Fabled

by Vanessa K. Eccles

  “Rancid royals. They are nothing but a plague,” Cale said, staring at Royal Court in the distance. “Having one implanted in your mind is about the worst thing, second only to becoming one. Julia was more of a beast than I ever could be. Power will contort even the purest of people.”

  I wasn’t a beast.

  “She was the most powerful royal ever to live in Mezz. Only royals from Terra held more power. It’s hard to believe but life here was even worse when she was in power. Once she dissolved an entire town into dust. We now call it Dunes. All the inhabitants are now dirt under visitor’s feet,” Cale continued.

  “That’s horrific,” I said to her more than to him. She stayed quiet.

  As the night continued, we sat silently around the fire. I think we were all mending our minds of the afternoon and preparing them for the next morning.

  “Cale, I’ve wanted to ask you something for a while now,” I said, breaking the silence.

  “What?”

  “Did the royals curse you to be a werewolf or whatever?”

  He laughed. “No. And I’m not a werewolf. I don’t change when the moons are full. I can change whenever I like, and it’s not a curse. It’s my gift.”

  “Remember I told you that everyone here has powers — something magical about them?” Chester interrupted avoiding eye contact with me.

  “I remember. But everyone?”

  “Every. One.”

  “What about Rose? Or is hers limited to poisoning people?” I asked.

  “Not exactly. Rose has extraordinary strength. Why do you think she’s not afraid to live in the forest alone? No one would mess with her. She may be beautiful, but there is a raging storm inside of her. She is a firecracker,” Chester said.

  “But I thought you saved her once?” I asked.

  “That’s what she told me, but I know the truth now. She was only playing damsel in distress to win some gentlemanly attention.”

  “I thought she owed you a favor?”

  “I continued to play along. It’s served me well to let her continue to think I’m oblivious.”

  “Yeah, I would never get too close to her. One of us made that mistake before, and it didn’t turn out so good,” Cale said with a laugh.

  “Wait. So the scar on her face isn’t from a lost battle to a wolf?” I asked.

  “It’s from his feeble attempt to defend himself. Believe me he has never lived it down.” Cale grinned.

  “How many beasts are there?”

  “Enough to give the royals a good go.”

  I stared at the moons and stars and thought aloud, “I wonder what my power is?”

  “Don’t know. It took what seemed like years before I started realizing I could turn invisible, and even then it was haphazard. I got scared; I turned. It took me a while longer before I had mastered it.”

  We decided to call it a night and hope for a better tomorrow. Chester put his arm around my waist, but I could still feel the tension between us.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  “It’s okay. It scared me — the thought of losing you again. You can tell me anything, Roe. I’ll be here always. Your knight and shining armor, remember?” He pulled me close.

  Before long, we were asleep, but dawn always has a way of sneaking up on you. We were awake before any of us felt rested. Cale put out the fire.

  “Put these on,” Chester said, tossing me some clothes out of his pack. I looked at him curiously. “Blacksmith apprentices are rarely women, so you’ve got to look like a man. Tie your hair back and pull up the hood.” He held the blanket with both hands and stretched it out behind his back. They both looked away, but I still felt a little awkward.

  I put on the brown leather pants and was surprised to see that they almost fit. They were somewhat loose, but the belt did its job. The white shirt with the ruffled cuffs wasn’t half bad either. Chester had good taste, and I did’t feel completely ugly. I tied my hair back and put on the black hooded cape he handed me.

  “Done,” I said.

  He turned around, folded the blanket over his arm, and wrapped his arms around my waist. It was nice to feel his affection. We were all so concerned with Madeline’s escape that personal time hadn’t really been a priority.

  “I want you to know I really care for you, Roe. You’re perhaps the only other person in Mezz who knows what it’s like to have lived in Terra not long ago. We remember having lives there and know the struggle of trying to live here. Whatever happens today, know I’ve never found something… or… someone worth risking the royals for until I met you. You’re genuine kindness draws me to you. You’re willing to risk your life for Madeline, and that inspires me. You’ve given me hope in this miserable darkness. Thank you for helping me live. I never felt alive in Mezzanine until now. Here. With you.” He leaned in and kissed me. My stomach twisted in knots. I could hardly breathe.

  “Oh, come on,” Cale growled.

  Chester pulled away slowly.

  Cale took some ash and thoroughly rubbed it into both his long hair and beard.

  “Hello Humbert. You’re right on time,” Cale said and patted his feathered head. Humbert docked himself there, and we all headed towards the gate. Our hoods and the early morning served as our disguises.

  Two armed men stood on either side of the iron gate. The stone walls to Royal Court were easily fifteen-twenty feet tall. We couldn’t scale over them. The only way in was through these men.

  “I’m delivering these new apprentices to the blacksmith,” Cale said while motioning to us. We nodded obediently.

  The guards eyed us. One waved a lit torch in front of our faces. I wrinkled my brow and sort of frowned, in order to distort my feminine face. They looked at Humbert carefully, even lifting his beak to look at his neck. We stood there nervous. I tried to control my racing heart. I felt certain they could hear it as loudly as I could.

  Whatever they saw on Humbert seemed to relax them.

  “Pass,” one of them said while the other lifted the gate. We walked slowly in, as to not raise any suspicions. Cale lagged near the back. He limped and hunched over, pretending to be old and feeble.

  “Keep your hoods up,” Cale whispered as we walked down the lonesome streets. There were few lights, and no one was stirring this early. Everyone was asleep except for guards, which meant we had to continue living in our disguises until we reached the blacksmith’s home.

  When we approached the house, I saw it was made of stone and mortar. Each rock looked carefully placed and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The door was large with an iron handle. Before we reached the stoop, Humbert flew away. He made our story believable, so seeing him leave made me nervous.

  When we reached the door, instead of knocking, like I thought Cale was going to do, he simply opened the door. The room was dark.

  “Get in. Get in,” a man’s voice whispered.

  Chester closed the door behind us. We all huddled together and waited for instructions on what to do next.

  “Grab a lantern, Cilla,” the man said.

  I heard someone rustling around nearby. Something fell.

  “Good for nothin’ table,” she whispered as she slowly lit the wick. Her face shined from the light, exposing every year that she had lived. She wore her white hair in a high bun and wore a simple linen frock that dusted the floor.

  With the room illuminated, I could see that the walls were wood, stacked horizontally one on top of the other. The rock fireplace matched the outside. Iron-working tools were scattered amongst the room. This was obviously where the blacksmith did his work. In the corner, an older man with white hair sat in a puny wooden chair. His wrinkled brows made his face appear to be in a permanent state of anger.

  “Welcome,” he said in a scruffy voice. “We’ve been living with scrambled nerves for days waiting for yous guys to get here. Don’t y’all know that stress can lead to madness, especially when you live with an old bat like her?” He gruffed and looked over at the old woman.

&
nbsp; “You, hush. I told everyone that we were excited to be getting some new help soon. I kept up the story, but it was hard not to worry about getting caught. Harboring traitors is a capital offence punishable by mindlessness. At least you can give me some credit.” She rolled her eyes and waddled herself into a chair.

  “Mindlessness?” I asked.

  “Damned royal-loving idiots. Turning decent folk into their personal entourage, only capable of filling their heads with hogwash. That’s what they do these days to people who go rogue,” the man answered.

  “Thanks for your help in this,” Cale said.

  “What’s the plan?” the man interrupted. “How do yous plan on attacking the armed and infamously dangerous royals? That’s what I’d like to know. I got you this far, but believe you me that I’m not going to risk getting turned into a shoe or whatever other thing they may find amusing. I’m not doing it,” the man hissed grumpily.

  “We are still trying to iron out the details. For now, we need food and shelter.”

  The man nodded and showed us to where we’d be staying. We walked through the rock arch into the back of the building, passing through a small living area and kitchen. Three doors lined a narrow hall that ran the width of the house. One went to their room, so he said. One went to a bathroom that looked more like an attached outhouse. It reminded of the bathing room at Tresel’s castle. The last room was ours.

  “Here we are. The Misses will bring yous some blankets and pillows. The floor is pretty comfortable, for what it is.”

  I looked down at the exposed earth below our feet. The dirt appeared anything but comfortable. He must have noticed my displeasure at the thought of sleeping on the ground because he said, “This is what we’ve got. Take it or leave it,” and walked away angrily.

  “It’s not ideal, but at least we’re inside the court’s gates. We’ll figure everything out soon enough,” Chester reassured me. But who was he trying to fool? My heart beat rapidly inside my chest. My nerves were beyond rattled. The thought of going up against the royals was terrifying, and though I wanted to save Madeline, a part of me wanted to hide tail and run.

  The old lady, who I found out was named Priscilla but went by Cilla, brought us blankets.

  “We should get some rest,” Cale suggested. “Tonight we begin scouting.”

  The tiny room could barely occupy the three of us stretched out on the floor. We each folded half our blankets, so that part of it was on the ground keeping us from lying on the bare earth and the other part we used as a cover. A primitive sleeping bag of sorts.

  We lay in silence. I wrestled my thoughts, trying to make them submit to rest. The tiny barred window let the early sunlight shine in. I basked in its warmth as it fell on my face.

  “Cale?” I broke the silence. “You never told me why you followed me in the forest. How did you know I was serious about helping Madeline?” I let the curiosity linger in my voice. I looked over at him, awaiting an answer. I could see the struggle in his face. His lips tightly pursed, as if to chew his words before he spewed them.

  “At first when I saw you, I was curious. I saw what happened with the escape and how Madeline didn’t make it. Your face looked devastated the moment you realized you would have to leave her behind. When I later heard about your plans to help Madeline, I realized I would have to intervene if you were to stand a chance against the royals. Can I ask you something now?” he asked. “Why weren’t you afraid of the beast?”

  “I was afraid at first, but I grew up with large dogs. It didn’t take me long to see, even through those terrifying eyes, you were just a kind pup underneath it all.”

  “I knew something was different about you when you reached out to pet me. No one had ever done that. It was strange and angered me at first. Offended almost, because you weren’t scared of me like everyone else. But then I had an unexplainable overwhelming sense of happiness. You didn’t see me as a beast, and a part of me, a very small part, was glad of that,” he said.

  “About that intervention, do you really think kidnapping was the most appropriate method?” Chester couldn’t resist.

  “Just because she didn’t see me as a beast, doesn’t mean that I’m not entirely one,” Cale snapped.

  I closed my eyes and felt content that I’d figured out one mystery of Mezzanine — Cale.

  Chapter 20

  Later that day, the boys aided the blacksmith in his shop. They wanted to keep up the appearance that they were the new help. I stayed hidden in the kitchen, under a mountain of dishes and clothes to wash. The large barrel of water served both as dishwasher and washing machine. The Rowena from before shuddered at the thought of this possibly being unsanitary, but this Roe was completely accustomed to dirt, unfortunately.

  Cilla made sure I kept busy as much as Mack, the blacksmith, did with the boys. The two of them were definitely taking advantage of the extra help around the house.

  Humbert divided his time between the kitchen and the shop, keeping a careful eye on us all. While I washed the dishes from lunch, he perched up on the window and flew away.

  “Where is he going?” I asked Cilla.

  “Who knows, child? He has stuff he’s gots to do, just like we do. He’s a messenger now that he’s got wings,” she said as she folded towels and placed them on the dining room table.

  “Now?” I asked confused.

  “You didn’t know?” she laughed a small laugh that exposed her toothless gums. “He’s our boy. Was our boy,” she corrected. “The royals made him this way because he had a dream of flying once. They caught him up on the castle’s wall about to try out a new contraption he’d made. Dresdem’s son, a dreadful bullyboy, was playing in the garden and saw our Humbert up there. He thought he’d make a spectacle of him in front of his friends — other royal fiends — and give our Humbert what he wanted. He came home an owl.”

  “I’m so sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Why so? He got his wish. He’s been flying ever since,” she said with a proud smile.

  The idea of Humbert as a boy was unfathomable. He’s always been just a helpful bird in my eyes.

  “How old was he?” I asked, hoping I’d be able to better envision him as a boy.

  She thought a minute. “Five hundred or so.”

  My eyes widened. “Oh, I meant how old was he when y’all were sent here?” I corrected.

  “About seventeen or eighteen years, I guess,” she answered.

  After cleaning and preparing supper, Cilla called the men in to wash up for supper. They walked wearily into the room covered with black smears. They each took turns at a bath then came and sat at the table. Cilla and I served the food and stood while we ate.

  I watched Chester as he watched me. He’d give me a smile, and I’d return one. We stole every chance we could to admire each other.

  Cilla and I cleaned up. It felt like being at my grandparent’s house, only with more chores and less decor. There was something comforting about being in the presence of these older people.

  Afterward, I heated up some water from the well and drew my bath. I climbed in and rested my head on the back of the metal tub. Oddly enough, I was able to relax. As I was drifting into the corners of my mind, letting it flow from one topic to the next, someone tapped on the door.

  “Who’s there?” I asked. No response. Then I heard the door push open.

  “Wait!” I panicked and grabbed the towel. I draped it over the tub’s edges, which left only my head and shoulders exposed.

  Humbert flew in and landed on the edge of the tub. The idea of him being a hormone driven boy inside of a wise, innocent-looking owl made me more conscious of my positioning. He didn’t seem bothered, though. He held out a foot containing a note in front of him.

  Meet me upstairs. It read.

  “That’s it?”

  He flew off, pulling the door lever closed. Impressive. I tried to make sense of how Humbert was able to open and close doors. Those wildly large feet were useful for
more than just carrying notes.

  I resumed my bath, wondering what awaited me upstairs. I stood in front of the old mirror. The glue had worn through the reflective glass and appeared on the front in black splotches. I stared at myself in the candlelit glow. Through the dark spots, I again saw the person I’d become since being in Mezzanine.

  I tossed my wet curls, shaking them loose. I dressed, pinched my cheeks, and worked my lips to give them both color. When I was satisfied, I took my candle and found the stairs.

  The house didn’t have a real upstairs. Cilla told me the stairs led to the rooftop. I followed the winding rock steps upward, trying the best I could to hold my candle steady. When I got to the top, I glanced out at the dark, flat roof. A three-foot tall rock rail encompassed it. Chester stood, leaning out over it.

  “What’s there to see up here?” I said with a smile. He turned back to face me.

  “You mean, besides me?” He grinned. “Come here. I want to show you something.” He extended his hand out to me.

  We leaned over the rail and noticed that across the street stood a couple. They looked to be about our age. They were trying to hide in the shadows of the buildings, but from this angle we could see them clearly. The man whispered in her ear. Then they embraced. He must have said something funny because they both giggled. I glanced over at Chester; we both smiled.

  “Let’s give them some privacy,” he said and took my hands. “How about a dance?” He asked twirling me towards him.

  “But there’s no music?” I laughed.

  “We can make our own music.”

  And we did.

  I placed my arms around his neck, and for the first time in a long time, I felt giddy. The butterfly in my stomach sputtered and so did my heart. His hands gripped my hips and pulled me closer. I felt his breath on my neck as our cheeks touched. We turned in slow circles and enjoyed the peace of the moment.

  “My parents danced a lot. When it was late, after they’d put me to bed, they’d stay up and dance. Many nights I’d get up and watch them from the hall. I couldn’t help but hope that someday I’d be dancing in my home with my wife just like my father had. They never had music either,” he said. I pulled back and smiled. It was the first time I heard Chester talk about his parents, and it felt like a turning point in our relationship. He leaned in and kissed me gently. His warm lips set my body on fire. My entire being began to tingle. I melted into him.