“Fine.I will make this right, as my sister says this is my fault, and we do not want Mother’s attention on this.”
Riven knew not who their mother was, but she was fierce enough to settle two Great Ones into compromise.
“Look,” Brumenhildr said, pointing through the mists.“That is your brother, is it not?”
Riven bobbled his way to the thin veil in the mists to look down.“Yes, that is Luc.”He knew he should be angry at his brother for all the trouble he created, both today and every day of their lives, but Riven was blissfully free of emotion in this form.
“I think you have earned this bit of knowledge: I knew your brother was at fault from the beginning.”
Brumenhildr’s statement had Riven drifting backward in shock.“You knew, and you punished me anyway?”
Now she smiled, but it held a bit taunting in it.“I needed to test your mettle, to see what manner of man you were at your core.I know exactly what a menace your half-brother will be to this village, but I needed to know if you were a man who would accept the mantle of responsibility.I am happy to see how you rose to the challenge.”
Still unmoored, Riven floated back and forth with the knowledge.“Why punish me and not Luc?You made me frantic trying to fix everything.And then you stomped on me!”Devoid of emotion or not, facts were facts, and Riven wanted answers.
“I cannot uncurse you from a changed form.Killing you as a frog was the only way to allow you to return to your human self.And I did not punish you instead of Luc; I merely tested you.My ponds and waters are suffering under your father and half-brother, and these lands need someone who will tend them and not abuse them.When my lands and waters suffer, I grow weak.And I do not like being weak.It makes me angry.”
“I can certainly understand that,” Riven admitted.
A sound of disgust floated from Brumenhildr’s lips.“Your brother isurinatingin my fresh pond!”The enchantress vanished from their gray realm and appeared on the shore beside Luc.With an angry wave, Luc’s body shrunk and flopped on the shore, his body transformed into a fat fish.
Riven watched everyone around the pond gasp at the enchantress’s actions.
“You punish him with no warning?”Tilisandre chastised, appearing beside her sister on the new pond’s shoreline.
“He was warned.Luc looked me straight in the eyes and swore Riven was the cause of the pollution.I warned Luc that the guilty party would pay the price, and he assured me ‘twas Riven at fault.”She looked into the gray realm where Riven still floated and said, “And then he told me where to find the singing prince.”
A young boy of about five raced up to the flopping fish as he eyed the Great Ones, hooked Luc by the gill, and kindly settled the writhing creature into the water.
Now Brumenhildr smiled and waved her hand, sending dozens of similar fish into the fresh water.“There.You may alert your king that his vile son has been turned into a tasty trout.Luc has no legs or arms to create a floating castle, and among his school, he is undistinguishable.Killing the wrong one will end the royal lineage.”
Riven watched as everyone in attendance exchanged shocked looks.Then the Great Ones returned to him in the gray mist, still awaiting his answer.
“Will Luc be given an opportunity to rectify his wrongdoings?”Riven asked.
“I have not decided yet.”
“Is he able to speak?”he pressed.
“I have not decided yet.”
Riven watched as one fish kept popping his head out of the water to watch those on the shore.He wiggled and danced, but no one paid him any attention.
“Someone should tell Luc that sticking his head out of the water is a perfect way to get snatched up by a falcon.”
Brumenhildr almost smiled.“Yes, yes.Someone probably should tell him that.”
“Sister!”Tilisandre chastised.“You know you cannot simply curse someone and walk away from them without setting limits or expectations.Do it now.”
“Fine,” Brumenhildr grumbled.
Riven watched sparkles dance and sway in conjunction with Brumenhildr’s words, though he was unable to discern any of them.When the glittering lights faded, Riven asked, “May I be privileged to know what you decided?”
“Twenty-six years as a fish.”
“Twenty-six!That is his precise age.”
“Exactly.I wager it will take him a lifetime to unlearn his foul behavior.If he learns to respect the pond, and all the creatures in it, he shall emerge just the same as the day he left.”
