Hello once again lovely readers! I'm pleased to give you another chapter and I hope you're enjoying the raising action of the story as much as I am! I have been having such a fun time working on this and I'm so glad that you all are reading, so thank you! A special thank you to guest Starkvb, and QueenMean for your uplifting reviews! It warms my heart to know that you are enjoying it so much! It makes writing this story that much more fun! Also another HUGE thank you to my beta-reader Artemismk1.2! This story seriously would not be the same if you weren't helping me proofread and being a bouncing board for ideas. Also a big thank you to all those who have subscribed and favorited! Drop a review if you feel so led, I love hearing from you guys!
Anyway, onto the chapter!

Enjoy!

Chapter 20: A Curiosity

"James, I'm back." Amber called quietly as she walked up to their campsite. When she didn't hear a response, she hit the fabric of his tent so that it made a deep thudding sound. "James?" she said a little louder. Again, there was no response. Amber went around to the front of his tent and opened up the flap, expecting to see him asleep- and most likely with an open book on his chest. But to her dismay he was missing from his bedroll. She turned around to check on their horses, which were still safely tied up at the tree. After emptying the canteen of water she had filled up at the river into a makeshift trough, Amber had one last look around their little camp. "Maybe he went to relieve himself." She shrugged before going into her tent.

She took the lantern from her knapsack, lit it, and hung it from the main support in her tent. After changing from her riding clothes into a pale green nightgown and brushing her hair, she grabbed one of the history books she had borrowed from Cedric. Hidden inside its pages was an explanation of the spell that was cast on Kashchey, and different hypotheses of how he used his magic to make himself virtually immortal. It took her a moment to find, and for a split second, she felt little regret, not marking the page with a bookmark. She found it shortly though and began reading. Much of the language was very dense and difficult to understand. She had to refer to a pocket-sized, magicology term dictionary she had also brought at least eight times on one page alone, so it took her a while to read through the two pages in front of her.

When she flipped the page, she found a bookmark that was so jammed in between the pages and the binding, she wouldn't have been able to see it had her lantern not been swaying slightly from side to side causing the shiny, slim object to shimmer in the light. There was only a small sliver of it peeking out from the page it had marked, so she had to try and grasp the tiny piece that stuck out of the top of the book. She couldn't grab it with her fingers, so she tried prying it out using her fingernails. When she finally got it out, she couldn't help but admire it. It had a silvery surface that, when turned, reflected flashes of a vibrant rainbow. Amber flipped the small paper-like object in her hands; the third time she flipped it over she noticed a small inscription on the bottom.

"Veniunt ad me: arcanum gaza. Quod olim erat occultatum, iam non est occultatum." Amber muttered, attempting to pronounce the strange text. She did recognize part of one of the words though. "Occultatum, like ocular? Something to do with vision?"

After twirling the thick, hard, paper-like object one last time, she put it down next to her and continued reading. A few moments of silence past and then footsteps sounded from outside her tent. She got up and poked her head outside of her tent. "There you are, why did you leave?" she asked, assuming it was James.

It was, indeed her brother, but there was another person with him. He didn't respond to her, only waved at her with an embarrassed cringe on his face.

"I could ask you the same exact question, young lady." The tone of voice was unmistakable: distinct motherly disappointment, clouded with outrage, yet contained in a terrifyingly calm demeanor.

Amber's eyes went wide and she gazed slack-jawed at her mother, too shocked to say or do anything in response.

"Come out of your tent, please." Commanded the Queen.

Amber quickly grabbed her coat from her sack and obeyed.

"Follow me." Said her mother. She turned around and walked away from the twins in the direction of the camp. The two preteens followed a short distance behind, not daring to utter a word.

As they walked through the small camp, some of the soldiers took notice of the young adolescents. Two of them turned to each other and began whispering, while another one looked up from shining his shoes and gave the twins a smirk and a nod. Amber turned her gaze back to the ground; this was probably the only kind of attention that she didn't like. James gave a small, embarrassed smile back to the older gentleman, taking the gesture as more of kudos.

In the middle of the camp, there was a large tent that looked like it could comfortably sleep ten people and was illuminated by the soft glow of lanterns hanging from steel posts outside. As they neared it, Amber saw a familiar, gangly figure stomp out of a tent muttering something in an unmistakable grumble. She didn't have time to let her gaze linger on the man, though.

Miranda turned to her children, "Wait here." She said coldly and then lifted the heavy tent flap open to enter. James and Amber looked at each other and listened, with bated breath, to the muted conversation coming from inside the tent.

"Roland. I found something in the forest that you're going to want to see."

"Miranda, what's the matter?" Their father answered quickly. Amber could imagine the look of disturbed shock on his face when their mother addressed him so formally.

"I really think you need to see it to believe it."

"Alright. Show me, then. Excuse me, Lieutenant."

"There is no need. I brought them with me."

"Them?"

The tent flap opened up, and there was their father standing before them: jaw hanging slightly ajar and eyes wide open. His face then turned deep red, like a big, ripe, tart cherry that had just been picked. James gulped. He had only seen his father's face redder when they helped take back Avalor from Queen Shuriki as he brandished his sword against her guards.

"James, Amber? What in the world are you doing here!" said their father; his voice raised more with intensity rather than volume.

"We want to help Sofia, Dad." James said quickly.

"You would have been more help to her if you had stayed at the castle like we said!"

"We couldn't just sit around while Sofia is in trouble! We can help!" said James, widening his stance.

"Could you excuse us, Lieutenant?" Miranda said coolly.

"Of course, your majesties." The man bowed and swiftly exited the tent.

Roland waited a moment until the Lieutenant was gone before addressing his son again. "Why do you think putting your own lives on the line is the only answer? James, I know you want to help, but putting yourself in danger isn't going to help Sofia. Because of your actions, your mother and I now need to worry about all three of our children's lives! If you had stayed at the castle you would have, at least, been safe."

"But what about Sofia! If her life really is in danger, how was I supposed to stand by and wait for the guards to bring back her body? At least if I'm there, I might be able to help protect her!" James yelled shamelessly at his father.

"And what if you can't protect her and end up losing your life instead? What then, James?" Roland said, lowering his voice as he scowled at his son.

"Then I'll die honorably, knowing I did everything I could to save her." He said solemnly.

Roland stood up straight and clenched his jaw, glaring at his son. James held his gaze firmly, knowing that he'd won a small battle. Silence hung in the air for a moment before Roland spoke again. "And you, Amber? What do you have to say for yourself? You promised me you'd stay at the castle."

Amber furrowed her brows and looked up at her father. "I promised to stay where it was safe. The castle lacked the appropriate security. James or I could have been kidnapped easily."

Roland's scowl deepened. "It is not safer to be out in the wilderness than in a fortified castle!"

Amber raised her eyebrows and clasped her hands together gracefully. "A search party has a higher concentration of soldiers compared to the castle. It was safer to join a search party."

"Only if you are actually in the party, not trailing behind them! Up in the air you were all alone, what if someone took you then?" Roland shouted.

"With all due respect, Father, the sky is a much bigger area than the castle, much more room to escape. And if there were ever any real danger, you would have seen it before we did." She responded coolly.

Roland's anger flared at the tone she was using. "Do not use that tone of voice with me, young lady!"

"What tone, Father? I am merely stating my case." Said Amber, keeping her voice calm.

"You lied to me, and disobeyed! There is no excuse for that!"

"I did not lie. I confirmed what you said, and told you I would stay where it was safest. I did as I said." Amber replied, resolute determination coloring her voice.

Roland paused, furrowing his brow. He unclenched his fists and heaved a heavy sigh through his nose and narrowed his eyes at his children. They held his gaze firmly. Their father had heard them, and though he absolutely hated the fact that both of them disobeyed, he could not contest their reasoning for their actions. He glanced at Miranda, who had been listening in the corner with her arms crossed. She pursed her lips and shared a long glance with her husband. Roland's eyes flashed between Amber and James, and then went back to his wife. He then walked to a dividing flap of the tent and opened it up.

"Miranda, would you come with me for a moment?" asked Roland.

She nodded, and the two adults went into the divided section of the tent and spoke in hushed tones. Amber and James breathed a sigh of slight relief as they released the breath neither of them realized they had been holding. They anxiously awaited their verdict knowing that they presented their case well enough for now.

In the center of the tent was a large table with a map splayed out, two blue flags had been stuck between Enchancia and Ledstrana, with more blue flags surrounding the destination area, which was marked with a red flag. A few other red flags were scattered around the same general area; James suspected that they were possible locations Ledstrana's forces might show up.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?" James asked his sister after a few moments of listening to the indecipherable conversation coming from the other section of the large tent.

Amber sighed. "I expect that our lives will be very boring for a long time. No friend dates, no extracurriculars, no fun outings. What else could they take away?"

"Dessert?"

"Oh, they'll definitely take away dessert." Amber nodded.

James scoffed a laugh and sat down on a stool in the corner of the tent. "Well, I could go without dessert, derby racing, and knight training for the rest of my life if it means we get Sofia back."

Amber smiled sadly. "Yeah."

The twins sat in silence for a few more moments, reflecting on the loss of their sister. Occasionally, they'd be able to pick out a word from their parents' conversation, but it was never enough to assume a conclusion. Amber had taken a seat next to her brother and rested her chin in her hands.

James glanced at his sister with his brow furrowed and his lips drawn to the side in a guilty frown. "Amber?" he said after a long silence.

"Yes?" she said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, not bothering to move her head.

"I'm sorry." He said, rather laboriously.

"For what?" she asked surprised, picking her head to face him.

"Well, first, for getting caught. I kept on assuming that you were going to get us found out, and it ended up being me who they found." He looked down as he twiddled his hands.

Amber sighed. "It's ok, James. We were bound to get caught anyway, it doesn't matter who they saw first."

James furrowed his brow. "Maybe, but that's not all I wanted to apologize for. You've been doing all you can to make sure we get to Sofia. You've kept up perfectly on the flying horses, you kept me awake... At every turn, you've been there right with me and I've been treating you like you're some self-absorbed, materialistic… like a girlie girl."

Amber raised her eyebrow. "Since when did the term girlie girl become synonymous with self-absorbed and materialistic?"

"You know, they don't like getting dirty, they're only concerned with what clothes they wear, and can't do anything except gossip and make fun of people, and they would rather stay comfortable and let everyone else do the hard work."

"Why does being a girl who likes to be clean and has a good sense of fashion have to have such a negative connotation? Can't a girl be girlie while still being strong and reliable without being considered mean?"

"Well, I mean I guess, when you put it like that?" James said, rubbing his neck uncomfortably.

"Then you should have used another word that didn't put girls in such a negative light." She said, sticking her nose up in the air.

"Ugh! Ok, that wasn't the right word to use. Would you rather I have said, I've been treating you like you were a foolish coward?" James retorted, getting slightly flustered.

"Yes, actually. Neither of those words have a detrimental association with gender, and communicate much more effectively." Amber nodded with a slight air of pleased superiority.

James grunted in irritation. "Anyway, my point is, that I'm sorry for treating you like that. You have proven again and again on this trip that you are none of those things that I said."

"Except a girlie girl." Amber said with a smirk.

James couldn't help but roll his eyes affectionately. "Yes. A strong, reliable, well-prepared girlie girl."

Amber smiled endearingly at her brother for a short, silent moment. "Thank you, James."

He looked up at his sister and returned to her an apologetic smile. The two shared a brief moment of silence before the dividing flap of the tent opened up again. The twins sat up quickly and looked at their parents, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

Roland cleared his throat. "Well, we've talked it over. While we'd much rather have you safe at home, at this point it is more dangerous to send you back with one of the soldiers. You may stay with us on the condition that you promise to find shelter and stay out of sight when battle breaks out at Vasilia's stronghold."

The twins looked at each other and smiled hopefully.

"However, there is still the discussion about your punishment that needs to be had." Said their father.

Immediately, their smiles vanished and were replaced by looks of timid anticipation.

"We will decide what that will be once we return home to Enchancia. Until then, you will camp with us, and remain in our line of sight unless battle breaks out. You get up when the soldiers get up, you eat when they eat, and I don't want to hear any complaining. Understand?"

The twins nodded at their father.

"Good. Now come here." He said holding his arms open.

The twins eagerly shared a brief embrace with their father. When they separated, Roland spoke softly to them. "I am very upset that you disobeyed your mother and me, and you have to understand that whenever we tell you to do something, it's for your own safety. I understand and admire how much you want to help your sister, but you're our children, and you have to try and understand how much it worries us when you are in danger. You must never do something this reckless again, I don't care how dire the situation is. Your safety is your mother's and my number one concern above anything else."

Amber and James held their heads down and glanced up at their father without moving their heads when he finished. "Yes, Daddy." Said Amber.

"Ok, Dad." Said James.

After hugging their father one more time, their mother hugged them as well. "I love you both, more than you know. Now, go get Lieutenant Daniel and ask him to help you move your tents. He'll also show you where to put your horses. Then go right to bed. We have an early day tomorrow." She said, laying kisses on each of their heads.

The twins smiled and obeyed their mother. They found the lieutenant and had him accompany them to their campsite.

"You know, most of the soldiers heard the conversation you two had in there with your parents." Said the Lieutenant as they walked away from the large camp.

The twins just looked up at him, unsure how to respond. He glanced over his shoulder at them and smirked. "Takes a lot of guts, doing what you two did." he returned his gaze to the forest in front of him. "Following us soldiers out into wild blue yonder, flying below our radar, you two have got some skill. Makes me glad that there are people like you in line for the throne. Lord knows we need leaders like that to take charge and get things done."

James and Amber looked shocked at the Lieutenant's kind words and shared an open mouthed glance. "Th-thank you, sir." stammered James.

Lt. Daniel glanced back at them again. "However, if you get too reckless, your people will fall into ruin. Always keep that in mind."

James swallowed hard while Amber cast her eyes down at the grassy ground. "Yes, sir." said the boy; and the group continued walking silently to the twins' campsite.

While the twins packed up their belongings, Lt. Daniel untied their horses. Once they were finished, he showed them to their new spot in the larger camp. After they secured their tents close to their parents' tent, Amber took her knapsack and set up her bed again. She was glad she had thought to pack her cold weather tent, as the thick-skinned walls kept out the cold fairly well. She hung her lantern and dug through her pack again, wanting to take one last look at the book she had been reading earlier. While she was digging through her bag, she found a small, ornate box that she didn't remember packing. The box was walnut wood with gold bars on each corner, that connected in an 'x' on the top. Each side of the box had a symbol: on the left—a jade leaf of a birch tree encompassed by a golden circle, on the back—a flame made of gemstones that shone brilliant red akin to fire in the candle light with a gold upright triangle surrounding it, on the right—a double spiral inlay of labradorite, shining with intense blues, greens and yellows that faded in and out of each other, paired with gold, and on the front—a coiled serpent with scales made from onyx along with the three other gemstones from each emblem all mixed together to create a kaleidoscope of colorful scales. Just above the serpent was a crystal latch that held the box shut.

Amber had never seen the box before in her life and looked curiously at it, admiring its expert craftsmanship. She ran her finger over the crystal latch before slowly and carefully lifting it. Inside the box, there was a silver egg about the size of a hen's nestled into rose red, velvet fabric holding it secure. The egg was exactly the right size for the box and took up all the space but the corners. Its surface was highly reflective, like a mirror, and when she gazed at it, she could see her distorted reflection.

Amber hovered her hand over the small, orbicular object and was about to pick it up when someone rapped on the wall of her tent. "Lights out, Princess." Came Lt. Daniel's voice from the other side.

"Yes, sir!" Amber said, then quickly closed the box and stowed it back in her knapsack before she blew out her lantern and crawled into her sleeping bag.