The Phoenix People

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Does it hurt?" Glimmer asked, the curiosity that laced her voice similar to that of a child's as she gestured to Griffin's side.

"Yeah," he replied, offering her a weak grin. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Glimmer stood - we had settled ourselves on the ground - and walked over to Griffin. Kneeling beside him, she leaned over his stomach, so close that her nose brushed his bandaging. She whispered something so quietly that only Griffin heard it. His face contorted with the obvious effort of trying not to laugh.

As she returned to her horse, preparing it to carry her and Griffin back to camp, I leaned close to the latter. "What did she say?"

"'Get better, tummy,'" Griffin quoted, a fond grin splitting his face.

I smiled as well. At first, Glimmer's strangeness had been off-putting, but now it was nothing if not endearing.

"Griffin, I was thinking of giving you a knockout spell - to make the ride more comfortable," Annamarie suggested. Her mood had skyrocketed since Glimmer had appeared.

"That's not necessary, Anna," Theo broke in. "I have sleeping leaves."

"I kind of want to make it up to Griffin. For, you know, dropping him," Anna pointed out.

Theo chuckled. "Fair enough."

"Yeah, you kind of owe it to me," Griffin teased.

"So, Glimmer," Melody called out to the woman, "how did you know to come rescue us?"

"I didn't." Glimmer turned from her horse, smiling brilliantly. "I just felt like popping in and saying hey."

I grinned. Glimmer's strangeness had actually saved us. Perhaps her mental state wasn't all bad.

Melody, however, pressed her lips together tightly and I could tell she was very worried. "Glimmer, were you cleared to come out here?" she asked in a carefully controlled voice.

Glimmer frowned. "Cleared?"

"You have to get clearance to leave camp, let alone take a horse," Melody explained, continuing to deliberately restrain her tone.

"You didn't have to get clearance," Glimmer retorted quickly, her voice taking on the slightly panicky air of a child who senses punishment right around the corner.

"Yes, I did. We got it from the Council. Glimmer, these rules have been in place since the beginning. People are probably worried about you."

Glimmer bit her lip. "Oh."

"We need to get you back to camp, quickly," Melody told her urgently. "You'll take Griffin with you - do you know if Anna's father is in camp?"

Glimmer's expression brightened. "Yes, he is!"

Melody breathed a sigh of relief and Anna bounced up and down happily. I, too, was excited to meet the mysterious Highborn that was Anna's father. I wondered if I had ever met him - he was, after all, a Highborn like myself, and from the scanty descriptions of him that I had heard, he was high up the social ladder.

Theo and Melody helped Griffin onto the horse behind Glimmer. They fastened him to the woman and Anna rendered him unconscious with her spell.

Theo, Melody, Anna, and I watched the horse weave its way through the trees, back towards camp.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't feel very safe, sending Griffin off with Glimmer," Theo murmured.

"You're worried? How do you think he feels, strapped to the woman's back and out cold?" Melody pointed out dryly.

"She'll be fine, Melody," Theo reassured her gently, and suddenly, I  realized that Melody's anger towards her friend was working to mask her true feeling - worry.

"I know. Everyone loves her," Melody replied, sighing wearily.

"So what now?" Anna asked.

"We wait," Theo answered grimly.

"Hopefully, they'll be back by nightfall," Melody added, although I could tell that there wasn't a large chance of this by her dismal tone of voice.

To be completely prepared, we packed up our belongings, burying the stretcher under a few layers of twigs and leaves. That did not take very long, however, and we were then left to the gaping hours before us.

Theo and Melody departed to find sticks for sword fighting practice, leaving Anna and me alone. In the suddenly awkward silence, my stomach took the inopportune time to roar loudly.

Anna hid a giggle behind her hand. "I'm guessing this isn't really the lifestyle you're used to, Princess?" Her tone was teasing, but not unkind.

"Not remotely." I smiled, glancing at my hands, which were worrying themselves in my lap. "I am beginning to realize just how spoiled I was."

"What's it like?" Anna asked quietly, getting a faraway look in her eyes. "Being royalty, I mean."

I sighed, thinking. "When you're a child, it's marvelous. You get the latest, most fashionable dresses. All of the nobles' children compete to be your best friend. Neighboring kingdoms send you presents to strike alliances with your parents. You get to attend fancy balls. You're the center of your own little universe."

"It sounds wonderful."

"Oh, it was. My childhood was perfect. But when I became a teenager..."

"What?"

"There began to be talk of marrying me off - although luckily Audric was too invested in ruling to care too much about me. Also, instead of having any true friends, your childhood playmates try to gain power through you. That's why I was lucky to have my sister."

"How do they try to get power, exactly?"

I shivered, remembering one fateful nightfall only a few years back. Taking a deep breath, I began the story.

"I had just turned fourteen. I was searching the castle grounds for my sister. It was a beautiful night, so I had no cause to feel unsettled or alarmed.

"As I was walking past the orchard, a boy grabbed me and yanked me behind a tree so that we could not be seen. He kissed me. Proclaimed his love for me. Would not let me go. It was terrifying. I begged him to release me, to leave me alone, but that just made him more frantic as he realized I did not feel anything for him in return. He knew that if he let me go, I would instantly report him.

"I finally thought to cry out. A guard was close enough to hear, luckily. The boy's execution was the next day. I was not forced to attend."

I hugged myself, the disgusting memories rising for the first time in years. The boy's chapped lips on mine...his roaming hands...his sharp scream when the guard broke his arm to subdue him.

Anna was staring at me, aghast. "Not even princesses are safe," she murmured, her eyes wide with the realization.

"Especially not with Andrew on the throne," I muttered bitterly.

"He became king when you were ten, correct?" Anna asked.

"Yes. And I've felt unsafe ever since," I said softly.

Anna thought for a moment. Then, she snapped her fingers. "I don't know a way to get rid of all those awful memories, but I do have some confidence-boosting spells I could teach you!"

I smiled gently. "That sounds wonderful."