Chapter Twelve: Always Together Means Forever
I cling to the mulberry tree’s trunk, both feet braced on a branch, so I’m not blown away by a gale so strong that it’s bending nearby trees in half. Leaves rattle around me as acorns and mulberries are violently snatched by the wind. Like migratory birds flying in formation or debris in a flowing river, the nuts form clusters as they’re sucked in the dragon’s direction.
I did it! I cast a spell just like my lord husband!
The flashes of color near my lord husband and the dragon have vanished. The impenetrable black of the forest’s shadow once more juts into a sky studded with stars as numerous as grains of sand.
When I was the Monster King, I used to watch the village below, which was probably where I currently stand. I don’t think mulberry or acorn trees existed back then. It feels strange to be where the small human who gave me potatoes used to live, to gaze up at where the Monster King called home.
The human who gave the Monster King potatoes visited the forest less often as he aged, but he never stopped coming, even when he grew small again and wrinkly. Then his child took his place, then that child’s child. It all happened so quickly.
Humans don’t live for very long.
I know that the dragon is no longer angry. It was probably surprised by all the falling acorns. That’s fine. The fourth prince is with me, and a thousand humans will probably come to protect him.
“My lady! My lady! Are you all right?! Aahhh! Please don’t move! My lady!”
I glance down to see Tabitha screaming. She still clutches the trunk, her face pale and white. Perhaps she can’t climb trees.
“Tabitha, grab that branch next to your right hand. You’ll be able to climb up that way.”
The fourth prince turns away, shoulders trembling, while the guards’ eyes rove around, looking everywhere but me.
“No! Come! Please get down! No! Wait! S-Stay there!”
Should I climb down or stay…? How confusing. The last time I used magic, I extinguished a huge bonfire in Drewett and got a really bad nosebleed afterward. But I’m no longer weak. I even did the incantation, just as my lord husband taught me. My knees do feel a little shaky though, so maybe I can’t jump down safely…
The back of my mind floats, then my feet are in empty space.
“Ahhhhhhhh!”
“Huh?”
“My lady! My lady! Are you all right?!” Tabitha is touching me, patting me as I open my eyes to the sky. The guards are grouped around me too, looking down at me and murmuring to themselves. I feel a bunch of arms and hands supporting my back, so I know they must have caught me as I fell. They’re amazing. No wonder they’re castle people.
“I fell! Thank you!”
“Th-Thank goodness…” mutters the fourth prince as he plops down beside me. “I can’t imagine what would have happened if you’d gotten hurt…”
Meanwhile, Tabitha is crying. She asks if I’m in pain. I sit up to check, then start to hurt everywhere. My muscles ache. I don’t have a nosebleed though. I try to stand, but my legs tremble with pain.
I need to see my lord husband. I spot Haggis crouching in front of me. “Haggis! Please carry me and run!”
“Huh?! Me?! Please spare me, my lady! The master will kill me! And wait, Haggis?!”
“No, we need to leave now. You, carry Viscountess Noel to her carriage.”
“Forgive me, my lady.” A guard who looks as old as Father-in-Law lifts me in his arms. The man’s been serving the Drewetts since my lord husband was a child, and used to give him candy, my lord husband told me. I don’t mind being carried, but why are we going to the carriage? Tabitha jogs alongside the guard, gently holding my hand.
I give hers a squeeze. “Tabitha? Tabitha, I want to see my lord husband.”
“Master will catch up to us very soon, my lady… Let’s wait for him together.”
“I’m sure Viscount Noel has a plan, but we still need to play it safe and assume there’s a stampede coming. He would want that, which is why he left you in my charge, my lady.”
“Stampede…? Oh, right!”
“Huh?! What’s with that response?! Have you forgotten what’s happening?!”
That’s right. My lord husband didn’t tell the fourth prince about the dragon, warning him of a stampede instead. That means I shouldn’t mention the dragon, I think. Even though it’s no longer angry.
“Tabitha?” If only the fourth prince weren’t there, then I could tell her. I’m certain I would be allowed to see my lord husband then.
She just squeezes my hand in return.
“Tabitha, Tabitha, why does my chest feel so uneasy?”
“Oh! You must have bumped it against something?! Wait! Don’t move around too much! Lie down!”
“Y-Yes!”
But I haven’t bumped against anything. She’s mistaken. My muscles ache, yes, but I have been feeling uneasy for a while. I wonder what that means. Tabitha urges the guard to ferry me quickly and quietly to the carriage.
I grab hold of the carriage door and grip it tight.
“P-Please let go, Viscountess Noel. Please? Wait, why’s she so strong?!” The fourth prince tries to pry my fingers open. My arms throb, and I do my best to hang on. If I can’t go to my lord husband, then I want to stay to welcome him back.
“My lord is already on his way here, so we can’t leave now,” I insist.
“On his way…?”
“My lady?” Tabitha ignores the fourth prince and leans down so my lips are beside her ear. She understood me! I inform her that the dragon is no longer coming! But I’m still uncomfortable. The feeling will go away when my lord husband returns, I’m sure.
She thinks for a beat, then clears her throat before addressing the fourth prince. “Your Highness, our master has accomplished his mission and prevented the stampede.”
“This whole thing is just confusing. How do you know what he’s accomplished when he isn’t even back yet?”
“Master will explain it to you later.”
I know my lord husband is coming. He’s moving much faster than usual, so he must be on horseback. I’ve never ridden a horse before. I pick up the salmon jerky attached to the ribbon at my waist and bite into the end.
“Wait, wait, wait… Does Viscountess Noel possess some awesome Gift? I mean, she did wield wind magic just now.”
“Master will explain it to you later.”
“Viscountess Noel, about what happened, mayb— Huh? Is it snack time now?”
I’m eating my salmon jerky, yet the fourth prince refuses to be quiet. He’s got so much more to learn. I pull a small piece of salmon jerky from my pocket and push it into his mouth.