The Stillness of the Sky: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales)

by Starla Huchton

  My stomach knotted, sure I was in for the worst, and all because I was too hurried to find another way to see this through. Prince Gustave approached and stepped around me, sealing the tent flap behind his retreating man. Taking my elbow, he guided me around the planning table to a pair of chairs near the back of the tent, pointing me to one of them.

  Gustave slowly lowered himself into the other seat, his eyes never leaving me. “So you’re the one who’s bewitched my little brother.”

  My mouth dropped open. “No! No, I’ve done nothing of the sort. I swear on my life I’d never do anything to—”

  “Relax,” he said softly, resting a hand upon my knee. “He’s told me much about you in his letters. I didn’t mean to imply you’d actually spelled him, though I did wonder at first. You’re much younger than I imagined you’d be.”

  To say his sudden shift in demeanor was a shock would be an understatement. All I could do was stare at him stupidly. Willem had told him about me? How much?

  “He didn’t say specifically, but I gathered that he’s quite smitten with you.”

  My face heated. “He’s…” I gulped. “Yes, I suppose you might say that.”

  “And what are your intentions, Lady Bard?”

  “Intentions?” I repeated. “I don’t… I’m a Bard, Highness. My intentions don’t count for much where princes are concerned.”

  “His letter yesterday gave me a very good idea of his.”

  I shook my head, dropping my gaze. “He shouldn’t hold on to silly notions. I made him no promises, Your Highness. Don’t worry for it.”

  “Then why are you here, if not to seek favor from the king?”

  I straightened, startled that he’d jump to such a conclusion. “You think I’d come here in hopes of winning a title?” I bristled, insulted by the accusation.

  Gustave sat back and crossed his arms. “You know where Aaron is, don’t you? I thought you’d come to trade one brother for another.”

  I got to my feet, beyond insulted. “I’m not trading anything for anyone,” I seethed. “I came to help end this horrible war, nothing more.”

  He remained seated, as serene as ever. “Then why do you insist on seeing my father?”

  Meeting his gaze head on, I refused to back down from a challenge to my character. “To give him the chance to stop this on his own. Only he has that power, though, if I must, I’ll use mine to bring peace if he will not.”

  His face darkened. “I don’t like what you’re implying, Bard. If you think I’ll stand by and let you—”

  “I’m tired of death and pain, Highness. You’d think I’d cause more of it of my own free will? Ask Will what he says to that.”

  He paused, then chuckled in the face of my anger. “Yes, I think you’re right. Will has rather strong opinions where you’re concerned, and I don’t think he’d be pleased I thought so little of you after the stories I’ve heard.”

  Composing myself, I sank back down to my chair. “What did he tell you?”

  His eyes softened and he searched my face. “He told me to trust you more than I do him. He told me to keep you safe. You must understand my position, however. I’ll protect my family and my kingdom at any cost. If I can help you, I will, so long as you don’t hurt the ones I care for.”

  Aaron was right. The man before me was a far better king than Aaron himself could ever be. The absolute conviction in Gustave’s eyes was greater than any of the fleeting fancies that Aaron’s held. The man was loyal and protective, and he’d never consider running away from his responsibilities.

  “If you want to save your kingdom, Your Highness,” I said, leaning forward, “that is one thing. But this is more than that. What’s decided here decides the balance of the entire world. Giants are not our enemies, but if we continue to push them, they will be. I don’t want to be responsible for what that will unleash. If you help me, you’ll become not only a champion for Litania, but for the whole of existence. Is that a cause you’re prepared to side with? I am.”

  “You think it so dire as that?”

  “I’m not alone in thinking so, Highness. All creatures play a part in this world. What happens to the rest when one is turned against them?”

  He fell silent, considering my words. “I’d hear what others agree with your gloomy prediction.”

  I grimaced, seeing I’d get no further with him on my own. “Then get me audience with your father, Prince Gustave. I’ve much to say, and I’m growing tired of repeating myself.”

  Chapter 22

  The army encampment was not nearly as clean and ordered as the giants’ had been. Everywhere I went, the vague scent of blood followed me, an undercurrent of something foul whispering below its surface. As I followed Prince Gustave, curious eyes tracked our progress, but when we came to the largest of the tents I’d seen, I paused. The moans of many men drifted out from the wide opening, and dozens of pallets were visible from the path outside. I choked on the stench that wafted out to me. It was the tent for treating the wounded.

  As Gustave noticed my absence and returned to fetch me, a singular voice called above the rest. “Mama… Mama…” a young boy whined. There was so much pain in his words, I covered my mouth to keep my sob from escaping.

  “We need to keep moving if you want to—”

  “Give me a moment,” I said, interrupting the prince. “There’s something else I have to do first.”

  Before he could stop me, I entered the tent. Instantly horrified at the bruised and battered men laying around me, I bit down on my cheek to keep from crying. Those whose faces weren’t bloody and swollen wore masks of agony, some as silent as death, others weakly thrashing in feverish sweats. Still, I pressed on, searching for the source of the voice I’d heard outside.

  When I located him, I dropped to my knees. There, a boy no more than thirteen laid on dirty, blood-stained blankets. His right arm was missing from the elbow, and his leg from the thigh down. Bandages encompassed over half of his face, but his uncovered eye was glazed over, staring distantly at something he’d likely never see again. Even his color spoke of the impending end.

  “Mama… Mama…” he whimpered again, his cry so forlorn and lost it nearly broke me.

  “This is the cost of war,” Gustave said quietly. “His suffering will end soon.”

  I closed my eyes, my fingers gently finding the boy’s cool, clammy hand. After an unspoken prayer that the spirits take him quickly, I did the only thing I could think of.

  Bravest soldier, rest in peace

  Your time to fight is done.

  The watch stands guard

  Your foes are gone

  The world is safe from harm.

  Bravest soldier, rest in peace

  Tomorrow will see a new day.

  The battle’s been won

  And by light of the dawn

  You’ll be home and in comfort again.

  Worry not for those who fall

  They go to a fairer place.

  When the victory comes

  And you lay down your head

  The spirits shall sing you to sleep.

  Bravest soldier, rest in peace

  Your honor guides us all.

  The light you leave behind

  Will persist for all time.

  Rest well, bravest soldier, in peace.

  It was a long moment before I could open my eyes. As I sang, I felt it the moment the boy’s spirit let go of the pain, finally released from the suffering in his body. Though I didn’t know his name, my tears traced heated trails down my cheeks, mourning the passing of someone so young. He’d fought and died in a needless battle in a useless war, for a cause so misguided it was an abomination. I swore, in those moments, that I would give the very last of myself to see it brought to an end, if for no other reason than to prevent more tragic losses of life.

  Releasing the boy’s cold hand, I stood, finding Prince Gustave’s stunned expression. Without wiping away my tears, I said the only words I would give before
I could speak with King Ivor.

  “Your Highness, take me to your father immediately.”

  King Ivor’s expression fell somewhere between confusion and understanding, but he couldn’t decide on one or the other. Not that I blamed him, of course. He likely had pleasant dreams to take the place of a night in my company, and he was struggling with sorting reality from fantasy. All of that, I kept to myself, however. I had far more important things to discuss.

  “Bard Jacqueline,” he said as I dipped a curtsy in the middle of his tent, “to what do I owe this unexpected visit?”

  My mother, still disguised as Marcel, flashed me a worried glance from her seat at a table to one side, her quivering fork betraying her fears. A fine line of fate trembled beneath me, threatening to spill me onto the side of it that would see me dead. I focused on the face of the young man I’d watched die, the many others that had faced the same, and those still waiting to be freed from their pain. It had to end, my own precarious position notwithstanding. The weight of so much riding on me made it difficult to breathe, but I summoned my courage and gave the king the only answer I could.

  “Your Majesty, I’ve come to petition you to cease all hostilities with the giants. On behalf of the Litanian people, the mighty race of giants, and every creature that walks this earth, I beg you to stand down. This war will gain you nothing, and may cost you everything.”

  He stared at me in dumbstruck silence, probably trying to determine if I was serious. After all, I was still a sixteen-year-old girl, Bard or no, and what cause would he have to give my words any weight at all?

  When he remained silent, I continued. “Your son is not dead, nor is he a prisoner. He’s hidden himself away from everyone and everything in an effort to avoid all responsibility, including his refusal to step forward and stop the violence you’ve championed in his name. He and his conspirator are hidden away in a place no army can reach him, and no one, not even me for my abilities, can convince him to abandon his path of cowardice and selfishness. I beg you, under direction from both the people of light and the Alabaster Heart itself, to stop the suffering. Call off your war.”

  When he blinked, his expression shifted, and laughter poured from his mouth. “The people of light? Fairies? Fairies sent a young girl to petition me in their stead? Forgive me if I find that a bit unbelievable. As for the rest of it, well, you’d be wise to keep your fantasies to yourself. I won’t entertain treason.”

  “Your Majesty, please,” I said, stepping forward. I couldn’t let my frustration get the better of me. “Please reconsider. Sometimes the kindest path is the most difficult to walk. If you’d only stop a moment and think—”

  “Enough of this,” he said, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. “I’ve spent more than two years with the burden of this conflict on me. Who are you to question the king when you’re barely grown enough to bed? Unless you’ve come for more of that, or to dance for me, away with you.”

  My mother’s fork dropped to her plate with a clatter.

  Enough was enough.

  “I think His Majesty will find his memory of me isn’t as clear as he’d like. I believe he spent the night in question asleep in his chair before the fire, and not as he’d planned it with me. Lullabies are far more powerful than anyone gives them credit for.”

  At this, the king’s face flushed crimson, but I’d not be cowed by his anger. Even as he called for his guards, and as Gustave and my mother watched on in disgusted horror when they dragged me away, I would not bow my head. The only moment I faltered is when the iron cage at the edge of camp came into view, its door a beastly maw waiting to devour me. I began to protest, but a firm hand over my mouth kept me from uttering so much as a single word. My wrists and ankles were clamped in shackles, my neck wrapped with cord so tightly I could barely breathe, let alone sing. But only when the cage door closed did true panic set into my bones. I thrashed at my bonds, cringing as metal bit into my flesh and ropes pulled taut against my throat. My gaze flew in every direction, searching for someone, anyone to beg for help.

  As I sank to my knees, stunned horror washed over me. Not even my mother was there to save me. I was careless. I was foolish.

  And I was trapped.

  “Jack.”

  I cracked an eye open at the prompting of my whispered name. Night had fallen on the camp, and only a few scattered fires in the distance disturbed the blackness.

  “Jack, can you hear me? Wake up.”

  I propped myself to sitting, swallowing past the swollen scratchiness of my throat. Looking around, not a soul was in sight.

  “Jack, we’re going to get you out, so don’t worry, all right? I won’t let them hurt you.”

  My eyes welled with tears when I recognized my mother’s voice. Somewhere behind me, a bush rustled, and she crept up to my back as I leaned on the bars.

  “I can’t free you just yet,” she explained as the rope tugged against my throat, “but I will loosen this.”

  As the rough cord went slack against my skin, I sucked in a deep breath, relishing the feel of my lungs filling freely once more.

  “I’ve spoken with Prince Gustave in private,” she whispered. “He knows what we’re going to do, and knows who sent us. I didn’t tell him everything, but enough that he’s agreed to help.”

  “I need to get free,” I said, resulting in painful coughing that burned my throat.

  “Shh, we’re working on that, but we need a distraction, something to draw everyone in camp away.”

  “The giants,” I said. “Go to them and explain what’s happened. Tell Commander Brantoric you’re the Bard that gave me the Stone. He’ll help you.”

  “You went to the giants?” she hissed at me. “Jack, why would you—”

  “They were more kind and welcoming than this end of it. I hardly regret those actions.”

  “But what could the giants possibly do here? Any move they make will provoke a battle from this side.”

  I nodded as much as I could. “Precisely. We need both armies closer together for this to work. Tell them to use as much restraint as they can to avoid more bloodshed, but not at the cost of self-preservation.”

  “There’s not enough time for that,” she said. “I can’t get to them and back to free you before the king departs in the morning.”

  I thought for a moment, considering the problem. “You can if Ro takes you.”

  “Ro? Your bird? Jack, I don’t think—”

  “He’ll take you where you need to go, there’s no need to be afraid of him. Can you get my pack?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “Then do it. There’s a feather inside that will call him. Tell him who you are and what you need from him, and he’ll get you there and back quicker than any horse could.”

  She touched my shoulder through the bars. “I don’t speak his language, Jack.”

  “You don’t need to,” I explained. “The necklace allows me to understand him, but he’s always understood me clearly. Speak to him. Don’t be afraid. Kindness given is kindness returned.”

  “Jack…” Her voice caught. “I’m so proud of you. After everything I’ve done, how do I deserve such a wonderful child?”

  I smiled and sighed. “If I’ve learned anything lately, it’s that life has greater plans than we can ever guess at. There will always be opportunities to be better people, but it’s up to us to take those chances. You took that chance for me, Mama. You kept me as safe as you could and put me on this better path. Don’t think so little of what you sacrificed to do so.”

  Her hand lifted up to smooth my hair, and I heard her sniffle a little behind me. “I love you more than life, my brave, sweet girl.”

  “I love you, too, Mama. Now, please, you need to hurry. When you get the feather, stroke the spine once you’re clear of prying eyes. Ro will find you.”

  Leaving a kiss on the back of my head, she whispered a promise to return as soon as she could. After a quick rustling of underbrush, the world fell silent again, le
aving me alone with my thoughts and worries.

  “Please hurry, Mama,” I whispered into the night.

  Dozing in my cage, I was snapped awake by the alarmed shouts of men. Dawn colored the eastern sky as soldiers rushed past me, gathering weapons and armor as quickly as they could. It appeared my mother had reached the giants and an attack had been launched, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

  When the majority of the activity cleared from my end of camp, all that remained was a single guard standing watch ten feet from the door. The keys to my bonds hung at his waist, but even if I succeeded at putting him to sleep, he’d be too far for me to reach when he fell.

  “Cover your ears, Jack,” her voice whispered behind me.

  Relieved and elated, I did as she asked as best I could with shackled wrists. Though I couldn’t hear it, I felt the vibrations of her song tremble through my body, and in less than a minute, my guard collapsed on the ground in a heap. With no one else about, my mother was free to set me loose.

  The cage door opened with a squeak, and she made quick work of my chains. As I pulled the rope from my neck, wincing as the cord brushed the raw patches on my skin, my mother shrugged out of my pack, ready to hand it to me once I was free.

  “Ro is due west, near the trees,” she said, bustling me out of the cage. “He can help you find a central vantage point to use the Stone.”

  I started to leave, but hesitated. “Mama…”

  “Yes, Jack?”

  Indecision clawed at me. “What if this doesn’t work?”

  She gently turned me around, her smile soft, but confident. “I have every faith in you. I know that no matter what happens, you’ll choose the best path for everyone. If I didn’t, I would never have given you the Resonant Stone, and both Quistis and the Alabaster Heart would have found another for this mission. I know with every last piece of my soul that if anyone can do this, it’s you.”