Chapter Twenty One
The Audacity
"Phoenix was the one who figured you out." Robin folds his arms and tilts his head to the left. "He informed us in a code we made up when we were young using a reflective glass."
Foxflee stands behind the others with a mortified expression. I calmly look at the smug Prince with an amused look on my face. They still are not aware that we have Florence watching over us. I am in complete control, so there is no reason to worry.
"Your story about Alexander Smith was decent enough, but you forgot one very important detail." Phoenix smiles, proud of himself. Sir Leo eyes him as Phoenix forgets to put on his usual act. He continues,"No mere outsider can just wander into Dragoncrest Valley without permission. Alexander would have never made it in here alone unless he had the blood of the valley in him. I thought that maybe you were a blood relative who was taken out of the valley at a young age. Alas, you forgot to change your smile a couple of times and I knew it was you we were dealing with."
"So we figured we'd let you have your fun until you exposed yourself. We knew that changing the story so drastically would bother you, but you would be forced to remain silent. We put you in a position where you would have to lash out at us and give us the excuse to take you as our prisoner. I have to give you credit; you did a remarkable job at fooling me. How did you manage to change your eye colour?" Robin searches my eyes, as if he is looking to them for the answer.
"Poison," I say with a charming smile.
"Poison? Are you insane-" Robin's sentence is cut short when I spit at the ground. A look of bewilderment falls on his face and Sir Leo jumps at the chance to strike me.
"You have disrespected His Royal Highness-" the knight starts his usual denunciation before his superior cuts him off.
"Oh lay off it, Leo." Robin waves him off. For a brief second I see a look of pure malice take over the knight as he glares at the one he serves. "Explain yourself, Princess."
"Did you really not see what I spat out?" I ask, my voice returning to normal.
"A l-leaf? Why d-did you have a l-leaf in your m-mouth?" Foxflee asks, examining it.
"It's from the Forest of Cold Light. It can change the pitch of your voice." I cock an eyebrow at the Prince. Phoenix looks up sharply as soon as I mention the Forest of Cold Light. He has to be guilty of entering the forbidden forest.
"You should have just asked me to remove it for you." Robin says so matter-of-factly that it catches me off guard. I can feel my face flush with heat. I wish with all my might that I can break free and punch his perfect teeth in. He senses my embarrassment and smiles at my bewilderment. Somewhere in this forest, Florence is grinning.
"I can't believe we allowed a Freemen girl into our gang." Sir Leo shakes his head in shame. I silently thank him for changing the subject. It does not surprise me that he is not willing to admit that Florence was once the leader of their group.
"I can't believe that you cut your hair," Robin remarks, staring at my short, messy mane.
"You're telling me," I mutter.
Phoenix removes my left glove, revealing Ignis to them all. He groans in disappointment when he sees it on my ring finger. "Damn! I was hoping to try it on and see what it could do."
"We could always just chop her finger off," Sir Leo suggests.
"No! We need her in a decent condition for my father," Robin says a little too quickly.
"Too bad. I was really looking forward to wearing it." Phoenix pouts.
"I prefer not to see you with an unlimited amount of fire in your possession," I state, hoping that the others will see my point.
"A-aren't you w-worried she'll b-burn through the ropes?" Foxflee asks out of curiosity.
"No." Robin looks at me and smirks. "She can't use it until she finds the Statue. You probably thought you were invincible. Why else do you think the De Noirs aren't concerned that the Freemens have the ring? We knew they would just give it to the Dragon Empress. Once it is worn by one of Ayemornielle's chosen ones, it can't be used against us."
"For your information, Robin, the Ring of Fire wasn't handed over to me. I stole it from Lord William," I say haughtily. I worked hard to have Ignis in my possession and so part of me thinks I deserve some form of recognition.
Something sparks in Robin's eye. "So the Thunderbird Warriors won't come to rescue you now? Nobody knows that you're here?" Robin's smirk deepens. "And your Thunderbird lovers won't come for you?"
"Jealous, Robin?" I grin evilly.
"Of what? Following you around in hopes for affection?" Robin sounds disgusted, but his eyes are burning with curiosity. I decide to amuse myself by torturing him for a bit while I still can.
"Have you been watching me? I for sure thought that we were alone when we were…" I let my voice trail off.
"Finish your sentence!" Robin bursts out in anger, stabbing the tree beside my head with Lord William's dagger. I am surprised at his sudden outburst, but it is interesting to see how invested he is in this conversation.
"…Training to hunt." A smug smile spreads across my face and Phoenix laughs.
"She really got you there, Robin." Phoenix snickers and I see Foxflee cover his mouth to hide his own laughter.
"Shut up!" Robin points at Phoenix, and then turns back to me. "You must think you're so smart. We all know you don't just train to hunt with them."
"I have to admit, Robin; you are correct." I smile. "I don't just train with them. I also teach them English, ride with them, and even visit the three of them in their homes to meet their significant others."
Robin stares at me with a blank look. I have to hold myself back from laughing in triumph.
"The three of them do know where I am, as well as Basilisk and Hummingbird. My uncle thinks that I am a De Noir spy, so if the withdrawal of the ring drives him totally insane, then the whole Thunderbird army will charge your kingdom," I say, finally feeling like they know I have some control in this situation. Robin stares at me.
"What a horrible Dragon Empress you are!" He exclaims.
"I beg your pardon?" I ask in shock, as I was not expecting that response.
"Aren't you supposed to bring peace to the valley? All you did was practically start a war. Way to go, Princess." Robin sarcastically applauds me and Sir Leo smiles at Robin's annoyance with me.
"As if you could do so much better." I roll my eyes.
"I bet I could," Robin challenges.
"Robin," Sir Leo cuts in, glaring at me. "I don't mean to interrupt, but it's getting quite dark out. I'd prefer it if we get our supplies before the wolves come out."
It cannot be dark out already. We just woke up what seems like an hour ago. I look up to the sky to see that the knight is correct. How did the day slip by so fast?
"Sure. Foxflee, you watch her." Robin unties my katana from my belt and waves it around. "It's time to have some fun with my new sword."
Robin finally walks away with Sir Leo and Phoenix. Once they are out of earshot, Foxflee speaks up. "I-I can untie y-you and you c-can come back l-later to speak with R-Robin."
I smile genuinely at him even though I am uncertain why he wants to help me. "No, I think this will do just fine, thank you. How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"
"F-fourteen, but I'll be f-fifteen in two d-days," Foxflee stammers. "Ph-Phoenix is s-seventeen, and R-Robin and Leo are n-nineteen. H-how old are y-you?"
"Sixteen," I practically whisper. "Yesterday was my birthday."
"R-Robin's birthday is s-soon too," Foxflee informs me. Part of me cannot believe that Robin is four years older than me, and the other part of me has known all along. He had to have been around four to be old enough to remember my parents. "D-do you still h-have the m-mare?"
"Yes." I eye my cousin, debating on whether or not I should tell him of our relation. "She didn't leave when I gave her the opportunity to do so, so she belongs to me, I suppose. She's under someone else's care for the time being."
"D-did you n-name her?" Foxflee asks.
"Yes, I named her Ayemornielle. I take it you like horses?"
"I do…" Foxflee seems to get lost in his own thoughts. He starts, "H-has she ever s-spoken-"
Off in the distance, I hear a wolf howling. We both turn our heads toward where the sound came from, completely forgetting our conversation. Not two seconds later, I hear someone close by mock the howl and laugh. Phoenix, Sir Leo, and Robin come into the opening with wood in their arms.
"Did you miss us?" Robin asks, aiming the question at me.
"No," I respond dryly. They throw the wood into the pit and Phoenix drops to his knees to set up the fire.
"Hurry, Phoenix; I don't want the wolves to come before we have light," Robin says. In less than a minute, the pit goes up into flames. The others take the smoked meat out from the trees and begin to warm it up over the fire while Robin makes his way over to me.
"How did the day pass by so quickly?" I ask the Prince.
"The green flames that Phoenix used combined with the panpipe can warp our perception. We typically use it during the night, but we didn't want to be stuck with you tied to a tree all day. Besides, my father is always in a better mood after a new moon, so he might be kinder to you." Robin explains.
Another howl fills the night air, but it is suddenly cut short. I look around and meet eyes with Robin who then looks to Foxflee and Phoenix. Either something frightened the wolves, or someone silenced them. We are not alone in this forest. Could it have something to do with the flapping of wings I heard last night? Or did Florence do some hunting of her own?
"Princess, are you hungry?" Robin asks, trying to take his mind off of the wolves.
"For revenge, yes," I retort.
"Aren't you just so adorable?" Robin laughs dryly. "You can't do anything with all your strength because you're stuck here, tied to a tree. Here, open up."
He holds up a piece of meat to my mouth and I bare my teeth at him.
"Maybe I'm here because-" I am cut short when Robin shoves the food in my mouth. I spit it out at him and he dodges the flying meat, sighing in defeat.
"You're too stubborn," he says seriously. "You need to eat now because I don't know if you will be fed at the fortress."
"Well, if you need me like you say you do, I should be fed eventually."
"Don't be too sure about that." Robin turns away from me and I look back to the pit, staring at the fire. "Can you promise me that you won't try to escape if I untie you? I'd prefer it if we were all around the fire."
"My word probably doesn't mean anything to you, but why would I run away when staying here is a part of my plan?"
"I like this plan of yours. It coordinates well with my plan." Robin smiles and begins to untie me. As he fiddles with the knot, he leans in and takes a more serious tone with me. "Why would your word mean nothing to me, Princess?"
"Perhaps because I am a Freemen." I shrug. "And I'm a prisoner."
"In my father's kingdom, the most trustworthy people are the prisoners." Robin sighs. "Why are you here with us, if you don't mind me asking? I appreciate your company, but wouldn't it have been wiser for you to take refuge elsewhere?"
"I thought so too, at first. There is a reason for disguising myself and joining your group. You're sort of my last hope right now." I avoid meeting his gaze, not really wanting to meet his eyes and confirm my vulnerability.
"I knew those warriors couldn't help you more than I could. Just say what needs to be done and I'll help you, Princess." Robin smiles sincerely. He finally manages to loosen the ropes and they drop to my feet.
"You might want to hear what I have to propose before you say yes." We begin to walk to the pit.
"Princess, if you were to propose to me at any time, I'd say yes no matter what." Robin winks and I look away before he sees me blush again. What is the matter with me? Sir Leo takes notice in us and rises to his feet with urgency.
"What is the prisoner doing free?" His nostrils flare. We sit in front of the fire and I grin at the fuming knight.
"Relax, Leo. If she wanted to run away, she would have done so already. And for goodness sake, she's my guest, not a prisoner. We're in my kingdom right now. They don't have any say on what goes on tonight. I make the rules here, and I say she's allowed to have a few hours where she isn't tied to a tree." Robin dismisses Sir Leo once again.
Rage fills the knight's eyes and his fist closes tightly around the handle of his dagger. I study him like a hawk, readying myself to get between him and Robin if he decides to attack. If he lunges at my alleyway boy, I will grab him and drag him down into the bonfire. Ignis will protect me and Robin will be safe. Alas, Sir Leo's fiery eyes extinguish the longer he stares at Robin. He finally dips his head and sits back down in his place, defeated. Phoenix and Foxflee also avert their gaze and look to their feet as if they fear the one I am so willing to protect. I turn my face to meet Robin's eyes and for a brief moment I see a look of cold, cutting, dominance that sends a chill down my spine. It is a warning not to test him.
I suppose I stared at him for too long because once Robin's eyes find me looking at him, his demeanor changes drastically. He smiles warmly at me and he relaxes. He whispers so that the others cannot hear; "I won't let anything happen to you."
And it is at this time that I decide that I can trust him implicitly. He is willing to be harsh and fight the ones he has known all his life in order to ensure that no harm comes to me. This is the moment where I am certain our friendship is at its strongest point and that he will help me with what is to come.
I smile back at him, getting lost in his eyes; the ones that seem to hold the whole universe in them. Before I can go too far in the worlds his eyes hold, Sir Leo suddenly grabs at his neck and pulls a dart out of it. He glares at me, knowing I had something to do with it. With my mind still sorting itself out after my journey to infinity and beyond, all I can do is stare in silence as Sir Leo collapses to the ground with the dart still in his hand.
Foxflee and Phoenix look to Robin, who is frozen solid. Whoever it is that is hiding moves around in the dark foliage, snapping twigs and branches every second or so.
"Who's there?" I ask since no one else seems to be brave enough to. A dark, cloaked figure emerges out of the nearby brush and Robin grabs my arm harshly. I turn to look at him, but he hides his face behind me.
"I can't believe it's happening now. It can't be happening now," Robin whispers in a shaking voice.
"Why are you hiding, Robin?" The low, distorted voice of the figure seems to render the three De Noirs frozen in their places. The Sphinx mask tilts as it tries to look at the Prince.
"Seriously, Robin, it's just Florence," I say, turning to look at him. The expression on his face is one of pure terror and I fail to understand why that is.
Florence pulls off her hood, removes her mask, and takes the leaf out of her mouth nonchalantly. "You can look now, little brother. The big bad monster has been slain."
Robin slowly sits up and looks at his sister with an unforgiving look in his eyes. He takes hold of my upper left arm for what I believe to be moral support. "What are you doing here?"
"It is nice to see you too, Robin. I am here because of Syrena," Florence says, taking a seat on a stump and using Sir Leo's unconscious body as a footstool. I think her to be brilliant for using the knight to rest her feet on as if he is an inanimate object. I may even consider her to be my role model.
"She doesn't want you here," Robin barks, pulling me closer to him. "You should have stopped your husband from chasing her off to get captured by us. She came to us because it was her only choice."
"There is truth in what you say; Syrena came here because she has no other choice, but you are wrong about William." Florence's brown eyes focus on the fire. "He is not my husband. We never got married."
"W-what?" Foxflee asks. "Why?"
"After his parents died, he started wearing the Ring of Fire," Florence explains.
"Damn," Robin curses under his breath so that only I can hear.
"And I never returned to you and father because the leader of the Protectors vowed that she would have my head if I dared come back." Florence avoids eye contact and Robin shakes his head. He does not accept this brash explanation and I cannot say that I blame him.
"But where were you these past ten years? You never tried to reach out to us. I was only eight when mother died! I needed you!" Robin shouts. I have never heard him sound so upset.
"I took refuge in the Forest of Cold Light," Florence says softly. "I never reached out to you because I feared Leo would report me to the Protectors and you would suffer the same fate as father. I never reached out, but do not ever think that I never wanted to take hold of you and run as far away as I could from this valley. But father needed one of us to make sure They did not kill him like They killed our mother. I had to make a tough decision and I did."
"You could've written me a letter and left it where only I could've found it," Robin argues. He does have a solid point.
"I would have, but you have never been good at suppressing your joy, so They would have figured you out." Florence defends herself.
"Does that really mean I should have been deprived of joy? Deprived in finding comfort in knowing my sister was watching out for me? It wouldn't have mattered to me if They found out I was in contact with you. You could've given me so much hope and strength, but instead you let fear rule over you like father did!" By the time Robin is finished, his face is stained with tears of rage. "You abandoned me and failed me because you were afraid. You're a coward, just like Lord William."
Florence does not respond and no one else tries to break the silence. Robin really did not hold back at all. That is a lot for Florence to have to sort through and I do not envy her. Robin's arms and legs begin to quiver. I am not too certain how to console him, so I remove his hand from my arm, taking it between my hands, and give it a firm, reassuring squeeze. By coincidence, his shaking dies down immediately afterwards. I feel his gaze on me, but I am not ready to fully take him away from his conversation. I look to Florence instead to prompt her to speak.
"I am afraid to admit it, but you are right, Robin." A look of dread is plastered on Florence's face. "All this time I was hiding because I was terrified. I had the delusion that I was protecting you by staying away, but in reality I was sitting in a hole in the ground, waiting for someone to come along and tell me it was safe to come out." Florence turns her face away, not allowing us to see her tears. "I just spent ten years caught up in my own lie. I am so sorry."
Foxflee gets up and sits beside Florence to put his arm around her. It never really struck me how kind-hearted Foxflee really is until now. The Prince gives his sister some time before speaking again. In the meantime, a jet black horse approaches us from the trees. She stays just beyond the firelight so that it cannot touch her. Foxflee looks at Ayemornielle in awe, but then turns to Phoenix. I can barely make it out, but I think I hear him whisper; "She w-wants to s-see you."
Phoenix and I give Foxflee a quizzical look, but Phoenix gets up anyway. Our eyes follow him as he walks away to approach the mare. Before anything significant happens, Florence's sniffling causes Robin to laugh a little.
"Hey now, don't turn soft on me," Robin says with a hint of a smile.
"You are an idiot." Florence chuckles, looking up from her hands.
"And you're a pansy." Robin laughs with his sister. I meet the eyes of Foxflee who looks just as confused as I feel. His head turns to watch Phoenix and I do the same. The sight of them brings me a sense of deja vu, as my mare looks deep into Phoenix's eyes. Both of their eyes gleam white for a few seconds, and then Ayemornielle turns on her haunches to canter away.
"Believe it or not, I actually have another reason for being here," Florence says, meeting my eyes after I focus back on her again. "Shall I tell them or will you?"
All eyes are on me at this point and I scramble to collect my thoughts. "After I stole the ring from my uncle, I sought refuge in Florence's home because Hummingbird instructed me to do so. At some point in that confusing day, I figured out that I need my music box to obtain my powers to heal my governess, and I need the Sword of Vengeance to lift the Curse."
"So, we conjured up a plan where Syrena would pose as a runaway boy who you would, at the very least, invite to stay the night at this pit. She would then wait for Robin to keep watch. That is when she would have revealed her identity. At that point, she would have you follow her to meet with me so that we could convince you to help her. That was what we had planned, but we were forced to change them." Florence finishes my explanation.
"So that's all you have planned so far?" Robin asks, the gears in his head already turning. As he said before, he will do whatever I need done.
"Yes. I can easily work out what to do when all of the materials are gathered, but we both do not have access to what we need. It can only be done with your assistance," Florence says. Phoenix takes a seat in his spot quietly. He stares at me through the flames with a blank look on his face. What happened to him?
"The ideal way of doing this is having Syrena stay behind, but Leo is certain to report that we had her in our custody. Allowing her to escape a second time will not be forgiven," Robin states. "We'll need to bring her in as a prisoner."
"Do you not fear that your father will try to kill me?" I ask. I know he had promised not to kill me in his letter, but he wrote that nearly a month ago.
"No; not when the Protectors are present. They are wise enough to know that They need to keep you alive, and what They say, goes. So you'll end up in the dungeon for sure," Robin answers.
"The Protectors have spoken before, saying that They cannot possibly find the Statue without the lifting of the spell that will both grant Syrena her powers and make it feasible to locate the Statue. As soon as Syrena enters the fortress, They will most likely try to make her sing the words to the music box that only she can read," Phoenix adds. His eyes have not left my face since he sat down. "From there, we will only have to worry about the Sword of Vengeance and then Syrena's escape, which should be simple enough since she will be able to use her powers at that point."
"Once you make your escape, you can meet up with me and your mare at the outskirts of the De Noir Forest that is closest to the Freemen Manor. From there we will ride to the Thunderbird Village where Hummingbird, Basilisk, Typhon, and Gorgon will be waiting to help us. Syrena can use her powers to heal her governess and then we will talk about locating the Dragon Statue when we have an army by our side," Florence concludes the plan. "Now, who will be escaping the De Noir Fortress for good besides Syrena?"
"I will," Robin is first to speak. "I know you think I shouldn't leave father, but at this point, I'm not sure if his soul is still with his body."
"Very well. Who else?" Florence asks.
"I-I will come," Foxflee stammers.
"So will I." Phoenix nods. "I suppose tomorrow is our last day having Leo as our friend."
"Don't think me to be ungrateful, but why are you all so willing to give up the only life you know?" I inquire.
"Syrena," Robin says, shaking his head. "There are no words to describe why that is, but I promise you this; once you step foot inside my father's kingdom, you will thoroughly regret doing so."