

AVALON

Princess

By S.R. Ahuja

Copyright 2018, 2016 S.R. Ahuja

Smashwords Edition

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my first audience, Mom and Dad. Without your love and support, I never would have had the courage to do something as crazy as write a book.
Preface

The wind pushed Fay toward the street. One stiletto slipped off the curb, and pain shot through her leg as she stumbled into the street. The horn blared as a sedan sped around her.

Fay let out a frustrated grunt as she hobbled back to the sidewalk. Sitting on the curb, she yanked off the offending heels and threw them to the side. Angrily, she pulled out her phone and tapped it furiously.

_Where are you???_ glared back at her in blue. Just below it was the message Read 11:16.

Anna had read her message over an hour ago and had chosen not to reply.

The wind howled again and pushed her hair into her face. She shoved the curls out of her eyes and thrust the phone back into her purse. She heard the clinking sound of her keys hitting the pavement beside her, but she didn't pick them up yet. She shivered and wrapped her arms tightly around her torso. It had been stupid of her to wear Anna's dress. Longingly she thought of her favorite cardigan, sitting on the back of her desk chair at home.

"Excuse me."

Fay looked up to see a man standing over her. The anger fled as fear chased through her veins. She thought of the pepper spray buried in her bookbag. Why hadn't she thought to transfer it to her purse tonight?

She grabbed her keys, holding them in her right hand and surreptitiously slipped her house key in between her third and fourth finger, balling her hand into a fist.

"Are you all right?" the man asked. He was obviously dressed as some kind of super hero because she could see the shadow of his cape waving in the wind. He was standing with his back to the street lamp, so she couldn't see his face, but Fay thought he seemed older than her, too old to still be in college, which made her anxious.

"I'm fine," was all she said.

The man extended a hand toward her. "Do you need help?"

What Fay really wanted was for the man to just go away, but he was not taking the hint.

"I can do it on my own, thanks," she said coolly.

The hand retreated as the man took a step back. "Can I walk you home? It's late for you to be out all alone."

Fay rose, more steady on her bare feet than she'd been in the stilettos. She pulled the strap of her purse over her shoulder and held her shoes tightly in her free hand. Her right still clutched the keys.

"I'm fine. My sister is actually meeting me here any minute," she lied, not wanting this stranger to know that no one was waiting for her, no one would notice her absence for hours, possibly days if Anna had found another place to sleep that night.

"Is she?" he asked.

Fay's eyes shot straight to the man's hand as he reached into a pouch he carried at his side. Her only thought was of him pulling out a gun, but instead, when he pulled his hand out of the pouch, he was merely holding what looked like a pinch of dirt.

Without warning, the man tossed the dirt into her face. Fay closed her eyes and gasped, stumbling backward again in shock. She was utterly prepared to scold the man, or possibly slap him across the face, but when she opened her eyes, everything had changed.

The dirt was now glitter falling in spirals to the ground. Although it was still night, everything was brighter. She could see the man more clearly now. He stood at least six inches taller than her with sand colored hair that he had pulled back behind his head. He was not dressed as a superhero but as a knight. The chainmail that he wore glinted softly in the dim light, and a sword shined at his side.

His eyes were what caught and held her. They were warm and dark brown, full of worry and compassion; full of love.

Her arms fell to her sides and her purse slipped from her shoulder, hitting the ground along with her keys and her shoes.

"Oh," was all she could say, staring in amazement at the sight before her.

"Fay, would you like to come with me to see my home?" he asked her.

He extended his hand to her once more, beckoning her forward. She reached out to touch him, but something made her pause. There was a part of her that was buried deep inside, that had been buried since she opened her eyes to this new world. She knew better than this. How many times had she schooled Anna on the dangers of going anywhere alone with a man you had just met? And yet, a bigger part of her, the part that was connected to the warm feeling in this man's eyes, was telling her that he meant her no harm, that he loved her.

She placed her hand in his. The second their skin touched, the wind stopped blowing, the sounds of the parties raging in the distance ceased, and heat flooded the air around her. Leaving all of her belongings on the sidewalk, she stepped forward and allowed this man to lead her into the night.

On the ground, Fay's phone buzzed and fell out of the purse. It hit the cement but did not shatter. The streetlight overhead flickered into blackness, but the screen of the phone glowed brightly.

Sorry! Just got home. You will never believe this perv I met. Where are you?
Chapter I

Halloween

Jade kept glancing up at the clock anxiously. She wasn't allowed to leave the stifling office until the bell rang, but she dreaded going home.

She hated sitting in the chair in the office. Every time someone new came in, they gave her a look that said they knew exactly what she had done even though they really didn't.

Tommy's mom had picked him up two hours ago, but Aunt Anna had never come for her. She knew why. Aunt Anna was at work. She worked at the big school down the road, and she couldn't just leave whenever Jade did something stupid. It used to be that Grandma Molly would have been the one to get the call. She used to wait for Jade at home, but not anymore. She and Grandpa Charlie were in the Home now. They weren't allowed to come pick up Jade anymore. Now Jade and Aunt Anna had to go to the Home to see them.

The minute hand ticked one minute closer to Jade's release. She wanted to cry, but she knew that if she did, someone would see and it would surely get back to Tommy, and she could have none of that. So she held back her tears, and watched her life tick by much too quickly.

Mr. Knucke had already called Aunt Anna at work; Mrs. Johnson had told Jade that when she came to give Jade her homework. He'd called Tommy's mom too. That's why she'd come to pick him up. Aunt Anna would be furious. Jade was usually a good kid. She got her homework turned in, she helped out Mrs. Johnson after school sometimes, and she even helped her aunt around the house, but she had an awful temper especially when it came to stupid people.

It seemed like only seconds ago that she and Tommy had been on the playground with all the other kids at recess. She refused to give up the swing. It was hers. She had waited in line, and she wasn't going to give it up just because Tommy wanted it. So, he started talking. The more he said, the angrier she got until finally, she dug her heels into the dirt, got off the swing, and walked right up to him. He was grinning happily because he thought he'd won. That was when Jade's fist had met his face.

The bell rang right over her head. Jade leapt from her chair, grabbed her jacket and book bag, and high tailed it out of the office before Mr. Knucke could call her back into his office. The short walk from the school to the house went quickly. A little golden light followed right behind her, singing nonsense words in the prettiest little bell voice.

Jade couldn't remember the first time she had seen Lali. She had just always been there. Aunt Anna called her Jade's imaginary friend. Jade didn't blame Aunt Anna for thinking Lali was imaginary because Lali was very shy. She only ever came around when Jade was alone and needed someone to play with.

She was a nice little fairy, but she was always getting Jade into trouble. On her way home, Lali kept going on and on about all the things she would have done to Tommy if she'd been there. Jade ignored her mostly. Nothing Lali could say was going to make her feel better because she knew exactly what Aunt Anna was going to say when she got home.

She dumped the contents of her book bag out on the floor of the living room as soon as she entered the house and went to the kitchen. She filled her backpack with snacks, and then grabbed her journal off the counter where she had left it that morning. She didn't say a word or even acknowledge Lali as she walked out to the woods. She followed the trail that she herself had worn through the trees to the small clearing with a circle of mushrooms and sat down with her back leaning against her favorite tree.

She took out a pencil and opened her journal, but she did not start drawing. She just sat there and waited as the sun crept closer and closer toward the ground.

"Jade Elizabeth Green!" Aunt Anna called all too soon. "You get in this house this instant!"

Jade stood up, dropping her journal in the dirt where she had sat. She did not pick it up. Leaving her book bag there too, she started trudging back toward the house. She walked as slowly as she could, but soon enough she had broken through the line of trees and could see Aunt Anna standing at the kitchen door, arms crossed, still dressed in her work clothes with her ID badge hanging around her neck. Lali left her side the moment Aunt Anna called her name, so Jade approached her aunt alone.

Aunt Anna stepped back to allow Jade to walk into the house first. Jade went in and sat at the kitchen table. Her feet dangled several inches above the ground. She examined her feet closely, picking out every speck of dirt, trying to pretend like Aunt Anna wasn't glaring a hole through the top of her head. She heard the other chair squeal against the linoleum as it was pulled back.

"Well," Aunt Anna began, "do you want to tell me your side of the story?"

Jade squirmed in her seat. "It wasn't my fault..."

"Stop right there." She held up her hand to silence Jade. "I've already spoken with Ms. Johnson and Mr. Knucke. I'm giving you the chance to tell me _what happened_ not whose fault it is."

Jade glanced up at her aunt's face. She wasn't smiling. Her eyebrows were drawn together, but she didn't look angry; she looked sad. Jade couldn't stand it much long than a few seconds. She had to look away.

"I punched Tommy Tinkus during recess," Jade admitted to her sneakers.

"I've gathered as much. Do you want to tell me why?"

Jade glanced up and back down again. "He said that magic wasn't real, and he said that I was stupid for believing it was."

Aunt Anna sighed heavily. "Jade, we've been over this before, and this is not the first time a kid has said that to you. Why did you punch Tommy? You know physical violence is just unacceptable."

"Because..." Jade said defiantly and then trailed off.

Aunt Anna didn't say anything. She just waited for Jade to continue.

Jade sighed and finally all of her pent up words came rushing out of her in one long breath. "Because when he said magic wasn't real and I was stupid for believing in it I told him that it was real and that grownups like you knew it was real and he was the stupid one and then he said that if you thought magic was real then you were even stupider than me and I would have been better off living with my druggie mom who didn't even want me." As she said the last words, tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Mr. Knucke didn't mention that part," Aunt Anna said quietly.

"I didn't tell Mr. Knucke that part."

"Jade, come here," Aunt Anna said, opening her arms to her.

Jade jumped off her chair and rushed into her aunt's open embrace.

No longer angry, she said, "That was an awful thing for Tommy to say, but you know it's not true. You and I have talked about your mom. You know that she would have kept you if she could and that she loved you very much."

Jade buried her face in Aunt Anna's chest and nodded silently.

"But there is no excuse for using your fists, Jade. You know better." Aunt Anna was quiet for a long time while she slowly rocked Jade back and forth. "You know this means no trick-or-treating this year."

"Please! Aunt Anna!" Jade begged, looking up at her. "Halloween is my favorite! Please don't make me miss it!"

"I'm sorry, Jade, but this behavior is not acceptable and you are not leaving this house again tonight."

Jade climbed off her aunt's lap and backed away from her until her back was against the kitchen wall. She slid down to sit on the floor, staring at Aunt Anna, letting the betrayal spread from her heart through every part of her.

"In fact, Jade, I think it's time that you and I have a talk about our fairytales." She stopped to take a breath before she kept going. "This world is a wondrous place, and I see little bits of magic all the time. Do you remember when we saw that baby bunny? That was one of the most magical things I've ever seen, but the magic in the stories... the fairies, the sorceresses, the magical worlds... Jade... do you know the difference between real and imaginary?"

"Yes," Jade said quickly. "Real means that it is something I can see or something that really happened and imaginary is just pretend."

Aunt Anna nodded. "The story you told me just now about you and Tommy, was that real or pretend?"

"Real," Jade said definitively.

"And the story that your principal told me, that you punched Tommy on the playground, was that real or pretend?"

Jade had to think this time. "Real, but he didn't know everything that happened."

Aunt Anna nodded again. "And, the story of Princess Lunette and her magical kingdom, is that real or pretend?"

Jade was quiet for a long while before she finally said, "That story is true."

Aunt Anna didn't nod this time. "Jade, that story isn't something that really happened. The dragons, the unicorns, the monsters, they are all just pretend."

"No," Jade shook her head. "It's true. You told me it was true."

"It's fun to pretend that stories like that _are_ true, but at the end of the day, Jade, you need to understand that it is just pretend. Fairies and dragons and goblins, they're not real, Jade. You are fighting with your classmates over something so small as a bedtime story."

Aunt Anna reached out to her, but Jade didn't move. She stared at Aunt Anna, not fully understanding. Fairies were real. Jade had proof. Out in the forest, not a mile away, there was a very real fairy waiting for her. She knew that. She _knew_ it.

"Fairies are real," Jade said, slowly rising with her back still pressed against the wall.

"No, Jade." Aunt Anna did not smile. She stared at Jade, and her dark green eyes, the eyes that Jade shared, turned hard and cold. "They're not."

"You're lying." Jade shook her head. "Why are you lying?"

"I'm not lying..." Aunt Anna began.

"No!" Jade closed her eyes and shook her head. "Fairies are real. I _know_ they're real! Why are you lying to me?!"

"Jade..."

Jade felt Aunt Anna's hands brush her arms. She threw her hands against the sides of her head, covering her ears to block out anything else she might say.

"No!" Jade screamed. Her eyes flew open. Aunt Anna was crouching right in front of her, stroking her face with her hands.

"No!" she cried again. Pushing her aunt to the floor, she took off running out of the kitchen door and ran straight for the forest. It was dark now, but Jade knew the path well. She could hear Aunt Anna calling her name hysterically from behind; she could hear her heavy footfalls too, but they were fading as Jade gained distance on her, and she just kept running. Soon enough, Lali appeared alongside her.

She ran for only a minute before she reached her favorite tree. With one hand, she grabbed her backpack and with the other she grabbed her journal.

Without stopping, she ran right for the fairy circle. She knew this time it would work. It had to work. There was nothing left for her here. Her future was on the other side of that fairy circle. She squeezed her eyes tight and jumped.

Her feet struck the ground, jarring her brain inside her head. She didn't open her eyes. She had been absolutely positive that it would work this time, but nothing felt different. It was still dark. It was still cold. She was still standing on a ground of grass.

She was afraid to open her eyes, afraid that all she would see was her own forest. Lali was ringing in her ears, but Jade didn't listen. She focused solely on the grass beneath her feet, but then some part of what the fairy was saying sunk through her concentration. Aunt Anna wasn't calling for her anymore.

Jade opened her eyes. She was still in the forest. She spun around quickly, taking in her surroundings. It seemed darker than a moment ago, like the trees had suddenly grown thicker. She spun on the spot, searching for her trail, the trail she had worn through the trees by walking the same path over and over again. It wasn't there. Her trail had disappeared.

"Where are we?" Jade asked the silence.

Lali jingled near her right ear. Jade whipped her head around, her long braid smacking Lali in the back. She immediately started yelling, but since it was still just bell tones, it was easy enough to ignore.

"Sorry, Lali," Jade said absent mindedly. She stepped out of the fairy circle, and it felt like someone had just punched her in the ears. The moment she left the circle, the sound of music hit her like a brick wall. It was raucous to say the least. Great loud bangs of some kind of drum reverberated off of the trees around her, making the whole forest feel as though it were vibrating. She started walking toward the noise, and as she walked, the music grew louder and the colors of the world brightened. Finally, she broke through the line of trees, and she was not in her backyard.

It was lighter out of the forest. A great full moon, the largest Jade had ever seen, shone down through the clear night onto the open meadow. Lined up near the trees, near where Jade had just stepped out, there were five grown up men hitting great, large drums with their bare hands.

They were singing, or at least, some kind of sound was coming out of their mouths that went along to the beating of the drums Everywhere, people were dancing, the long, silk skirts of the women flying out into huge circles around their waists as they spun. Everyone was yelling and singing and laughing. It was clearly a celebration, but it made Jade's head hurt to try to take it all in at once. She looked all around herself but couldn't see an easy way out of the chaos.

"Jack!" Jade heard someone cry.

Jade turned to see the woman who had shouted. She was dressed like the other women there. She wore a long navy skirt that brushed the ground and a cropped top with long sleeves that fell off her shoulders. She had pulled her dark red hair back into a perfect ponytail.

The woman began to approach Jade, calling loudly over the music and the yelling, "Who are you? Where is your mother?"

Jade just looked up at the woman's face, overwhelmed by the chaos around her and unable to think of what to say.

The woman looked very serious, even angry. "You're not supposed to be here."

Jade just shook her head quickly.

A man suddenly appeared over the woman's shoulder.

"What is it, Shae?" he asked impatiently.

As Jade watched, he wrapped his arms around the woman, his hands on her stomach.

"Jack, stop," Shae said, reaching up and turning his chin forcefully so that he was looking at Jade.

"Oh," he said.

"Come here," Shae said, grabbing Jade's hand a little too roughly.

The woman pulled her through the crowd. It was all chaos, and she had no idea where this woman was taking her, but after a while they broke free of the crowd. The music was much further away, so they could hear each other without the need to shout.

"Now," Shae turned back to Jade, "what's your name?"

"Jade," she whispered.

"What?" the woman asked.

Jade really didn't want to open her mouth again, but the man came to her rescue.

"She said her name is Jade," he said, and then he turned to Jade. "Are you here on your own?"

Jade looked around, but she couldn't see Lali at all. She must have gotten lost in the crowd. "I was here with my friend, but she must have gotten lost."

"Do you know how to get home from here?"

Jade shook her head.

"Do you know the name of your home? Do you live in the Hamlet?"

"What's a hamlet?"

The man exchanged a look with Shae.

He kneeled down next to Jade. "Jade, are you from Avalon?"

Jade shook her head. "What's Avalon?"

The two exchanged another look, but this time Shae looked scared. They stepped away from Jade for a moment, but despite the noise from the party, Jade could still hear exactly what was being said.

"How does she not know what Avalon is?" Shae asked.

"Think about what night it is. The only night a year it's open."

"Sweet Sisters, you don't think? She couldn't be... Why did we have to find her? She's going to be such a hassle. I just don't want to deal with this!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," the man said, looking over to Jade. "I'm going to take her back to the castle. If she is from here, that will be the easiest way to find her home, and if she's not from here... the King will want to talk to her."

"The King?" Jade spoke up. Now that she was out of the chaos of the party, her curiosity was peaked once more.

The two exchanged looks again.

"His name is King Henry," the man told her before turning back to Shae. "I'll take her to the castle. You go back to the party."

"Jack," Shae whined, "we were supposed to go together. You never get a night off." She glanced over at Jade and stopped talking.

The man smiled. "I'll only be a minute. I promise I'll be right back." He kissed her on the cheek, but the woman continued to scowl at Jade like she had wronged her in some way.

"Come on, Jade," he said.

The man led her away from the party and down a very long road that eventually led to an enormous castle. There were two men standing on either side of the double doors. They were dressed identically in blue gray uniforms with dark cloaks fastened at the shoulders. The golden handles of swords gleamed at their hips. The man leading her nodded to them. They nodded back and opened the doors for him. Jade hurried right behind the man as he walked through the castle. He clearly knew his way around, and Jade wondered what his job was, why he knew the castle so well. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a set of double doors that were just as large as the front doors, but these were decorated with beautiful swirls of what looked like real gold. Once again, there were two guards, dressed exactly the same, standing outside of the doors.

"What are they talking about?" the man asked the guards.

One of the guards glanced at Jade before he spoke. "It is a matter of security within the kingdom; that is all I know."

"Well, you must let me in because I bring a serious matter of security to the King."

The guards exchanged a look.

"Sir Jack, we were told not to let anyone inside."

"By whom?"

"Sir Galeron."

"Well, now I'm telling you to let me in. Blame it on me if you like. Tell Sir Galeron I overpowered you, but I need to speak to the King."

They still looked uncertain. "Does the girl need to accompany you?"

He glanced down at Jade. "No, actually, it would probably be better if she stayed out here with you. Just for a moment."

Jade reached out to grab Sir Jack's hand, afraid for him to leave her alone again.

The guards finally nodded and stepped aside.

"Jade, stay here with these men. I'll come back for you in just a moment," Sir Jack said, shaking off Jade's hand and entering the room.

Chapter II

Meeting the King

Jade stood there staring at the guards. It really did only take a minute though. Soon, the doors were open again, but it wasn't Sir Jack coming out. Several men all dressed in simple clothes and wearing red cloaks over their shoulders exited into the hallway. Each one stared at Jade as they passed. She wanted to turn and hide her face, but even more than that, she wanted to find Sir Jack. He was the last one to exit the room.

"Follow me," he said, leading her into the enormous room that was twice as tall as the hall outside. Windows rose from the floor all the way to the ceiling, but they were all covered by thick, red curtains. There was also a very simple, wooden round table standing in the middle of the room. Around it were thirteen wooden chairs. In one of these chairs, there was a man who rose as they entered.

This man was dressed just like the other men had been, but instead of a red cloak, it was a purple cloak that hung from his shoulders. His sandy colored hair matched the well-trimmed beard that covered his face. His deep brown eyes looked kind as he watched Jade enter.

"Ah, here is our little anachronism," he said, opening his arms to welcome her. "What do you call yourself, young one?"

"Jade," she said quietly.

The King smiled at her and then turned to Sir Jack. "Thank you, Jack. You may return to the festivities now."

Sir Jack bowed to the King and left so quickly that Jade didn't even have a chance to say goodbye. She stared up at the King who seemed as tall as a giant.

"Please, sit down." He motioned to one of the wooden chairs as he sat down next to it.

Jade hopped into the chair, letting her feet dangle. She watched the King who was watching her. Finally, he spoke.

"Is Jade your full name?" he asked.

"My full name?" Jade asked.

"I mean, do you have any other names?"

"I have a middle name and a last name," Jade hedged. When the King smiled at her, she continued, "My name is Jade Elizabeth Green."

The King nodded. "Elizabeth, that's a beautiful name. Fit for a princess. I wonder, Jade Elizabeth, do you live with your mother and father?"

"No, I live with my aunt."

"And what is your aunt's name?"

Jade paused. She felt like there was something off, like the King was really asking her a different question, but she couldn't figure out what that question was. "Her name is Anna Marie Green."

"Do you know what your mother's and father's names are?" he pressed.

"I know my mother's name. Her name was Fay Evelyn Green. I never knew my father."

The King was quiet for a while before he finally said, "Your name was never meant to be Jade."

"What do you mean? I'm Jade. That's my name." Jade shook her head.

"Your aunt called you Jade, I believe, because she thought your full name was too ostentatious, too flashy, if you will, for a little girl. But it is the perfect name for a young princess." He paused.

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but once they did, Jade's eyes grew wide. "Am I... a princess?"

"Yes, Princess, that you are."

Jade jumped off her seat. "But... if I'm a princess, and you're the King, does that mean...?"

"Yes, Princess. I've been waiting for you to return for a long time."

Jade was speechless. She had dreamed of being a princess. She'd watched the movies and played princess with her friends, just like every girl did. Never, never had she thought this would really truly happen. All she could do was stand and stare.

She was silent for a long while, but then she asked, "What _is_ my name?"

"Your full name is Princess Amalthea Gwendolyn Pendragon, heir to the Round Table, daughter of King Henry James Pendragon and Queen Fay Evelynn Green Pendragon," he said the words with great pride, and Jade liked the way they sounded.

"Amalthea Pendragon," she tried out the sounds on her own tongue. It certainly sounded more like a princess name than Jade Green did, but she wasn't sure that she really felt like an Amalthea. She felt like a Jade.

Jade suddenly realized something that she should have thought of immediately. "Is my mom here?" She looked around the room like she might be hiding in one of the curtains.

"No, Amalthea. She's not," the King said slowly. "It is a sad story, I'm afraid, and one you may not want to hear tonight."

Jade backed up and sat back in her chair. "Is she dead?" she asked quietly.

He didn't answer for a few minutes. Those few minutes felt like an eternity to Jade, waiting to hear the fate of her mother, the one person she'd longed to meet her entire life.

"Yes, your mother is dead," he said and heaved a great sigh. "You see, Amalthea, many years ago, when you were just a little baby, your mother was tricked by a demon. He is a creature of evil who can change his shape to whatever is your greatest weakness. Your mother always had a weakness for helping children. She followed him one day, and he led her to an evil sorceress. She captured your mother and would not let her go unless I gave her you."

"Me? But wasn't I just a baby? Why did she want me?"

"You were not just any baby. The day you were born, one of the Nine Sisters who have been here since the beginning of time foretold a prophecy about you. She said that when you grew up you would be the only person who could rule Avalon the way it should be ruled. I believe that the Sorceress meant to kill you so that she would one day be able to take over the kingdom."

"Did she kill my mom because you wouldn't give me to her?" Jade asked.

"I couldn't speak to your mother, but I know in my heart that she would have made the same choice I made. That is why I sent you to your aunt, to keep you safe. No one can pass through the portal into the Northmanni World except the One Rightful King of Avalon."

"But I came through the fairy circle," Jade protested.

"The one exception is on the Autumnal Equinox, or Halloween as you call it, any child who is pure of heart and soul may pass through. I knew you would come back to us one day when you were ready."

"Did Aunt Anna know about this?" Jade asked, wondering if she had been living a secret life for so many years.

"All she knew was that your mother could no longer care for you. I thought it was best that way. Adults in the Northmanni World have trouble believing the way children can. The way you can."

Jade nodded and then stifled a yawn.

"Look at us talking so late. You must be exhausted," the King said.

"I'm not..." Jade began but was cut off by another yawn.

"Come with me," the King said. He stood and placed a hand on Jade's shoulder, guiding her out before him. Once in the hallway, he said to one of the guards, "Go find Menelwen – she should be nearby – and return at once."

In no time the guard had returned with a woman by his side. She was quite short for a grown up although still a foot taller than Jade. Her skin shimmered somehow; in the candlelight, it seemed to glow almost green. There were other oddities about this woman; her eyes were thin and slanted, and her ears were pointed and stuck out from her black hair.

"Ah, good. Amalthea, this is Menelwen; she will make sure you find your bedroom and anything else you might need. Menelwen, this is Princess Amalthea Pendragon," the King introduced them.

Menelwen curtsied slightly to Jade. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

"Hi," Jade mumbled quietly.

"Follow Menelwen, Amalthea. I will see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, King Father," Jade said, taking Menelwen's outstretched hand.

She thought she heard the King chuckle behind her as he said, "Goodnight, Princess Daughter."
Chapter III

The Village

Menelwen led her upstairs. She talked as she walked, but Jade was so overcome by her sudden exhaustion, she didn't hear most of what Menelwen said.

After what seemed like ages, they finally arrived at an enormous bedroom – at least three times as big as Jade's room back home – but all Jade could focus on was the big, king-sized bed that sat, invitingly, in the middle of the room.

She wanted to just fall down and sleep, but Menelwen made her dress in a nightgown first and then tucked her in under the blanket. She brushed Jade's hair gently as she tucked her in, and Jade fell asleep immediately.

When Jade woke again, the sunlight was pouring in through her open window, spreading across her bedspread. She sat up and looked around at her new room. It was much bigger than she was used to, as was the bed. You could have fit ten of her in there and all would have slept comfortably. Off to the left was the door and an odd little desk with a large mirror. To the right, there was a dresser and another door, although Jade did not know where it led to. She was about to get out of bed and check when the door to the hall opened. The woman with the shimmering skin was back.

"Well, you look much more alert today," the woman said as she walked toward the bed. "I'm Menelwen. I expect you don't remember me from last night. I'm going to be your governess."

"What's a governess?" Jade asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"It means that my only job is to take care of you and to make sure you are safe and happy." Menelwen smiled. "Sound good?"

Jade nodded.

"All right, well, we need to get you up and dressed. I've spoken with the King, and he wants you to meet your subjects this morning, so we'll need to get ready in a hurry."

Menelwen led Jade into what turned out to be a closet on the other side of her bed. She let Jade pick a very pretty purple dress with sparkly embroidery to wear, and then she sat her down in front of the mirror to do her hair.

When Jade was ready and presentable, Menelwen led her downstairs to a room with a long table piled high with breakfast food. Jade ate alone, and when she had eaten her fill, Menelwen led her to the front doors.

"This is where I leave you, Princess. Your father is waiting for you just outside."

"Aren't you coming?" Jade asked, holding onto Menelwen's hand.

"No, Princess, I'm not. I am not allowed outside the walls of this castle."

"Why not?" Jade asked.

Menelwen patted her hand softly. "It is a long story and you should not keep your father waiting. I promise I will tell you all about it another time."

Jade frowned, but she had a feeling that arguing with this woman would be a pointless task. Although Menelwen was calm and quiet, she had a sense about her that she wouldn't put up with mischief. She reminded Jade of Aunt Anna. A sudden pain went through her belly when she thought of Aunt Anna. She would be worried about Jade. She should probably go home.

The King and Sir Jack as well as several other knights were waiting for her outside. All of the knights bowed to her the moment she appeared and then mounted their horses. There was no horse for Jade.

"Good morning, Amalthea," the King said as he bowed too. "You'll be riding with me this morning."

"Don't I get my own horse?" Jade asked as she skipped down the steps to stand beside the King.

"Do you ride?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes, I went to camp once where I learned to ride on a horse named Linda. She was so sweet, but she didn't go very fast. And Aunt Anna has been taking me to a ranch in the summer times ever since. We go on trails there, but I'm never allowed to go faster than a trot."

"Well, I will make sure a horse is ready for you next time we go on an outing," the King promised. "But, for today, I think it is best you ride with me." He reached to help her up onto the horse, who was big even for a horse, but Jade stepped back, stopping him.

"When do I get to go home? I think my aunt will be very worried about me."

The King became very serious, the corners of his lips turning down and his eyebrows coming together. "Amalthea, this is your home. Avalon was always meant to be your home; Northmanni, where you lived with your aunt, was just temporary, and I'm afraid you can't live in both worlds."

"You mean, I have to pick between living with Aunt Anna and living here?" Jade asked, her mind already reeling at the possibility of having to choose. How could she possibly pick?

"I'm afraid, that you may have already made that choice. You see, I thought you understood how the portal worked, or else I certainly would have had someone explain it to you last night. None but the One Rightful King of Avalon may pass through the portal on any day except yesterday. You, and everyone else here, must stay in Avalon until next Autumnal Equinox."

The King's words brought back a memory to her of last night, something the King had mentioned, "No one can pass through the portal into the Northmanni World except the One Rightful King of Avalon," but he had not really explained it, and it had been late and a long day for Jade, and maybe she had just thought he meant coming into Avalon, not leaving.

She had been angry with Aunt Anna, sure, but she never thought that staying here would mean she could never see her again.

The King must have seen the tears welling in her eyes because he spoke quickly, "I am truly sorry, Amalthea, and I swear to you that if you wish to go home, I will do everything in my power to find a way back to your aunt, but I'm afraid that changing such ancient magic as the portal will take much longer than just waiting the year until next autumn."

Jade brushed the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. That's right; there would be another Halloween next year, even though a year felt very far away to her right then. But, Jade thought to herself, would she really have chosen to go home to Aunt Anna? Her aunt had proven to her last night that she really didn't believe in any of what Jade had seen with her own eyes in the past few hours. Aunt Anna's words replayed themselves in her head, "You need to understand, Jade, that they're just pretend." Jade wouldn't have chosen to live in a world where no one believed her, not when she could be with people who knew the truth. She couldn't have chosen it.

Jade quickly brushed away the remaining tears and held her head up high to meet the gaze of the King. "No, King Father, you were right. Avalon is my home. I would have made the same choice anyway."

He finally smiled again. "You have no idea how happy your words make me. Now come along, child. You have many people to meet."

Their first stop was the Castle Hamlet, which was where most of the humans in Avalon lived. It was less than ten minutes on horses down the thin dirt road from the castle. The people were all very nice; the adults all bowed and curtsied when the King and Princess rode by.

The children were not as proper, waving eagerly and jumping in front of their horses to reach for the small copper coins that the King had given Jade to throw. The King explained to her that the Hamlet was the only village in Avalon where the people used money. Even though it was very common in the Northmanni World, in Avalon, the creatures merely traded to get what they needed.

After the Hamlet, their next stop was the Domus, home of the centaurs. The Domus was really just a big, circular clearing in the forest. The centaurs filled the clearing by the time the King and Jade got there. There were men and women, but no children. The men were naked to their human waists, which blended seamlessly into the furry shoulders of a horse.

The women were shirtless as well. They had no noticeable breasts, and in fact, the only visible differences between the men and the women were the softer muscles and slight hour glass shape of the women's torsos before they blended into the horse body, although not all of the women were soft; some looked just as strong as the men. All of them had a long strip of hair in varying shades of white and brown that started on top of their heads and ran down their human backs. Most of the men's hair was cropped short while most of the women's was longer, hanging to one side or the other.

When a knight lifted her off of her father's horse, the centaurs all stood four or five feet taller than her. As she followed the King through the crowd, the centaurs bent their knees to the ground so they would not tower over her so much. They bowed and reached for her hands. They, none of them, ever spoke to her any more than murmuring "Your Majesty." A few of the men spoke to the King, but never to her.

When they left the Domus, the next stop was the Elven Village. It was midday by then and the Elves had a great banquet waiting for them.

The Village was just inside the dark forest. Their small huts were scattered amongst the trees, but there was a long, slender clearing where they had prepared the food. The King sat on one side of the clearing to eat and Jade on the other. They sat on the ground like the Elves and ate with their hands. The food was all fruits and vegetables that they ate out of woven baskets.

As soon as Jade saw the Elves themselves, she knew exactly who they were. They were very similar to humans, although on average maybe a foot shorter. The differences were small but noticeable. Their skin was not sparkly, but it shimmered subtly where the sunlight shone through the leaves. They all had thin, dark eyes and short cropped black hair. Their ears stuck out of the sides of their heads, just like Menelwen.

Although Jade was surrounded by adults on both sides, children from the Village kept coming up to offer her various fruits, murmuring something unintelligible before running away to be with the other children. Jade took special notice of three of the girls. They always came up together. They had thin eyes and large, pointed ears. They looked like tiny versions of Menelwen. The three girls she was watching kept whispering to each other and giggling.

Before Jade was done eating, a knight from the castle arrived in the clearing and whispered something in the King's ear.

Immediately, the King stood and began walking toward her. Sir Jack, who had been standing just behind her the entire day, stepped forward as the King approached.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing slightly.

"Sir." The King nodded. "I have some urgent business with Hrothgar, and the rest of the guard will be attending me. I need you to see that Amalthea makes it safely back to the castle. Do not leave her side until you've seen her safely into Menelwen's hands. Can you do that?"

"Of course, Sir."

"King Father, are you leaving?" Jade studied his face intently.

He knelt down on one knee so that his face was on a level with hers. "I'm afraid so, Princess, but your knight will take good care of you. I promise. He will see you home immediately."

Jade just looked into his eyes for a moment. "Do we have to go home now? Can we stay in the Village a while?"

The King studied her face carefully before speaking. "I think it would be best if you return sooner rather than later. Obey whatever your knight tells you. Treat him with the same respect you would me." He kissed Jade's forehead, which made the elves murmur happily amongst themselves, and then he left.

Jade breathed out heavily through her nose. "Sir Jack, does that mean we have to leave now?" She looked up at the tall man to see what he would say.

He smiled at her and patted her shoulder gently. "If it was up to me, we could go on whatever adventure you wanted, but I'm afraid I must obey the King's orders."

Jade got up and followed Sir Jack to his horse. She smiled at the three elven girls on the way, which made them all grin and wave energetically.

Chapter IV

Caeci and Azatae and Sehali and Jade

After the first few days when Jade had to meet all of the tribes and elders, things at the castle started to settle down to what must have been normal. The King spent at least half of his time out of the castle. Jade never knew exactly where he was going all the time, but Menelwen told her that he was "meeting with citizens and fixing problems."

Getting back to normal meant that Jade had a lot of free time to herself. The other children in the Hamlet all either had school or chores to do for most of the day, so Jade was left on her own. She wouldn't start school for another few months, according to Menelwen, because the King wanted to give her a chance to get used to her new home first.

Lali still came to visit her occasionally, but she spent most of her time in the forest with the other fairies. Menelwen would tell her stories if she asked, but she didn't go outside, and she didn't like Jade running around the halls of the castle.

Jade ended up spending most of her time exploring the giant castle. Not that that was all bad. There were a thousand rooms to explore and always something new to find.

She spent an entire day exploring the library. It was like something out of a movie. Two floors tall with an enormous pointed ceiling and stacks of books wall to wall, Jade couldn't have read all the books if she'd had an entire lifetime. All day long, she read about mermaids, unicorns, and werewolves; she read about heroes riding off to face their deaths in battle; she read about evil twins and secret sorcery; she read about warrior kings, kind queens, and forced marriages. She read all day long, but come evening, she still found herself eating dinner in the enormous dining room all alone.

Spending so much time alone made her miss Aunt Anna. She hadn't forgotten her aunt's betrayal, but that didn't mean she didn't miss her. There was no one in the castle who took care of her the way Aunt Anna had. Menelwen told her stories and tucked her in at night, but it was not quite the same. She frequently thought about trying to find the Portal again to see if she could return, just to see her aunt, not to stay, but she was not allowed to go so far from the castle without a knight escort "To keep you safe," the King said. Plus, Jade knew the laws of the Portal. Even if she could find it again, it wouldn't open to her until Halloween, which was almost a whole year away.

One day, about a week after Jade had arrived, she decided she couldn't stay indoors a moment longer, and she pushed her way through the giant front doors. Normally there would be two guards on the door, but the King had taken most of the guards away with him to visit a different world outside of Avalon, so there was no one to stop her. Jade technically wasn't allowed to go outside without an adult, but she was only going to go around the castle grounds. It wasn't like she was going to run off into the forest.

Jade peeked her head out the door first, just to check that the guards really had gone. Then she stepped out with first one foot and then the other. She jumped a little when the heavy door slammed behind her.

Almost laughing at how easy it had been to leave, she ran out into the grass that had been warmed by the sun. Winter was on its way now; a heavy chill hung in the air, but with the sun shining so steadily, you could almost forget the way the cold bit at your nose and fingers. Jade ran through the tall grass, letting her fingertips brush across the surface as she went. She ran around the side of the castle where the few knights who had stayed behind were training. She crouched down low in the grass so they wouldn't see her, and crawled closer. She could see Sir Jack through the slits in his metal helmet. He was practicing with one of the other knights, trying to hit each other with dull swords.

Jade was distracted from watching the fight in front of her when she heard a high, girlish laugh coming from the front of the castle. Curious, Jade crept back the way she had come, and saw, to her surprise, three elvish girls standing near the castle doors.

"Hello!" Jade called eagerly, hoping up out of the grass. "What are your names?"

The girls stared at each other, unsure of what to do. Then the girl in the middle who looked just slightly older than the other two stepped forward and curtsied. Quickly, the other girls followed suit.

"My name is Sehali, and these are my sisters Azatae and Caeci. And you are Princess Amalthea," she said, bowing her head slightly again.

"You can just call me Jade." Jade stuck her hand out to Sehali.

"Why would I call you Jade?" Sehali asked, examining Jade's face carefully.

"That's my name, or one of them I guess. You could call me Amalthea too if you wanted. I don't really care."

None of them said anything, so Jade continued, "Do you want to play?"

The other girls looked at each other cautiously. Azatae spoke up, "We were going to go on an adventure, but..." she trailed off, looking to Sehali for guidance.

"But what?" Jade asked.

"Well, we're not really supposed to be out without an elder. We could get in trouble if anyone from the Village found out," Sehali explained.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't tell anyone," Jade promised. "What kind of adventure were you going to go on?"

The three girls exchanged looks again before Sehali asked "Do you know about the Waterfall?"

"No, what waterfall?" Jade asked, already intrigued.

"If you want, you could come with us. We can tell you the story on the way," Sehali offered.

"Yes! Of course I'll go!" Jade cried excitedly, glad she had someone her own age to play with.

Sehali and Azatae led the way, leaving Jade and Caeci to follow, but Sehali didn't start telling the story yet. She said that she would tell it when they reached the waterfall. They were, all three of them, very quiet girls. They really only spoke when Jade asked them questions. Jade did learn that Sehali was indeed the oldest. She was ten, although her small size made her seem a few years younger, and she had just started school. At least, it sounded a lot like school to Jade. Sehali said that she went every day to study with some of the older girls from the Village. They learned how to listen to the sound of the world, and eventually they would learn how to become a part of it. She said that they had one day off a week, which was why the girls had decided to go on an adventure.

"Of course," Sehali said, looking at Jade. "Your lessons will be different. They teach children differently in the Hamlet, although, if you're lucky, one of the Nine Sisters will see some magic in you and pick you to go study with them. Then you might get to learn some of the same stuff I learn. I don't know how the Sisters do their magic."

The Nine Sisters had been one of the stops Jade had had to make to meet all of the Tribes of Avalon.

Sister Morgana was the one in charge, or she seemed to be in charge from what Jade could tell. She'd also met Sister Morgana's eight sisters. She didn't remember their names though. There had been too many names in those first few days to remember them all.

Azatae was the next oldest; she was eight. She and Caeci, the youngest at five, spent their days running around the forest and meadows with the other children, although they still studied with the elders once a week.

"But one time," Caeci whispered to Jade confidentially, "One of the elder women from the Hamlet taught Azatae and me an old lullaby from the Northmanni world. That one's my favorite, but we can't sing it in the Village."

"Why not?" Jade whispered back.

"Oh, the elders wouldn't like it." Caeci shook her head. "They wouldn't like us singing the songs of a different people, but also, we'd get in trouble for going to the Hamlet."

"What? Aren't you allowed to go to the Hamlet? Don't you get to play with the other kids there?" Jade responded, confused.

"Well, sure we get to play with those kids, but only if one of the elders takes us. We're not allowed to go on our own."

Jade digested this news for a moment. "Maybe you could sing that lullaby for me when no one else is around to hear it."

Caeci's eyes lit up. "Of course, your majesty!" she said excitedly.

After a very long time, the grass started to thin out and a dark gray fog started to settle over the land in its place. Jade coughed heavily as the air became denser.

"What is this place?" Jade asked

"It's called the Fog Plains," Sehali explained. "It's the boundary between Avalon and the Other Kingdom."

"What other kingdom?" Jade asked innocently.

The three girls exchanged another one of their looks.

"No one told you about the Other Kingdom?" Caeci asked.

"No," Jade said, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes.

"The Other Kingdom," Sehali explained, "is where all the bad creatures are. That's where the boggarts and goblins and werewolves and vampires and powries and even dragons are. They're all not allowed to cross the boundary into Avalon, so that we're always protected from them."

Jade looked up at the older girl with wonder, "Dragons are real? Can we go see them?"

"No!" Sehali exclaimed in horror. "That's far too dangerous. Long ago the King locked them all away in their own world because a dragon killed a princess."

Jade stared at her, wonder replaced by fear. "It killed her?"

"Yes. Many years ago, before any of us were born, there was a little baby princess, no more than a year old. She was out in the forest with her mother, the Queen, and the other elvish children. The children were taking care of the baby princess, but suddenly, a dragon came out of nowhere and scared all the little children away, and they left the baby princess all by herself. By the time the Queen and elders found the baby, she was already dead, and the dragon was eating her!"

"That's why we can never go into the Other Kingdom," Azatae finished.

Jade was a little scared of the story, which was probably what Sehali wanted, but that didn't stop her from wondering about the dragons. She didn't care if it was dangerous; she was going to see a real dragon one day.

They were all silent for the rest of the trip, but soon, the fog began to lift slightly, and Jade could see a tall cliff rising in the distance. As they got closer, she began to see the water pouring down the side of the cliff, pooling at the bottom. Before long, they had reached the pool at the base of the waterfall, and Azatae and Caeci began laughing and playing in the water.

"Stop!" Sehali cried, pulling the younger girls from the water. "Aren't you worried about mermaids?"

"Mermaids?" Jade echoed.

"Tell the story! Tell the story!" Caeci called, clapping her hands together.

Azatae moved forward and sat down, and the other girls sat on either side of her. Jade sat crossed legged across from her, completing their little circle.

"Ok, once there was a young boy who was always disobeying his mother. She would tell him to stay inside, and he would go out. She would tell him to go play with the other children, and he would stay at home alone. Because he never obeyed anything his mother said, this little boy was always getting into trouble.

"Finally, his father had had enough. He told the little boy to leave the Hamlet and not to come back until he was ready to behave and listen to his mother.

"So, that night, the boy went out into the wilderness all alone. He was not far from the Hamlet, and he knew that he was safe, but he missed his mother who would always tuck him in at night. He knew that if his mother thought he was in danger, she would come to rescue him, so he stood up and yelled as loudly as he could, 'Help! Help! Powries! Help!'

"His mother did not hear him, but others did, and they came running to his rescue. The boy was actually very disappointed that his mother did not come, but he did not want the others to see him upset, so he laughed and mocked them. Those who had come to help him were very annoyed when they discovered he was not under attack, and they left him to his loneliness.

"The next day, the boy changed his tactics. He knew that his mother always did the laundry outside at the same time every day, so just before dinner time, he called out, 'Help! Help! Werewolf! Help!'

"Just like before, people came running to help, but none of them was his mother. Those who had come the night before were furious, and they were all very embarrassed to have been fooled by a young boy twice. They warned him not to call for their help again unless he was actually dying.

"The boy knew that his mother woke up long before the rest of the Hamlet to prepare breakfast, so he decided he would try next just before dawn. But dawn was still a long way away, so to pass the time, the boy decided to visit the Mermaid Falls because that was another place that his mother and father had always forbidden him to go. He reached the falls just before sunset, and the water looked cool and inviting as he stood baking in the late summer sun. He decided a swim would be nice, but before he could remove his clothes, something disturbed the smooth glass of the lake.

"He knelt on his hands and knees to get a better look at the water. As he leaned over the water, another face emerged from the dark glass.

"It was the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. She began to sing a foreign, unearthly melody, and he began to fall under her trance, but when her scaly hand touched his, he remembered all of the warnings his mother had given him about the dangerous, man-eating mermaids who would pull you down to their watery homes and devour you even while you were still alive!

"He called out, 'HELP! HELP! MERMAIDS! HELP!' but no one came. The people who heard him all thought that he was just trying to fool them again. No one came to save him when he really needed it. Instead, the mermaid pulled him into the water as he screamed for help. And no person ever saw that little boy again."

The girls were all silent, waiting for Azatae to continue with her story, but she didn't. That was the ending.

"That's why you shouldn't play in the water," Sehali scolded the younger girls.

"But, it's just a story," Jade said, more to reassure herself than the others.

Caeci, not disturbed at all by the story, jumped to her feet then and pointed to the water. "Look! What's that?" she cried.

The other three girls turned to the water's edge expecting to see a fish woman with large, sharp fangs crawling out of the water toward them, but there was nothing there that any of them could see. Caeci raced to the water and, before Sehali could stop her, thrust her tiny hand into the pond and pulled out a large, pink shell.

"It's just a shell, Caeci," Sehali told her.

Caeci wasn't convinced though. She held it close to her face to examine it, and then, to the surprise of the other girls, put it up against her ear. She gasped and then a huge smile spread across her face.

"No, Sehali, it is magic. It's singing to me!" she cried happily.

"Don't listen, Caeci!" Sehali exclaimed. "That's the mermaids singing! They'll enchant you and drag you down to their watery castle to devour you!"

"Amalthea, listen!" Caeci rushed to Jade's side and held the large shell up to her ear.

Jade listened. At first, all she could hear was a pushing and pulling sound that sounded like the waves against the sand, but as she concentrated on it, she found she could hear a quiet music weaving through the waves. She wouldn't have called it singing because it really didn't sound like a human at all, but there was definitely something more than just the sound of the water.

She looked up at Caeci in wonderment. "I think it _is_ magic."

Sehali was about to demand that they leave immediately and Azatae was just reaching for the shell to hear the magic for herself, when they all froze. From far above their heads, on top of the cliff of the waterfall, they heard voices. They all looked up. The mist of the waterfall clouded their vision nearly as badly as the fog had done in the plains, but they could make out three small figures standing at the top of the waterfall.

"Come on," Sehali whispered, tugging the younger girls back toward the fog. "We can't be caught out here."

"But they're just kids," Jade whispered back. "They wouldn't tell on us."

Ignoring her, Sehali left them for the cover of the fog, and Azatae and Caeci followed, although they stopped just far enough in to still be able to watch what was happening at the falls. Jade could just make out the other girls through the haze, but she did not follow them. She stayed by the pool and continued to watch the three strangers. It seemed to her like they were arguing about something, but she couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

"Amalthea!" the other girls called to her in harsh, hushed whispers.

Finally, dragging her eyes away from the figures, Jade turned back into the fog, and the four girls ran with all their might back to the castle.

When Menelwen was tucking her into bed later that night, she asked Jade how she had spent her day. Jade did not tell her about the adventures by the waterfall because she was absolutely certain Menelwen would not approve. Instead, she told her that she had spent her day reading in the library.

It was not such an awful lie, Jade thought to herself, because when you read, you go on adventures like the one Jade had really had. She knew it was wrong even while she was coming up with the explanation in her head, but still, she didn't feel too guilty. It wasn't like anything bad happened.

Menelwen kissed her forehead, and blew out the candle. Jade tossed and turned for a while, but eventually she fell asleep and dreamed of all the adventures in her future.

Chapter V

Straight on 'Till Morning

Jade awoke much later. It was completely dark in her room when she startled awake. She didn't know what had woken her, and she couldn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, but she felt prickles crawling up her back and shoulders, and she knew someone was watching her. She sat up and looked around her room. The light from a crescent moon was streaming in through her open window. She couldn't see anyone, but the feeling of eyes on her back didn't go away. She reached for the matches sitting on her bedside table. She struck one, and it gave off a warm yellow glow of light that didn't wash away her fear.

There was a candle on the table, and she held the flame of the match to it. When the wick caught, she shook the match out and held the candle by its holder. She swung her feet over onto the floor and cautiously stood, looking around the room as she did.

"Hello?" she called out quietly. "Is someone there?"

"I didn't mean to scare you," a voice said from the shadows of the draperies.

Jade jumped so badly she nearly dropped the candle, but she tried to sound strong. "Come out so I can see you."

He stepped out of the shadows into her little circle of light. The owner of the voice was a boy, no older than Jade; he was just an inch or two taller than her. His ice white skin was almost bluish even in the yellow light. His face looked sharp with high cheekbones, a pointed chin, and very thin cheeks. His eyes were light brown, hazel, and very deep. Even though he looked so young, his eyes looked like he knew and saw much more than Jade ever had or ever would. His shorts rustled with every movement; they looked like they had been made out of fallen leaves, mostly brown with a few purples. He was barefoot and shirtless and looked, not unclean, but like a boy who had just been playing outside in the leaves might with splotches of dirt here and there on his bare chest.

"My name is Peter," the boy said.

"I'm Jade. What are you doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night?" she asked not in a mean way but really just curious.

"Jade? I thought your name was Amalthea, Princess Amalthea," Peter said as he stepped toward her.

"Oh, yeah, I guess it is. I keep forgetting. My name used to be Jade, but I guess here I'm Amalthea."

"Used to be?" Peter asked. He was now close enough to sit on her bed, and he did just that, perching on the edge with his feet dangling a couple inches above the ground.

Jade sat down as well, but she sat crossed legged facing Peter, covering her knees with her nightgown. "Yeah, when I lived in the Northmanni World with my aunt, my name was Jade. I like Jade, but everyone here calls me Amalthea. Why are you here?"

He smiled at her, and despite his very foreign appearance, his smile was one she recognized. She'd seen it on the faces of other children she used to know. It was a smile of genuine happiness.

"You are a smart girl. You couldn't be as easily distracted as I thought you might be. Young princesses tend to be pretty easy to distract when you ask them about themselves."

"Thanks, I guess. So, why are you here?"

He smiled at her again. "I have a special job here in Avalon. You see, when someone dies here, they have to walk the path to be with Avalon herself once more, and it can be a scary path, especially for children who leave this life too soon. Because I have walked that path before and know it very well, when a child dies, I go to that child and walk with them, hand in hand, to the afterlife. So, you see, I just like to know all of the children who live here just in case something happens and I come to walk with them. Then they know me and they won't be so afraid."

"Avalon is a person?" Jade asked.

"Oh yes, she was," Peter said, nodding. "Have you never heard this story? She gave her physical body so that Avalon the Kingdom could have magic again."

"Oh, won't you tell me? I love stories," Jade reached for his hand and held it in both of hers. His skin was very smooth and very cold from being outside in the cold air.

He looked at her hands holding his and then up at her face, not smiling this time. "I'm not a very good story teller. You should ask Menelwen to tell you that one. Me, I'm more into adventure myself."

He smiled again that smile of pure, childish joy as he jumped off the bed. He seemed to hover in midair for just a moment before his feet touched the floor again.

"What do you say, Jade?" He winked at her. "Want to go on an adventure?"

She smiled back at him and jumped up too. "More than anything in the whole world!"

"Good, but there's one thing you have to do." The smile fell from his face as quickly as it had appeared.

"What?" she asked suspiciously.

"You have to trust me and do whatever I say, or you might get hurt."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Who says I might get hurt? I can probably do whatever you can."

He laughed again. "Well sure you can! But you haven't been here very long. You might not know what to do if, say, an ice breathing dragon came at us!" He jumped toward her.

She jumped back but smiled all the same. "There are dragons that breathe ice?"

He smiled and extended his hand to her. "So, what do you say? Can you trust me?"

Some part of her made her pause. She couldn't help thinking that she really didn't know him and she probably shouldn't go with him, but he was a kid just like her, and he was going to show her dragons!

She reached out and grabbed his hand. Immediately he pulled her to the window.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She dragged her feet, trying to stop him. "We can't go out the window! We're so high up!"

Still holding her hand, he pressed the index finger of his free hand to her lips. "Shhh. You're going to wake up the guards, and they definitely wouldn't let you do this."

He used the bench to climb up onto the skinny windowsill. He tried to pull her up too, but she would only let him pull her up onto the bench.

"Come on," he whined. "I thought you were going to trust me."

"Yeah," she hesitated still, "but I also trust myself, and myself is telling me that if I jump from this window I will go squish on the ground below and never get to see an ice breathing dragon."

"I won't let you go squish."

She looked into his eyes for a moment. "You never said why you had to come meet me in the middle of the night."

"Jade, just trust me!" He tugged on her arm.

She still wouldn't budge.

"Fine," he said and finally dropped her hand. He turned away from her and put one hand on each side of the window. "I'll go adventuring without you. Girls never want to go on real proper adventures anyway."

"Wait!" she demanded. "You promise we won't get hurt."

He turned back to her, and he was smiling again. "Yes."

She took a deep breath. "Fine." She held out her hand to him, and he immediately grabbed it and pulled her up onto the ledge.

"Now, magic is really very easy," he told her. "All you have to do is think about what you want, and then make it real."

"How do you make it real?"

"I don't know. You just do. Just don't think about the ground, or that's where you'll end up. Think about the sky and the stars!"

Suddenly all Jade could think about was the ground. "But..."

He didn't wait for her. Peter stepped off of the ledge and pulled her with him. For one terrible moment, they fell straight down toward the ground. Jade closed her eyes as a scream ripped out of her throat.

As soon as the fall had started, she felt the direction of the wind change. Suddenly the wind was pushing down on her instead of up. Her scream was wiped away silently by the wind rushing past her. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes just a crack, and what she saw took her breath away.

The ground was disappearing beneath them. Looking up, all she could see was an endless sea of stars against a jet black sky. The moon was just a tiny sliver tonight, but it was enough to illuminate Peter's pale face. He wasn't smiling exactly, but he looked so happy, like there wasn't a thing in the world that could hold him on the ground. He looked at her suddenly, and then the joyous smile was back on his face. He said something to her, but she couldn't hear it over the wind.

"What?!" she shouted.

"Look down!" he shouted back.

Although it went against her every instinct, she'd trusted him enough to jump out of a castle window, and he hadn't let her down, so she trusted him again and looked down.

Now it wasn't just the ground shrinking, she could see the whole castle, and now the Hamlet, and all the way to the Forest, and she thought she could even see a hole in the trees where the Elven Village must be. She squeezed Peter's hand tighter, and he squeezed it right back.

Jade wasn't sure if she was actually flying at all or if Peter was just pulling her along with him, but she was loving every instant of it. She didn't try to control which way they went; she wouldn't have known where to go anyway.

She was quite content to just follow Peter especially since she still partially believed that if she let go of his hand she might plummet to the ground.

She could see fairy lights twinkling all over the ground below, and she wondered if Lali was one of them. She wondered if Lali could see her up so high.

Lali would never believe that Jade could fly. This is what she had thought it would be like to live in Avalon and learn magic. Jade was made to fly.

She didn't question Peter's choices until she saw a gray fog up ahead of them. It was like a wall of clouds reaching from the ground so high that even as high up in the sky as they were she couldn't see an end to it.

"Peter!" she yelled over the wind.

He looked back at her, and they slowed a bit, but they were still moving toward the cloud wall.

She pointed at the wall of clouds ahead of them.

He smiled at her again, a different smile that was almost a little wicked. "That is adventure."

They sped up again and either he could not hear her shouts to him over the increased wind or he pretended like he couldn't because he didn't want to answer her. He flew them directly into the cloud. The mist was cold and wet. Jade was immediately drenched and shivering, but she continued to clutch desperately to Peter's hand.

It was like trying to see through cotton. Jade didn't even know which way was up and down after just a few minutes, but Peter seemed to know where he was going. Finally, she felt herself start to slow down and move ever so slightly toward the ground. Within seconds, her feet were brushing grass.

Peter touched down lightly onto his tip toes, but the jolt of hitting the ground was more than she had expected, and Jade fell forward onto her hands and knees, finally letting go of Peter's hand. Her fingers were stiff from holding on so tightly for so long, but he didn't even seem phased.

"Come on, it's up ahead," he said and started walking away into the mist.

"Wait!" Jade called again, terrified of losing him in the fog and never getting out. She knew where they were now. They were in the Fog Plains. She had been there earlier that same day with Sehali, Azatae, and Caeci, but it seemed much more ominous and dangerous now in the dark of night. She stumbled to her feet and ran after Peter.

He had already disappeared, and she didn't realize he had stopped just out of her field of vision. She ran right into his back. He laughed and pulled her up to her feet once again. He grabbed her hand and then started running into the fog. Although he ran ahead of her enough that she could not see him, she felt better because she wouldn't get lost while she was holding his hand.

When they finally broke through the fog, they were at the same waterfall she had seen earlier, but once again everything looked different illuminated only by the light of the crescent moon. There was a large plume of mist billowing up from the lake that stopped her from seeing the top of the waterfall. Around the lake though, it was surprisingly clear of fog.

Peter stopped moving and dropped her hand. "Well, here we are!" he declared happily.

"This is it?" Jade whined. "I thought we were going to see dragons."

"Oh, don't worry, Princess. There are dangers of a different kind here."

"Like what?" Jade asked, thinking of the story Azatae had told earlier. But it was just a story, at least, that's what she told herself.

"Come here, I'll show you," he said, motioning toward the water's edge.

He walked right into the water toward a large rock not far away. He climbed up on the rock and then turned back to her.

"Well, are you coming?"

Hurriedly, she ran into the water; it was only ankle deep near the rock. The water was surprisingly warm, much warmer than the mist had been. She clambered up onto the rock behind Peter.

When she was sitting next to him, Peter asked her, "Are you ready for an adventure?"

She smiled a little nervously and then nodded. He smiled back at her, and then he puckered his lips and started whistling. It was unlike any whistle Jade had ever heard. It was clear and bright and beautiful. It sounded like a crisp winter morning covered in snow if it could be made into a song. She was so transfixed by his song that she didn't see the heads bobbing up in the water until he stopped.

There was a red head, a yellow, a brown, a white, and a black. At first, just their eyes and hair appeared above the water's surface. Then they began to swim closer. Once their mouths were above water, they picked up Peter's song where he'd left off, singing intricate melodies and harmonies that wove together perfectly. Jade's first thought was of the murderous mermaid from the story, but the song was so beautiful; nothing so beautiful could be evil. The song pulled at something in Jade's memory just on the edge of a full remembering. After a moment, their beautiful song trailed to an end.

The one with white hair moved forward toward the rock. "Peter," she said. "You haven't visited us in so long. We missed you."

Now they were all swimming with their head and bare shoulders completely out of the water. They were very beautiful; they didn't look anything like the monsters she had imagined when she'd heard the story. It must really be just that, a story. These women couldn't possibly hurt a little child.

"Yes, but look, I've brought a new friend, so that makes up for it, doesn't it?" he asked, leaning onto his arms so he was lying on his stomach on the rock.

"Your song was so beautiful," Jade said to the woman.

Her yellow eyes flashed to Jade's face, and then she smiled in an overly sweet way, like cough syrup that grownups try to make taste like fruit or bubble gum, like she was trying very hard to be liked. "Why yes, such a pretty little girl."

"Yes," the one with yellow hair swam closer, "she looks positively inhuman!"

Jade shrank back a little, unsure of how to take their compliments. "Umm, thanks."

"What's your name, pretty," the red head asked.

"Umm... My name is Amalthea."

"Amalthea?" they cried in unison. They all began swimming closer to the rock.

"Not the princess?"

"Of course she is!"

"Just look at her!"

"She looks just like..."

"...the Queen!"

"She looks just like the Queen before..."

Suddenly they stopped moving and speaking. They were practically climbing up the side of the rock. Peter hadn't moved; he was still lying on his stomach, but Jade was as far back on the rock as she could be without stepping back into the water. Their last comment caught her attention though.

"Before what?" she asked. "Did you know my mother?" Despite her unease of these women, she climbed forward again.

"Peter, she's so pretty!" the one with brown hair said. "We want to play with her!"

"Well, go ahead," Peter laughed. "She _is_ here to have an adventure. I'd wager 'playing' with you ladies would qualify," he said, putting extra emphasis on the word "playing" like there was something more than Jade might think.

"Come on!" the one with black hair reached out and grabbed Jade's wrist where it lay on the rock. To do so, she had to rise out of the water, and Jade could see her entire body. She was shirtless although her long black hair was long enough to cover her bare breasts. What was really shocking was just below her belly button. Instead of skin like a human, she had pink scales like a fish that covered her hips and went down into the water.

"Wait, please," Jade tried to pull her hand away but couldn't.

"Oh come on," another one said as she too came out of the water, revealing an orange tail. She grabbed Jade's other wrist. "We won't bite!"

"At least, not right now!" another giggled.

"Peter!" Jade turned to him for help, both her hands pinned to the rock.

"Don't worry, Jade. I told you I wouldn't let you get hurt. They just want to play." He looked away suddenly like he heard something in the distance. "I just remembered, I have to do something, but I'll be right back."

Terror flooded Jade's body. "No! Peter, don't leave me!"

"Sorry, Princess. I've got to go, but the mermaids will take good care of you, right girls?"

"Of course, Peter," they sang in unison.

"See you soon, Jade." He jumped to his feet and pushed off from the rock, soaring away before Jade could call after him again.

"Peter!" she shrieked.

"Oh my, she's terribly loud," one of them said as she swam back and covered her ears with her hands.

"And off key," another added.

"Girls, do you think she can scream so loudly when she's underwater?" the one with white hair asked the others.

"Ooh! Let's find out." The one holding Jade's right wrist tugged a little, making her fall flat onto her stomach. Her face hit the rock and dazed her for a moment.

"Come on, Princess!"

"Come swim with us!"

Together, the two holding her wrists both yanked hard, and Jade tumbled head first into the warm water.
Chapter VI

Lyonés

The water was much deeper where she fell, and she fell so deep into the water that she couldn't see the moonlight clearly enough to know which way to swim. She started to panic and began kicking out with her feet.

"Now, now." The mermaids were all around her and continued speaking clearly despite the water.

"Don't kick."

But Jade continued to kick out desperately with her legs. All too quickly, her lungs began to burn as the air within them was used up. She closed her eyes and imagined Peter coming back. He would fly back to the lake and dive straight down into the water.

She stopped kicking with her legs and allowed herself to go limp. She could still feel the current of the water as the mermaids swam around her. It was not silent; the mermaids kept whispering and giggling to each other, and every once in a while, one of them would reach out to stroke her arm, her hair, her face.

Just when Jade's air was about to be used up, she heard a different sound. It was distant and muffled through the water, but Jade could feel the mermaids pause their movement to listen.

"Oh! He's back!" one of them called out.

The hands on Jade's wrists disappeared. Her eyes flashed open in time to see all the mermaids swim for the surface. She felt weak and tired, but with her new freedom came a final burst of energy. Using her last ounces of oxygen, she swam with all her might for the surface.

Her head broke the water amidst the mermaids. Jade just focused on gulping in huge, deep breaths and trying to steady the dizzy feeling in her head. Once the dizziness had subsided slightly, Jade looked around at the mermaids, but they didn't even look at her. They were all gazing up the waterfall.

Despite her fear and desperation to get away from these crazed women, her curiosity couldn't allow Jade to run without looking up too. There was a figure diving down through the mist straight for them. He fell so fast it was difficult to make out the details. All she could see was his hands cutting through the water just before his head and body splashed down.

The mermaids cried as he entered the water and laughed with joy when his head broke the surface again. He was almost directly in front of Jade, facing her, before she realized that it was not Peter.

This boy looked older than her, maybe 10 or 11. He had very short, brown hair and rich brown eyes. Something about him looked familiar to her, but she couldn't think of where she had seen this boy. He was not one of the children from the Hamlet. She would recognize all of them even if she didn't know all of their names. She had never met this boy in Avalon, but she felt she had most definitely seen him somewhere before.

He spit out a mouthful of water that hit her in the face. Disgusted, she followed her first instinct, which was to shove her hands forward and send a wave of water over this boy's face. He seemed shocked at first, and then he narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" His question seemed like an accusation, like he was at once asking her name and accusing her of being in a place she did not belong.

She did not trust this boy, although she didn't know him, but because she was surrounded by mermaids and could not get away, she faced him with as much strength as she could muster, still treading water. "My name is Amalthea."

She saw a quick flicker of recognition in his eyes. He did not say a word just started swimming for the shore. Jade took off after him; the mermaids did not try to stop her.

When the boy crawled on shore he turned around and watched Jade flounder to the shore and collapse. All of the mermaids meanwhile were chattering and giggling and trying to get the boy's attention.

"Cadwr!" one of them called.

"It's been ages since you visited."

"We get so bored here with no little children to play with."

"Sisters, he's not really a child anymore. Is he?"

"No, no! He's becoming such a handsome young man."

"A gentleman!"

"A prince!"

"And a handsome young gentleman such as Cadwr would always come to visit his favorite merfolk, wouldn't he."

Finally, the boy smiled at the mermaids, and they all broke down into giggles again. "I will always come to see you, mi'ladies. You are some of my most cherished friends."

"I told you..."

"...a gentleman!"

"Now, who can tell me, where did this girl come from?" the boy, Cadwr, asked the mermaids.

"Oh, Cadwr..."

"...we were just playing with her."

"She's really not hurt at all."

"I can tell you where I came from," Jade mumbled under her breath. Cadwr had heard her though.

He looked at her when he spoke this time, "Fine, then tell me. Where did you come from? Why are you here?"

Jade glanced nervously over her shoulder at the mermaids, but she didn't think any of them would crawl up the rocky shore to get to her.

"I was brought here, by another boy. He said that he would look after me. He said he wouldn't let me get hurt. He said we were going to go on an adventure! But then he took me here, to them." She pointed over her shoulder at the mermaids.

"And they started tugging on my hands. Peter said he wouldn't let me get hurt, but then he..." Jade stopped short. When she had said Peter's name, the look on the boy's face had changed from annoyance to surprise and almost... could he be afraid? Of Peter? "Do you know him?" She took an unconscious step toward the boy, trying to understand the expression on his face.

"I... yeah... I know him," was all he said. He looked down at his feet momentarily and then back up at her. "You really shouldn't trust him, you know."

"Why not?" Jade pressed, stepping forward again.

"He's just... he's just not a good kid. He's weird."

She was taken aback. "I guess he's a bit odd, but what's wrong with that?"

"There's just something not right about that kid." Cadwr tried to explain. "Like, he never gets any older. He's looked about ten-years-old for as long as I've been alive. And other little things. Like, he has this way of just making people do stuff."

"What? Like he threatens them?" Jade asked.

"No, he just, I don't know, tells them to do something and they just do it."

She narrowed her eyes. "So, he's good at convincing people, so what?"

"Like, I bet he convinced you to get out of bed in the middle of the night to run away with some boy you didn't know who'd probably broken into your house."

"So?"

"Well, I don't know you, but do _you_ think that sounds like you? Maybe that's just who you are, but maybe not."

Jade barely had time to think about it before she heard a great splash from behind her. Whirling around, she saw the ripples near the base of the waterfall from where some great thing had entered the water. A moment later, another boy's head appeared. This boy had long dark hair that was now plastered to his face by the water. His skin was darkly tanned.

He saw Jade and Cadwr standing on the shore and immediately struck out toward them, ignoring the mermaids that had started to swarm around him the second he'd hit the water.

"Nice," Cadwr said when the other boy had made it to the shore. "But I still won."

The boy shook his body like a dog to rid himself of the excess water hanging to his hair and clothes. The water sprayed the other two children and made Jade shiver. He looked older even than Cadwr, maybe 12 or 13, old enough that her aunt probably wouldn't have wanted Jade to play with him.

"Whatever," the boy said. "You didn't have to deal with Hugh. He started crying like a little baby when we got to the waterfall. I swear, I don't believe you two are related. He's such a wuss. Wouldn't go over the fall at all. Said he'd walk down the mountain."

"Don't blame me for him. I wish he didn't have to tag along with us everywhere."

The other boy looked at Jade for the first time. "Who's she?"

"That's Amalthea," Cadwr said, nodding his head in her direction. "She's looking for adventure."

"Adventure?" The other boy walked toward her, sizing her up. "Are you gonna be a wuss, or will you actually keep up?"

Jade stood up as straight as she could, but she was still a good foot and a half shorter than this boy. "I can keep up."

"Yeah? 'Cause I've never met a girl who actually wanted adventure. Especially a little pip-squeak like you."

"I said I can keep up," she repeated, looking straight into the older boy's fierce black eyes. "You lead the way, and I'll follow. I can do anything you two can do."

The older boy laughed, but he softened at the same time.

"Alright, kid," the older boy said, holding out his hand to her. "I'm Channing. And as long as I won't have to wait around for you, I'm fine with you tagging along for some 'adventure.'"

Jade smiled and shook the boy's hand.

" _I_ did not say she could 'tag along,'" Cadwr said sourly.

At just that moment, another boy appeared from out of the mist. This boy had to be Cadwr's brother. His hair was slightly lighter than Cadwr's, but his eyes and facial features were exactly the same. He was also skinnier and had a look about him that said he had not been properly cared for.

"Come on, Cadwr. There's no way she could be worse than him," Channing said.

The skinny boy didn't respond to the insult. He just went and stood next to Cadwr.

"Yeah, you're right. Fine. But there's no way we're slowing down for you," Cadwr said.

"Agreed," Channing added. "Now, what are we going to do? You won, so you pick."

Cadwr thought for a moment, and then his face lit up. "I have the perfect idea."

"What?" Channing asked.

"We are going to catch a unicorn."

"A unicorn?" Jade asked. "They're real?"

All of the boys ignored her.

"How are we going to do that?" Channing asked incredulously.

"With her." Cadwr nodded toward Jade.

"Her?" Channing asked.

"Yeah, you know the stories. Unicorn's like sweet, innocent little girls, and they can't resist helping one in trouble."

"What are you talking about?" Jade tried to cut in, but once again they ignored her.

Channing smiled widely at Cadwr. "That is so perfect."

"Just think about what we could do with a unicorn's magic."

"Uh, Cadwr," the skinny boy tried to cut in, but just like with Jade, they ignored him completely.

"I bet we'll be rewarded. My mother is going to be so pleased," Cadwr continued.

"Cadwr," the skinny boy said a little louder. "You know that a human can't possess a unicorn's magic, right? You would have to befriend the unicorn and convince it to do what you wanted, and there is no way our Mother would ever be able to get a unicorn on her side."

"Shut up, Hugh," Cadwr shoved his shoulder just hard enough to make Hugh stumbled backward.

"Hey," Jade spoke up. When they ignored her again, she went and stood right in front of Cadwr, looking up defiantly into his face. "Don't shove him. He was just trying to help you. It's not his fault you didn't think it through."

Cadwr glared at her. "You're lucky my mother taught me some manners or else you'd be on the ground."

"Well, I don't know what your mother taught you, but I don't think it's very mannerly to shove your brother and then threaten a 'sweet, innocent little girl,'" she said, fluttering her eyelids facetiously.

Cadwr's rage was visibly written across his face just simmering beneath the surface, ready to boil over.

"Cad," Channing said from behind Jade's back. She did not turn around or take her eyes off of Cadwr's face. "Just let it go. Don't let some little kid bother you."

Cadwr continued to stare at Jade even as he spoke over her head to Channing. "None of it matters right now anyway because first we have to catch the beast."

Cadwr pushed his way around Jade and started walking off into the mist with Channing. Jade and Hugh followed.
Chapter VII

The Other Kingdom

The four walked that way through the mist for quite a while. Cadwr and Channing were whispering to each other up ahead, but Jade couldn't hear them properly, so she turned instead to the skinny boy walking beside her.

"I'm Amalthea," she said, extending a hand to the boy.

He looked at her hand warily for a few steps before he said, "I know."

Jade dropped her hand back to her side but continued talking to the odd boy. "How do you know?"

"Our mother told us about you," he said, glancing briefly at Cadwr, as though to check to see if he was listening, and then back to Jade. "I'm sure Cadwr recognized you too; he was probably just too arrogant to admit it."

"What did your mother tell you about me?"

"She said that you were here to fulfil a very old prophecy, that you were..." he trailed off and looked away from her before he finished his thought, "...that you were the princess."

It was quiet for a minute while Jade tried to decide how she should respond to that. All she could hear was the whisper of the older boys up ahead. "Well, I guess she was right about the princess thing, but I don't know about that other part."

He glanced back at her face briefly before looking ahead again. "Have you met the Nine Sisters? They're the ones who make the prophecies."

"I think so, yeah. I met so many people my first few days here it's hard to remember."

"Well, you should at least know about the Nine Sisters," he said. "The Sisters are the magical protectors of Avalon. Even Cadwr, Channing, and I know about them, and we don't even live in Avalon."

Jade was so shocked she stopped walking and had to hurry to catch up. "Don't you?"

Hugh looked anxiously from her face to Cadwr's head disappearing slowly into the fog and back like he was worried he might be saying too much, but then he continued anyway. "No, actually, we don't. We live with our mother in Lyonés."

"What's Lyonés?"

"It's the kingdom on the other side of the Fog Plains. It's not as beautiful as Avalon, but there we're free from the rules you have to follow."

"Rules? What rules do I have to follow?"

"You probably don't have any trouble following the rules. They're pretty simple, like the laws you would have had to follow in the Northmanni World: don't steal, don't hurt other people or their things, don't kill, mostly things like that. Our mother didn't like the rule about who could and could not have magic though, so she brought us to Lyonés when we were just little kids."

"Oh, I guess I didn't know there were rules about who could have magic." Jade thought for a moment, recalling something Sehali had told her earlier that day. "Is it true that that's where all of the evil creatures live?"

Hugh shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know for sure, but I think that is where the King sends any creatures he thinks are dangerous, but they mostly keep to themselves. Cadwr and I have never had any trouble with them before except when Cadwr goes looking for them. I don't think they like to be disturbed."

They continued walking in silence until Cadwr and Channing stopped abruptly. When Jade and Hugh caught up, she saw it was because they had reached the edge of the fog. When she stepped up beside Cadwr, she looked out across the kingdom she now knew was called Lyonés.

The only light came from the crescent moon high overhead. It was the same moon that had hung outside her window at the palace, but its light seemed hazy somehow like some kind of shield was blocking it. The ground was cracked and dry with no grass to speak of anywhere in Jade's view. There was an occasional rock or dried out, dead tree, but other than that the only thing that stopped them being able to see right to the other side of the kingdom was one very large mountain rising up in the distance. She could see a castle off to the left, with a small village that looked like the Hamlet nestled beside it. The castle looked small, but Jade knew that was only because they were so far from it. She was sure that if she ever saw it up close it would be just as big as her palace in Avalon.

Seeing the castle in the distance made her wonder about what the mermaids had said before, about the queen. She wondered if her mother had ever lived in that castle. She wondered if she would ever learn anything more about her mother than what the King had told her. He had been reluctant enough to tell her what he had. She wanted the whole story.

"All right, here's the plan," Cadwr said, pulling Jade out of her reverie. "Channing and I are going to go do a thing, and all you guys have to do is wait here. Got it?"

Hugh nodded, but Jade stared at him incredulously. "A thing?"

Cadwr glared at her. "Yeah. A thing."

"What kind of thing?" Jade asked heatedly.

"It's just a thing, ok?" Cadwr shot back.

"Listen," Channing cut in. "The whole point of the plan is that you don't know what the thing is until it's happening, or it won't work. We know what we're doing, and this is probably the only way you will ever see a real, live unicorn."

Jade glared at the two older boys as she thought about it. She'd already trusted one stranger that night with monstrous consequences. She didn't want to make the same mistake twice. "What you're going to do, is it going to hurt the unicorn?"

"No way," Channing said.

"A broken unicorn isn't any good to us," Cadwr pointed out.

Jade thought so more. "Ok, I'll go along with your plan on one condition."

Cadwr let out his breath in a huff of exasperation. Channing on the other hand just asked, "What is it?"

Jade took a deep breath. "I get to have final say about what happens to this unicorn."

"No," Cadwr said immediately.

"Why not?" Jade asked. She could feel her pulse jump start a little and her face flush warm.

"Because, we are the ones who are going to be doing all the work, so we're the ones who should get to keep the unicorn," Cadwr said.

"But you can't get the unicorn without me. You already said so. So, the only way I'm helping you is if I know the unicorn will be safe, and the only way I'll know that is if I'm the one who gets to decide what happens to it."

"No."

"Fine," Jade said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Then you can go find some other girl to help you catch a unicorn because I'm not doing it."

Cadwr sighed again, but this time it came out more like a growl.

"Cadwr," Hugh tried to break in, but once again Cadwr ignored him.

"Fine. But if you ruin this, I swear that I won't treat you like a lady. I'll treat you like the traitor you are."

"Cadwr..."

"Good. When did I ever ask you to treat me like a lady anyway?" Jade pointed out.

"Cadwr..."

"Just shut up, will you?" Cadwr grimaced at her.

"Cadwr..."

"What?!" both Cadwr and Jade cried in frustration, turning to look at Hugh.

He shrunk back momentarily but then pointed at the distant sky. "I don't think it matters right now what the thing is. We won't have time..." Where he was pointing, Jade could see the first bright streaks of light coming over the edge of the horizon.

"Stercus!" Cadwr shouted. "We have to get home before Mother gets up!"

"See you guys!" Channing called as Cadwr took off running and Hugh followed him.

"Oh no," Jade started to shake her hands frantically. "I don't know how to get home, and my father will be looking for me too."

Channing just looked at her for a minute and then sighed. "Listen, you'll find your way back pretty easy if you just keep in a straight line. Don't take any turns no matter what you see. Keep walking in a straight line. I would take you back myself, but... uh... I'm not... allowed."

"You're not allowed?"

"Long story. I'll tell you some other time. You probably want to get going. It'll take you at least an hour to get to the Avalon castle from here even if you run.

"Oh no." Jade looked up at this older boy she barely knew and tears filled her eyes.

He mumbled something under his breath before he pat her on the shoulder. "Don't worry so much, kid. That King of yours isn't that bad. Trust me, Cadwr and Hugh will be getting it much worse if the Queen finds out they were out at night."

"The Queen?" Jade stopped worrying about getting home for one moment.

"Faex," he mumbled. "Just go, or you're in for a whipping when you get there too."

That scared her enough that she took off running into the fog. She tried to run in a straight line, but it was hard when she couldn't see where she was going or anything around her except dense white clouds. After a moment of running though, she ran into something dark. She bounced back onto the ground, and when she looked up she saw Peter standing in front of her.

"There you are!" he yelled like he'd been looking for her. "Come on. I have to get you home or the King will know something's happened."

He grabbed her hand and leapt into the air. He flew so fast that the whole world turned into a blur and Jade felt like she might get sick midair. She wouldn't have thought it possible for any creature to move as fast as Peter was pulling her along, but then they were back at her window in less than ten minutes.

The sun was just peaking up over the horizon when her feet touched the cold stone floor of her bedroom. She felt and heard Peter take off from her windowsill. She turned around to say goodbye or maybe to ask for an explanation as to why he'd abandoned her, but he had already gone.

Jade kept waiting all that next week for someone to say something, but it seemed that no one had noticed her flying out the window in the middle of the night or returning at sunrise. She had been completely exhausted the next day and the rest of the week. Every night after her little adventure, as soon as Menelwen had tucked her into bed and told her a bed time story, Jade would wait to hear the door close. Then she would leap out of bed, rush to the window, and sit on the window bench, staring up into the stars, waiting for Peter to come back. More than once, she had fallen asleep on the bench and not woken up until Menelwen came in to wake her the next morning.

When Menelwen asked Jade about it, Jade told her she had had a dream that Aunt Anna had come through her window to take her home. It wasn't a total lie. She did still have dreams about Aunt Anna all the time; not as frequently as when she had first moved to Avalon, but enough to keep her in Jade's thoughts.

The only lie was that Aunt Anna was the reason why Jade kept falling asleep at the window, but the lie was worth it because it made Menelwen sad to think that Jade still missed her aunt, so she didn't ask any more questions.

At first, Jade didn't know if she really wanted Peter to come back. After all, he had lied to her about not letting anything hurt her and then left her to drown with the mermaids. He didn't seem like a good person at all, and she frequently thought that if he did come back to her window, she would have to say, "no," and not go with him. But he had come to get her and take her home when she had really needed him. Without Peter, she never would have made it back before Menelwen woke and discovered her missing.

Despite all this, she didn't spend much time thinking about Peter; she spent most of her time thinking about the other three boys and specifically what Channing had said just before she'd had to run.

"That King of yours isn't that bad. Trust me, Cadwr and Hugh will be getting it much worse if the Queen finds out..."

What had he meant by that?

Did he mean just that there was a queen of Lyonés?

That's the only thing he could have meant, but the way he'd said it, comparing Cadwr and Hugh being punished by the Queen with Jade being punished by the King, made it seem like the Queen was the boys' mother.

If she was, why wouldn't they have told her that?

It seems like the kind of thing you would tell another royal kid. If she ever met another prince or princess, that would probably be the first thing she'd tell them. It was something not everyone could relate to.

Of course, if they were the princes of Lyonés, that was extremely problematic as Jade had by this point put two and two together and decided that, if there was a queen of Lyonés, the land of evil where all the evil creatures are kept, she had to have had something to do with Jade's mother's death if not been directly responsible for it herself.

Jade didn't have an answer to any of her questions, and she didn't want to ask Menelwen because then she would have to explain how she knew about Lyonés, and that meant more lying, which Jade was not in favor of. She tried asking just vaguely for some stories about her mother, but Menelwen always had a way of winding the topic of conversation away from her mother or anything else she didn't want to talk about. So, all she could do was wonder until one day, about a week after her little adventure, when she went for a ride with Sir Jack.

Jade liked Sir Jack. He was different from the other knights. When she had any of the other knights as her escorts, they all treated her like some precious jewel they had to make sure didn't get scratched, but Sir Jack treated her like a kid. He talked to her and told her stories and listened to her jokes. He poked fun at her when she did something silly, and he let her tug on his hand when she wanted to go faster than he was allowing. She had the feeling that he might have been an adventurer when he was a kid, so she felt pretty safe asking about Lyonés even though she couldn't tell him the whole truth about how she knew about it.

They had gone for a ride out to the shallow river that ran parallel to the Avalon River through the forest and out into the meadow, pooling in a small pond.

Jade was learning to gallop now, and there was nothing she enjoyed more than feeling the wind whip through her hair and the speed of the horse's hooves as they pounded the ground. They had along the river near the forest's edge to give Arthur and Merlin, the horses, a drink when Jade finally worked up the courage to ask Sir Jack about it.

"Sir Jack, is Avalon the only magical kingdom?" she asked, trying to appear only curious.

Sir Jack was used to her asking questions, but this one seemed to be different. He looked a little uncomfortable when he responded. "No, Princess, it's not the only magical kingdom. Actually, there are many."

"Really?" Jade said, not faking the pure curiosity any longer.

He smiled a little, maybe sensing her natural thirst for information. "Yes, really. But not all kingdoms have the same kind of magic. Our magic comes from Avalon, from the very earth and plants and animals, so of course no other kingdom could have the same kind of magic."

"What other kinds of magic are there?"

"Well, I don't know much about other kingdoms. Remember, I never studied with the Sisters or the Centaurs. I went straight into training to become a knight on my twelfth birthday. I do know a little about a few kingdoms. There's one kingdom in another world where they call themselves gods. In the stories I've heard, they were actually given the name by the Northmanni many hundreds of years ago when their ancestors used to dazzle them with their kind of magic."

"It's in another world? So, we couldn't get to it?"

"No, we couldn't get to it if we wanted to. We would need special permission from that king and a portal to their world, which only the King of Avalon has the right to use. Your father, the King, would be the person to ask if you're curious about other kingdoms and other worlds. He sometimes goes to visit other worlds. Every ten years, the kings of all the worlds get together to discuss problems and to reaffirm the alliance, like a friendship between all of the kingdoms."

"Are there any other kingdoms that we can get to? Like ones we could visit today?" Jade prodded.

Sir Jack looked at her with suspicion and... was that fear? He waited a long moment before he answered, but when he did he said, "Yes, there is actually one other kingdom in this world, if you can call it a kingdom. But it is a place that you must never go."

"Why?" Jade asked surprised.

"Because it is a very dangerous place. Its ruler is evil and has hurt many of Avalon's people, including your own father."

"Where is it?"

Sir Jack knelt down in the grass, and firmly turned Jade toward him with one hand on each shoulder. "You must promise me never to go there. It is unsafe for everyone and downright dangerous for a princess. Swear it to me."

Jade really didn't want to promise. She was already planning to go back to Lyonés to see those three boys. There was still so much she didn't know; there was no way she _couldn't_ go back.

"Say it out loud," Sir Jack commanded.

Jade searched his eyes for leniency and her own mind for an escape but found none of either. She sighed, and then said very quietly, "I promise."

"Good," Sir Jack said, rising to his feet.

"But, if I don't know where it is, what if I stumble into it just by accident?" Jade asked.

"You won't," Sir Jack assured her. "There is a barrier between that kingdom and ours put there by the Sisters many years ago to keep us safe. You would know if you were crossing it, and no Avalon knight would allow you to cross it. Since you are never without a protector, there is no danger of you accidentally crossing into it."

Jade wanted to beg for more information, but she could tell by the look on Sir Jack's face that he was done with this conversation. They told stories for a while as Arthur and Merlin rested, and then they rode back to the castle. Neither one of them brought up Lyonés or the forbidden kingdom again.
Chapter VIII

School

Jade had been in Avalon for about a month when Menelwen told her she was going to start going to school with the other children in the Hamlet.

"Why?" Jade whined. She had hated school in the Northmanni World. The other kids teased her and made fun of her for the admittedly odd things she would say. Then there were kids like Tommy Tinkus who would bully her because she believed in magic. She could always hold her own against any bully who targeted her, but it was a lonely place to spend the majority of her time.

"Because your father commands it," Menelwen said simply.

Jade fell back onto her bed in a huff. "I hate school, Menelwen. Please, don't make me go."

"Ammie, you will never be taken seriously as a leader if you don't go to school. That is where you will learn the history of this kingdom. You will learn the stories of your ancestors, and the stories of each former king will teach you at least one thing to do or one thing not to do. If you do not go to school, you do not become a leader."

Jade thought about it for a moment. "Do I _have_ to go to school with the other kids? What if they don't like me? The other kids at my old school hated me."

Menelwen sat next to her on the bed and pulled her into a sitting position. She put her fingers under her chin and pulled her face up so Jade had no choice but to look at her. "Princess, don't worry anymore about what the Northmanni children thought of you. They are a part of your past now. I promise you that the children of Avalon will like you. They will find you fascinating, and if you are the kind, witty little princess I have seen you be at times, they will absolutely adore you. Now, if you are the whiny, entitled little princess you are being right now, then they may not like you so well. It's all up to you."

The next day, Menelwen woke her up as the sun was rising to get ready for school. She dressed in one of her simple, long sleeved, knee-length dresses (the green one this time), and Menelwen braided her hair in one simple braid down her back. She ate breakfast on her own because the King had some kind of important kingly business again. Then, Menelwen helped her with her cloak, put a small bag with a chalkboard and chalk over her shoulder, and walked with her, hand in hand, to the front door. Sir Jack and a royal guard were waiting there to walk Jade the rest of the way to school. Menelwen bent down to give Jade one last hug.

"Are you sure they'll like me?" Jade whispered in her ear so Sir Jack could not hear.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Menelwen whispered back before she let go.

The school was in the Hamlet. The guard followed silently behind them. It was close enough that Jade and Sir Jack just walked rather than bother tacking up the horses. Sir Jack didn't hold her hand like Menelwen did, and they didn't talk much on the way there; Jade was much too nervous, and she didn't want to share her fears with Sir Jack. He might think they were silly. The school house was a large wood building with a short tower on top. There must be a bell inside the tower because as they approached it, it began ringing. The children who were gathered on the steps of the building all got up and headed inside. There were children who looked as young as five or six and older kids as old as maybe twelve.

Without thinking, she grabbed Sir Jack's hand and squeezed it tightly. Sir Jack turned his back on the guard who seemed to take the hint and stepped away to give them privacy.

"Amalthea," Sir Jack said, kneeling down in the dirt so he could look at her face while he spoke. "Kids can be mean. I know that better than anyone. But do you know what my mum used to tell me whenever I'd come home with a swollen lip or a bloody nose?"

Jade shook her head very slightly side to side.

"When I'd come home crying because some kid hit me, or even worse said something that made me feel like I was worth less than the dirt on the bottom of their shoes, my mum would say to me, 'Jack, do you know why kids are mean to you? It's because you are so amazingly unique that they're afraid of you. They're afraid they will never stand out the way you do. So, they bully you and say mean things because if you believe you're so small that you don't matter, then maybe they will start to believe it too.' And you know what, Jade? I never believed her. I would smile and nod because it made her smile, but I never really believed her, but do you know where the kids who used to bully me ended up?"

"Are they knights?" Jade hedged.

"No, they are not. They're farmers; some of them are even servants in the castle, and I am a knight of the round table, and every time I walk past them, do you know what they have to do?"

Jade looked at him and smiled a little. "They have to bow to you."

Sir Jack was positively beaming. "That's right. I don't think anyone in that building will have a problem with you, Amalthea, but if they do, just remember that that's their problem, not yours. Keep your head high, and don't let them ever make you feel like anything less than what you are, the Heir to the Kingdom of Avalon.

Jade nodded. "Promise you'll be right here after school?"

"Cross my heart. I will be right here when the final bell rings, and Lucentio will be waiting here all day, should you need something. Now go on, you don't want to be late on your first day." He let go of her hand, and she very reluctantly released his.

Every step toward that building seemed like it took all of her energy. She kept thinking she would fall from exhaustion. She turned to wave at Sir Jack once more from the top of the steps, and then she entered the building.

The schoolhouse was packed with students of every age, and they all turned to stare at her as she entered. The room, which a moment before had been boisterously loud with cries of the young children and chatter of the older ones, became suddenly silent as they all stared at her.

Jade wanted to shrink back against the door and grow smaller and smaller until she completely disappeared. But she couldn't do that. She also wanted to burst into tears, turn around, run out the door, go find Sir Jack, and beg him to take her home. But she couldn't do that either.

Instead of running away, she found her feet carrying her slowly forward toward a desk at the front of the room. Despite the instinct to stare at her feet, she remembered what Sir Jack had said and tried to hold her head high. A woman was standing behind the desk. She had unnaturally straight hair that was the color an apple might turn if you left it sitting in the sun too long. She was writing something on a piece of paper when Jade entered but looked up as the room went silent.

"You must be Princess Amalthea," she said in a soft voice that Jade had to lean in to hear. "I spoke with your father last night about your first day. You'll be in my class. I'm Ms. Hastings."

Jade nodded and smiled at her new teacher. She assumed that, although Ms. Hastings looked quite a bit different from her former teacher, because she was a teacher, she should be kind and friendly all the same.

"You can just call me Amalthea, or Ammie, or Jade."

Ms. Hastings did not smile. "What do you want me to call you?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Jade said, shrugging.

Ms. Hastings just stared at her until Jade finally said, "Amalthea is fine."

Ms. Hastings made a note on her paper. "Sit down anywhere. You'll stay here with me and all of the students who are in level four. If we find that you need more challenging work, we'll move you up a level, and if you find that the work is too difficult, we will move you down a level."

"Ok," Jade said. She turned nervously to look at the other children. She saw only one open desk; it was next to a slight girl in a brown dress that was much too big for her. The edges that hung down to her ankles were frayed and worn from many washings. Jade sat down next to her, feeling uncomfortable in the eerie quiet.

"Hi," the girl said, "I'm Helena."

Jade tried to smile at her. "Hi Helena, I'm Amalthea."

"What level are you in?" Helena asked and smiled. When she smiled, Jade could see that her teeth were very crooked and slightly yellow.

"Umm... Level four, I guess. That's what the teacher said," Jade said uncertainly.

Helena's smile faltered slightly. "That's my level, so you'll be with Ms. Hastings."

Ms. Hastings called the room to order then, and the little chatter that had sparked up since Jade's entrance went quiet. One by one, Ms. Hastings called the name of every student there, and each student had to say present to acknowledge that they were in fact present for that day of schooling. Once she was done with the list, Ms. Hastings dismissed the majority of students, leaving only ten or so left in the school room.

Ms. Hastings stepped around her desk. "Good morning, children," she said.

One or two students said good morning back.

Ms. Hastings didn't not waste any time on introductions and instead skipped right to the topic of the day. "As you will remember, all this week you will be quizzed over your knowledge of our founding stories. Helena, you will go first today. I assume you are ready?"

Helena's eyes grew huge and her face pale, but then she stood up and walked to the front of the classroom. "Yes, Ms. Hastings," she said.

Ms. Hastings sat down in Helena's now vacant seat, right next to Jade. Jade knew it would be rude to scoot away from her, but she couldn't help sliding just a little to her left to be as far as possible from her without moving her seat. She couldn't say what it was, but she didn't like Ms. Hastings very much. She missed Ms. Johnson. At least _she_ smiled.

"I'm going to tell the story of how our world was created." Helena said in a very small voice. She took a deep breath and when she spoke again, her voice was stronger.

"Once, long ago, there was no land called Avalon. All that existed was the Northmanni World and a great mountain called Olympus. The Gods lived in a great castle on Mount Olympus, and all of the other creatures, humans, elves, dragons, fairies, even powries, all lived in the Northmanni World. Of course, they didn't call it the Northmanni World. They just called it the World, since there was only one."

"Move along, Helena," Ms. Hastings prompted.

Helena continued, "So, for a long time, all of the creatures lived together in the World, and they were happy, but eventually the humans, who did not have any magic, got jealous of all of the creatures who were more powerful than them."

"How was it decided who had power?" Ms. Hastings asked.

"Oh, right, sorry," Helena said. "The King of Olympus decided who could have magic and who couldn't. And if you were one of the chosen, then you didn't even have to study it, you could just do any kind of magic you wanted. The King and his children were of course magical, and so were some creatures like fairies and unicorns and centaurs, and then there were some sorcerers who were born to human parents but could do magic too.

"Other than that, most of the humans couldn't do any magic, so they got jealous. When the King refused to give them all the gift of magic, they moved away from the magical creatures and only spent time with other humans. If a human child was born with magic, that baby was killed.

"They lived several generations like that, but when children who had never known any creatures with magic became adults, they started to fear the magic these creatures could do.

"They saw them as evil and wanted to destroy them. They started attacking all of the magical villages. Soon all of the magical creatures were praying to the King to save them from the savage humans."

"Thank you, Helena," Ms. Hastings said, rising and cutting Helena off. "Audrey, please continue telling the story where Helena left off."

Jade breathed a sigh of relief when Ms. Hastings moved away from her and Helena sat back down. An older girl in the front row with curly brown hair stood up to take Helena's place.

Audrey began telling the story again, "The King of Olympus heard all of the prayers of the magical creatures in the World, but he didn't care. He did not want to get involved with their little problems, so he ignored them. But there was someone who heard the tortured screams of the magical creatures.

"The King had many children, all of them were sons except for one. The one Princess of Olympus was named Avalon. Avalon heard the cries and begged her father to help them, but even with his only daughter begging him, the King refused to help. 'It is their problem to figure out on their own,' he told her.

"Still, Avalon would not stand for innocent creatures to be in pain. She had a plan, but she knew she did not have the power to overcome her father on her own.

"All of her brothers were really loyal to their father, but she knew her youngest brother could be easily convinced. Although he was the son of a god, Volturious' mother was human, and he shared many personality traits with the humans. He was greedy, for one, but not for money. He was jealous of his oldest brother's power because he would one day rule all of the World, and Volturious would never rule anything. He would just be a prince, never a king. Even if he had been the eldest, his father would never have let him rule because he also had a human quality that would prevent him from being a great ruler: cowardice.

"Avalon knew of her brother's cowardice, but she also believed that he held the power to overcome that fear when given the chance. She knew too what her youngest brother most craved, so she went to him and promised him what he most desired if he would help her get the magical creatures to safety. She promised him a new kingdom where he would be the only king."

"That's enough, Audrey," Ms. Hastings stopped her again. "Edward, you're next."

Audrey sat down, and a short, slim boy with red hair took her place. He scratched his head, rumpling his hair even further, before he began. "Volturious of course took the deal, so Avalon, knowing now that there would be someone waiting to guide the people to their new home, gave her body, life, and soul to create a new world where the magical creatures could live in peace. They would never have to worry about the greedy nonmagical creatures again.

"Just as he had promised, Volturious led all of the magical creatures to their new home. The sorcerers, fairies, centaurs, unicorns, every magical creature followed him, and some nonmagical creatures came too. The powries, goblins, chimeras, and other creatures who could not do magic themselves followed, but not the magicless humans.

"When they reached the new realm Avalon had created with her body, Volturious was ready to rule, but the King of Olympus had different plans.

"The King was furious at his two youngest children for running away and disobeying him. To punish them and to take out his anger, he destroyed every trace of magic in the Northmanni World. Then, he went for Avalon.

"Volturious heard his father's approach, and he fled to the most distant, darkest caves. No one has seen him since. Some people think he's still hiding out there, waiting for his opportunity to STRIKE BACK!" Edward jumped at Audrey as he said the last two words, and she jumped and screamed.

"Edward, sit down," Ms. Hastings commanded.

Edward laughed, but he said, "Yes ma'am," and sat down all the same.

"Bryon, please finish the story for your classmates," Ms. Hastings said.

Another boy, this one taller with floppy hair, stood up to take Edward's spot. "With Volturious in hiding, there was no one to protect the creatures or their new world, but they needn't have feared, for their Goddess was cunning as well as kind. She knew her father would, at some point, come to destroy the world she gave her life to create, so she placed before the kingdom a portal that would allow none through who meant harm to anyone on the other side.

"The portal has changed slightly, but it is the same one that stands today in the Dark Forest. Now, however, it will only allow the One Rightful King of Avalon through on any day other than the Autumnal Equinox.

"The King was still murderously angry, however, and since he could not get to the creatures themselves, he took back every ounce of magic that the creatures possessed. They were safe, but they had had to give up their magic.

"Avalon, even without her body, heard the cries of her people and sent to them the Nine Sisters. When the sorceresses entered the realm, they dazzled all of the creatures with displays of magic. When the creatures asked them how they could perform such feats with no magic left in the realm, the leader, Sister Morgana, stepped forward and placed a small handful of dirt into the hand of a human child."

A boy sitting in the back of the classroom laughed loudly at something his friend had just said to him.

"Cassus!" Ms. Hastings scolded and the boy stopped laughing immediately. "What did the Sorceress say to the child who held the dirt?"

Cassus swallowed and answered much quieter than he had just laughed, "She said, 'Your goddess gave of her body to create this world for you. She is the earth; the earth is her. She will give you the magic; you need only learn how to ask her for it.'"

Ms. Hastings narrowed her eyes so they were just tiny slits, but then she turned back to the boy at the front. "Bryon, please conclude the story."

Bryon didn't look shaken up at all. He continued, "It took some time, but eventually all of the creatures who had had magic before learned to use Avalon's magic. It was easier for some than others, and some creatures eventually gave up all together, but all those who studied with the Sisters did eventually learn some magic.

"Today, one child every generation is chosen to study with the same Nine Sisters who do not age, for they, like the dirt, the trees, the sky, and the sun are a part of Avalon, and she will never let them die so long as there are those in this kingdom who need them."
Chapter IX

Coal

The guard and Sir Jack were indeed waiting for her at the end of the school day. Sir Jack and Menelwen both asked her about her first day of school as soon as they saw her. The King asked her later that night at dinner. She told all three the same thing, that the other kids seemed nice if a little too curious. She liked hearing the old stories of Avalon, but she didn't much care for her teacher. Ms. Hastings never did anything to Jade. Jade just didn't like her, although she couldn't explain why. Maybe it was the way she had of making Jade feel stupid for not knowing something, or maybe it was just that she never seemed to smile. Either way, Jade did not care for her, but it could be worse. At least the other kids were nice. And she had even found a friend in Helena, who took Jade under her wing and answered any questions she didn't want to ask Ms. Hastings.

Jade spent most of her first week at school listening to stories. The stories, she soon learned from the other children, were not just fairy tales as Jade had originally thought.

They were what the children called The Tales of Avalon, and from what Jade gathered, they were Avalon's only form of history. Every child who lived in the kingdom, or at least, every child who lived in the Castle Hamlet, had to learn these stories so that someday far in the future they could teach them to the next generation of children.

At the end of the fourth day of school, Ms. Hastings reminded them that the Sisters would be visiting their class the next day and to be on their best behavior. After they had been dismissed, Jade walked out of the school house with Helena. "Why are the Sisters coming to visit?"

"There are so many things you don't know," Helena said in surprise. "On the fifth day of the week, the Sisters always visit one class. This week is just our week."

"But, _why_ do they visit one class each week?" Jade insisted.

"Because, they're looking for the One."

"The one what?"

"The _one_ ," Helena repeated. "The Sisters are the only people who can teach humans to use Avalon's magic, but they won't teach just anyone. They let the elves teach their children some magic, but every generation, they choose one human who has the gift. They come to watch us and see if any of us are showing signs of magic. If they find someone who is showing signs of magic, then that person gets to be the only One in all of the classes to learn real magic! And the Sisters will teach them _everything_! Even more than any of the elves get to learn!"

Jade felt with her whole heart that she had to be the one person who was picked.

"What if no one shows signs of magic? Do they still pick someone? Can you volunteer?"

"No way!" Helena gasped. "You can't volunteer because then everyone would volunteer. I don't think they've ever not found someone. Avalon always picks one child to show her magic through."

Maybe she couldn't volunteer, but Jade had a backup plan. When she got home that day, she went straight to the library, barely pausing to tell Menelwen that her day had been fine. Jade knew the library fairly well by now. She found every book about wizards, sorcerers, and magicians she could find. Piling her trove high on the table by the window, she poured through them. It wasn't until Menelwen came to get her for dinner that she finally had her answer.

A royal guard walked her to the schoolhouse again on Friday, but as soon as she saw the other children, Jade took off running.

She grabbed Helena's elbow before she could go into the building. "Lena, I need your help." She proceeded to whisper her plan to her friend.

"That won't work," Helena shook her head. "The Sisters will see right through it."

"Please," Jade begged, "Just help me try."

Helena gave in, and soon she and Jade were sneaking around inside the school house, trying to stay unnoticed by Ms. Hastings, which was not hard since there were so many people in there at the moment. They just had to get everything set up before the other children left for their own classes.

Finally, when Ms. Hastings dismissed all of the other children, Helena and Jade were back, siting in their usual seats, and Ms. Hastings had no reason to suspect there was anything out of the ordinary.

"Children," Ms. Hastings said, sitting down at her desk. "As you know, we have some special visitors today, please say hello to Ladies Morgana, Morgause, and Glitonea."

Three women walked through the door and straight to the front of the room. They turned as one to face the children.

Lady Morgana stepped forward and spoke, "Hello children. I am Lady Morgana, and these are my sisters, Lady Morgause and Lady Glitonea. We are just here to observe. Do not let us bother you. We would love to answer any questions you have, but please, do not let us disrupt your lesson."

After her little introduction, Lady Morgana and her sisters moved to the back of the room and sat down. Although all of the children kept turning their heads, the rest of the day went much as a normal day at school would. It was in the afternoon that Jade finally put her plan into action. Because she could not tell one of the Avalon myths as she had only been going to school for a week, Ms. Hastings had asked her to share a legend she knew from the Northmanni World, and Jade accepted with pleasure.

"In the Northmanni World," Jade began, standing in front of the class, "they don't celebrate the same holidays that you celebrate here. Instead, they have their own holidays. Instead of the Vernal Equinox they have Easter, instead of the Summer Solstice they have the 4th of July, instead of the Autumnal Equinox they have Halloween, and instead of the Winter Solstice, they have Christmas."

"What's Christmas?" Lilly asked without raising her hand.

"Lillian," Ms. Hastings scolded, "you will wait your turn to speak."

Jade answered her question anyway. "Christmas is a wonderful holiday when your whole family gets together to give each other presents and eat an enormous dinner."

"It doesn't sound that different from Winter Solstice," Cassus said from the back of the room.

"Cassus," Ms. Hastings warned.

"Oh, but it is," Jade continued. "You have a wonderful tree that you take into your house and it makes your whole house smell like... smell like... well, it smells like Christmas, and you decorate it with lights and ornaments, and the whole house just seems more beautiful. And, I haven't told you the best part yet. Your family gives each other presents, but for children who have been good all year, there's always an extra present or two waiting under the tree from Santa."

Ms. Hastings was the one to interrupt her this time. "I think you mean Saint Nicholas, Amalthea. That is what the old songs call him."

"Well, sure, if you want to sound like an old person you can call him Saint Nick too, but the kids just call him Santa. He is big and fat from eating so many Christmas cookies, and he has a great long, white beard because he's so old. He's probably older than the Nine Sisters. And he sneaks into everyone's house at night through their chimney, and, if you've been good, he leaves you a special present under the tree, but if you've been bad, all he leaves you is a lump of coal."

"That's stupid," Edward scoffed.

Ms. Hastings tried to scold him, but Jade spoke first. "What do you mean, 'that's stupid'? That's Christmas."

"Well, then Christmas is stupid. Why would some old fat guy climb through your chimney just to give you presents?"

"Because it's Christmas," Jade said. "That's why. And it probably wouldn't matter for you anyway because you'd probably get coal in your stocking."

"Oh no!" Edward said in mock fear. "Somebody help me! Some old fat guy is going to break into my house to put a piece of coal in my sock!"

The other children laughed. Jade's chest tightened as she looked around and saw that everyone was staring at her and laughing, everyone except Helena. She was staring, glaring at Edward.

Jade was watching Helena when she heard Edward yell, "Ow!" She looked over and saw Edward rubbing his head. "Who threw that?"

Everyone was looking around the room for the source of the pebble, and Jade saw this as her opportunity. She waved her hand just enough to catch Helena's attention. Once she knew Helena was ready, Jade turned back to Edward and raised her hands in the air in front of her. She stared at Edward through squinted eyes and wiggled her fingers in the air.

Jade couldn't see her, but she knew Helena must be doing her part because Edward was now moving forward ever so slightly.

"What the...?" he said as he looked down.

Everyone else was now looking at Edward too as he slowly scooted forward.

"Sweet Sisters!" Audrey cried, looking between Edward and Jade. "It's Amalthea! She's moving his desk!"

Jade continued to glare at Edward, and she smiled. But then her heart sank.

"Helena," Ms. Hastings snapped sharply. "What is that you're holding?"

Suddenly, Edward's desk stopped moving and all eyes were on Helena. She dropped the twine, but it was too late. Ms. Hastings had seen. Whispers spread throughout the room. Helena looked around herself and then put her face in her hands and started to cry.

"I think that is enough for today," Ms. Hastings said, not taking her eyes off of Helena. "Class, you are dismissed."

Jade rushed to Helena's side, putting her arm around her shoulders, but Ms. Hastings wasn't finished yet.

"Everyone except Amalthea and Helena. You girls, stay here. We need to have a talk."

Fear spread like poison through Jade's entire body. She had no idea what Ms. Hastings would do. She didn't know if she would just tell the King or if she would get detention or if maybe there was something worse they did in Avalon. Jade sat down in the desk next to Helena's, and, keeping her arm around Helena's shoulders, she whispered to her that it would be alright. Eventually, as the last student was leaving, Helena raised her head again and wiped the remainder of her tears on her sleeve. Jade took her hand, and Helena squeezed it tight.

The sisters rose from the back of the room and came forward to stand beside Ms. Hastings.

"Shae," Sister Morgana said, and it took Jade a moment to realize she was speaking to Ms. Hastings. "We will speak to the girls."

Helena started whimpering next to Jade, but she kept her head held up, and Jade was proud of her for it.

Ms. Hastings seemed torn. She looked like she really wanted to rip into Jade and Helena, and Jade was sure she had talons just waiting to be extended, but eventually, she gave in.

"All right," she finally said, looking at Lady Morgana instead of Jade. "If that is what you wish, milady. We will speak about your decision after?"

"Of course," Lady Morgana said, patting Ms. Hastings on the shoulder the way you might pat a small child. "Now, give us a moment alone, won't you?"

Ms. Hastings did not look happy, but then, she rarely did. She left Jade and Helena to their fate.

Jade was quite sure that the Sisters could be quite scary if they wanted to be, but as soon as Ms. Hastings had left the room, she felt like she could breathe again. The fear was not quite so oppressing.

"Now, girls," Lady Morgana said, turning to them. "What you did was wrong. Your trick with the wire could not have fooled us, but it was wrong to try. Do you understand why?"

"Because it was a lie?" Helena choked out between fresh sobs.

"Yes, and we mustn't lie. Not only will it get you into trouble, but it will also make you old much too soon."

"That's why we're still so young," Sister Morgause added. "We never lie."

The three Sisters smiled. Even Helena stopped crying.

"You must promise us that you will never lie to us again," Lady Morgana said sternly.

Jade and Helena exchanged a look, but they had no choice. "We promise," they said together.

"Good, now, Amalthea, run along home," Sister Morgana said. "We want to speak with Helena alone for a moment."

Helena looked at Jade with wide eyes. Jade couldn't leave her friend, not when they'd just made it out of the woods.

"Jade."

Jade physically jumped at the sound of her own name; it had been so long since she had heard someone else say it out loud. Lady Morgause had been the one to say it.

"You need to go now. Helena is safe with us," Lady Morgause said, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder to guide her out.

Helena's eyes were still wide with fear, but Jade could not disobey a direct order from the Sisters. She threw her arms around Helena, and, pressing her lips to her ear, she whispered, "I'll be just outside."

Jade grabbed her bag and allowed Lady Morgause to escort her from the school house. As soon as the door closed behind her, she ran back to the school and pressed her ear to the crack between the double doors. She could hear the guard move to stand at the foot of the steps behind her, but she couldn't hear anything inside. She sat down on the steps and rested her chin in her hand, waiting. She didn't have to wait long.

None of the Sisters seemed surprised to see Jade sitting there when they walked out. They just glided down the steps and toward the center of the Hamlet. Helena walked out behind them. She stood next to Jade without speaking.

"What happened? What did they say?" Jade asked her.

Helena was staring at the ground. She wasn't scared anymore. Her face seemed blank. She didn't say anything.

"Lena?" Jade asked, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

The touch brought Helena back to herself. She looked at Jade and her eyes filled with tears. "I have to go."

"What? Why?" Jade asked as Helena hurriedly brushed past her. "What did they do to you?" Jade called after her, but it was no use. Helena was already gone.

Chapter X

The One

Helena was not at school the next day, or the day after that, or the day after that. Jade tried to ask Ms. Hastings on the third day where she was, but Ms. Hastings just got angry and snapped at Jade to get on with her arithmetic lesson. It was over a week before Jade saw Helena again, and it was not at school.

Jade had just returned from school the following Friday. She was sitting in her room with a book she had borrowed from the library. Menelwen was sitting in the corner, mending one of Jade's school dresses, and Jade was lying on the bed, flipping through page after page of epic adventure and heartbreaking romance, when there was a light knock at the door.

No one ever came to Jade's room besides herself and Menelwen. Jade wasn't quite sure what to do. Menelwen, however, got up and went to answer the door.

She opened it just a crack at first, to see who was behind it. Apparently, she knew the person because she opened the door all the way.

Helena was standing in the doorway, and behind her was Lady Morgause. Jade stared. Helena was different. She was clean, her face pink and shining and her hair pulled away from her face in a braid. Her clothes were also new. Gone was the ratty, holey smock that was far too large for her. She wore instead a simple brown dressed that fitted her nicely. She was looking at the floor, avoiding Jade's gaze.

"Helena," Jade gasped, "what are you doing here?"

"Amalthea," Lady Morgause spoke instead, "we are here to ask for your help."

Jade slipped off the bed. She felt very small standing in front of them. "What do you need my help for? Where have you been all week, Lena? No one at school knew."

Once again, Helena did not answer. Instead, Lady Morgause answered Jade's first question. "Helena is going to be a part of a formal announcement this evening, and she doesn't have a formal dress to wear. It is too short notice to have a dress made, but we thought you might have something that would fit her."

Jade stared at Helena, who continued to refuse to meet her gaze. "Umm, yeah. I guess that's fine."

Menelwen lead Lady Morgause to the closet where they started looking through dresses.

Helena didn't move. Other than the fact that she was clean and her clothes were changed, Helena was exactly the same as she had been when Jade had last seen her on the steps of the school house. She stood very still and didn't meet Jade's eyes.

"What kind of announcement is it?" Jade asked.

Helena finally glanced up quickly at Jade, but just as quickly looked back down. "I'm not supposed to say."

"It's supposed to be a surprise," Lady Morgause said as she came forward, holding a velvet green dress. "You'll be there, I'm sure. Don't worry."

Jade watched as the Sister and Helena left. She looked to Menelwen once they had gone. "Do you know what it's about?"

"I've no idea, Princess, but while we're at it, let's pick a dress for you to wear tonight. You know the Hamlet people love to see their princess all dressed up."

After eating dinner alone – the King was once again too busy to eat with her – Menelwen helped Jade put on the fluffy violet dress she had picked out earlier, and they went to the large balcony off the front of the castle.

Jade had never even stood on the balcony before, but she knew from Menelwen that it was where the King made important announcements, both good and bad, to the citizens of Avalon. The people would fill the castle courtyard to see the King speak.

Tonight, Lady Morgana was waiting by the doors with Helena at her side. It was strange to see her there, dressed like a princess. That was not where Helena was supposed to be.

She was supposed to be in the school house or running barefoot across the lawn with Jade. She was not meant to be in this part of Jade's life. This could not be punishment for the trick they had tried to play; if it was, they wouldn't have dressed her up so nicely and it would be both her and Jade together. But the only other explanation was...

The King walked up then and broke the silence that hovered in the air. "You must be Miss Helena Cox. It is an honor to meet you, milady," the King said, and bowed at the waist to Helena.

Jade was shocked, not least because she had never seen the King bow to anyone besides maybe herself.

"Shall we begin the festivities?" He said rubbing his hands together. He did not wait for a response before continuing. "Amalthea, as part of the Royal Family, you will enter with me first. After I make the announcement, Miss Cox, you and Lady Morgana will enter."

The King stood to Jade's right, and held his elbow out to her. She reached up and grabbed ahold of his arm so that he could lead her out.

Someone had lit many torches out on the balcony so that, even though it was now night, everyone could see their faces illuminated, and it was everyone. It seemed like the whole Hamlet had crowded themselves into the grounds of the castle. Jade could see the familiar face of a royal guard here and there controlling the crowd, but every other face was turned up to the balcony, and they screamed when the King and Amalthea walked out.

Amalthea was just tall enough to see over the small wall that stopped them from walking too far and plummeting to their deaths. There was a small platform raised at the front of the balcony, but the King did not lead her to it. Instead, he led her to the left of the platform. He himself stepped up onto the platform and raised both hands for quiet. Jade smiled serenely down at the crowd as the King waited for the cheering to cease.

Once it was quiet enough, the King began to speak in a booming voice that echoed around the balcony and then shot forward, being absorbed by the crowd of people.

"Thank you all for being here with us today. Today is a very important day that I am sure we will all remember for as long as we live. It is extremely rare that a human child is born with the potential for magic inside of them, but, as Lady Morgana informed me last week, just such a child has been discovered, and we are here tonight to introduce her to the world!"

Jade's heart sank right to the bottom of her stomach as the crowd erupted into cheers. The smile on her face faltered, and she couldn't do any more than look down at her feet. It didn't matter. No one in the crowd was looking at her anymore. Some part of her had known this was what would happen, but she just couldn't believe it...

"Ladies and gentlemen," the King began again over the still raucous noise of the crowd, "I am extremely pleased to be able to introduce you to Lady Helena Cox!"

The doors behind them were flung open, and Lady Morgana escorted Helena forward hand in hand. The King stepped down off of the platform to allow Lady Morgana and Helena to stand taller. All eyes were on Helena.

Helena stared down at the faces screaming up at her, and very slowly, she raised her free hand to wave at the crowd.

The screams of the crowd were so loud that Jade wanted to cover her ears with her hands. She wanted to run inside, slam her bedroom door, cover her head with a pillow, and never come out again. But she couldn't do that. All she could do was stand there, so she did her best to smile and watch as Helena had her moment in the spotlight.

Chapter XI

Return

Helena did not return to school again. Ms. Hastings told the whole class that Helena would be studying with the Sisters for the rest of her life. She would never come back to school. In one week, Jade had lost her dream and her best friend. At school, she now had to sit with Lilly, who was annoying, and Audrey, who was just insufferable.

In all the excitement, Jade had almost given up on Peter and the other boys. Weeks turned into months, and soon snow began to cover the ground, and still she hadn't seen any sign of them.

Jade went to school and came home. At home, Menelwen wouldn't let her sleep with her window open any longer. She had come in in the morning more than once to find Jade, dusted in snow, bundled up tight in her bed with the window wide open.

Menelwen threatened to put a lock on the window if Jade kept doing it, so finally she had to stop. That didn't mean that, every once in a while, she couldn't creep out of her bed in the middle of the night to sit on the windowsill and gaze out at the stars.

She would always pick out the brightest star in the sky and wish with all her might that an adventure would come and find her, but her wish didn't seem like it was ever going to come true. All that her future held was school and home.

It was on a very cold night that she was awakened by a light tapping on the window pane. She had fallen asleep on the window bench again, and when she opened her eyes, she saw, hovering just inches away from her face, a small, dark figure with a pale white face. She jumped back at first, but within moments her senses came back to her and she threw open the window.

Peter flew in along with a good deal of cold air that snuffed out the candle she had left alight on her bedside table. Quickly, she closed the window after Peter and latched it in place. Then she turned to the boy. He looked exactly the same as the last time she'd seen him right down to his hodgepodge pants although the leaves held no more color anymore. Every one of them was brown.

"Milady," he said with a bow, "are you ready for another adventure?"

"No," Jade said flatly.

"No?" Peter asked politely like she had gotten an answer wrong and might want to consider revising.

"No," she repeated.

"Are you sure?" He straightened and smiled at her mockingly. "Because, I don't think little girls usually sleep on windowsills when they aren't waiting for someone to come through the window."

"I didn't say I wasn't waiting for you," she amended. "What I said was I wasn't ready for an adventure. You and I need to talk first."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Oh no! The princess isn't going to use her big scary words on me, is she? Please, sweet Sisters, save me!" He did a very exaggerated faint onto her bed.

Jade glared at him but ignored his little outburst. "You promised that you wouldn't let me get hurt."

"Yes, I did," Peter said, standing up again, straight as a soldier. "Quite the gentleman, aren't I."

"No, you're not. You broke your promise. You said you wouldn't let me get hurt and then you left me with those mermaids. They would have drowned me if Cadwr hadn't jumped into the water."

Peter was serious for a moment. "I find a few flaws in your reasoning. First and foremost, do not paint a picture of little Cadwr as a hero. He didn't jump over that waterfall to save your life; he jumped to win a game with his little friends, and if my memory serves me, he too left you when he had to save his own... skin. Secondly, I fail to see how any part of this story proves I ever broke a promise." He said it all quickly.

"What do you mean? It totally proves you broke your promise. You promised you wouldn't let me get hurt and then you left me with people you knew would hurt me."

"Princess, did you get hurt?"

"No, but..." Jade tried to continue, but Peter cut her off.

"And remind me again what I had promised you."

"That you wouldn't let me get hurt, but..."

"Well, it sounds to me like I promised you wouldn't get hurt and you didn't get hurt. Wow, I really am a gentleman, aren't I, protecting princesses and what not. Why, I think I deserve a medal, or maybe I'll go try to pull a sword from a stone; I hear that wins you sympathy with the ladies."

"Stop, stop, stop," Jade held up her hands, "you didn't know that I wouldn't get hurt."

"You, Princess," he tapped her on the nose before falling back gracefully onto her bed, "have absolutely no way of proving that."

"So, you're saying that I was never in any danger? That could only be true if you were watching me the whole time."

"It doesn't matter how I did it. All that matters is I kept my promise, so you can still trust me. Now, once again, are you ready for another adventure?"

"I don't believe that you were actually watching the whole time."

"Believe what you want, but now is time for adventure. So, are you coming with or do I have to see the dragon all on my own?"

Dragon was the magic word. Ever since Sehali had mentioned the dragon, Jade had been drawn to the idea. She just had to know more about them.

"Fine, but you are on thin ice, mister," she said, holding out her hand for him to take.

He pursed his lips but his eyes sparkled as he took her hand. "Quite right, milady."

"Can we see the ice dragon tonight?" she asked excitedly, her anger completely forgotten.

"If that's what milady wants, that's what we shall do," he smiled at her in earnest this time. "Are you ready to fly again? It didn't seem like you liked it too well last time."

"I loved flying!" she cried indignantly. "I just didn't like the trip back. But let's be fair, you were flying way too fast. I thought you were trying to kill us."

" _I_ was just trying to get you back before your precious king realized you weren't home and led a princess-hunt for you, terrorizing every citizen in your kingdom."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes, "just promise to not let me get hurt, and I guess we can go."

He held both of Jade's hands and looked into her eyes so intensely it made her a little uncomfortable, "Jade, I will _not_ let anyone or anything harm you." The moment was over in an instant, but it left her with an odd feeling in her stomach. She wasn't sure if it was a good feeling or a bad one, but it didn't matter because the next moment, Peter had pulled her through the open window and they were flying once more.

It was much colder this time than it had been last time. She immediately wished she had thought to bring her cloak with her. Despite her involuntary shivering, she kept her eyes wide open, watching everything on the ground below.

They were flying in a different direction and the sights were all new to her. When they flew over the pointed green tops of the forest, she could see a perfect little circle with several streams of smoke floating up where the Elves lived.

They flew over the Sisters small cottage and the river that runs alongside it. Jade thought she could see one of the Sisters waving her hands over a large pot in front of the cottage, but she couldn't be sure, they flew over the whole scene so quickly.

They flew farther south than Jade had ever been in Avalon. It was difficult to gauge distance so high up in the air, but a few minutes past the Sisters' house there was another grouping of trees similar to the Forest, but these trees were different. They weren't green like the pine trees of the forest; they were bear of all leaves. Their limbs made delicate lace patterns across the snow.

At some point, they must have turned west because Jade could see in the distance but getting closer every moment, the great fog plain that divided Avalon from Lyonés. It was an immense wall of clouds that stretched up as high as she could see, but the wall dissipated at the foot of a large mountain. It was toward the mountain that they were headed.

The trees on the mountain were once again evergreens like the ones in the Forest. Probably no other tree could survive on the mountain because of the weather. The closer they got to the mountain, the colder Jade felt. She longed for her cloak, the one she knew was lying across the foot of her bed at that moment.

Peter flew them right to the very top and brought them down gently at the base of an enormous pine tree. Once they were on the ground, he seemed to notice Jade shivering because he waved his hands in the air and out of nowhere appeared a gorgeous, purple, velvet cloak.

"You can do magic?" Jade asked in delight as he wrapped the thick cloak about her shoulders.

"She asked of the boy who just flew her to the top of Draconis Mons." He laughed as he fastened the clasp at the base of her throat.

She wrapped the cloak about herself and was instantly warm again. "Where are the dragons?" she asked as she pulled the hood up over her head.

"This way," Peter whispered, taking her hand and leading her forward.

They climbed to the top of the incline, but it was not a point like Jade expected to see at the top of a mountain. They were actually looking into a very deep, very wide crater. It looked like some giant had taken a melon baller and scooped out the tip of the mountain.

Within the crater, there was something of a split terrain. On their side, there were many bare trees covered in snow growing out of the rocky, icy ground. On the opposite side, the side they were facing, the ground was rocky as well, but it was far from icy. There seemed to be patches of something very hot splattered all about. It looked like glowing rocks; they were red hot and pulsating. Running down the middle of the two sides was an uneven strip of rocks with neither ice nor fire.

"Do you see them?" Peter asked, crouching down on the ground.

Jade crouched right next to him but wasn't sure what she should be looking at. "See what?"

He shook his head and pointed at an enormous gray and red boulder at the base of the fire side of the valley. Jade hadn't noticed it before.

As she watched, she realized that it was actually moving, pacing back and forth just at the edge of the fiery side. In a moment, Jade could make out the swish of a very long, thick tale swiping back and forth with each step the creature took. On either side of its back there were two black wings folded against its body.

The dragon had large bumps along its back that led all the way up to its head. It was hard to gauge size from such a distance, but Jade felt certain that if she had been right next to the dragon, the dragon would have been able to fit both her and Peter in its mouth several times over.

As she watched the gray and red beast, he howled in frustration and sent up an enormous plume of bright orange flame straight into the sky. She understood now why Peter had landed them amongst the snow, but what she didn't understand was what was preventing the dragon from barging over onto their side. Would the snow extinguish its flame?

"I see it," Jade whispered to Peter, "but why is it just pacing?"

"Which one?" he whispered back.

"The dragon."

He rolled his eyes, "Which dragon?"

"What do you...?" Jade trailed off as her eyes caught the movement on the white, icy side of the valley. Almost as large as its counterpart, there was another enormous dragon pacing through the ice and snow, but this one was pure white, so pale it was verging on blue.

When the fiery dragon was done sending up flames, as if to answer him, the ice dragon turned its head skyward, opened its mouth, and breathed an enormous puff of white clouds into the air.

"Faex," Peter mumbled under his breath. Without saying a word to her, he grabbed Jade around the waist and rolled with her toward the nearest evergreen. Jade couldn't even open her mouth to ask what he was doing because great mounds of snow and ice were falling into her face with every roll. They ended right up against the trunk of the tree, Jade lying flat on her back and Peter lying on top of her.

"Hey!" she finally yelled once they'd stopped rolling. "What...!"

But he cut her off. "Tace!" he whispered fiercely.

"What does that...?"

"It means stop talking."

Just as Peter was speaking, she started to hear it. He crouched over her, covering her entire face with his arms, so she couldn't see what was making the sound, but she heard it coming from all directions. It was a kind of swishing sound like the sound of a paper airplane flying over your head, but it was always accompanied by a thwack of something hitting the ground.

As suddenly as it had started, the sound stopped. Peter rolled off her, and she heard a few more quiet thwacks. She looked around. Everywhere, sticking up out of the snow, there were thin blades of what looked like glass. They sparkled in the dim starlight.

Looking up, Jade saw them woven through the branches of the tree above her. Finally, she looked at Peter, who was not paying her any attention at all. He was grimacing as he pulled at something behind his back. He grunted and gasped when it came free. He dropped it behind him, but Jade saw the splatter of red hit the white snow. She stared up at him from where she sat in the cold, wet snow, and her eyes grew round as dinner plates, and then they filled with tears.

"It's ok, Jade. I'm fine," Peter assured her even as he wiped the blood on his tattered shorts. "It was just the one, ok? It could've been way worse."

She nodded but didn't say anything.

"I swear, I'm fine," Peter repeated.

Jade nodded again, and then she finally spoke. "You saved me." It was barely more than a whisper, but she knew he had heard it.

"Don't make a big deal about it," he whined. "I was just keeping a promise."

"Why does that dragon blow glass instead of fire?" she asked, looking back into the valley where both dragons were pacing once again.

"It's not glass," he said. He grabbed one of the shards from the snow at his feet and held it out to her.

She let him drop it into her outstretched hand. It was cold and smooth as she'd expected, but the moment it touched her skin, it became slippery. She watched the water start to drip over her fingers as the shard slowly got smaller and smaller.

"It's ice," she gasped.

Peter nodded. He creeped up to the top of the valley again, and Jade followed his lead. They both lay there on their stomachs in the snow watching the dragons pace. The ground was wet with snow, but there seemed to be something magical about the cloak because although she felt the wetness of the snow seeping into her nightgown, she herself never felt cold.

"Why do they just pace?" she whispered to Peter.

"They've done that forever. Long before even I was here they've done that, so we only have the legend now." He paused like he was trying to decide whether or not to continue.

"Tell me the legend."

"I don't know..." Peter trailed off, smiling, purposefully teasing her.

"Please, tell me the story, Peter," she begged.

"Oh, all right. Because you asked like such a nice little princess," he patted her head gently. It made her blood boil, but she kept her mouth shut. "I'll tell you the story. Legend has it, long ago, the two dragons you see before you were just small little lizards. No bigger than the palm of my hand." He held out his hand to demonstrate. "They were both warm little creatures, not hot like fire nor coldblooded like a normal lizard, just warm like any other little baby animal. They were friends. Some legends say they were brother and sister; others say they were lovers. As they grew up, the two little creatures were very close. They had no one but each other for company. They lived for many hundreds of years and never really stopped growing, which is why they are as big as those monsters down there." He pointed down into the valley.

"But as they grew," he continued, "they became very competitive, always trying to beat the other one at everything. One day, the girl beat the boy at an ordinary flying race, just from one end of Avalon to the other. The boy was very sour about it, like always, and the girl had no trouble rubbing his loss in his face. She teased him and insulted him. Of course, the legends don't say what she said, but it must have been something awful because when the male dragon opened his mouth to shout something back at her, all that came out was a ball of rage so concentrated that it became a ball of fire. It unfurled its way out of his mouth like a whip. The female was light on her feet, but she was not fast enough. The fire scorched her wings off. She couldn't fly, but she ran from him as fast as she could.

"If you look, you'll see that her wings never grew back," Peter said, pointing down at the ice dragon below. Sure enough, she had wings, but they were skeletal and looked like they wouldn't support a butterfly let alone a giant beast like herself.

"The fire dragon, realizing what he had done, immediately regretted it and went in search of her. Meanwhile, the female dragon had run far from her friend. She had run straight up the Draconis Mons to the very top. When she reached the top, she fell over the edge of this pit and tumbled down to the very bottom. The walls were too steep for her to climb, and she could no longer fly, so she had no way out. She had plenty of food and water, but all she could do all day everyday was to pace and think about the fire dragon. She began to seethe, letting her own anger grow cold and turn to hate. Eventually, it stopped raining in the valley as every ounce of water turned to ice.

"When the fire dragon eventually found her, she had allowed her hatred to fester so long that the process could not be reversed. She opened her mouth to breathe fire at her friend, but instead of fire, ice shot from her mouth like arrows. The fire dragon, who still had his wings, dodged the projectiles. He came to rest on the opposite side of the valley, face to face with her.

"The moment they looked into each other's eyes, they were at a stalemate. The fire dragon could have destroyed her with one belch of flame to melt her icy scales, and the ice dragon could have destroyed him with one perfectly aimed shard of ice to the heart, but neither made the first move. The fire dragon's hot fury and the ice dragon's cold hatred were rooted so deeply now that they could never be removed, but somewhere else, rooted just as deeply if not more, was the love they had once felt for each other. That love, however distant, stops them from making the first move to kill the other. So, they pace. Forever. Neither one willing to kill the other nor let the other win."

Jade stared at the giant monsters below her. "How long have they been there?" she asked Peter.

"No one knows exactly. As long as the Nine Sisters have been here, since before King Arthur ruled the Northmanni World. Maybe since the very beginning."

Her heart felt heavy in her chest. She felt pitied these beasts. Yes, they were huge, evil creatures that would try to kill her as soon as they saw her, but the way Peter told the story, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

"Come on," Peter said, grabbing her hand again. "Let's go do something fun. Want to go swim with the mermaids again?"

"No, let's stay a little longer," Jade whined. "I want to watch the dragons."

"They're just dumb animals. They're boring. You got to see them, now let's go do something fun." He tugged on her hand, finally pulling her gaze from the monsters.

"I don't want to," Jade said, and threw his hand away.

"Well, I'm not staying here," Peter said firmly.

"You wouldn't leave me," Jade said confidently. "You promised, remember? You promised I wouldn't get hurt."

"You're right, I wouldn't leave you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit around here and do nothing all night."

Peter grabbed her hand again and pushed off roughly from the ground. Jade wanted to tell him to wait, but before she could even open her mouth, they were in the air again, soaring away from the beautiful white and red giants on the ground below. She thought she saw the red dragon open its mouth in their direction as though it were about to blow fire at them, but the next instant they were both obscured by trees, and she couldn't see fiery snout nor icy tail of them.

"Peter!" she called. She was certain he must have heard her, but if he did he ignored her and just kept flying. Possibly he didn't want to bother slowing down just to hear her clearly, but Jade thought it was more likely that he didn't want to hear what she had to say at all. She kept her mouth closed for the rest of the flight, allowing her anger to slowly rise to a boil by the time they had reached the castle once more.

When her feet touched the soft rug in her room, Jade removed her cape with one hand, flung it across the foot of her bed, and dove under the covers. Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she rested her head on the pillow and closed her eyes.

"Jade?" Peter asked uncertainly. "What are you doing?"

Without opening her eyes, she replied, "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I'm sure you don't really care anyway. You may leave now."

"Why wouldn't I care?"

Her eyes did open this time and she sat up to glare at him, "You don't really care what I want, and you don't even want to listen to what I have to say. You just want me to ooh and aah at the wonders you show me and then shut my mouth and leave you alone otherwise. Well, that's fine. And that's exactly what I'll do from now on. Shut. My. Mouth!" She spat each of the last three words at him slowly, trying to let each word soak up the venom of her fury before they hit him.

"What? All this because I wouldn't slow down to listen to what you wanted to tell me? Don't be such a girl." He crossed his arms and leaned against the window frame.

She wanted to scream she was so angry, but she knew that would wake Menelwen and possibly Sir Jack too, so instead she whispered.

"It's not just that. This is the second time that you just took me somewhere you wanted to go, didn't pay any attention to what I said or what I wanted, and then when you were done, you just took off. I'm just happy that this time you took me with you when you ran."

"You were the one who wanted to see the dragons!" he said, stepping away from the window, unable to hide his frustration under a calm exterior any longer.

"Shh!" Jade shushed him. "You and I will both be in trouble if they find you here. Why don't you just leave," she said, falling back onto the pillow and turning away from him. "I don't want to play with you anymore."

She didn't look at him again, but she could feel his absence when he left. Finally, she let the angry tears escape. She held her pillow to her face and screamed into it. That boy made her so furious. He was without a doubt the most selfish person she had ever met in her entire life. She couldn't believe anyone could be as selfish as him. She made a vow right then that she would never leave the castle with him again.

Chapter XII

Unicorn

After a few minutes of angry crying, she sat back up. She was too wound up to sleep, so she hopped out of bed and went to the window, brushing her face clean of the tears as she went. The ground was about thirty feet down. There was no way she could leave through her window, but she needed to get outside. Her anger and frustration were making her feel trapped. Quietly, she went to the door and peaked out.

Menelwen's door was open, like always, but the lights were out, so she must be sleeping. The next door was much farther down the hall and it was closed. That led to the servants hallway. Even farther down, Jade knew, was another door that led to the knights' sleeping quarters.

She ran back to her bed to grab her cloak and shoes again before returning to the door. She doubted very much if anyone would hear her tiptoeing through the castle, but fear held her foot a moment longer.

She didn't know what the penalty would be if she was found wandering the castle, or worse, the grounds, in the middle of the night.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out into the hall. She walked as quickly and quietly as she could through the castle. Along the way, she passed several closed doors but didn't hear any movement. She knew there would be two guards outside the front doors, and she guessed there would probably be someone, a servant or a guard, at the door from the kitchen into the garden. She slipped into the library and walked straight past all of the books to the very back. There was a small desk there and an even smaller window at the base of the ceiling a yard above the desk. Carefully, Jade climbed from the chair onto the desk. Standing on her toes, she could just barely peer through the window.

She undid the latch that held the window closed, letting a cold blast of wind in, and slowly hoisted herself up onto the ledge. Outside, it was about a ten foot drop to the ground. She lowered herself out of the window until she was hanging on to the outside ledge by just her finger tips, but even then she knew her feet were still several feet above the ground. She didn't look down. With another deep breath, she let her fingers slip from the ledge.

Her feet hit the ground with a sudden jarring impact that shook her teeth in her head. Her knees bent, and she fell backward, falling onto her back.

Jade didn't move for a moment, just feeling the cold air dance across her face. As she sat there, breathing in the cool night, she realized too late that, in her hurry to escape from the closing walls of the castle, she had no plan to get back inside. The window was much too high for her to reach from the ground.

he sat up straight, tasting panic at the back of her throat. Looking around herself frantically, she saw a very large boulder just a few feet away from the window.

The rock was as large as she was. She didn't stop to wonder how or why it was there; she just counted it as her first stroke of luck that evening. She jumped to her feet and ran to the rock. Even with Jade pushing against it with all her might, the rock didn't budge. She tried for several minutes to push the boulder just far enough so she could use it to climb back inside, but to no avail. She stopped, fear rising in her throat again. There was no way Jade could move the rock on her own, but maybe she didn't have to.

The Nine Sisters may not be teaching her how to use magic, but she was beginning to understand how it worked just from hearing the stories. There was magic in every part of the Land of Avalon, just waiting to be used, if she could figure out how. She remembered that day in school when Helena had dropped the tiny stone onto Edward's head. Helena had been staring, glaring at him like her gaze could physically pierce his skin. Well, Jade was staring at the rock, but it hadn't budged. Still, she couldn't just give up. She had to be missing something. She placed her hands against the rock again and closed her eyes.

While she pushed with all her might, she imagined the rock moving forward – it didn't move – she pushed with her hands while imagining a thousand warriors all pushing on this one rock – she thought she felt it shudder – a dragon was standing behind it and smashing it forward with its tail! She rolled the rock one inch forward. Jade didn't pause. It took what seemed like hours, but eventually she had rolled it far enough that, when she climbed on top of it, she could reach the windowsill once again. Finally, she stopped to gasp in some much-needed air. She hadn't realized that she'd been holding her breath until then.

Once her breathing returned to normal, she climbed up on top of the rock and peered into the library. Sufficiently satisfied that she would be able to get back into the castle whenever she was ready, she jumped down.

She looked around herself, wondering for the first time since sneaking her way through the castle what she should do next. She had the whole world, all of Avalon at her finger tips, and she didn't know what to do about it. Back at home, in the Northmanni World, Lali always had ideas for adventures. Usually her adventures ended up getting Jade in trouble, but one of those adventures was just what Jade needed. She considered going to the nest of fairies in the Forest, but she knew immediately that that was a bad idea. The fairies were tricky little creatures, but they were all incredibly loyal to the King. He had hundreds of spies amongst them who would report back to him immediately if his daughter showed up in their nest in the middle of the night. No, that would not do.

Suddenly, Jade realized what she should do. She would go back to find Cadwr, Channing, and Hugh. For one moment, she was suspended by a promise she had made.

She had promised Sir Jack that she would not go to Lyonés again. But what Sir Jack had really been worried about was her safety, and she was relatively certain that, as mean as Cadwr and Channing were to Hugh sometimes, they were just kids like herself. She didn't need to worry about other kids. She'd never heard of any evil kids. Jade walked quickly over to the stables. All of the horses were sleeping, as was the stable boy. Quietly, Jade found Arthur among the horses and stroked his nose to wake him up. He snorted once, but then followed Jade quietly out of the stable. She let him eat some hay and drink some water, but she didn't bother saddling him up. She just stepped up on a hay barrel, swung her leg over his bare back, and squeezed her knees into his sides to make him start moving. Her hands gripped his mane tightly in both fists.

It took a long time to reach the Fog Plains even by horse. It took long enough, that Jade started to worry that it was getting too late and she might not make it back before morning. But it was still completely dark. With no moon, only the twinkling stars provided light, and there wasn't even a hint of sunlight on the horizon. She should have several hours still before daylight.

As she went through the fog, the snow gradually disappeared beneath Arthur's feet. The temperature was not warming, however. If anything, it was actually getting colder.

Eventually, Jade broke through the fog and found herself at the waterfall. Steam rose slowly from the surface, and Jade was curious as to whether the water was actually warm, but it was far too cold for her to even try putting her hand in the water. Almost as soon as she had arrived at the lake, the white-haired mermaid poked her head up from the water.

"Oh, it's just you, Princess," she said disappointedly. "I was hoping Peter was coming back again. He's not with you, is he?"

"No, he's not." Jade said, swinging her leg over Arthur's back and sliding off onto the hard, frozen ground.

"Oh, that's a shame," the mermaid said and made to dive back under the water again, but Jade called after her.

"Wait! I wanted to talk to you a minute."

"Really?" the mermaid paused and looked back over her shoulder at Jade.

"Really, is that ok?"

The mermaid paused for a moment while she thought. "I guess that's ok." She swam right up onto the shore so that she was sitting with just her hip and fin resting in the water. "Want to go for a swim?"

Jade sensed the meaning behind the mermaid's words but kept her response calm. "No, not today I don't think."

"Well, what _do_ you want to do then?" She carelessly tossed her hair over her shoulder and then grinned hugely when Jade blushed at the sight of her bare breast.

Jade continued, "I wanted to ask you about Cadwr, Channing, and Hugh."

"Ooh!" the mermaid squealed. "You want to talk about boys?"

"Umm, yeah, I guess. What do you know about them?"

The mermaid motioned her closer, but Jade was hesitant to go too close to the water. She sat down in the frozen dirt still a few feet from the water. That was apparently good enough for the mermaid because she started talking.

"Well, Cadwr and Hugh are brothers, twins, except Cadwr has always acted much older than Hugh. Hugh is a bit whiny, cowardly, not fun to play with at all. Cadwr is fun to play with because he'll always play back. He'll smile at us and sometimes even bring us flowers or little presents. Now, that Channing, he's a mystery. He acts just like Cadwr, but he will never play with us. I think he and Hugh would just prefer to play with each other." She twirled a strand of hair around her finger and winked.

"How old are they?" Jade asked.

"Well, let's see. All three of them moved to Lyonés with the Queen eight years ago, so I believe that Cadwr and Hugh are ten and Channing is twelve."

Jade's heart fluttered at the mention of the Queen. "The Queen, what's her name?"

"She's just the Queen. Queen of Lyonés, I guess."

"Is she... good?" Jade asked.

"Good?" The mermaid laughed. "Sweetie, she was banished to Lyonés. They don't do that to people who are 'good.' We mermaids don't follow the tawdry details of Avalonians, but I heard she was banished for murdering her own child. Can you imagine? A mother killing her own baby? That's harsh, even for mermaids."

Jade's heart sank. She'd known her mother was probably dead for as long as she could remember, but when Channing had mentioned the Queen those weeks ago, she had felt the stirrings of hope once more. She should have known that the King wouldn't lie to her. Her mother, Queen Fay, was dead, and she would never get to meet her.

"Do you know where they are now?" Jade asked.

"Who?" the mermaid asked.

"Cadwr and Hugh."

"Well, they were here earlier. Cadwr and Channing were talking about trying to find a unicorn. I remember because they asked us if we could help them, but Mother Nimue told them, 'You will only tempt a unicorn with an _innocent_ young lady, and I don't think any of us qualify.'" The mermaid then broke down in a fit of giggles.

"Where would they have gone to catch a unicorn? Are there any in Lyonés?"

"Oh, unicorns aren't bound by the boundaries of the kingdoms. They wander wherever they want. So, yes, there probably are some in Lyonés. If I had to guess, I would guess the boys were in the Valley. It's where they like to spend most of their time when they're not here. The Queen won't go there because she thinks it's so dirty, so they never have to worry about her catching them there. Just walk in a straight line through the fog, and keep walking until the ground starts to slope down, and you'll probably be able to see them."

"Thank you," Jade said earnestly. "I really didn't expect you to be so helpful."

The mermaid laughed. "Don't expect the same help from any of my sisters. They don't like any girls, especially ones who are pretty like you." She reached as far forward as she could while still remaining partially in the lake to pull playfully on one of Jade's curls. "But I like you. You seem sweet. I don't get to meet many sweet girls around here. Anytime you want to talk about boys, come find me. I'll make sure my sisters don't drown you." She smiled an actual, sincere smile. "My name's Vivien, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Vivien," Jade said as she rose. "I'll see you later."

"Bye!" Vivien called after her as Jade mounted her horse again and took off into the fog.

Jade did not have to go far into the dried land of Lyonés before the ground began to slope downward. She could see down to the bottom of the large hill to where three small figures were standing quite still.

"Cadwr!" she yelled when she got close enough to make out the three boys' faces. "Channing! Hugh!"

Hugh smiled at her when she climbed off the horse. Cadwr and Channing also looked pleased to see her although there was something rather sinister in both of their faces.

"Amalthea!" Hugh cried with joy.

"Well, if it isn't the princess," Cadwr said, but then he threw his arm around her shoulders and started directing her toward the only tree in view. It was tall with an enormous trunk, but like all of the other trees in Lyonés, it did not have a single leaf on it. It looked dried and dead.

"You are just the person we need," Channing added excitedly as he followed them.

"Remember last time you were here, and we wanted to catch a unicorn so you could see one for the first time?" Cadwr asked her.

"Yeah," she said.

"Well, we were just trying to do that now, but it turns out there isn't anything a unicorn will come for except to rescue a beautiful young princess like yourself," Cadwr continued.

"What do you mean rescue?" Jade asked hesitantly.

"I think you know exactly what we mean," Cadwr said, tightening his arm around her shoulders.

"Wait... I don't think I want to..." Jade tried to turn around, but Cadwr was too strong.

"We won't hurt you, Amalthea," Channing said even as he grabbed her wrists, "but unicorns are really smart. They will know if you actually need help or if you're just faking, so we have to make this as real as possible."

"No, please..." Jade was starting to panic even before Channing wound a thick rope around the trunk of the tree.

Holding her back against the tree, Channing tied one end of the rope to her right hand and Cadwr tied the other end to her left. She struggled and lashed out, but the older boys were too powerful for her.

"Hugh! Help me! Please!" Jade cried out to the other boy, but he just looked on sadly and didn't do or say a single thing.

"Amalthea," Cadwr said firmly, coming to stand right in front of her, "we are going to disappear for a minute..."

"No!"

"Hush," he said calmly. "We won't be far. We just have to give the unicorn time to find you."

"Please," Jade begged, looking up into the older boy's brown eyes. They were eyes that Jade thought should hold some kindness, but all they held at that moment was impatience. "Please, don't leave me tied to a tree."

Channing, standing beside Cadwr, reached out a hand to rest on her shoulder. "It will be fine, Amalthea. All you have to do is wait. Nothing is going to hurt you."

"Come on, Channing." Cadwr started walking away, and Jade started out right bawling. She was more terrified than she'd ever been in her life. All she could think of was the ice dragon and her knives of ice. What if she or her fire-breathing counterpart came after her before the unicorn could find her? She'd be a goner for sure.

"Cadwr," Channing grabbed Cadwr's arm as he turned, but dropped it with the look he gave him. Still, he continued speaking. "She's just a kid. Are you sure about this?"

"I've already got two crybabies on my hands," Cadwr said gesturing to Jade and Hugh separately, "don't you turn into one too."

Channing straightened, and standing up tall he was at least half a foot taller than Cadwr. "I'm fine. Let's go."

The two boys started walking away again. Channing grabbed Hugh's arm and pulled him along, and Cadwr led Arthur away by the reins. The boys walked around the tree, and Jade lost sight of them. She cried out to them again, but either they were out of earshot or they ignored her.

Jade was stuck there. She had never felt so helpless or hopeless. Her arms were spread wide the way they had been tied, and her cloak was not keeping her near as warm as before. She soon began shivering.

She tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn't stop a few from rolling down her cheeks. When the wind blew across her face, the trails they left were so bitterly cold they burned, which only made her tear up more.

She knew she should be trying to think her way out of this, but her chest was so tight with fear that it drew her complete attention. That fear wouldn't let her do anything besides stand there, arms spread, head down, crying quietly.

She didn't know how long she had been there when she heard a crunch that made her look up. Standing a dozen yards away from her was a tall, slender black horse. In the middle of her forehead, just below her ears, sprouting out from her hair was one long, shining silver horn.

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, and the little bit of sunlight made the horn glimmer like vapor. Beside the one horn, she looked exactly like a very beautiful black horse. The mane that grew long and covered her forehead and neck was dark as midnight, and her tail was the same color. It swished back and forth as she looked around.

"No!" Jade called to her. "Go away!"

The unicorn cocked her head to one side as though listening and then took another step toward Jade.

"No!" Jade called again, but the horse just sped up.

She trotted over to the tree and stopped just in front of Jade. Leaning her head down close to Jade's, she sniffed her hair. She snorted, and Jade felt the hot air on her face and neck. It made the frozen tears burn again, but then they melted away.

"Please, go away," she whispered to the unicorn. "They'll be back soon and they just want to capture you."

The unicorn stepped away and looked at her face. Their eyes connected for one moment, and Jade thought that maybe the animal understood. She turned immediately and galloped away. But the next moment, Jade realized what had really scared her off because, from not too far away, she heard someone calling her name.

"Amalthea!"

Jade turned her head to the left and saw Sir Jack on horseback racing toward her. From her right, she heard the boys running again. They appeared by her side, Arthur still following.

"You told Jack what we were doing!" Cadwr accused, glaring at Jade.

"No way!" Channing joined Cadwr in the glare.

"She couldn't have," Hugh piped up from behind them. The two older boys turned their glares toward him, but he still whispered, "She didn't know what the plan was."

They couldn't say anymore because that was when Sir Jack arrived on the scene.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Sir Jack demanded as he dismounted. He rushed to Jade's side and untied first her left and then her right wrists. She collapsed to the ground, physically and emotionally spent. Sir Jack picked her back up and set her on her feet, supporting her with both hands in case she would fall again.

"Well?" he demanded again. "What do you think you're doing? Kidnapping the King's daughter?! Could you be any more stupid?!"

"We didn't kidnap her!" Cadwr cried in resentment. "She found us!"

"So, you tied her to a tree?"

After a great pause, Cadwr pointed accusingly at Channing, "It was his idea!"

"No, it wasn't!" Channing shouted.

Cadwr and Channing broke to fighting then, both talking over each other and each one shouting louder than the other.

"Tace!" Sir Jack yelled. Both Channing and Cadwr went silent immediately. "You three, go home," he said firmly. "I need to take the Princess back before the King finds out she's gone, or he might just start an all-out war."

"You didn't tell my father?" Jade looked up at the knight hopefully. Maybe the King would never know that she snuck out of the castle.

"No," Sir Jack said, turning now to her, "and it will be best for all of us if he never finds out."

He grabbed Jade around the middle then and set her up on top of her horse. "Don't you fall off or then there will be no hiding this from your father."

"How did you know I was here?" Jade asked him.

"Vivien," was all he said. Then he turned to the boys. "Go home, now! And don't think this is the end of this. We are going to talk about this just as soon as the Princess is safe."

The boys took off running as Sir Jack mounted his own horse.

"We will have to be fast, Jade. Please, just follow me and don't ask questions. I know this land much better than you."

He started riding directly into the rising sun, and Jade followed him.

The sun was not as bright as it normally was at daybreak, and Jade realized as they raced over the hard land, that that was because they were seeing it through the screen of fog. They were both pushing their horses, but Jade was faster. As they neared the Fog Plains, she overtook Sir Jack. He called for her to wait, but she knew where she was going, and she was anxious to get home.

She raced onward despite Sir Jack's call from behind. Just as the snow was starting to appear on the ground again, Arthur stopped, almost throwing Jade forward over his head. She gripped his body tightly with her knees and clung to his mane to keep herself from falling. She saw what had made him stop so suddenly. In front of them was a line of knights on horses, and in the middle was none other than the King himself.

She gasped and waited for him to yell at her, but all he said was, "Amalthea, you're all right." He dismounted his horse, and Jade swiftly slid off her as well.

The moment she fully understood that he wasn't angry and was just happy to see her safe and well, she rushed to him, throwing her arms around his knees and finally let out a fresh wave of tears.

Behind her, she heard a horse approaching slowly and knew Sir Jack had caught up to her, but she didn't turn around. The King reached down, and gently picked her up. She knew she was much too old now to be carried like a child, but the King seemed to have no problem as he cradled her against his chest, and she liked feeling the strength of his arms and chest protecting her. She still didn't look at Sir Jack because even though the King wasn't angry with her, she knew Sir Jack still would be.

"Jack," the King said. With her ear pressed to his chest, Jade could feel his deep voice rumble through her whole body, and he no longer sounded relieved. "Explain yourself."

Jade looked up now. She looked at Sir Jack who had dismounted his horse and was standing in front of the row of knights, none of whom looked pleased to see him. She didn't understand. She was the one who had run away.

Sir Jack took a deep breath before he started talking. "I woke in the night when I thought I heard a sound in the Princess's room." He spoke very calmly like he was just giving the King a daily report of the happenings of Avalon, but Jade thought she heard something small hiding behind the calm. "When I went to her room to investigate, I found her window had blown open, but the Princess was nowhere to be found. I immediately went to the stables, and, when I saw her favored horse was gone, I feared she had run to Lyonés."

"Why would you think that?" the King asked.

"She had asked me about it some weeks ago. I thought she was just curious, but she is an adventurous child, and I feared she had gone to sate her curiosity, but it is a dangerous place, and I knew she could be hurt," he explained.

The King thought for a moment, and then said, "Continue."

"Well, I found her, and was bringing her back to the palace, but she must have been over excited as she allowed her horse to speed ahead of mine."

The King was quiet for a long moment. "That is the whole story?"

"Yes, sir," Sir Jack said.

"Arrest him," the King said to the guard next to him who quickly swung off his horse and went for Sir Jack.

"Sir?" Sir Jack looked at the King bewildered.

"For kidnapping the Princess," the King finished.

"Your majesty, please," Sir Jack protested even as the guard bound his wrists.

"King, Father," Jade said quietly so the other knights did not hear. "He did not kidnap me. It was just like he said. I wanted to go to Lyonés myself."

The King looked at her gently, "It does not matter, Amalthea." Then he turned his head to Sir Jack and spoke louder so the entire company would hear. "This is clearly not the whole story. You are lying to your King. On top of that, the moment you found the Princess missing, you should have alerted me or your commanding officer. Princess Amalthea was in danger. Do you understand that?" the King finished in a fury.

"Yes, sir," Sir Jack said, staring straight ahead but not looking at the King.

"This is not your first offense, is it, Jack Ernest?" the King asked, reclaiming his calm composure.

"No, sir, but..." Sir Jack could not finish because the King continued over him.

"This is not even your first offense of sneaking into the forbidden land of Lyonés, is it not?"

"No, sir."

"The last time this happened, you swore to me you would never set foot in that kingdom, nor have any contact with any of its inhabitants ever again, is that right?"

"Yes, sir."

The King stood up straight, even while holding Jade. "Jack Ernest Bradley, you are here by stripped of your title as Knight of the Round Table and banished from this kingdom. You may not return to the castle or any other place here. You will be escorted to the portal immediately, and you are forbidden from entering this kingdom from now until your dying day."

"But Father..." Jade tried to reason with the King, tugging lightly on his shirt to get his attention.

"Amalthea," he spoke quietly again, just to her, "You cannot save your friend. I'm sorry, but we have these rules for a reason and they can be broken only so many times. That is the end of it." He set her on her feet and turned to the knight on his right. His name was Sir Galeron, Jade thought.

"Please take the Princess back to the castle. Make sure she finds Menelwen before you leave her," the King told him.

Jade looked over her shoulder at Sir Jack as Sir Galeron put her on top of his horse. She realized suddenly that this might be the last time in her life that she saw him.

"Sir Jack!" she called out suddenly. She slid off of the horse and ran to him. He kneeled so that she could throw her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Jade," he whispered back. "I am the one who got myself into this mess."

Sir Galeron was at her shoulder again, and when she wouldn't allow him to pull her away from Sir Jack, he picked her up and carried her back to the horse. She didn't take her eyes off of Sir Jack until the knight kicked the horse into motion. That was the last time she ever saw Sir Jack.

Chapter XIII

Visitors

The castle seemed empty without Sir Jack. As soon as she and Sir Galeron arrived at the castle, she stood her ground in the snow in front of the castle and refused to move. He had to pick her up and carry her to the kitchen were Menelwen was. She was silent as Sir Galeron explained to Menelwen what had happened.

Menelwen knelt down in front of Jade and cradled her face in her hands. "Princess, I'm so sorry. I know he was your friend, but you cannot go against the King. What he says is the law. If he says that Sir Jack is a bad man, then he is."

"No," Jade said stubbornly. "The King is wrong."

Menelwen smiled sadly. "What can I do for you, my child?"

"Nothing."

Menelwen nodded and rose. "Well, stay in the castle. It won't help anyone if you go running off again."

Jade turned and ran out of the kitchen door. She heard Menelwen talking to the knight as she left, but she ignored them. She ran right to the enormous entry. Pushing on the giant oak doors, she could open one just enough to squeeze out. She didn't run away though. She just went to the steps and sat down. She was determined to wait for the King. Within moments, Sir Galeron stepped outside. He didn't say a word to her, just stood by her side and waited.

That was what the King came home to: Jade sitting on the castle steps in her nightgown and velvet cloak, wet from the snow, with the knight guarding her. He waved Sir Galeron into the castle with him but ignored Jade completely. That was when she ran upstairs, threw open her window, and waited for Peter to return. He didn't.

The weeks went by and Jade did not see Peter, Cadwr, Hugh, or Channing again. She was not allowed out of the castle for any reason, even to go to school. She didn't dare sneak out at night again, and Peter had stopped coming to her window.

When it first happened, all anyone in the castle could talk about was Sir Jack, but as time passed, the whole castle seemed to forget him. Even Jade slowly thought about him less and less.

Nothing she said to the King would convince him that he was wrong. He was never angry at Jade, but after a few days of her begging him at every chance to bring Sir Jack back, the King grew irritated and told her not to bring the former knight up again.

Even though she was furious with the King and knew without a doubt he was wrong, Jade couldn't disobey the direct order from her father.

When Jade stopped bringing up the incident, she slowly gained back some of her freedom. She now had to have a knight and guard with her at all times whenever she left the castle, but the King did allow her to go to school again and to help with preparations for the Winter Solstice.

"It's a celebration of light," Menelwen explained when Jade asked her about it. "The Solstice marks the first day that the length of day starts getting longer. Every day, we will have a little more sunlight until the Summer Solstice."

It was very similar, as Jade had first suspected, to the Christmas festivities at home. The family gathered together, they ate together, and they sat around the fire together and opened presents. The King even asked Jade in the weeks leading up to the event what she wanted for her gift.

"Can it be anything I want?" Jade asked. They were sitting at the dinner table on one of the rare nights when the King had the time to sit down and eat with her.

"Anything your heart desires," the King said and then paused. "Of course, that doesn't include anything that might be dangerous to a young princess."

Jade thought for a moment. "Earlier today, when I was coming back from school, I saw some of the boys playing in the yard. They were fighting with swords."

The King frowned. "They weren't playing, Amalthea. Those are the knights' boys. The ones old enough to be out of school. They were training for their role as guards one day. I believe they all hope to become knights, like their fathers."

Jade nodded, digesting the new information. "Do they ever train girls to use swords?"

"Amalthea Gwendolyn, why on Avalon's green land would you want to learn how to wield a sword?" the King asked incredulously.

Jade shrank down in her chair. "I just..." she trailed off. After a moment, she began again. "It just looks like it would be fun. It would be an adventure, to learn how to swordfight."

"Swords are not for fun. They are for protection, and you will never need to protect yourself. You will always have someone there to protect you. I believe swords would fall into the category of dangerous for a young princess, anyhow."

"It wouldn't have to be sharp," Jade insisted. "I've seen the boys play – practice," she amended quickly with a look from her father. "They hit each other and don't get hurt."

The King was quiet for several seconds. "I will consider it."

That was the last word on the subject. Neither the King nor Jade brought up the topic of presents again.

Still, Jade was excited for the winter festivities. It wasn't just Avalon that was going to be celebrating the holiday either, at least not this year. The King had invited another royal family to visit for the celebrations. King Vidar, his wife, and their children were coming to stay at the castle. Jade didn't like the idea of having another prince and princess in the castle. She got along very well with the other children in the Hamlet and even the children of knights who lived in the castle, but she wasn't sure what royal children would be like. She wasn't sure if they would want to go out and play in the snow or if they would want to sit by the fire and talk about boring stuff like the King always wanted to do. She'd be expected to stay with them all the time they were there, and because they were the guests, she would have to do whatever they wanted.

The day before the Solstice was when they were supposed to arrive. The King had to ride out to greet them, and the portal had to be opened specially for them. Jade waited in the fancy sitting room for them to arrive at the castle.

Menelwen had made her a special dress for the occasion, and she had another new one for tomorrow night as well. The dress she wore now was a very pale shade of yellow. There was nothing incredibly fancy about it, but the gold shoes she had to wear with it pinched her feet terribly. Menelwen had to keep telling her to put them back on.

At first, she wondered around the room idly looking at all the things in there. She was not usually allowed in this room because there were so many breakable treasures. Finally, she stopped in front of the small bookshelf. It could not even compare to the number of books in the library, but they were different books. Sir Erec, who was there to watch her, pulled down a dark green book with golden pages for her, and she sat on the floor by the fire, flipping the pages and pouring over the words.

She had actually completely forgotten about the visitors by the time the doors to the room opened. Immediately she looked up and closed the book. She stood up quickly, knowing that a princess probably shouldn't be sitting on the floor by the fire, even to read a book, and secretly hoped she didn't have any ash on her dress or face. She slipped the golden shoes back on her feet as inconspicuously as she could.

She looked at the people who had just entered. The King led the way. Following him was a beautiful woman with long golden blonde hair that reached past her waist. She was dressed in a dull yellow dress that reminded Jade of the color of the old gold plates in the armory that needed a good shining. Still, the woman, who had to be Queen Liselotte, was striking, tall and blonde with piercing blue eyes.

King Vidar followed her into the room. He was dressed in grey pants and shirt with yellow trimmings the same color as the Queen's dress. He had brown hair and eyes, but he was also very handsome.

"Amalthea," her father said. His eyes narrowed she he saw her sitting by the fire, but he didn't say anything about it. "I want to introduce you to King and Queen Vidar Odinson. Your majesties, this is my daughter, Princess Amalthea Gwendolyn Pendragon."

Jade bent her knees, bowed her head, and curtsied just like she had practiced with Menelwen.

The Queen examined her closely, her face pinched, but then it broke into a smile. "Why, Henry, she is even more beautiful than you described."

"Yes," King Vidar said as he looked at Jade. "And reading a book, that is a very good sign. Tell me, Princess, do you like to read?"

Jade looked to her father, who nodded. "Yes, I love to read, but I like it much better to hear stories from other people."

"Amalthea, this is Prince Freyr Odinson," her father continued.

Prince Freyr, Jade knew, was one year older than her, but he was at least a head taller. His face looked just like his father's, but he had his mother's golden hair and blue eyes.

"Hello, Prince Freyr," Jade said, curtsying to him too.

"Princess Amalthea," he said and bowed to her as well.

"And this is Princess Sylvi," the King motioned to a small girl half hiding behind Queen Liselotte.

Princess Sylvi was a perfect replica of her mother except the color of her long braid, which was her father's. She was several years younger than Jade, but she was incredibly beautiful. Dressed in a white dress, she looked like a little angel.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sylvi," Jade curtsied yet again to the little princess.

"It's nice to meet you too, Princess Amalthea," Sylvi curtsied too. "I like to read too. Maybe you can show me your library?"

Jade smiled widely. "Oh, yes! I'd love to!"

The King cleared his throat. "Maybe another time, Amalthea. I'm sure our guests are tired and hungry. If you'll follow our maid," he said, motioning to Menelwen, "she will lead you to the dining room. Our chef has a wonderful meal planned for your arrival."

Menelwen didn't say a word. She curtsied to the royal family, and then led the way through a door into the formal dining room. The King put a hand on Jade's shoulder to stop her from going first. They let the other royal family go first into the dining room and followed after them. The King sat at the head of the table. King Vidar sat to his right and the Queen to his left. Jade sat in between Queen Liselotte and Princess Sylvi, and Prince Freyr sat next to King Vidar.

"I hope your staff didn't go to too much trouble, especially with the holiday tomorrow. I'm sure they will have plenty of cooking to do," the Queen said.

_No, they won't_ , Jade thought, but she kept her mouth shut, letting the King answer since he was really the one Queen Liselotte talking to.

"Actually," the King said, "it is part of our Solstice tradition that the royal family does the cooking on the day of celebration. Amalthea and I will be having some help from the staff tomorrow since it is just the two of us, and of course we will not serve the meal, but servants who normally cook will have a good amount of time off to enjoy the sunlight."

"Really?" King Vidar asked incredulously. "What an odd tradition."

"What other things do you do?" Prince Freyr piped in. His father glared at him, but Jade thought it was a good question.

"Amalthea, why don't you tell them a little bit about the Winter Solstice? This is Amalthea's first year being here for the winter holiday too." The King looked at her with meaning.

Jade swallowed her mouthful of food and tried to recall everything Menelwen had told her about the holiday.

"Well, the royal family prepares the meal, and all the children spend the day in the sun, playing in the snow and skating on the frozen pond. Then, in the evening, after dinner, the family and their guests gather around the fire. Everyone stays up until the fire has completely burned itself out. Then, everyone collects their own little bottle of ashes from the fire because the ashes will have magical protective charms for the whole next year until the next Winter Solstice." She looked to the King again. "And, that's it, I think."

He smiled kindly at her. "Yes, I think you covered it all. Thank you, Amalthea."

"Yes, thank you Princess," the Queen said, "very helpful."

King Vidar turned to the King. "Now, why is this your Princess's first Winter Solstice here? Did she not grow up here?"

Jade didn't like how he was asking about her, but he wasn't talking to her; he was asking the King. Still, she knew she would be punished for speaking out of turn in front of the guests, so she stayed quiet and let the King answer again.

"Amalthea was fostered by her aunt in Northmanni, the Middle World, for her first eight years," the King explained. "It has given her a unique perspective on our customs and traditions."

"Really?" Queen Liselotte said, turning to Jade this time instead of the King. "Why, that is absolutely fascinating. Tell me, Princess, what was it like living with the humans?"

Jade looked to the King first to verify she would not get in trouble by responding.

Then she said, "I loved it, but I hated it too. I loved my Aunt Anna, and I really miss her sometimes, and I loved my grandma and grandpa and my old house. Aunt Anna used to tell me the most wonderful stories. I hated the other kids though. They didn't like me like the kids do here. They laughed at me and made fun of me because I believed in magic. I hated that I was right and they were wrong, but I couldn't prove it to them. It was awful."

"Ah," King Vidar said knowingly. "'It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.' Amalthea, are you familiar with this writer? He is one from the Middle World."

"No sir," Jade said quietly.

"Freyr?" King Vidar turned to his son.

"It is Charles Dickens." Prince Freyr said confidently.

"Correct, and Sylvi, what was the marvelous novel, written by Mr. Charles Dickens, from which this quote comes?" King Vidar said, turning to his daughter.

Princess Sylvi was quiet for a moment, and then she looked down at her empty plate and mumbled quietly, "I'm sorry, Father. I don't know."

"That's quite all right, Sylvi," King Vidar said kindly. "I know you prefer your fairy tales and love stories to the classics, even the Middle World classics. I'm sure Princess Amalthea is quite the same."

"Actually, I don't really like love stories. They're always so predictable," Jade said without thinking. The King gave her a stern look from the head of the table, and she didn't say another word until the food came.

After that, most of the conversation was about the festivities planned for the next day and how the journey was and what's going on in the other kingdoms and stuff like that.

It wasn't anything very interesting to Jade, so it was easy enough to keep her mouth shut. Jade knew that grownups didn't want to be bothered by kids talking, and that was why she wasn't supposed to talk unless she was given permission, but Menelwen never seemed to mind her talking, and she was a grownup. And Sir Jack had never minded her talking, and he was a grownup too. Maybe it was just kings who don't like to hear kids talk. Although, when Jade was paying attention, which really wasn't all that frequently, it seemed like the King and King Vidar were the ones talking most of the time. Queen Liselotte would chime in occasionally, but mostly she just sat back and listened like the kids. Maybe it was that kings didn't really like to hear anyone talk, but they couldn't stop other kings from talking too.

It wasn't until the servants began to clear away the dessert dishes that the conversation turned back to the children.

"I don't think you ever mentioned," Queen Liselotte said, speaking to the King but looking at Jade, "why it was that you sent Princess Amalthea to be fostered in the Middle World. Was it that you _wanted_ her to have a unique perspective on your kingdom? A perspective from fresh eyes, so to speak?"

"Not exactly. It is actually quite a long story. Perhaps one best saved for when the children are in bed," the King said.

"I'm not sleepy," Jade was lying, but the mention of this story really had perked her up a bit from her position of practically falling asleep in her pie.

"Nor I," said Prince Freyr quickly. Then he smiled at her, and Jade realized that he was covering for her. She had spoken out of turn again.

"Well," the King said, rubbing his wrist. "The short story is that when Amalthea's mother died, there was some concern about her safety in Avalon. The Nine Sisters, our seers, believed that she would be safer with her aunt, her mother's sister, in a world without magic, and I agreed."

"That's right," Queen Liselotte said quietly. "We'd of course heard of your wife, but I had nearly forgotten. Such a sad tale, and poor little Amalthea, never knowing her mother." The Queen patted Jade's hand softly.

"That's ok, your majesty, don't be sad for me. I had my Aunt Anna. She was just like a mom to me."

The Queen smiled at her. "I am so glad for that."

The silence that followed was awkward. The King was the one to break it when he reminded them that it was time for children to be in bed. Menelwen took Jade up to her room and the others were led to their guest rooms by other servants.

"How do you like your guests?" Menelwen asked as she was tucking Jade into bed.

"They're ok, I guess." Jade shrugged. "I didn't really get to play with Prince Freyr and Princess Sylvi. I think they both like to read though, or at least, they both read, which is kind of like me, so maybe we will get along. Do you think they'll want to have adventures?"

"Ammie," Menelwen chided, " _you_ shouldn't be having adventures. Don't you go pulling those two children into your crazy fantasies. You'll get yourself in trouble, and you'll get them in trouble. Best just to follow what your father says and leave the adventuring to your books."

Jade sighed and folded her arms across her chest. Menelwen didn't understand, but Jade was used to that by now. She knew Menelwen was only worried about her safety, but she sure could make things boring.

"Will you tell me a bedtime story?" she pleaded, suddenly forgetting about the whole adventuring thing.

"Oh, Princess, it is late. You should already be a sleep," Menelwen protested.

"Please," Jade begged, taking one of Menelwen's dainty hands in both of hers. "I promise I'll go to sleep right after."

"How about a compromise?" Menelwen suggested, "I'll sing you a lullaby instead."

Jade considered for a moment. "Ok, I guess that would be fine."

"Good, now, any requests?" Menelwen asked, spreading Jade's blanket smooth across her stomach.

"You knew my mother, right?"

"Yes," Menelwen said slowly.

"Were there any songs that she really liked?" Jade asked hopefully. The discussion at dinner had made her curious all over again.

Menelwen thought for a moment. "There is one song she used to sing to the other children when she was still here. Would you like me to sing it for you?"

"Yes, please." Jade snuggled down with her head resting on the soft pillow, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Menelwen cleared her throat and then began to sing a song about flowers and kings and queens. The tune was very simple, and it quickly had Jade dropping into dreams.

Chapter XIV

Winter Solstice

Jade woke up with the sun falling lazily across her face. Remembering what day it was, she sat up like a bolt of lightning. Throwing the covers off of her legs, she jumped out of bed. The stone floor was ice cold beneath her feet, but she didn't let that stop her as she rushed across her room to the door. It was open a jar, but Jade flung it wide. She paused just for a moment at the threshold, checking to see if anyone was in the hall. When she saw no one, she ran to the door just down the hall and knocked quickly three times. Almost immediately, Menelwen opened the door. She was already dressed with her hair pulled back.

"It's today! It's today! It's today!" Jade cried gleefully as she threw open her arms.

"It is today!" Menelwen smiled and scoped Jade up in a hug. "Come on, let's get you dressed and ready for breakfast."

Menelwen had made Jade a special dress for the festivities in the evening, but for the day time, Jade just wore one of her old dresses.

This one had long sleeves and was very loose fitting, which Jade liked because it gave her space to move underneath. What she didn't like about this dress in particular was that the skirt fell all the way to the floor, just covering her toes. She would have to pull it up anytime she wanted to run, but Menelwen insisted on it.

"Princesses shouldn't be running anyway," she said when Jade complained. "Just ask Princess Sylvi. I'm sure she never runs."

The dress was a pale yellow to reflect the celebration of the return of the light.

Just as soon as Menelwen was done braiding Jade's hair, Jade was off and running down the hall, her skirt hiked up to her knees.

"Amalthea," Menelwen called sternly to her.

Jade slowed to a walk, dropped the hem several inches to be at a level with her ankles, and looked back for Menelwen's approval.

"Much better," Menelwen said as she caught up to Jade.

Jade couldn't wait to get to the dining room, and every step felt like it took a hundred years. When they finally made it there, King Vidar and Queen Liselotte were already seated, as was Princess Sylvi. Prince Freyr must have still been asleep. Jade paused when she entered to curtsey to the family.

"Good morning, your majesties," she said as sweetly as she could, secretly hoping they wouldn't want to talk to her so she could get into the kitchens.

"Good morning, Princess," King Vidar said to her politely.

No one said anything else, so Jade quickly hurried through the door to the kitchen. She had been in the kitchen many times before but never during the hustle and bustle of a meal.

People were everywhere, but it was her father she searched for, and she found him quickly standing at a large stove, stirring something around in a large pot.

"What's that?" Jade asked, trying to peer into the pot, but she was too short and the stove was too high.

"I've been demoted to porridge duty," the King explained, and then he leaned down to whisper to Jade, "I burnt the toast, and apparently my eggs left something to be desired."

Jade giggled. Thinking about the King being bad at anything was incredibly funny.

"Princess Amalthea," a large man dressed all in white said as he approached her. Jade knew this man from her other ventures in the kitchens. His name was Louis, and he was the head chef. "We are just about ready to serve your guests. Would you help us bring the food out?"

"Oh, ok," Jade said, all her enthusiasm vanishing. "I actually wanted to help cook."

Louis smiled at her, "Don't worry, Princess. We will need all the help we can have to cook dinner, but for now, the most important thing you can do is help us get the food to the hungry royalty out there. Take it from me, royal families don't like to be kept waiting, especially when they're hungry."

The King grunted something, and Louis winked at Jade who giggled again, her enthusiasm restored.

Menelwen tied a white apron around her waist to stop her from spilling food on her dress, and then she began taking food out. Other servants of course carried plates out as well so in no time at all, the dining table was well laden with eggs cooked in every way imaginable, potatoes, porridge, toast, marmalade, bacon, sausages, and a great deal of other delicious foods.

Once all of the food was out, the King and Jade took their places at the table. Prince Freyr had come down by that point, and he sat next to Jade.

"Why, Henry, Amalthea, this is quite splendid," Queen Liselotte exclaimed once they had tasted the food.

"Thank you, Lottie," the King said.

"We didn't actually cook most of it," Jade admitted.

"Well, please tell your chef that it is delicious," the Queen said, smiling.

"I will," Jade said happily. "Chef Louis said I could help cook dinner."

"Very good," the Queen said.

"Amalthea," the King said, "I thought that perhaps, after breakfast, you would like to give Prince Freyr a tour of our kingdom."

"What a splendid idea," King Vidar said so quickly Jade wondered if he hadn't known about this plan beforehand. "Freyr has never been here before, and I'm sure he would enjoy a chance to see the kingdom. Would you not, Freyr?"

Prince Freyr was busy with his sausages, but he hastily swallowed when his father addressed him. "Yes, Father. I would appreciate that."

"Good," King Vidar said. "And, it will give you two a chance to get to know each other better."

"Can I go?" Princess Sylvi asked.

Queen Liselotte was sitting next to her and put her arm around the young princess's shoulders. "I think it is better if you stay here with me and your father."

"Why can't I go?" Princess Sylvi asked, a touch of whining creeping into her voice.

"You're too young, Sylvia, and that is that," King Vidar said sternly.

Princess Sylvi looked down at her plate, and Jade thought her eyes might be filling with tears.

"It's alright, Sylvi," her mother said soothingly. "Maybe next time you can go."

They all finished breakfast relatively quickly after that, and Jade led Prince Freyr to the stables. Sir Erec was assigned to be their chaperone, so he and one of the royal guards came too. As they walked, they talked although Jade found fairly quickly that she and Freyr did not have much in common.

"This snow is quite awful," Freyr said as they approached the stable.

"I think it's lovely," Jade said, scooping up a handful snow to throw into the air. She watched it float lazily back to the ground. Freyr stepped away from her so as not to get hit by the falling snow. "Have you never seen snow before?" Jade asked curiously.

"Of course I have," Freyr said, standing up very tall. "I have seen it in the Middle World, but we do not have such a nuisance in Olympus."

They reached the stables then, and Jade quickly went to find Nate, the stable boy. A servant had been sent before breakfast, so Nate already had Jade's horse, Arthur, Sir Erec's horse, Edmund, and a spare horse saddled and ready to go.

"This is Egbert," Nate said, indicating the third horse. "He's a very gentle horse."

"Do you ride much at home?" Jade asked.

Freyr smiled confidently, "Of course, I ride the fastest horse in the realm. I'm sure little Egbert here will do though."

He reached out a hand a little too quickly to stroke Egbert's nose and the horse snorted. Freyr jumped back a step, and Jade laughed. She stopped quickly at the look on Freyr's face, which was quickly turning scarlet, but she couldn't stop smiling.

"Don't worry, Prince. His snort is worse than his buck," Jade said playfully. Based on the color of his face, the prince was not amused.

She allowed Nate to help her up onto Arthur's back. Her cloak draped across his rump, and she pulled it around her arms once again. It was the thick velvet cloak Peter had given her the last time she had seen him. Once she was settled, she reached forward to stroke Arthur's neck lovingly as she waited for Freyr and Sir Erec to be ready.

"Ready, Princess," Sir Erec said once he and Freyr were both seated on their horses.

"Ok, let's go slow, at least right now," Jade said. She thought she heard Freyr sigh behind her. If you could hear someone rolling their eyes, that's what Freyr's sigh sounded like. When she turned her head to look at him though, he was smiling.

"Lead the way, Princess," he said.

She turned forward again and started them off just walking to the Hamlet on the western side of the castle. As they rode through the streets, people (mostly children) came out to see them. Jade recognized most of them from school. She waved to them and called out many greetings. Freyr was very quiet the entire time; Jade could almost forget he was there.

Once they were out of the Hamlet, Jade decided they should head south to the forest so he could see the Elven Village. As they were riding, Freyr came up beside her. She didn't look at him.

"So, your kingdom is fun and all, but do you want to do something more exciting?" he said, quietly enough that the guard and Sir Erec, riding a few feet behind them, wouldn't hear.

Jade glanced cautiously over her shoulder before responding in the same whisper, "Like what?"

"I don't know. This is your kingdom, not mine, but you've got to have something more interesting to do than just watch a bunch of kids fawn all over their princess."

"What?" Jade said indignantly. "They were not fawning all over me!"

Freyr really did roll his eyes this time, and Jade could see it. "I get it. They all love you here. I'm sold. You don't have to show me a bunch of other villages where they all love you too."

"Well, yes they like me. But I'm their princess. They kind of have to like me."

"Trust me, they don't," Freyr said, straightening up again. "My people don't love me. They think I'm an asni, and I'm only ten. Just think what they'll say about me when I'm an adult."

Jade didn't know what an asni was, but judging by Freyr's tone of voice, it was not something good. "What's an asni?"

Freyr glanced sideways at her before answering. "Well, literally it means a donkey."

"Why would they call you a donkey?" Jade asked.

"Because, they think I should be like you, friends with everybody, but I don't like people. So, I keep to myself, don't go out, stay in the castle, and they think that means I think I'm better than them. So they don't like me."

" _Do_ you think you're better than them?"

He glanced at her again. "Well, I am a prince, and they are peasants."

"Doesn't that get lonely?" Jade asked.

"Lonely?" Freyr repeated the word like he didn't understand its meaning.

"I mean," Jade continued, "don't you have any friends?"

"Princes don't need friends," Freyr said, sitting as tall as he could in his saddle. "Now, do you want to do something fun, or not?"

Jade thought about it. That's when she realized that there wasn't really anything exciting left in Avalon. Everything had been new and exciting when she'd arrived a few months ago, but it had lost its appeal somehow.

"I could introduce you to the Nine Sisters," Jade offered. "They can predict your future."

"Predict the future? Like, they can tell you what's going to happen to you?" Freyr seemed interested in the idea.

"Yeah, like it's tradition for the Queen of Avalon to take any new royal baby born to the Sisters, and they make a prediction about the baby's impact on the kingdom."

"What was yours?" Freyr asked.

"Mine?"

Jade almost didn't tell him. She felt like she shouldn't, like it was something private or something secret maybe. But it wasn't private or secret, and there really wasn't any harm in him knowing.

"My prophecy was that I would face a lot of stuff in my future, but that if I could get past it I would be the only one best King of Avalon."

Freyr didn't say anything at first. He finally said, "Yeah, let's go see them."

Jade changed the direction they were headed slightly west, but they kept going at the same speed, very slow.

"You know," Prince Freyr spoke up after a minute, "that prophecy is kind of stupid."

Jade pressed her lips together and closed her eyes briefly before she responded. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, they said you were going to be a king, but you're a girl. If you're a girl, then you're not a king, you're a queen, like my mother."

"No, I want to be a king," Jade insisted. "The king is the one who makes decisions. The queen doesn't actually lead."

Freyr rolled his eyes again, an annoying habit of his. "Well, regardless of whether you call yourself a king or a queen, I don't think there could ever be a girl ruling a kingdom by herself. She'd have to be married so her husband could rule with her."

"But that's what I'm saying. Then she's a queen, and queens don't actually get to lead. Besides, who says a girl can't lead a country."

"Everybody. It just wouldn't work."

"Why not?" the question came out slightly more viciously than Jade had planned, but she didn't take it back.

"Well, my father wouldn't allow it, for one thing." Freyr stared straight ahead, not looking at her when he replied.

"What does your father have to do with the king in Avalon?" Jade asked rather snidely.

"He's the King of Kings. Didn't you know that?" Freyr did look at her this time like he couldn't believe anyone would be so stupid. "So, if he doesn't like how things are being run in Avalon or Midgard or Olympus or any other kingdom, he has the right to go in and make changes."

Jade looked at Freyr, not sure whether he was lying or not.

He seemed to read the expression on her face. "It's true. Why do you think he's here? He visits a different kingdom every few years just to check in on how things are being run, and if he doesn't like it, he makes changes. The rest of us came this time because he thought we would like your provincial little festivities. And I guess he wanted us to meet."

This was all brand new to Jade, and she still wasn't sure whether to trust Freyr. "Why would he want us to meet?"

"Well, he and Mother haven't told me yet, but I have my suspicions. Father's been nervous about King Henry's plans for the kingdom with you being his sole heir. I think they want you and me to be married so that way I can run Avalon the way it should be run."

Jade's mouth actually fell open. She stared at him for so long she might have walked her horse right into a tree if Arthur was less intelligent. She hadn't liked this boy from the start, but every word out of his mouth made her dislike him more and more. And now this. It made her so angry she couldn't formulate any kind of response. She just sat there, dumbstruck.

First of all, her father, the King, was the rightful leader of Avalon and how dare Freyr's father question that? And secondly, how dare anyone tell her that she couldn't lead Avalon just because she was a girl?! It was despicable and so upside down, inside out, backwards that she couldn't believe there were actually people who thought like that.

Her face grew warm and then hot, burning from the inside out, and she felt the burn creep down her neck to her chest.

Her heart was hammering against her ribs like it wanted to burst right out of her chest at this boy. She wanted to spit. She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout every horrible word she had every known at this foolish little boy. She knew it would do her no good – he was a lost cause – but she couldn't help herself. She tried to swallow the insults, every retort she had thought of in the sixty seconds of silence, but she couldn't stop it from bubbling up to the surface.

"Freyr Gunnar Odinson, you _are_ a pompous little asni, just like your people think! How dare you? I am just as capable of leading this kingdom as any boy I've ever met, and I know I would do a way better job than some of the boys I've met. Sisters save us when you take over for your father. The only reason I would ever even consider marrying an asni like you would be to save the other kingdoms from suffering under your rule!"

Freyr's face turned as white as snow, completely blank for just one moment, and then the color returned. Freyr's face burned scarlet and his features contorted into a scowl of pure rage.

"You will not speak to your future king that way!" he shouted at her. "If you weren't a girl, I would pull you off that horse and teach you some manners."

Jade brought her left leg over Arthur's neck and slid effortlessly off her horse, her feet crushing the cold snow beneath them. "Do it then! I could kick your butt any which way from London."

Freyr tried to mimic the way she had easily slid to the ground, but he was not so graceful. He fell to his hands and knees, getting covered in cold, wet snow. Jade laughed cruelly.

"Your majesties," Sir Erec said from behind them.

Jade turned. She had almost forgotten he was there.

"This is none of your concern, servant," Freyr said as he stumbled to his feet. He raised his right fist behind his head.

Sir Erec grabbed his wrist to stop him from moving. "I am not a servant, boy. I am a knight, and you will show me the proper respect I am due as you will to the Princess."

Freyr's eyes still burned with fury, but he seemed to realize that Sir Erec was twice as big as he was. He dropped his fist and crossed both arms over his chest.

"Good," Sir Erec said before he turned to Jade. "And you, Princess. You should be showing your guest more respect."

Jade's anger deflated like a popped balloon. She felt her face burn again but with embarrassment this time as she hung her head, examining the snow surrounding her shoes.

"I think it is time to go back to the castle, do you agree, your majesties?" It was a question, but the answer was clear in Sir Erec's voice. He didn't want to babysit two squabbling children any longer.

"Yes, Sir. I agree," Jade said, moving toward her horse again. "Will you assist me, Sir Erec, please?"

Sir Erec helped first Jade and then Freyr back on to their horses and then they started walking back to the castle. Jade was honestly ashamed of her words, but she still felt they were justified. She didn't see any other way she could have responded. Freyr had insulted not just her, but her entire kingdom and even, if you want to get technical, her entire gender. How could she not respond with anger?

She tried to think of other ways she might have responded, but every possible way brought bile to her throat. The only other way to respond would have been cowardice, proving this idiotic boy right.

The King would tell her she should have held her tongue and known when it was her place to speak and when she should be silent. Menelwen would have told her to let it go too because Princesses never start arguments. Sir Jack probably would have backed her up and maybe even told her to give him a good punch, but he wasn't here. She missed Sir Jack.

Finally, she thought about how Aunt Anna would have wanted her to respond. It had been a long time since she'd seen Aunt Anna, but she knew as soon as she thought of her what she would say to Jade right now.

"Your anger was completely justified. He had just insulted you, but not because he meant to be mean. He just doesn't know better. You should teach him, make him understand that he is wrong."

Jade sighed angrily because she knew Aunt Anna was right. The thing to do would have been to hang on to her calm and explain to Freyr why he was wrong, but it was so hard to stay calm when someone was so clearly, obviously, incontrovertibly wrong.

After they left their horses with Nate at the stables, they began walking on foot east toward the castle. As they approached the steps, Jade knew she had to say something. The King would be furious with her, and her punishment would all hang on what Freyr said to his parents when they walked through those doors.

"Prince Freyr." Jade stopped walking, letting him pass her slightly. He turned back to look at her but didn't respond. He still looked angry. "I'm sorry that I raised my voice earlier. It was very unladylike, and I am embarrassed I did it. I also shouldn't have called you an asni. I don't even really understand what that word means, but I know it is a mean word that I shouldn't have called you. We had a difference of opinions, but I handled it badly. Please forgive me."

She took a deep breath, trying to release with it all of the residual anger she still felt, really and honestly trying to forgive this pompous little boy.

He eyed her suspiciously for a moment. Finally he said, "I accept your apology. It is forgotten." She had just managed to forgive him before he said one final thing, "I'm glad you finally realized you were wrong."

Her teeth snapped sharply together, and she clenched her hands into fists. Looking down at his feet, she felt the heat return to every extremity on her body.

He was wrong. He was _so_ wrong. But he thought she thought _she_ was wrong. She felt like the heat of her anger should physically burn him.

"You..." she was about to say something truly nasty. As much as every voice in her head, the King's, Menelwen's, Sir Jack's, Aunt Anna's, was screaming at her not to, she couldn't hold back the verbal punches she longed to fling at him.

Just as she was opening her mouth, two people walked through the castle doors. Her father and King Vidar came towards them, walking in pace, both smiling.

"You two are back early," the King said, and then he saw Jade's face. "Are you all right, Amalthea?"

Jade looked at Freyr who was smiling at her. If she said anything, he would tell them she started it. Swallowing her anger was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. "I just have a stomachache, Father," she said through gritted teeth.

"Well, perhaps you want to go lie down for a spell before the festivities tonight. Everyone will want to see their princess bright and shining. Prince Freyr can come with us," the King suggested.

King Vidar nodded. "Yes, I think you will enjoy this, Freyr. We are going hunting for meat for tonight."

"Sir Erec," the King turned to the knight who was still behind Jade. "Will you please make sure Amalthea makes it safely inside to her governess? After that, you may join us on the hunt, if you like."

"Yes, sir," Sir Erec said, nodding. "I would greatly enjoy that."

"Good," the King said. "Well, take her inside, and we will meet you at the stables."

The two kings led Freyr back the way they had just walked.

"Goodbye, Princess," he said as he passed her, "Thank you for the wonderful tour. I hope you feel better this evening."

He smiled at her like they had never argued, like he had never said anything heinous enough to make Jade's blood boil, and he left with their fathers.

Sir Erec walked her through the doors of the castle. "This is fine, Sir Erec. I can find my room on my own, thanks."

He looked unsure.

"I promise I'm not going to run away again," she said exasperatedly.

He nodded. "Good, see that you don't. I'll see you at the dinner tonight, Princess." He turned and left too.

Jade took off sprinting up the enormous staircase, around corners, down halls until she finally reached her room. She slammed the door behind her and fell down on her bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she let out a scream of frustration and anger and then starting crying.

She didn't hear the door open, but she felt the weight when Menelwen sat on the edge of her bed. Without speaking, she began stroking Jade's hair. She just let Jade cry quietly for a while. Finally, Jade's tears slowed and stopped. She still felt the heat of her anger coloring her cheeks, but her fury had abated enough that she felt she could speak again. She sat up and rested her head on Menelwen's shoulder. Menelwen handed her a small handkerchief that Jade used to dry her face.

"I hate him," Jade said fiercely.

"Hate who, darling?" Menelwen asked, pressing her palm against Jade's cheek.

"Prince Freyr Gunnar Odinson," Jade said snidely, elongating the syllables of his name for a distorted effect that mimicked her twisted feelings about him. "He's a pompous, ignorant asni."

"Jade!" Menelwen protested. "Don't use language like that! It's not ladylike."

"Is it a bad word?"

"Yes, it is. Don't let me hear you call anyone that word again."

"But what if it's true?"

"You have an excellent vocabulary. Pick a different word. Where did you even learn a word like that? Was it one of the knights?"

"No, Freyr said that his subjects called him that."

Menelwen was quiet for a moment. "Let's get back to Prince Freyr. Now, why do you hate him besides the fact that his subjects may not like him?"

"Because he's a stupid..." Jade trailed off, looking up at Menelwen's stern face, "...fiend."

Menelwen pursed her lips. "And why do you think he's a 'stupid fiend'?"

"Because," Jade said, "he said that girls couldn't lead a country and that the reason he was here for the Solstice was because his father and the King want us to get married when we're grown up so that _he_ can rule Avalon instead of me because I'm not good enough to rule it." She took a shaky breath.

"Ammie," Menelwen said. She meant it to be soothing but it just sounded like a scolding. "You will be the first queen to ever rule Avalon on her own. There are going to be many, many people who tell you that you can't do it. And you know what you should say to them?"

"Go suck on a pinecone?"

Menelwen pursed her lips again. "And how would that help you?"

"It'd make _me_ feel a lot better."

"Amalthea," Menelwen scolded.

"Fine, what should I say, Menelwen?" Jade said with false sincerity.

"'My name has been writ in a prophecy since I was born. I will study for years to prepare myself for this. I will shadow my father, King Henry, one of the greatest kings Avalon has ever known. I will be told over and over that I cannot do this, and I will spend my entire life proving that I can. I was born to lead this kingdom, and I am thankful for every ignorant person like you because your rude comments will give me the anger, the energy, and the strength to do what I have to do to take care of my people.' That's what you should say to them, Ammie."

Menelwen was breathless when she reached the end of her little speech, and there was a ferocity in her eyes that Jade had never seen there before. Jade realized that Menelwen hated what Freyr had said just as much as she had, but Menelwen had done what Jade could not. She had stayed calm, calm enough to use her wits instead of her fists. Jade was seeing another side of Menelwen she hadn't seen before. She was strong. She was smart. And it didn't matter that Jade didn't have a mother or that she didn't have her Aunt Anna anymore. Jade had Menelwen, and right at that moment, Jade wanted to grow up to be just like her.

Chapter XV

Meeting

Some time later, Menelwen dressed Jade in her gorgeous Solstice dress, a deep, rich periwinkle with tiny yellow silk flowers dotted across the skirt, which was poufy to the point that it didn't move when she did. The bodice was snug, but not tight with long sleeves the same color as the skirt.

Menelwen slipped her golden shoes onto her feet and clipped a delicate gold flower into her hair, and she was ready for the dinner guests.

Jade had to pick up the skirt so she didn't trip going down the stairs. Menelwen gently placed her hand on top of Jade's to push her skirt slightly lower so it just barely brushed the tops of her feet.

When she reached the kitchen, her father was already there, giving orders. He was still dressed in the clothes he had gone hunting in, and Jade was slightly repulsed to see a dark crimson stain on the right sleeve that looked suspiciously like blood.

"Good evening, King Father," Jade said with a small curtsey.

The King turned and smiled at her. "Amalthea, don't you think you've been here long enough to drop the King and just call me Father?"

Jade glanced swiftly at Menelwen who nodded infinitesimally. "All right, Father."

The King smiled wider. "Good. You look absolutely radiant, Amalthea. Who took my adorable little girl and turned her into this beautiful young woman standing in front of me? Tell me, Princess, how many hearts do you plan on breaking tonight?"

Jade forced a smile. She knew that was what her father wanted to see.

"Now, Princess, what job would you like to have in the kitchen? You see, I'm head chef tonight, so what I say goes."

"Isn't that how it always is?" Jade asked innocently, standing on her tip toes to peek at what was simmering on the stove.

The King laughed loudly. "So observant!"

Jade smiled although she hadn't meant to be funny. "Can I help with the cake?"

"Of course! Menelwen, I believe the cake is just coming out of the oven and in need of someone to frost it. Would you help Amalthea with the frosting?"

Menelwen led Jade over to a small, round, wooden table in the corner and draped a white apron across her front, tying it in the back. Jade sat down at the table as one of the kitchen boys brought over the cake. It wasn't fresh out of the oven like her father had said because it had cooled to the touch, but it was still incredibly fragrant. Even in the room full of simmering entrees, as the cake was brought over, Jade could still smell Christmas in the air.

Christmases at home were not nearly as big a deal as the Winter Solstice was in Avalon. Usually it was just Jade and Aunt Anna at home. They always had a real Christmas tree, kind of like the one adorning the front hall of the castle, but they always decorated theirs by hand, putting on every ornament Jade had ever made until the branches couldn't hold anymore.

Jade and Aunt Anna never had a big Christmas dinner like some kids had, but they always had one thing: chocolate cake with pink frosting. They would bake it together and then frost it together. It was always slightly sloppy at the end, but the extra frosting just made it taste even better.

The cake that was set in front of her smelled just like Aunt Anna's chocolate cake from home. Menelwen brought her over many bowls of different colored frosting, and Jade got to work.

First, she covered the entire cake with white frostings, but when she went to dip her spreading knife into the pink bowl, Menelwen stopped her. She smoothed out the frosting and showed Jade how she could put the pink frosting in a little bag, cut off the tip, and then use it like a pen. With Menelwen's help, she decorated the cake with pretty pink flowers and wrote on top in yellow frosting "Welcome back, daylight."

By the time they were done with the cake, most of the other dishes were done as well. Jade gave her now pink and yellow stained apron back to Menelwen and went into the dining hall to sit down.

The King and their guests were already there. Jade secretly wondered how much the King had actually helped cook because he had also had time to bathe and change.

She glanced at Freyr across the table as she sat down. He was looking at her too, but he didn't seem angry or vengeful; he seemed happy to be sitting down to dinner. None of the children talked much at dinner. Jade for one was much too distracted by all the delicious foods that were put in front of her. Freyr and Sylvi may have been quiet out of respect for the adults or they too may have been distracted by the food. Jade did not pay enough attention to them to notice.

Once the very last crumb of Jade's gorgeous pink-flowered cake was eaten, the plates were cleared away and everyone retired to the sitting room, the one with the enormous fireplace.

The grownups sat on the couches and chairs and talked about boring stuff like how good the meal was and how they couldn't believe that King Henry was such an amazing chef, where did he learn it from? The kids on the other hand sat by the fire with a deck of cards.

"So, is this all that Winter Solstice is?" Sylvi asked Jade timidly. "I thought it was going to be like a party or something."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a party going on," Jade assured her, playing a spade to trump Freyr's heart. "Only, it's outside, probably in the Fairy Grove, and we're not allowed to go out. The only real party I get to go to is the one on Halloween."

"Halloween?" Sylvi asked. "Isn't that the Middle World holiday where children are rewarded with candy for dressing up like the scariest monster?"

"Oh no, Sylvi." Freyr said.

He set down his cards to focus his attention on his sister. "That's just what little girls like you are supposed to think. That's how the werewolves draw children out of their homes, with the promise of candy. Then, the second their mother isn't looking, they grab the children and the candy and run with them all the way back to their cave where they eat the children alive."

Sylvi whimpered and hid her face behind her hands.

"Don't tell her stuff like that," Jade scolded the little prince. "You're going to give her nightmares."

"Believe me; she's heard worse than that living in the Olympian castle."

Jade ignored him and gently pulled Sylvi's hands away from her face. "Don't worry about him, Sylvi. You know that werewolves really only go after selfish brothers who scare their sisters."

Freyr snorted, but Sylvi looked up at Jade with wide eyes. "Is that true?"

"No way," Freyr spat out.

"Who knows," Jade said, shrugging. "But I'd believe that way before I believe anything that comes out of his mouth." She smiled sweetly at the prince just in case one of the parents was watching.

Freyr rolled his eyes, and then spoke again, changing the subject, "All right, whatever. So, when are _we_ going to the party?"

"I told you. We're not allowed to leave the castle after dark, so we can't go," Jade reminded him.

"I think what you mean is we shouldn't go. Can't is another matter entirely." Freyr raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe that you've never been outside of this castle after dark."

Jade sat up a little straighter and looked down at him. "Yes, I have... didn't I just tell you I went to the Halloween party?"

"Oh, come on. You've never snuck out of here? Not even once? This kingdom is so big and I'll bet your precious daddy over there doesn't let you see half of it and probably none of it, on your own."

"I'm not allowed to leave the castle after dark," Jade repeated, careful not to say anything that wasn't strictly true in case Freyr might catch her in the lie.

"All right, all right," Freyr whispered, moving in closer to her until he was only a few inches away. "You don't have to tell me you did anything bad, Miss Perfect Princess, but what if I told you that I would consider apologizing for what I said earlier if you can figure out a way to get us to the Solstice party tonight."

"What did he say?" Sylvi asked excitedly.

Jade ignored Sylvi's question and stared at Freyr, perplexed. "You will apologize and take it back? You'll admit you were wrong?"

"I said I'd think about it, but if you knew me at all, you'd know I'm a 'pompous little asni.' I don't apologize to anyone."

"It's true," Sylvi broke in. "The only person I've ever heard him apologize to is Mother, and that's because he..."

"Sylvi!" Freyr whispered harshly, "Just shut up, ok?"

Jade believed that he didn't apologize to anyone, and this was probably her best shot at getting that apology, and wouldn't it sound so sweet coming from his pompous little mouth. Plus, she herself actually did want to see the party. She had heard kids from school talking about it, and it sounded truly amazing.

"What's so fascinating over there?" Queen Liselotte asked.

All three children turned to look at their parents, silently watching them from across the room.

"Nothing," Sylvi said hurriedly.

"Amalthea was just telling us some stories," Freyr said coolly, the lie rolling off his tongue like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Why don't you share it with us?" the King suggested.

"Oh, I do love a good story," Queen Liselotte said happily. "Tell us, Princess."

Jade glanced at Freyr momentarily while she searched her memory for a story she could easily and quickly tell to this group. Freyr was smiling smugly at her, clearly pleased with himself for both rescuing them and putting her in an uncomfortable situation.

"Well," Jade began slowly. "I was just trying to explain to Freyr and Sylvi where the magic in Avalon comes from."

She proceeded to tell the King and Queen the story she had learned her very first week at school. When she was finished, the King and Queen exchanged a look, and King Vidar laughed. His cheeks seemed flushed, and Jade noticed that his wine goblet was once again empty.

"I always find it fascinating what the civilians will believe. But really, to believe that your magic comes from the dirt and that the dirt comes from your long dead deity? It's laughable," King Vidar said, seemingly unable to control his laughter.

Jade felt her face burn red again.

"Your magic cannot be any different from ours," King Vidar said, waving his hand and pulling a pure white rose out of thin air. He handed the rose to Queen Liselotte and kissed her hand. "The magic comes from within, that is, if you are one of the chosen ones."

"Actually, Vidar," Jade's father began, unsmiling, "whether you believe it is the body of Avalon or just some silly superstition, there has never been an inhabitant of Avalon who could do magic outside of our limits without a little piece of our 'dirt' close to hold."

Vidar just continued chuckling. "And look, darling, they even have their little king believing the story!"

The King's face turned just a shade darker, but instead of responding with anger like Jade was hoping he would, to put that smug Vidar in his proper place, he simply changed the subject. Turning to Jade, he said, "Amalthea, would you distribute the gifts, please?"

Jade was momentarily stunned. This was not at all what she had expected, and that moment released some of her anger toward Vidar. "Yes, Father," she said, standing and going to the lit tree in the corner.

"Gifts?" Queen Liselotte asked curiously.

"Yes," the King said, recovering his normal tone and color. "It is a tradition in Avalon for every member of the family to receive a gift on the Winter Solstice. The tree was a tradition we borrowed from Jade's time with her aunt."

Jade went to each guest to hand out the presents. All were in boxes that had been wrapped in golden paper that shimmered in the light from the fireplace. She saved King Vidar's gift for last, and, with her back to her father, she gave him a very brief look of pure loathing before she turned back. She had been facing away from the fire, and it was likely that the other king hadn't even seen her face, but it gave her some pleasure to think he had glimpsed her total hatred of him.

"It is tradition for the youngest member to go first." The King nodded toward Princess Sylvi.

Sylvi carefully pulled open the paper and opened the box within. She pulled out from the box a doll about the size of her arm with a soft body and soft hair falling from her head. The doll was dressed in a dark blue dress with yellow stars.

"Menelwen made it for you," Jade told Sylvi. "I picked the colors. It's like the night sky, see?"

"Menelwen is Amalthea's governess," the King clarified for the adults.

Sylvi smiled, "She's so pretty, Ammie. Thank you!" Sylvi threw her arms around Jade's neck and hugged her tightly, squishing her new doll just slightly against Jade's back.

At first Jade was shocked, but then she wrapped her arms around the little girl and hugged her back. "You're welcome."

"Amalthea, you're next," the King reminded her. "I picked out your present myself this time."

Jade set her present on the floor in front of her. It was very long but rather skinny, and it was not very heavy when she lifted it. She ripped off the paper to get to the present quickly. As her fingers slid under the lid, she hoped with all her heart it would be a sword like the ones she had seen the knights' sons playing with in the yard. Slowly, she lifted the lid off the box, and her heart fell.

"I know you wanted to train with swords like the boys, but I'm afraid that is just too dangerous for a young princess, but I thought you might like this as a substitute," the King said. "It's still adventurous for you, but less chance of you getting hurt. We'll have one of the guards teach you outside come summer."

Jade reached her hand into the box and wrapped her fingers around the wood. It was long, just a few inches shorter than she was, and it was already strung with one thick string. There was also a quiver of arrows waiting in the box. The feathers on the arrows were yellow with stripes of gold sewn in. She pulled one of the arrows out and examined it. The tip was blunt. This was not a tool. It was a toy. Jade looked at the King's hopeful face, and she smiled. It was not the gift she wanted, but the King had clearly tried hard to find a good substitute, to make her happy.

"Thank you, Father. I love it," Jade stood up and gave her father a hug before she tucked the bow and quiver back in the box and sat back down next to Freyr and Sylvi.

Freyr was next. He ripped into the gift vehemently to reveal a new knife in a jeweled scabbard. Queen Liselotte got a gold necklace; Vidar got a new pair of gloves. The King's gift was something that Jade had made herself, and she waited breathlessly to see what he would say. He pulled out the violet cloak slowly.

"Menelwen's been teaching me to sew. I've been working on it for forever," Jade said. "Do you like it?"

"Amalthea, I love it," the King said, fastening the golden clasp at his neck.

They spent the rest of the evening sitting around the fire. The adults told lots of stories. It turned out that Jade's father knew King Vidar when they were kids, so they told all kinds of stories from when they were Jade's age, the crazy things they did. Eventually Sylvi started to yawn and the King declared it bedtime for the children. Jade and Freyr let Sylvi walk ahead with Menelwen while they hung back.

"So, what's your answer?" Freyr whispered to her.

Jade covered her mouth with her hand, and whispered back, "Meet me in the hall after the adults have gone to sleep."

"How will I know they're asleep?"

"I don't know," Jade whispered harshly, "but you better not get caught because then we're both in trouble."

They had made it to Sylvi's room, so neither of them said a word as Menelwen walked with them to their rooms. Jade's was first, and she bid Menelwen and Freyr goodnight. Just as she was closing her door, she swore that Freyr wink at her.

It was cold outside, and Jade knew from her previous adventures that she couldn't go out in just her nightgown; she'd freeze. She pulled on a pair of riding pants and a long sleeved top. Then she pulled the nightgown on over top just in case anyone stopped to check in on her. Menelwen did once, but Jade pretended to be asleep.

Then Jade just lay awake in bed, staring at the purple curtains overhead, waiting for the adults to go to sleep. It had been a long time since she had snuck out at night, and she was finding it difficult to keep her eyes open. Finally, she heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and hushed voices. She waited until the voices had stopped and she heard two doors closing before she got up.

She slipped on her boots and threw her thick cloak about her shoulders. She also reached up to the very top shelf in her closet to pull down a thick, purple scarf, which she wrapped once around her neck, and a pair of purple mittens that she put on her hands. As quietly as she could, she pushed open her door and, finding Menelwen's door closed completely, she hurried along the hall to the spare room she knew Freyr was sleeping in. Very lightly, she touched her knuckles to the doors three times.

Almost immediately, the door swung open to reveal Freyr, still fully dressed, and eager for the night's adventure. Jade pressed one finger to her lips to signal not to speak, and then she turned and tiptoed down the staircase. She didn't have to look to know that Freyr was following her. He was not quite as light on his feet. She shushed him a couple times, but he didn't seem capable of being any quieter.

Within moments, they'd made it to the front doors. Normally, Jade never would have tried these at night when she should be in bed, but all of the guards would have snuck away to the party themselves by now, and she very much doubted that his royal highness would be able to squeeze himself through the window in the library.

She heaved the heavy lock back and pushed on the front doors, and just as she had thought, they swung open to reveal nothing but the snowy white landscape, no guards. They stepped out into the cold air, and Jade closed the doors behind them.

"Ok, now, where do you want to go?" Jade asked in her normal volume.

"To the party," Freyr said, staring at her like she was crazy. "I thought that was decided."

"Well," Jade trailed off for just a moment before continuing, "You're right. It's probably best that we just go to the party." She started walking away from him.

"Why, where else would we go?" Freyr asked.

Jade smiled to herself and then turned back to him. "Well, I was just thinking that you've probably been to a party before, and one party is pretty much just like all the others." Jade was, of course, making this up. She had only ever been to the Halloween party in Avalon, but she didn't like that one and she suspected she wouldn't like this one either. Plus, two royal kids would stick out at that party like a sore thumb, and she really didn't want to get caught again. "Besides, I know somewhere we could go that would be much more adventurous."

"Where?"

"Have you ever heard of mermaids?" Jade asked.

"No, what are they?" he asked suspiciously.

"They are part woman, but they have a tail and fin for legs. They are very beautiful and they sing their songs to entrance boys to come to them, then they grab ahold of them and pull them deep under the water. They drown them and eat them!"

"You're talking about Sirens," Freyr insisted. "I've heard of them. Everyone has. Do you have some here?"

"Oh yes, and they're bloodthirsty," Jade said. "Have you ever seen one in person?"

"No, but they don't sound that adventurous. They're just a bunch of women stuck in a pool. What's so exciting about that?"

"We don't have to go if you don't want to. I mean, we actually probably shouldn't. No man or boy is strong enough to withstand their song. And it's on the very edge of Lyonés, which is a very dangerous place for us to go," Jade said, turning to walk back toward the Forest and the party. "We should probably just go to the party."

"There is no creature I couldn't withstand, especially one that's just a fishy woman," Freyr said hotly.

Jade smiled to herself again. Freyr was almost too predictable.

"Lyonés," Freyr said, mulling over the word. "I've heard that word before. Isn't that where your mother died?"

Jade turned and glared at him, but she said, "Yes, it is."

"Ok, fine. We can go there," Freyr said. "Lead the way."

Jade did her best to let go of the anger he had conjured by mentioning her mother, and she began to lead him toward the Fog Plains. Jade did not talk much on their way there; Freyr did enough talking for the both of them.

He told Jade about the many adventures he'd been on in his home, Olympus. Jade didn't buy half of them, but she let him tell the stories because it made him happy, and she really didn't think she had anything else to say to him anyway. His mindless prattling filled the void that would have been left without sound.

When they reached the edge of the Fog Plains was when Freyr stopped talking. For all his stories about facing monsters, he seemed almost a little scared just to step into the endless mist.

"It's just water vapor," Jade assured him. "It won't hurt you."

"I know that! I'm not stupid," he snapped.

"I never said you were. You just looked..." Jade knew better to say he looked scared "...anxious."

"Well, I'm not," he said and strode into the fog.

"Wait!" Jade called, hurrying to catch up. "You don't know where you're going!"

She led him the rest of the way to the Waterfall. Jade had an overwhelming sense of de-ja-vu as she looked up at the top of the falls. There was a small figure standing amongst the mist. As they were watching, the figure leapt off of the cliff and dove, head first toward the water. He entered the water in one smooth motion, and his head was floating above it again in a matter of seconds. Right after his head popped up, so did several of the mermaid's heads.

As Cadwr swam to the side of the lake, Jade called to him, "Have you made a habit of showing off for the mermaids?"

"It doesn't look like they're trying to drown him," Freyr said under his breath.

"That's because they know him. He's their friend," Jade explained in a hushed whisper.

Cadwr emerged from the water, soaking wet, with steam radiating from his body. The water must be very warm, and with the air so cold, Cadwr should have been shivering, but he seemed to be at his ease, comfortable.

"Who's this? Your boyfriend?" Cadwr asked, gesturing to Freyr.

"Do you know him?" Freyr asked, gesturing to Cadwr.

"No!" she said to both of them at once.

Unfortunately for Jade, Cadwr chimed in with, "Yes, she does," at the same moment.

Jade looked from one boy to the other. "Ok, yes I do know him. He's... uh... he's in my class at school," Jade explained hurriedly. She looked meaningfully at Cadwr who smiled sadistically at her.

"And, Cadwr, this is Freyr. He's the son of a friend of my father's."

"He's what?" Cadwr asked.

"I'm her friend," Freyr clarified.

Jade fought the urge to roll her eyes. She would not have classified Freyr as one of her friends, but there it was, and she couldn't take it back without making him angry, which was not worth it.

"What are you doing out here, Fraidy?" Cadwr asked mockingly. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed to Jade like Cadwr was standing a little taller than he normally did.

Freyr too stood up straighter, trying to make up for the fact that Cadwr was a good three inches taller.

"My name is Freyr, and you will show me some respect, peasant."

There was a great splash behind Cadwr, probably Channing following him into the water, but Cadwr ignored it. "Oh! So it's a little prince we have here then, is it?" Cadwr bowed so low Jade thought his head might brush his shoes, but he was up again in an instant. "Apologies, your highness, I didn't realize. My, are you sure you're capable of walking on your own? You might smudge thy feet! I shall carry thee." Cadwr moved in and grabbed Freyr's knees, hoisting him over his shoulder so that his feet were higher than his head. "Is that better, milord?"

"Put me down, you cretin!" Freyr was shouting and pounding on Cadwr's back with his fists, but it didn't seem to do Cadwr any harm.

Channing was walking out of the water now, dripping and laughing.

"Put him down!" Jade shouted, trying and failing to restrain her anger. She didn't care much about Freyr, but just the fact that Cadwr was the one teasing him made her furious. She couldn't help remembering when he had tied to a tree against her will.

The boys all ignored her, even Hugh, who she could see hurrying down the hillside. He didn't give her a single glance.

"CADWR!" she shouted, finally fully losing her temper. The boys all froze. "You put him down this moment!"

Perhaps because he was just stunned, perhaps because he was afraid of what Jade would do next if he didn't listen, Cadwr set Freyr back on his feet. Freyr looked ruffled and angry but unhurt.

Jade moved in between them, putting her finger in Cadwr's face. "Don't you ever touch him again."

"Okay!" Cadwr said, throwing up his hands. "I didn't know you were so protective of your little boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Jade said furiously calm, not moving a muscle, still inches from Cadwr's face. "And maybe it's not that I'm protective of him. Maybe I just don't like you."

She turned then and, grabbing Freyr's wrist, she started walking away. "Come on, Freyr."

"Wait," he said, pulling her to a stop. "We haven't had our adventure yet."

She stared at him in disgust. "Fine. Stay if you want, but I'm going home."

She took off running. After just a moment, she heard Freyr's footsteps behind her, and she slowed. Soon they were walking side by side. They didn't talk on the way back, but she also didn't leave him behind.

Freyr, Sylvi, and their parents left the next day. Jade and Freyr never talked about their "adventure," but when he said goodbye to her, he shook her hand and smiled at her. He said, "I look forward to the next time we see each other." There was earnestness in his eyes that made her feel like he really meant it. Maybe they were friends in a very weird kind of way.

Chapter XVI

Adventure

After the Winter Solstice, the days started to fly by. After being in Avalon for several months, Jade had finally gotten used to her schedule. For five days in a row, she would go to school, sit with Lilly and Audrey, and do her best to make Ms. Hastings smile, which happened. In fact, the more Jade tried, the less Ms. Hastings seemed to like her.

The sixth and seventh days were always hers to do with as she wished. It took months for the King to fully trust her again after the Lyonés incident, but eventually – when the snow had completely melted from the ground – he finally started letting her go out to explore again. More often than not, she explored on her own although there was always at least one royal guard a few feet behind her.

Every night of the week, she ate dinner in the enormous dining hall. Sometimes her father ate with her, although they never really had much to talk about. Other nights she would just sit and eat by herself. She once asked Menelwen if she would eat with her, but Menelwen just smiled and said that wasn't how things were done in the castle.

Jade grew to treasure the only alone time she had, in bed just before she fell asleep. It was strange, but she didn't feel quite so lonely when she actually was alone as she felt when she was surrounded by the people in the castle who never seemed to want to talk to her.

In this way, the weeks flew by: school, exploring the land, quiet dinners on her own or with her silent father, and sleep. Very rarely did she even think of the boys on the other side of the Fog Plains. Peter, Cadwr, Channing, and Hugh were frequently just a distant memory. When she did think of them, and even more rarely when she thought about trying to find them, she needed only to think of their last encounter to banish the thoughts from her head. Sir Jack had taken the fall for her once, and she could not take that choice back. She had slipped once, but she knew now that she couldn't make the same awful choice and wind up in trouble herself. Those boys were not worth it.

She did still miss Sir Jack, and worse yet, she still felt her stomach twist itself into horrible knots of guilt every time she thought of him.

She hoped that he was doing ok in the Northmanni World. Maybe he had found Aunt Anna and they were living happily ever after. Maybe one day Jade would be allowed back into that world. When she was King, no one could stop her. And when she went back to see Aunt Anna, she'd probably find Sir Jack there too, living a wonderful life. That was the story she told herself when she thought of him. She told herself that story so many times that eventually she started to actually believe it, and the knots of guilt in her stomach slowly began to untangle themselves.

It seemed, however, that though she was trying to forget the boys, they were not trying to forget her. One night, long after the snow had melted and the last frost had passed, she was woken from a deep slumber by a sharp rapping on her bedroom window. It took her a minute to remember how to pull back her eyelids, but when she did, he was standing there silhouetted in the open window like nothing had happened between them, calmly waiting for her to invite him inside.

She sat up straight and glared at the boy in the window. "What are you doing here," she hissed.

Peter shrugged and said lightly, "I don't actually want to be here, but I owe someone a favor and they asked me to deliver a message to you."

Jade stared at him, unsure whether to believe him or not. As she studied him, she noticed that everything about him was exactly the same as the last time she'd seen him. He was no taller, his hair hadn't grown any longer, and in fact it actually seemed like his hair was sticking up in exactly the same way as though he hadn't even brushed it in the weeks since she'd last seen him.

The only thing that had changed was the color of the leaves that made up his clothing. When last she had seen him, the leaves had been crumpled and brown. Now they were new and green. They looked like they had just been freshly plucked off the trees.

"Well," Peter said, "aren't you going to invite me in?"

"No," Jade said decisively. It was possible she could have been in the wrong the last time she had shouted at him, but she decided it would do her no good to admit it. "You can tell me the message from there and then you can turn around and jump."

"Fine," he said stiffly. "This message is from a the boy they call Prince Cadwr."

"Prince?" Jade asked. Peter nodded only and did not continue. A million thoughts ran through Jade's head all at once, most significantly what her father had told her months ago about the evil creature that had killed her mother. Could that evil creature the King had been talking about be the Queen of Lyonés? Was that why the land was forbidden? Could Cadwr be her son? Despite the tirade of thoughts running through her mind, all Jade said was, "Well, what's the message?"

The corners of Peter's mouth twitched like he wanted to smile, but he didn't. Instead he said, "The message is this: I'm sorry. Meet me at the mermaid pool, and I'll make it up to you."

"What? That's it? He wants to meet now without telling me what we're doing?" Jade asked, twisting the covers on her bed around her fingers.

"Yes, I'm to be your chariot if you wish to meet him."

Jade was torn between her anger for both Peter and Cadwr – which still burned white hot – and her very deep curiosity not least to find out who exactly Cadwr was.

"Well, what'll it be, Jade?" Peter pressed. "Are you coming or not? I haven't got all night."

Her gut was telling her not to go. These circumstances were too similar to the last time. Something horrible was bound to happen, but Cadwr had to have designed that message with her curiosity in mind. She couldn't resist it. She had to know who he was, why he wanted to talk to her, what his plan was for making things up to her.

"Fine, but let me at least get dressed this time."

Peter sighed heavily and slumped down so he was sitting on the windowsill looking out into the night. "You have five minutes."

Ten minutes later, Jade and Peter were touching down at the edge of the mermaid's lake. The full moon sparkled off the water even through the dense mist surrounding the falls. As soon as her feet touched the grass, Cadwr stepped out of the fog. Just Cadwr, no Hugh, no Channing, just him.

Without saying a word, Peter let go of Jade's arm and pushed off into the air, leaving Jade and Cadwr alone.

As soon as Peter was gone, the hard look on Cadwr's face seemed to melt away. "Amalthea, I know we shouldn't have done it. I...I'm sorry."

Jade just stared at him.

"Well, come on," he said. "I said I'm sorry. You have to say something."

"You tied me to a tree, Cadwr," Jade said coldly.

"Yeah, and I just apologized for it," Cadwr said, his always present anger rising again.

"Well, sometimes an apology isn't good enough." Jade crossed her arms across her chest and took a step backward away from him.

Cadwr in turn took a step closer. "No, I know," he said, the anger slipping away once more. "That's why I asked you to come here. I promise, this will completely make up for it. Don't you want to know what I'm going to do to make it up to you?"

There he was appealing to her natural curiosity again. "There are a lot of things I want to know about you."

He was the confused one now. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," Jade began hotly, "is your mother the one who killed _my_ mother?"

He was silent for a long moment before he said, "No."

"You're lying."

"No," he repeated, but when she turned away from him, he continued, "please, don't. I'm not my mother! Just, please don't do that!"

Jade turned back to face him. "Do what?"

"Compare me to her! I'm not her, ok?" he said, and there was desperation in his eyes that Jade had never seen before. He didn't just want her to believe him. He needed her to believe him. She saw how deeply the thread ran into his heart, and she made the decision to stop pulling on it. Instead, she turned her curiosity toward another topic.

"How _are_ you going to make it up to me?"

"What?" Cadwr seemed confused by her sudden change of topic.

"Tying me to a tree," she reminded him. "How are you going to make it up to me?"

"Oh," he shook his head slightly like he was trying to shake out the bad feelings she had just brought up for him. "Right, well, you like adventure, right?"

Jade stood up a little straighter. "Yes."

"Well, I've got the best adventure planned."

"What adventure?" Jade asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry; it doesn't involve you getting tied to a tree." Cadwr smiled.

"What adventure?" she repeated.

"Up in the mountains, there's a legend of a terrible monster. We're going to go find it."

"That sounds dangerous."

"The best adventures always are," he said, smiling.

Jade shook her head. "No way am I going to go find some terrible creature just for the sake of adventure. I like adventure, but not that much."

"Ok, fine," he said a little too quickly. "I thought you might say that. I never really believed you."

"What are you talking about?" Jade asked, bewildered.

"Don't you remember? The first time we met and Channing said that girls don't like adventure, and you said you did. I never believed you that you liked adventure. I don't think girls can like adventure. They're not made that way." He turned and began walking away from her.

He was purposefully making her angry so she would fight back and go on the adventure, but she couldn't help herself.

"Girls can too like adventure!"

"Prove it." He turned back, standing face to face with her. His words were a challenge, but he was smiling. He lowered his voice. "Don't you want to see what it is?"

Jade really did. "Fine. Where are Hugh and Channing?"

"Hugh is just a big scaredy cat, and Channing's father is keeping him home tonight." He turned away again and took off, jogging away into the fog.

"Come on!" he called back to her. "Follow me!"

Jade had no option but to follow him. She kept up with him just fine in the fog, but once they reached Lyonés and the mist cleared, he sped up, running toward the mountain straight ahead of them.

Chapter XVII

Monster

Jade stumbled over a dried-out log and caught herself with her hands before she face-planted onto a slab of baked dirt.

"Cadwr!" she called out, "Wait! I can't keep up with you!"

The only sound she heard was Cadwr's feet hitting the hard dirt ahead of her. She staggered to her feet and wiped her dirty, scratched hands on her pants before taking off after him. She wasn't going to let him prove her wrong.

Jade fell several more times as she tried to keep up. Even though nothing grew in Lyonés, there were plenty of dead plants that kept reaching out to grab at her ankles.

The ground was hard and unforgiving and by the time she reached the base of the mountain, her entire body was aching from bruises, her hands and elbows were covered in scrapes, and the knees of her cotton pants were ripped and bloody from the scratches beneath.

She barely paused to catch her breath before she ran straight up the mountain. She could no longer hear or see Cadwr, but he had to be just over the next ridge. The mountain was steep, and the dirt was dry and loose and a handful of it came away in her hands when she tried to get a grip. She felt herself sliding down until she lost her footing completely and tumbled backward, head over feet, until she landed on her back at the bottom of the mountain.

For a moment, Jade felt like she was dying. A pain radiated from her back through her chest and she couldn't draw in a breath of air. The tears welled in her eyes and spilled over. Then she heard the laughing. Somewhere above her head, Cadwr was laughing at her. She dragged in a ragged breath. Then another. She rolled over onto her stomach and raised her head to see Cadwr sitting in the dirt, leaning against a dead tree, shaking with laughter.

Amalthea stood shakily but with determination and hurriedly brushed the tears away, smearing dirt on her face as she did so. She glared at him fiercely, but he just continued to laugh.

Finally, he calmed down enough to speak. "What are you so excited to get to? You don't even know where we're going yet."

Jade ignored his question and instead asked one of her own, "Why did you stop? I thought we were going up the mountain."

"Yeah, we are. But I thought I would make sure you hadn't been picked off by a vampire yet. You know, all the monsters come out during a full moon."

She crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm fine. Let's keep going."

"Alright, alright." Cadwr jumped up nimbly from his sitting position and walked toward the mountain. "The mountain is really steep, so you're going to want to hold on with your hands as much as you use your feet. Ok? Don't fall down again. It was hilarious when you were three feet up, but do that at thirty feet up, and you're probably dead." He turned around to look Jade in the eyes. He was suddenly completely serious. "This is your last chance to turn back. I mean it. You might not like what you see up there. It will probably scare you so bad you'll puke, but once you're up there, you got to keep it together until I can get you back down this mountain."

"Yeah, right. Whatever. If you can handle it up there, so can I. I'm just as brave as you." Jade pushed past him and reached for a hand hold on the cliff side.

"Just shut up, Amalthea. And let me go first. I don't want you to fall on me."

Jade rolled her eyes but then stepped back to allow Cadwr to start up the hill in front of her. She'd never say it out loud, but what Cadwr said actually did legitimately scare her, and she had no problem with Cadwr walking into whatever it was first.

The mountain was steep. Cadwr immediately fell onto his hands so he could half crawl, half run up the hill. Jade started out upright, but the steep incline made her legs ache. Soon enough, she had let herself fall forward and climbing on her hands and feet, she followed after him.

Cadwr looked back every few minutes to make sure she hadn't fallen, and although Jade rolled her eyes at him every time, she actually appreciated it. Even though Cadwr lived in Lyonés and was therefore probably evil, she didn't think that he would let her die. At least, he wouldn't let her die if he could stop it without getting himself killed.

By the time they reached the level ground at the top of the mountain, the full moon was high in the sky. It was a good thing there was a moon too because there were no lights or torches on the mountain and they hadn't brought any with them. The silvery light from the moon gave everything a blue tinge, but at least they could see where they were going.

After Cadwr pulled himself over the ledge at the top of the mountain, he turned around and grabbed both of Jade's wrists. He pulled her up until she was on her knees next to him. Once she was on flat, sturdy ground that wouldn't crumble away beneath her, Jade jumped up. She staggered a little. The climb had taken a long time and she was already exhausted when they had started.

They were not at the top of the mountain, but they were close. They had stopped on a large ledge that was at least as big as her room in the castle. A wall of rock rose out of the ground 20 yards away, perpendicular to the flat space on which they stood. The wall was so tall that Jade could have stood on Cadwr's shoulders and still not have been able to reach the top of it, with one huge boulder resting against it.

She was absolutely positive that whatever Cadwr thought was too scary for her was on the other side of that boulder. It was silent. All she could hear was the sound of her and Cadwr breathing. She took a small step forward, but Cadwr stuck his arm out in front of her, hitting her in the chest and stopping her from moving forward.

Jade was about to make a noise of protest when she saw his face. He had put the pointer finger on his other hand to his lips and was looking at her meaningfully. She understood immediately and swallowed her cry of outrage.

He started moving along the edge toward the wall of rock but far from the boulder, and Jade followed him. They tried to be as silent as possible. Every time one of them stepped on a particularly dried up chunk of dirt or a dead twig that snapped, both heads would whip toward the boulder to see if It had heard. There was never any movement or any sound from the other side.

Within a few minutes, they were up against the wall, and Cadwr crouched down and began crawling toward the boulder. Every inch closer she got to that thing made her pulse beat faster, but Cadwr was right, she couldn't turn around now. Not only would she never make it down the mountain without Cadwr's help, but she had to learn what was hiding up here. She would never forgive herself if she chickened out now.

At the edge of the boulder, Cadwr began to dig. The dirt was dry and hard, but when he beat it with his fist, it crumbled enough for him to get his hands in it. Jade crawled beside him and began to help.

They dug for several minutes until the hole was larger enough for Cadwr to squeeze his body through. Before he moved though, he turned to Jade and put his lips right against her ear.

"If you're scared, you can wait out here. I'll still make sure you get back to your precious, princess bed in one piece."

Jade pulled away so she could glare into his eyes. She mouthed the word "never" and then slunk into the hole before he could so much as grab her ankle.

The cave was completely dark. Jade blinked furiously, but she couldn't see a thing. She couldn't even see Cadwr, but she could feel his sudden presence next to her. She reached out her hand into the blackness until she found his arm. She followed it down to his hand and squeezed it. To her surprise, he didn't shake her off.

It was warm and humid in the cave. Over the sound of her own heart hammering in her chest, she could hear the sound of something very big breathing. Occasionally, there would be a scratching sound as if some gigantic animal was walking across the cave wall, its claws dragging over the stone.

Jade felt the rush of fear flow through her veins, paralyzing her. After several minutes of quiet breathing when the beast did not fly forward to attack her, the panic began to ebb, and she felt herself gaining control of her body once more. First, she held her right hand up to her face and slowly started moving it away from her. She could still see its shape about 12 inches in front of her face, but that was about it.

She let go of Cadwr's hand to place both of hers on the floor in front of her. It was solid stone but wet to the touch and covered in a gooey substance that she hoped was mud. Crawling on her hands and knees, she inched forward very slightly. Cadwr didn't move, or at least, she couldn't hear him move. It was so black in the cave that he might have left her completely and she would never see it.

Slower than a slug's pace, she crawled forward. Inch by inch, she moved further into the cave. She was terrified that her hands would run across the beast before she saw it, but she could not stop now. Every move she made brought her closer to what must be a very real possibility of death and farther from Cadwr and the outside world that promised what little safety she could achieve in Lyonés. The mud squished between her fingers and under her knees as she crept forward.

A great black shape formed suddenly out of the unintelligible darkness. She stopped moving and held her breath. She could barely make out its shape, but it seemed to be a very large, furry four-legged creature. It was enormous. If she had dared stand, it would have been at least five times as tall as she was.

It was curled into a ball, sleeping, but it's front paws were close enough to her that she could make out the shape of four very short fingers like a dog's paws, but the hands had an extra finger to the side that had multiple joints almost like a human thumb, and each finger had a sharp claw that seemed to shine despite the dim light of the cave.

She inched forward again, trying to see the creature's face. It had a long snout and pointed ears. When she was closer, she could see that the thing's mouth was open slightly as it slept. A row of brilliantly white teeth lay just within its black lips.

She was leaning her body forward just slightly to look at its closed eyelids when she heard the faintest rustle of clothes on a human body behind her. In less than a second, the beast's dark eyelids flashed open to reveal two glowing yellow eyes.

The fear flooded her veins and left her paralyzed once again. The creature leapt to its feet, the fur of its back grazing the top of the cave. It curled its body back to spring.

"RUN!" Cadwr shouted.

Cadwr's call distracted the beast and gave Jade the moment she needed to unfreeze and jump to her feet. She spun on her toes and ran for the cave's only exit. Cadwr was already gone.

Jade had taken one step forward when her foot fell on something hard and small. She was already unsteady on the wet and muddy floor, and the object made her lose her balance completely, falling face first onto the hard-stone floor. As she was falling, she felt the now growling creature behind her leap forward. The thing's hands hit the back of her head has she fell, pushing her harder into the ground.

She didn't have time to put up her hands, and the impact dazed her, but not enough that she could not hear what happened next. There was a great thud followed by a whimper. The giant wolf must have hit the boulder. The next second, there was a crunch of moving rocks as the boulder gave way under the wolf's impact and started to roll down the mountain.

Jade rolled onto her back and saw stars popping in her vision. She felt the blackness, now so much heavier than before despite the full moon's light pouring onto her, threaten to pull her under, but one thought stopped it.

Cadwr was outside the cave. She could no longer hear the beast growling, which meant he was either knocked out or had left the cave. She raised her head to see the twitch of a gigantic furry tail as it flicked over the mountain side.

She pulled herself to her knees. Her hands and knees burned, her feet and back ached, and her head throbbed with more pain than she could ever remember feeling in her short life, but she had not come here alone.

With every ounce of determination she had, she began to crawl toward the cliff. She didn't allow herself to dwell on the pain. She had come here with a partner, and it was her duty to keep him safe. She had an entire army of men waiting at the castle to protect her, but Cadwr had no one.

It took all her mental power to focus her eyes on the furry beast when she reached the mountain's edge. It was pacing back and forth across another ledge part way down the mountain, tail twitching with impatience.

At first, she couldn't see Cadwr, but as she followed the wolf's gaze, she found him. He was dangerously high up in a very skeletal tree. It must have taken her longer than she'd thought to reach the edge because the tree Cadwr was hiding in was more than halfway down the mountain. She had to get to him.

Taking a deep breath, she rose slowly to her feet. Cadwr was at least a hundred yards below her. The hill was so steep, she was terrified that she would fall and not stop falling until she hit the ground. She couldn't help remembering what Cadwr had said, "you're probably dead."

Suddenly, a very distant memory came back to her. She didn't know how old she was, but she remembered so clearly Aunt Anna coaching her to come down Grandma and Grandpa's stairs backwards on her tummy because her chubby little toddler legs were too small for steps. Without questioning the sudden thought, she placed herself directly above the tree, turned around and began the long journey down.

Every few feet, she'd glance down to Cadwr. The wolf had stopped pacing and was now putting its front paws against Cadwr's tree, pushing against it, testing its sturdiness. She climbed faster. As she got closer, she heard the creaking of the tree as the wolf swayed it back and forth. Cadwr must have been clinging to that tree for dear life. When she was less than twenty yards from the tree, she heard a great cracking. Turning her head, she saw the tree snap right where the beast's paws were pushing. The top of the tree fell in slow motion toward the ground. Just before it hit the ground, Cadwr jumped and rolled a hundred feet down the mountain before he caught himself on a ledge.

"CADWR!" Jade called out to him without thinking.

The wolf turned its head toward Jade, who was now the closer prey, and began running right for her. Cadwr was yelling something at her, but she couldn't understand. The fear was paralyzing her once more as she watched the beast run at her. Finally, through some small crack in her brain, Cadwr's words sunk in.

"Let go!" he was yelling. "Let go!"

Without thinking it through, she threw her trust into Cadwr's words and let go of the rocks she had been clinging to. She fell backward. The first impact knocked all the breath out of her. Once she was on her back, she began sliding down toward the monster. Reaching out with her hands, she was able to turn her body so she started to roll down the steep incline.

She couldn't see the wolf anymore. In fact, she couldn't see anything but a whirl of darkness as the world spun around her. Every rock, no matter how small, would raise her body off the ground, and the slam of impact when she came back down stunned her every time. She no longer worried about Cadwr or the wolf. She just fell and rolled and fell again. It was only seconds, although it seemed like hours, when someone reached out and grabbed her hand. Her body was yanked to a stop, hanging from Cadwr's hand. A sharp pain flashed from her shoulder to her head, and the darkness from the cave threatened to move in across her vision again, but she held onto that hand with both of hers and every ounce of strength left in her.

When the blackness fully cleared from her vision and she looked up, she could see they were not out of danger yet. This was the first time she had seen the monster clearly in the full moonlight. Its thick fur was jet black, and its golden yellow eyes stood out against the night.

Its size was what was most impressive; it was five times bigger than any dog she had ever seen. As she watched it, it rose on its two hind legs to stand like person. With its two hands, it reached for a dead tree below it. Holding onto the tree, it swung its hind legs down the mountain. Suddenly, it had cut the distance between it and them in half.

Jade scrambled to get her feet under her. The distance between them and the base of the mountain was not far, but she thought a fall like that might put her out completely.

"Don't watch it. Just climb." Cadwr let go of her hand and began to climb with incredible speed down the mountain.

The calmness in his voice slowed her speeding heart for just a moment, and she began to follow him. She could not climb as fast as him, but she followed his directions. She climbed as fast as she could safely and didn't once look up at the beast or down at him.

"Amalthea, jump!" she heard from much farther below her than she expected.

She looked down and saw that he was already standing on the flat ground, just ten or so feet below her his arms outstretched. Somehow the hill seemed to have become completely vertical since the last time she'd been there. For the second time that night, she put her faith into Cadwr's words – forcing down every voice inside her head that was screaming at her to hang on – and pushed against the mountain. The fall lasted only seconds, but it felt like an eternity. She felt the hot, dry air rush against her body before she finally hit Cadwr's slender but strong arms. He fell forward when he caught her, and she rolled to the ground, relatively unhurt.

Without another word, they both took off running into the sea of brambles. She could hear the wolf's feet hitting the hard ground behind them, but she did not turn around. There was nothing in her mind now except her feet and the hammering of her heart inside her chest. She felt every jolt of her heel, the ball of her foot, and finally her toes as her foot struck the ground and then pushed off again and again and again.

There was nothing besides the mechanics of her body, the rush of air around her, and the dead branches that smacked her face and arms as she barreled through them. Cadwr was only a few feet ahead of her, and, unlike that afternoon, she was keeping pace with him. The wolf's claws scratching dirt and deep, heavy breaths were always behind them, getting closer.

At first, Jade didn't know where they were running to; she was merely following Cadwr's lead, but as they came over the next hill, she recognized the grey mist in the distance, and she understood Cadwr's plan. The King had banished all the evil creatures here. There had to be some king of spell or curse that held the monsters in Lyonés.

If they could make it across the border into Avalon, this beast would not be able to pass. They just had to make it another hundred yards, another 50, another 5...

Out of nowhere, something dark and cold appeared before her. Jade ran straight into and bounced back onto the ground. This was the end; Jade knew it. By the time she could get back on her feet, the beast would be upon her. Instead, she lay on the ground and closed her eyes.

Chapter XVIII

Orphan

She waited for the paws to pin her down and rake across her arms; she waited for the teeth to rip into her flesh and end the pain pulsing through every part of her body, but it didn't come. Slowly, she realized that she could not hear the brute's claws anymore. The only sound was the omnipresent breathing that was very near her. She opened her eyes and saw what she had run into.

A woman was standing before her. She was dressed in a shapeless black tunic with ripped black tights that revealed large patches of pale skin. The boots on her feet were not made for working; they went up almost to her knees. The heels she stood on were long and skinny, and if the ground had been any softer, they would surely have sunk right through to the heel.

Her hair was jet black and long and stringy and piled on her head haphazardly. Her eyes were blue and so pale that they nearly blended into the whites of her eyes. Her cheeks were hollow and sunken like she hadn't eaten a decent meal in a while, but beside the blue eyes and gaunt cheeks, hers was a face that Jade would recognize in any state of consciousness. Aunt Anna had a picture of this woman sitting on her nightstand. Although the woman in that picture had been much younger and healthier and had brown hair and eyes, this was clearly the same woman. This woman was Jade's mother.

Fay Evelyn Green stared into the eyes of her daughter and did not smile. Her face held no emotion. It was blank as if she was bored.

"Get up." Jade's mother whispered the words, but the ice in her voice stung Jade's heart as though she had shouted them.

Jade rose to her feet, all the while keeping her eyes trained on her mother's ice blues. She did not look away.

"Get out of the way," her mother whispered calmly.

Jade finally took her eyes off her face to look around. Cadwr had stopped running too; he was standing a few feet behind the woman. Jade turned to see that the wolf was indeed still there, but he was frozen in mid pounce. This woman clearly had some amount of magic.

Jade hurried around the woman to stand beside Cadwr. His demeanor had changed. When they were running, he had been scared and desperate, but Jade had known he would not leave her behind. Now he was cold and indifferent, mirroring the woman standing in front of them. Jade did not know this woman, and she was beginning to fear that she did not know this Cadwr either.

She was suddenly flooded with more fear than she had felt even as she faced the giant wolf.

This time, she did not freeze; this time, she turned and ran. They were only a few yards from the white mist, and before the woman or Cadwr could realize she was running, the fog had swallowed her up.

As soon as she was in the mist, she heard a deep male voice calling, "Amalthea!"

"I'm here!" her voice was hoarse, but she cried the words with as much volume as she could muster.

She made to take her first step toward the voice, but her feet had stopped working. Some other force was controlling her limbs. She could not seem to make up her mind to move her feet. She just stood there, frozen.

Jade heard footsteps behind her, and soon the woman walked into her field of vision. She knelt down in front of Jade so they were on the same level and, taking Jade's hands in her own, looked meaningfully at her. The woman's blue eyes sent stabs of cold through Jade's chest.

"Amalthea, I am your mother. Do not run from me." Her voice was quiet and calm, but something was simmering just beneath it, something that made Jade's skin crawl.

Behind the woman's head, something yellow started to sparkle. It drew Jade's attention, and when she looked away from the woman, she saw that the sparkling yellow light was Lali and behind her came the hooves and then head and body of a horse. The King dismounted from his horse, and as soon as his feet hit the ground, Jade felt the ability to move return to her limbs. The woman rose and dropped one of her hands but continued to hold Jade's right hand in hers as she turned towards the King.

Within moments, an entire crowd of guards on horseback was surrounding them. The mist seemed to clear a bit, and Jade could make out many faces she knew from the castle. These men had come to rescue her.

Cadwr stood on the woman's other side, and Jade suddenly realized that Hugh was standing behind the three of them. She couldn't remember when he had gotten there.

"Fay..." the King began, but he was cut off by a huff of anger from the woman holding Jade's hand.

"Do not address me so informally."

The King paused for a moment, and then tried again. "Queen..." when the woman did not interrupt him again, he continued, "Queen, it has been a long time."

The Queen smiled at him, and it was as though her teeth were pointed. "Yes, and in all those long years, you never once came to visit your wife, the love of your life."

She paused to let him respond, but when he did not she continued. "I always assumed it was because you didn't really love me or your boys, but now I wonder; was it perhaps that you cannot cross the threshold? Do you wish me harm, husband?"

"I wish for peace." He stepped forward with his hands held up in surrender, but a flash of her eyes made him stop.

"Yet, you never asked for it. You never asked me to return. You never asked to see your boys. You never asked if I still loved you. You do not want peace; you want power."

"Well now I am."

She stared coldly at him. "You are what?"

"Asking..."

"If I still love you?" She smiled sweetly at him and her teeth flashed just the same way the wolf's had done. "Of course I do, husband, as every wife must."

"I am asking you now. Return to the castle with the boys. Let us have peace once more. I can make you happy again; I swear it."

She tilted her head to the side as though really considering it. "No, I don't think so. I have grown to adore my freedom and my own power, and there is no chance of me giving it up to become your doting wife again."

The King's face began to burn red with anger, but his voice remained calm. "Release Amalthea then, and the boys. Let them return with me to the home they actually want."

"Why, husband, you hurt my feelings." She placed her free hand on her chest over her heart. "Do you think they do not love their mother, the woman who raised them when their father abandoned them?"

"That is not what..."

"Why not let them choose? I'm sure they know who truly loves them. Let's start with your darling princess."

The Queen knelt down again and gently turned Jade's face with her slender index finger. "My Princess Amalthea, I know you believe your father loves you, but see how he mistreats you. Has he ever once read you a story or tucked you in at night or wiped away your tears when you woke from a nightmare? Did he even tell you that your own mother was still alive? I'd wager he has not. He has kept you from me all these years. I am your mother, and I will always love you more than anyone else ever could. I will love you no matter what you chose, but my heart will ache if you leave me now as it has ached every day since I lost you those nine years ago."

The Queen's words held everything Jade had dreamed of her entire life: to live with someone who would love her and take care of her, the mother she had never known but always longed for. But a feeling rolled off this woman in waves. Jade could practically taste the hatred as it hung in the air between them.

Jade took one step toward her father, and when she discovered she could, she was not held by any magic, she ran to him. He did not embrace her, but he did hold out his hand to her, which she grabbed and held with both of hers.

Jade hid behind his arm as best she could, peering over to the Queen. There was the faintest of pink blush behind her pale, white cheeks, and her eyes narrowed. The look was only there for a moment before she smiled with sickly sweetness again.

"I want only happiness for my daughter," she simpered. Then she turned to Cadwr, kneeling down once. "And what is this young prince's decision? Will you go with your sister, or stay here with your mother and brother?" She caressed his face with her hand as she spoke.

While all of the adults' eyes were trained on Cadwr, waiting for his decision, Jade was watching Hugh. Although he had been standing behind the Queen a few minutes ago, he was now standing quite far off to the right. Because the Queen was looking at Cadwr, she couldn't see Hugh continue to sidle toward Jade and the King, and no one else in the clearing had noticed he was moving. He didn't pick up his feet; he just very slowly slid them across the mist dampened earth.

After a minute of quiet, the Queen started to get impatient. "Cadwr?" she demanded more sternly.

Cadwr had noticed what Jade had, and he too was now watching Hugh who had by now practically reached Jade. The Queen followed Cadwr's glance to Hugh. He froze when she looked at him, practically close enough to touch the King's horse.

"Hugh, not even enough courage to say aloud what you wanted?" the Queen asked. Her tone was calm once again. She didn't even try to sound upset.

Hugh's eyes widened, and he looked quickly from the Queen to Jade, back and forth, unsure of what to do. He clearly wanted to be with Jade and the King, but he was petrified.

"Go, dumb one," the Queen said. "You needn't speak. I've no use for a child such as you."

Hugh walked quickly to Jade's side. Jade grabbed his hand. "Don't call him dumb!"

The Queen glared at Jade, who shrank back behind her father's arm. Her gaze was at once ice cold and burning hot. Jade felt like she was face to face with the giant wolf once again.

"A young princess should learn to hold her tongue when it is not her place to speak," the Queen said calmly.

"It means mute," Hugh whispered under his breath barely loud enough for Jade to hear him.

"I choose you, Mother," Cadwr suddenly spoke up. When the Queen turned back to him, he bent at the waist, right arm in front of his torso, left behind, in a formal bow.

He straightened as the Queen moved closer. She stroked his face gently and lifted his chin with her index finger. "I knew I had one son of whom I could be proud." She placed her arm awkwardly around his shoulders and faced the King and his men. "I have no doubt we will see each other again, Henry. Amalthea, I anticipate the day when you and I might have the relationship I always longed for with my daughter." She turned with Cadwr and walked away into the distance without even a glance for Hugh.

###

Thank you for reading my book. Personal reviews are the best way to thank your favorite authors. If you enjoyed this book, please take a moment to leave me a review at your favorite book retailer website.

Thank you!

S.R. Ahuja

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S.R. Ahuja (www.srahuja.com) is currently living with her two sugar gliders (Dobby and Kreacher) in Moline, Illinois. She graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL in 2014 with a degree in English and Secondary Education. Since then, she has been working as a high school English teacher. She has always fostered a love of stories and storytelling, which is something she tries to pass on to her students. _Avalon: Princess_ is Ahuja's first book.

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Preview the sequel to _Avalon: Princess_

CROWN

Available in 2018

Preface

The ride was silent for a long time. Jade rode with the King while the other knights and Hugh trailed behind on their own horses. No one said a word until they saw the castle approaching.

Jade finally found her voice. "Why?" The question was quiet, quiet enough for only the King to hear it.

The King cleared his throat. "What is it, Amalthea?"

"Why?" she repeated, more loudly this time. The entire company turned to look at her.

"I'm afraid, I don't understand, Princess," the King replied. He gave the knights a scornful look, and they all turned back to face the castle.

With his use of her title, a grand rush of anger swept through her veins. It was a fury Jade had never known and it made her head spin. "Why did you tell me she was dead?!" she shouted.

The King did not answer for a minute. The quiet was different now, undercut by tension and unspoken fear. No one spoke to the King like this, especially not his own daughter, but the rage didn't dissipate. If anything, it only grew stronger the longer Jade waited for an answer.

"Say something!" Jade shouted again.

When the King finally spoke, his voice simmered with unspoken rage. "This is neither the time nor the place for this, Amalthea."

The anger flared hotter, making her heart hammer. They were less than a hundred yards from the castle now. Jade flung her left leg over the horse's neck and slid to the ground quickly and easily. She stumbled for a second but managed to avoid the horse's feet. The King stopped the horse and jumped off himself, grabbing her roughly by the arm.

"What do you think you are doing?!" he shouted. "You could have been killed!"

Jade shook her arm violently, trying to dislodge his hand. "Let me go!" she screamed.

"You will not speak to me like this!" the King said, shaking her roughly again, making her head jerk back and forth. "You will hold your tongue."

"Tell me!" Jade cried through the daze. The anger left her as suddenly as it had come. She felt the energy leave her body, and the exhaustion from the sleepless night on top of running from a werewolf pushed her to her knees, held up only by the King's grasp. The King didn't respond so she begged again. "Tell me, please."

The rest of the guard, including Sir Galeron with Hugh, had drawn around them in a loose circle, and they all watched the King, waiting to hear his response.

He had loosened his grip on her arm, but when he spoke, his voice was just as tense as before. "I am the One Rightful King of Avalon. I decide what is best for this kingdom and everyone in it. It was my choice, and I will not have you or anyone else questioning my command. You will not speak of this night ever again. That is an order."

Jade's blood flashed white hot once more. She jerked her arm from his grasp and ran through the legs of the horses. The knights were frozen for only a few seconds, but it was long enough for Jade to reach the castle doors. With the fury once again feeding her strength, she flung open one door, rushed inside, and ran straight to her room. She did not come out again for a long time.

Chapter I

Jade lay awake in her bed long after the sun had set, listening to the wind wail sadly outside her window. She had seen no one all day except a young serving girl who brought her her meals. No one had come to check on her today, not Menelwen, not Hugh, and certainly not the King. It had been the same for the past few weeks. Most days, Menelwen came to try to coax her out of her room, but not today.

Jade had been living in Avalon for nearly a year now, and not once had her father even stepped foot inside her room. He didn't need to. If he wanted to say something to her, there were a million people – servants, guards, knights – who he could send to fetch her. It was not he who had forced Jade to her room either. It was Jade who had chosen her isolation. She chose not to be near those who had lied to her. The entire castle, the entire kingdom had been in on the lie. Even Menelwen, her governess and most trusted friend, had left out that crucial detail that her mother was not dead as the King had told her.

Jade closed her eyes. She tried to sleep, but one thought pervaded her mind and repeated over and over again. She was alive.

Her mother's face swum before her closed eyes, not the face of the cruel woman she had met in the cold of the fog plains, but the face of the kind woman who looked out of Aunt Anna's pictures back home. Her skin was warm and tan, and her hair sparkled with highlights beaming out from dark brown hair. Her eyes glowed a brilliant green, the same color as Aunt Anna's, the same color as Jade's. She opened her eyes again, and the vision vanished.

The woman Jade met at the edge of Lyonés was drastically different. Her skin was pale, and her hair, instead of the color of chocolate, was more the color of burnt charcoal. It was piled high on her head with strings hanging down her face. But the most striking difference was the eyes. The Queen's eyes were ice blue, so pale that Jade wondered whether she still had all of her sight. Something had changed deep inside her, even Jade could sense that, but she was real and very much alive.

There was a quiet knock on the door. With a start, Jade realized that her eyes had slipped closed again and her thoughts of her mother had been just about ready to turn into dreams. Drowsily, she shook her head and sat up.

"Come in," she called, loud enough to be heard through the door, but still quiet. It had to be past midnight.

The door swung slowly in to show a round glow of light coming from a candle and a very slight, scared looking boy with shaggy brown hair that looked almost black in the dark of night.

"Hugh?" she said in surprise. She had not seen her brother since the night they had escaped Lyonés together. He had not visited her once in her room, and she had refused to leave it.

Hugh stood in the doorway, hesitating.

Jade waited for a moment, but when he didn't say anything, she sighed and climbed out of bed.

"Well, come in. You can't just stand there in the door," Jade said, walking to Hugh.

He took one tentative step in and then another. Finally, he was fully in her room so that Jade could push the heavy door shut behind him. Again, she waited for him to say or do something, but he didn't. She walked to him and took the candle out of his hand. She placed it gently on her bedside table beside her untouched dinner and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What are you doing here, Hugh?" She asked before realizing that he was dressed for bed in a long nightshirt, the sleeves of which he had pushed back as they were several inches too long for him.

"I... I just," he began but trailed off.

Jade watched the timid boy, and she thought she understood. She had met their mother just once and already she was dominating her thoughts and dreams. Hugh had lived with her for eleven years. Jade couldn't even imagine the nightmares Hugh must have to deal with.

"Hugh," she began again suddenly, realizing something for the first time. "You knew our mother."

Hugh looked at her queerly. It seemed obvious now that she had said it out loud, but to Jade, this was a revelation.

"I mean, of course you did. What I mean is, you know her. Like, you know what she's like. You know how she changed. I mean, she did change, didn't she?"

Hugh watched her unblinkingly, indecision written plainly across his face.

"Come, sit down," Jade patted the bed next to her.

Hugh walked forward slowly and sat next to her. The glow of the yellow candlelight flickered in his dark eyes as he watched her.

"Please, tell me," Jade pleaded.

Hugh shook his head slowly. "She hasn't changed, Amalthea. She's been like that for as long as I can remember."

Jade's heart sank and the blood drained from her face. "No, that can't be. She's had a spell put on her or something, or a curse maybe."

Hugh shook his head again. "No, I don't think so. That's not how magic works."

"No, you're wrong," Jade said. "My aunt – our aunt – she had pictures of her up at our house. She looked so different back then, and Aunt Anna told me stories. She was a good person, and Aunt Anna loved her. Aunt Anna couldn't love someone so... so..." she searched for the right word and came up with only "...evil."

"Amalthea, I don't know what to tell you except what I know. The Queen has been the way she is now since I was a baby. There is no spell or curse that can change a person like that. Magic can't change a person's personality."

"But you don't know magic. We have to ask the Nine Sisters." Jade stood up, looking toward the door. She knew it was the middle of the night, and if she could even get out of the castle, the Sisters would be asleep. They wouldn't want to talk to her about anything.

Hugh held his hand out to her in a motion to stop. "I don't know magic, but I read books. I know everything about magic that a person can learn out of a book, and magic follows rules. It's just like anything else. There are limitations, things it can't do, and magic can't do that."

Jade looked up at him, her eyes wide. He had to be wrong. "Aunt Anna said that my mother was a kind, beautiful person who gave me up because it was what was best for me, and Aunt Anna wouldn't lie."

But even as Jade said the words, they felt wrong. Something tugged at the edge of her memory.

You're lying. Why are you lying?

The words came floating back to her like a long-forgotten dream. Aunt Anna had lied to her. It was the reason that Jade had run away. It was how Jade had ended up in Avalon in the first place. Aunt Anna had lied to her.

"Anyone can lie," Hugh said quietly.

Horror finally sank in. Her mother was evil. She was a horrible person, you could sense it just by looking into her eyes. She was made of pure evil and hate.

"That's not fair," Jade mumbled, quickly brushing the tears from her eyes before Hugh could see them fall. She walked past him and sat by the window, staring out at the cloudy sky. "People shouldn't lie."

Hugh nodded and gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Jade looked back up at him fiercely, her eyes narrowed. He flinched away from her, but Jade quickly grabbed his hands, holding them in hers. "Hugh, you have to promise me. Promise me that you won't lie to me."

"Amalthea..." Hugh began. He tugged at his hands, but Jade refused to let go.

"I have to believe... I have to trust someone. Who can I trust if I can't trust my own brother?"

Hugh looked like he too was on the point of tears. His eyes shimmered in the flickering light and his voice was rough when he finally spoke. "I promise that no matter what, I will never lie to you."

Jade nodded. "Good, and I promise that I won't ever lie to you either."

They were both quiet for a moment before Jade suddenly realized something else.

"Hugh, what are you doing here? Didn't they give you a room?"

Hugh flushed faintly, avoiding her gaze. "I... yes, they did, but... Cadwr and I used to share a room... I've never slept all alone, and... and the wind..."

"Oh," Jade said simply. She shifted and crawled under the covers. "Do you want to stay in here for tonight? There's lots of space." Jade gestured to the wide king size bed.

Hugh smiled gratefully. Without speaking, he climbed up and crawled under the covers too. The bed was big enough that they could have both slept with their arms sticking out to each side and not have touched each other. Jade blew out the candle, and the room was plunged into darkness. Only the light of the waning moon outside of the window gave any light, and that was cut in and out by the swaying branches in the storm.

Jade lay down, facing away from Hugh, silently brushing away the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Amalthea," Hugh said faintly.

"Yeah?" Jade said, rolling slightly so that she was facing the ceiling instead of away from him.

He didn't say anything for a long while, but then he finally just said. "Thank you."

Jade smiled in the dark. "Good night, Hugh." She rolled back onto her side and closed her eyes.

"Good night," Hugh said, also turning away.

Jade fell asleep almost immediately and dreamed of a deadly storm, a horrible witch, and her brother at her side.

Chapter II

Menelwen woke them early the next morning with something that was close to a shriek. Jade opened her eyes blearily to see Menelwen standing in the doorway of her room with both hands pressed to her chest, a look of absolute shock apparent on her face.

"Prince Hugh!" she gasped, looking from him the Jade. "What in Avalon's great mercy are you doing in her sister's room?"

"He was scared of the storm," Jade explained. She looked over at Hugh who was standing against the far wall, blushing as red as an apple.

"You nearly stopped my heart," Menelwen scolded. "Your servants are waiting for you in your own room, I'm sure, Your Grace."

Hugh scrambled out the door immediately without even a proper goodbye for Jade.

Jade got out of bed but kept her arms folded tightly across her chest. "You can dress me up however you like, but if my father wants me to be at breakfast, then I won't be there."

Menelwen sighed heavily and walked around the bed to get to Jade's closet. She reappeared moments later holding a pale pink dress folded over her arm. "Princess, why must you choose to hold this anger against the King of all people?"

"He's the one who started it. He's the one who won't tell me why he lied," Jade said.

Menelwen came to her and knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in hers. "The King was only doing what he thought was best. If he lied to you, he had a reason. You have to be happy with that as your explanation."

"Why?"

"Because he's the King, and no matter what you do, he will always be the King. And the King always gets what he wants. He's even better at it than the Princess." Menelwen tapped Jade's nose with her index finger. "Now, I know you and I know you won't be happy with that explanation, but it is as good as any you are going to get. So, will you please do me a favor and let me get you dressed and down to breakfast? You have to be hungry." Menelwen motioned to Jade's tray of leftover dinner.

At the very moment, Jade's stomach growled.

Menelwen draped the dress across the foot of Jade's bed. "So, what will it be, Princess?"

"Fine," she said with a huff. "But I'm not going to talk to him."

Menelwen insisted that she bathe before getting dressed, so it was at least an hour before she was allowed to walk – not run – down the stairs to the dining hall. While she and Menelwen were walking at an agonizing pace, Jade caught a glance out of the corner of her eye of Hugh peeking an eye through a crack in a door. She actually smiled for the first time in weeks.

"Hugh, what are you doing?" Jade giggled, stopping at the door.

Hugh straightened and open the door.

"I was, well, I wasn't sure if I should go for breakfast alone, or if... if you were going," Hugh admitted, blushing and staring down.

"Well, come with us," Jade said. She held out her free hand to him.

Hugh looked at her hand unsure.

"You're supposed to offer me your arm," Jade said.

Hugh held out his elbow to her tentatively. She held on to his upper arm and guided him out of his room and down the steps. Menelwen walked just a step behind them. Before they could open the doors to the dining room, Menelwen stopped them by putting a hand on each of their shoulders. She looked fondly at Hugh.

"Prince Hugh, I'm sorry if I seemed startled you before. I really am glad to see you back home."

"You knew Hugh before?" Jade interjected.

"Manners, little princess," Menelwen scolded, but she smiled all the same. "But, yes, I knew Prince Hugh many years ago. You were just a baby then, so I'll doubt you remember, but I spent a lot of time with you and your brother when your parents were busy."

Hugh looked to Jade, clearly unsure of what he should say.

Jade spoke up for him. "I'm sure if Hugh remembered, then he'd be happy to see you too."

Menelwen patted both of them on the back. "Alright, I know the princess is hungry. Go on in. I expect your father is already eating."

Menelwen stood back, and Jade exchanged a final nervous glance with Hugh. He was visibly sweating, and his face was slowly turning redder and redder.

Finally, Jade stepped forward and pushed open the doors. There were only two people in the room. The King was sitting at the head of the long table, and another, older man who Jade had seen around the castle but never met, was sitting to his right side. Two other places were set at the long table, both were on the King's left side.

The King and the man turned to look at them as they entered, and the older man rose politely.

"Thank you for joining us, Amalthea, Hugh," the King said. His tone held another meaning that maybe they should have hurried up and gotten ready sooner. He didn't seem at all surprised that Jade had finally left her room.

"Please, have a seat." The King motioned to the two empty chairs on his left.

Hugh immediately made for the chair farther from the King, and Jade went to the chair in between them, but the King cleared his throat loudly, drawing both of their attentions. He shook his head infinitesimally. Jade exchanged a look with Hugh; at this point, the poor boy was actually shaking, but the King could have meant only one thing, so, slowly, Jade moved to stand on the other side of Hugh, forcing him to sit beside their father.

As soon as they were both seated, a servant appeared from the kitchen, bringing each of them a plate of food.

"So," the older man began, smiling patronizingly down at the two children, "this is the famous young prince I have heard so much about."

Hugh glanced at Jade and didn't say anything. The King spoke up for him.

"Yes, this is my son, the crown prince, Hugh Pendragon and my daughter, Princess Amalthea. Hugh, this is my most trusted advisor, Sir Vincent." The King motioned to the man sitting on his right hand side.

"You're a knight?" Jade asked.

All trace of a smile vanished immediately from Sir Vincent's face. He frowned down at Jade and did not answer.

The King frowned at her too and said, "Not all knights are forged in combat, Amalthea. Sometimes, a knight's greatest skill is his mind."

Jade did not look at the King. She could act civil in the presence of strangers, but that did not mean she had forgiven the King for his betrayal or forgotten all of her furious questions for him.

The four of them ate in silence for a moment, then Sir Vincent turned to Hugh. "Your father has told me much about you Hugh. I'm sad to say that I did not know you very well before you were taken."

The old man spoke of their mother kidnapping Hugh as if it was an unfortunate incident, the same way he would talk about Hugh tripping and spilling a drink. Jade felt a falseness about this man, and she did not like it.

Hugh looked positively petrified at the attention he was receiving. He looked quickly between the man and his plate of food and didn't say a word.

"Of course, I'm sure, with King Henry as your father, you will pick up the comings and goings of court very quickly. You will have to, surely with such little experience under your belt by the age of eleven."

Jade longed to ask exactly what the man was talking about, but she held her tongue, staring angrily down into her food, loathe to receive another reprimand from the King.

"Yes," the King said. "Hugh has already begun shadowing me. That is, indeed, why we needed to speak this morning, children."

The King set his utensils down on the plate and cleared his throat. Hugh looked up immediately, but Jade did not. She forced a breath out slowly through her nose and then dragged her gaze up to meet her father's eyes. He was looking at her kindly, gently, as though they had never even quarreled. It only infuriated her more and she felt the white fire rip through her veins just as it had done that day outside the fog plains The time apart did little to cool the flames.

"As I'm sure you two have gathered already, Hugh's appearance here at court has caused some amount of uncertainty. At noon today, we will hold an audience from the balcony as, Amalthea, you have seen before, where I will help dissipate some of the confusion that has been building among the people of the Hamlet and the other villages across the kingdom during the past few weeks."

Jade tried to keep her face as blank as possible, but she had no idea what her father was talking about. Why would Hugh's reappearance in the castle cause any amount of confusion? Surely the people of the Hamlet knew who Hugh really was even if they hadn't known where he had been all these years. Surely at least the adults had known that there was a prince before there was a princess.

"Now, Hugh's return does cause some shifts here within the court as well. Hugh, you will continue spending every morning shadowing me without exception. To make up for your lack of schooling over the past nine years, you will also spend three hours with a tutor each weekday afternoon. You will meet him tomorrow. He will tutor you largely in the history of the kingdom and practical tactics of war and governing. On Saturday and Sunday, you will spend four hours in the afternoons training with Sir Mason, our master at arms. He will train you in the basics of swordsmanship as well as hand to hand combat. We cannot have a prince who cannot protect himself."

The King then turned his gaze to Jade, who sat immobile, frozen as a statue, watching her father's every move. She had no idea why Hugh was being treated so differently from her. The needs of a prince really shouldn't be that different from the needs of a princess, even if he was two years older than her.

"Amalthea, as you know, the majority of your classmates have already stopped attending school for the summer so as to help with the Hamlet's harvest. Considering this and considering my concerns for your safety, you will remain in the castle until further notice. You will study with the tutor in the mornings. In the afternoons, you will attend functions with the other young wives and daughters of our lords. It is high time that you begin socializing with those who are truly your peers."

"Who are the lords' daughters?" Jade blurted out, momentarily forgetting her vow of silence and interrupting the King.

The King scowled at her but answered her question all the same. "In a few days' time, we are to have a ball to welcome Hugh back home. The lords of other towns, like the Hamlet, will attend with their families. Many of them have chosen to allow their daughters, wives, and younger sons to stay here at the castle at least for a few months, to assist with their children's education. I expect you will appreciate that you and many other young ladies will be tutored by Lady Katherina in the finer points of tea ceremony and general courtly behavior."

Jade felt her jaw drop. Hugh was going to be trained in how to run the kingdom and how to use a sword, and Jade was going to learn how to curtsey and drink tea. The unfairness of it bit straight through her anger. She wanted to cry it was so unfair. She wanted to say something, to ask wasn't she the one that should be preparing for her future role as king, when a horrible realization finally broke through her stubbornness.

"Of course, the most important change will really not affect your day to day at all. I'm sure you have garnered by now that with Hugh back in his place at the castle, he will step into his role of Crown Prince. It is he who will one day become King."

