground. I lay on my side on the ground, one hand under my head like a pillow.

I stared continuously into the Forest in front of me, listening to the others' heavy breathing and forgetting what I was doing.

Suddenly I sat up straight.

There, coming out of the Forest were two figures. I recognized both of them.

Before I knew, she was running towards me and I was running towards her, and I collided with Maple in a huge  embrace.