Phoenix Gift

Part Two: Chapter Twenty-Four

Ten Summers Later

“Your Highness, I have brought your dinner,” Miette announced.

The chamber door opened as an old woman entered with a covered silver tray. She shivered despite the woolen shawl draped over her shoulders, wondering how it was the castle now seemed so cold and nothing like the home she recalled. The joy that once filled the halls had grown dim and laughter no longer echoed as it once did.

With a frown, she looked toward the figure standing in the light that streamed through the window. Alexis was the vision of her mother. Yet, like the rest of the castle, it was a cold vision. She no longer had the same light in her eyes, nor did her smile brighten the room when she answered. In truth, the old woman couldn’t remember the last time the princess truly smiled.

“Yes, Your Highness,” the white-haired woman said, bowing. “I have your dinner.”

With a sigh, Alexis turned and walked to the hearth where she took her meals. She sat on a chaise as the old woman set the tray on a side table and raised the cover.

The old woman moved slowly and stiffly from age. She had been a cook on Milagros for many years, ever since the Princess’s grandparents ruled. Miette loved no royal so dearly as Alexis’s mother. It pained her that Alexis didn’t seem to have her mother’s gift to comfort and bring peace.

“Your dinner, Your Highness,” Miette said. “Fresh fruit, steamed vegetables, baked potatoes and lightly fried fish.”

“Thank you,” Alexis sighed, but she didn’t sound particularly impressed or enthusiastic. Instead, she stared at the dish with a pensive gaze.

“Shall I make another dish?”

“No, this is fine.”

Miette waited, unsure of what to do next.

“I’m sure I’ll enjoy it,” Alexis said, giving her a tight smile that did not reach her eyes.

Miette gave her a stiff nod, before departing, disappointed. Alexis sat until the older lady had left, then stood and dragged herself back to the window. Her stomach felt pinched, but she didn’t have an appetite. Cadmus hopped onto the table and tore into the food she disregarded as Alexis stepped onto the balcony.

It was midday. The suns shined in the sky. Dimly, she recalled a time when the celestial orbs lifted her spirits, but now she felt nothing. She was bored. Her father was away, meeting with other royals. It wasn’t fair that her father traveled beyond Milagrian borders while she was left behind.

Her single journey was when she was five years old. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had wandered away from him too often on that journey or if the world was truly becoming more hazardous, but since then he had refused to take her along when he traveled. Alexis would have given anything for a change of scenery. Cadmus burped as he joined her on the balcony.

“Good Tor’s day to you too,” Alexis scoffed.

The little dragon hopped onto the balcony rail and cleaned himself as thoroughly as a cat. Alexis rolled her eyes. Of all the creatures and people on Milagros, Cadmus was the only one who never left her side. The dragon was an entertaining highlight in an otherwise dull existence.

“Well, what do you think we should do?” Alexis asked the dragon.

Cadmus paused in his grooming and chirped. Jumping from the rail, the dragon disappeared into her chambers. He returned, dragging a cloak. The dragon set it at her feet, barked and wagged his tail.

“You want to go for a walk?” Alexis sighed. “You always want to go for a walk. What is it with you, Tor’s day and walking?”

Cadmus looked at her, inclining his head to one side.

“Oh, all right. I’ll go for a walk. It is not as if I have anything else to do.”

Alexis adorned herself with a dark green cloak. She followed the dragon out of the castle and into the meadow beyond. The unicorn herd shifted, giving her a wide berth as she passed. She paused and held out her hands, but none came to her. Briefly, her brow furrowed in disappointment. When she was younger, they had always come to her, but perhaps that had all been a dream. It was difficult to recall.

A breeze gusted, and she thought she heard a voice humming. Alexis paused, trying to capture the faint melody, but it was beyond her grasp. Cadmus waited in the tall grass and barked for her to follow. Shaking her head, Alexis continued after the dragon.

Cadmus led her to the pond in the glade where the swans glided on the surface of the water. There, the little dragon relaxed in the suns’ light. Alexis sat next to him, wondering why he always led her here on Tor’s day.

Bird songs floated around them. Occasionally, she spotted the rainbow-colored source of the cheery music. She listened as she watched the swans glide across the calm water and felt almost peaceful. A breeze played through the blue-green grass. She thought she heard whispers as she sleepily blinked.

“Why did you come here?” a gruff male voice asked.

Alexis jumped to her feet. She turned to see an ugly little man standing before her. The man was no taller than a dwarf. Blotches covered his face, and a pair of tusks jutted out from under his moustache. His eyes were deep set and the color of sap. He wore ratty, gray clothing and a pointed red hat stained with mud. A knotted branch served as a cane. Standing beside him was a black wolf with yellow eyes. Cadmus jumped to his feet, standing between his mistress and the stranger, growling.

“What are you supposed to be?” Alexis warily asked. Cadmus’s aggressive behavior was strange and made her cautious.

“A troll,” he replied. “What are you doing here?”

“I followed my dragon here,” Alexis answered. Though she had lived her entire life on the island, she had never heard of a troll making it home as well.

The troll shook his head and turned away.

“Where are you going?” Alexis asked. “It’s rude to just leave.”

“I am older than most everyone on this island,” the troll answered, pausing to look back at her. “I don’t stand much for ceremony.”

“Where are you going?”

“Home, Princess. I’m going home,” the troll answered. “If you do not know why you are here, I suggest you do the same.”

“What do you mean by that? Hey, wait.”

The troll walked across the glade to an old willow tree. The tree hung over the bank, dangling its leaves over the water’s surface. Alexis watched him tap the trunk three times with the knotted stick. A door swung open, and a warm light spilled out. The troll and the wolf stepped inside. The door noiselessly swung shut and disappeared.

“Wait!” Alexis hurried forward and searched for the door. Her fingers only brushed gnarled bark. She pounded on the trunk, but the door remained shut. “Come back!”

The troll did not answer.

“I said come back. Tell me what you meant!”

“You certainly will not get in that way,” a male voice said.

“What? Who’s there?” Alexis spun around. Her gaze searched the glade, but she saw no one.

“Trolls do not open their door to just anyone, you know,” the voice informed.

She felt her cheeks warm, “Who are you? Show yourself or I’ll—I’ll…”

“Dear Princess, that is no way to properly motivate someone.”

“I said show yourself!”

The speaker did not answer. Alexis sensed it was gone. Cadmus sniffed the air, softly growling. Yet even his keen nose was not able to locate the unseen speaker. He looked at her, inclining his head to one side.

Alexis hesitated, expecting the presence to return and explain itself, but it didn’t. She couldn’t help but feel frustrated. It seemed no one respected her supposed title, not that she could blame them. Though she was a princess, she dressed more like a commoner.

Milagros didn’t host balls or feasts. Nor did they have visitors. The barrier made such things impossible. So, even though she was a princess, no one treated her like one. This was just another example of others ignoring her.

Alexis shook her head, suddenly whirling around and hurried back down the path that would take her back to the castle. Cadmus followed with a concerned chirp, sensing her fowl mood. Alexis was tired: tired of being treated like a child, tired of being treated like a commoner, tired of the island, tired of everything. Anywhere on Nuwa must be more exciting, but her father never took her anywhere.

Returning to the castle, Alexis ignored those she met and locked herself in her room. Tomorrow was her birthday, and she wondered how she would be able to suffer through tomorrow’s celebration. Cadmus curled up on one of the lounges still watching her. He softly growled when a scent caught his nose, but otherwise remained silent.