I raised an eyebrow.
So she hadn’t told them what we were really doing… It made sense. Our plan was arguably treason. And if any of the guards did let the information trickle back to the King, while I’m sure we would still be punished for our reckless behaviour, if he believed we were only picking mushrooms, it wouldn’t be anything toosevere. Hopefully. As I pondered the dozen different ways we might be executed, I felt Raena reach for my hand, giving it a reassuring tug.
Oh Ancients, I hope we can trust these guards.
The golden-haired guard then sheathed his sword and stepped forward, the dim light of the stables casting shadows across his tanned face. He was young, maybe a few years older than Raena and me, and wearing a simple dark tunic that left his toned forearms exposed.
“We’ve prepared the horses,” he said in a low voice. “I know Lady Raena can ride, but what about you, Your Highness?”
My stomach dropped as Raena chuckled. “Don’t be silly, of course she can ride! What kind of princess doesn’t ride horses?” She glanced at me, the smile slowly slipping from her face when she noticed my expression. “Naria… Tell me youcanride a horse.”
“I – uhh.”
There was really no need for any horses in my village. Even if I’d had enough coin for one, everywhere I needed to go was close enough to walk to, and even the Drothmore markets were only a half-hour stroll away. Still, by the way Raena was gawking at me, anyone would’ve believed I’d just stabbed the King.
I shook my head, embarrassment burning on my cheeks.
“It’s alright,” the other guard, who’d been fastening the buckles on a horse’s saddle, called over to us. He stepped out of the wooden stable stall, and I noticed his short dark hair was thick and curled, just like Raena’s. “We can go slowly, and I can lead your horse. All you have to do is try not to fall off.” He flashed me a playful grin.
“I’m sure you’ll learn quickly,” Raena said quietly, patting my back.
We’d been travelling through the dense forest for what felt like the entire night, but judging by the moon’s position in the murky sky, it must’ve been no more than an hour. The horse beneath me continued trudging along, and with each step it took, I had to tense my thighs and grip the saddle tightly to not fall off. Up ahead, Raena made it look so easy. Her body bobbed along smoothly with the horse’s rhythm. And despite her earlier reluctance, even she didn’t seem too afraid of the endless woods surrounding us. Meanwhile, I tried not to stare for too long into the darkness between the trees, in fear that something blue and gnarled might be staring back.
“Not much further now,” Raena called back to me. She held the parchment in her delicate hands and occasionally shouted out directions to the guards riding beside us. They’d been mostly silent for the journey, speaking only near the beginning to give us their names.
Erik, the golden-haired, tan-skinned guard, rode alongside Raena. A few times she’d tried, pointlessly, to strike up conversation with him, but he would only ever give gruff, one-word answers or remind her that the wolves were always listening. The other guard, with darker hair and warm brown skin, was named Theo. He seemed much more cheerful than Erik as he kept hold of the reins of my horse, leading it to follow his own deep brown mount. Still, he constantly scanned the treeline, watching for wolves or maybe something else. I didn’t want to ask what.
Raena’s horse whinnied and snorted as she brought it to a halt near a huge forest clearing. In the centre, illuminated by the moonlight, was an unnaturally large willow tree. The treetowered over the rest of the forest, and yet its branches hung low, almost touching the ground. Surrounding the willow was a wide halo of tall grass that swayed gently in the nighttime breeze. Had I not known our true reason for being here, the oddly tranquil scene might’ve relaxed me.
“This must be it,” announced Raena as she swung her legs off her horse.
“I don’t see any mushrooms,” Erik grumbled.
“They’re probably hidden in the tall grass.” Raena moved towards my horse and extended a hand to help me down. “Or under that big willow.” She gave me a knowing look.
Ungracefully, I leaned against the horse as I slipped down its side, almost crashing into Raena.
“Want us to help you find them?” Theo offered, trying his best to steady my horse as I dismounted.
I quickly shook my head. “No need. Raena and I will be fine.”
“Will we?” Raena’s voice quivered.
“Just trust me,” I whispered to her, although I wasn’t quite certain that I trusted myself. Turning back to the guards, I instructed with rapidly fading confidence, “Please just wait with the horses. We might be gone a few hours, but we’ll be sure to return long before dawn.”
“A few hours?” Erik said, his lips thinning. “These must be some special mushrooms…”
“Very special,” I lied. “There’s a very specific way we have to locate them, and then to pick them is very—”
“Oh, be quiet,” Raena groaned, dragging me away by my arm. “We’ll return as soon as we can,” she called over her shoulder as Theo waved us off with a confused chuckle.
“What were you thinking?” she hissed at me when we were more than a few metres away. “It’s so obvious you’re lying.”
“You’re the one who brought up mushrooms,” I reminded her. Together, we began wading through the long grass, headingtowards the grand willow.
“What else should I have said? I couldn’t exactly wander up to the King’s guards and ask them to join us on our jaunt to the faery kingdom. If they didn’t just assume I was mad, they’d go straight to the King, and then we’d both end up in shackles.”
“I thought you trusted them?”
