Author's Note: The magic cloak is from Little Red Riding Hood. (Well, the cloak in the original story wasn't really magic...but you get the point). And now, I would like to thank everyone who's reviewed! I love you all!
Scarlet
By: RaspberryGirl
"Magic cloak?" A glaze seemed to come over the town magistrate's eyes. The Prince's words weren't sinking in.
"Yes." Coren enunciated the word slowly as if he were speaking a foreign language. "You see, I'm on my way to the neighboring kingdom of Eden to meet with their princess, the lovely Arianna. However, before I left the castle, my advisors agreed that I needed something truly grand to impress Her Highness." Coren took a sip of his wine. "So they told me of a fantastic magic cloak, supposedly kept in a town called St. Jordan. Needless to say, I was convinced to go search for it."
"Magic cloak," the magistrate repeated, still sounding unsure of what Coren was talking about.
"That's right," said the Prince. He frowned. "I think I'm beginning to have doubts as to whether this cloak is really worth my time." He looked at the magistrate expectantly. "Well? Where is it? If you want money for it, I have plenty."
"Magic cloak..." the magistrate said again for the third time. He dabbed at the sweat on his brow with his sleeve. "I-I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing in St. Jordan."
"What?" Coren was incredulous. "Impossible! My advisors told me it was in St. Jordan, so it must be here."
Deciding to join the conversation, Scarlet suggested, "Maybe the cloak is in a neighboring town. Or a different St. Jordan? Besides, even if it were in this St. Jordan, you can't really expect to come here, demand the townsfolk hand it over, and receive the cloak right away."
"Can't I?" Coren asked testily.
"Young lady—" the magistrate sputtered, but the Prince cut him off.
"Have you heard of this magic cloak?" Coren asked Scarlet.
The girl thought for a moment. "I don't think so."
"Perhaps," offered the magistrate, "I could put up a notice asking anyone who has information regarding this cloak to step forward and report it to Your Highness? I know it's not much, but once again I assure Your Highness that I've personally never heard of such a cloak."
"Cloak?" Josephine perked up at the word. "Did I hear someone say 'cloak'?"
The magistrate, the Prince, and Scarlet all turned their attention on Josephine.
"Yes," Coren began slowly. "Do you know of such a thing?"
Josephine didn't reply. Her eyes had gone blank and her thoughts seemed to be trained on some distant memory, a bittersweet reminiscence. Suddenly, her face contorted into an expression of sadness and longing.
"Mother?" Scarlet reached out a hesitant hand to Josephine. The girl had never seen her mother like this. The wild energy that always seemed to surround Josephine had dissipated; the untamed light in her eyes was gone.
"Mother?"
Josephine blinked and her strange transformation broke instantly. She shook her head, putting a hand to her cheek as if to make sure this wasn't a dream. "I'm sorry, what were we talking about? Oh, yes! Something about a magic cloak?" Josephine said the word hurriedly as if she didn't want it lingering on her tongue. Tilting her head, Scarlet's mother studied the Prince. "I think I know what you're talking about."
Coren brightened. "Do you know where I can find it, then?" he asked eagerly, disregarding the fact that he was speaking to woman whose wits seemed to have gone begging.
Josephine furrowed her brows. Softly, she said, "I remember searching for it...a long time ago. The search was difficult...so very difficult. I looked in every place, in all sorts of weather, faced every obstacle...but no matter what I did, I couldn't find it. In the end..." Josephine faltered, looking lost and confused.
Scarlet filled in for her. "If you want to find the cloak," she said, "I suggest you speak with my grandmother."
"Of course!" The magistrate let out a cry. "Your Highness, if anyone would know of a magic cloak in St. Jordan, it'd be this girl's grandmother."
"Does the grandmother live in this town?" Coren asked, frustrated.
"Oh, no!" said Josephine perkily, seeming to have recovered. "She lives in the Briarwood."
"The Briarwood?" Coren recalled the story Ivan had told about the enchanted forest.
"Yes, yes." Josephine leaned towards the Prince, lowering her voice as if she were sharing a special secret with him. "If you want to meet her, I suggest you take Scarlet with you. Mother's getting old and paranoid. In fact, she's recently developed the nasty habit of turning any strangers who approach her cottage into toads. She doesn't trust anyone outside the family, you see." Josephine's voice was a hushed whisper now. "Ivan would accompany you, but he's going away on business, and although I'd love to guide you, I must admit I'm better at losing my way then finding it."
Coren fought the urge to bury his face in his hands. So far none of these people had given him a straight answer. They'd only managed to give him a headache. "So what you've all be telling me is that the cloak isn't in St. Jordan?"
"Yes," said Scarlet, Josephine, and the magistrate in unison.
"And," the Prince continued, "in order to find the cloak, I must seek out and speak with this...this...grandmother?"
"Remember to bring Scarlet," Josephine said. "Unless you want to end up a you-know-what."
"Ah, of course," the Prince amended sarcastically. "The toad-turning grandmother who lives in the woods. She sounds quite pleasant."
Josephine giggled. "You have no idea."
Coren sighed. "Very well," he announced heavily. "Tomorrow morning, I shall set out for the Briarwood." He turned to Scarlet. "And you're coming with me."
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Scarlet stood outside, glaring at the morning sun. She'd slept fitfully last night on the floor of Martha's room, having been forced to give up her own to the Prince. The sky was a pale cerulean, smeared with thin gray clouds. Some of them threatened to blot out the sunshine.
Maybe she'd get lucky and it'd start raining again.
She doubted it.
Voices floated from behind and Scarlet turned to see the Prince and his entourage stepping out of her house. Martha and Josephine followed. Ivan had left for the next market town earlier in the morning.
"Your Highness," the housekeeper was saying, "I wish you a safe journey."
Scarlet shifted her weight from one foot to the other in irritation.
"Scarlet, dear, I wish you a safe journey as well," Martha added. She approached the girl and hugged her.
"Say hello to Grandmother for me," Josephine chirped.
"Mother! Martha!" Scarlet decided to try one more appeal of protest even though none of her other pleas had worked last night. "I don't want to go! Why can't the Prince take his guards with him instead? He'd be safe. Grandmother can't be that cruel!"
But Josephine was shaking her head. "Of course she is, you silly. You haven't visited her in so long you've forgotten what she's like! Oh, Scarlet, you know we can't have the Prince turned into a toad. What would the King and Queen and the nice people at the palace say?"
"The King's dead," Martha whispered.
"You know what I mean," Josephine laughed.
Deciding that asking her mother for help would be useless, Scarlet desperately turned to Martha. "Martha, please! I have chores to do! The mending! I was supposed to finish that today! And who will help you with the house tasks once I've gone?"
Martha looked amused. "The day you worry about your chores is a blessed day indeed. But I think I can manage."
"But—"
"Are you quite done?" the Prince cut in impatiently. "I'm tired of waiting for you."
Scarlet ground her teeth. Coren had said they would depart at sunrise but she'd stood out here waiting for him for almost the entire morning.
"Let's be off," the Prince said briskly.
Josephine pulled Scarlet aside to have a few last words. Taking her daughter by her shoulders she said, "You know the way to Grandmother's house?"
Scarlet nodded.
"You've brought enough supplies with you?"
"Yes." Scarlet didn't doubt there were enough things in her sack to last them a week in the forest. It made sense. Martha had packed it.
"Good girl." Josephine smiled. "Be careful."
"I will."
"Girl!" the Prince barked. He had already begun moving down the street. "Hurry up, can't you? We still need to fetch the horses!"
Scarlet scrambled after him, and Josephine shouted, more loudly than she needed to, "No horses—or you'll be sorry!"
The Prince continued towards the common house.
"Wait!" Scarlet said. She reached Coren, falling into step beside him. "Where are you going? Didn't you hear what my mother just said?"
Coren halted abruptly, his eyes flashing. "Why should I listen to what she says?" he asked harshly. "She is only a madwoman."
Scarlet tensed. "My mother is harmless."
"Harmless!" the Prince scoffed. "By listening to her, I've already been degraded to this! I, the Crown Prince of Terrallis, walking on foot like any other commoner, travelling without attendants or guards into a dark forest, probably full of wild beasts, with a mere peasant girl!" He broke off, breathing hard.
"Well, this 'peasant girl' doesn't find this trip any more enjoyable than you do!" Scarlet countered. "But there's a difference between coming back alive and coming back in multiple pieces."
A muscle in the Prince's cheek twitched, but he didn't reply. Instead, he whirled around and began his determined stride towards the common house once more.
"My mother may not understand many things," Scarlet called, "but when it comes to the Briarwood, she is seldom wrong!" She ran after Coren, the heavy pack of supplies straining against her shoulders.
They'd reached the town square by now. Scarlet stopped under Jack Jordan's tree to catch her breath, watching as the Prince headed towards the common house. "Prince Coren!" she yelled. "Your Highness! Coren!"
The final cry got the Prince's attention. He turned and scowled. "Remember your place, girl. You are to address me as 'Your Highness,' or 'Your Excellency,' or—"
"I'm warning you one last time." Scarlet strode from the shade of the tree to Coren. "If you're taking horses, then you're going alone. And—in case you need reminding—without me, you'll never find Grandmother's house, much less your way out of the Briarwood."
The Prince looked vexed. "What I don't understand is why both you and your mother are so adamant about leaving the steeds behind. Riding through the forest would take less time than walking."
"Not when it comes to the Briarwood," Scarlet said darkly.
"What's so special about this Briarwood?"
Scarlet's eyes became a shadowy green. "Since you're familiar with the tale of the sleeping princess, you must know that the prince who finally broke the spell was but one of many who tried to save her. And you must also know that those who failed died a horrible death. Most of them perished at the thorns of the rose briars." Scarlet's expression became hard. "The Briarwood is alive. During the time it guarded the princess's castle, it developed a taste for flesh."
Coren paled, and Scarlet continued, "It's dangerous enough as it is to enter the Briarwood, but to bring horses...well, that's like setting mice into a snake's lair. The forest will view them as easy prey and come after us for sure. But if we go on foot, we can evade the Briarwood's traps and come back alive."
Coren mulled over these words. He pierced Scarlet with his golden eyes, as if part of him disbelieved her tale and that by staring at her face long enough, he would eventually ferret out the truth.
But it was Coren who wavered first. He broke from Scarlet's gaze and stared off to the side, his expression tense. "Fine," he said. "Whatever you like." Disgruntled and a little unnerved, the Prince reluctantly followed the girl as she walked through the town square and past the common house, following the main road to the edge of St. Jordan where the Briarwood lay waiting.
Author's Note: For some unexplainable reason, I just had this sudden vision of Orlando Bloom as Coren. Oo Maybe next time, I'll have an epiphany of who'll be Scarlet.