by Andersen,Kai
But Michael ... now, that needed some thinking and sorting out. How did she feel toward him now, after hearing about his behavior in the village? There was anger, surely, and a sense of betrayal and disappointment at the kind of man he was turning out to be. His condescending attitude toward the villagers irked her, though his womanizing was fine with her. After all, if she turned him away from their marriage bed, it was good that he could find women who were willing to submit to his advances.
But maybe he lacked practice in bedsports. Was it possible that he would turn out to be as good as Rodin one day, able to arouse her with one touch of his hand, one look of his eyes? Maybe she should give him another chance? Many chances?
For that matter, what was she going to do about Rodin? Having tasted the kind of ecstasy he could bring her, she knew she would look for it again and again. Maybe she could keep him as her sex slave? Or bring him with her to Ermont and let him serve her in the bedchamber? But what about this girl whom Rodin was talking about, this girl he desired to settle down with? Could she accept him with another woman? Could this other woman accept her?
She pushed away thoughts of Rodin with another woman; it made her too uncomfortable and unhappy. It made her want to tear out the hair and eyes of that other woman, and the very violence of her emotions scared her.
Frederick and Serena came to her mind, and a faint sense of envy pricked her at the thought of the couple who had found true love and happy-ever-after. Didn’t she want the kind of love they had? Is that what she had with Michael?
Maybe it was time for some deep soul-searching and reflection. What did she have with Michael? Would a crown be a good bedmate and companion in the years to come?
The questions stayed with her for most of the time that they traveled.
Rodin let her think. Though he was silent, she was very aware of his presence -- aware, and comforted by the knowledge that she was not making this journey alone. It was there in his quiet breathing, in the warm press of his hand on her midriff, in the strength of his arm as he held her, and in the force of his thighs as he directed the horse.
“Hey, wait! Wait up!”
Giselda’s sharp ears picked up the faint sounds. Her head swiveled around.
Rodin looked at her sharply. “What is it?”
“I thought I heard something.”
He reigned in the horse and squinted at the horizon.
“I’m here, you idiot!”
Chapter Nineteen
Giselda looked down and saw a medium-sized fox with a sheen to its red fur standing beside the horse, which was strangely calm and quiet. For some reason, curiosity overcame fear at seeing the carnivorous predator standing so close to her.
“Was that you talking?”
“Who else?” It sat on its hind legs as it licked its paws, which were covered with something blue.
“How come you can talk?”
“You mean animals don’t talk?”
“Of course they do.” Giselda was indignant. “I just meant I have never been able to understand them before nor converse with them.”
“Congratulations. You have met your first talking animal conversing in human.” Something crunched as the fox bit into what looked like a cookie. The voice sounded female.
Giselda didn’t think the fox was giving a compliment; in fact, she was being downright sarcastic.
Rodin, meanwhile, had fallen to his knees in front of the fox. He went on bowing as he kept his eyes trained on the ground. “Oh, goddess, what an honor this is! How may we serve you?”
“Stand up, you moron!” Giselda heard the fox’s teeth snap together. “I am not a goddess.”
“As you wish, my goddess.” Rodin stood up and cocked his head in a thoughtful manner. “Although ... a fox is not really a good form to take when visiting us mere mortals. How about a benevolent dog or an adorable cat?”
Giselda was amused. It was very clear that Rodin had a high regard for Mithirien’s deities, but even so, it did not prevent him from speaking his mind. As for her, she never gave it much thought. If a goddess wanted to come and chat with her, then, by all means, she was welcome. Maybe she could get a bonus from the gracious deity, like a wish or something.
Giselda jumped down to stand beside Rodin.
The fox rolled her eyes. “For the second time, I’m not a goddess. You could say that I’m the goddess’s ... assistant. Yes, her assistant.” She cocked her head as she looked at them. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you to stand. Such a position certainly makes it harder on my neck as I look at you.”
They compromised by sitting on the hard ground.
“What are you eating?”
“Blueberry cookies.”
Did foxes eat blueberry cookies?
Blueberry cookies. Why did that sound familiar?
Giselda felt the faint stirrings of suspicion.
Rodin was asking, “Do goddesses eat anything as mundane as blueberry cookies?”
“I am not a goddess, so yes, I do eat something as mundane as blueberry cookies.”
A memory clicked. “Blueberry cookies? Isn’t that what Mrs. Goode-Heart always bakes --” Giselda broke off as the fox, who was in no danger of falling from sitting on the solid ground, teetered from her place and fell against Giselda. “Oooh, careful there.” She set the fox carefully back in her place, admiring the sheen of her thick fur.
“Thank you, dearie.”
Giselda was startled. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Didn’t you? I heard you loud and clear.”
Giselda shook her head, wondering if she had said something. She knew she had been saying something else, though, before the fox had fallen against her, but now she couldn’t remember what it was. “I was saying something, but --”
“You were talking about Mrs. -- Whoa!”
The fox brushed herself off Rodin’s lap. “I don’t know what’s happening with me today; I'm so clumsy. I think these blueberry cookies have alcohol in them; they’re making me drunk. I think I’ll get rid of the rest of these.” She threw what looked like a dozen cookies over her shoulder into the bushes.
How could so many cookies fit into that tiny paw?
Giselda blinked.
Did those cookies disappear in midair?
The fox looked at them both with a pleased smile on her face. “I’m here to lead you to Firelight.”
Giselda was puzzled, but it was Rodin who voiced the question. “Firelight? Who’s that?”
“You are looking for her, aren’t you?”
Giselda didn’t know how the fox managed it, but she was staring at them both with a frown on her face and her arms akimbo. Giselda answered, “We’re actually looking for my betrothed, whom my father sent on a quest --”
The words burst out from Rodin. “Firelight! The golden bird!”
“Yes. Very good, young man. That’s how she’s known in the legends.”
“You mean she really exists?” Giselda knew her eyes were very round.
“Yes, she really does. You must know that legends have their basis in fact.”
Rodin started to say, “But she’s been spotted somewhere around Lundren --”
“Haven’t you heard of red herrings? Who wants to get caught and be trapped forever in a cage?”
“But you are going to help us catch her?” Rodin’s voice reflected his skepticism at the fox’s contradictory statement and action.
The fox shook her head. “I’m going to bring you to her. It’s up to you to catch her.” She smirked. “If you can.”
“How come you know where she is?”
“It’s my business to know things.”
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“Take it or leave it.”
Giselda felt compelled to break what she felt was about to explode into a full-blown argument. “What’s her story? Is she a goddess?”
“Why don’t you ask her when you see her?” The fox stood up and brushed her paws. “Are we ready to g
o?”
“Wait! If you know where the bird is, did you meet Michael, as well, and bring him to her?”
“No.”
“Then I’m not going after some stupid bird. My aim is to find Michael.” Giselda firmed her chin in a stubborn gesture.
The fox sighed, as if out of patience with a recalcitrant child. “All in good time, child.”
“You mean Michael is safe, that I will find him?”
The fox said slowly, “Well, he is in a bit of a pickle --”
“What pickle?”
“All in good time,” the fox repeated, then continued hurriedly when she saw that Giselda was about to interrupt her again. “But you will find him after you have completed your quest.”
“But my quest is to find him.”
“No, your quest is to continue the quest your father sent him on.”
Giselda completed the thought for her. “Which is to find the golden bird.”
“Among other things.” The fox turned to Rodin. “Are you coming with us?”
“Of course.” He stood up and held out a hand toward Giselda. “Shall we?”
Giselda’s heart beat a little faster as she looked up into his character-hewn face, and her disoriented world righted the moment she placed her hand in his. She would trust this man with her life.
It was such a stunning revelation that she was speechless as he settled her and then himself on his horse. Familiar arms came about her when she rested her back against his strong chest.
She glanced down and was distracted by the sight of the fox taking something out of her pocket and putting it on her hind paws. How could she have a pocket?
“What are you doing?”
“Putting on my boots.”
“Boots?” Rodin’s voice chimed with hers as they both exclaimed their confusion and incredulity.
The fox barely glanced up. “Yes. Time is of the essence, so I have to put on these seven-leagued boots, which I borrowed from my friend Olaf the giant. We can cover more distance that way.”
“Oh, how exciting! I’ve never seen seven-leagued boots before.” Giselda stooped down as she tried to peer at the fox’s paws.
“Well, these boots are amazing. Not only are they distance-eaters, but they can also fit on any size feet. I’ll let you try them sometime, dearie, if you’re good.” The fox hopped up and hovered in midair, above the horse’s head and right in front of their faces. “Now, hold on tightly to my tail and I’ll pull you along.”
“You mean to walk on air?” Giselda’s voice reflected her incredulity.
“How else?”
Rodin chuckled.
“But -- but --”
The fox patted Giselda on the cheek. “The universe is full of marvelous things that you have not yet seen, child.” The fox’s tone then turned brisk. “Now, we should reach the Castle of Light by tomorrow.”
“Castle of Light?”
“Where is it?”
The fox answered Rodin’s question. “It’s not in Mithirien, but I can’t tell you exactly where it is. Just trust that I can get you there.” She presented her back and tail to them, and then half-turned. “Oh, by the way, my name is G.H. Merry. You can call me G.H. or Merry; it’s all up to you.” She winked. “All right, hold on tight!”
Chapter Twenty
True to Merry’s word, they stopped at their destination the next afternoon.
The whole experience was a lot like flying; the only difference was that they didn’t have to do anything to stay up in the air. Merry’s magic lifted them a few hundred meters above the ground, and as she walked the air, they moved forward by several miles with each step. They had some bloopers along the way, such as the time when the horse looked down and panicked. Merry conjured a piece of cloth, which Rodin tied around the horse’s eyes. There was also the time when they passed villages and towns and people looked up and saw them. Merry solved this by wrapping the cloak of invisibility around them.
Giselda was exhilarated. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Now as they were spiraling down, she couldn’t stop her jaw from dropping at the sight of the castle. Rodin gently closed her mouth.
Castle of Light, indeed.
The late afternoon sun imbued the castle with a golden glow. The majestic building towered over them, complete with a turret at each of the four corners, and a drawbridge, which was down at the moment, at the entrance. The whole structure was completely made of opaque glass panels, which reflected light -- sunlight, at the moment -- thereby causing it to be bathed perpetually in light.
“Wow!” Giselda slid to the ground by feel, not taking her eyes off the castle. “It’s breathtaking.”
Merry sat on the ground beside the horse, her lips twitching in amusement as her eyes settled on Giselda. “Yes. But for all that, there are some things you need to know before you go in there to get Firelight.”
Rodin turned from tying the reins to a sturdy branch on a nearby tree. “I knew it wouldn’t be easy. All right, Merry. What’s the catch?”
Giselda felt a sliver of fear icing down her back. She tore her eyes away from the imposing structure and reached for Rodin. Her small hand found its way into Rodin’s larger one, and her heart lightened at his reassuring squeeze.
“You caught on fast, young man.” Merry beamed. “The Castle of Light is an enchanted castle. Fortunately for you, when night falls, everyone, as in everyone, falls into an enchanted sleep. No amount of noise you make, even if you shout directly in their ears, would awaken them.”
Rodin smiled. “Sounds like the perfect escapade.”
“You haven’t heard everything yet.” Merry threw him a sharp look of reprimand. “Firelight will be roosting beside the throne, so she should be easy to find. Beside her are two cages, one made of gold and the other made of wood. Now, listen carefully. You must not touch the golden cage at all, but take the wooden cage. I repeat, take the wooden cage.”
Giselda was surprised. “Just like that?”
“Yes. Once you get Firelight and the wooden cage, leave at once. Do not linger.” Merry’s expression was grave and solemn. “Remember my warning and you will succeed in your quest.” She suddenly grimaced. “Heck, I sound like a fortuneteller.”
“We’ll remember, Merry. Thank you for all your help.”
“What? Driving me away?” Merry’s expression gave way to an amused smile. “I want to stick around and see if you succeed. Besides, you need me to get back.”
* * * * *
They set up camp some distance away. After a light dinner, Rodin and Giselda made their way over the drawbridge and into the castle.
Everything was as Merry described.
In the bright moonlight, the sentries were snoring gently at their respective places beside the gates. Big guard dogs lay panting beside them, caught in their doggie dreams. Knights with their swords at their sides were on the ground in scattered order. Within the castle hall, footmen lay in single file, with platters of food and trays of beverages beside them. Evidently, it was dinner time, or soon to be.
The silence was eerie. It was pure and deafening, making Giselda feel like they were walking through a vacuum. Even the dust motes seemed suspended in midair. Feeling morbid curiosity clawing at her, she bent down and placed one ear near the chest and nose of the nearest statue -- er, motionless person -- on the ground in front of her. No movement and absolutely no breathing! Doubly eerie. Totally weird.
She stood up in a hurry, hugging herself and rubbing her arms in the wintry night. She barely noticed the goosebumps on her arms as she stepped gingerly over each object on the floor and tried to find the way to the throne room, panic rising with each second.
“This way.” Rodin beckoned to her from a few feet away.
The panic loosened. Giselda hurried toward him and slipped her hand into his. “I’m scared.”
His grip tightened. “We’ll be out in no time at all.”
Giselda could tell from his grim tone that the silence was getting to h
im, as well. The sooner they found the bird, the sooner they could get out.
The scene in the throne room was the same. More knights and pages in drunken positions on the floor. Court ladies bedecked in their jewels and finery sat against the wall, their heads drooping onto the shoulders next to them. It was as if they had expected to fall into their spell-induced sleep at any time and had thus prepared for it.
“Look.”
At Rodin’s soft command, Giselda followed his pointing finger to something that glowed at the end of the room. She whispered, “Firelight.”
It was a phoenix.
She was the only light in the semi-dark room, and the only creature that seemed to be immune to the enchantment. She roosted on her perch, her pose majestic and proud. As they neared, Giselda could see Firelight’s intelligent eyes monitoring their progress alertly, her head cocked as if asking what had taken them so long. Her feathers burned with a soft glow that created a golden aura of light around her.
Giselda forgot about the silence and the still bodies around her.
“Oh, how beautiful you are,” she murmured as she stroked a hand down the bird’s smooth, feathery back.
Firelight hopped, dislodging Giselda’s hand.
“Touchy, aren’t you?” Giselda grinned. Another animal with character. Too bad she didn’t seem to know human-speak. “What is your story, and maybe we can be friends?”
It was Rodin’s amused voice that answered her. “Sorry to interrupt your bonding session, girls, but we need to go.”
“Right, we’ll get to know each other better at a later time. You take her, Rodin.” Giselda turned away and searched for the cage that Merry had said was beside the bird. “She may respond better to a man, while I ... will take the cage. Found it.” She had seen a glint of gold from behind Firelight. Going over, she was entranced by the golden-gilded cage, so bright and beautiful it was in the light of Firelight’s feathers. She barely noticed the wooden cage beside it. “Two of them ...”
“Remember what Merry said, Giselda.” Rodin’s voice sounded distracted. “Take the wooden cage.”