*
“So … where are we going anyway?” Annora had been travelling for days and she was already sick of it. Her back was aching and she had absolutely nothing to do.
“There is a legend passed down through the royal family. It says that there is a sword and a stone. The stone is prison to a horrible creature that caused despair on Lestaria one thousand years ago and the sword is the sharpest blade ever made, forged where hot and cold are perfectly balanced to the point of purity. If you insert the stone in the sword, it will bend to your will by either imprisoning evil or releasing it. The only problem is that they were both lost hundreds of years ago. Although, there has been a rumour saying that stone is in a temple in the middle of the Waste,” explained Avery.
“So, that’s the plan? We go to a temple based on a rumour, and collect a sword and a stone that we don’t know even exists?” It sounded like a stretch to Annora, but it was the only chance they had.
“Not we. Me. I will do all the combat like a true man and you can do the cooking and sewing like girls are supposed to do,” the prince said fondly.
This was the last straw for Annora.
“Ugh! That’s it! You are sexist, immature and self-centred! No wonder you’re a royal! You are just like the rest of them! Why did I choose to do this quest with you?” Annora shouted.
She galloped ahead on Raven, hoping to get a bit of space from the obnoxious prince, but of course, being dim-witted, he did not know when to walk away. He galloped quickly on his shining white stallion to catch up with her.
“I’m getting the vibe you don’t like me,” he said in concern, no doubt for himself.
“Because I don’t like you,” scowled Annora.
“Yeah. I already knew that. But why?”
“I literally just told you.” Annora was getting more and more agitated.
“I could tell before then. Back at the ranch. Please tell me what I’ve done wrong,” pleaded Avery.
“You didn’t do anything wrong. It was your family,” pouted Annora. “My father is sick and has been since my mother died. We called upon the king and asked for one of the royal doctors to come treat him, but he said no and told us to find another doctor instead. We’d tried the other doctors. None of them could do anything. Your father couldn’t save an innocent man from a terrible fate.”
Avery stared at her, clearly stunned that his father would do such a thing. Then his expression softened.
“My father can be a little …” he paused, trying to find the right word, “… difficult sometimes. But his decision wasn’t mine. Please don’t hold it against me!”
Annora scanned his face for lies, but as her coffee-brown eyes met his pale blue ones, she saw only honesty and earnestness.
“Okay. But one wrong move and I am tying you to a tree and leaving you there for all eternity,” smiled Annora.
“Let’s go!” said Avery. “To the desert!”
As they rode to the east, Annora no longer looked at the boy next to her as the selfish prince, but as the kind Avery in his father’s shadow.
*
Annora shivered as they wandered through Alpine Growth. She didn’t realise they’d have to go through snow and a canyon to get to the Waste. Even with Raven’s body heat, she still seemed to shudder. Her face and fingers were numb and her lips were no doubt blue. She had no cloak, fleece or animal hide to keep her warm. Just a thin, puff-sleeved white dress.
Avery trotted along beside her, his white stallion camouflaged by the shifting snow. His usually sandy hair looked white from the soft snowfall and his freckled nose was an orangey pink. He looked a bit like a too-human snowman. They trotted side by side in silence. Annora was positive their mouths had frozen shut.
“Hey,” shivered Avery finally. “Are you s-sure you don’t want my c-cloak?”
“N-nah,” she shuddered. “Y-you need it.”
“I d-don’t feel the cold. You take i- ACHOO!”
“I w-would believe you, but the f-fact that you just shivered and s-sneezed in the same sentence makes me say n-no,” smirked Annora.
“No!” the prince defiantly tossed her the cloak, which she reluctantly wrapped around herself.
Now that she wasn’t focused on keeping warm, she could focus on what the Growth looked like. Dark green pines emerged from the ground, their needles sparkling white like a Christmas tree. Icicles grew like crystals off the spreading branches making the place beautiful. A few snowflakes sprinkled everywhere. It was like a winter wonderland. Then she saw Avery. He was shivering more than ever. His lips were blue, and his cheeks and nose were burning red.
“Take the cloak back, you dummy,” said Annora, taking it off her shoulders. “You need it more than me.”
“No, I’m tough. I will s-survive,” he said dismissively.
“But I’m tougher,” Annora challenged.
“No, no. It’s fine,” he said, looking at the icy lake in the passing scenery.
Icy lake …
Annora had an idea.
“Fine then. If you don’t have it, no one has it.” With that, she threw it into the icy lake, the thin layer of ice cracking under the weight of the heavy cloak.
“Hey!” Avery shouted, staggering off his horse with a clumsy dismount. “That’s my knight’s cloak! It shows my position in battle!”
He stepped onto the ice, oblivious to the cracks spreading below him. Annora watched nervously, her fingers strumming her bottom lip like she always did when she was anxious.
Avery reached out, his fingers barely touching the cloak before … CRACK! The ice shattered beneath his feet, sending him plummeting into the cold water.
“Avery!” cried Annora. She quickly pulled off her boots and stepped lightly to the hole.
It was huge and jagged, slowly expanding as bits of ice crumbled into its depths. Right in the centre, slowly sinking to the bottom, was Avery: unconscious and freezing. Annora bent her knees, preparing herself to dive in. A small voice from the back of her head spoke. Don’t do this, Annora. You will end up like him, or worse: your mother. Panic seared through her, but it got shoved back down as she dived into the hole.
The water was piercing cold, turning her limbs hard as stone and making her thoughts foggy. Yet she still saw Avery, motionless, like she feared. Annora forced herself to go down, kicking her long legs, and managed to grab the scruff of his shirt, hauling him up to her. She kicked up, attempting to reach the surface. It seemed so far away. Her lungs were burning; her vision was blinking out. Suddenly she could breathe. She swam to the shore, gasping and coughing as she yanked Avery out of the water. She’d done it! She’d made it out alive with the prince. Then she realised that she was stuck in the middle of a frozen wood with no warmth or sense of direction. She pushed Avery up onto his horse and climbed onto her own.
Raven snorted in protest as her long hair dripped onto his sleek black coat.
“Oh, stop fussing Raven!” she muttered to him. “It’s just a bit of water!”
They trotted slowly through the Growth, with unconscious Avery and his horse following behind them, hoping to come across something soon.
*
It could’ve been seconds, minutes, hours, days, even weeks for all Annora knew. It felt like forever travelling on the endless snowy paths, the same scenery replaying infinitely in her head. She was helpless, lost in a maze of white and blue.
Annora was going to give up, just stay for all eternity and die from cold and hunger. Until the sound of snow mixed with the crunch of gravel rang through her ears. She looked up, her eyes filled with hope. Yes! A village!
Annora clopped into town with Avery’s horse still in tow. Little children ran around in thick wolfskin coats, chasing each other and eating snowflakes falling from the sky. Adults walked around, either following their children or doing chores around the house. Despite the weather, there was a man in a wide-brim straw hat cracking holes in icy puddles and catching glistening silver fish.
Annora found a soft patch of snow and dismounted. No one seemed to notice the strangers in town. One half dead, one half frozen, both soaking wet. She ran to the nearest man, hoping he could point her to the doctor’s lodge. He had big blue eyes and a bald patch on top of his head. He wore steel-rimmed spectacles and had a neatly trimmed goatee.
“Excuse me!” Annora said, approaching him. “I’m in need of an escort. To the doctor’s lodge.”
The man looked down at her and spoke, his voice deep and merry. “Who does he need to see?”
“Just my friend over there,” she said, pointing to where Avery laid on the horse’s back. “He fell into a frozen lake and has been unconscious ever since.”
The man frowned and walked over to the prince. Annora turned to follow, but as she took a step, her legs turned to jelly and she collapsed on the ground, shaking and spluttering. The last she saw was the merry man frowning down at her, his eyes full of concern. Then everything went black.
*
Annora’s lips felt warm and tingly. There was a little burst of light in the darkness. The warmth spread throughout her body and into her veins, going right to her heart. Her eyes shot open and she saw the merry man leaning over her, pressing a bowl to her lips. He pulled it away, his eyes full of relief.
“Thank goodness,” he sighed, wiping sweat from his forehead. “We thought you were gone for a minute there. Your heartbeat was so faint.” The man dabbed his face with a cloth.
Annora sat up slowly, her head no longer spinning. A strong taste of wheat lingered on her tongue. What was that medicine made of? She felt good as new. No longer numb, no longer tired, no longer in pain.
“How’s Avery?” she asked. “Is he up yet?”
The man’s forehead crinkled, and he bit his lip anxiously.
“He … he didn’t go so well.” The man looked to the far end of the room.
Annora’s gaze followed, and she felt as though someone had punched her in the gut. There was Avery, tossing and turning, unconscious, sweating.
“We just tried the stuff we gave you on him,” the man said. “It had no effect. We’re trying a stronger dose.”
“A stronger dose of what?” asked Annora.
“A stronger dose of this.” The man reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a vial of the murky brown liquid. “Alpine Thyme, Lestarian Goose liver and boiling water from the Tamaruk Wishing Hot Spring. But don’t worry. It consists mostly of Growth Barley. But the real magic comes in with the moonlily. Perfect cure for hypothermia.”
“What’s a moonlily?” wondered Annora.
At that moment, two boys came in carrying a large blue flower with a yellow centre.
“Doctor Fickleberry! We bought you the moonlily!” said the boys in unison.
“Ah! Great job Jack, Seamus!” the merry doctor said, his eyes gleaming. “Now Annora, this is a moonlily. It is immensely powerful and can cure any disease. But it only blooms at full moon, which makes it difficult to find. Luckily for us, though, there was a full moon last night and this one bloomed at the edge of the village. Now I best get on with the procedure.”
Annora watched as he mixed and mashed different ingredients and added it to the brown mix. Once it was finished, he poured it in a bowl and pressed it to Avery’s lips. Annora sat in the corner anxiously, watching, waiting, seeing if he’d respond to the medicine. It was up to him now whether he would make a move. Seconds passed, though it felt like hours, and Avery hadn’t moved. The doctor looked at Annora sadly and shook his head. The medicine hadn’t worked. Avery was as good as dead.
Annora started shaking and trembling as she slowly slipped off her chair and sank to the floor. Avery was gone.
Then she heard a loud groan coming from his bed. Avery sat up slowly rubbing his eyes.
“Annora, you rescued my cloak, right?” asked Avery, smiling teasingly at her.
Annora met his gaze, her eyes full of shock and relief. She raced over to him and threw her arms around him, squeezing as hard as she could.
“Woah!” choked Avery. “Easy there. I think you’re breaking my ribs again.”
She let go, stoked to see him alive, but then her mood changed.
“You are a stupid and utter idiot, Prince Avery the second!” Annora punched him hard in the gut furious with him. “Diving after that stupid cloak, making me come and save you and almost dying in the process! What is going on in that brain of yours? Wait! You don’t have a brain, as you’ve just proven!”
“Annora! Calm down!” the prince said, laughing nervously.
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” went on Annora. “You made me worry! I thought you were dead! Now let’s get out of here before I punch you again.”
Prince Avery silently stalked out of the room and Annora stormed out after him. She stopped at the doorway.
“Thank you so much, Doctor Fickleberry,” she said gratefully.
“Any time, Miss Annora,” he replied, “Don’t be too angry at our prince. It’s not his fault that happened to him.”
Annora scowled at him and grunted a quiet yes.
“Um, doctor?” she said.
“Yes, Miss Annora?”
“Is there a possible way to use a moonlily as a cure for pnueropolitus?” asked Annora hopefully.
“Hmm …” Doctor Fickleberry said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “It appears there is. Stew the flower whole in some water from the Norville Lake and there you have it. Here, take this one. Make the medicine for the person who needs it.”
“I-I don’t know what to say,” stammered Annora.
“Then say nothing,” said the merry doctor closing the door behind her.
