Well, not exactly.

Nothing of tremendous note happened after the battle with Dil. Neres housed Chrys and I for my remaining week on the island, feeding us and keeping us in good health. We also helped tend to those harpies who were not quite dead, and sure enough a couple actually survived. None of them remembered anything significant, and Neres told me that we should let them rest up and I agreed so we left them alone after this.

Once I was in good health—or at least, after I had slept and gotten a decent amount of rest—Chrys decided to help train me to fight. It was grueling, more so due to the pain in my arms and legs that just wouldn’t go away.

“I can’t help you utilize Vastmire,” he said, “as that is something that is typically natural for people who have it. You’ll come into it as you fight more. Instead, I’ll teach you what I know of fighting. Your skill is good, but still very sloppy.”

We focused primarily on dodging and movement. He really wanted me to focus hard on throwing punches that were more concise, as my moves were very wild and wasted too much energy.

“If there’s a war you have to fight, you can’t go collapsing for a full day after the first hour of fighting,” he’d say, relentlessly drilling it into my head. Though his methods were strict, I could tell right away that he cared immensely about making sure I was better, and by the end of the week I felt like I had gotten even more out of his training than I had from Sage.

To be fair, though, as I look back on this now, I realize it was Sage who had sent me to the island in the first place, with the purpose of me learning being the primary goal. To say that he played no role would be a disservice to him and all that he did accomplish with me. He planted the seeds, but Chrys was the one who watered them.

At the end of the week, I was taken down to the south facing beach I came in on, flown there by Neres and one other harpy who carefully dropped Chyrs down with me. When we landed, I was surprised to see that Neres was looking teary-eyed.

“I’ll return tomorrow to be sure you were picked up,” he said, voice wavering only a little but enough to make me feel sad in a way I was unprepared for.

“Don’t worry about us, Neres,” I tried keeping my composure, but as a kid when people cried I tended to mimic them. Seeing him do so brought me to tears before I could even attempt to hide it.

“I’ll do as I please.” He squeezed my shoulder and I gave him a big hug. “I’ll see you again some day, Mint.”

“Yes you will,” I said, squeezing tighter.

After more long goodbyes and tittering over niceties, the two harpies turned their backs on us and flew back to their home. Once they were gone, I wiped my eyes and Chrys sat down next to me in the sand, the wind hitting us with cool and the sun hitting us with warm, a pleasant concoction. I sat down and pulled my knees against my chest, resting my chin on them. “Strange how fast one can bond with another,” I sniffed.

“Yes.”

“I feel like I really got to know Neres.”

“You did.”

I blinked. “You think so? I wonder.”

“Wonder what? If you can truly bond in such a short time?”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “It doesn’t make sense. That I’m this sad, or that he was.”

“Well, it’s not supposed to make sense.” Chrys yawned and folded his paws into a pillow. “Wake me when our ride is here.”

And I sat there, alone with the wind and my thoughts, and the loud snoring of Chrys. Soon enough, the sun was high and I was getting impatient. Getting up as quietly as I could, I started a game that I had begun playing to pass the time at the castle.

…Okay, maybe it was actually a training exercise that I had been grinding under Chrys’s supervision. It was also fun enough to be a game.

Basically, it was playing catch with myself. What I did was I’d toss Sage’s knife straight up and before it would start descending I would attempt to leap into the air and catch it. At first this was supremely difficult, damn near impossible really. But the more I did it the easier it became.

I passed the time with this solo game of catch for quite some time, only stopping when my hands gave out and I couldn’t catch the dagger. It was extremely stupid to play like that, and I was very lucky to not injure myself further.

My hands had been hurting on and off ever since the fight with Dil and the harpies, and they’d periodically cramp up into a knot so bad I couldn’t move them. I wasn’t sure if I had hurt them in the fight, as at the time I couldn’t remember punching anyone during it, but the pain was agonizing all the same. I sat in the sand, nursing my hands as best I could without being able to massage them properly, all while staring at Sage’s dagger and feeling a sense of pride. The task of keeping it safe was done. Sure, there weren’t many moments where I felt I’d lose it, but there were certainly some close calls and some stupid moments. Once I had time to think and evaluate what I had done during my fighting, I realized it was pretty stupid of me to use the dagger to cut through the Wisp cloak like that without knowing if it was strong enough to withstand things like that. It only worked, from what I could figure, because Vastmire was being used by me. The knife itself didn’t do the cutting, it was only through enhancement that it was able to work as well as it had.

During my battles with harpies, though, Vastmire wasn’t something in use. The fact that the dagger was able to cut through harpy beaks and talons so smoothly was incredible. When my hands felt somewhat better, I held the dagger in my hands and turned it over, looking for any sort of knick or ding in the metal that could be bad, any crack I had overlooked or something of that nature. The blade itself was almost as pristine as it had been when I first set eyes on it, but the handle looked a bit worse for wear. It could use some polishing and a good wash, but that was all otherwise.

My face broke into a goofy grin and I put the dagger back in my belt, a hand resting idly on it as I’d grown used to over that month.

Just as I was getting weary of waiting, and was about to go off in search of mischief, a loud noise carried across the sea to my ears that was familiar and eerie so far away. Even as far away as they were, though, I could clearly see Hammy and Sage barreling toward the island from the horizon.

Feeling giddy, I ran toward the edge of the beach and jumped up and down, waving my hands around like a fool. “Hey! Sa-a-a-a-ge!” I called as loudly as I could.

Chrys shook himself awake, his mane sounding more like foliage due to the wind.

“Oh sorry,” I said sheepishly. “Our ride to Mango is just about here, though.”

“Is that right?” Chrys yawned, stretching out his body like a house cat. “You’re positive this will be okay?”

He’d been asking that ever since I said it would be a good idea for him to travel with me. He never said what was bothering him, but I’m sure the fact that he was a sentient lionesque creature with a mane of flowers like a bouquet for some reason wasn’t helping him not feel as though he would be a little out of place.

“Don’t worry about it, Sage has been around. I’m sure he’ll be okay with you helping us out.”

Chrys nodded, but looked down toward his paws nervously, unsure of himself and the situation he was about to be in. It made me smile; the idea that a big beast like him should feel something of bashfulness or nerves was funny, yet reassuring. Even Chrys had a comfort zone, and he was about to be ripped out of it and tossed from the window down into discomfort yard.

Sage approached soon enough, Hammy getting dangerously close to being beached and Sage wasting no time in leaping from her head onto the sand. He was unkempt, to say the least; the last time I saw him he was covered in stubble and his hair was a little wild but otherwise alright, now his beard was nearly full despite it only being a month, and his hair had grown more wild, unbrushed and obviously filled with knots. His eyes were a mix of green and red from being bloodshot, and beneath his eyes were deepset, dark rings that reached far down to his cheek bones. New wrinkles had formed in his forehead, or rather became more prominent.

All of that hit me at once, but the thing that beat out the surprise of his wellbeing was the simple fact that he was there, and I leapt up and hugged him tightly.

“Well, that’s new,” he muttered, returning the hug with one arm and ruffling my hair with the other. “You seem to be doing fine, boy. Am I right to say so?”

I nodded, grinning. “I kept your dagger safe,” I said, pulling it out from my clothes and handing it to him. “See?”

Sage turned it over, glancing at its condition while he instead studied Chrys, who kept his head low and his eyes locked to Sage’s.

“Who’s this?” he eventually asked.

“Oh, sorry. This is Chrys, a friend I met here. He helped keep me safe while I was here, even started training me. I learned a lot from him!” Sage’s face remained stoic as ever.

“That right?” he asked, and when I was about to answer he placed a firm hand on my shoulder.

Chrys nodded. “If it’s no trouble for you,” Chrys began in as polite a tone as I’d heard from him, “I would like to accompany you into battle.”

Sage blinked. “An odd request. What have you to gain? This war is between Avocado and Cashew’s coalition, not something a vagrant beast would have any stake in.”

“You’re right, in that I have my own reasons. But I owe your son a great deal after what he has done for us here, and it would be a great honor for myself to help him on his journey.”

Shaking his head, Sage muttered, “He’s not my…” then he sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. Begrudgingly, he asked, “So you swear fealty to the country of Avocado then? You will protect those who fight for us and slay those who wish to do us harm?”

Nodding, Chrys said, “Aye. I’ll guard Mint with my life.”

Sage was more frustrated then but he took a deep breath. “Well, it would do us some good to have a guard for the prince. Fine, you can join us. But I’ll be keeping a close watch on you.”

“Don’t worry, Sage. Chrys is a good beastie,” I said, petting Chrys unconsciously.

“For now, I’ll take your word,” Sage said. Then he handed his dagger back to me and knelt down to get to eye level with me. We stared at each other for a few seconds, my eyes darting to the dagger in my hands momentarily. He squeezed my arms and said, “Flex.” I did, and he smirked. “You’ve done a lot here, I can tell Mint. This was good for you.”

“Really?” I asked, dumbfounded. “I honestly thought I was wasting my time here.”

“Well, you’re wrong. It’s obvious you’ve gotten stronger.” He trailed his hands down, stopping at mine. A frown appeared on his face then. “Did you use the Vastmire again?”

I nodded. “I think so, yeah. I couldn’t get it to stop once it started, and I think I hurt myself.”

“You did,” he agreed. “You most certainly did. I believe I told you already that you aren’t supposed to actually make contact with things when using it, haven’t I?” I nodded, not making eye contact. His voice was getting more stern. “I thought so. Come now, Mint. You must be more careful. If you use your body this way, it will be broken before you become a man. I’m surprised you can even hold that dagger.”

“I shouldn’t be holding it anyway, it’s yours.”

He shook his head. “I’ve many weapons. You need to have one, and you passed your test in keeping it safe. When we get back, I’ll get you a proper holster for it. But don’t change the subject, boy. Here, put the dagger down for right now and hold out your hands.” I complied, and he ripped a cloth off his shirt, revealing his stomach. Wrapping my hands up so the fingers were all touching as if they were in mittens, he asked, “Is that too tight? Wiggle your fingers for me.” I did so, and when he was satisfied he got up and took the dagger back. “I’ll hold onto it for right now since you haven’t anywhere to put it and it’ll be harder with your hands like that. Now come on you two, we have to get on Hammy and get back to the island. You can both jump from here, I’m assuming? Or do you need my help?”

I didn’t even bother thinking about it. “I still can’t use the Vastmire at will, so I’ll need help.”

Chrys growled as he often did when he was unsure, a quiet noise that felt unthreatening to me. Sage was unprepared for it though and I saw his body go rigid, his hand tightly gripping the dagger and staying there for a moment while we watched Chrys walk backwards so he could get a running start. Hammy was probably two hundred steps away, and if she were a building her head would be the second floor at least. Chrys burst into a full sprint and right before the water from the sea touched his paws, he leapt into the air and flew across the water at a speed I hadn’t seen from him. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought he was a harpy.

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It wasn’t meant to be, though. Just before he got within maybe twenty steps of Hammy, he began descending rapidly, eventually slapping into the sea with an unremarkable splash. Sage frowned, and I got worried fast.

“I don’t think he can swim,” I said, feeling antsy.

Sage nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll get him out of there in a moment. Here, hold onto me.”

I did, and we flew across the water onto Hammy’s head. My eyes stayed staring at the spot Chrys dropped, ripples still widening and dispersing from where he fell, when Sage whistled loudly and got my attention as well as Hammy’s. “Hammy, down,” he commanded, pointing a finger at where Chrys fell. She immediately dropped down, making a much bigger splash than Chrys had. “Stay here a moment,” Sage said, removing the remainder of his top, leaving nothing but his pants. Before I could say anything, he dove down under the water and pulled him out, placing him as carefully as he could on Hammy’s head despite him being double Sage’s size.

They were both sopping wet, and Chrys was coughing up water, but otherwise they were fine. Chrys shook the water free of his fur and flowers and growled out his thanks to Sage. He nodded, “Don’t worry about it. Did you do that jump using Vastmire?”

Chrys shook his head. “I can’t use that,” he said. “I can only use the sinew of my flesh.”

I made a quizzical noise, and Sage said, “He means he did that using only his body, nothing more. If that’s the truth, then you truly will be an asset.”

“See, I told you,” I smirked, breathing a sigh of relief that Sage accepted him and kept him safe.

Sage smiled, then in the midst of a coughing fit pat Hammy’s head and we were off, back to Mango island. I took one last look back, wondering fleetingly whether or not Neres and his group would be okay alone like that. It would be difficult for them, that much I knew. It was despairing to know I couldn’t go back to aid them as I would have liked, to help them acclimate to society, perhaps even be an ally to our country and live harmoniously with us. Instead, they would be left alone to their own devices. Maybe, I thought, that would be for the best.

While we sped across the sea, I asked Sage how everything was going back in the archipelago. He grimaced at me and said with eyes squinted by the wind, “We’re as prepared as we possibly can be, but I fear it’s not enough. From what we can surmise, Cashew and their coalition are big enough to dwarf our army by perhaps three times.”

“How long do we have until they arrive?”

Sage shrugged and smiled, grabbing my shoulder. “I haven’t a clue. They could already be there, they could attack us next month, or maybe never see us as a threat and never do so. Our information isn’t as concrete as I’d like it to be. The things Basil learned were good, but not good enough.”

Glaring at him, I said, “He tried though. That’s all we can ask of anyone.”

Nodding, Sage said, “You’re right. But that’s not all that we need.

“In any case, when we return we’ll have to get you to the new haven we’ve made. The citizens all pulled together and created a great underground shelter for the fighting, it will be the safest place for all the women and children, yourself included. You’ll have your own quarters and—”

“I’ll be fighting too,” I declared. In my mind, it wasn’t up for negotiation.

Grunting, Sage shook his head endlessly. “No, no, no. We can’t do that. Even if you were ready to fight, you’re their target. It’s obvious they just want you. So—”

“So why don’t you give me up? Wouldn’t that be an easier course of action?”

“Easier doesn’t mean right.”

“Exactly, so let me fight. I’ve already proved I can do so on more than one occasion now, so it shouldn’t be an issue for anyone if I do it.”

“And both times you’ve hurt yourself! You can’t you even hold this dagger.”

My blood was boiling at this point and I blew up at him. “Look, I know that we aren’t back home, and I know you lived in some empty castle ruling over insects for the past decade or two, but I’m still the prince of Avocado and you will allow me to fight for my country! If they’re after me, then it’s only right that I bring the fight to them, not cower in some underground shelter like a wriggling worm!”

Sage, with all the grace of a hound, grabbed me by the collar and slapped me across the face with enough strength to remove teeth.

What he didn’t account for was that my clothes had been through hell at this point. The cloth of my shirt tore free, and Sage was left befuddled, holding half my shirt while I tumbled down into the sea in my broken rags. Before I could even realize what was happening, I felt a mound of fur slam into me, then I was swung around and thrown back upward in a vomit inducing few seconds of speed that would make me nauseous for the remainder of our trip across the sea.

Sage looked from me down to the splash of water below us, back to me, then back to the water before letting the shirt he still held fly in the wind and with a groan of genuine annoyance, threw himself back down into the water to retrieve Chrys.

When he was back, he dropped Chrys down and shook his head in disappointment, aggravation, a whole spectrum of unhappy emotions. “It would seem I spoke too soon of your friend here,” he said before sitting back down on Hammy’s head.

“I liked you better when you weren’t so uptight,” I muttered.

“What?”

“I didn’t say anything,” I smirked, turning away.

“Don’t speak to me like that yo—”

“Let him fight,” Chrys interrupted, shaking his fur and splashing water all over us.

“Be quiet, you speak of things you know nothing about.”

“I won’t claim to understand what exactly your war is about, since you neglect to inform Mint of its true purposes.” Sage visibly twitched, hurt. “And I won’t claim to understand your relationship, as that seems to be an entirely separate problem of which you both are guilty in being pompous, idiotic shitholes.”

“Hey! I’m not that pompous,” I laughed, winking at Chrys.

“Be quiet, boy,” they both said.

Growling in frustration, Chrys continued, “But I will say I’ve seen your boy fight on more than one occasion. He’s not perfect, and he has more than a lot to learn about self control, even more to learn about self preservation, not to mention—”

“We get it, geeze, get on with it. I thought you were defending me?”

“He’s a good fighter. Let him fight.”

Sage sighed, still not convinced. “I hear what you’re saying, and I’m sure you aren’t lying. It’s obvious, as I pointed out earlier, boy, that you are much stronger than you were when you left. You’re better than you were when I met you by a long shot. If anyone told me that the little scholar with a sickly complexion and a history of rude comments would become a respectable fighter, I’d have thought you were lying. But you’ve improved, and will continue to improve as you get older.

“The issue here is that the stakes are much higher than you think. I can’t… I shouldn’t tell you why this war is happening. It’s too dangerous for you to know.”

“Dangerous for me to know?” I repeated, my voice raising again. I bit back, snorted air out like a bull. “In what way? Do they have thought soldiers? Mind readers from countries away? What danger is there in my knowing?”

“If you know, you might not take it well. That’s all.”

“Might not take it well?”

“I can’t have you getting emotional right now. I’ll tell you after we drive back the army. Then you can have some time to think about it and figure out what it is you want to do.”

Frowning, I remained silent and defiant the remainder of our ride to Mango. Chrys, not being much of a conversationalist, did nothing to amend this and Sage was in no mood to break the silence either. The ride was longer than it should have been; my hands hurt more than they had before.

Once we made it back to Mango, the sun was low and nearly gone, dimming the details I was able to see. Even so, the difference in its appearance was apparent. The entire island had a wall wrapping around its edges, edges which pressed as far into the beach as possible without being structurally poor. The fact such defenses were created in such a short time was absolutely astounding to me, knowing who lived there and what we were working with. The only explanation was that there were more people there than had been before. Either that, or Vastmire granted super speed construction powers that I was not privy to, but even as a young boy I knew that to be a silly notion.

When we landed, Sage turned to Hammy and pat her snout with a tired affection. “Make your rounds and take a rest girl, you earned it,” he murmured, and she cooed as softly as a beast as large as she could, drifting off to circle Mango for a while.

We walked up to the wall, and I realized very quickly there was no door. I opened my mouth but Sage held a finger to me, shushing. He grabbed me and jumped over the wall, dropping me gently to the ground as Chrys landed beside us. The inside of the island was filled with even more walls. It was almost more labyrinthine than it had been when I lived there before. Each wall was as high as the one surrounding the island. I pressed my hand to the wall, pushing as hard as I could, but it wouldn’t budge. It felt moist despite its resiliency, and I asked Sage what it was made from but he kept his back to me and took his time to reply.

“We mixed the remnants of the homes we had and the soil on the island to create a partially earthen structure. It grows stronger in the heat, and the island is still hot despite being close to autumn. It’s not perfect, but it will do for our needs. Now come,” he said, walking to the right, towards a dead end. When we got about four steps away from touching the outer wall, he stopped and knelt down, feeling around on the ground for something. Once found, he yanked on it hard, letting out a groan of hearty exertion. He lifted a door up, leading to an underground stairwell.

Chrys and I walked down warily, unsure of what to expect. Torches lit the ambient hall, and it was extremely cramped as far as vertical space was concerned, with Chrys having to dip his head down slightly to keep from scraping the ceiling, and Sage slouching slightly to accommodate his head.

Sage lead us down the hall for a long while, and I saw no one the whole way until we got to a much larger space. There was a short flight of stairs down, thankfully granting us all more space, and we were now in a large, square dining hall with four long tables of stone, lined with many stones to sit on. Everyone was there it seemed. People who I had never spoken to before lit up upon seeing me, waving and calling out, and I realized with increasing excitement and dread that Rose and her mother might be here, awaiting my return. My face got hot, and Chrys nudged me with concern.

Holding a hand up for silence, Sage walked forward accompanied by nothing but the echo of his footsteps. He passed the four makeshift tables, making his way to the back of the room where awaiting him was a single stone to sit on, resting against the wall and marked by two torches on either side. Presumably a makeshift throne, I thought. Sage took a seat and steepled his hands, crossed his legs, surveying everyone with a discerning, calculating gaze. His eyes flashed a vibrant green momentarily before he spoke.

“Save for those watching our border, it would seem that everyone is accounted for here,” he boomed, his voice vibrating against the walls so loudly I began to feel small. “Good, then I can speak openly of what is to come. These next few days will likely be difficult, as it will be easy for the enemy to surmise our location now that the prince has returned.”

A murmur made its way through the room, silent and loud all at once. Sage held up a hand once more and it stopped.

“Prince Peppermint Avocado, would you please come this way with your ward so everyone may see you?”

Reluctant, I pat Chrys on the head and muttered, “Come,” making our way up to Sage. It was then that everyone really began to stare at Chrys, and the air in the room seemed to grow stale. I stood to Sage’s left, and Chrys sat at my side, tail swishing in mild amusement. I’m sure for him it was strange, to be the center of attention after all his time spent on Clementine. It was equally strange for me; being introduced as a prince only to be the least important person in the eyes of the audience. A blow to my fragile, youthful pride.

“These two are to be not only accepted in our society as guests, but protected. Peppermint will be of the greatest concern for us, as our enemy wants to take him for themselves. If we allow him to be stolen from us, we lose regardless of whether or not they spare us. Is that clear?” he asked, enunciating clearly so everyone understood. The room nodded collectively, a few “Ayes,” rumbling in the crowd. “Good. Now back to the matter at hand.

“In the next week, give or take a few days based on weather and other contingencies, our enemy will be here to storm our small island. They number, as I’ve been informed, an army of forty thousand strong.”

This brought the room into an uproar, myself included. My eyes bulged out of my head and I spun on Sage to be sure he said it correctly. In my ear all I could hear was dissent.

“Forty damn thousand? We’re doomed…”

“That’s over four times what we’ve got here.”

“Don’t try to do the math, you fool! It’s well over that!”

“What are we going to do?”

Sage, once again flexing his power as ruler of the archipelago, hushed the room with a hand. “Cease your musings. I wouldn’t bring the prince back here if I didn’t think we could protect him, now would I? No, I know we can drive them off. Just believe in me, and—”

“King Sage!” barked an impressively sized man in the center of the crowd. “I’m all for keeping the young boy safe, don’t you misunderstand. But… you must see it, yes? That we are heavily outclassed, outarmed, outmanned, and, in a word, doomed. You see that right?”

Smiling, Sage just picked up where he was, “—and allow me to finish.”

The large man gulped audibly and brightened to a pink hue.

“There are a few things that the coalition army will not be prepared for when coming here. Currently, the entire world has no idea that there is a king at all here in the Orange Archipelago, nor does anyone know that the king is me. Every single warrior here has been trained to fight as well as I, and I know you are all just as capable as any coalition general or commander.

“Our larders are also filled with food, whereas the coalition will be running on whatever they have to last them. We don’t necessarily have to beat the incoming army in one or two days. In fact, it would be better for us to conserve our energy and keep them on the beach for as long as possible. Their boats can’t hold much more than thirty days worth of food if they ration it properly. Our battle will not be won with swords, but with hunger.

“I believe in each and every one of you. Get as much rest as you can in these next few days, and enjoy your dinner.”

Sage got up from his seat and motioned for me and Chrys to walk up some steps and down a very narrow hall. By this time, I realized that I had been in the soldier’s dining hall and not with people who would be considered normal citizens of the islands. After walking a while, I said to Sage, “I feel like you did more harm than good back there.”

“Is that so?” he asked, a bite to his voice he couldn’t hide.

“All you really did is give them facts that will eat away at their morale. No one even clapped when you were finished speaking, they were all just more scared than when you walked in. If anything you should have lied to them about how many soldiers were coming so they might maintain a level of heightened morale.”

Frowning, Sage turned to me, his eyes looking more bloodshot than ever. “What would you say if I told you I did lie? That there were more soldiers on their way than a mere forty thousand?”

My body went cold, clammy.

“There’s more?”

He nodded.

“How many?”

Shaking his head, he said, “I’m not sure, but there are more than likely close to double that number.”

“Then why did you—”

“I lied, boy, so that they won’t go splurging their energy on the first day. I have seven days to build their morale back up. They would have noticed the number of enemies right away, so a number as intangible as forty thousand but still in the realm of possibility is much better to tell them so they ask no questions later.” He saw my face, and he ruffled my hair and smiled, looking closer to how he was when I met him in that moment. “Don’t worry, Mint. I know I don’t always seem like it, but I'm a pretty good fighter myself. I know we can win, and I’ll do it with my own hands if I have to.”

“You’ve got a plan then?”

He nodded, turning a corner into another long hall. “Oh yeah.”

“What is it?” I asked, eager.

Sage just chuckled to himself. “The plan is not to die.”