The Crown, The Elixir, The Sword (on hiatus)

Learning

The pale green light of the crystal flickered across the girls' faces as they sat against the cave wall. The evening bore on, as the storm raged beyond the cave walls. The horses rested on the ground, their snores echoing through the cave. No one had spoken for the last few hours, they were focused on conserving energy and resting. Who knew what they would encounter down that tunnel. Sasha spoke up, breaking the silence.

"Have any fun facts to help the mood Marcy?"

Sasha knew that talking helped Marcy to stay calm. And the storm being the only thing they could hear isn't helping anyone.

"Well," Marcy started, flicking her eyes across the room. "Considering the density of the forest, this area must be very old. I doubt anyone has travelled through here in decades."

Her eyes lit up slowly, and her hands stopped fidgeting.

"I noticed the path we were travelling was thin. It wavered and turned a lot, meaning it was worn by animals." Marcy turned her gaze to the ceiling.

"I've read about this mountain range, there are legends of strange mythical creatures that roam the land."

Marcy stood up, she gestured toward the ceiling. Strange carvings glinted in the light of the crystal, Sasha couldn't understand what they were images of. She saw a spider-like creature, the carving showed a large round body, with dozens of legs tangling around small figures. It had nearly a hundred eyes, all looking in different directions, they seemed to glow independently of the crystal light. Above the spider were unfamiliar animals, they had long bodies ending in a finned tail. Their heads were round with pointed snouts, they had six feathery horns sprouting from their heads, three on each side. The creatures looked down on the spider, they emanated power. Sasha felt as if she should bow down to them. A feeling of recognition swept over the girls. Marcy stared at the carving for a moment, she didn't seem to understand it either. For a short time, no one spoke, they all knew this carving meant something, but what?

"Well that's ominous," Sasha said, breaking the silence. " Who's hungry?"

Anne helped Sasha to prepare some food. They didn't want to take the risk of starting a fire due to the cave in, so instead, they prepared a small meal of bread, pickled veggies, and jerky. The girls ate in anxious silence, listening to the persistent lighting outside. As the crystal light grew dim, the girls set out their bed rolls and tried to sleep.

Sasha wasn't sure what time it was when she woke, but she had a feeling it was early. beams of light peaked through the spaces in the stone, the golden rays casted shadows across the other girls faces. Sasha gazed at the two, despite how stressful the previous night was, they slept so peacefully. She lifted herself off the ground stretching her legs with a groan. Wind howled against the cave, Sasha knelt down between her companions and stared at them for a moment. First she looked at Marcy.

The two had known each other for their whole lives, Sasha was taken under captain Grime's teachings when she was young, her parents were never around. They owned a trading company, and her parents travelled the world, she never got to see them. So instead, Sasha lived in the castle, she trained alongside the kingdom's best warriors. By the age of twelve she had risen through the ranks and made lieutenant, Marcy was by her side for all of it.

Marcy's father was a scholar and historian in the king's court. When the king fell ill, he moved onto the castle compound with his family. He believed he would be better able to help the king if he was closer. Marcy adored the royal library, she would spend hours running around the maze of bookshelves reading anything she could reach. As she got older, her father allowed her to help in his research. Eventually, Marcy struck out on her own, exploring her own interests. She ran numerous experiments, discovering many things that seemed magical. It wasn't too long ago the queen took notice of her skill and officially made her a royal scholar.

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The two girls met on a warm summer day. Marcy was sitting in the castle garden observing some newts that lived alongside the small pond. She was sketching in her journal when a shout sounded behind her.

"Look out!" A girl shouted.

Marcy looked toward the voice, a blond girl, about her age, was running toward her. She came fairly close before leaping into the air and flying over Marcy. The blond dived into the pond, hugging a round object to her chest. A wave of cool water splashed over Marcy. When the water cleared, Marcy looked down into the pond, the blond girl bobbed on the water. Her hair sat slick against her face, and her blue eyes glistened with rebellion. The two girls stared at each other for a short moment, then Marcy offered her hand.

"Let me help you." She said, the blond grabbed her arms and climbed out of the water.

"Thanks." she said. "I'm Sasha by the way."

"Marcy."

Sasha smiled down at her best friend, the girl was so peaceful, soft breaths escaped her lips. Her stomach fluttered, it wasn't abnormal for her to feel this way around Marcy, but she still felt weird about it. They were best friends, they've known each other forever. Feelings like these could ruin their friendship. Sasha shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

She turned toward Anne, and thought about what had happened the day before. She had held Anne in her arms. Despite the fact that she had grown up on a farm, and seems to have a lot of muscle, the girl was light, and frail. Sasha thought about her, and that moment between them. She could say she didn't feel anything, but that would be a lie. Maybe it would be easier, she barely knew Anne, if things didn't work out, they would go their separate ways. But on the other hand, Anne might be the princess, and if that were the case, it's hopeless. She would have duties, and most likely be married to some prince from a different kingdom.

Sasha shook her head and sighed. She took another look over the two girls, before shaking their shoulders.

"Hey sleepy heads," she said softly. "It's time to get up."