“I wasn’t planning to visit a world where I’m suddenly a Fire Prince,” Andrew pointed out. “I was going to take a nice, safe trip to my aunt’s, whom I haven’t seen since I was seven.”
“I’ve never met my aunt,” the boy mentioned. “She lives too far away.” He shrugged. “Besides, we need you here.”
“I’m needed back home, too,” Andrew countered. “I have three younger brothers that I’m responsible for. We lost our mom when I was twelve and Dad’s too busy with his job to take care of them.”
“We lost our king and queen thirty years ago,” the boy said.
“And what do you expect me to do about it?”
“You’re supposed to take their place,” the boy explained, sitting down next to Andrew. “That’s what the prophecy says, at least. Of course, you will have the Water Princess to help you, so I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”
“A Water Princess?” Well, in this world’s strange sense of logic, Andrew supposed that with a Fire Prince, you had to have a Water Princess as well. “And where’s she?”
“I don’t know,” the boy admitted. “I think she’s supposed to show up in Upper Klarand. The Waterfall’s up there, or so I’m told. I’ve never actually been there. That’s where my aunt lives.”
“And you just said that she lived too far away.”
“Yes, but now that you’re here, I think it’ll be different. Besides, you’ll only have to meet her halfway, at the Kastle.”
“Right. Look, I feel sorry for you guys and all that, but I really need to get back to my brothers,” Andrew protested. “They need me.”
“And we need you. I’m really sorry about your brothers, but I guess they’ll have to take care of themselves for a while. Are they babies?”
“No,” Andrew admitted with a small smile, remembering Josh’s protest just hours before. “The youngest is seven.”
“Well then, they can take care of themselves,” the boy decided. “I’m sure they’re quite resourceful. In the meantime, you can be our Fire Prince.”
“So, you’ve been without a king and queen for thirty years?” Andrew asked, not liking the logic, but unable to find anything with which he could easily combat it. Kids this age were notoriously stubborn.
“Well … not exactly,” the boy admitted. “We’ve had a Wind Prince and Leaf Princess, but they’re brother and sister, and nobody’s seen them for years. So we need you and the Water Princess to take their place.”
“But that’s just it,” Andrew countered, sinking his head back into his hands. “I don’t know how to be a Fire Prince. I’ve never ruled a country before.”
“Neither have I, but I don’t think you’ll find it too hard. You’ll have the Water Princess to help you, after all.”
Andrew quietly groaned. With all of the people in the world who actually wanted power and a country handed to them, why did it have to be him? There were plenty of other people who didn’t already have Andrew’s responsibilities.
“It’ll be fun, Fire Prince,” the boy continued. “It will probably take some getting used to, but you will have fun.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
The boy hopped to his feet and tugged at Andrew’s hand. “I think you need to stop feeling sorry for yourself – my dad says that feeling sorry for yourself never makes you feel better. Here, I’ll show you around. And don’t worry, if we meet with any scary creatures, I can protect you.”
Andrew didn’t want to follow the kid, but he knew from experience with his brothers that he didn’t really have much of a choice. Either he would consent to the tour, or he’d have to put up with pestering until he did give in. And he didn’t have any Good Reasons that would convince the boy to leave him alone.
He reluctantly got to his feet as the boy scampered off. Andrew followed at a far less enthusiastic pace. The boy seemed to know his way through the woods and was surprisingly quiet as he walked. Before long, they found themselves back at the lean-to shelter.
“This is where we sleep at night,” the kid informed him.
“I gathered that,” Andrew admitted.
“Oh, okay, but I bet you haven’t seen the smokehouse yet!”
“No, I completely forgot to hit that attraction,” Andrew admitted, not really interested, but again knowing he had no choice but to go see it.
The man who had pulled Andrew from the Firefall – Abraham, Andrew believed it was, not that he particularly cared – was standing in front of the smokehouse talking to a younger man. Andrew didn’t recognize this new person, even by his voice.
The boy rushed forward and threw his arms around Abraham’s waist. “I got him to come back!” he proclaimed, proudly.
Abraham paused and rumpled the boy’s hair as he turned to face Andrew. “Well, Fire Prince, it is good to see you back. I am truly sorry to hear about your brothers. The CPS sounds like a powerful evil indeed. I truly commend you for your desire to hold to your responsibilities, and I have no doubt that it is that same virtue for which you were chosen as Fire Prince.”
Andrew folded his arms over his chest. “I’m flattered, but honestly, all I want to do is to get back to my brothers and defend them from the ‘powerful evil’ – as you put it.”
Abraham shook his head. “As I have already told you, I don’t have the power to send you back to your own world. I fear that you must leave them in Alphego’s wings, though if it’ll make you feel better, I’ve heard rumors that say that time flows differently between the worlds. Perhaps you’ll find that, when you do at last return to your world, less time has passed there than you spent here.”
“I’ve read stories about that,” Andrew admitted. He felt slightly better about this situation, but not by much.
“I told him all about what a Fire Prince needs to do, so now he’s okay with it,” the kid informed Abraham.
Abraham arched an eyebrow towards Andrew. “And just what did that entail?”
“Uh, mostly that you lost your king and queen, and then your Wind Prince and Leaf Princess, and now you need me and some Water Princess, whom I’ll meet at a castle, to take their place.”
“Ah,” said Abraham. “Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but that’s pretty much it.”
“Right,” said Andrew. “And who said I wanted to ‘take their place’ as he puts it? I’m just sixteen, I have a life. I didn’t want anything to change.”
Abraham stepped forward and placed a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “Look, I can’t pretend to have all the answers for you. That is Alphego’s place. But I do know that you are here now and you are our Fire Prince. The Wind Prince and Leaf Princess were only fifteen and thirteen when they took on the rule of our island.”
“No wonder they took the opportunity to get out when they could,” said Andrew, pulling himself away from the hand.
“No, you don’t understand,” said Abraham. “They were good rulers, and the reason we haven’t seen them in fifteen years is … well, what they did, they did for the good of this island.”
“Oh.”
“But this is a discussion better held over food,” Abraham continued. “We had a successful hunt this day, and we shall eat well tonight. Are you coming, Fire Prince?”
Again, Andrew realized he didn’t really have a choice.
Chapter 3
The men were on some sort of hunting trip, which meant that they ate whatever they caught. Today’s dish was, therefore, shwazle. Andrew didn’t find the idea very appetizing after having seen the head of the creature, but his other option was to go hungry. He supposed that most of the other animals here were at least nearly as strange.
The men talked about the hunt and other things that Andrew wasn’t interested in. He turned to Abraham, who was sitting at the head of the long table. Andrew was seated at his left. The boy – Karlos – was sitting at his right hand. Andrew had also learned that the boy was Abraham’s son. He was the only person under the age of twenty here on this hunting trip, with the ex
ception of Andrew himself.
“You said that you’d give me more explanations once we were eating,” he said.
“Yes,” said Abraham. “So, what exactly is it that you’d like to know?”
What Andrew wanted to know was how soon it would be before he returned home, but it had already been established that they didn’t know when that would happen. “So … pink snow?”
“It isn’t pink everywhere,” Karlos spoke up. “It depends on which Ri or Riv is nearest. We have RiFi, so it’s red snow.”
“Ah, okay, so what does that have to do with it?”
“Because the color of the water that flows through the Ri or Riv is usually the same color as the snow or rain that falls. Doesn’t your world have a water cycle?”
“Uh, yes,” Andrew answered. With a scientist for a dad, he’d learned all about the water cycle even before starting kindergarten. “So, you’re saying that water comes in multiple colors here?”
“Yes, each color with its own special use,” Abraham confirmed. “Blue water, for instance, is for drinking.” And as if to illustrate, he took a drink from his own tumbler.
“In my world, it has one color: clear,” said Andrew, “unless it’s polluted, and then it isn’t good for anything. But what’s up with the Firefall? It’s not water, and therefore shouldn’t be part of the water cycle.”
“No, it isn’t strictly part of the water cycle,” Abraham confirmed, “but for some strange reason, it does affect the color of the snow in this area. When it melts, it returns to its normal color, in this case, blue, but it’s one of the strange mysteries of nature. Now, I’m not sure what that has to do with your being our Fire Prince, so is there any questions about that which you would like to ask?”
“Ah, yes. Why me?”
Abraham took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. “I cannot say for certain. I was not the one who chose you.”
“Right. Makes sense. And what about this Water Princess?” Andrew hoped that his suspicion about her wasn’t true. “I’m supposed to meet her at a castle, but beyond that?”
“At the Kastle,” Abraham corrected, though Andrew really didn’t see any difference between the terms. “There you will be crowned and Tied, and together you will begin a new line of kings and queens over Klarand.”
Andrew shifted uncomfortably. “So … you’re saying I’m going to marry her?”
“In time, of course,” said Abraham. “You’re young yet, and I’m sure she will be as well, so the two of you will likely choose to wait on that part.”
“Right.” Andrew had never really had time for girls, what with keeping his brothers in line. Besides, he’d always found them rather intimidating and best admired from a distance. “What’s she like?”
“There is only one thing we know for certain about the Water Princess, and that is that she will fight,” Abraham explained. “It is strongly believed that she will come to our world through the Waterfall in Upper Klarand – and your own arrival through the Firefall would stand to support the theory. Beyond that, she is as much a mystery to us as you were this morning.”
That was not the sort of information that Andrew had wanted to hear. “She’ll fight? So, a warrior princess?”
“The prophecy clearly states that she will fight,” said Abraham. “So a warrior princess would not be out of the question. The legends speak of many others who have populated our history. Princess Isabelle, for instance, who ruled over Upper Klarand in the early days, was one of the greatest swordsmen this world has ever seen. I suppose, now that you mention it, it is fitting that the Water Princess should arrive in that part of the island.”
The man on Andrew’s left – Josef, the same man who Abraham had been talking to at the smokehouse – jabbed Andrew with his elbow. “The feisty girls are always the prettiest, though.”
“Right,” said Andrew, not really convinced. He decided to push thoughts about the Water Princess to the back of his head where he wouldn’t have to worry about them. “And this castle?”
“The Kastle lies at the heart of Klarand,” Abraham explained. “It was built by Alphego Himself and is part of the Mountain itself. As a fortress, it is impenetrable.”
“And I’ll go there?”
“In time,” said Abraham. “We will wait until the spring thaw. It isn’t so bad down here, but Upper Klarand is mountainous. The Water Princess could not make it to the Kastle until the passes are clear, and there is no point in you going there if she isn’t there.”
“That is assuming she’s in Upper Klarand,” said Andrew.
“Indeed,” Abraham agreed. “There are many things we must take on faith, among them the fact that the Water Princess has indeed arrived. Now, if you don’t have any more questions for me, I have one for you. What are your skills, Fire Prince?”
Andrew did have more questions, but it sounded like Abraham was done answering. Well, if Andrew was going to be stuck here a while, he could probably ask them later, right? Besides, Abraham’s question wasn’t unreasonable. Hard to answer, maybe, but not unreasonable.
“Uh, I’m pretty good at keeping three unruly younger brothers in line,” he admitted.
Down the table, there were several snickers, but Abraham just smiled and nodded. “An unusual skill,” he admitted, “but I have a feeling that you might find it quite applicable to ruling a country, just on a much grander scale.”
Andrew hadn’t thought about that yet, mostly because he wasn’t looking for things to qualify him as a Fire Prince. He was looking for more reasons for why he was completely unfit for the position and why he should be sent back home to his family at once. Abraham, on the other hand, seemed to be taking the complete opposite approach.
Andrew tried to find another “skill” that would sound pathetic and completely unworthy of a Fire Prince. “I’m a good cook,” he admitted, stirring up more laughter. “Had to be, what with no women in the house.”
“He lost his mother,” Karlos explained.
“My condolences,” said Abraham, and he actually sounded like he meant it. “I would say that cooking is quite an honorable skill for a young man to possess – and certainly quite useful. Now, may I ask, how are you with a sword?”
“A sword?” Andrew repeated. “Um, we haven’t used those in my world for years. I’ve never even touched one in my life.”
“Are you that peaceful?”
“No, we’ve managed to invent more explosive weapons to be used at greater distances. We have some that we can fire from miles away.”
“Ah,” said Abraham, with a very concerned look on his face. “Well, how are you with a bow?”
Andrew shook his head. “Our weapons are powered by fire and are far beyond bows and arrows. I’ve never learned how to use a bow either.”
Abraham nodded slowly. “Well, I suppose it is never too late to begin one’s education in such matters. We’ll start tomorrow.”
That was not what Andrew had wanted to hear.
“Oh, come now, Abraham,” protested Zimon, “The kid has never touched a proper weapon before in his life. Honestly, I’m a bit hesitant to entrust the Klarand’s future to him.”
“It is not his fault that his world has different weapons,” Abraham countered. “I’m sure he is quite proficient in the weapons his world does possess. And if not, well, I imagine that the world could do with a man of peace from time to time. Men who seek knowledge and not power, like Prince Theodore of the old days.”
“Poetic words, Abraham,” the man countered, “but now is not exactly a time of peace.”
“Nor was Prince Theodore’s day,” Abraham countered, “and what our Fire Prince does not know, we can teach him.”
Abraham then launched into a discussion of where they would hunt the next day. After everyone was done eating, Karlos dragged Andrew off to do more showing around.
“You know, you’re not as bad as the men say you are,” the boy informed him as they were skirting around the borders of the camp so that Andrew �
�knew where they were.”
Andrew didn’t answer, just glanced down at Karlos with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re just confused and scared, that’s all,” Karlos continued, not seeming to notice the eyebrow aimed in his direction. “And that’s not a bad thing. I think if any of them went to your world and were told that they had to rule it, they’d be just as upset.”
“You think?” asked Andrew, smiling a bit despite himself at the thought of Zimon facing down a car. Or a bus. Probably wouldn’t be the most glorious battle in recorded history.
“Your world is just so different – I mean, to only have one color of water! How would you know what to use it for? You might use bathing water to wash your dishes – or worse, drink the spicy water!”
“We only have one kind of water,” Andrew informed the boy. “One type of clear water.”
“Oh.” Karlos had to think about this for several seconds. “So, how do you use it? Do you drink it? That would be the most practical use, I guess, since you have to drink water to live.”
“Yes, we do drink it,” Andrew confirmed. “But we also wash with it, cook with it, and use it to water the grass. It’s very versatile.”
“Oh…” The boy nodded like he understood, though Andrew strongly suspected that he didn’t. “I wouldn’t want to drink it.”
“Why not?”
“Because the water you wash stuff with tastes nasty.”
“Our water is tasteless,” Andrew assured the boy. “In order to wash dishes or take a bath, you have to add soap, and then it tastes nasty.”
“Oh. That’s just complicated.”
“Fair enough. I think your world is complicated.”
“You’ll get used to it, Fire Prince.” Karlos gave his hand a squeeze that Andrew supposed was meant to be reassuring. It wasn’t very.
“Right, what was it you said a few minutes ago, that our worlds were very different?” Andrew pointed out. “Look, I understand that you’ve grown up here; that it’s all you’ve known. I’ve no doubt that it makes perfect sense to you – and it should, since it’s your world. But I grew up in a different world. It’s all I’ve ever known. And now I’m here and this world does not make much sense at all to me.”
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