Inkway to Albreton

Chapter Three

It was a day and a half before they caught up to Swift, who was cantering along ahead of them with a blissful bob of his tail, which billowed in the gentle breeze.

"Swift," said Prince Albert out of breath, "Swift there you are, my friend." Hearing its master's voice, the stallion rose on its hind legs to turn and neighed an exuberant greeting. Jasmine, who was holding the prince upright, felt dwarfed staring up at Swift. It had been a long time since she'd seen such a fine stallion and even longer since one reared in front of her. She smiled up at Swift and the stallion kicked the air excitedly before dropping back down to a proper stand. A cloud of dust from Swift's landing tumbled over Jasmine and the prince's boots.

"Hello Swift," Jasmine said, grabbing at the reins, "Your prince could use your back right about now." Prince Albert smiled at his stallion in a manner that suggested he might be asking for a favor. Swift bowed its head, letting Jasmine take his reins, gold rimmed and shining in the patches of sunlight that trickled through the canopy in clusters. It wasn't long before they all were on their way again, heading to Castle Albreton with Prince Albert atop Swift, holding its mane and Jasmine just ahead, leading the horse by its reins down the path. The prince's fedora was askew on his sweaty head, the feather seeming to be the most well-groomed thing about him. Jasmine, on the other hand, was hiking the path happily wondering why she had ever settled for an ordinary life in her ordinary world back home.

She spoke her mind, addressing both the prince and Swift, "Honestly I don't know why I even considered not coming with you; this place is fantastic! The trees smell so fresh and alive and the grass here is so many different colors. I mean back home I never even thought red grass was possible, but here you have blue and bright pink and even purple too. I've always liked purple, one of my favorite colors. And the flowers here I don't even know half the names of and oh, the morning dew smells like it came from Heaven!"

The prince let her ramble on, a smile sneaking onto his face, tired though he was. Swift moved to the side once to catch him when he was about to fall, still dizzy from the wound in his shoulder.

"And this Fragmawhatshisname person seems like a real amazing guy," Jasmine continued, "I mean travelling by ink? Who comes up with something like that? Must be a great wizard to think of something like that; but wait, are all wizards as clever as him or is he smarter than all of them, like a genius or something? I mean, who else could jump from my world to yours so easily?"

Prince Albert took in air to speak but whatever he was going to say was swept away by Jasmine who would not stop talking.

"I never thought this place would feel so wonderful, Prince Albert," She was saying, "I never thought the sun would shine so brightly and the stars would be so vivid. And look there! Mushrooms, aren't they?" Jasmine pointed to a tiny conglomeration of gray and brown and pale yellow beneath a red barked tree on the side of the path.

The prince nodded. They were mushrooms, mushrooms shaped like roses and daffodils. No matter how they looked, though, they were still mushrooms in their mushy texture, and also, Prince Albert informed Jasmine, in their taste.

"You've eaten them?" Jasmine craned her neck to ask.

"Oh yes," the prince informed, "They are a delicacy in the villages surrounding the castle, quite tasty." He found himself incapable of dropping a smile from then on, and he and Jasmine shared stories of foods from both worlds until they reached a fork in the path that abruptly stopped their laughter. One way lead towards what sounded like a waterfall or a river and the other lead somewhere that felt to Jasmine like it must be haunted, a whisper churning the leaves above and chilling the wind from that direction.