“Five days,” Finn said as he cut a piece of his meat to eat.
“What?” I asked.
“We slept for five days’ total,” he explained.
“Oh.”
“Which is why you’re so hungry,” Jared told me.
I resumed eating and when I was done, I stood up and left the room. Finn found me at Duke’s stall and hugged me gently. “You okay?” he asked.
“Just grumpy,” I whispered and pet Duke’s muzzle.
“Are you regretting our decision?” he asked softly.
I spun around and stared at him in shock. “No! Are you?”
“Of course not,” he told me with a smirk. “But, you’re acting very angry.”
“Faxon was really mad when I woke up the first time,” I whispered.
“He’ll get over it in time,” Finn assured me.
“He’s determined to come with us and teach us magic,” I informed him.
“That’s a good idea,” Finn said. “What’s the real reason you’re mad?”
I sighed dramatically. “I just have a lot of emotional crap going on inside right now.”
“About your dad?” he guessed.
“My dad and Cristoff.”
“Cristoff? Why are you upset about Cristoff?” he asked angrily. “Did something happen? Did he kiss you? I’ll go cut his…”
“He’s gone,” I told him. “He left Crilan.”
Finn stilled and then turned me around to face him. “What are you talking about? Why would he leave?”
“It’s all my fault,” I told him. Hot tears slipped down my cheeks. “He told me that there was no other girl for him, that I was the only one he would ever want. He blames himself for Dad’s death and to try to make it right, he’s going to try to become the new King of Pirates. He left to go find a crew and he could die or…”
“He’s a big boy,” Finn told me gently. “He made the decision on his own and he is more than capable of being King.”
“He kissed me again before he left,” I told him.
Finn’s jaw clenched, but he relaxed and exhaled loudly after a moment. “I’ll give him a pass since he left.”
“You really think he will be okay?”
He wiped my tears away and said, “If I know anything about Cristoff, it’s that he survives more often than he should. He’s a decent man and your Dad was the one who taught him everything. I think he will be fine.”
“Okay.” If Finn thought he would be okay, then I believed him.
“I’m glad he took on the task,” Finn told me. “I was considering whether I would have to do it.”
I stepped back from him and asked, “How would you be King and Crilan’s Prince at the same time?”
“That’s why I hadn’t made a decision,” he said.
“You were considering leaving?” I asked in shock. “If you were considering leaving why did you agree to our binding and…”
“I was never going to leave you,” he told me and smiled. “You really are grumpy today.”
I walked away from him and headed towards the castle.
“Come back,” he called and caught up to me. “Tilia, I’m sorry. I would never have made a decision without talking to you first.”
“Really? How do I know? You might have just left me alone in Crilan again while you sailed away!” I snapped at him.
“Tilia,” he said and cringed. “I thought we were past that?”
“I don’t want to talk anymore.” I started walking faster, but he kept pace with me with his stupid speed.
“Hey, don’t be mad. I promise I wasn’t going to leave you.”
I teleported to my room and sat down with my head in my hands. I couldn’t believe him! One minute everything is great and we’re never going to be apart and the next he’s considering leaving to be a pirate again!
“Stop running from me,” he ordered me as he appeared by my bed.
“Leave me alone,” I ordered him. “I need some space.”
“No. We need to talk this out.”
I teleported to the arena and had to duck to avoid Jared’s sword.
“Tilia!” Esmeralda yelled in shock from behind me. “You know you can’t teleport somewhere like this!”
“Tilia,” Finn said from beside me. “Stop.”
“Sorry,” I told Jared and then teleported to my room in Markleville. The castle was silent and I flopped back onto my bed with a sigh. I was overreacting and I knew it, but I was too mad to be able to talk to him. I just needed some time alone to digest everything.
I could not believe he was considering becoming King!
I screamed my anger and threw a pillow across the room.
“Feel better?” Faxon asked me.
“What are you doing here?” I growled at him.
“You teleported across Crilan. I had to make sure that you were okay,” he told me.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I told him. Especially since he would try to use this to prove that his concerns were valid. Finn and I weren’t going to separate, but I could be mad at him for a while.
“There’s a festival in the town, if you want to do something for a distraction,” Faxon offered.
“Okay,” I agreed. He teleported us and I almost threw up. “Why don’t I feel sick when I teleport myself?” I asked him.
“Because you’re in control. It’s like riding in a carriage that someone else is driving,” he said.
“I’ve never ridden in a carriage,” I said softly.
“I’ll take you sometime,” he said. “All young ladies should experience it at least once.”
The town was bustling with activity and there were vendors everywhere.
“I don’t have money,” I said sadly as I eyed a pretty shawl. It was white silk with red swirl designs.
Faxon picked it up, paid for it, and then wrapped it around my shoulders. “What good am I if I can’t indulge in a shopping trip for you every now and then?” he asked.
“You don’t have to buy me anything,” I told him. “You’ve saved my life and Finn’s and done more for me than I could ever hope to repay you for.”
“You have done far more for me than you will ever know,” he told me softly.
“What do you mean?” I asked him.
He shook his head and replied, “Not tonight. We don’t need any more serious discussions today.”
I could agree with that.
“Your Highness!” a vendor to my right said loudly.
I turned and found the woman bowing. “No, please stand. You don’t need to bow to me,” I told her with a smile.
She stood and asked, “What are you doing here? We hadn’t heard that you would be coming?”
“We needed a day away from the Capitol,” Faxon told her. “So, I brought Princess Tilia here to enjoy the festival.”
“Arch Mage,” the woman said and dipped her head in respect. “Please, take a lantern,” she told us and handed Faxon a paper lantern.
“Oh! I’ve heard of this festival!” I said with excitement. “I’ve always wanted to see it, but never got the chance!”
“There’s still some time before they light the lanterns,” she told us. “You still have time to shop more.”
Faxon set some coins on her table. “No, please,” she tried to give them back, but Faxon shook his head and walked away from her.
“Oh, what’s that!” I asked and drug Faxon by the arm towards another vendor who had a display of pastries.
He bought us each a pastry and followed behind me as I talked to each of the vendors and examined their items. I hadn’t found anything else I really wanted until I came to a young girl selling knitted mittens. She was no older than ten and her face was smudged with dirt.
“What’s your name?” I asked her.
“Cilia,” she responded proudly.
“Where are you parents?” I asked.
“Dad’s back at the farm. He has to make sure nothing hurts the animals,” she said.
“Do you know who that is?” a little boy who I hadn’t seen was sitting behind her asked.
“No,” she said and looked at him. “Do you?”
“That’s the Princess. Princess Tilia,” he told her.
She turned and her eyes were as wide as the moon. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know and…”
“It’s okay,” I told her and smiled. “Can I try on a mitten?”
“Of course!” she said. She asked, “What’s your favorite color?”
“Teal, like the ocean,” Finn’s voice said from behind me.
I gritted my teeth and then smiled politely at the girl, “I think this purple is very pretty.”
She lifted the mittens and I slipped them on. Her work was very good. “Did you make all of these yourself?” I asked.
“Yes ma’am, uh, Princess.”
“Tilia,” I told her. “You can call me Tilia.”
“Yes, Tilia,” she beamed.
“They’re very warm and beautiful,” I praised. “How much?”
“Oh, I couldn’t charge you,” she said and blushed slightly.
“Faxon,” I called since he was talking angrily with Finn off to the side.
He handed me a handful of coins and resumed talking with Finn who I ignored completely.
“Now, I think I also need a pair for my friend Princess Marin,” I told Cilia.
“What about these?” she asked and held up a pair of dark grey ones.
“Those are perfect,” I said. She had about five pairs left and I decided to buy them all. “What do you sell these for usually?”
“Five,” she responded.
“Do you have a bag?” I asked.
She held up a small knitted bag that she no doubt had made. “This should work.”
“It most certainly will,” I said. I picked up the rest of the mittens, put them in the bag, and gave her the rest of the coins Faxon had given me.
“This is too much,” she whispered as she examined the coins.
“Faxon,” I whispered. “Do you have any more?”
“No, that was the last,” he whispered back.
“Here,” Finn said and handed me some coins.
If it wasn’t for Cilia, I wouldn’t have taken them. I did though, and handed the coins to her. “Why don’t you and your brother get a pastry and enjoy the festival now that you’ve sold everything?” I suggested with a smile.
“Thank you, Princess,” the boy said with a wide smile.
“Thank you,” Cilia said and hugged me before running towards the pastry vendor.
“That was very nice of you,” Faxon told me.
I held up my hands and said, “These are really good mittens. Very warm and soft.”
“Tilia,” Finn pleaded. “Please talk to me.”
“We better make our way to the docks so that we can have a good view,” I told Faxon, grabbed his arm, and drug him through the crowd.
I was having trouble squirming my way through until the boy I had met at my party here in Markleville saw me. “Make way for the Princess!” he yelled over the noise of the crowd.
I cringed, but it was too late. Everyone parted and we walked down towards the docks. “Thank you!” I called to everyone.
“The Princess?”
“I didn’t know the royals were here.”
“When did they get here?”
“The Arch Mage is here too! He’s so handsome!”
“Would you like to begin the festival for us?” an older gentleman with a gray beard asked me.
“Yes please!” I said happily. I turned to take the lantern from Faxon, but he had disappeared and Finn was in his place.
“Together?” he asked as he held the lantern out towards me.
“I’m still mad at you,” I told him.
“I know,” he said softly.
I lightly gripped the edges of the lantern and light the ring in the center with fire.
“Focus on your wish,” the older man instructed everyone.
“What’s our wish going to be?” Finn asked me quietly.
“Not to get ditched again,” I muttered.
“Tilia,” he whispered.
“What do you suggest?” I asked.
“A relaxing wedding journey,” he whispered. “Where we aren’t attacked or interrupted by family.”
I was blushing and I knew it. “Okay,” I whispered back.
“Ready?” the older man asked me.
Finn and I nodded.
“Release!” he yelled.
Finn and I gently pushed our lantern up into the sky and we watched as thousands more joined it up in the sky and out towards the sea.
“Hopefully my father heard our wish,” he told me and slipped his arm around my waist.
“Hopefully,” I agreed.
“Can we go home?” he asked me and kissed my cheek. “You can be mad at me there too.”
“In a little bit,” I told him as I leaned against his upper body. I watched the lanterns in Finn’s arms and hoped our wish would come true.
Chapter Twelve
It took me one week to learn how to teleport to Marin in her Kingdom and three days beyond that to learn to teleport the four of us at the same time over that distance. Finn and Favian were with King Cesar in his study discussing things that Marin assured me were not interesting. She took me on a grand tour of the castle grounds and introduced me to her horse Fire.
“She’s beautiful,” I told her as I pet the mare’s muzzle.
Marin beamed proudly. “Thank you. She and I have been through quite a lot together.” I walked to the next stall and Marin said, “That’s Ice, Favian’s horse.”
A male Elf entered the barn and stopped when he saw us. “Oh, I didn’t expect to find anyone here,” he said.
He was handsome, though I hadn’t found an Elf who wasn’t yet, but unlike Favian who exuded power, this male seemed much more relaxed and unimposing.
“I was just giving Princess Tilia a tour of the castle and I brought her to meet Fire,” Marin explained, “Tilia, this is Alex, our Horse Master. He is the youngest in Elven history and personally, I think the best.”
“Nice to meet you, Alex.” I said and dipped my head.
“You’re the one who fought against the magic user, aren’t you?” he asked quietly.
“Yes.”
“Marin told me that you tamed a leopard,” he said curiously.
“I didn’t tame it. I just showed it that I wasn’t a threat and not a meal either so it left. I encroached on it’s territory so I didn’t want to hurt it,” I explained.
“It’s refreshing to meet someone who thinks like that,” he told me.
“Would you like to go for a ride?” Marin asked.
“I considered teleporting Duke, my horse, here, but I didn’t want to risk something happening to him,” I told them.
“You can take my horse,” Alex offered. “He’s very well trained and has a smooth gait.”
“That’s very kind of you,” I thanked him.
Marin saddled her mare and despite my attempts to help, Alex saddled his gelding, Traveler. Traveler had a gorgeous black coat with silver hairs sparkled throughout, looking like the night sky. I mounted and Alex whispered something to Traveler.
“What are you telling him?” I asked.
“To behave and take care of you,” he said.
I pet Traveler’s neck and said, “I’m sure we’ll get along perfectly.”
“Ready?” Marin asked from atop Fire.
I nodded and she said something loudly in Elvish. Both horses began walking and then leapt forward, racing out of the front gates and down the road. Alex was right, Traveler had a very smooth gait, and as we raced down the road, it almost felt like we were flying.
Marin turned to me with a smile on her face and I laughed happily. Traveler and I followed behind as they led us off the main road and into the forest, their hooves pounding the ground, and birds taking to the sky in fear, as we bolted past underneath them.<
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We approached a river and Marin slowed Fire, so I slowed Traveler who walked calmly beside them.
“It’s beautiful here,” I told her. I preferred the sea, but the forest had its own charms.
“Tilia,” she whispered. “Do you feel different after the change?” she asked.
She was referring to us being given longer lifespans by the gods. “No,” I told her.
“What if they lied? What if they didn’t lengthen our lives, but just told us that so we could defeat whatever this new enemy is?”
I had been worried about the same thing. “I don’t think they would lie to us,” I replied as I looked up at the leaves overhead. “I suppose we’ll know for sure in about fifty or sixty years when I’ll be close to the end of my normal lifespan.”
“What if they don’t see us living past this fight?” she suggested. “It could be to placate us.”
“I don’t think they would warn us and order us to train to be ready if they didn’t think it was possible. I can’t see them tossing our lives away like that.”
“They’re Gods,” she reminded me. “We’re just another of the millions of lives they will see fade.”
“That hurts,” her father said as he appeared between our horses.
“I hate when you do that,” she told him and slipped her dagger away.
“Is she right?” I asked him.
He turned and looked at me a moment before answering. “We don’t see the future exactly. We see certain events or see what might be done to alter an event, but nothing is set in stone.”
“And in your visions, are we alive or dead at the end of the battle?” Marin asked him.
“Why would I save your life just to throw it away?” he asked her.
“Because you need someone to save the rest of the world,” she replied.
“I would not throw your life away like that,” he told her.
“And what about Tilia’s?” she asked him. “She’s the only one of us who doesn’t have a longer than normal lifespan. Are you trying to lure us into a false sense of security just to have the truth come to light when it is too late?”
“You are rather distrusting,” he told her.
“Answer, please.”
“We would not have put you three through such pain just as a ruse,” he told us.
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