The Princess and the Peach (The Phoenix Rising Infinitology)

by Kathryn Moon

  They walked on with caution. Abigail remembered an argument her parents had once had about whether fairies were good or evil, wicked or kind. Her mother had firmly put the argument that with White Ladies, Knockers and Red Caps and other such creatures that they were not all they were made out to be in fairy stories.

  Each of those creatures could carry a poisoned needle or a magic spell. Any of them could dart in and kill them. So she sped up her step and the others fell in with her. She didn’t want to talk about it but thoughts ran through her head. All the stories she had read in her mother’s book came into her head. This was not a book for children as such, it was a guide to the fairy folk. As far as she had read, before she had put it back as she was too afraid, they were notoriously wicked and there were very few, if any, that showed the benevolent ideas that she had read in fairy stories.

  She focused on Tinkerbell. That good fairy. She focused on the Fairy Godmother and tried to put the other thoughts out of her mind. Her feet moved faster and they hurried their way through the woodland.

  To their left there was a loud growl. The shadows moved and she saw what was making them move. A large brown bear stood up on its back legs and growled.

  As one, Kalifa and Abigail leapt behind the big grey bear. The grey bear stepped forward and growled as well. “Leave my friends alone!” Archie shouted.

  The bear dropped down on to four paws and sniffed the air. “You are in my territory.”

  Archie thought for a moment. “We are travelling through this woodland and following the path. We are not on your land, we are on a path or am I wrong?”

  The bear shook himself. “You are not wrong. You are on a path. The path goes through my territory. I could eat you.”

  Archie shook his head, his fur flapping audibly against his body. “No, you cannot eat us. I will fight you if you try. You may win but you will be injured. Injuries get infected so you may well die anyway. So I suggest that you let us pass.”

  The bear shifted a paw. “I am not hungry so you may go. Leave my area quickly before I change my mind.”

  They did, they almost ran for the next half an hour until they hoped that they were out of the bear’s territory.

  The trees were still thick and the canopy a lush green. They walked on and on. Over hills, down gullies and then the trees and undergrowth started to thin out and they stepped out onto the foothills of a mountain range.

  There was a single path which went up into the mountain. It was strewn with pebbles and rocks and looked as though it had been manmade as the rest of the terrain around it was grassed.

  They walked and walked, ascending as the path went higher and higher. The grass became thinner and rougher. The bushes thinned out until there were only small tufty bushes left that clung to the rough terrain. It became windier as well and noticeably colder. Abigail pulled her clothes around herself and plodded on.

  She knew they were being watched. She could feel it and she saw the top of a red cap which was sticking up from behind a rock. “Hello, we are not here to harm you. We are travelers who want to carry on through this mountain.”

  They didn’t move quickly but before Abigail and her friends could react they were surrounded by seven small men, each armed with picks. “You are our prisoners and we are going to take you to the boss. Walk in line and follow the first of us.”

  Abigail went first, she followed the first man and the others followed on behind. In her mind’s eye she could see the picks, sharp and businesslike in the men’s hands and she remembered the witch’s warning.

  She kept quiet and they just walked in silence until they came to a cottage which was nestled on a flat part of the rock.

  Like the witch’s cottage it was immaculate and pretty. The stonework was carved into intricate patterns and the windows were hung with neat curtains inside. Instead of the flowers there were mosses and rough grasses which had been arranged to form a beautiful garden around stone statues.

  There was a low wall around the house and either side of the gate post there was what looked a lot like the small men and which also looked incredibly like the garden gnome that her father had bought her mother when she was working on their garden at home.

  Each of these small men looked like garden gnomes. They wore brightly coloured clothing and their beards and hair were neatly cut and they were all the same size and shape. Each of them wore a hat which was identical in all but colour. Each of them wore a jacket, waistcoat and pair of trousers tucked into their black boots.

  As she approached the cottage the door opened and a middle aged woman walked out. She had long black hair with a red ribbon hairband. Her dress was blue and yellow, the most noticeable feature being the puffed sleeves which were dual coloured. She was beautiful but she looked angry. “Who are you and why are you on the mountain?”

  Abigail remembered what the witch had said. “We are travelers and I am looking for my way home. We mean you no harm.”

  The woman nodded. “Where is your home?”

  Abigail was now a little lost for words. “My home is far from here, in another dimension. I need to find the wizard to be able to use his machine to go home. So I need some crystals from this mountain. I do not want to steal them, I would like to buy some.”

  The woman looked serious. “Oh you do, do you? Well they do not come cheap. If you have a sob story then you are probably looking for a good deal on what you are going to buy. Remember, we don’t have to sell you anything. What do you have that we could possibly want?”

  Abigail thought for a moment. “I have a magic thimble that will help you while you sew.”

  The woman looked at Abigail and laughed. “No you don’t. You have an ordinary thimble and you want to pretend that it is magical to get a better deal. Now, that is not the way to behave. I would be happy to have a thimble. I need one. That is enough. You don’t need to pretend. I know that you are a child and to you saying that something is magic is not as important as it really is. You are telling an untruth aren’t you? You are telling a lie. That is not acceptable in any creature, not least a child. Don’t think that it is. If you are going to grow into a good adult you will have to learn to always tell the truth and to feel bad about even thinking about telling a lie.

  I could punish you by telling you to go away and that you are a nasty little liar. I won’t on this occasion if you promise never to lie again. Do you promise that?”

  Abigail looked down at her dirty shoes and felt very, very small. “I promise.”

  The woman smiled. “Your word is your bond. If you break that promise then I will send a crow in your sleep to peck your eyes out. Is that a good incentive?”

  The short men were all laughing heartily with their hands over their mouths.

  Abigail was shocked. “You can’t say that! You really can’t say that. That is horrible! Do you mean it?”

  The woman smiled wickedly. “Try it and find out. Now, show me that thimble. If I like it I will let you have a crystal.”

  Abigail put her hand into her pocket and took out the Medieval Thimble. It was like a modern one but there was no top on it. It was more like a band or a ring. She put it in the woman’s outstretched hand.

  The woman laughed. “It is a very unusual thimble. I would like it so I will give you a crystal. Just so that you will appreciate the importance of that, I am going to send you to get it with my friends here. You are going to go down the mine and help them to bring back your crystal. What do you think of that?”

  Abigail looked surprised. “I don’t know. I’ve never been into a mine. Is it dangerous?”

  The woman laughed. “Of course it is. You could die going to get that crystal. But my friends take that risk all the time. Why should they have to risk their life so you can swap a crystal for a thimble? You will go and get your own crystal.”

  The little goat bleated. “Do I have to go too?”

  The woman smiled at the little goat. “No, you are too small and your hooves wouldn’t be very secure down
the mine. You would have to climb ladders and you cannot do that. You can stay here with me and eat grass and plants around my house if you like.”

  The little goat looked worried. “I don’t know. When I’m away from my friend would you do something horrible to me?”

  The woman laughed. “With your friend the bear here, not a chance.”

  6

  Abigail looked and felt nervous as she walked cautiously down the rubble strewn tunnel which sloped sharply down into the blackness of the earth.

  It wasn’t completely dark. With just a flick of light the world came to life. Tiny creatures and plants took that light and began to glow. All around her the world was a wondrous mix of colours, glowing and moving around. Some slowly, the snail like creatures, some fast, the butterfly like creatures which landed on the mosses and ferns which grew in the dark.

  Abigail was mystified by their ability to live without light. Then she thought it through. She was in a different world here, things were different. They must be living on something but whatever it was, it was definitely not sunshine as she had not seen the sun now for over half an hour.

  The floor was slightly damp, a rivulet of water ran down the middle. It had cut a v shaped groove into the rock and wove its way around the fixed lumps which protruded from the ground.

  Abigail was in the middle of the group of men. In front of her was a particularly grumpy one who kept moaning that she was walking too close to him. Behind her the short man kept sneezing. At first it made her jump but then she got used to it.

  The short man who led the group was singing and seemed to love what he was doing.

  They strode on, tiny lanterns which held a glow worm lit the way. They didn’t need much light as the little light they brought with them set off the cascade of light which rolled off into the distance. She was used to it now, but it was still beautiful.

  Multicoloured fronds hung down from the ceiling, wafted by the air currents they caused. Hair like moss hung down, making the ceiling look a lot like fur. It waved and undulated as she passed along. The fronds were so delicate that any kind of movement in the air made them move too.

  One of the subterranean butterflies landed on the end of one of the hair like fronds and a spike shot from the depths, stabbing the butterfly and pulling it into the soft bed of fronds. It made her jump, it shocked her. In the middle of such beauty there was instant death.

  The short man in front of her had turned at that point and saw her watching the plant hunting. “Don’t reach up by the way, those things will kill you. Deadliest poison known to Dwarf.”

  Abigail put her hands in her pockets. “Don’t worry, I do not intend to. They look so beautiful though.”

  The Dwarf grunted and carried on down the tunnel.

  The tunnel went on and on, down and down. Then it came to a sheer drop. She didn’t need to worry about falling down it as others stopped before she got there and started climbing down the ladder which was tied to the wall.

  Now this she did not like, it was a long way down. She knew that as the fronds and subterranean ferns illuminated the way. The downwards pipe was fifty feet across. It went down way beyond where she could see. Down and down.

  Nervously she climbed onto the ladder and began climbing down. Down and down. She counted the steps, not because she needed to, because she could. One, two, three, four, on and on, one hundred, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred.

  The fronds and other plants had been cut back from the ladder. There was a distinct groove in the tube of light where the ladder went down. There were also ledges and on these ledges there were piles of stones and crystals.

  Abigail had to ask. “What are these piles of stones for?”

  The Dwarf who was above her sneezed and answered. “Each of us has our own ledge. We keep things on there that we have found and liked. Don’t touch them please.” He then sneezed and carried on climbing down.

  Abigail smiled. She liked that idea. Down and down. Then they came to the bottom. A small cavern, illuminated by the fronds but also by lanterns which leapt to light as they tapped them and woke up the glow worms that slept there. One by one the grumpy one went to the pole and put some food in from a pouch he carried on his belt. As he fed them they glowed brighter.

  There were five tunnels going away from this cavern. Each was illuminated for a distance then became pitch black. They all looked the same.

  The leader set off down one of them. She followed in silence. She had questions but she didn’t want to ask at the moment. Everything echoed oddly and her feet made splashing noises in the pools of liquid on the floor. She would have thought water but the liquid was slightly oily. Rainbow colours swirled around the surface and clung to her shoes.

  On and on they went along the tunnel. Which then opened out into a huge cavern.

  Sparkles and lights, pinpoints of light, light from the fronds. Huge bunches of crystals spiked over the walls and floor, the ceiling and everywhere. One tiny point of light lit the whole cavern as the light was magnified by the seemingly infinite number of crystals.

  The leading Dwarf walked over to her. “Well Abigail, here you are. You will need four of these crystals to power the device for the mage. We trade with him often so we know what is needed. He will use two and two will be your payment to him. You must promise never to tell anyone what you have seen. Our lady will bind you to that promise. By the way, don’t think that she won’t..”

  Abigail’s mouth was open. She closed it. “I promise. I won’t tell anyone but this is beautiful. Why is she so threatening. She doesn’t seem nice at all.”

  The Dwarf smiled. “She hasn’t had a good life. Her mother died and her father remarried. Her stepmother is a beautiful woman and was jealous of our lady. She tried to murder her but she escaped into the woods. We found her when she was lost and alone and we decided to keep her. She has lived with us for many years now.

  She is very friendly with the witch who lives in the valley and the witch can tell fortunes. Her fortune is to marry a prince and to eventually become queen. That is a heavy burden for her to bear. One day she will have to leave us behind and to go and live in a palace where she will have to mind her manners and always dress perfectly. She will be watched whatever she does and she will have to do official visits rather than do what she wants to do. She will have to make huge decisions which will cause huge problems if she gets them wrong.

  We are also at war with the neighbouring country of Llarrkkenvolm. If she is queen she will have to make decisions which will send many of our people to die for their country.

  She wants to stay here. She wants to enjoy her life and her sewing. But she knows one day she will have to leave. So that is hanging over her every day and that doesn’t make her happy.

  Also she knows that her father doesn’t know how wicked his new wife is. She has redesigned the castle and thrown out everything that was her mother’s. She sometimes hears about what is going on and although her father is happy, his new wife is domineering and he has very little say.

  It is because of her that the country is at war, or our lady believes that.

  She has learnt magic from the witch and she has learnt lots of things for when she does have to go back. One day her prince will come. I think she part dreads it, part looks forward to it. But for now, she is just happy here.”

  Abigail looked puzzled. “Why wouldn’t she want to live in a palace, be pampered and wear beautiful things?”

  The Dwarf shook his head. “You didn’t listen to a word I said did you? Being a princess is more than wearing pretty clothes and having people there to do things for you. They do things for you so that you have time to do all those jobs that nobody in their right mind would want to do. Would you like to be responsible for everyone in this country? Would you like to make decisions that could send them to their death?”

  Abigail frowned. “Well no, actually I wouldn’t. I never thought of it that way.”

  The Dwarf smiled. “Don’t worry, not
many people do. Well we’d better get you your crystals and you can be on your way.” He saw Abigail’s sad look. “What is the matter? You’ll be home sooner than you think.”

  Abigail looked down at the floor. “I like it here in this world, it is magical and amazing.”

  The Dwarf shook his head. “You are here in the summer, you would not like it when a veil of white comes down over the world.”

  Abigail smiled. “I bet it looks amazing.”

  The Dwarf sighed. “The optimism of youth. Come on then, we will get your crystals.”

  Abigail was thoughtful as she climbed back up the ladder. Her arms ached, her legs ached and she was tired.

  Back at the Cottage the little goat was playing with the woman. As soon as Abigail had left the woman had relaxed and found him some carrots. The bear was laid out on a rock, sunning himself. They ran around and around. First the goat chasing, then the woman. She laughed and the goat laughed. Around and around they ran. Then they collapsed in the sun, looking out over the amazing view they could see from their elevated height in the mountains. The woman absentmindedly stroked the goat who was laid out enjoying the sun.

  As they saw Abigail making her way down the mountain on the narrow goat track they got up. The woman dusted herself off and they awaited their return.

  Abigail was quiet when she got back to the cottage. She smiled at the woman. “It is beautiful down there. Where was the danger?”

  The woman smiled. “There is danger in all things. If you are careful the danger doesn’t matter. Danger is only important if it is relevant to you. Well you had better go now before it gets dark. It is difficult in these mountains in the dark.”

  Abigail and her friends made their way along the mountain path that the woman had suggested. They were very careful and watched their feet every step of the way. When they wanted to look at the scenery they stopped in a good place and just looked.

  A few miles saw them out of the mountains and into a small wood where they decided to stay for the night. It was warm so there was no need for blankets or a house. The sky was slightly overcast with cloud so it did not get colder at night.