The Rover Princess

by D. E. Kilgore

  The whispers intensified.

  I stayed on course, skirting the boundary of the meadow, and praying with every fiber of my being that the creature inhabiting the cabin wouldn’t try speaking to me. Pocket dimensions were funny things, and as far as I knew nobody knew how they were made or why. The most common type of pocket dimensions were permanent and small; a tiny little piece of land sliced off from another realm and somehow attached to another. Then there were some like this meadow, shimmering in and out of existence, never knowing how long they would stay. Those were the most dangerous of all pocket dimensions. It’s said if you become stuck in one when it vanishes, you’d be transferred to that specific realm, unable to return until you found a portal back. If you lived long enough, that is. Thankfully, I knew this forest like my own mind, and this pocket dimension was new. The whisper came again, voice no longer drifting on the wind, but solid and right beside me. My blood froze as an alien hand reached out, grasping my shoulder lightly, yet I knew if I tried, I wouldn’t be able to escape its grasp. Taking in a breath, eyes still down, I managed a quick glance to my left. A beautiful young woman smiled at me sweetly, lips never showing teeth, but I knew what she was hiding. This pocket dimension had emerged from the Unmade Lands, a realm inhabited by all sorts of fae and their wild creatures. I would have rather stumbled upon a band of witches then that of a single wild fae.

  “Why do you not look at me?” The voice rang out clear and sweet.

  I went to take a step forward, and the wild fae beside me chuckled. “Why do you run from me, child? I can give you what you want. I can give you freedom, Maribella. I can make you disappear, first born Princess of Sheharla.”

  My stomach flipped, and I tensed, barely fighting the need to ask how she knew who I was. It was a trick and instead, I continued my focus on the path in front of me. Taking a gamble that the wild fae gripping my shoulder wouldn’t wander to far from the meadow, I took a small step forward, then another.

  “Child, you will bargain with me.” The wild fae growled, fingers turning to talons upon my shoulder.

  Panic is a funny thing. I never quite knew how I would react, even after all these years. It was a coin toss to whether I would fight or flee. As the panic built, I threw myself to the ground, claws ripping from my shoulder. Barely noticing the stinging pain, I flipped over to my back and shot both my feet out, hitting the wild fae right above her knees. It screamed, flailing backwards, and I took the opportunity to scramble away, rushing to my feet and running.

  My feet flew across the dirt-packed trail, and my lungs were past the threshold of strained when I finally reached a familiar hill rising in front of me like a beacon of hope. Pushing myself even harder, I sprinted up the hill, collapsing in front of the main rover cabin. My lungs were screaming for air, and I desperately sucked in as much as I could. Shouting commenced and a shuffle of running feet assured me that my presence was known. Sucking in air wildly, I tried to speak as the shadow of a man hovered over me. To say he was large would have been an understatement, topping out at six-foot-six and over three-hundred pounds of thick muscle, the man standing over me had a wild mane of hair and a beard that was just as long. His gray hair intertwined with red-orange, and I tried to remember the last time I had seen the Rover who ran this camp.

  Maccus squatted down next to my side and looked up, barking a command I couldn’t make out over my rapid breathing. I tried to make my mouth move to warn him of the wild fae, but I was too exhausted, and my eyes closed on their own accord. They flew back open when Maccus’s large hand gently wiped the sweaty stray hairs from my brow.

  “Stay awake, Maribella.”

  His gruff, barked command might have scared anyone who had just met Maccus or was on the wrong side of his loyalty. Me, on the other hand, it was a comfort to hear his voice again. This was the Rover who took me in and treated me like I was his own daughter, instilling me with the Rover’s way of life that I lived by. Grabbing his huge hand with both of mine, I finally got my breathing under control.

  “Pocket dimension, wild fae grabbed me. Might still be following me.”

  Maccus’s face twisted, and a rumble emanated from his chest. “We knew one was around, but we didn’t know it was so close. Did it mark you?”

  I nodded and tried to sit up.

  Maccus’s other arm came around, gently helping me into a sitting position.

  “My shoulder,” I croaked, throat dry from my panicked run through the forest.

  Maccus nodded and looked behind me as someone else approached. “A healer is on its way. I will let the lookouts know of the wild fae.”

  Relief flooded through my veins as a devious thought filtered through my mind. I was safe here, and Maccus would not turn me away if I needed help. If I needed to disappear again, he would help me. Groaning, I shook the thought away, locking eyes with Maccus.

  “I need your horse.”

  “Why?” Maccus asked, brows furrowing together and mouth becoming a thin line across his face.

  “They know I’m alive. It’s time to go back home and surrender to my fate.”

  Chapter Four

  “Are you sure you want to do this, Maribella?” Maccus grumbled as he checked the saddle on my loaned horse for the twentieth time.

  Morning had barely crested, and pinkish light bathed us both. I shook my head against the feeling of déjà vu as I looked up into the same sky yesterday had presented me. I had been on the horse waiting to leave for at least ten minutes, but I wasn’t going to rush the last time I would be seeing the man I gladly called Father for the last twelve years.

  Leaning over, I grasped Maccus’s large shoulder. “Wasn’t it you who said to treat others how I would want them to treat me?”

  Maccus narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. Words hung in the air, as though wanting to cross his lips but instead he shook his head. “How’s your shoulder this morning? Is the mark gone?”

  I smiled. “Yes. The healer took care of it last night.”

  He fiddled with the halter strap across the horse’s ears. “Are you sure this is the path you want to take?”

  “I can’t turn away from this, Maccus. You knew it was just a matter of time.”

  Maccus grumbled, taking a step away, allowing the horse room to maneuver at my commands. “Ula is fast and will get you to the swamp by end of day. Nehi will be expecting you. I sent the bird his way last night.”

  Maccus was talking about the horse and the next Rover I was meeting. This was the most dangerous part. If I were to make it back to Sheharla before contract day to save my sister and sacrifice myself to the fates, I would have to travel through the Poisoned Swamp. Nehi was the Rover who made camp there, directing lost souls in the correct direction... away from the swamp. Only the foolish or desperate ventured into the swamp. Thinking it over I decided to put myself into the latter category: Desperate. Taking up the reins in my hands Ula danced underneath me, eager for an adventure. Sparing one last glance to Maccus, I spurred Ula forward.

  DUSK WAS FAST APPROACHING by the time we crested our final ridge. Maccus had alluded to the fact that Ula was not a normal horse. After the ride I had just endured, I agreed with him. Maccus had guaranteed that Ula would get me to the Poisoned Swamp by nightfall, but if for some reason I was not there before darkness fell, I was to stop riding. I asked what would happen if I was still on Ula when darkness fell, and Maccus had laughed, shaking his head, before saying “Nothing good”.

  Ula trotted over the ridge towards the swamp, stopping about a quarter of a mile out. I tried spurring her ahead, but she stomped her front hoof and abruptly kneeled forward on both knees. Letting out a yelp, I fell from my perch. Ula snorted and stood back up shaking out her mane. I glared at her from the ground and swore she was laughing at me.

  “You could have given me a warning,” I mumbled before I stood, brushing the leaves from my backside and reaching for my bag still tied to Ula’s saddle. She nipped at my arm and I growled at her. She bared her teeth, g
rowling back. Yup, this was definitely not a normal horse. Finally getting my bag unhooked, Ula turned and trotted away, cresting back up the hill and into the rapidly encroaching darkness. I blinked, watching her leave. Well, I guess I’ll be on foot the rest of the way. Skirting a suspiciously bright green section of moss, the earth softened under my feet and the air took on the smell of faintly rotting vegetation and fouled water. Wrinkling my nose at the smell, I looked around. Now, if I were a Rover making my home in a swamp, where would I be? Shrugging, I turned to the right, taking what looked to be a path toward to the edge of the swamp. My feet squelched with every step I took. Wet ooze slithered up, and my foot sank into the marsh.

  “Oh, that is just foul,” I muttered, struggling to pull my foot back out.

  A squishy pop sounded, and the swamp released my foot just as a rustle came from the dense brush beside me. Freezing, I looked to my left, into the vegetation marking the entrance to the swamp. Beyond the vegetation, darkness and overgrown cypress trees loomed. The sound echoed again, and I sprang backwards as a creature with glowing yellow eyes launched itself in my direction. Scrambling away, my brain tried to make sense of the creature crouched before me. It was humanoid in form with grayish-green tinted skin. Long, tangling black hair full of twigs and moss hovered around the nude form of a woman. Her black-clawed fingers brushed my skin as she made a grab for my ankles. I barely registered the webbing between her fingers before she hissed at me, baring a mouthful of fangs.

  Strong hands gripped my shoulders from behind, lifting me to my feet and my heart began to race faster. The creature hissed once more before it shuffled backward.

  “Why do you always spoil my fun, little man?” The creature hissed and pointed to the person behind me still gripping my shoulders.

  I turned my head, looking into the eyes of my savior. I wouldn’t have categorized Nehi as little, but I could see why the creature probably would. He wasn’t exactly tall—and his lean build didn’t aid him in looking any bigger. The clothing he wore was simple, hiding his strength well. He looked to be middle aged, but I knew better then to assume because he still looked the exact same from twelve years ago. His short black hair spiked up as usual, and his dark mossy green eyes reflected in the dying light. Nehi threw me a quick grin, exposing his pointed canines before pushing me behind him.

  “I told you next time you tried to eat anybody in my swamp, I would call in the hunter.” His melodic voice was soft and calm, and it took me a second to register what Nehi just said.

  “Wait! I was almost eaten?” I exclaimed after a minute of silence.

  He gave a low chuckle and folded his arms as the creature looked at me and licked her blackened lips. “You threat, little man. I almost don’t believe you know this hunter you speak of.”

  Swiveling my head from between Nehi and the creature, seconds ticked by without a word between the two. I flinched when the creature suddenly recoiled and scooted back into the vegetation of the swamps.

  “Fine,” the creature hissed. “You win this round, little man.”

  The creature turned swiftly bounding into the darkness and disappearing. After a second, a splash of water echoed from the swamp as darkness finally encroached dropping its blackened veil upon us.

  Nehi let out a long sigh and shook his head before reaching down and grabbing my bag from the ground. He motioned his head in the direction I had been headed before the attack and meandered off, tucking his hands into trouser pockets. I blinked as Nehi strolled away like this was just an ordinary day for him.

  Then again it might be. I quickly squished after him.

  Nehi turned sharply about fifty feet ahead, veering off into swampy vegetation. Quickening my pace so I wouldn’t lose sight of him, I halted, jaw dropping as Nehi jumped up, grasping what I had assumed to be a vine hanging off a very large cypress tree. After a quick tug, a rope ladder rolled out, falling down the length of the tree. Craning my head back, I was able to make out the outline of a small hut-like structure.

  “I was just warming up some stew before your encounter with the Siren. Why don’t you come up?” Nehi called out over his shoulder before scaling the ladder.

  He disappeared into the hut and a shiver crept up my spine. Looking over my shoulder, cold sweat broke out all over my body as I thought about the strange creature in the swamp lurking within the darkness. A Siren, Nehi had called it. I was fairly certain I just encountered the main reason why people never made it through the swamp.

  Putting an extra bounce in my step, I scaled the rope ladder as fast as I could. Nehi met me at the top, grasping my outstretched hand to pull me onto a small platform before rolling up the ladder.

  I gave him a hesitant smile as he opened the door and strode inside the Rover’s hut nestled between three cypress trees. Following, my jaw dropped, and I stuck my head back outside, taking in the crumbling and decaying walls of the hut. I looked back inside. It didn’t match. Beautiful pale oak walls greeted me along with a stone fireplace; the smell of fresh baking bread wafted up to greet me. I stood, dumbfounded, in the doorway and wondered if the swamp siren had actually killed me.

  Nehi looked back and chuckled. “It’s hard to explain, so don’t spend too much brainpower trying to figure out how the cabin works.”

  Nodding silently, still stunned at the abrupt change in architecture, I shut the door firmly behind me as I fully stepped inside.

  Nehi motioned towards the back of the cabin before stirring a pot hanging over the low fire. “There is a washroom in the back, and I have spare clothing if you need them.”

  “Thank you,” I murmured, taking a few hesitant steps before turning back to Nehi. “Do you know why I’m here?”

  He sighed and sadness flickered across his face. “I’m sorry, Maribella, but you can never outrun the fates.” He turned away and I barely heard his next words. “Believe me, I know.”

  The tale of Nehi’s tragic past floated around many Rover camps as warning to never tangle with the fates, but as all tales, many questioned what was true and what was fable. Only the foolish would dare broach the topic, and I decided to not question him any further, as he might change his mind and feed me to the Siren after all. Instead, I resolved to wash the swamp muck off me. Taking his advice, I didn’t waste my brainpower trying to figure out how the water was pumped up into the washroom and instead made myself more or less presentable. Hesitating at the door, I turned, looking into the small mirror hanging above the hand wash basin. My face looked haggard, and I picked at the long braid of my curly, dark brown hair. My lips curled up in disgust as I met my eyes. Eyes that marked me as a true descendent of the Sheharla royal line and first-born female in over a century. I always hated my eyes, seeing as they made it abundantly clear what my fate was.

  A royal destined to marry a Dragon prince.

  THE FIRE CRACKLED, licking up as if it wanted to attack my outstretched feet. Luckily, I was too far away. Brooding, I listened to Nehi gather provisions about his cabin for our trip through the swamp. My lips curled down, frown deepening on my face, and my entire body itched, wanting to get up and help. I wasn’t used to doing nothing. Letting out a sigh, my body slouched in the chair, feet getting precariously close to the cooking fire.

  Nehi padded past, and I turned my head, watching as he disappeared into his private sleeping room. Nehi had pointed to the chair the moment I had emerged from the washroom, telling me to relax. When I protested, he asked me when I had last relaxed? When I had to think about it, he chuckled, pointing me to the chair again. I was reluctant, but the second my butt hit the chair relief overtook my entire body. This could be my last time to relax and do nothing for awhile. Unless I was to be married to a Dragon prince who expected me to be a silent, pretty little princess hanging off his arm. I let out a mocking huff at the thought. No, I planned on doing something once I married the Dragon prince, and that was learning everything I could about Dragon culture and the contract Sheharla had with the Mountain Dragon Stronghold. If the prince
thought I was just going to sit around doing nothing all day, then he would have another thing coming. I planned on being the worst mistake the Stronghold ever made. If the Mountain Dragon Royals thought they could just snap their fingers and enforce some old, archaic law without any repercussions, then they would be sorely mistaken. They were about to learn.

  Nehi cleared his throat, and I jumped in my chair, realizing I was muttering under my breath while staring at the fire.

  “The scowl on your face was quite menacing.”

  I blinked up at Nehi and scooted back into my chair properly. “I was just thinking,” I whispered.

  “About what?”

  “Just that the Dragon Prince has no idea what he’s getting into.”

  Nehi smirked. “We don’t need to leave for a few more hours yet, would you like to get some sleep?

  I grinned, before standing. “I don’t think I could get rest even if I wanted to.”

  Chapter Five

  It was the fourth ankle-deep puddle of swamp filth I walked through within the last hour that had me seriously reconsidering my stance on returning to Sheharla and saving my baby sister. Squishing forward in my now swamp-soaked shoes, I narrowed my eyes at Nehi who was waiting patiently for me a few yards ahead. He wasn’t wearing shoes, and now I knew why. My eyes traveled up to his face and I could see the grin he was trying to suppress.