I felt hands on my shoulders and looked back to see Brehm, his body almost touching mine. “Thea, let’s let Ansil have a chance to talk. I am sure he didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No, Brehm, that is the sad thing. He did not mean to. He has not meant to ignore me or make me feel like a child for the past few months. Not once had he let me forget that I screwed up, that in his eyes, and my father’s, I cannot be trusted.” I shrugged Brehm’s hands off my shoulders. “I am going to go get ready for the meeting. I will see you both there.”
I didn’t look at either of them as I left, I didn’t know what either of them thought of my outburst, and I didn’t think I could take seeing pity or some other emotion.
“Thea?” Ren’s quiet voice called. “May I come in?”
I swiped at the hot tears on my face and turned to the entrance to the tent. “Of course, Ren.”
“Ortheus told me that you and Ansil had a disagreement. He thought you might like to talk with another woman about it.”
Talk with another woman? I had never had that opportunity before. Maybe she could help me figure out these emotions and thoughts that were taking over my mind.
“There is not much to say. Ansil sees me as a child he needs to protect, I disagree.”
“I don’t want to overstep, but would you let me be honest with you?” Ren’s soft voice and gentle speech soothed me, and I looked over at her, nodding. “Men are simple but complex creatures.”
“Wh-what do you mean?” One thing about being the only girl in the keep, I had no one to talk about boys with or even to ask questions of. It would have been inappropriate to talk with the maids or nanny.
“Well, when Ansil starts acting like you are a child, what is going on?”
I thought back on the times I had felt he was treating me like a child . . . my father upsetting me. . . the Mhularuka. . . disappearing on them . . .going to find Ailar. “Well, it was times that I was either upset about something or in danger.”
“Just as I thought. Men are programmed differently than women. We understand that when we cry, it doesn’t mean that something is wrong, we just want support. Men see tears and think they need to fix it, when they can’t they get frustrated.”
It was as if a lightbulb went off in my head. “So, when Ansil is upset and treating me like a child, it is not necessarily that he feels I am a child, but he cannot fix what is wrong?”
Ren smiled, “Yes. And when that happens, you need to figure out how to show him that you don’t want him to fix something, just to listen.”
“But what about when it is something he feels I should not do? Like going to find my brother?”
“Then you need to listen to him, talk it out. He may have a valid point, but you might also.”
I sat quietly thinking about what she has said, not wanting to squander this time I have, and she gave me the time I needed. She didn’t push me to speak or listen, just let me process.
“Can I ask you a question?” I didn’t want to seem pushy or disrespectful, but I was curious about the regal woman whose eyes look to have the wisdom of the stars in them.
“You can, but like you, I am not always free to speak.” My head jerked to look at her. I did not speak of my visions so am surprised she knows of them. “Yes child, there is much that I know of this world.” A small smile played on her lips, a secret that she clearly was not telling.
“What would you do in my place? Would you stay back and be safe, or go and fight?” I half wanted to hear her view but was afraid she would tell me to stay. That might kill me. To wait behind and not know what was happening. Plus, my visions showed me that I needed to go, but I couldn’t tell anyone that.
“That is not something I can decide for you. Part of growing up, is learning to listen to your heart as well as your mind. You know what you need to do.” She stood and looked up at me, “And I need to go make sure preparations are made for tonight’s feast.”
Chapter 22
The next few hours passed as I worked on getting myself ready for the next day. It didn’t take long to pack, considering the only thing I had brought was the clothes I was wearing, everything else was at the bottom of the sea with the ‘palik. But whittling a spear was not something you could do in just a few minutes. You had to find the perfect branch, not too thick or too hard, but at the same time it couldn’t be too thin or flexible.
Come to think about it, the creation of a spear was much like a relationship. There were two sides to the relationship, one was the creator of the spear, the other was the wood itself. If as the creator I was too gentle with the spear, letting the wood control the shape it was to become, I would end up with something that was not a spear. By the same token if the wood was too soft or flexible and I tried to carve it, it again would not be a spear.
I needed to remember this as I worked through things with Ansil. He was hard on me because he cared, yet it pushed me into something I was not. We needed to reach a middle point that would not have one or the other of us breaking the spear.
The last stroke of my stone left my freshly made spear as Ansil spoke, “Thea, can we talk?” He stood at the entrance to the glade where our tent was set up, his hands pushed into his pockets, the expression on his face was one I wasn’t sure how to interpret.
“Yes. Would you care to sit with me?” I patted the log that I had been resting on. Maybe it will be easier to talk if we were not eye to eye, instead looking at nature, letting it soothe us.
“Brehm had some words with me and made me see things . . .differently. I think we have been approaching things from to different places the past few months. It has left you thinking I don’t care.” He turned to look at me, “Thea, that is as far from the truth as could be.”
Turning to look at him, I saw his sincerity as he continued. “I love that you feel so strongly about the Bog, that you want to make the realm better. But I fear for you, that you act before you think. Then I stick my foot in it and have you either yelling at me or crying. I am sorry.”
I didn’t think I had ever heard Ansil apologize unless it was to someone in authority, like my father. “I think we both have some learning to do. Ren had a talk with me. She helped me to see that how I see your reactions, is not how you mean them.”
Picking up the clump of Amarillia Cape hair, I rubbed the spear I had made, smoothing the grain out. “Relationships are like the creation of this spear.”
Ansil looked at me as if I had had too much everberry juice and I found myself laughing. “No listen. I am serious. What would happen if this spear was made from a thin, flexible shoot?”
Ansil looked at me then at the spear in my hand. “It would not allow you to work it into the shape it needs to be, and if you did get it to the shape it would not harm the person you were fighting.”
I nodded my head at what he has said, “And what if I had picked a branch from a buloklia tree?”
He laughed at me, “You would not have gotten that carving stone to dent it. But I see what you are saying. We need to both look at things and make sure that we are not being too hard on each other or being too sensitive.” He looked out at the glade then back at me, setting his hand on my arm, distracting me from his words. “It is different here than at the Bog. Besides just the physical differences in the land. You are different. You seem more sure of yourself, ready to take on the world.”
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked, afraid that our tentative peace was about to be blown to smithereens.
Leaning in, he looks at me, “No, not a bad thing at all. As long as I can come along for the ride.” His lips barely touched mine, feather light.
“Hey! That kiss was to be mine!” Brehm entered the glade, all bluster and brawn.
Ansil jumped up, fists clenched at his side. “Who says any kiss should be yours?”
“Wait a minute, Ansil! I was joking. If Thea were to tell me to back off I would. But she hasn’t. Did I miss something?” Brehm held his hands up as if warding Ansil off.
> “Boys! I am going to the beach. You three can discuss this between yourselves. Just remember, I am not a piece of meat. No fighting and definitely no deciding for me who I will care for.”
Chapter 23
“Hey Nip, ready for tomorrow?” I asked, seeing the Fairy flittering down the path to the beach.
“Am I ever! I have no real clue what I will do to help. Not sure how much damage pinecones will make tossed into the sea. Maybe in fifty years they will have a pine forest instead of an Island. But I can help nurse any injured. I even have a nice little uniform I asked a friend to make me. It will show my calves off perfectly while I help the big burly fighters get better.”
I tried not to laugh but couldn’t help it. “So, can I ask for some fashion advice then?”
He stopped flying and floated down to stand next to me, “Girl, I thought you would never ask. Oh, I have so many ideas for you. I know this brown is a Brownie thing, but if we got you something in lavender it would make your eyes pop. Oh and--”
“Nip, slow down. I am not ready for a complete makeover. But I would like to . . . drive home the point that I am not a child and have some. . . assets that certain men should be interested in.”
Nip started coughing and choking, spitting water everywhere. “You think they don’t know that. All they can do is watch you and if you give one attention and not the others, it’s as if you took the last bimbleberry cake.”
I shake my head, not believing him. He rests his finger on my mouth, stopping me from speaking or shaking my head. “You don’t need to get their attention, you have that. You need to get them to decide what they want to do with you. If I was in your shoes, I would be wanting to be the Nip in a burnip sandwich. Burly guys sandwiching me.”
Laughing, I wrapped my arm around Nip’s and continued down to the beach, “So, how should I become the. . . what would it be. Thea in the Anthebreorth sandwich?”
“Princess Thea,” Prince Llyr called as soon as I stepped onto the sand. I turned to thank Nip for his advice and then walked down to where the Prince was making his way to the water's edge. Logs had been placed strategically near the water so that we could sit and speak with the Nokken while allowing them to lay in the water. “I have a message from the Bog.”
“You do? Does my father know what is going on?” I asked, nervous that my father will order me to stay back.
“I don’t know if they know about your brother. The King just sent a message asking that you let him know you arrived safely. He also said your belongings left on the beach have been recovered and he would speak with you about the beach when you return home.”
I gulped at the last part of the message, the real reason for sending a Nixie to the sea and then a Nokken here. Father knew something about the beach and the cottage. “Thank you Prince Llyr. Could I bother you to send a message back? Just saying that I am safe and look forward to speaking with my father upon my return.”
Of course, I didn’t know when I would be returning, especially with having to go chase down the Nereids and save my brother. I quietly laughed at myself, as if I was chasing him down. More than likely I would be stuck on the ship while everyone else did the hero thing.
“It would be my pleasure. How are you finding your first trip out of the Bog?” the handsome prince asked. He was definitely one of those men that was perfect eye candy, but you did not have the desire to touch. Something about the green slimy skin and webbed toes.
“So far it has been an adventure, though it is not my first trip out of the Bog. That was a few months ago and did not end so well.” Why did I have to mention that? He didn’t need to know about my foolishness.
“I’m sorry to hear that. Besides this adventure with your brother missing, what has been the most exciting part for you?” He looked at me as he spoke, as if he really cares and was not just making polite conversation.
“Um. . . so much has happened in such a short time that I really have not thought about it. Everything seems exciting, and scary.”
“Well, little one, that is life. It is one big exciting and scary adventure. Wait until you have a little one that you are protecting. That takes on a whole new level of scary.”
“It sounds like you have a little one?” Let’s ignore the fact that I am too young according to Brownie years to have children.
His face lit up at my question, “Yes. I have thirty little ones.”
I tried not to let my eyes jump out of my head at his mention of thirty little ones. “Thirty! How old are they?”
“Well, they are all four months and just grew their legs.”
I knew I must be missing something in what he was saying. He couldn’t be telling me that his children were all the same age. How did I ask him what he meant without sounding like a bumbling neejit? Thankfully the Nokken must have noticed my distress as he smiled at me.
“We do not have only one or two young at a time. Our young are hatched from eggs and each nest can have up to fifty babies. It takes six months for the young to grow enough to leave the nest.”
I smiled, understanding more of the Nokken now.
Chapter 24
I stepped out into the dew filled glade, the sun just tinting the sky a light pink. Not a morning person, I stood in front of the tent dazed.
“Thea,” Ansil approached, a cup in his hand. “I have coffee.” He held the cup just out of reach from my grasping hands.
“Oh! Give it to me, please!” I tried to grab it, but he pulled it away again.
“Not before I receive payment.” He smiled, knowing I would do just about anything for a sip of the heavenly nectar of the gods.
I glared at him, “Payment? Hades gave me those beans. It is mine by right. You do not even like it.” How could someone not like coffee? It was unnatural to dislike something that makes you feel so alive.
He leaned in close, “No but I like you and we were interrupted yesterday. I want payment.”
I looked up at him, “Oh that kind of payment.” I took a step closer so that our chests were almost touching. His head started to dip down to mine, his lips inches away from mine when I grabbed the cup out of his hands and spun away taking a long sip. Sighing in pleasure, I smiled over my shoulder at him. “It will take more than a cup of coffee to get that. What do you think I am, easy?”
His face made me laugh, a combination of shock and admiration. “You better drink that quickly, because you are going to pay.” He started to walk towards me and I quickly set the cup of steaming ambrosia down.
“No, Ansil. Please. I was just kidding.” I backed up laughing.
“Oh, but I was not,” He smiled, running towards me with his hands outstretched.
“No!” I ran towards the path, but he caught me, his hands around my waist, pulling me into him.
“This time nothing will stop me from tasting honey.” His mouth gently touched my neck right where it meets the shoulder and I melted. He gently turned me to face him, his eyes searched mine as if asking permission. All I could do was stare up at him, unsure if I was ready to take this step, but unable to speak, unable to stop him. His hands moved up from my waist, slowly up my arms until they rested on either side of my face. His breath whispered across my skin as his mouth descended and captured mine. It was like the sun hitting you after stepping out of the shade, warmth filling you so that you didn’t want to move.
He lifted his mouth and rested his forehead against mine, his breath whispering over my face. “Sweet as honey. I wish we had more time to explore this, but they wait for us.” He didn’t move though, neither do I.
Reluctantly I pulled away from Ansil. “We do need to leave.”
His hand trailed down my arms, his fingers barely holding mine, “Go get your things. The ship is ready.”
Walking back to the tent, I looked over my shoulder and saw Ortheus coming up the path. What will this mean for our relationship, not just Ansil and mine, but also mine with Ortheus and Brehm.
“Thea, Ansil?” Ortheus yelled. “Ev
eryone is waiting.”
I felt my face heat, and ducked into the tent, grabbing my spear and bag. The Fairies have some amazing talents and had provided me with a pack and clothes after everything I had had landed at the bottom of the sea.
“Coming, Ortheus.”
“Bring Thea coffee, you say.” Ortheus playfully shoved Ansil. “I am sure that is all you had up your sleeve.”
Chapter 25
I looked around at everyone who had decided to accompany us, wondering if we were making the wrong decision, if we were overreacting. Yes, the Nereid have taken my brother and Prince Aece, but did we really know what their intentions were?
A bugle trumpeted, its signal pulling me out of my thoughts as Ren stepped forward.
“Before you leave, I want to take a moment to remember who we are and why we go out. Each of us belongs to a Kingdom, with its own customs and ways. But we also belong to this realm and as such we need to learn to work together. This has been forgotten and, in the future, we will strive to do better.
“But the Nereids do not see things this way. They long for the days of old where they ruled the seas, and thus ruled us by restricting us to the land. Do not go forth today with the idea to do what they have done to us. We go to save our friends and family, to only fight if need be and then work through our issues in peace. May you fly safe and true and come home to those who stay behind.”
Ren’s words spoke to the concern that I had been feeling, reminding us to be merciful.
The wind and water Fairies used their magic to push the large boat out of the bay and into the seas. I thrilled at the feel of the wind in my hair, the spray of the water misting me.
“You look happy there.” Brehm commented as he approached. “As if you could just fling your arms wide and fly.”
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