Water Princess, Fire Prince

by Kendra E. Ardnek

  “I can imagine,” said Essua. “Well, I’ll make sure that you don’t regret your decision. I’m not one to brag, but I’m actually better than my brother. Though, if he were to actually apply himself…”

  “Hey,” said Jakob. “I’ve got two years on you now. That’s time enough to improve.”

  The smirk fell out of the girl’s face as she turned to face her brother. “You’re now two years older than me. That’s – that’s not right. I was the elder!”

  “By twelve minutes,” Jakob confirmed. He reached over and took his sister’s hand. “Look, I’ve thought through this a thousand times – every repercussion. I’ve had two years, after all. Maybe you’re missing two years now, but it doesn’t change the fact that you were born first. You’re still my elder by twelve minutes.”

  “Prince Theodore was of the opinion that people did age while they were ice,” Andrew spoke up.

  The siblings turned to him.

  “It was just a theory,” he clarified, “for he was never able to observe any statue for a long period of time – Jane and Ralph were pretty vigorous about melting their friends, after all. But, I don’t know, if it makes you feel any better?”

  “That almost makes it worse,” said Essua. She sighed. “But I guess there’s no changing now, and I’m better off than many, having only lost two years. There are people, I’m sure, who’ve lost more.”

  “Quite so,” said the Water Princess. “I consider myself lucky to have only received two weeks for much the same reason. Anyways, if we’re all done eating, we should pack up and head back to the Kastle now. There is a Dragon for us to worry about, after all, and I should hate to meet up with more of those Enokles today.”

  Jakob laughed.

  Chapter 6

  It had been a long day, and Clara was sure she was in for yet another one, but she still couldn’t sleep. Sure, Jakob had his sister back, and she was a dear, sweet girl, but it was bittersweet, for now there was a two-year gap between them. And how well did Clara know that pain of mismatched years!

  And, to add to it, before they’d left, Jakob had managed to pull her aside and ask about Jill Anna, as she’d foreseen. The gallant young man that he was, he tried to declare that it didn’t matter to him – but she’d had to remind him that he was heir to Upper Klarand, and thus it did. The poor fellow.

  Weighing heavier on her mind was the war that loomed over them. Two weeks would be up in just a few days, and then … oh, dragging the Fire Prince along and having him fight at her side had seemed a great idea at the time, but somehow, she’d convinced herself that he’d recover faster. At their practice sessions, the highlight of Clara’s days, he made progress, but still. He wasn’t anywhere near ready for a real war.

  She shoved off her covers and climbed out of bed, realizing that she simply wasn’t going to relax anytime soon. After tossing a log onto the fire and poking it back to life, she paced her room in the half-light, a thousand what-if scenarios playing through her head. Yes, the prophecy said that it would be their union that saved them all. Yes, Laura said that the Dragon could only be vanquished by them working together. Yes, everyone had accepted the plan, including Laura who apparently knew how things were to go. But how could she do it to him? How could she force this half-trained boy, so to speak, into this battle? He’d almost died the last time.

  Her eye caught the mirror over her vanity table, and for a moment, she didn’t recognize the girl she saw reflected.

  It was her, she knew, but she had changed so much since the day when she’d haplessly fallen into Klarand. The face was thinner, the eyes more tired, and the hair she used to keep above her chin for swim was past her shoulders. She grimaced as she turned away. A war and a kingdom weighing on one’s shoulders could do that to a body. She was growing up, faster than she wanted to. She glanced at the circlet that sat in its case, ready for the Fire Prince to put on her head in the morning. They were so young, yet had so much expected of them.

  A crash of breaking glass cut into her thoughts, and she flew to the door connecting her room to the Fire Prince’s. The lock was undone in a moment, and she threw open the door to find the Fire Prince, sword drawn, staring down at a broken vase.

  “Oh,” she said.

  His eyes shot up and landed on her, and panic shot across his face. “I, uh, I—”

  She decided to take pity on him and walked over to his side, her eyes on the pile of broken glass. “Oh, I understand perfectly. Amber was using it to spy on us, but now you’ve taken care of the problem. Klarand will thank you.”

  “But I…”

  She glanced up to find him staring at her in bewilderment. Slowly, however, her meaning dawned on him and a weak smile pulled up the corners of his mouth as he glanced away. “Uh, actually, I was just practicing and … what are they going to say?”

  “Nothing,” said Clara. “You’re their Fire Prince. You could break a thousand vases and they’d still love you. Not that I’d recommend it … unless Amber was to actually start using them to spy on us, at which point they’d probably join in.”

  “I guess you’re right,” he muttered. “I, uh, didn’t mean to wake you.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t worry, you didn’t. Now, put away the sword. A bedroom isn’t exactly the best place to practice as I think you’ve just found out. Mother always makes me do mine in the backyard or at the center.”

  “So, you couldn’t sleep, either?” the Fire Prince asked, sliding his sword into its sheath and setting it on the top of a dresser.

  “We’ve got a war in our front yard,” Clara said, shaking her head. “Who are you kidding? Hey, if the army was made completely of my clones, I think we’d stand a chance, but we don’t. Amber is five thousand years old. Only Laura and Alphego have ever been able to banish her before. What chance do we have?”

  He was quiet for a few moments. “Not a great chance,” he admitted. “But we do have Alphego. Our army might not be made of your clones, but do you honestly want that? Just one of you is trouble enough.” He was grinning, trying to make her feel better. “We have one of you to lead us, and the men we do have are good. There’s just that matter of how to get Amber off of our island and back onto hers.”

  Clara slowly nodded as she stared up him, feeling so very small before him, before the impending war. Then, without thinking, she surged forward and threw her arms around him. He tensed, and she almost let go, remembering his injured back. Sure, it was practically healed thanks to Tnika and her gift, but…

  Before her thought could go any further, his arms folded around her, and for several moments, it was perfect. The next moment, his arms fell away as he squeaked, “Um, Clara?”

  She glanced up at him. “What’s the matter?”

  “Um… well…” he spluttered awkwardly as she removed her arms from around him, and he took a step back, muttering a “Thank you.”

  “Oh, come on,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “We’re Tied together, Andrew. We can hug.”

  “But…”

  She circled around him and slid her hand into the one he’d thrust behind his back. “No buts about it, Fire Prince. I might have said we should wait until our next kiss, but hugging is a completely different issue.”

  “Um, right,” said Andrew, turning around so that he faced her again, though he didn’t fight having her hand in his. “I just thought we were supposed to be focusing on the war.”

  “Then let’s focus on it,” she said, drawing him to a sofa and sitting down on it, pulling him down with her. “What shall we do if nothing goes according to plan?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” he admitted.

  “That’s just it,” Clara shook her head. “There are a thousand things that could go wrong, and people’s lives are what hang in the balance. We play against a woman who’s had more experience in it than we could ever hope to have. It just seems so hopeless.”

  “We have Alphego on our side,” the Fire Prince pointed out. “Laura seems confident abo
ut our victory.”

  “I’d feel more confident if people’s lives weren’t at stake.”

  He didn’t answer, but removed his hand from hers and put his arm around her instead, pulling her closer to him. As she laid her head against his chest, she finally felt herself relax.

  

  Andrew awoke to banging at the door. He started to get up to answer, but quickly remembered that the Water Princess was asleep with her head in his lap. Not that she’d fallen asleep that way, but he’d moved her so that she’d be more comfortable.

  He stared down at her, a smile forming. How he loved watching her sleep. She looked so peaceful and innocent.

  The pounding resumed, and a moment later, the door flew open to reveal the Wind Prince. “Fire Prince!” The exclamation was demanding and urgent, edged with panic. “Where are you…” His eyes fell on the Water Princess, who was now sitting up, fully alert. His eyebrows rose. “Oh.”

  “Yes?” asked Andrew, standing up.

  The Wind Prince took a step backward and shouted down the hall. “They’re both in here.”

  “What is going on?” asked the Water Princess, now standing beside Andrew, all signs of the insecurity she’s felt the night before gone.

  “Ah, there you are, Clair,” said the Leaf Princess, appearing next to her brother. “I was wondering why you weren’t answering your door.”

  “Um, we weren’t doing anything,” said Andrew, wondering how this might look.

  “Yes,” said the Water Princess, in a dry voice. “He wouldn’t even let me kiss him. We barely hugged.”

  The Leaf Princess was grinning, but the Wind Prince just nodded. “No matter. We have a much more pressing issue.”

  “What is it?” the Water Princess asked, her voice level, but her hand wormed into Andrew’s and held tightly.

  “Oh, nothing too terrible,” said the Wind Prince. “Amber just decided that this morning would be as good a day as any to attack us. Her army is at our gates trying to pound them down – not that I think she’ll succeed.”

  “So…” said Andrew, as the Water Princess’s grip became even tighter.

  “Basically,” said the Leaf Princess, “get dressed, we’ll meet you in the armory in fifteen minutes.” And with that, both swept out of the doorway and the door closed behind them.

  Andrew looked down at the Water Princess, who stared up at him, her face unreadable. “Alphego is still in control,” she whispered. “Amber might have made a decision, but it’s still within Alphego’s plan.” Slowly she pulled her hand from his and turned and walked back towards her room.

  However, just as she was about to disappear through her door, she turned back and stared at him, eyes wide. She was scared. He was scared. They were both just so young. But before he could offer any word of encouragement, she turned and closed the door behind her.

  No matter. She’d be back to be crowned, the same as she was every morning. He needed to get dressed.

  Sure enough, no sooner were his boots properly buckled than the door flew open again, and there she was, circlet in hand. He stood up and crossed over to her, taking the offered circlet away from her. However, instead of putting it on her head immediately, as he usually did, he pulled her into his arms and just held her a moment, letting her be a little girl for a little while longer.

  She didn’t fight it. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing harder than he found comfortable. He didn’t mind. She needed it … and he needed it too. They were both just so young. What were the Klaranders thinking?

  The thought was cut short when she pulled herself away and raised her chin. “We only have fifteen minutes,” she reminded him. “That was nice, though.”

  He placed the circlet on her head and she returned the favor. It was time to set childhood aside and take up the weight of Klarand. They knew where the armory was, and so they went there, her hand held tightly in his, but nothing else betrayed just how nervous and scared they both were.

  It was all business in the armory. The Leaf Princess whisked the Water Princess away, while the Wind Prince led Andrew elsewhere. Andrew lost track of all the armor he was given, and though it wasn’t as restrictive as some of the armor he had seen knights wearing in movies, he still didn’t relish the thought of actually fighting in it. His sword was belted to his waist, as well as other weapons, including several daggers. He didn’t ask questions.

  Then he was reunited with the Water Princess, who wore armor similar to his, though clearly for a girl, and even more weapons. In addition to her own sword, there was a second of similar size on her other hip, several knives, and a few other weapons that Andrew didn’t recognize.

  All signs of the scared little girl were gone. In her place stood a fierce warrior queen wearing an angry scowl. She looked a bit scary.

  Her eyes met his, and the frown melted, but only for a moment. “Well, no use waiting,” she announced, marching over and taking her place at Andrew’s side. “Let’s go fight the Dragon.”

  “That’s the spirit,” said the Wind Prince, his eyes hard as he stared at the two of them. “Kath and I will be leading the aerial wing, and you two will head up the bulk of the army on land. Everyone and anyone else has their orders as previously discussed.”

  Andrew nodded to show he understood.

  The Wind Prince stepped forward and laid a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “You will lead Klarand to victory. Perhaps not this day, but you will. You will make a good king. Far better, I’m sure, than I ever was.”

  The hand was withdrawn, and the Wind Prince did something Andrew had never seen him do before. He placed a fist over his heart and bowed deeply. “I shall always be the Wind Prince to the people of Klarand, but my time to lead them is over.” Straightening, he held out his hand. “This may be the last day we see each other for a very long time. If this must be it, good-bye.”

  Andrew hesitantly accepted the hand and the firm shake that came with it. “But you’re…”

  “We’re going back to our own world,” said the Leaf Princess. “Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, but sometime during this war.”

  “But…”

  Andrew felt the Water Princess’s hand on his wrist. “Don’t worry about it, Andrew,” she ordered. “We don’t need them anyway.”

  “What, you didn’t tell him, Clara?” the Wind Prince asked.

  “No,” she answered, flatly. “You two are the ones leaving, so I thought you two would take care of it. No matter, we have a Dragon at our gate. Let’s go take care of her. Goodbye.”

  And with that, she pulled Andrew away.

  Chapter 7

  Saying goodbye to Kath and Rich hadn’t been that hard, actually. A quick hug exchanged with Kath before the armor was put on, and then the growl to Rich. Easy and painless – she was too occupied with the Dragon at the moment to dwell on the parting.

  They should have told the Fire Prince in advance, not suddenly spring the news on him at the last moment, when he needed every shred of confidence he could get. Right now, he didn’t need the news that the kingdom was about to be placed squarely on his shoulders.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Her heart gave an extra leap at the Fire Prince’s words, and she turned to look up at him. “What?”

  He placed a hand on her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter if they leave today or tomorrow. Alphego promised the victory to us. It’s part of His plan, no matter what happens.” He looked so sure of himself that Clara felt her own worry melt away. He was the Fire Prince. He could take a lot. He put up with her, after all.

  “I happen to know they both survive the ordeal, more or less,” Clara continued. “We’ll probably see them again someday, and may it be someday distant!”

  A distant smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Somehow, now that I think about it, I really don’t want to go back. Not as much as I did.”

  “I know what you mean,” said Clara, toying with one of the braids that Jasmine had given her that morning. “
Kath and Rich are going back to the ages they were when they left, to try to slide back into their former lives and to do a terrible job. I’m sure it’ll be the same for us.”

  “And that’s what I’m afraid of,” he admitted, almost bitterly. “As much as I love my dad and brothers and would like to make sure they’re all right, I find myself not as eager to return to them, to my old life. I’ve grown so much since then, and now I’m not sure I’ll fit and, as much as I miss them, I think I’ll miss you more.”

  She placed a hand on top of the one he had on her shoulder and offered him a half-smile. “I know. I mean, we’ll find each other again – your cousin is my best friend, remember – but it won’t be the same. Honestly, I can’t imagine life without you anymore. I can barely imagine life outside of Rizkaland.”

  “To think, we’re only sixteen,” he mused. “Most kids our age are merely worried about grades, dates, and learning to drive.”

  “None of our dates have been particularly romantic, have they?” Clara observed. “I mean, even the ball ended rather…”

  “We’ll have to fix that just as soon as we get Amber out of the picture,” said the Fire Prince.

  The conversation could have lasted so much longer, but at that moment, they reached the end of the hall. Before them stood the doors leading to the courtyard, where the army was gathered, waiting to ride in defense of their world. The Fire Prince removed his hand from Clara’s shoulder and gave the guards who stood on either side of the door an order to open it. Then, as he did so, he grabbed her hand and pulled her through, a broad grin on his face.

  “Let’s go take Amber out of the picture!”

  They were confronted by the army, so many men, and even a few women, willing to die to free their land from the Dragon. How many would not be returning from the battlefield?

  The red and blue rowandas, the very ones who had carried them to Upper Klarand to free Essua, emerged from the ranks, Crimson and his brother, Fleetfoot.