The (Not So) Perfect Princess

Fäbi gets a little too friendly

We tripped and stumbled through the forest for maybe twenty minutes, all the while Eily rambling on and on about the mysterious Fäbi.

"I mean, come on guys," she whined. "It's like four in the afternoon, and we just had lunch. Do you really want more food?"

Scout nodded eagerly. I swear, that kid could eat nine meals a day and not gain a pound. Eily rolled her eyes.

"What if the food's poisoned or something?" Eily droned on. "What if there's an ambush? What if she's leading us straight to the soldiers, hmm? What if-"

"What if Fäbi is actually a really sweet girl and we're going to get to eat another hot meal?" Q suggested innocently.

Before Eily could say anything else smart-alecky, Nessa squealed, "Horsey!" and I looked up. Fäbi was standing at the entrance to an unusually large clearing, smiling brightly. Inside the clearing was a camp-type set up, with a large fire pit in the center. Lots of different aged people were milling around, all dressed similarly to Fäbi. Young children chased after dogs. Adults talked and laughed with their friends. Like Nessa had announced, about six horses were tied up to a fallen tree. A mouthwatering aroma of baking bread drifted through the air, making my stomach growl. Also, I noticed that a train of caravans lined the outer rim of the clearing, creating a sort of make-shift village.

"Hold up," Eily said, taking the mini-town. "This is where you live?"

"Yes," Fäbi beamed. "Welcome to The Circle. Come with me."

And so we did.

Fäbi led us through the entrance. We maneuvered around many groups of people chattering in a strange language, making our way toward the food, I assumed. I hoped we were going to have some of that bread, wherever it was. Fäbi moved up next to one of the larger caravans. I could see an old woman sitting inside it, stirring a big pot of something that smelled delicious. Around her were strewn many different types of food-some that I could and could not name. Fäbi knocked on the caravan's wooden part and the old woman looked up. When she saw Fäbi, she smiled and asked her something in their language. She and Fäbi had a short conversation, and when it was done, Fäbi turned to face us smiling.

"My Gran says that you all may stay for dinner if you help set it out and clean it up," Fäbi said, sounding thrilled.

"Okay," Q said, giddily smiling. I guess Fäbi's excitement was contagious.

The next hour was crazy. Fäbi told us and about twelve other kids what to grab and where to put it, so there was tons of people rushing around. The fire pit in the center of The Circle had been lit, and lots of large, colorful blankets had been laid around the fire. I assumed that that was what we'd be sitting and eating on, and I was right. Fäbi ordered us to set the trays and pots of food in straight lines down the blanks-making a sort of buffet line. After everything had been brought out, Fäbi and the other kids ran around letting everyone know the food was ready. Within five minutes, everyone was seat around the fire. I estimated about 200 people, all ages.

Q, Scout, Eily, Nessa and I sat together, obviously. Scout reminded me a lot of a happy little puppy. Q seemed about as content as me-I would take all the food I could get. Nessa was almost falling asleep. Eily, on the other hand, looked like she'd just tasted something sour. It didn't seem like anything could please her. I had to admit, it was kind of strange that this girl would invite us back for dinner on the spot. But she seemed nice enough, so nothing would happen. Right?

"We shouldn't be here," Eily muttered. "It's an ambush waiting to happen."

"Oh come on, Eily," I rolled my eyes. "Relax for once. We're getting free food."