Aurora Abroad

by Aron Lewes

  “No... no, she hasn’t,” Rachelle insisted. “But the mental anguish is way beyond anything I’ve ever had to endure! You have no idea what I’ve been through!” She punctuated her sentence with a dry sob.

  “Don’t worry, we will—”

  “I’ve had to eat peas... PEAS! And not even good peas. They were mush! I hate peas, and I hate mush! I hate it so much I could cry! And don’t even get me started on the cheap wine.”

  Lyric quirked a brow. “They give you wine?”

  “And the bed isn’t soft in the least! It’s like sleeping on a pile of rags! I haven’t been able to take a bath or wash my hair or brush my teeth! I must look terrible! Oh please don’t show me a mirror, because I don’t think my poor heart can take it!”

  “Okay, but before we think about that, why don’t we—”

  “And it gets so hot at night...and there are bugs... and I had to listen to them torture that poor old woman, and...” In the middle of her tirade, her eyes were drawn to Aurora. “Oh! Your cousin is here!”

  “Yeah. Hi.” When Rachelle waved to her from the window, Aurora shook her head in disbelief. It wasn’t exactly a happy reunion, but Rachelle was treating it as such. And they weren’t exactly safe, so it wasn’t the time to exchange friendly greetings.

  “Well, hello there, Aurora! It’s nice to see you again. Please forgive my dishevelment.”

  “Okaaay, sooo...” Lyric interrupted. “How are we going to get you down from there?”

  Aurora had another question for her. “That old woman you were talking about, the one who got tortured...you don’t happen to know her name by any chance?”

  Rachelle nodded. “Yes! Yes, I do! Her name was Mary, and she was so very sweet! If we ever get out of this horrid situation, I’ll have to invite her to the castle for tea!”

  “So she’s still alive?” Aurora asked.

  “I’m not sure. Medea took her away a few days ago. I have no idea where they might have gone and... oh!” Rachelle clapped her hands over her heart-shaped mouth. “I think I hear someone coming! You better hide! Quickly!”

  Aurora and Lyric scattered, and Rachelle turned around just as the door to her bedchamber flew open. Medea stepped into the room, her red heels clacking against the wooden floor.

  “Good evening, Princess,” Medea greeted her. “I’ve brought your dinner.”

  “Oh. Thank you.” Rachelle sneered at the plate of dry roast and gooey mashed potatoes. “I’ll, uh, I’ll, uhh... I’ll eat it later, if that’s alright with you. I’m not really that hungry.”

  “It’s fine.” When Medea walked to the window, Rachelle held her breath for several seconds. She didn’t want Medea to catch sight of her potential rescuers. To her relief, Medea turned around and started pacing across the room. “I am... troubled.”

  “Oh? What’s bothering you today?” Rachelle sat on the end of her bed, folded her hands on her lap, and feigned a friendly smile. When it came to Medea, it seemed best to kill her with kindness. So far, Rachelle hadn’t ended up on the witch’s bad side. In fact—and strangely enough—Medea seemed to appreciate having an shoulder to cry on.

  “Well, I was stabbed...”

  “Oh, how horrible!”

  “...by a man who used to work for me...”

  “How very sad!”

  “It’s as if I can’t trust anyone. I’ve been betrayed so many times in my life, I don’t know who to trust.”

  “I know exactly how you feel.”

  Medea pursed her ruby-colored lips and sneered. “No. No you don’t. No one knows how I feel. No one knows what it’s like to be reviled... to be an outcast.”

  Rachelle clasped a hand over her heart. She could be a very good actress when she wanted to be. “I can only imagine what that must be like! But, perhaps...” After a long pause, Rachelle shook her head, and her messy blonde ringlets tossed and twirled. “Oh, never mind.”

  Medea’s curiosity was piqued. “What? What is it?”

  “Oh, nothing...”

  “Oh, please! Tell me what you were going to say!”

  “Well, the fact that you’re reviled might have something to do with the fact that... that, you know... you kidnap people and torture people and try to kill your niece.” When she saw the worry wrinkle between Medea’s eyes, she quickly added, “But that’s just a guess.”

  Medea sighed. “You have to take matters into your own hands if you want to get anywhere in this world. If you want peace of mind, sometimes you have to take drastic measures.”

  Rachelle knew when to back off. She didn’t want to do anything to incite Medea’s rage, which she had yet to witness, but she didn’t want to test her luck. She could only imagine how unpleasant Medea might be if she got on her bad side. “Oh, I definitely understand. Yeah, that makes sense.”

  “I think you’re the only one who ever understood me, Rachelle. If I could have met you sooner, my life might have been different.”

  Rachelle nodded as Medea spoke. “I’m glad to hear you say that.”

  “You’re so easy to talk to.”

  “Well, you know me! I’m always happy to lend an ear!” Rachelle chuckled nervously. It wasn’t easy to pretend to enjoy the company of a woman she hated.

  “Is it really so bad, wanting to wipe my niece out of existence?”

  “Uhhh...”

  “She’s just one person in a world of millions. Does it really matter that much if she disappears?” Medea shook her fists in the air. “Is it really that bad if I want to choke the life out of her with my bare hands?!”

  “Well, you know... to each his own.”

  “Right!” Medea exclaimed, bolstered by Rachelle’s words. “You’re exactly right! One man make the rules and everyone else has to follow them? It’s ridiculous! Who has the right to decide that taking someone’s life is a bad thing to do!?”

  As she listened, Rachelle tried to keep the frown from her face.

  “You know what, Princess?” Medea went on. “You’ve made me feel a lot better. Why don’t I get you something nice to eat? A sweet treat, or something like that?”

  “Uhh...”

  “How about a bowl of ice cream? I’ll even put a cherry on top!”

  “That sounds, uh... lovely, thanks.”

  Medea flashed an uncommon smile and disappeared through the doorway. A few seconds later, Rachelle jumped up and ran to the window. “Lyric!” she hissed his name. “Lyric, are you still there? Oh, PLEASE tell me you’re still there!”

  A few seconds later, Aurora, Lyric—and someone else—emerged from behind a large rock. Rachelle had to clap her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming. When the shock subsided, she pointed to Noxor and gasped, “It’s-it’s one of those! Behind you! Look behind you!”

  Aurora turned around to see what Rachelle was referring to, and immediately recognized the reason for her panic. “Oh. This is Noxor.”

  “WHAT?!”

  “This is Noxor,” Aurora repeated, moving closer to the fortress so they wouldn’t have to shout. “He’s our traveling companion.”

  “Much to the chagrin of some,” Lyric added quietly.

  “HE’S YOUR WHAT?!”

  “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Aurora tried to hush her. “If you don’t quiet down, someone’s going to notice us! Just... trust me when I say that Noxor’s one of the good guys.”

  “Eww...” Rachelle whimpered. “Are you serious? I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. How do you know Medea isn’t using him to spy on you or... or...”

  “Rachelle!” Lyric interrupted, hoping to redirect the princess’ thoughts. “How are we supposed to get you down from there?”

  “I don’t know!!” Rachelle shrieked. “How am I supposed to know? Just get me down!”

  “There aren’t some bed sheets you could string together, or something along those lines?”

  Rachelle rolled her eyes at Lyric’s suggestion. “If I could’ve done something like that, don’t you think I would have tried it already? I—”
/>
  Before she could finish speaking, Noxor soared into the air, straight up to Rachelle’s window. She had to cover her mouth to keep from screaming again.

  “Here.” Noxor held out his arms. “Grab onto me. I’ll carry you down.”

  “I.......” Rachelle scratched her head. Her hesitation was only natural, because she hadn’t exactly had good experiences with entities that looked like Noxor. As she stared at his outstretched arms, it was as if she was trying to decide between the lesser of two evils.

  “Quickly! We should leave this place as soon as possible.”

  “I......” Rachelle chewed on her bottom lip for several seconds as her inner debate continued. “I, uh...”

  “NOW!” He reached through the window and grabbed her wrist. Forced into compliance, Rachelle wrapped her arms around Noxor’s neck and stepped through the window, allowing herself to be carried down to safety in his arms.

  He lowered her to her feet as soon as they touched ground. Rachelle, without so much as thanking her rescuer, ran to Lyric and threw her arms around his neck. “Oh, Lyric! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!”

  Lyric tentatively returned her embrace. “Well, I didn’t actually do too much...”

  “But you came to find me! You must have tried SO hard to find me! You’re my hero!”

  Lyric winced. He didn’t think it would be a good idea to inform her they had actually stumbled across her by chance.

  “I’m never leaving your side! Oh, please tell me that won’t happen again! Medea was the most horrid person I’d ever met!” As an afterthought, she added, “Well, she was going to bring me some ice cream, but that hardly makes her a good person, does it?”

  “Uhhh...” Aurora groaned a bit.

  “My hero!” With a squeal, Rachelle nuzzled her face against Lyric’s chest.

  “Excuse me,” Aurora interrupted. She didn’t think she could stomach much more of Rachelle and Lyric’s cuddling. “I hate to break up the happy reunion, but shouldn’t we get out of here?”

  “Yes, Stupids!” came a faint voice from Greta’s pocket. “You’re utterrribbitly ridiculous for standing around like this!”

  III

  “I CAN’T. I CAN’T DO this!” Rachelle whimpered. They decided set up camp for the night, but Rachelle was having a particularly difficult time accepting that fact. “I can’t sleep on the ground! How can you expect me to sleep on the ground?! I might as well go back to Medea, because at least she had a bed for me!”

  Somehow, Aurora resisted the temptation to wring her neck. “Well, you’re welcome to go back, if you’d like.”

  “I’ll get dirt on my dress... and bugs in my hair, and those bugs will bite me. The embers from the fire will land on my dress... they’ll set me on fire while I’m trying to sleep! No... I WON’T sleep. There’s no way I can fall asleep under these circumstances.”

  “It’s okay, Rachelle,” Lyric tried to calm her down. “I’m exactly like you. I’m a fan of luxurious things, but I’m not complaining. Sometimes, you can’t have everything you want.”

  “No, you don’t understand. I NEED a nice pillow to lay my head on, and I WON’T be able to sleep like this!”

  A few seconds later, Noxor returned from scouting the woods. He was returning from a successful hunt as well, with three dead birds dangling from the end of a rope. He tossed them toward the fire—a fire that he had to start. It was becoming apparent that Noxor was the only one in the group with survival skills.

  “Do you expect me to eat that?!” Rachelle squealed, eyeing the pile of dead birds with a puckered nose. “How disgusting!”

  Even Noxor couldn’t resist the temptation to toy with her a bit. “I’m expecting you to pluck off the feathers and eat it raw.”

  Rachelle let out a horrified wail. “I can’t do thiiiiiiiiis! I can’t do thiiiiiiiis! I want to go home!”

  “I’m only joking,” Noxor chuckled. “You don’t have to eat it like that. After I’m through with it, the meat will look like castle cuisine. I promise.”

  Aurora was impressed. She was about to express her appreciation of Noxor’s humor, when suddenly, a flash of green flew by her eyes. It was Charmaine. He leapt out of Greta’s pocket and landed on Rachelle’s knee; which, of course, made her throw another fit. She sprung from the ground and knocked Charmaine off her leg.

  “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Get it off of me! Lyric, get it off of me!”

  Charmaine held out a webbed hand. “Princess! It’s me! Please calm down!”

  “It’s... what?! This frog can talk!?”

  Lyric chuckled under his breath. “If you think that’s strange, I should take you to the village of talking pigs.”

  “The... what?” Rachelle looked utterly perplexed. She kept staring at Charmaine with disbelief.

  “Please, allow me to explain,” Charmaine continued, rather eloquently for a frog. “When I was in the middle of my serenade, Medea showed up and—”

  “Wait. YOU’RE Prince Charmaine?”

  “Yes! Had you been looking out the window, you would have seen it. It was Medea! She’s responsible for my amphibious form... but I don’t have to stay like this. You can save me!”

  Rachelle sat beside the frog, but kept her distance. “Oh?”

  “Kiss me! Break the curse!”

  Rachelle looked over at Aurora, as if hoping for an explanation for all this nonsense. Aurora simply shrugged.

  “Kiss you?” Rachelle repeated. “Are you serious?“

  “Indeed. I’m actually quite handsome in my true form, as I’m sure you noticed when I was serenading you. So if you would just kiss me, we could—”

  “I’ll do no such thing!”

  “Oh, please!” Charmaine tried to shimmy closer to Rachelle, but she withdrew from him before he could close the gap. “Please oh please oh please! It doesn’t have to be on my lips... I don’t think it does, at any rate. Kiss me on my nose! Or... whatever you’d call a frog’s nose? Do frog’s have noses?”

  “Please get it away from me, Lyric!” Rachelle whined. “It’s... it’s making me unsettled!”

  Lyric lifted Charmaine off the ground and returned him to Greta’s lap. “Sorry, buddy. I don’t think she wants that kiss.”

  Charmaine flicked his tongue in Lyric’s direction. “Then maybe you can kiss me, you great big oaf! I don’t think Medea specified that the kiss had to come from a member of the opposite gender.”

  Lyric chuckled. “I’d rather die, but thanks for the offer.”

  “Well, it isn’t as if I’d want to kiss a man!” Charmaine clarified. “But if you find yourribbitself in my position someday, you’ll understand that beggars can’t be choosers!” He looked up at Greta and blinked his oversized eyes. “Hello, little girl. Have you ever kissed any frogs?”

  When Greta picked him up and put him back in her pocket, everyone was tempted to applaud her.

  Aurora stretched her legs out in front of her. After everything she’d been through, it felt nice to relax for a moment—even if her present company left something to be desired. It seemed as though Charmaine and Rachelle were competing to see who could be more annoying. Lyric, for once, wasn’t even in contention. “Medea’s curses are kind of... odd, don’t you think?”

  Rachelle, who seemed to calm down after Charmaine was stuffed away, asked, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I guess it’s not the curses themselves so much as the stipulations she puts on them. For instance... Charmaine. She turns him into a frog, and the only way to un-frog him is to kiss him. And then there’s Noxor.”

  Noxor, who was in the middle of skinning a bird with his sword, looked up when he heard his name. Had he been paying attention, he might have stopped her from saying anything else.

  “What about Noxor?” Rachelle inquired.

  “He’s cursed with eternal life and a decaying body, and the only way he’ll die is if someone falls in love with him.”

  Noxor tried to focus on his work. He didn’t want to be
the topic of conversation, nor did he want to announce the circumstances of his curse. But now that everyone knew, there was nothing he could do about it.

  “Really?” Rachelle pouted. “Well, that’s kind of... tragic, isn’t it? I mean, for one, who in the world is going to fall in love with someone who looks like that?!”

  Aurora frowned. She wasn’t a fan of Rachelle’s honest brutality.

  “And second of all,” Rachelle went on. “Even if some girl did fall in love with you, it’s not like you could ever be together. No matter what happens, it sounds like things are going to end badly for...” Rachelle scratched her head. “What did you say his name was again?”

  Aurora sighed. It seemed Rachelle had something in else common with Lyric. “Noxor.”

  “Oh, right. Noxor.” As she watched him prepare the meal, Rachelle could feel her stomach doing somersaults. The sight of the gutted bird wasn’t exactly pleasant. “So, what does he look like under that hood? Is it as hideous as I might imagine? I mean, not to be rude, but I’ve caught glimpses of his hand, and if his face is anything like that, it must be horrifying!”

  Noxor tried to tuck his hand deeper into his sleeve. “I’m going to have to consider gloves from now on,” he said with a sigh. “And let me assure you... the face is just as frightful as the hand, if not more so.”

  “How disturbing! Is it not something I could correct with a bit of makeup? Maybe I could use some foundation to even up your complexion? If you have dark circles under your eyes, I have the perfect concealer for that!”

  “Ahhhh, women.” It was Lyric who spoke next. “You get more than one of them together, and you’re guaranteed a headache.”

  Aurora glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means... the chatter of women is destined to become a man’s headache. I’m sure Froggy and Necksore would agree with me. When she grows up, Greta’s going to be a perfect wife because she doesn’t say a word.”

  Aurora narrowed her eyes even further. She wondered if she should reassess her feelings for him.

  “Why is that, anyway?” Rachelle asked. “Why doesn’t that girl say anything? Is she mute?”