More Than A Princess

A rift

“Let go of me!” Lyvia flung the prince’s hand away. How annoying. “I can walk on my own without you dragging me along,” she said.

Prince Henry glanced at Jinna and looked at her, then he shrugged. “Fine by me, I don’t mind me some feisty action in our bridal bed,” he said suggestively. Then he strode on without waiting for them.

Lyvia rolled her eyes. She wondered if she really did want to marry this annoying prince. She couldn’t remember him but she sure as heck was getting annoyed with him now. 

Callan suddenly came running after them.

“What’s going on? Where are you going?” he asked. 

She told him that Henry claimed to have a way to take them home to their world. Callan was sceptical about Henry’s story though. He pulled Lyvia aside while Henry and Jinna walked on, oblivious to the fact that the princess was not following them closely. 

“Trust me on this, it is impossible to jump worlds without magic,” he told her. “I think he is not telling the truth,” 

Lyvia wanted to believe Callan.Yet, she wanted Henry to be right too. She longed to go home and leave this strange magical world, although she was getting used to the magic and modern amenities. 

“But if you think about it, Jinna and I didn’t use any magic to get here, we ended up here accidentally so maybe there was a way back without magic too?” she suggested. 

Callan thought over it. Lyvia could be right. There is no harm following Henry for now and see if he was telling the truth.

“I suppose we have nothing to lose if we followed Henry,” he said finally. 

And so they followed Henry down the road. A strange rag tag group with a handsome strangely dressed man leading the way. After 20 minutes of walking, both Callan and Lyvia are sweating profusely. It was particularly humid this morning. Lyvia noticed Jinna was sweating too. She is certain Henry must be sweating under his royal tunic. 

“Perhaps, we could have taken my car?” Callan suggested as they trudged along. Cars whizzed by alongside them while Henry seemed to jump back each time a car passed by. 

Lyvia agreed with Callan. It was much too hot and humid to walk. The sun is now up above them, blazing down brutally. She could almost feel her skin sizzling under the hot sunlight. The nice cool interior of Callan’s car would be so nice, right now. 

She quickly caught up with Henry. “Is it still far off?” she asked.

He turned to her. His dark curls flopped damply over his forehead. He brushed it aside. “Tis not far, perhaps several more miles, at most 10 more miles,” he said.

“Several. More…TEN MILES?!!” she repeated, aghast. No way are they walking there. Not in this heat. They would all be puddles by the time they reached their world. She turned and walked back to Callan who was trailing far behind. 

“Please, get your car. It is still quite far,” she told him. 

“Finally, someone with some sense,” he muttered under his breath. “Hang on,” he said to her. He muttered a spell under his breath and did a weird motion with his hands. 

His car appeared before them and Lyvia could almost cry in joy and relief. She hurriedly opened its doors and got in. Callan slide into the driver’s seat gratefully. He turned on the air conditioner at full blast. The weather today was unusually hot and humid. Something was definitely amiss but he didn’t want to alarm Lyvia so he didn’t say anything. It could definitely be linked to the c*****e at the restaurant the day before. He knows his time is almost up. The police will be after him very soon.  

But for now, he needs to check out Henry’s claims. If he could truly get Lyvia and Jinna back with him to their world, all the better. It will be less one mess for him to clear up. 

He honked at Jinna and Henry. They turned with a start. Jinna immediately got in next to Lyvia and gestured for Henry to get in. He glared at the vehicle suspiciously before carefully sliding in, sandwiching Jinna between him and Lyvia. 

“You will have to tell me where to go,” Callan said to Henry. 

“It’s where you found us,” it was Jinna who replied, timidly. 

He knew exactly where that is. Near the town square magic fountain. He drove there and soon they were turning in to the square where the fountain was. 

Lyvia recognised the place. This was where they had first arrived and met Callan. Where they saw all those people absorbing magic from the skies. Or the sun. She wasn’t so sure. Once Callan parked his vehicle, they got out and hurried to the spot where she and Jinna had first woken up at.

“Yes, this is where I fell through…it must be here somewhere,” Henry said. He walked all around the area, waving his hands in the air, as if it was something tangible he can touch. Lyvia and Jinna joined him to walk around the spot. She looked at the sky, at the bushes, on the floor but there was nothing there. Nothing unusual. 

Callan stood there and crossed his arms. He had already made a divination and couldn’t find any world portal. He is sure they would not find anything. Either the prince was lying or whatever rift he fell through had closed up. 

After an hour of fruitless searching and once again drenched in sweat. The three of them gave up. Lyvia glared at Henry accusingly. “Were you lying? There was nothing here!” 

“My dear princess! I do not lie. I wanted us to go back just as much as you, after all, we are to wed the moment we get back,” he said. 

Jinna was silent but she looked distraught. 

“Look, it probably closed after he landed here. We will have to stick to our original plan of learning magic and opening the portal ourselves,” Callan said. 

“Magic? My dear sir, you must be delirious from this heat!” Henry laughed. 

Lyvia rolled her eyes at him. Even his laugh was annoying. She definitely will not marry him even if they managed to get back. He grated on her nerves and she only felt a strong desire to stab him. 

Callan sighed. It seemed like he had to explain the whole workings of his world to the prince.  Again. Maybe he will just play him an introduction video, he thought. Lyvia noticed his expression and almost giggled. He looked as annoyed as her. 

“So what now?” she asked him. 

Just then, something in his pocket beeped. It was his cell phone. “Hang on, let me get this,” he told her and turned away. His expression changed as he listened to whoever on the other side talk. Fear flit across his face. 

Lyvia moved closer to him but he noticed her and walked away. He held up a hand and looked at her, as if telling her to stay away. She shrugged. Fine. And moved over to Jinna instead. 

“What is this magic he was talking about? I am sure he must be slightly touched,” Henry was saying to Jinna. He looked at Lyvia. “My dear princess, I don’t know how you can still be so ravishing in these strange clothes,” he said, his eyes resting much too long on her breasts. 

She resisted the urge to slap him upside down on his head. Just then, Callan came over to them.

“We must go. Now,” he said urgently. He hurried to his car without waiting for them. Sensing his urgency, Lyvia ran after him while Jinna and Henry stumbled along. 

Once inside, Callan pealed away and headed down the busy highway. He sped up and Henry, not used to the speed, held on to the door and grabbed on Jinna for dear life. 

“What’s happened Callan?” Lyvia asked. 

“The worse of our fears,” he replied ominously without looking at her.