A Feytal Encounter

Chapter 4

Andanma fought back tears. She'd just tried to shoot a hare with the bow she'd made, but archery had never been her strong suit. Her mother had an heirloom set of knives that she had been teaching Adanma to use. Those knives were lost now. Priceless, handed down through generation of Fey royalty. A rustle nearby gave her fresh hope, she strung her bow again and shot, barely missing a boy who stepped out of the brush.

"Good thing you don't know how to use that," he grinned. "I'm Elton. May I see your bow?" And that was how she met her best friend. He critiqued everything about that first bow, which was only fair since it was terrible. He showed her how to make a functional bow, and then taught her how to shoot it. When she missed, he didn't, so they had something to eat regardless. It took her a long time to confess her ancestry, but when she did, he knelt on one knee and swore his fealty to her. Friends, soldiers, and, in the later years, occasional lovers. Elton stood by her side since the beginning.

For the next few days, through the bars of the cage, Bronwyn could see the Fey above and below go about their day. Nothing they did seemed threatening or hostile. Most of their tasks seemed to involve gathering, hunting, and making food. They cared for their weapons, carving new arrows, sharpening and polishing their knives, but they did it was a reverence that was unique. As if their tools were a good friend who helped out around the house. There were no Fey over the age of forty, which seemed curious. The wolves honored their elders as bearers of wisdom and power. It was almost unfathomable to not see that important ancestry present in the Fey encampment. There were, however, plenty of children. They played together around the tree in the center and helped do chores just as much as the others. At first, it looked like no one was supervising the children, but the longer they watched, Bronwyn realized that everyone was concerned with the activities of the children. Men laughed and chased toddlers between the trees, women let children try to stretch bows, and the princess was often in the center of things.

Adanma seemed to spend most of her time amongst the children, with her margay trailing behind her. She practiced throwing knives and corrected the form of kids who imitated her. She brought arm fulls of food and ate in the dirt with the kids. She didn't seem to mind that the food was occasionally neglected and wasted by the children. Bronwyn wondered what kind of abundance the rebels had to not stress about waste.

As much fun as it was to watch the princess throw knives and practice hand to hand combat, being in the cage was awful. The water that the twins brought was brackish and made Bronwyn feel queasy. The food was usually leftovers, on the verge of going bad. Plus, the Fey either didn't understand how much wolves needed to eat, or they didn't care. Andrea was no relief. She barely moved from the floor and only drank or ate when Bronwyn commanded her. She looked the worst Bronwyn had ever seen her. They couldn't believe they'd let her spent so much time in their bed. A clanging on the bars interrupted Bronwyn's thought.

"Hey." Adanma stood outside the cage, her hair in a thick braid down her back, but it was perriwinkle instead of pink like before. "If you're gonna be in my camp, using resources for my people, I might as well get something out of you. Get up, both of you."

Bronwyn contemplated staying put and pretending they hadn't heard anything, but they were dying to get out of the cage, stretch their legs even a little. They cleared their throat and indicated the rope around their ankles. Cautiously, Adanma opened the cage with a spark from her hand and stepped inside, pulling a knife from her boot. Bronwyn couldn't help but flinch; her touch on Bronwyn's ankle was shockingly cold, even though the weather was mildly warm. Adanma met their eyes from under her brows.

"I won't hurt you." She sliced the ropes with one deft movement. "Yet."

Bronwyn pulled themself to their feet and kicked Andrea when she didn't move. Andrea did nothing but growl faintly. For the best tracker, Andrea sure was a wimp when it got down to it.

"Come," Adanma commanded, holding out a hand. She'd left the wrist restraints on and knew Bronwyn would probably fall out of the tree without help. They hesitated, looking at Andrea.

"She can stay here, I don't care. Mae and Yosef will tend to her. Come with me now or stay here with her."

Bronwyn hated, hated, being told what to do. But they really didn't want to stay in the cage, so they allowed the enemy to lead them to the ground.