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“IS IT JUST ME, OR DOES it seem like people are staring at us?” Lyric asked. As the five of them—six, if one took Charmaine into consideration—strolled into town, it did seem as if they were attracting several stares.
“Of course they’re staring.” Noxor made a gesture toward his hooded head. “People always stare at me, no matter where I go. Which is why I should have stayed behind like I did last time...”
“Or they’re staring at me,” Rachelle suggested with a sniffle.
Noxor chuckled softly. “And why would they be staring at you, Princess?”
“Because I look like Hell!” Rachelle exclaimed. “My hair’s a mess. My clothes are dirty. I have smudges on my cheeks because I had to sleep on the ground... and I have red rings around my eyes because I couldn’t sleep on the ground! People usually stare at me because I’m beautiful, but now they’re staring at me because I’m a mess! I wish I could be more like Aurora.”
Aurora didn’t want to know what Rachelle meant by that, but Rachelle was going to give her explanation whether she wanted it or not.
“I wish I wasn’t so concerned about my appearance,” Rachelle went on. “I wish I could wake up, roll out of bed, and not even give a second thought to the status of my hair. How do you do it, Aurora?”
“Uh... huh?”
“You don’t have a beauty regime, but you’re perfectly happy. I can tell! And I mean that as a compliment, of course.”
“Do you?” Aurora grumbled.
“I’m sure I’m the one who’s attracting all the attention, and not the good sort of attention,” Noxor insisted. “Maybe the troll will take some of the focus away from me.”
Lyric’s head popped up. “What? Troll?”
Lyric’s and Aurora’s eyes simultaneously landed on the “troll” that Noxor was referring to. It was a green, sauntering, wart-covered lump of a creature—with familiar fashion sense.
“No way,” Lyric whispered. “Are you kidding me?!”
Aurora had to laugh. “Nope. That’s definitely him.”
“It’s the troll that stole my clothes!” Lyric shook his head with disbelief as he recalled that humiliating day. “Unbelievable.”
Rachelle spoke up again. She had to be the center of attention, or else she was restless. “Anyway, is that a pub at the end of the road? Didn’t you say you wanted to gather some information?”
“Gather information... ask for directions...” Lyric quietly listed all of the tasks at hand. “Yes, a pub would be a good place to start. Let’s go.”
“Oh... but, Lyric!” Rachelle grabbed his shoulder before he could take another step forward. “I have the most terrible blisters on my feet. Every time I take a step, I can feel them pulsating. The pain is unbearable! Won’t you carry me?”
“Uhhhh, really?”
“Please? Pretty please?”
Lyric shrugged a shoulder. “The pub is at the end of the street, Rachelle. If I can make it, you can make it. I have blisters too. And I’m sure Aurora’s got them.”
“I do.” Aurora nodded, smiled at Lyric, and self-satisfactorily marched off in the direction of the pub.
“But I... but you... but damsels in distress...” Rachelle was rooted to the spot, unable to believe she just got jilted. Her pout was so prominent, her lip was practically touching the bottom of her chin.
Before she could rail at Lyric, Noxor lifted her off her feet; which, of course, wasn’t what she had in mind. “Wait? What? Put me down!”
Noxor tossed her over his shoulder as if she weighed a feather. “But you said you have blisters, Princess. I wouldn’t want your feet to get worse.”
“Ack! No!” Rachelle continued to fuss and kick, not unlike a squealing pig. “J-just put me down, okay? And I take exception to your tone! If you keep calling me Princess, it’s going to sound derogatory!”
Noxor gently laid her on her feet. “Oh? Then what should I call you?”
“Your Highness... or... Your Grace. Something along those lines, please.” Rachelle smoothed her hands over her dress, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and ran to catch up with Lyric and Aurora. Once inside, the chaos of the crowded pub nearly bowled her over.
“Ahh. Don’t you just love the buzz of voices murmuring in unison?” Lyric asked, directing the question at Aurora more than anyone. “It reminds me of the bazaar back home.”
“You’ve been to the bazaar?”
“Occasionally,” Lyric answered. “You didn’t think I was holed up in the palace all day, did you?”
“Actually, I did,” Aurora admitted with a nod.
“Well, you couldn’t be more wrong. I love people. I love the crazy hustle and bustle of a crowded town.”
“Well, I hate it!” Rachelle voiced an different opinion. “Let’s get out of here as fast as we can!”
“Not too fast, I hope,” Noxor said as he appeared in the doorway. He pulled out a coin purse and tossed it to Lyric, whose reflexes weren’t quite on par with Noxor’s, thus the bag fell to the ground with a loud clunk. “When you ask for directions, purchase some rooms for the night. We’ve been traveling all day. I think the princess’s feet could use a rest.” Noxor paused for a few seconds, then amended, “That is to say... Her Highness’ feet could use a rest.”
Rachelle smiled obnoxiously. “Very good, Noxor. You’re learning! That’s always good.”
With a roll of his eyes, Lyric went ask for directions, and Aurora followed. When they were at a safe distance, she whispered. “I can’t believe you’re actually courting that girl.”
“Yeah, I know. She’s a peach, isn’t she?”
Aurora sincerely hoped he was being sarcastic.
“I’m being facetious, you know,” Lyric went on, alleviating Aurora’s concerns. “Peach? A hellion is more like it. But she reminds me of myself at times.”
“How so?”
“Do I really need to tell you?” Lyric wrapped an arm around Aurora’s shoulders. “What’s gotten into you? Why do you look so serious? A few days ago, you would have gladly listed my Rachelle-like qualities... as horrid as they might be. Believe it or not, I miss the days when you used to tease me.”
“Well, it’s a little hard to tease you when we’re traveling with Noxor and Greta and Rachelle.” And I’m in love with you, her mind quietly finished the thought. “As for what you have in common with Rachelle... well, you’re both spoiled, whiny, pampered...”
“Ah, there you go!” Lyric cheered her on. “That’s good.”
“But Rachelle’s even worse than you, believe it or not. Anyway...” Aurora tapped Lyric on the shoulder. “You’ve got the innkeeper’s attention.”
“Oh.” Lyric turned to the innkeeper, an old man with a ruddy face and hardly any teeth. “Hello, Sir. We could like two rooms for the night.”
“Two?”
“Yes...one for me and Noxor, one for you and—”
“Rachelle,” Aurora finished listlessly. “And Greta, of course.”
“Oh, yes. Right... the little girl we kidnapped. I almost always forget about her.”
The innkeeper’s brow was fraught with concern as he slid two sets of keys across the counter. “Anything else?” he asked.
“No, sir. Well... yes, actually.” Lyric changed his mind in mid-sentence. “We’re trying to get to a town called Avalon. Have you heard of it?”
“Of course I’ve heard of it!” the innkeeper exclaimed. “It’s about fifteen or twenty miles to the east of here. There are coaches that ride there all the time.”
“Okay, great. Thanks.” Lyric snatched the keys, took Aurora by the elbow, and dragged her away from the counter. “Perhaps I should’ve left off the part about kidnapping a little girl.”
“Perhaps,” Aurora agreed with a roll of her eyes. “You’re such a numbskull, Lyric.”
“Yeah, well, it’s not like we actually kidnapped her. We didn’t throw a sack over her head and carry her off. She’s more like... a stray dog.”
“And that girlfriend of yours is a thorn in my side.” Aurora whispered under her breath.
* * *
AURORA TRIED TO THINK of a better analogy, something worse than a thorn in the side, but nothing could properly illustrate her negative sentiments toward the persnickety princess.
“The bed is making me itch. I think there might be bedbugs. The food at the inn was terrible, wasn’t it? I hope I never have to eat at a pub for the rest of my life. Do you remember eating dinner at the castle? It was far superior, wasn’t it? My father’s chefs are some of the best in the land. And the silverware... don’t even get me started! It wasn’t even clean! And it wasn’t real silver, either. I can spot real silver from a mile away. It isn’t as fetching as gold, though, and gold is more flattering on my skin tone.”
After ten minutes of sharing a room with Rachelle, Aurora was ready to scream into her pillow. “It’s not so bad, Rachelle.”
“No, no... I like silver, it’s just not for me.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Aurora corrected her. “The inn, the food... it isn’t that bad.”
Rachelle sighed. “If I was like you, I’m sure I’d feel like I was living in the lap of luxury right now. But since I’m used to real luxury, this place is one step above a hovel. I can’t wait to get back to the palace and start planning my wedding to Lyric.”
“What?!” Aurora, who’d only been playing marginal attention to what Rachelle was saying, felt a sudden tingle in her ears. “You and Lyric are getting married?!”
“Well, it’s not really official... yet,” Rachelle admitted. “But I think it’s just a matter of time. I know he cares for me, or he wouldn’t travel halfway across the world to rescue me. Out of all my suitors... and I have many, I assure you... Lyric is my favorite by far.”
“R-really? Why’s that?”
“First of all, he’s incredibly handsome. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed! And he’s one of the richest men in the world, too.”
“Really?” That was news to Aurora.
“Uh-huh. My father is very rich, of course, but he’s nothing compared to Lyric.”
“Oh, really?” Aurora felt silly for repeating the same word over and over again, but she didn’t know what else to say. It was as if she was realizing, for the first time, that Lyric was above her reach. He would want someone beautiful and refined, who would match his good looks and fit his extravagant lifestyle.
“When I found out you weren’t his cousin, I have to admit, I was a bit worried,” Rachelle said. “Then I remembered that he hates redheads. It would be crazy to think he’d actually be interested in you, right?”
Aurora tugged at the ends of her copper locks. “Right...”
“I mean no offense! You’re a very pretty girl, of course, you’re just not Lyric’s type. Just like Charmaine is handsome, but he’s not my type.”
“Right now, I don’t think Charmaine is anyone’s type,” Aurora noted. “Anyway, all this talk about types is stupid. I think it has to do with finding someone whose personality complements your own.”
Rachelle laughed. “If I was looking for a husband based on personality, I’d rather be with Noxor! Lyric has nothing going for him in the personality department, if you know what I mean.”
Aurora gasped. “That’s not true!”
“Yes it is.”
“That’s not true!” Aurora insisted. “Sure, he can be a bit... irritating sometimes, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a good person! I know he’s spoiled and whiny and sarcastic... but he’s also fun and clever and caring!”
“You think so?”
“I do!”
“Hmm. Well, I can’t say I’ve seen that side of him, but I guess I’ll find out after we’re married.” When Rachelle ran a hand through her hair, it looked like she was dipping her hand into a vat of gold. “It’s so sweet of you, jumping to his defense like that. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were the one in love with him.”
“What?! No!”
“Well, DO tell me if you are in love with him, because I can’t stand competition.” Rachelle’s head collapsed against her pillow, and her eyelids fluttered drowsily. “It’s not like I have my heart set on him. If you really want him, he’s all yours.”