Part Seven: Growing Deeper

“Queen Daphne’s awake?” Kelviana asked in a rare display of genuine surprise.

“Just last night,” said Thane. “She awoke and immediately summoned the dryads, telling them that her grandchildren had arrived in our realm. How she came by this information she did not say, or if she did the dryads did not convey it to me. The Queen has always been mysterious and secretive, and favors her dryads above all others.”

“And she thinks these kids are her grandchildren?” Kelviana said, nodding at Jonathan and Zoe.

“She does. It is not my place to question my Queen. I only obey.”

“When it suits you,” Kelviana mumbled. Thane arched an eyebrow but remained silent. Kelviana looked up at him. “So, she expects to just sweep back in and act like nothing ever happened? Can she even do that or is she still…?”

“There has been no change in her condition aside from waking up,” Thane said grimly.

“That will make it hard to invite her to dinner,” Kelviana remarked, furrowing her brows.

Thane chuckled, a low rumbling sound rising from deep inside his chest. “Indeed, it will, General. Besides, you would find her communication skills somewhat limited these days.”

“Every dryad under the sun could be considered one of her children or grandchildren. What makes these kids any different?”

“That is Queen Daphne’s concern, not mine,” said Thane, and his face hardened once again. “We must get moving. The dryad’s magic will not hold the Tempest for long and we should be well away from here by the time it returns.”

Jonathan spoke up, finally finding his voice. “Hold on,” he said. “We’ve got about a million questions here.” Zoe nodded her agreement.

“I’m afraid they must wait, young Cousins,” said Thane.

“The Captain’s right,” said Kelviana. “We don’t want to be anywhere near this place when that Tempest comes back. If you think it was in a bad mood before, it’s sure to be twice as mad now.”

“I take it you mean to come with us then, General?” Thane asked.

“These kids are my responsibility. I’m not gonna let Daphne sink her roots into them.”

“But you can’t just drop something like this on us and then not explain it,” said Zoe.

“In due time, young one,” said Thane. He turned to Kelviana. “Are you well enough to make haste? I mean no offense, but your legs are very short. It is easy to forget how small you fey are when not in flight. I worry that you may not be able to keep up with us.”

Kelviana frowned and opened her mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. “You are right, Captain. Can I impose upon you and your men to carry us?”

“We came prepared to carry the foals. One more will make no difference. You are so tiny and light that I will barely know you are there anyway.” He said the last part with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. It reminded Jonathan of his grandfather. If his grandfather was nine feet tall, muscled like a pro wrestler and half-horse, that was.

“You mean we are going to ride on your backs?” asked Zoe. Jonathan couldn’t tell if she was excited or terrified by the prospect. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it either, for that matter.

“Indeed, Princess,” said Thane. “Far be it for the Queen’s granddaughter to walk when another option is available.”

Zoe’s face hardened at that and whatever excitement that may have been there vanished. “I’m no princess and I don’t need to be pampered. I’m perfectly capable of walking.”

“You have a strong spirit for a dryad, young Cousin,” said Thane with another chuckle. “Nevertheless, it would be a great dishonor to my men if we were not allowed to carry you.”

Zoe frowned at being called a dryad but nodded her consent. “Fine, if it’s that important to you. I am kind of tired after that fight anyway.”

“It’s no wonder. You used a lot of magic,” said Kelviana. She looked at Jonathan and Thane. “She did well today. If it hadn’t been for her, this battle would have gone very differently.”

“As one would expect of Queen Daphne’s granddaughter,” said Thane with a smile. “The Queen will be most pleased to hear this.”

Zoe blushed and turned her face away. “Shouldn’t we be going?” she asked. “Didn’t you say that the dragon's coming back soon?”

“Dragon?” asked Thane, confused.

“The Tempest,” explained Kelviana. “I guess they call them dragons on Earth.”

“Ah, I see,” he said with a nod. “The filly’s right, we should be going.” He set his helmet on his head and then waved his hand in a circle. His men sprang into action.

The centaur with a body like a racehorse trotted up to Jonathan and offered him his hand. Jonathan grasped it and found himself being pulled onto the centaur’s back with surprising ease. His grip was as strong as steel, but his motions were amazingly smooth and graceful. The warrior smiled back at him from beneath his helmet as Jonathan settled down onto his back. He was young, probably only in his twenties if Jonathan had to guess, with a beard that wasn’t quite long enough to braid yet, and hair as black as the rest of his body. The warrior was carrying his shield to make more room for Jonathan and he realized with surprise that the centaur’s hair was not long like he had first thought, but was growing out of his back, much like a horse’s mane. “My name is Dalir, young Cousin. It is my honor to carry you today.”

“Thank you,” said Jonathan. “You can call me John.”

Zoe climbed onto the graceful yellow centaur and Kelviana was lifted onto Thane’s back. When they were all settled Thane motioned them forward and they took off at a brisk trot. Thane and Kelviana immediately became engrossed in a deep conversation of their own, but they were too far away for Jonathan to hear what they were saying. He assumed they were bringing each other up to speed on their respective situations. He wrapped his arms around Dalir’s waist and held on tight as they wove their way through the debris back toward where the centaurs had fought with the Tempest. Despite his smooth motions Jonathan still found himself bouncing up and down on Dalir’s bony spine and his bottom was very quickly getting sore. He was glad that they were not moving at a full gallop. He wished he had a saddle but somehow doubted a centaur would ever consent to wearing one. “How far is the Grove?” Jonathan asked.

“About half a day’s run at full gallop,” answered Dalir. “Since we are carrying young riders who are not used to such a strenuous journey it will likely take a full day. The Captain plans on camping tonight and arriving by midday tomorrow. But first, we must collect the dryads and your human friend.”

“Zoe and I are human too, you know,” said Jonathan, suddenly understanding a little of Zoe’s reluctance to accept their dryad heritage. He found he didn’t like the idea of being not-quite-human.

Dalir laughed pleasantly. “Forgive me for saying so, youngling, but anyone with eyes and a nose can tell that your sister is a dryad — and you…” he paused before continuing. “Well, we shall see what your grandmother says.”

Jonathan wondered just who this woman claiming to be their grandmother was. Both grandparents on their dad’s side were still alive and well. Mom’s mother had died when she was only a few months old, so none of them had ever known her. Their grandfather had never remarried and rarely spoke of her, except to praise her beauty and say how much he missed her. But her name had not been Daphne, it was Rose. Though, now that he thought of it, that would be exactly the sort of name a dryad would choose as an alias. An uneasy feeling rose in his stomach that was not related to the bouncing and jostling he was receiving from Dalir’s back. At least not entirely related to that. “Kelviana doesn’t think there’s anything odd about me,” Jonathan pointed out.

“General Kelviana is a fey,” the centaur replied. “They are good at sensing magic, but their noses are as poor as a human’s …” he hesitated. “Forgive me, Cousin. I mean no offense. I am often scolded for my thoughtless tongue.”

“That’s alright,” said Jonathan, happy to change the subject. “I know humans don’t have a great sense of smell. Our hearing isn’t all that good either, I’m told.”

“Do you mind if I ask you a question, young Cousin?” Dalir asked. They had reached the battleground and slowed their pace while a few of the centaurs wandered about, retrieving what they could of their fallen arrows and spears.

“Go for it,” said Jonathan. He liked the talkative young centaur.

Dalir turned and looked back at Jonathan. “I did not want to ask, for fear of being rude, but since you mentioned it; how do humans tell each other apart, if you cannot smell very well?”

“Uhmm…” Jonathan started, wondering just how to answer such a bizarre question.

“Dalir,” Thane said gruffly, coming up alongside them and thrusting a spear into Dalir’s hand. “Bother the youngling no more with your inane chatter.” He turned to Jonathan. “Apologies, young Cousin. Dalir is a competent warrior – if only his tongue were as disciplined as the rest of his body. We will arrive soon to where we left the human with the dryads. There are yet three hours of light left. With your leave, I would that we push on until dark before making camp for the night. I want to be as far from the Tempest as possible before we stop.”

“That’s fine with me,” said Jonathan, hoping his rump would survive for that long. “Why ask my opinion though? Isn’t Kelviana the General?”

Kelviana rolled her eyes, but there was a bit of a grin on the edges of her mouth. “The Captain insists on getting your permission since you’re the Queen’s grandson. Besides. This isn’t my operation. I’m just an observer here.”

“Why not ask Zoe too?” said Jonathan. “Shouldn’t she be included?”

“We would never bother the Princess with such mundane matters,” said Thane, clearly offended at the mere suggestion.

“But it’s ok to ask me?” he asked.

“As the granddaughter to the Queen, she is second only to the Queen herself, young Cousin. She may have a strong spirit, but as a matter of honor we must afford her the respect that her station requires.”

“I see,” said Jonathan. The frustration he had felt towards Zoe earlier was beginning to rise back up inside. As twins, they had always been treated equally. But lately, even before they came to the Fey Realm, it seemed that she was overshadowing him in just about everything. Now, all of a sudden, on top of having magical powers she was literally getting the royal treatment. It just wasn’t fair. “Whatever you want to do is fine with me,” he pouted. “You guys know what you’re doing better than me anyway. I’m just along for the ride, isn’t that right, Kelviana?” It wasn’t a fair dig at her, but at the moment he didn’t really care.

Kelviana’s brows crinkled and her face hardened slightly but she nodded. Thane nodded as well. “Very well, young Cousin. We will retrieve the dryads and your friend, then push on with all haste. Our party is growing larger and includes some who are tired and injured. We will move slowly.”

If the pace with which the centaurs were moving was considered slow, Jonathan wondered what a fast pace looked like. In a matter of minutes they had left the suburbs and were winding their way through the woods outside town. Dalir had remained silent after his captain’s admonition and Jonathan used the chance to observe his surroundings. He was familiar with the road they had traveled down, it was the freeway that took them from the suburbs to the main city a few miles further on. There was a green belt between the two with a large park and several trails leading into the woods beyond. They had visited the park many times over the years, and Jonathan was a little surprised when the centaurs avoided it and instead headed into the woods.

As Dalir pushed further into the trees and undergrowth, following a trail only the centaurs could see, Jonathan began to see more and more signs of life all around him. Small critters scampered away at their approach, birds chirped in the trees and insects buzzed all around. It was a stark contrast to the eerie silence that had prevailed during their time in the Wastelands. He also began to notice other, less familiar, things. Little lights occasionally flitted out of bushes, circling about their heads with tinkling laughter following in their wakes. Giggling sylphs would fly past whenever the wind stirred in the trees, tugging at the centaur’s tails or mussing up Zoe’s hair, though Jonathan was pretty sure none of them were Aella. A pair of eyes blinked at him from what he had been certain was a tree branch until it waved at their party before unfolding itself from its perch and wandering off to attend to whatever business a strange stick creature would have. Other nymphs, both small and large, sometimes followed them for a short time until they caught either Kelviana’s or Thane’s attention, then they would scamper off, chittering all the while.

Kelviana laughed the first genuine laugh Jonathan remembered hearing from her. It had a distinct musical quality that made him want to hear more. He noticed a rosiness to her cheeks and her magic dust was glowing brightly once again. “It seems you kids are drawing quite a crowd,” she said with a smile.

“Are we that interesting?” asked Zoe from atop her yellow-haired centaur.

“The first humans to wander beyond the Wastelands in untold centuries?” said Kelviana. “Yeah, I’d say you’re going to create a stir.”

“Which will make it hard to hide the younglings from Acrimony,” Thane pointed out.

“Yeah,” replied Kelviana thoughtfully. “We may want to consider some disguises.”

“The filly will be easy enough. She already looks like a dryad. The colts will be more difficult.”

“I’m a girl, not a filly or a dryad,” said Zoe, looking irritated.

“Forgive me if I give offense, young Cousin,” said Thane with a bow. “I am unfamiliar with human terms, and use our own instead.”

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“Maybe we can dress them in long robes and try to pass them off as satyrs?” Kelviana mused, ignoring the others. “No, anyone with half a grain of sense would see right through that.” She huffed and crossed her arms, falling into her own thoughts. “Maybe I can shrink them enough to look like gnomes?” she mumbled.

“It’s fine,” said Zoe. “I’m just tired.” Thane nodded and trotted off, carrying Kelviana with him, still lost in her own thoughts. Jonathan hoped that the fey wasn’t serious about shrinking them. When they were far enough away to not overhear anything Johanthan turned back to Zoe.

“Are you really okay?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer. He knew his sister too well to believe what she had told Thane.

“I just wish everyone would stop telling me what to be,” Zoe said with a huff. “Mom wants me to be more girly. Kelviana wants me to be some sort of magical dryad. The centaurs think I’m their long-lost princess. Tyler’s the only one who lets me be just me.” She sighed. “I thought we’d lost him, John. I don’t know what I would have done if we had.”

“You like him too, huh?”

“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “Sometimes. Other times I think he’s a bully. I don’t like how he acts when he’s with his buddies; especially the way he treats you. By himself, he’s pretty cool, though.”

Jonathan just smiled. He had to admit, he was starting to like Tyler too. He just hoped the friendship would last once they returned to Earth and settled back into real life. “Mom’s gonna freak, you know?”

She smiled back. “After all this, I think Tyler’s the last thing she’ll need to worry about.”

“You going to tell her she’s a dryad, then?” Jonathan asked. He had been wondering if they should.

“I think she’d want to know. Especially since it concerns Grandma.”

“We think it does. All of this could be wrong, you know?”

Zoe held up her hands and they started glowing. “I don’t think it is, John.”

Jonathan pursed his lips and nodded. He didn’t know why he was suddenly so apprehensive. At first, he had liked the idea of having dryad blood, but now he wasn’t so sure. “You know what this means if it’s true?” he asked.

Zoe nodded, her hands returning to normal. “It means Grandma’s not dead, and she abandoned Grandpa when Mom was just a baby.”

“Do we really want to meet her, then?”

“I think we need to. Just so we know what happened.” Jonathan nodded again, not sure what else to say. They fell into silence as the woods closed in about them. The centaurs moved into a single file. Branches slapped Jonathan in the face as Dalir pushed through the dense underbrush, and he quickly grew weary, remembering just how full their day had already been. After what seemed to have been hours but was really only a few minutes the trees began to thin out again and the underbrush grew less dense.

“Finally!” a thin, airy voice cried out. Aella appeared next to Jonathan, a small gust of wind accompanying her and blowing against his face. “You people are so slow. I almost joined my sisters. There’s a storm brewing down south and they invited me to go with them. It’s supposed to be a really good one, too”

“So why didn’t you?” asked Kelviana, turning back from where she and Thane were at the head of the column. “I appreciate your help back there, but you don’t have to stay with us, you know?”

“Because I like you, silly. At least I like them,” she zipped about Jonathan and Zoe’s heads. “They’re interesting. You’re just a boring old fey.”

“And you’re just another annoying sylph,” retorted Kelviana. She faced forward again and Jonathan noticed that her wings were starting to perk up. They had been drooping ever since that morning. A wave of exhaustion hit him as he realized their day was not over yet. Why had he agreed to another few hours of riding? Being in the forest might have been invigorating for Kelviana, but all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and go to sleep. As Thane led them into a clearing he glanced over at Zoe, and noticed that she, too, was looking refreshed, sitting with her back straight and tall and a healthy red glow to her cheeks. The uneasy sensation returned to his stomach and he turned away without saying anything. She cocked her head curiously, but he ignored her.

Before she could say anything Tyler appeared at the edge of the clearing, accompanied by three young and beautiful women. Zoe immediately jumped off her centaur’s back — Jonathan felt bad that he still had not learned the warrior’s name — and ran over to Tyler, throwing her arms around him in a big hug. Aella followed, giggling and knocking over some spare spears that one of the centaurs had started neatly lining up, ready to grab if the need arose. Tyler looked stunned and it took him a moment before he wrapped his own arms around Zoe and closed his eyes, looking very content. Jonathan sighed and turned his attention to the three women. They were all smiling and had an aura of gentleness about them. They were barefooted and wearing light and airy dresses of pale green. Each one had skin of a slightly different color, none of which Jonathan could quite place into any particular category. Much like the centaurs they seemed to belong to no one particular ethnicity but instead had a beauty that was wholly and uniquely their own. Their hair was as varied as their skin tones, with flowers and leafy branches woven into and around their braids, making it hard to tell where their hair stopped and the decorations began. The longer he studied them the more he began to wonder if they were indeed decorations, or actually part of their bodies. Their faces had fine lines creasing them that were strongly reminiscent of tree bark, and as Dalir took a few steps closer he noticed the same lines on each woman’s arms and legs, giving them an unmistakable resemblance to trees. Jonathan wondered how, if these were dryads, Kelviana or the centaurs could possibly consider Zoe one of them.

“Those are hamadryads, not full dryads,” said Kelviana from beside him. He jumped slightly, not having heard Thane come up beside them. Then he realized Thane was on the other side of the clearing, talking to the mustang-centaur.

“Hey, you’re flying again,” said Jonathan, turning to look at her. She was hovering beside his head, her colorful wings flapping too fast for him to see the pattern clearly and blue dust swirling all around, just like it was supposed to be.

“Only for a few minutes. I needed to stretch my wings. They were starting to cramp up. It’ll not be until sometime tomorrow that I can try flying all day long again.”

“What were you saying about the dryads?”

“They’re hamadryads — more tree-like and less powerful than full dryads such as your sister. They’re also very, very, shy around anything that isn’t a dryad. Even more so around men. You’ll be lucky if you get more than a few words from them, and forget about getting their names.”

“I thought you said Zoe was only part dryad.”

“It’s complicated,” said Kelviana, settling down on Dalir’s back and breathing heavily from the exertion of flying. Jonathan had to give the young centaur credit, he had not spoken one word since his captain chastised him. “As far as the Fey Realm is concerned she’s a full dryad. Genetically she may be only one-quarter dryad, but that doesn’t matter here. The only true difference between your grandmother and your sister is that she can’t use her magic in your world.”

“You couldn’t have told us this sooner?” Jonathan asked, watching Zoe and Tyler as they sat down on a log and chatted with each other, seemingly having forgotten all about him. Aella flitted about, excitedly exploring each hamadryad’s hair. Rather than getting annoyed with the little sylph, the women giggled and played along with her. Hadn’t Kelviana just said they were super shy around non-dryads? Maybe sylphs didn’t count.

“Mainly because I wasn’t certain,” said Kelviana, also watching the proceedings. “All of this depends a great deal on who your ancestor really was. I suspected it was a full dryad, just because of her magical abilities. Anything less and she’d barely have any magic at all. But if your grandmother really is one of the Meliae, and Queen Daphne at that, then she is definitely a full dryad, here in the Fey Realm at least.”

“So does that make her immortal too? And what about me?” asked Jonathan, hearing the bitterness in his own voice.

“Honestly? I have no idea,” said Kelviana. “Immortality is a dangerous thing to test, and I’ve never heard of a male dryad before. I mean, I know dryads can have male children, just not here in this realm. Like I said before, there’s a lot of celebrities in your world, both male and female, who are part dryad, but none of them have ever found their way here before. I don’t know what having her blood will mean for you.”

Jonathan pursed his lips. Kelviana had already tested him for magic and he didn’t have any, so what else mattered? Did he even want any of this anymore anyway? One minute he didn’t, but then the very next minute he was finding another reason to be jealous of Zoe and all that was happening to her. He placed his head in his hands and shook it back and forth. Why did life have to be so darned confusing? Dalir stirred and Jonathan looked up. “Something is happening,” said the centaur. Over where Zoe and Tyler were sitting the hamadryads were now urging Zoe to stand with them. Zoe looked hesitant and Jonathan would have been worried that something was wrong if Tyler hadn’t been laughing. Thane trotted over and began a heated discussion with one of the young women. Aella zipped over to Jonathan and Kelviana.

“Come on, Fey,” she said. “They want you too.”

“Who wants me?” asked Kelviana, tensing up noticeably. “And why?”

“The dryads, silly,” giggled Aella, grabbing Kelviana’s shirt and pulling on it. “They say it’s bath time. They won’t go anywhere until the princess is cleaned up and presentable, and they say you are in just as bad shape.”

Jonathan laughed and Kelviana shook her head, slapping Aella away. “Nope,” she said, “not happening. I’m perfectly capable of washing myself, thank you very much.”

Tyler was crossing the clearing now and called out to them. “You’d better go, Kel,” he said. “They’re threatening to strip Zoe and scrub her down right there if she doesn’t go with them. They’ll do it too,” he said with a shudder.

“They wouldn’t dare…” Jonathan said, glancing side-eyed at the hamadryads as they pushed and pulled Zoe to her feet, giggling loudly despite her protests. He looked back at Tyler, who seemed remarkably clean considering all they had been through lately. Even his clothes seemed cleaner. “Wait,” Jonathan said, feeling a grin forming. “They didn’t…”

Tyler turned bright red. “Just go, help Zoe, please,” he mumbled. “Personal boundaries mean nothing to them. She needs an ally.”

“Ugh,” Kelviana groaned. “Fine, but she owes me one.” She unfolded her wings and fluttered off with the sylph following close behind, chuckling with glee. They passed Thane as he approached Jonathan and the others, and he did not look pleased.

“It seems we will be camping here tonight after all, young cousins,” he said with a scowl. “Dalir, help the men secure the perimeter then grab some food. You have first watch along with Hamaan.”

Dalir bowed at the waist, tapping his closed fist against his bare chest. “Yes, Captain,” he said, then turned to look back at Jonathan. “It has been an honor carrying you, young cousin. I’m afraid it’s time to get off, though.”

“Oh, right,” said Jonathan. He had been so caught up in everything that he had almost forgotten he was still sitting on the centaur’s back. He swung his leg over and slid off, landing a bit awkwardly on the ground. His legs and rump were a lot more sore than he had realized.

“Why are we doing what those dryads say, anyway?” asked Tyler. “Aren’t you in command here?”

Thane looked down on the two of them. “Listen to the wisdom of one who has been married for a hundred years and alive for half as long before. As men, you will often find yourselves in command. But when there are women about, you will rarely be in charge. Now come along, I will take you to your tent.”

Two centaurs had already pulled a canvas tent from some saddle bags and were nearly finished setting it up on the edge of the small clearing, next to another, much nicer-looking tent. Jonathan and Tyler offered to help but the centaurs wouldn’t hear of it. They were guests, they said, and it would be a dishonor to make a guest work, so they were forced to sit and watch while the warriors set up camp. Centaurs, it turned out, did not sleep in tents; which, once Jonathan thought about it, made perfect sense. Any tent large enough to hold even one centaur would be far too big to pack conveniently. Instead, they used one large tarp and stretched it between some trees, making a single roof that they could all gather under to sleep, which two of them did immediately. These, Thane explained, were the ones who would be taking the last watch, so they needed to get to sleep early or miss out on valuable rest. Each centaur had a single blanket that they wrapped around their upper torso then they settled down side-by-side, leaning against each other’s flanks for support. It was very efficient and a spectacular showcase of teamwork and community support, in Jonathan’s opinion. Tyler just thought it was odd. That reminded Jonathan that he still needed to give Tyler a good punch in the arm for scaring them all – so he did.

The mustang-centaur, who turned out to be Dalir’s watch partner Hamaan, brought them some blankets of their own and some wooden bowls filled with soup, and after Jonathan made certain there were no strange rules about accepting food from centaurs that would get them stuck there for all eternity, they dug into it eagerly. It was vegetarian – and delicious. They both asked for seconds, which they devoured more slowly, but no less completely. Right about the time they were finishing their second helping of soup, the women returned from bathing. The sun had not quite set yet and bits of sunlight were flickering in and out of the branches as they blew in the breeze. Tyler was the first to notice them as they came out of the woods. “Wow,” he said, somewhat breathlessly. The tone of his voice made Jonathan look up and he stopped with his spoon halfway to his mouth, barely noticing the soup as it dripped onto his lap. The dryads looked the same as they had before, and Aella was with them, flittering about their heads and making their hair and dresses blow in their own breeze, but he almost didn’t recognize the other two figures who were standing a pace or two behind them. Kelviana and Zoe were both wearing dresses similar to the dryad’s – light green and made of lightweight material – and their hair was tied up in intricately complex braids with flowers wreathing their heads like crowns. Their faces were flushed red and practically glowing – Kelviana’s very well might have been – and neither wore shoes. Kelviana was walking again and only stood about half as tall as Zoe. Her wings were folded behind her back, but at least now they were pointing upward instead of drooping wearily. Zoe was looking at the ground, clearly uncomfortable, while Kelviana merely looked annoyed. “I’ve never seen Zoe in a dress before,” Tyler said, staring openly, his mouth agape.

“The last time I remember her wearing one was for our eighth birthday party,” Jonathan said, also staring. “Even then it was covered in mud and birthday cake.” He blinked and shook his head, then glared at Tyler. “Hey!” he said, elbowing the other boy. “That’s my sister you’re staring at.”

Tyler elbowed him back. “Yeah, your sister. Not mine.”

“At least try to keep the drooling to a minimum,” Jonathan grumbled.

Aella flew over and Jonathan noticed that even though she was still wearing the same white and fluttery dress as before, her hair was now also braided and tied up making her look slightly less wild than usual. “What do you think?” she asked, patting her hairdo proudly. “Aren’t we pretty?”

“Yeah…” said Tyler, still looking at Zoe.

Kelviana strode over to them and huffed. “Your sister really owes me for this. Those fool dryads refuse to return our clothes now. They say they’re not appropriate. Do you have any idea how inconvenient it is to fly or fight while in a dress?” She pulled irritably at her skirt to demonstrate her point.

“Can’t say that I do,” replied Jonathan, looking her over again now that she was closer. She really was quite pretty, in a cute — almost childish — sort of way. It was sometimes hard to remember that she was a full-grown adult, older than even his grandparents.

“Well, it’s basically impossible,” she grumbled, crossing her arms.

“That sylph doesn’t seem to have any trouble with it,” Tyler pointed out. Kelviana glared at him. “Hey! You look nice, Zoe,” he said, quickly changing the subject as Zoe came up to them, still looking very uncomfortable.

“Never tell anyone about this,” she said, shooting daggers at both of them.

“You’re lucky none of us brought a phone. Mom would kill to get a picture of you right now,” said Jonathan, grinning.

“I hate this place,” she said, pouting. “They took my jersey and won’t give it back.”

“You look very lovely, Princess,” said Thane, approaching them from across the clearing. “And you as well, General. It reminds me of the old times at court.”

Kelviana nodded her acknowledgment. “I assume from the state of the camp that we will not be continuing on tonight?” she asked.

“Indeed, General. The dryads were quite adamant that the Princess needs her rest.” Zoe huffed and crossed her arms at that comment. “Darkness is nearly upon us at this point anyways,” Thane continued, ignoring her. “The dryads have prepared spaces for you and the Princess to use tonight, and they shall attend to you both for the rest of the journey.”

“I can sleep in the tent with Jonathan and Tyler, it's no big deal,” said Zoe.

“Out of the question, young Cousin,” said Thane. “Queen Daphne would have my hide for a throw rug if she learned that I allowed you to sleep in the same tent as men, even if one of them is your brother. Dryads are especially particular about such things.”

“I grew up with attendants,” Kelviana said with a shrug. “You get used to them after a while.”

“So why’d you make such a fuss earlier?” asked Tyler.

“I said I was used to it. I didn’t say I liked it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it!” Zoe snapped. “I don’t want to be a princess, or a dryad, or anything else. I just want to be left alone!” She pushed her way past Jonathan and the others and stormed off to the women’s tent, ignoring the hamadryads who were trying to open the flaps for her.

“I was wondering how long it would take for her to lose it,” said Kelviana with a sigh. She turned to the others. “We should all get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow we can meet the Queen and get this all sorted out. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get lucky and she knows of some way to get you kids home.”

END OF PART SEVEN