"And when I finally got back, he had used a sticking spell to try and walk on the ceiling! Of course, he ended up falling onto me the moment he was unstuck, and I was sent back to the nurse for the third time that week. I still have the scar on my hand."
"I'm surprised anyone survives at Hexley Hall," Roland laughed. "What is this, the fifth story like this you've told?"
"It's certainly more interesting than any of the schools I went to," Miranda chuckled.
"What about that poisoned apple juice incident you told me about?"
Cedric felt his heart skip a beat. "I'm sorry, the w h a t?!"
"Well, there was a group of boys who thought they'd put a potion to induce boils in the school's apple juice as a prank. Somehow, they managed to bring the potions onto school grounds without getting caught."
"But...those are supposed to be splashed onto the skin to...if ingested, it could..." Cedric shook his head in disbelief. "The students at Hexley Hall were always pulling those sort of pranks, I'm sure Roland remembers those quite well, having attended Royal Prep, but at least we knew how to use the potions correctly to avoid death by pustules on internal organs!"
"I think it would be simpler to say 'death by apple juice'," Roland snickered.
"Regardless of what you call it, I doubt it would be pleasant."
"What about you, Rollie?" Miranda asked. "Do you have any stories?"
"Well..."
"Mom? Dad? Cedric?"
Cedric quickly looked to the door. "Oh, Sofia! You're..." His voice faded when he realized that Sofia hadn't entered the room alone; a girl, sun-burnt and obviously exhausted, was practically hiding behind her.
"This is Ivy," the princess said. "She's the granddaughter of Moana."
"Don't just tell them like that," Ivy mumbled shyly. Her necklace, one that looked slightly familiar, shone in the candlelight.
"You two are soaking wet!" Miranda exclaimed, rushing over. "Oh, honey, what happened to you? You look absolutely miserable."
"There was a storm and her family's boat sank," Sofia explained. "She's the only one left."
"Oh...come here. You look exhausted. I'll find you a blanket or towel to dry off.
"Thank you, your majesties." The girl hesitantly stepped out from behind Sofia, and Cedric felt his heart sink. That look in her eyes...
"Are you alright?" he asked, awkwardly shifting where he stood.
The girl looked up at him with an expression of awe...and perhaps also fear.
"This is Cedric, our royal sorcerer," Sofia explained. "He uses magic, like you!"
"What's a sorcerer?"
Cedric pulled out his wand and summoned a soft blanket, putting it around Ivy's shoulders. "A sorcerer is a person who comes from a long line of mages and has magic infused in their blood. My family has been using magic since before the second dark age, and their skill has been passed down to me."
"Oh." The girl pulled the blanket tightly around herself and looked up at him. "Am I a sorcerer?"
Cedric chuckled. "I'd assume so, if your family has a history of magic, though the feminine term is sorceress."
"My mom used magic from the place she came from, and my dad had a lot of mana he got from my grandma."
"Ah. Mana, meaning a soul magic of sorts?"
"Everything has mana. It's just that those with a lot of it can do..well..." She opened her hand, revealing a flame hovering just above her palm. "Stuff like this."
Cedric couldn't help but stare. "Elemental manipulation? With nothing but internal magic? How..."
"I dunno." She shrugged and closed her hand, extinguishing the fire. "I've just always been able to do it. It's unpredictable, and I don't really like doing it. And...I dunno if I'm just crazy, but I can...hear animals? If that makes sense? They speak to me."
"Well that's quite...er..." Cedric thought for a moment. "It could be either. I certainly wouldn't say that you're insane or anything of the sort, but hallucinations are a possibility. I suppose we could have you speak to an animal and tell us what it said, then douse it with a speaking potion and have it repeat what it was saying, but those potions take months to brew and-"
"Cedric?"
"Hm?"
Sofia held up her amulet.
"What?" He realized what she was saying. "Oh, yes, that would work as well."
"What?" Ivy asked.
"My amulet gives me special powers like yours," Sofia explained. "Like talking to animals. So, if I get one of my animal friends, we can talk to them and see if you can understand them."
"I'm still amazed she managed to keep that a secret for so long," Roland chuckled under his breath.
"Well, if that's what we're doing," Miranda said, "could you go get them, Sofia?"
"Yes. Could you...er..." Cedric paused. "...how do you summon them?"
Sofia giggled. "They just kind of find me. I'll be right back! Ivy, just stay here for a minute."
The girl quietly nodded and, wincing, sat on the floor. Her expression went from slight nervousness to obvious anxiety the moment Sofia left the room.
"You're welcome to sit up here with us," Miranda offered, gesturing to an empty armchair
"I'd...I'd rather not intrude. You've already done so much for me, especially Sofia. I'll just sit here and..." She coughed and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. To everyone's horror, a blossom of crimson blood began to soak through the ivory fabric.
"Oh!"
At the sound of the queen's yelp, Ivy looked down. Her face went pale.
"I'm so sorry, I...I've tried to keep it wrapped but...I I...promise I'll replace-" She was cut off by her own coughing.
"The blanket doesn't matter," Roland said. He rushed over and knelt down, pulling the fabric tightly around her. "Keep pressure on it. How did this even happen?"
"The atua...the gods and spirits...they didn't like me. That's why we ran. That's why the storm happened. Someone tried to get me with spear, but it didn't go deep enough. And there was lightning..."
"Shh. Just try and stay calm. Don't think about that right now. Breathe."
"I'm going to get a healer," Miranda said. "Cedric, when Sofia gets back, let her do what she needs. But don't let her see the wound."
"Of course." As Miranda rushed out of the room, Cedric summoned a towel.
"I don't feel..." There was coughing, along with a gasp and cries of pain. By the time the sorcerer looked back, blood was beginning to drip onto the floor.
"St...stay still," he said, practically falling to the ground and handing the towel to her. "And put this over it. Your coughing must have undone any healing that's been done."
"I'm tired."
"Yes, of course you are, bu you must stay awake."
"Ivy?"
Cedric glanced over for only a moment. "Sofia, you may come in, but don't move anything. I'm afraid she's injured."
"What happened?"
"My coughing split open a stab wound on my chest." Ivy said this quite matter-of-factly, despite the fact that she was sitting on the floor holding a bloody towel and blanket over her heart.
"Will she be okay, dad?"
"I...Cedric?"
"She'll be fine," Cedric said quickly. "Your mother has gone to find a healer from the village. In the meantime, she said to do...whatever it is you need to do."
Sofia nodded and sat down. She was holding that gray rabbit of hers, which looked very wary at the moment.
"Oh, hi," Ivy said. There seemed to be silence for a moment, but it was clear she was listening to something. "Nice to meet you, Clover. I'm Ivy."
Sofia's eyes lit up.
"So she can talk to animals?" Roland asked.
"Mmhm!"
Ivy gave a sigh of relief. Then she held her head in apparent pain.
"Are you alright?" Cedric asked.
"Tired...headache...and I'm cold."
Roland grasped her hand and let out a small gasp. "She's freezing!"
"She'll be fine," Cedric repeated, though he wasn't sure if he was speaking to Roland, Sofia, or himself.
Sofia held Ivy's other hand. "Please, stay awake. Ivy? Can you hear me?"
Cedric's heart skipped a beat as Ivy went limp. He grabbed her hand from Sofia and was relieved to find a pulse. "She's only gone unconscious." He looked up at the princess. "You must tell your father and I everything. Everything you've noticed, everything she's told you, you must not leave anything out."
