Celestia's Tales: The Lybiria Scales

by Deborah.C. Foulkes

  Bri and Dorcas hit the deck of the Crux with a thud. Both princesses looked up and saw they had landed on top of Orlson, his face white with shock.

  'It seems you did have something that had been left here,' Dorcas said wryly.

  Bri and Orlson’s eyes met. They were close enough to kiss and she was sure he could feel her heart pounding against his chest. Embarrassed, she glanced at Dorcas and tried to hide her blushes as she got to her feet. Surrial had also just landed with a still unconscious Xander in his arms.

  'What has just happened? And what is wrong with the prince?' Orlson managed to say, also getting to his feet.

  'We got attacked by salamanders. Dorcas here helped me get away,' Bri said.

  'And the prince?' he repeated.

  'Mer-charm. Bri kissed him, knocked him out cold,' Dorcas said laughing.

  Bri noticed Orlson’s face darken and yet again there was the awkwardness that was constantly plaguing them.

  'I am going to take him into the cabin,' Surrial said breathlessly as he passed them.

  Bri turned to find Clues; it was easier to avoid what was happening between them than to face it. Not now anyway.

  'Clues,' she shouted.

  'I'm on it. Hades, here we come,' he yelled back.

  After checking on the prince both Dorcas and Bri sat in her own cabin. She poured some wine into a goblet and handed it to Dorcas, who took it with both hands gratefully.

  'Cheers,' she said raising her own.

  'Cheers,' Dorcas replied. 'I don't understand how we managed to get here, when you said you had nothing of the ship on you,' Dorcas said. Bri shrugged taking a mouthful of wine. 'Although the connection does not have to be a material object. Maybe you left your heart here?' she speculated.

  Bri could feel the fae’s eyes boring into her. 'I have always loved this ship,' she managed to say. 'My father used to say I would sell my kingdom to save her.'

  Dorcas gave her a grin 'Mm, maybe.'

  'You don't sound convinced.'

  'I've just never known a love strong enough for a ship to enable me to connect with it. After all I love my home, but I cannot just dissipate there without something to help me do it. I assumed it was Xander, but we landed before he did. So, if you say it's the ship then who am I to argue,' Dorcas said raising her hands.

  Bri gave a small breath of relief. She could not help but like Dorcas, there was so much to her that reminded her of herself. That did not mean she wanted her to know everything about her. Trust was something she was never ready to give away so easily.

  'You are not what I expected a fae princess to be like,' Bri said changing the subject.

  'What all flowery and giggly?' Dorcas laughed. 'You're not the only one who does not use her title.'

  Bri shot her a surprised look. 'What makes you think I'm a princess?'

  'Apart from the commitment band to the Prince you mean. It also takes a princess to know a princess. We have a certain glow,' Dorcas explained.

  'But I didn't know you,' Bri started.

  'You do not accept who you are. You hide from being a princess and a mer. Whereas I accept that once Xander is crowned High king I will become the queen of the fae’s.'

  Bri sighed. 'I've been told this is a problem before.'

  Dorcas put down her cup and took Bri’s hand. She was unused to this sort of affection especially from a stranger, yet she did not try to pull away.

  'It is only a problem if you suppress it too long. Suppression is very dangerous. But you are not the only one, Xander is half fae, he should be able to control the basic four elements as I do, but I think the privilege of court has not given him course to learn. I can stay if you want and help him?'

  Bri smiled and nodded. 'That would be good. We just have to wait for him to wake up.' And the two princesses laughed.

  Xander’s head throbbed as he tried to rise from his bed. He felt as though he had spent the night on the Unicorn Juice again. Then he caught a flash of memory at Briganti's lips on his and he remembered.

  'Briganti,' he mumbled.

  'Princess Briganti is safe, she is on the deck,' Surrial said, trying to get him to rise more slowly.

  'Stay still,' a familiar voice said. 'Give your head time to catch up.'

  'Dorcas,' he whispered.

  He then remembered seeing her on the beach. He had not seen her since his teens; they had played together as tots, but time had come for her to start her own royal training.

  Each kingdom having its own minor king or queen, she would inherit the fae kingdom at his own father’s death. That had been the last time they had seen each other.

  He still remembered the day she left. They had argued, because of his prevalent mood swings and she had shouted at him to remove his head from his arse before storming off. He had so much to make up for. He should never have treated her that way. But he had just had his freedom taken away and he resented his parents’ choices. It was the only way he knew how to react and she had taken the brunt of it. Now he was just sorry.

  It did not take too long for Xander to find the strength to sit himself straight and talk without his speech being slurred.

  'I am sorry I was so rude and pig-headed,' he said quietly.

  Dorcas sat beside him and took his hand in hers. 'It is understandable, but your parents would not want you to risk your life in a pointless battle, not when the solution is someplace else.'

  'I know you are right. I just never expected to be King so soon,' he said mournfully.

  'Nobody does. Bri has had to come to terms with it as well,' she said.

  Xander hung his head in shame. He had been so mean to her and yet she too would still be grieving.

  'Look, do not worry too much about it,' Dorcas continued. 'I need to know when the last time you used your elemental magick was.'

  'What do you mean?' Xander asked looking at Surrial with a puzzled face.

  ‘Have you been taught how to control and use your basic fae magick?' Dorcas asked, already knowing the answer.

  'No I have never needed to,' he said.

  'I suppose it’s easier to allow angels to fight your battles,' she said a little too sharply. ‘It is OK,' she said more softly. 'I will help you.’

  Orlson watched as Bri emerged from below deck and hurried towards her. He had not forgotten the issue concerning the whistle and it had done nothing but play on his mind since their return.

  'Bri,' he signalled to her. 'I see you gave Clues your whistle.'

  'Yes,’ she said dismissively, her attention on the sky. 'He said he had left his on board so I sent Eyes with mine.'

  'What?' Orlson said with renewed shock. 'You had another made?'

  Bri turned away from the sky and looked with annoyance at her friend.

  'And the problem is?' she almost snapped.

  Orlson felt his temper rise, something that was very rare when it came to her, but becoming more common the further they travelled.

  'My problem is that as your guardian I should have had one, not Clues.’

  This time Bri turned to face him fully. 'Firstly, Clues is my First Mate and secondly, you are my guardian and if I get captured you will no doubt be with me. As always,' she added.

  The crew having stopped doing their jobs were now watching them both nervously.

  'So what you are saying is that I'm suffocating you, and I hang on to you like a leech?' he said defensively.

  Bri crossed her arms over her chest. 'Hecate! You are now just twisting things. But come to think of it I may as well call you Shadow rather than Orlson,' she said back.

  Orlson felt the heat rise to his face. 'Well if you did not insist on playing the poor tortured princess then I wouldn’t have to constantly watch your back,' he began to shout.

  'What do you mean by that?' Bri hissed, her fists clenching as she let them fall to her sides.

  Orlson clutched his chest. 'Oh poor me! I'm a princess with everything I could ever wa
nt,' he mocked.

  The crew gasped in shock as they watched Orlson hit the floor by Bri’s hand.

  'How dare you,' she screamed standing over him. 'You think I have everything I want, well, you really don’t know me at all.'

  Orlson looked up at her from the floor, his cheek stinging from her fists. Normally her tear-filled eyes would have melted him, but he was beyond it now.

  'Oh my heart bleeds,' he hissed. 'Maybe you should learn to accept things as they are and then you will find you have exactly what you want.'

  Bri opened her mouth to speak. She fought the urge to tell him then and there that she wanted him, but there was no point. He was beyond her reach and he would soon no longer belong to her.

  'Briganti,' Xander’s voice coming from below broke the moment and as Orlson pulled himself to his feet the crew rushed back to their stations.

  Bri hurriedly dried her eyes on the back of her sleeve and put on her best fake smile. Orlson glared in the prince’s direction as he made his way below.

  'Dorcas has told me what I need to do,' he said, excitedly oblivious to what had just taken place, but Dorcas, who followed seemed to sense it.

  'The elemental magick?' Bri asked.

  Dorcas nodded. 'We are going to practice if you don't mind,' she said touching Bri’s shoulder.

  'Yes that is fine,' Bri answered.

  She was barely listening and went to where Clues stood. She flexed her fingers to ease the pain in them. Never in her life had she struck him in temper. Never had he given her reason to. She wished with all her heart she could have had a sibling. Then she would have gladly abdicated her right to the throne and given herself to Orlson and as long as they had the Crux and her crew she would be the happiest woman in Celestia, but that was impossible. There was no one else. It was her right and her right alone.

  Xander stood with his eyes closed as Dorcas told him what to do. He imagined the sound and feel of the rain on his skin and the sea filling his insides, then opening his eyes he said

  'Water!'

  Red flames escaped his hands, hitting an empty barrel. Dorcas put the fire out just as Bri yelled at them.

  'What in Hecate's name do you think you're doing? Could you not have started with water? This is my wooden ship you’re on.'

  'That is what I was doing,' Xander apologized.

  'Well it looked like a fire to me,' she snapped before disappearing below.

  Dorcas took him by the arm. 'Don't worry too much. It might be safer for you to practice once we hit land,' she said.

  The Third passed them, his arms filled with brushes and buckets and struggling to stay on his feet.

  'I wonder what is wrong?’ Xander said realising Briganti was not in the best of moods.

  The Third tripped and the sound of the buckets crashing filled their ears. 'Ppprincess and Orlson had a big fight. She punched him, Your Highness,' he said hurriedly as Dorcas tried to help him.

  'Is it me or is their relationship odd?' Xander asked.

  Dorcas shrugged. 'We were close once.'

  'Yes we were, but he is to her what Surrial is to me and we do not treat each other in an informal manner like that,' Xander mused.

  ‘She is bound to you and that’s all that matters,’ Dorcas offered.

  ‘Yes, but she never looks at me like she looks at him.’

  If they had not bumped into Dorcas he would have felt put out and angry at the obvious chemistry between Briganti and her guardian. But he could not be a hypocrite, especially when he still had feelings for his own childhood sweetheart.

  Just seeing her again stirred up old emotions he thought were dead. Her dark hair cropped short still shone in the sunlight and her skin glowed. She knew him better than he knew himself and he loved her for it.

  This marriage was set to be doomed. Why on earth did their parents have to interfere? Why could they not have waited until they were old enough to make that decision on their own?

 

  Chapter Fifteen