Chapter Eleven – Keep Marching On
Ash coughed a few times, waving a hand in front of his face to shoo the dirt and embers away. He looked up and did a quick headcount. But only Icestorm, Erika, Finny, and Frosty were with him.
"Everyone okay?" Ash asked.
"We've been better, but we'll live." Finny said.
Ash looked around. There was only fire and burning trees everywhere. Their escape routes were disappearing quickly. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Where is everyone?"
"We're over here!" Harper's voice sounded from the right.
"We are safe, my liege!" Sir Tandeth called from the left.
"Where are you guys?" Gris whimpered from farther left.
"Listen up!" Ash called. "We can't stay here with the fire going on! Head for cover and wait for the fire to blow over! We'll find each other again at Grotto of Flowers! Just get to safety!"
Nobody liked that option. But it wasn't even safe for the birds to fly, now. So, reluctantly, everyone ran for it.
"We need to find a hole in the ground or a cave to hide in." Icestorm urged. "We can't outrun this thing anymore!"
"What about Frosty?" Finny asked.
"There!" Erika skidded to a halt, and they realized they ran right past a bunch of holes in a hillside, which they never noticed in the darkness. They managed to find one big enough for Frosty, and they ducked inside.
"Stay away from the mouth of the cave." Icestorm ordered. "The fire will try to creep in, but there's nothing to burn in here."
"You think the others are okay?" Ash asked, staring outside. "Did I make the right decision by telling them to run?"
"There was no other choice." Erika said. "We'll just have to wait and hope they survived."
Ash swallowed back the lump in his throat. He stared at the flames roaring past the mouth of the cave. Please be okay.
Luckily, after the lightning and thunder came a bout of heavy rain, which doused the wildfire. But, in the morning, when everyone emerged from their hiding places and called for each other, no group was close enough to the other to hear the cries. But they did not lose hope, and simply got to work finding each other again. Ash had said they would meet at the "Grotto of Flowers," meaning he must've seen it on the map and realized it was the closest landmark.
There was one problem: poor Gris was all alone. He had lost his bergen-sized copy of the map days ago, but never told anyone out of embarrassment. Prowlus could fly on Ebony and would easily find the grotto. Even Sir Tandeth ought to know how to find the way. But what would Gris do?
"Just stay calm." Gris said as he walked through the scorched forest. "I can do this. I'm the prince of Bergen Town. I'm book smart. I can do this." He froze when he heard a crow in the trees. "I hope I can do this."
Gris kept walking until noon, and then stopped to rummage in his pack for lunch. He didn't have much left. He'd have to forage for more stuff later. Gris pulled out a handful of trail mix made from nuts and seeds and the last bit of candy his mother packed for him. He also pulled out one of his wilderness books and browsed through it to find his way. There was lots of tips and tricks for finding your way without a compass, and even how to make a makeshift compass. But that didn't help much if he didn't remember where the grotto was.
"Just think. Think." Gris tapped his forehead as he focused. "Don't I remember anything from that map? What about Ash's map? Come on, Gris, be smart." What did he remember from the map that could help? What other landmarks did he see? He wasn't used to solving problems on his own. He always had help before. His parents were always there, or his sister. Ash was always available to help him work through to find a solution. He spent this entire quest with a whole group of smart people. But he was alone this time. Could he do it alone?
"Of course you can!" Ash would say. "You're smart! You can figure it out! Just have a little more faith in yourself."
"Faith in myself, huh?" Gris exhaled softly. He searched his bag again for anything useful and found something rectangular pressed against the side of the bag. He pulled it out to find a picture frame with a family portrait inside: him, his twin, and his parents. On the back was writing.
Bridget's sloppy scrawl read, You will grow during this adventure. Stay safe and know you are loved!
Gristle's blocky lettering read, You and your sister are my miracles who will do amazing things, even in little ways.
Sparkler's loopy cursive read, Love you, bro! We're a team, but you don't need my help to be great!
Gris finally smiled as he stood. He sort of remembered the grotto being in the upper right area of the map, so he found northeast and resumed walking. It was still rather quiet, seeing how most of the animals fled during the wildfire. "What does Ash usually do? He sings when it's quiet? Although, being a troll, they always sing." Gris hummed to himself, trying to find a good beat. He eventually settled on one he liked, and he began to smile.
I'm on my own, deep in the woods
Don't really know if I should
But I lost my friends, they're far away
I'll find them real soon; at least, I pray
Gris chuckled to himself. He noticed a tall tree, still intact, and he got an idea. He tucked the picture away and began climbing.
Where there's a will, there's a way
I'll stay strong, won't be led astray
Nothing now, gonna hold me back
Here I am, getting right on track
Gris looked out over the land, and he saw a set of hills to his right. Just as he thought! To the northeast, some flowery hills he remembered seeing on the map, behind the grotto's location. Excited, Gris swung down from the tree and kept walking with a little jig in his step.
I'm gonna keep marching on
And I'm gonna stay strong
May be on my own don't know where to start
But my friends are with me in my heart
I'm not scared of what's out there
I can spread my wings, fly in the air
Started out, wasn't much to know
When I return, they'll see how much I've grown
Keep marching on
'Cause I can do it alone
Gris laughed, picking up his pace.
Prowlus and Harper were lucky enough to have Ebony, who protected them in an old fox den. When the flames cleared, Prowlus found the Grotto of Flowers on his copy of the map and the trolls mounted Ebony to fly there. They arrived quickly and, as they expected, saw no one. Frosty might join them soon enough with whoever was with him, but everyone else was on foot. There was nothing they could do except wait.
"They'll be fine." Harper assured herself and Prowlus as they made a campfire. "I hope they don't get too turned around."
'If they do not arrive by lunch tomorrow, we should go look for them.' Prowlus signed. 'Otherwise, it wiser to stay in one place and wait for them.'
"Agreed." Harper nodded.
They got to work keeping busy. Prowlus brushed Ebony's feathers and thoroughly inspected his dark phoenix's health. Harper pulled out her art supplies and painted the flowers in the grotto. They were awfully beautiful. When Prowlus finished with Ebony, he gathered a handful of the pink flowers and wove a crown out of them, which he placed on Harper's hairline. She blushed, giggling as she kissed his cheek.
When Prowlus first moved to the Troll Tree, Harper took it as an opportunity to paint another royal family portrait. But she had the hardest time getting Prowlus's hair right, so she improvised. She could never get his hair right because Prowlus's tangled, shaggy hair was always a mess, and never looked the same twice in one day. Harper spent an entire week trying to sketch Prowlus's hair alone, and she ended up with half a sketchbook full of his different hairstyles. Only a fourth of them were his intentional styling. It drove her crazy trying to get it right.
On Prowlus's part, he was just bashful at the thought of someone drawing him so much. After spending so much time in a kingdom of dulled colors, he was almost overwhelmed by the bright hues of the Troll Tree. He found Harper the most interesting. Her entire body and hair was usually covered in paint, yet somehow her white smock remained spotless. Prowlus only saw her real colors a handful of times, usually right after Harper took a bath: turquoise skin and dark blue hair, almost like his own colors. Even out here, in the wilderness, she was covered in colors from her painting and drawing. Prowlus loved her dual-colored eyes the best. He had never met someone with heterochromia beyond his surrogate sister Rosie.
As time went by, and the two spent more and more time together, their friendship blossomed and morphed to a relationship of true love. Prowlus was used to communicating through visuals, since he had no voice of his own. Harper often let her art speak for her. Somehow, in a way even they couldn't explain, they just understood each other. Prowlus usually didn't need to sign anything to get Harper to understand what he wanted at any moment. Some might've called it telepathy. They just called it love.
Night fell, and they saw no sign of their friends. Still, they determined to stay at the grotto until tomorrow. Who knows how far they got from each other during the wildfire? After dinner, they doused the fire and lay in the grass to stargaze. They exchanged a few stories, made up constellations, and just sat in silence in each other's company.
"I love doing this." Harper sighed. "Just sitting in silence with you. I can't explain it. Being near you, I feel...peaceful."
Prowlus nodded in agreement.
"I'm not afraid of anything with you around." Harper gave his hand a squeeze. "That's why I'm not worried about this quest or our friends. Somehow, I'm just confident things will work out okay."
'You do the same for me, painted love.' Prowlus used a special sign for "painted love," a term of endearment for his beloved.
Prowlus stood, taking Harper's hands to gently pull her to her feet. They began to dance, without a need for music. Of course, it didn't take long for Harper to start her song.
I hear the voices echo in the air
Stories and laughter to share
We try to scream, try to shout
Try our best to stand out
Prowlus and Harper continued their dance, even when Prowlus released her to play his flute. Ebony watched them with a gaze of what looked to be admiration.
You let me in, and I could see
Everything you wanted to be
Never needed a voice, just to show
Look at how much we've grown
Two parts, one song
With you, I belong
We keep marching on
Keep singing our song
Speaking the language others don't hear
When you're with me, nothing to fear
Our love speaks for us
We built this on trust
And I'll never forget what you taught me back then
You've got your own voice to complete this duet
Keep marching on
Love speaks for us
Prowlus grinned broadly, tucking his flute away. He pulled out a bracelet made of a variety of charms. He managed to hold it with a few fingers so he could sign to Harper.
'I made this to represent every significant moment we've had together.' He pointed to a couple of the charms. 'This is when you kept trying to draw my hair. This is our first official date. This was my first Midwinter Yuletide when you gave me that ocarina flute. It was so hard to choose just these most important moments in our time together. Harper, you mean everything to me. I love you with all my heart; and, if this is an acceptable betrothal gift, will you accept it and marry me?'
Harper's hands flew her to mouth, and joyful tears welled up in her eyes. "Prowlus, of course." His smile a mile wide, Prowlus clipped the charm bracelet onto Harper's wrist. On her other wrist, her Hug Time bracelet went off, and Prowlus looked down to his own glowing bracelet. Harper Jumped into Prowlus' arms for a happy hug, and they hit the ground. She planted her lips on his own, and he wrapped his arms around her.
The next morning, the rest of the traveling party still worked towards the Grotto of Flowers where Prowlus, Harper, and Ebony waited.
Although Sir Tandeth, Iris, and Steve had no idea where the grotto was, they did see Ebony circle around them, and Sir Tandeth could judge the direction of travel based on her flight.
"How very wise of Prince Prowlus." Sir Tandeth said gleefully. "He and Lady Harper must already be at the grotto!"
"Why do you call her 'Lady' Harper?" Iris asked.
"She and the elder prince are clearly affianced." Sir Tandeth said. "Royals and even their future spouses must be referred to with respect."
Great. I may have to kill her, too. Iris thought. She had plotted and schemed secretly ever since she discovered Larch's grandsons. Of course, it also made her think about how old she was, but she tried to push those thoughts from her mind. The method didn't matter. She could steal whatever tools she needed, or simply do it by hand. She just had to think about when she could do it. She wasn't worried about Gris or Harper. Even Steve could be subdued or distracted. No, she worried about Sir Tandeth. The knight clearly had a deep loyalty for Ash and even Prowlus, and might very well stand in her way of killing the princes.
She had to get rid of him. In fact, this might be her only chance to get rid of him without suspicion. That meant she'd probably have to get rid of the crocodile, too. She only had until they reached the grotto, so she needed to work quickly.
There were no poisonous plants or berries, even when they left the burnt parts of the forest behind. Iris looked around for other things that could kill the knight and the crocodile. She saw a rotted tree leaning against another tree. She went off with the excuse of finding some berries for lunch. Then she got to work weakening the rotting tree's foundation. The tree fell, and it landed right on top of Sir Tandeth. Iris grinned, praising herself for how easy it was. But she gawked when Sir Tandeth popped up from a hole in the tree and walked off without a scratch on him. Steve was right by his side like a loyal canine.
Iris cursed herself and hurried after them. She tried antagonizing the other creatures as they walked, enticing them to attack Sir Tandeth and Steve. The pair were attacked by Venus flytrap-like plants, growl beasts, some venomous snakes, and even a swarm of tiny, predatory birds. But even if the creatures weren't deterred by Steve, they were beaten back by Sir Tandeth. He would evade them with ease or fight back with his sword.
Finally, after dodging an attack from a creature that blew fire, Sir Tandeth turned to Iris. She tensed up, wondering if he caught on to her scheme.
"You best stay close." Sir Tandeth suggested. "Lots of dangers, it seems."
Iris knew it would look suspicious if she didn't. So she walked right alongside Sir Tandeth for the next hour until they reached the Grotto of Flowers. Prowlus, Harper, Ebony, and Gris sat around a fire, and welcomed them warmly. Iris put on a smile, despite her desire to strangle Prowlus right where he stood.
"I hope the others didn't get too lost out there." Harper said.
"They've got a bird, too." Gris reminded her. "They'll be here soon, I know it."
"Meanwhile, I think it would be wise to keep this fire going so we have a smoke signal." Iris said as she stood. "I'll go fetch some more firewood."
"Don't stray too far." Sir Tandeth advised. "If you need our help, give a shout."
"Of course." Iris nodded. She walked off into the forest. As soon as she was far enough away, out of sight and earshot, she groaned in frustration. She took a few deep breaths. "No. Do not fret. This isn't like back in Moonlight Kingdom. This will be easy to do. That Prowlus isn't so strong, and Ash is just a kid. They will be easy to kill. I will find a way to get them alone and then my vengeance will be complete."
Once upon a time, so long ago
I learned real fast that I stood alone
Didn't need anyone else at all
Had to learn to grow up and stand tall
Then came along that foolish boy
All of my plans, they were destroyed
He got me banished, I was cast out
But I'll succeed this time, no doubt
Iris grinned maliciously. As the daughter of Captain Titan, she learned to stand on her own two feet. If she cried in front of him, she was beaten. So she toughened up. She bruised her knuckles and stained her hands with blood, learning to be a warrior like him. Anything to earn that fleeting glance of pride in her direction. Iris learned early on that friendship and love didn't exist. You exist to serve another or fight to be the one served. When she came up with the spying scheme, Titan actually looked pleased with her, and even said, "It's not a terrible idea, provided it works."
And it almost did. She was so close. She had the map to the rebellion base, and wanted to double-check she had it right before giving it to her father and Empress Eclipse. If it hadn't been for Larch sneaking around where he didn't belong, she would have succeeded. Finally, she would have earned her father's praise.
This time, Iris would not give up.
Keep marching on
Even though he may be gone
My revenge will be complete
Then finally I'll be free
Father would be so proud
If he could just see me now
I'm ready now, it's payback time
Those boys will pay for your crime
I keep marching on
And soon I'll have my revenge
Original Song: "Keep Marching On" (continued in next chapter)