The Kingfisher

XVII : Ela

The carriage rocked left and right peacefully as it skimmed over the pebbled road. A sudden bump interrupted the placid journey, jolting Ela awake.

She didn't remember exactly at what point she collapsed. Right after her big stunt, the entire world plunged into darkness. The mere thought of what she did brought an uneasy panic to her heart, but also some kind of twisted pride. I saved them, didn't I? The others must have gone away, she decided and whirled around triumphantly to face the window.

She halted. What kind of prison wagon has windows?

It was the first time she glanced around her. It looked like an ordinary carriage; two windows on the side, two sets of seats facing each other and ornate spirals of silver twirling gracefully around the walls. A guard was dozing off on the opposite seat, his head rested on the window.

Ela considered opening the door and rolling out. A peer out of the window was enough to change her mind. Fields. Green, and some more fields. The sun's rays were peeking over the hills curiously, showering the landscape in a warm shade of orange. She rarely ventured out of the Academy, so even if nobody else was guarding the carriage, she wouldn't know in which direction to run and where that would lead her. Having made her choice, she kicked the shin of the bulky man before her.

He jumped up, looking around frightened. When the girl was all he saw, he slumped back on his seat, staring at the passing grass with an unamused glare.

Ela cleared her throat. "Do you know where we are?"

He bobbed his head in confirmation.

"Will you tell me?"

He didn't move. She got her answer.

Ela sighed and placed her chin on her open palm. She knew she would not go to jail. Why would the captured sister of the prince need to? The Seyali didn't know the whole story, because nobody told them. And they would never tell them that Ela had turned against her nation for a few outlaws. That she had caused major damage in what was now their allied nation. That she would pluck Kage's eyes out if he hadn't stopped her. To the people, it seemed like just a frenzied attempt of a teenage girl to escape the crooked criminals.

The girl thought back to those so-called thugs. Ailyn had been injured, and maybe by now she would have sighed her last breath. When doubts started creeping in her mind, whispering 'what if's and crackling at her possible mistake, she pushed it all out. They might have healed Ailyn if she had returned to Seyal. But she would be rotting in a prison cell. I did the right thing, she assured herself, but deep down it only unsettled her more. 

It may have been the right thing for all the others, but for her it wasn't. She had caged herself in the country now. She had sacrificed the freedom she longed for, and she would never have it back. No guard would leave her out of their sight again.

After countless moments of thick silence, the carriage finally rolled to a stop. The door flew open, revealing a woman in the black and blue guard suit beckoning her outside. Hesitantly, she stepped on the stone road. Her legs wobbled slightly, so numb she had almost forgotten they existed. The guard helped her stand, but Ela shoved her hand away. I will not be treated like an injured sparrow, she promised and straightened her posture.

Before her towered the last gate of the Royal Seyali Academy of the High Arts. She had thought her first stop could be at the palace, but the sight of her school didn't confuse her. They had to act like nothing was wrong, like now that she was back she would eagerly continue with her old life. What did surprise her, however, was the figure of the Princess of Time standing next to the entrance and a few maids holding boxes of clothes and silks next to her. Ela left behind the guard, striding over to where Kasmir Sha was resting. Her amber hair was sticking to her cheek, waving around with a few shoves of the wind. The expression painted on her face was somber, yet somehow still exasperated.