A Summer Of Missing Princesses

Another person enters the room, this one I can tell is fully human.

“I see you’ve finally awakened,” she says.

“Yeah...ow, that hurt,” I moan.

“Where have you come from?” the woman asks.

“I’m from Fairwood and so is the brown haired girl. The blonde one is from Mycono,” I say.

“Such strange names! I never knew there was another world,” the woman says.

“What are they?” I ask, pointing to the kids.

“Oh, don’t mind them. Those are my slaves,” the woman says with a chuckle.

“Slaves?” I ask. “What is a slave?”

“They work for me, you see. I give them shelter and they do all the dirty work to keep it running,” the woman says.

“Well...I’m sure that’s not going to be the weirdest thing I find here,” I say. “Do you guys have royalty?”

“Of course we do! King Rosen has been our king since he was a child! He’s been awfully distraught lately, though,” the woman says.

“Did he, perchance, lose a daughter?” I ask.

“Yes. Her name was Princess Mór,” the woman says.

“Great. I need to find her, then. You see, the two little girls I have brought with me are also princesses. I have taken on the job of finding the seven lost princesses,” I say.

“You’re an odd one...” the woman says, shaking her head. “…but I’m sure he’d appreciate it if you did find his daughter.”

I roll off of the couch and go to the princesses.

“Sìneag...Aleena...I promised to protect you both...” I whisper.

“Ma’am. Leave them to us. We’ll look after them for you,” one of the slaves says.

“Thank you!” I say.

I bend down and hug the little child. The woman looks at me as if I am crazy.

“What?” I ask.

“You shouldn’t hug slaves! It isn’t good or proper!” the woman responds.

“I apologize,” I say and let go of the child.

The other children squeal and run away laughing.

“I’m gonna tell daddy that a stranger hugged one of us!” one cries out.

“I think I’ll head to the castle first for information,” I say.

“Very well, good luck on your quest!” the woman says.

I turn to leave, but I glance at the princesses one more time, smiling gently. Upon leaving the house, I look around to see if I can spot the castle. Almost every house in the area has corn fields and fruit trees. Some have cotton or tea fields instead.

Every house also has at least a few “slaves” working at it. The wind gives me a deep chill and I sigh. Something isn’t right about this… Anyways, I spot the castle in the distance and head that direction. On the way, I pass by a large Wolf-Man with green hair.

“This is the way to the castle, right?” I ask him.

“Obviously! What? Did you just arrive yesterday?!” the guy asks.

“Yes...” I respond.

“Oh...” he says, his ears drooping.

“I’m guessing you’ve been here a long time...” I say.

“Yes,” he says. “I was a kid when I was first brought here. I’m a king now, but what is a king without a palace?” the man asks.

“You’re a king? I’m so sorry...” I say, bowing to him.

He looks surprised for a moment and then orders me to stand.

“It does you no good to bow to a slave king. I could have been free... I let a boy of my kind escape and I had hoped he’d come back and save me, but he didn’t,” the wolf king says and grumbles.

“He will return, he’s got to!” I say.

“I was cruel to him. I’m starting to think he has good reason to abandon me,” the wolf king says.

“Don’t give up hope...” I say. “I know it probably won’t help, but I’ll talk to the king about getting you guys free...”

“Thank you...you are kind, unlike the Snyvolonians,” the wolf king says.

I wave goodbye and continue on my way. I know I am ignorant, but I also know it is not okay to leave those people in the condition they are currently in. They are more human than I expected. Unlike in Mycono Kingdom, time moves at a normal speed here.

I can actually feel as though I have traveled for a long time. I arrive at the castle right about around night fall. I glance back and see the farms sitting in the distance. The people are so far away they seem to be nothing more than colorful dots. Before I can knock on the door, some guards rush at me and capture me.

“Hey! Let me go!” I cry out.

“You are trespassing on royal land! You must be punished for your crime!” one of the guards yells.

Yep, yet again I am being accused of trespassing. I guess only Fairwood has a welcoming castle.

“Can I at least have a word with your king?” I ask.

“Only if he wishes to speak to you! And he’s not really one to speak to prisoners!” the other guard says.

“Fine...” I say and let them carry me off.

They carry me through the castle halls, occasionally glancing at the murals. The further we go, the darker it becomes. Before long, they resort to lighting torches in order to see where they are going. Faintly, in the torch light, I can see piles of bones littering the floor around a few cages. They open the door to one of the cages and I allow them to chain me up.

“Here you await your doom, missy!” one of the guards says in a taunting tone.

“I was sent to find the missing princess,” I say after they lock me in.

“...the princess...” one of them repeats in a whisper.

I can see them exchange nervous glances before they both run quickly out of the dungeon. They take the torches with them, leaving me in complete darkness. It’s almost completely silent down here. It remains silent for quite some time, too.

I think I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, I am being prodded awake by a scepter. I open my eyes and yawn. I would rub my eyes, but the shackles prevent such a movement. There are torches lit and being held by quite a few guards. The one holding the scepter is a cruel looking man with reddish brown hair.

“Foolish girl...I am awfully surprised you thought you could sneak onto my property,” the man with the scepter says.

“Please...spare me...I was sent here to inform you that I have been chosen to find the princess,” I say.

“Lies! You’re here to steal everything I own!” the man yells. “You’re a scoundrel! Like the last few I executed who had the same claims as you!”

He points his scepter at a particularly mangled pile of bones.

“Don’t think I’ll hesitate to do the same to you just because you are a woman!” the man snarls.

“Alright, I know it is a possibility. Please hear me out, though...” I say.

“My daughter will be found by those I approve to find her! I don’t allow freaks like you to do stuff like that! It gets to your head and you think you are so awesome!” the man says.

Apparently this is the king. Now I see why it is that the people should suffer. Still, it is my job to rescue his daughter.

“I am from the east,” I say.

“Don’t be silly! There is no east!” the king snaps.

“I am Selima of Fairwood and I will find your daughter if you just give me a chance! I promise!” I say.

“She speaks the truth, your majesty,” another voice pipes up.

The king whirls around and jabs his scepter at the person who spoke.

“Shush, Pete!” the king hisses.

With a burst of magic, the scepter flies from the king’s hands and into the other man’s hands.

“You let her go, now,” Pete says.

The king trembles and turns back to face me.

“Okay, Selima of Fairwood...but if you come back without her, I’ll execute you AND my top servant, Pete!” the king yells.

Pete hands back the scepter.

“She will not fail, Your Majesty,” Pete says.

The king unlocks the cage and unlocks me. He then leads me out of the cage.

“How about you go with her, then?” the king asks. “Didn’t you express an interest in Mór?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Pete announces.

Something about this man makes me feel uncomfortable, but he DID just spare me.