Phoenix Gift

Chapter Four

“Maya?”

Akina slowly opened her eyes. Alexis knelt beside the bed, chin resting on her crossed arms. Cadmus stood beside her, nostrils twitching. Akina pulled herself into a sitting position. Straightening her blankets, she then reached over and lifted Alexis into her lap. Cadmus chirped and leapt onto the bed to join them.

“What do you want to do today, deerling?” Akina asked as she stroked the dragon’s webbed crest.

“Feed the swans. Can we, maya?”

“Well, of course, my deerling. But I must get dressed first.”

“I do not think the swans would mind,” Alexis giggled.

“Perhaps, but they are very particular swans,” Akina laughed, “best not to take any chances.”

Alexis crawled out of her mother’s lap, dragging Cadmus with her. Akina stood as Lady Natalia entered. Natalia bowed, then moved to the bathroom to prepare Akina’s bath. Akina covered herself in a robe as servants carried in pails of steaming water to fill the tub. Once they had finished, Natalia added a few bath salts and oils. Then she left as Akina entered the bathroom. She shed her night shift and stepped into the steaming, circular tub.

Natalia laid out a simple, light blue dress and matching slippers for the day’s attire. Leaving the dress and shoes behind the changing curtain, Natalia moved to the dressing table. Akina stepped out of the bath wrapped in a thin robe, her hair twisted in a soft towel. She walked to where her clothing waited.

Akina emerged from behind the curtain fully clothed and sat down at her dressing table. Her hair was free from the towel but still damp. Natalia brushed her drying hair. Alexis set Cadmus down and walked to the dressing table. She crossed her arms over the smooth top, rested her chin on them and stared at her mother’s reflection.

Akina wrinkled her nose. Alexis giggled and stuck out her tongue. Akina responded by sticking out her own tongue. Natalia softly chuckled, exchanging the brush for a fine-tooth comb and separated her hair. Then she braided Akina’s hair on either side of her head, combining the two braids into one that neatly lay over the hair she left loose. Natalia smoothed the tresses, securing them with a pair of hairpins.

“Now then, Your Highness, should your mother wear jewelry today?” Natalia asked, knowing Akina usually preferred to be unadorned, but Alexis liked to see her mother wearing pretty things.

Alexis leaned forward, fingering the jewelry in the intricately carved boxes. She selected a pair of sapphire earrings, a necklace and three rings. Alexis gave the earrings to her mother and watched Akina put them on. Natalia clasped the necklace around Akina’s neck, carefully freeing the queen’s hair from the gold chain. Akina slid on the rings, letting Alexis choose which finger each went on. After the morning ritual was complete, Alexis stared at her mother’s reflection. Natalia disappeared into the anteroom.

“Now you’re the Queen. But are you still my maya?”

Akina wrinkled her nose.

“Yep, you’re still my maya,” Alexis giggled.

Akina pulled Alexis into her lap, and they sat together in front of the mirror. Their reflections stared back. Akina felt there was something odd in her reflection’s eyes. They were too dark, too sad. Alexis’s eyes seemed even brighter, sparkling with warm energy.

As Akina stared at their reflections, the glass seemed to frost over. From the mist, a two-tone pink unicorn appeared behind them. Its eyes were dark and sad. Beside it, another unicorn appeared, white with a crystalline, red horn. The images stared at her for a long breath, then vanished. Akina blinked, still staring where the unicorns had been. She rocked back and forth, humming the melody of a gypsy sleep song.

“Maya.”

“Yes, my deerling.”

“Can we go feed the swans now?”

“Yes,” Akina laughed and hugged Alexis. “Let’s go feed the swans.”

Alexis slipped out of her mother’s embrace and ran into the sitting room. Natalia stood beside a table with two cloaks draped over one arm and a small bag filled with oats and peas in the other. She set the bag on the marble table and helped Alexis put on her hooded cloak.

Akina stood and walked to the pair. Natalia bowed, presenting her with a cloak as well. It was violet and clasped at her neck by a jeweled unicorn broach. Alexis’s green cloak clasped at the neck with a firebird broach. Natalia bowed again as Akina accepted the bag containing food for the swans.

“Let’s go. Let’s go,” Alexis impatiently chanted.

“Yasir, deerling, kwende. But you best calm down before we reach the glade, or you’ll scare the swans away,” Akina laughed.[1]

“Kwende, Cadmus, we’re going to feed the swans!”

The little dragon chirped, hopped off the bed and hurried after Alexis. Akina smiled and followed. The unicorn images faded to the back of her mind. Alexis hurried down the corridors and staircase to the fountain, Cadmus at her heels. Xavier and M’zuzi emerged from one of the passages with Absalom and Tavel. Tavel’s dragon perched on its master’s shoulder. Likewise, M’zuzi’s owl perched on his shoulder and the cat and wolf followed Absalom. Alexis paused, turned from the fountain and ran to the group.

“Agia oria, abu. Morning M’zuzi, Absalom, Tavel, Aldous, Eja, Maleficent and Crucible,” Alexis said as she danced around them.[2]

The wizards bowed to her, chuckling to themselves. Absalom’s eyes narrowed, tempering his smile. Silently, he wondered how the Princess knew the names of his accompanying familiars. He was quite certain he never introduced them.

“Good morning, little princess. Where are you off to?” Xavier knelt, catching her in a gentle embrace.

“Maya and me and Cadmus are going to feed the swans.”

“You are? I think your mother is still asleep.”

“Na-uh,” Alexis pointed to the stairs as Akina slowly descended, “see. She’s awake.”

Alexis escaped from her father’s arms and ran to her mother. Xavier followed, reaching the staircase in time to take Akina’s hand, guided her down the last steps and into his arms. He kissed her forehead, lingering for a moment to breathe in the perfume of her hair.

“You look ravishing,” he whispered.

“Your appearance is not unbecoming either, dyre,” Akina smiled and touched his cheek. The last tingles of uneasiness slipped away as the unicorn vision faded. [3]

“You’re going out?” Xavier’s embrace tightened.

“Yes, to feed the swans.”

“I do not suppose I can convince you to stay in the castle.”

“Why ever would you wish to?”

“Akina, you were sleepwalking last night,” Xavier whispered.

“I did?” Akina blinked in confusion.

“I found you in the garden. You fainted in my arms. I carried you to bed.”

“In the garden?” Her mind buzzed with dim memories from her dreams, or what she thought had been a dream. Had it all been true?

“You don’t remember?” Xavier searched her eyes.

“I remember a dream, but—”

“Please, Akina,” his embrace tightened. “I want you to stay in the castle.”

“Xavier, I’ll hardly sleepwalk in the middle of the day.”

“Please, stay in the castle today.”

“Abu,” Alexis called their attention. She stood with her hands on her hips, bright eyes narrowed in what seemed to be anger. “It’s Tor’s day. We always feed the swans on Tor’s day.”

“Alexis,” Xavier began, but she interrupted.

“Abu, we promised the swans we would visit every Tor’s day. You always say we must keep our promises.”

Xavier sighed and looked at Akina.

“You are on your own, dyre,” she smiled.

“Akina—”

“If you are concerned, come with us,” Akina touched his cheek.

Xavier grasped her hand and kissed it before answering, “I’m in the middle of a tour and there are Council matters to attend to.”

“You are not a wizard.”

“But I am King.”

“Then ask one of the knights to accompany us. I’m certain the swans will not mind.”

“All right, I’ll send Kendrick with you,” Xavier sighed.

“We’ll wait in the courtyard,” Akina nodded, turning from him and stepped away. It pained her that he would not come himself as the unicorn visions pressed her mind. His presence seemed to keep them at bay. “Kwende, Alexis.”

“Yea! We’re going to feed the swans,” Alexis circled the fountain once more, then followed her mother, Cadmus at her heels.

Alexis danced around while they waited for Kendrick. Cadmus romped in the Princess’s shadow, but Akina didn’t pay attention to his jingling bell as images swarmed in her mind, pressing against it. She wished she had taken Xavier’s advice. The tall knight emerged from the castle wearing a light tunic and trousers, a sword hanging from his belt. He stepped in front of Akina and bowed. She nodded and threaded her arm around his as they set out across the meadow.

Unicorns, alicorns and pegasi grazed in the meadow. The magical creatures parted from them so that their path remained clear and direct. They followed a quiet brook, tracing its source into the forest. The tree canopy filtered the suns’ light on their path. Alexis danced, twirled and hummed as she led the way, Cadmus capering around her feet. Akina hummed to calm the visions in her mind. Alexis stopped to listen.

“Maya, what are you singing?” Alexis inclined her head to one side.

“It is an old gypsy song, deerling.”

“What are the words?”

Akina sang aloud, “Shateque keala dar Travers maro kwende, Dae paki tertia petiri cheng rishona, Odessa tichwanna alvis coman, Neeko miwa tichwanna dar cheng nitara…”[4]

“That’s pretty,” Alexis decided after a moment.

“It is lovely, isn’t it?”

“Will you teach it to me?”

“Of course, deerling, if you wish,” Akina laughed. The visions were slowly subsiding, fading as Alexis giggled around her.

“Yes please!” Alexis circled. “Yes please!”

“Of course, of course,” Akina laughed. “But we mustn’t keep the swans waiting, less they think we have forgotten.”

Further ahead, the trees parted to reveal a small clearing pressed against the canyon wall. The waterfall gently tumbled along the rock and into the pond: the source of the brook they had followed. A stone bridge arched over the pond to a passage carved through the wall: the only path to the beach. Swans glided across the pond’s surface. On the bank of the oblong pond was an old, gnarled willow. Colorful songbirds chorused from the trees and sky.