The Princess Quest

Chapter 4: Calypso

This is where it starts to get interesting, so for those of you who like this story, it's gonna get better. I hope.

Roya's eyes fluttered open. She was immediately overcome with a splitting headache. She looked around in confusion. 

A crashing wave, blackness

Everything came flooding back. She lied back on the cot she had been laid on and groaned.

Wait, where was she? She took a closer look and found that she appeared to be in a small wooden hut. There was a table in the corner, with a chair and some dishes. Wilted flowers laid in the center, and a small fire crackled from behind her. The hut was covered in vines, and to her pleasant shock, there was an alchemy table in the corner. Roya had never loved the glamorous life of a princess, she would rather be out with her bow, or making potions. She loved potions. Sure, she loved the title of 'princess.' There were days when she wanted to get into a tight-fitting dress, and look pretty. But most of the time, she wanted her curly hair down, and leather fey clothing on, and gallop on out of the castle on her horse, Fafnir. 

She heard a rustle from the corner, and she jumped up, and grabbed her dagger, which she kept in her boot. 

"Girl, chill out. If I had wanted you dead, I would have killed you earlier. Or let you drown," said a voice from the shadows. 

Roya deemed this reasonable, and sheathed her dagger. A girl stepped out from the corner. She had dazzling purple eyes, and straight blonde hair, covering half her face. Roya narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

"Who are you? You look younger than me. Why would a child be out here all alone?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Gee, I save your life, and not even a thank you?"

"You don't speak like a faerie."

"I'm not a faerie. I'm fey, yes, but I'm not a faerie." She brushed her hair out of her face to reveal a cluster of sparkling blue gems. 

"My name is Calypso Rivera. I'm a mermaid, from the kingdom Ocaylian. I'm fourteen years old, and I was abandoned by my parents as part of a ritual. I was supposedly a prophecy. According to our priests:

Once a lifetime for twelve lifetimes, a rarity will be born.

She will be a gem, a treasure, beautiful beyond compare.

But it's stunning looks, and kind heart will bring threat to the Ocaylian. People will seek out her beauty, and the kingdom will fall.

Unless you abandon the child, leave it to fend for itself  in the Neutral Land. 

On the twelfth day, of the twelfth month, of the twelfth year, the child will be abandoned in the forest with nothing but a sack full of belongings, and the sacred cottage.

And that will be how it will be done for now and forever more."

"So yeah. That's me. Tons of other rarities have lived and died here."

"What makes a rarity?"

My purple eyes, and purple tail. I have two pairs of fins instead of one. And blonde hair. Everyone else has-"

"Brown, green, black, blue or red," said Roya.

"Yes," said Calypso. "How did you know that?"

Roya hesitated. "Uh, maybe you should sit down."

Calypso sat.

"I'm Princess Roya Moonthorn of Lyria."

Calypso's jaw dropped to the floor. Her eyes went as wide as a squirrelbat's. 

"What the hell are you doing out here!?" asked Calypso.

"I was at a party. A-a rowan bomb went off, a-and my m-mother was killed."

Roya tried to stop it, but the tears were flowing now. She sniffed and kept going.

"People accused me as killing my mother. I had a trial and they "proved" me guilty with barely any evidence. They-they sentenced me to death. A few hours before my execution, and Miraelian faerie came and tried to kill me. I escaped, ran, and fell into the river. I guess it was you who rescued me."

Calypso smiled triumphantly. "I saved a princess. Look at me all successful."

Roya smiled through her tears. "Well, I'd better be going."

Calypso looked horrified. "You're leaving!? By YOURSELF? With everything that's been going on!?"

Roya was confused, which seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"What do you mean? Wha's happening?"

"Don't you know? The world is infected, and it's dying. In a few months...we'll all be dead. They'll be absolutely nothing left."