Ava ducked her head. She wasn't Militsa's daughter, not truly, and no one could mistake them for kin. Militsa's ice-pale hair, only a shade lighter than Bianca's, marked her for what she was: a daughter of a chief from one of the tribes in the far north, taken as a hostage to ensure her father's good behaviour. With a courage Ava found hard to emulate, Militsa had turned her captivity to her advantage, becoming one of the King's concubines. She had been friends with Ava's own mother, Sumi, during the brief time Sumi lived in the harem, and when Sumi lay in a welter of blood on her birthing bed, she had placed Ava in Militsa's arms and begged her friend to take care of the baby. If it weren't for Militsa's kindness, Ava might have died alongside her mother.
"I'm going, too," Bianca said cheerfully, interrupting Ava's reverie. "Our father's guards will escort us to the border, which you and Lagle will cross alone, for the city is not far, and while the Emperor's troops might attack a party of fighting men, they would not harm two highborn women, travelling alone. The guards will take me to the Summer Palace, for there are tales of discharged soldiers and other disreputable men who prey on travellers who take the army roads, as we must. No common soldier shall have me!" She waved her hand and it seemed to Ava that a silvery glow enveloped her fingers.
A glow Ava had seen before, though others had not. Sometimes, when Bianca sneaked through the harem unseen, such a glow had encompassed her whole body. Magic, somehow enhancing her ability to hide. Bianca had never spoken of it, and Ava had never been brave enough to ask, but Bianca's mother's eyes missed nothing.
Militsa embraced Ava, in the fashion of the northern tribes, for such things were foreign to Ava's own people. Yet she endured it, because she knew it was Militsa's way of showing her love. "Watch for evil magic," Militsa whispered. "The Queen's daughter has no magic of her own, but the Queen will not send her to a foreign court without a spell or two to protect her, and possibly more besides. For all this talk of a marriage alliance bringing peace, I fear this one will only escalate the war."
Ava opened her mouth to ask what Militsa meant, but the woman pulled away and nodded toward Lagle and her mother, who had finally deigned to join the travelling party.
The guardsmen bowed as the two ladies passed, before returning to the business of readying the horses for the ride. So it was only the three women who noticed the exchange between the Queen and her daughter.
Lagle struggled into the saddle, even with the aid of a mounting block. She was no horsewoman, thought Ava as she stroked her own mount's flank. The women's palace had included a small stable and a park in which they might ride. Granted, the park was too small for the ponies to move faster than a sedate walk, but Lagle had not set foot in there for as long as Ava could remember. As she and Bianca rode every day the weather was fine, Ava guessed this meant Lagle had not sat astride a horse before. Falada, a great grey horse that contrasted strongly with the others' much darker mounts, shifted from foot to foot under Lagle's weight, as though trying to decide whether she could be bucked off.
A groom caught the beast's bridle, forcing it to stand still.
"A gift for you, which you must wear always," the Queen said, handing something up to Lagle. It appeared to be a necklace, for the girl slipped it over her head and the pendant sat on her breast, glowing red. "As long as you wear it, you will never forget who you are, where you came from, and what you must do." At her words, it flared brighter.
"I will never forget," Lagle said, tossing her head. The horse copied her, nearly unseating her, if it weren't for the groom's grip on the animal. When Lagle regained her balance, she tugged her cloak forward, hiding the necklace from sight.
Ava turned to ask Militsa and Bianca whether they'd seen the strange glow, but they had moved across the courtyard to stand beside Bianca's horse. As she watched, the mother and daughter embraced before Bianca leaped lightly into her saddle. Her horse danced beneath her, but Bianca merely patted the mare's neck and it settled.
Ava's turn. She leaned into her horse's flank, breathing in the animal's warm scent to reassure her. She wasn't afraid, she told herself. She wasn't. Ava swung into the saddle, taking courage from the mare's steady strength. She would be brave, just like she'd promised.
Bianca brought her mount beside her. "Thinking fishy thoughts, sister?" she asked.
Brave, fishy thoughts. "Indeed," Ava said.
"Form up!" the guard captain bellowed. "We're heading out!"
Ava obediently nudged her horse to walk in step with Bianca's as the troop moved out.
"Time for a new adventure," Bianca said, grinning. She always did like listening to tales, though some of them terrified Ava. Heroes and battles and monsters and…
Ava shuddered.
"Fishy thoughts," Bianca reminded her.
"Fishy thoughts," Ava echoed. She managed a wan smile. "Bring on the adventure."
Ten
"You should choose her, Little Fish," Gang said, nodding at a girl who didn't look more than six years old. He chortled. "She's probably all you can handle."
"No, that one!" Chao said, pointing at the child's nursemaid, who looked older than Mother. "Much more obedient. Our Little Fish needs a docile bride, for he is not used to command."
Yun glowered at his older brothers before a quelling look from the Emperor silenced them for a moment as they lined up on either side of him.
Then Gang said, "Hurry up and choose one, Little Fish. Mine is barren, and I want to pick her replacement. I will never hear the end of it from Mother if I steal the toy my baby brother wants, so make your choice!"
Oh, as if the pressure from his mother wasn't bad enough. Now he had to worry about what his brothers might do to the girls he hadn't chosen. They could take them as concubines, or discard their wives to take new ones. Whereas Yun could only save one from their clutches. Letting his mother select the girl seemed like a coward's way out.
Their father held court, shooting them occasional glances to quiet them, but his brothers teased him mercilessly. By the end of the day, Yun was thoroughly sick of the very thought of marriage. His brothers had given their verdict on every woman in court and Yun had begun to wonder if there might be a monastery he could retreat to. One where he did not have to marry anyone. He'd be a useless husband, anyway.
Perhaps if he waited long enough, his mother would arrive at that conclusion on her own, and not make him marry anyone.
The thought cheered Yun considerably.
"What are you smiling about, Little Fish?" Chao hissed. "Did you decide on the one with the big boobs? I think I've had her already. No virgin bride, that girl."
Yun prayed that his brother was lying. Deflowering the daughters of their father's courtiers without even taking them as concubines was the height of dishonour.
He almost wished himself back on the battlefield, where he wouldn't have to endure his brothers' taunting.
Almost, but not quite, Yun reminded himself. He was sleeping better now, for the visions of war were fading a little, but he was still no closer to the epic poem he'd promised his father.
No wife, no poem…was his life destined to hold anything important? Yun doubted it. After all, the eighth son of the Emperor was so far from the throne, he was nobody, really. A nobody in nice clothes. Fate had been so generous to his brothers, she'd had little left for him. Perhaps he should just be grateful for the crumbs he had. Paper to write his poetry on. Perhaps one day he would write something worth keeping.
Perhaps.
Eleven
Ava's horse settled into a fluid canter that at first had her hanging on for dear life, before she realised that the mare knew what she was doing and had no intention of losing her rider. Only then did Ava relax and enjoy it, as Bianca seemed to do, judging by her wide smiles.
For the first time in her life, Ava felt free. Free of fear and free of the harem that had imprisoned her so completely without her even realising it. If only she could ride like this forever, like her chestnut mare wanted to.
All
too soon, the captain called a halt. Ava couldn't see past all the mounted men in front of her, so it came as a surprise when Bianca grabbed her round the middle in a hug.
"Stay safe, and be brave. Today you fly free. Fishy thoughts, Ava," Bianca murmured before she released her.
A lump formed in Ava's throat. "You, too," she whispered.
Would she ever see Bianca again?
"This way, Princess," the captain said, beckoning for Ava to follow him.
Yes, she was a princess. Lagle's equal, now she had left the harem. Ava straightened her spine and held her head high.
The path the captain indicated might once have been a road as wide as the one they now travelled, but it was now so overgrown it seemed little more than a track, and a narrow one at that. Ava started forward.
"I must go first," Lagle said haughtily, shoving past Ava.
Ava's mare moved out of Falada's way, allowing the larger animal to pass. The captain lined up four packhorses behind Ava, all roped together, before he fastened their lead rope to Ava's saddle. At the captain's nod, Ava nudged her mount along the path Lagle had taken, and she heard the captain order the packhorses to follow.
She hoped Lagle knew the way, and that it would not be too long, for the wooded path was surprisingly dark and cool on what had seemed such a hot day. Ava longed for a drink, but she did not know where to find one. Perhaps there would be a stream, or the city would be close. In the harem, it would have been a simple matter of summoning a servant, but there would be no servants until they reached their destination, so Ava plodded on in Lagle's wake.
Finally, Lagle came to a stop at the edge of a river. The current ran fast, but it appeared to be shallow enough at this point to be forded, what with the track ending here and starting up again on the far bank.
Ava looked longingly at the water, and her horse seemed to share her thoughts, for the mare ambled up to the riverbank and stuck her nose in the river.
Thinking the other horses would need a drink, too, Ava slid to the ground and untied them. They lined up alongside hers, slaking their thirst, and she envied them. But not for long.
Ava rummaged through her saddlebags and found the silver cup Militsa had given her for a parting gift. She found a spot upstream of the horses, and dipped her cup. The water was so cold she cried out as it froze her fingers, but that didn't stop her from lifting the brimming cup to her lips and drinking deep. Then refilling it for another drink.
"Fetch me some water," Lagle ordered.
Ava considered offering the full cup to her sister, but another sister's words came to mind, that she and Lagle were equals now, so she drank instead. And a third time. Only then did she fill the cup for Lagle. As she held up the glittering goblet, Lagle's blow struck it out of her hand, spilling the contents at her feet.
"Not in your plain cup, you fool! In my golden one," Lagle insisted.
Ava stooped to pick up her precious cup, pausing to check that its fall hadn't dented the soft metal, before she answered, "And where is your cup?"
Lagle waved languorously at the pack horses. "With my things."
"Then you can get it, and fetch your own water," Ava said slowly. Oh, it almost hurt to force such words out. But she'd promised Bianca to be brave, and here she was. "If you don't want mine, I shall go back to quenching my own thirst."
Deliberately, Ava returned to the riverbank and refilled her cup once more, though she didn't really want another drink. She sipped slowly, all the same, knowing it would goad Lagle into action.
Lagle let out a furious shriek, followed by a string of insults that grew louder with each word she uttered. Ava had never heard such foul language, and neither had the packhorses, it seemed, which bolted in fright.
"Get me a DRINK!" Lagle screamed over the thunder of hooves, stabbing a finger in the direction that the horses had fled. Like a tantruming child, she flailed her arms and drummed her heels against the sides of her horse. Falada leaped into action, like any well-trained warhorse, and charged across the river. Lagle shrieked again and yanked hard on the reins, bringing Falada up short. Lagle kept going, though, right over the horse's head and face-first into the river.
For a moment, Ava froze, not sure whether to laugh or ask Lagle if she was all right. When the girl didn't surface, Ava had her answer, and she waded into the river, careless of the water seeping into her boots. She might not like Lagle, but she wasn't about to let the girl drown.
Ava dragged Lagle to shore, where her sister coughed up a great deal of water, but she didn't wake. A trickle of blood ran down Lagle's face from under her hair, so she must have hit her head when she fell, Ava decided. The pendant around her neck had smashed in the fall, too, leaving little more than a few shards of broken glass tangled in the ribbon. A drop of what looked like blood remained on the stopper, glowing red like the whole thing had before. Ava knew little about magic, but one thing she knew for sure: magic was fuelled by blood, and a single drop was enough to cast a powerful spell. If the bottle had been full of a witch's blood, the spell it cast could have untold consequences.
Or it could simply have been a protection spell to keep her daughter safe. Everyone knew that the Queen doted on her daughter as much as she spoiled her.
But if the spell was evil instead…it could risk the very peace she and Lagle were supposed to secure for their people.
Ava closed her eyes and made a decision. Pulling the necklace over Lagle's head, she pitched it into the river.
She tried shaking her sister awake, but Lagle just lay there, lifeless. Or as lifeless as she could be when she still drew breath.
Finally, Ava persuaded Falada to lie down beside his rider, so that Ava could shove her unconscious sister onto the animal's back. Using the rope the packhorses had left behind, she tied her sister into the saddle as best she could so the girl wouldn't fall off, and tethered Falada's reins to her own mount.
Facing the river, Ava took a deep breath. Fishy thoughts, she told herself. It was her turn to lead.
So Ava led the way into the water.
Twelve
Between his brothers and the words that just wouldn't come, Yun needed an escape. So in a fit of frustration, he begged his father to allow him to do guard duty with the rest of the palace garrison. Marching up and down the walls would make him feel more martial, he'd said, or some such nonsense. Yet, to his surprise, his father had agreed.
Which was why Yun was the first man to spot the strange packhorses.
They came galloping up to the walls as though all the demons in hell pursued them, lathered like they'd been running for some time. Eyes rolling in panic, they'd been too tired to do more than stand by the bridge, their sides heaving beneath their panniers. When no one appeared to take charge of them after several minutes, Yun headed down to investigate.
It took him some time to calm the beasts enough to take the bridle of the nearest, but as his fingers closed on the leather he froze. The bridle he held wasn't the sort of craftsmanship he normally saw in the empire. The intricate braiding proclaimed it the work of the Horse People. He'd seen enough of it at war. So what were some of their pack beasts doing here now?
Yun unfastened the nearest bag. It was full of silks – women's clothes, and finery, at that. He checked them all, but he found nothing more aside from some jewels stowed beneath the silk, and other such trinkets. But where were the women who owned them? Fine ladies didn't travel without an armed escort. Especially in times of war.
He left the horses in the care of some stablehands, and carried the bags up to his mother's chambers, where he left them to go and search for her. He didn't need to look for long – she was feeding the birds in her private garden.
The brilliant coloured songbirds descended into anarchy like a flock of common sparrows when they spotted a particularly tasty morsel. Mother chided them, but her voice was drowned out by the chorus of squawks as they fought for a piece of fruit.
"Mother, I must ask your advice on a strange matter," Yun began,
not sure how to continue.
"Is it about a strange girl?" Mother's smile made him wonder if she could read his mind.
Yun bowed his head. "I fear if there is a girl, something terrible has befallen her. I found her belongings on the backs of horses that came from the Horse People. Highborn, certainly, but nowhere to be found. Mother, has anyone fled the city of late that you know of?"
Mother's eyes narrowed. "One of your brothers' wives, perhaps? I know of no other who would want to. But I know of none who have been missed, either. Let me see the girl's things."
Yun led her to the pile of bags, and Mother summoned a servant to unpack their contents. Gown after gown was held up for the Empress's inspection, but she only shook her head.
"I have never seen a girl wear such gowns, in court or elsewhere," Mother said. "She is not one of your brothers' brides, or one of the girls at court. Perhaps someone's wife as they fled the borderlands for the safety of the city, but were attacked on the way."
"But if they were attacked by Horse People, they could not have been but a few miles from the city. How could they come so far within our borders without us knowing?" Yun asked. "And if the horses belong to Horse People, where are the people now?"
Mother bit her lip. "Your father is a fool to dismiss you, for you have more wits than he will ever know. Yet I cannot answer your questions, any more than you can. Leave these things with me, for if their owner arrives, I will no doubt hear of it before you do. Return to the wall, and be vigilant. If there truly are Horse People so close to the city, we cannot be too careful."
Yun rose. "I should tell the Emperor."
Mother shook her head. "Tell him what? You have found some horses and gowns with no owner? He will dismiss them as easily as he dismisses you. Find one of the Horse People and then you will have something to show him. Until then, I fear we are as blind as birds flying in a snow storm. And I do fear for us all."
Fly_Goose Girl Retold Page 3