Water Princess, Fire Prince

by Kendra E. Ardnek

“Ah, good hinequas,” said Rich, pressing his hand to his heart and bowing slightly – these creatures were apparently of considerable rank. “We are honored by your willingness to assist us in our plight and to carry our Water Princess and Fire Prince to Rizkaland proper.”

  The golden hinequa stepped forward and shook his mane. “It is an honor to carry them,” he said in a deep, musical voice that thrilled all the way through Clara. “For Klarand is Rizkaland’s first line of defense, and – should Rizkaland fall – how will any of the islands stand?” He turned to Clara and the Fire Prince. “I am Goldenwing, and this is my mate, Windhoof. To be certain and sure, nothing pleases us more than the privilege of such an important role in this coming war.”

  “Uh, right,” said the Fire Prince. Clara was, for once, speechless.

  “Clara and Andrew, you shall be having supper at Loray itself tonight,” said Kath, excitedly. “Come now, up you go. No point in wasting time, now, is there?”

  Well, there was the issue of the fact that Clara really didn’t want to be flying through the air, even on a hinequa, but before she could protest, she was on Goldenwing’s back, and the Fire Prince’s arms were around her waist. His arms actually made her feel sufficiently secure, though, so she decided against making an issue of it. Apparently, two wrongs could make a right…

  With a running leap, and just a few beats of the great, powerful, golden wings for which he was named, Goldenwing rose up off of the courtyard plaza and soared into the sky. Clara found herself leaning into the Fire Prince, though she held his wrists tightly, and actually enjoying herself.

  “So, tell us a bit about the Isle of Talking Beasts, from whence you come,” said the Fire Prince, just as the silence was about to get boring. “I read about it in Prince Theodore’s books, but there’s nothing like hearing from an inhabitant to make a country come to life in one’s mind.”

  “Ah, well spoken, Fire Prince,” said Goldenwing with a shake of his mane. “Yes, our Isle is a lovely place, and there isn’t any of Rizkaland that can quite compare to it. The name is a bit of a misnomer, though.”

  “What do you mean?” Clara asked.

  “It is not the beasts who talk – those of us with speech possess a soul just as truly as any elf or human,” Goldenwing explained. “I don’t know for certain who named the Isle, but they were far from accurate.”

  “Oh,” said Clara. “That’s interesting. So, anything else? You say that it doesn’t quite compare to the rest of Rizkaland.”

  The hinequa spent the next several hours of the flight telling of all the little details of the Isle. He told of the other Steeds that lived there, including the haranda, which sounded much like a unicorn, and the rowanda, which could come in any color and could run faster than any other creature in Rizkaland. There were a few others, too, including one that was practically invisible, but Clara didn’t catch the names. The ruler of the Island was the Sentaur. He looked just like he sounded. He had the body of a horse – a brown one, much to Clara’s amusement, considering the plethora of color in Rizkaland – but a man’s torso, head, and arms sticking up where the horse’s head should be. He was immortal, apparently, since there was only one of him, and he’d been the ruler of the Isle since the creation of Rizkaland.

  They stopped for a quick break to stretch their legs and eat some lunch at the Ea Kastle, where they met Lord Samuel, who was overjoyed to find out that the Water Princess and Fire Prince had come at last.

  Then they were back in the air for an even longer flight that took them over the RivRe. Clara had never seen so much bubbling orange water in her life. She was very glad when they were past it and they touched the ground once again.

  

  The hinequas left them in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Andrew considered protesting, but the elves didn’t seem to mind, and they were the ones who knew where they were going. Alith and Dular headed into the orange trees, so Andrew and the Water Princess followed.

  They hadn’t gone far before the elves stopped at the base of a tree that was particularly tall and exceptionally orange. On the ground, looking very out of place, was a woven purple mat.

  “A haric door,” Andrew realized. “I read about them in Theodore’s books. Rizkans use them to travel long distances quickly because their country is so big.”

  “Fascinating,” said the Water Princess. “How do they work?”

  “I think they’re woven with a hair of the haranda, hence the name,” Andrew explained. “Harandas are capable of a strange sort of travel where they can just think themselves somewhere else, and they’ll be there.”

  “Very good, Fire Prince,” said Alith. “You’re well read. Yes, this is a haric door. It goes to my father’s house. No, it’d be my brother’s now – or perhaps my nephew? Oh, but I’ve been in Klarand too long. It is time for me to pass my duties on.”

  “Okay, right, sounds interesting,” said the Water Princess. “But how do we use it?”

  Alith and Dular gave Andrew an expectant look, apparently expecting him to answer her. “Um, I believe there’s some sort of password we say to activate it. Not quite a magic word, but something like that. I – I don’t know what this one is.”

  “It is Welcome Says Me,” said Alith, “as it is for every door that leads to the Bookholder’s home. It is common knowledge, for any and all are welcome to go to him for advice, and the door itself will not work if the speaker harbors ill intent towards the inhabitants of the house.”

  “Well, as far as I know, neither Andrew nor I do,” said the Water Princess.

  Alith smiled. “I’m quite sure that you don’t. Now, which of you would like to try it first? Or would you prefer it if Dular or I went ahead?”

  “I’ll go,” Andrew volunteered, surprising himself. Then again, this was one of the scientific things of Rizkaland. He wanted to see how it worked, and there was nothing like first-hand experience to see how something worked.

  After gaining approval from Alith and Dular and noting that the Water Princess was glaring at him – nothing new there – he stepped onto the mat, said the password, and the world blurred silver. This lasted a few seconds, and then the colors sorted themselves back out and he was standing inside a very cozy library.

  Remembering that the others would be coming after him, he immediately stepped off of the mat that he was now standing on. If he remembered right, these doormats didn’t work if someone was standing on the other end, and it would otherwise be awkward.

  Dular appeared a few seconds later, followed by the Water Princess, and then Alith.

  “Ah, very good, very good, we’re all here,” said Alith, pressing her hands to her chest and glancing about the room, a rapturous expression on her face. Understandable, as this was the Bookholder’s library, and thus the home where she’d grown up.

  “Now, we should go find someone who can show us the way to the kings and queens,” Dular announced.

  The elves led Andrew and the Water Princess through the shelves, and out of the library, where they were confronted by a darker-haired elf girl who looked about the same age as the Water Princess. But, as Andrew gave it a second thought, he remembered that elves aged slower than humans, so he couldn’t be certain.

  The girl gasped. “Oh, Aunt Alith! You’ve finally returned!”

  Alith grinned. “Ah, Tnika, you remember me! It’s been fifteen years, I hardly expected it!”

  “I was six when you left, and I’m a Bookdaughter like you. I have a good memory.” And she nodded to emphasize her point. “And – oh! You’ve brought the Fire Prince and Water Princess. My, but they’re young.”

  Andrew thought it an interesting thing for the girl to say, considering her own youthful appearance. She was, apparently, about twenty-one, but from what he read in Theodore’s books, it equated to only around seventeen in human years.

  “Yes, these are the Fire Prince and Water Princess,” Alith confirmed. “Would you mind telling us where the Bookholder is? We need to see the King
s and Queens to tell them that these two have arrived.”

  “Oh, Father’s talking to them right now in the council room,” Tnika explained, pausing to insert, “He became the Bookholder just last year, but Grandfather’s fine, in case you want to see him, too. He just got tired of the demands placed on the position.” Then she remembered the original train of thought. “But I can show you the way! In fact, I think they’re talking about the Fire Prince and Water Princess right now. Father just read that they were coming in the book.”

  “Sounds lovely,” said Dular. “Alith and I will be certain to pay Rindar a visit sometime this week. For now, do show us the way to the council room.”

  Tnika needed no further prompting. She turned and skipped off, and Alith and Dular followed. Andrew and the Water Princess naturally followed them.

  More halls and passageways appeared until Tnika ducked them into a large room with a large circular table with several men and women seated around it. Some of them wore a thick band of gold or silver on their foreheads.

  “Guess what! Guess what!” Tnika exclaimed, rushing up to the side of a middle-aged elf who was talking to one of the men with the golden bands. “The Water Princess and Fire Prince are here!”

  Silence overtook the room, as all eyes turned towards Andrew and the Water Princess. Andrew felt very awkward.

  “We’re here to ask for help with getting rid of the Lady Dragon,” the Water Princess spoke up. “Kath and Rich told us that you’d send help if we came and asked for it. So here we are.”

  That seemed to have broken the spell on the room, for at that moment, one young woman, with long golden hair and a silver circlet, sprang up and clapped her hands. “Oh, and now the real fun starts!”

  “Yes, thank you Kiona,” said the man who had been talking to the elf. “Well, I’d like to welcome the two of you to Loray. I am King Tyrus, after the line of Ralph, and it is an honor to finally have you among us. Are you hungry? The trip from the Kastle was long, I’m sure, and it’s nearly suppertime.”

  “Yes, we are,” said Dular. “And I’m quite certain that negotiations can be handled just as easily in the dining hall as in here.”

  Chapter 7

  Clara did not get to hear any of the negotiations, but was instead treated to an in-depth commentary, courtesy of Queen Kiona of the line of Violet, who sat next to her. It was an interesting commentary, to be certain, but Clara would have preferred hearing the conversation for herself.

  “Oh, there’s Cousin Tyrus being all important again with the numbers,” Kiona put in at one point. For some reason, the kings and queens called each other cousin. Whether it was a term of endearment, respect, or something else, Clara couldn’t tell. “We only have seven thousand men at standby. We can’t give you any more, not at the moment anyway. Rizkaland isn’t a nation of warriors. We’re scholars and farmers here, unlike in Klarand.”

  Silence a moment, while Kiona listened to a few words from King Tyrus, “Of course, we’ll keep back a few hundred men for training. We do want to send more help; we just have to get that help ready to send. That’s just common sense. Say, I noticed you have a sword, though the Leaf Princess and Wind Prince received bows. Are you any good with it?”

  “Fairly good,” Clara admitted, not sure that the woman would hear her.

  Sure enough, at that moment, something was said that claimed Kiona’s full attention. King Tyrus had just arrived at the issue of whom they would send with the men to represent Rizkaland.

  “Oh, let Stephan and me go!” she cried, standing up.

  All eyes were immediately on the young queen. King Tyrus himself just regarded her calmly for several seconds. “I’m not certain you quite understand the situation, Kiona. This is war we’re talking about, a serious issue. You are young yet…”

  “We celebrated my eighteenth birthday four months ago, and Stephan turned twenty last week,” Kiona pointed out, “and yet you still treat us like we’re eight and ten. Besides, how old are the Water Princess and Fire Prince?” She glanced towards Clara, clearly expecting an answer.

  Clara sighed and supplied one. “Sixteen.”

  “See! And the Fire Prince can’t be much older than her. So why is it that they are old enough to lead a country and take part in the war? They’re expected to. But Stephan and I are still little more than children and can’t be trusted with anything.”

  Clara glanced across the table to Stephan, who was sitting across from Kiona and next to the Fire Prince. He was shaking his head and motioning for her to sit down. Kiona didn’t seem to see him.

  “The Fire Prince and Water Princess are young,” King Tyrus admitted. “But Alphego chose them, and He has placed those around them who have experience, whom they can learn from.”

  “Are you saying that He didn’t choose Stephan and me?” Kiona asked. She shook her head and fingered the necklace she wore – a tiny silver box. “I know you never liked the choice; that you would have preferred any one of my older brothers or sisters – but the fact remains that we were the ones chosen. For a reason. And it’s not so that we can just listen to lectures while all of you determine the fate of the country.”

  “Kiona, now is not the time for this,” said King Tyrus. “Why should we deny Klarand our best help?”

  “So that Alphego can give the greater!”

  “Kiona, Alphego works through people. The Water Princess and Fire Prince are young, and thus we should send people with experience to guide them.”

  “Very well,” said Kiona. “Send one of us with ‘experience.’ But send Stephan and me as well. It’s not as though you’re going to let us do anything important here. But—”

  Stephan, who had been motioning, rapping on the table, clearing his throat, and making other such attempts to gain the queen’s attention, suddenly spoke up. His voice was quiet, but commanding just the same, and his words were simple. “Kiona, sit down.”

  Kiona instantly fell silent. Guilt spread across her face as she lowered herself back into her chair. She didn’t say another word for the rest of the meal.

  “Well, then,” said King Tyrus after a few moments, “I shall consider your arguments. For now, we shall turn the discussion to other matters and decide who shall go in the morning, after we consult the Book.”

  There were murmurs of consent from the other kings and queens, and the conversation continued. Kiona, however, didn’t seem to notice, as she seemed to be in some sort of silent conversation with Stephan. Clara watched them for a moment, then glanced over to the Fire Prince, who shot her an encouraging smile.

  She rolled her eyes.

  

  Andrew really didn’t see why he and the Water Princess had been needed, for once they had explained how they’d come to Klarand from their own worlds, no one even seemed to notice them, except for the queen sitting next to the Water Princess, who spent most of the meal talking to her. But the food was good, so Andrew focused on eating.

  Eventually, dessert was served, and then everyone was dismissed. Queen Maria, King Tyrus’s wife, suggested that King Stephan and Queen Kiona show the Water Princess and Fire Prince around Loray castle a bit before it was time for bed. It was the sort of suggestion that was actually more of an order, so Andrew and the Water Princess soon found themselves trailing behind Stephan and Kiona through the halls and passages.

  It was a bit awkward, since Stephan seemed to be a very quiet man naturally, and Kiona wasn’t in a talkative mood anymore.

  “You know,” the Water Princess spoke up, “personally, I think you two would be getting it good if you weren’t chosen to come with us back to Klarand. War isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, you know.”

  Queen Kiona stiffened, then turned back to face them. “You think I’m upset about that?”

  “Well, you’ve been quiet ever since King Tyrus practically said no.”

  Kiona laughed. “Oh, no. Dear me, no. That wasn’t his ‘no,’ that’s his ‘you actually made a good point, Kiona; I’ll have to think
about it, and I’m probably going to say yes, but not in front of everyone.’ Really, he can be so grumpy sometimes. But even if he does say no, it won’t be that bad.”

  “Why?” asked Andrew, wondering how she could be fine with it after that outburst.

  “Because he’s consulting the Book,” she explained. “If he says no, it’s because the Book told him to, and therefore it’s Alphego’s decision, not his. I was just making sure that my opinion was heard, because he’d never ask for it.”

  “Oh,” said the Water Princess. “Then why were you upset?”

  Kiona glanced up at Stephan and sighed. “Because I made Stephan use his voice,” she explained.

  “I see,” said the Water Princess. “And he doesn’t like to talk?”

  Stephan and Kiona shared a glance. “No,” she drew out. “Not exactly.”

  “Water Princess,” said Stephan. “Pick up that book.”

  Without hesitation, the Water Princess reached over and picked a book up off of a nearby table. Slowly, a confusion spread across her face as she stared at it.

  Kiona laughed again. “You may put it down now.”

  The Water Princess did so, giving it a suspicious glare.

  “You see,” Kiona explained. “It isn’t that Stephan doesn’t like to talk, but rather that he doesn’t like to abuse his gift.”

  “Gift?” the Water Princess repeated.

  “Yes,” said Kiona. She held up the silver box necklace she wore. “Like the elves, the kings and queens of Rizkaland have gifts. It’s how Alphego marks the chosen heir. Mine is perfect aim. Stephan’s is commanding speech.”

  “Oh,” said the Water Princess. “That makes sense. I guess. How does his gift work, exactly?”

  “Whatever he tells you to do – like pick up a book – you must obey. Whatever he asks, you must answer – truthfully. And whatever he tells you, you must believe. Since he’s the wonderful man that he is, he doesn’t like to abuse his power. It was a different tale when we were kids, but that’s history.”

  The Water Princess nodded slowly. “I get it. Very nice of him, I guess. But freaky.”