章 612: Farther North
"I cannot believe we haven't broken through the forest yet!" Mairwen impatiently glanced through the trees. "Seriously, we have been traveling more than long enough to see the ice barrier."
"It took longer than this to get from the ice barrier to home. It hasn't been a month since we left Valiant." Renat tried to calm his wife but only succeeded in intensifying her angst.
"Last time most of the people were walking! We should be making it in half that time. I know with magic, Gandr was able to cross this distance in a week." Mairwen felt her horse rumble beneath her in protest.
The sweet mare did not take kindly to her mistress being so stressed.
"We have no magic this time, and I would rather travel safely than too quickly," Hanna answered gently.
The Fate, who had more to lose than anyone, had been setting the pace. Lifetimes of living had taught her that expedience and patience go hand in hand.
While she would have liked to rush the rescue of the Fates, acting rashly could easily cause disaster before they ever made it to the Mystic Spires.
Pacing was key. The soldiers, though able to ride on horseback for long stretches, were not used to coming so far north. The chill was intense at night especially, meaning they had to make camp before the sun went down.
With the health of the people always on her in mind, Hanna had pushed them at a much slower pace than Mairwen thought was wise. The princess's impatience only grew as they neared the ice barrier.
"I wish we could travel safely and quickly." The blue-eyed royal pressed her lips together.
"Usually I am the whiney one," Alaron chuckled. "I never thought I would see the day I would get to say these words. 'Patience, Princess. Good things come to those who wait.' What do you think? I made it up."
Mairwen could not see her brother's face, but she knew he was smiling. If she had anything soft--or maybe even something not so soft-- to throw in his direction, Mairwen would have been inclined to do just that.
But he was right. Rather than give in to her childish whim, the princess straightened her back. "I do believe that saying pre-existed you speaking it just now, Guardian. As for the advice, I shall take it to heart."
The others hid their grins. Alaron was probably the only one who could tease the princess and get away with it, but the words had clearly done the trick. After a moment, Mairwen gave a sad smile.
"I am sorry. You all must find me insufferable by now."
Renat shook his head. "You have a long way to go to reach anywhere near insufferable. If anything, I find your enthusiasm motivating."
"Spoken like a true husband," Alaron quipped. "But really, on a scale of complainers, that landed slightly above Colvyr scraping his knee and way below Reyan when there are not enough tarts at dinner."
The others around the Guardian groaned. That was a mistake the cook only ever made once.
Glancing over her shoulder, Mairwen eyed the soldiers behind her. The company that had been chosen to enter the Land of Magic seemed in good spirits despite the princess's fussing. She hoped they had not heard too much of her belly-aching. There was no need to ruin their mood before they even reached their target.
"There!" Eira drew the attention of the front group as she pointed off between the trees. "I am sure I saw it this time."
Renat looked out and squinted. "What? I didn't see anything." The scientist didn't like the idea of being ambushed in the woods. But Eira did not seem concerned, merely alert.
"It's the Nymphs," Hanna only gave the comment a passing glance. "They have been following us for quite some time. I could call out to them if you like. But I don't know what the purpose would be."
"Why are they following us?" Renat was curious more than worried.
"First out of curiosity, then out of concern. But if they had thought we were a threat, we would have run into trouble long before. Since we mean no harm, they are escorting us to our destination at the barrier." Hanna gave a low whistle into the woods and received a strange lowing in response.
She smiled. "It seems their king is with them. He wishes us well."
The King of Beasts, as Aurora called him, had helped them in their last venture months before. Having him nearby was a comfort to those who knew just how much strength the nymph possessed. Even without magical power, the stag would be able to take down a bear or even more with his crown of antlers.
"I hope they aren't going to too much trouble on our behalf," Mairwen spotted another movement in the woods.
This one was much closer, and some of the soldiers behind her began to mumble.
"No need to worry," Alaron called over his shoulder. "What you see is a friend. There are many in the forest. Do not shoot unless ordered to do so or if something attacks."
The troops relaxed but only slightly.
"Heh, wait till they see what awaits them in the land of magic. They will lose their minds." The Guardian muttered to the Fate.
Hanna's eyes swirled. "I hope you only mean that figuratively," she said with a small smile. "Humanity has a long history of insanity."
"What are you most interested in seeing?" Renat asked Mairwen, eager not to get into a conversation about the stability of the human mind.
The princess fiddled with her reins as she thought. "I don't know. There are so many choices. My last trip into the Land of Magic was so brief. I have seen the dragons, gnomes, elves, fairies, and a centaur and satyr. I have laid eyes on the Selkies and Mermaids. Oh, and mother's unicorn too! So I suppose I am most interested in the creatures that cannot talk in the human tongue. There must be many of those that I have yet to encounter."
Hanna's expression became far off. "More creatures than one can count live within the barrier of ice. A few there even I have only seen once or twice. They are wild and wonderful, a testament to the creativity of the Maker."
The Fate paused, deep in her reverie before coming back to the present. She frowned.
"But some will be very dangerous. We must always be on our guard. Especially since I will not be able to protect you."
"It is our turn to protect you," Mairwen said gently. "It is the least we can do after all you have done to keep us from our own ruin."
"Mine most of all," Alaron added.
Hanna looked at the Guardian. Under his hood, she could see the dim outline of his face. The last of the cloak's magic was giving out. It was good that they were soon to reach the Land of Magic where there would be less need to hide his face.
"You best pull out anything you still need that is left in your cloak. I don't know when you will be able to access it again nor if the things in there will remain intact when your cloak becomes common," the Fate advised him.
There were so many unknowns. If they survived this, a whole new store of knowledge would be added to the Storehouse. Assuming the Storehouse survived...
"I already cleared everything out that I could find. Towards the end, I was a little nervous about getting my hand stuck. After seeing it almost happen to Her Majesty, it seems my fears were not unfounded." Alaron cracked his knuckles, glad he still had them.
"Good. It explains why your mount is so heavy-laden." The Fate had noted when they set out that Alaron's horse had more bags than even the princess.
"My cloak had a lot of useful items. I did not want to leave anything important behind." Alaron tossed his head indignantly.
"You should have seen what he did leave at the palace," Mairwen covered her grin. "He filled up an entire storage room with his 'unimportant' gear."
"I would have brought it all if I could. You'll regret it when we need sheers or an extra frying pan." The Guardian turned up his nose at the others.
"You should see what Her Highness does to frying pans..." Eira piped in unexpectedly.
"It was ONE TIME!" Mairwen squealed. "I highly doubt I will need to hit someone over the head with a cooking instrument again any time soon."
"You hear that, Renat? Better make sure you don't make your wife mad in the kitchen." Alaron clicked his tongue.
"The Guardian should be more worried about his own head," Mairwen covertly stuck out her tongue at her brother.
Their bickering suddenly stopped as the forest opened up to reveal a glassy surface the size of a sea.
There was only one body of water big enough for it to be.
The Great Lake.
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