Cinderella vs. the Fairy Godmother (sequel)

Chapter 33

            Valerie, still a bit sore after her sword lesson, stretched her arms over her head, the tips of her fingers touching the leaves of one of the many trees that surrounded the hollow. The few spots of sunlight that managed to break through the shield of trees felt deliciously warm against her skin, making her grin up at the canopy. The twitter and gentle rustlings of the birds overhead relaxed her.

            The snapping, crashing sound of people coming towards her made her stop and whirl around, her hand dropping to her sword. Isaac, who’d been lying down and idly braiding a grass bracelet, leapt to his feet and came to stand beside her in a protective stance. A moment later, the intruders popped into the hollow, stopping dead to stare at the other two.

            “Valerie!” They screamed, rushing over as a group.

            Having sisters meant she was able to brace herself before impact. All five children threw themselves at her, hugging her and all trying to talk at once. She chuckled, patting heads and nodding at them. Isaac shook his head and leaned against the nearest tree, defensive posture gone.

            “Alright, alright,” she told them after a few minutes. “You’re strangling me and I can’t understand anything you’re saying when you all talk at once. Let’s sit and we can talk.”

            They took two steps back and dropped into a semicircle around her. She shook her head, smiling, as she sat herself into a cross-legged position. The moment she lowered herself, Bayon pointed and said, “Who’s that?”

            She sighed. “That’s Isaac. He’s a very good friend of mine.”

            Isaac stretched himself lazily as he lay out beside her, propping himself up with one elbow, his head resting on that hand. “Calm yourself kid. I’m here as a bodyguard because the palace isn’t as safe as we thought it was.”

            “So you’re safe then?” Nateza asked, dark face scrunched up with worry. “You’re not hurt?”

            Valerie nodded. “I’m fine. I got nothing worse than a bruise. I need to thank you all. I heard you all went looking for help for me. It was the right thing to do and you really save me. Thank you.”

            Bayon blushed and looked away, Cavyle and Nateza grinned, Senera smiled and looked down while Rabar went pink. “We couldn’t leave you to fight those monsters by yourself. If we could fight, we could have stayed to help,” Cavyle said.

            She froze and paled. “Don’t. They were far too strong. You’d have gotten yourselves killed. You’re too young to be fighting anything. I’d much rather you run away and get help.”

            Bayon’s chin came up and het mer gaze with furious eyes. “I am no coward to run and hide!”

            “You’re a child,” she snapped. When his glare became edged with tears, she sighed. “Look, I don’t want to see any of you hurt. Especially not for my sake. Besides, sometimes information is worth more than fighting. Because you were able to tell people what happened, where, and who, they were able to find me faster. If you’re not strong enough to fight the enemy, gathering information and passing it on to those who can isn’t cowardly, it’s smart. What would you rather be, a brave idiot who dies young or someone who’s smart and lives to see their grandchildren.”

            The kids thought about it for a moment, frowns, crinkled brows and tapping fingers sweeping across the lot of them. Finally Nateza wrinkled her nose and said, “I don’t want to be really old. Then I’d be all wrinkly.”

            Isaac laughed as Valerie shook her head. I guess that’s too much for kids their age. Oh well, she thought, a smile slowly spreading across her lips. “Well you don’t know you’ll end up super wrinkly. Now, what should we do today?”

            “A story!” Bayon demanded, sitting up straight.

            Nateza shook her head. “No. We did that last time. Let’s learn a trick.”

            “No a game from Valerie’s home,” Cavyle replied.

            “I want to learn a song,” Senera said, head up.

            Rabar’s voice was quiet when he said, “We should learn how to fight.”

            The other four stopped their budding argument to stare at the Deepharbour boy. “That’s…heroic!” Cayvlye cried. “That way we can help protect Valerie from anything else that comes.”

            Bayon nodded enthusiastically. “My father promised I could learn swordwork next spring but I am certain he will agree that beginning early is a good thing.”

            “It’s a legendary idea,” Nateza whispered, eyes shining.

            Even Senera smiled and said, “Wizardly.”

            Valerie winced. “Look, I just said-”

            Isaac stopped her. “It’s not a bad idea Val.” When she turned to stare at him, he raised one mocking eyebrow. “There are dangers for kids even here in fairy tale land. Learning some self-defence won’t hurt them. It might even save their lives one day. And I can help. It’s not like I’m not already getting paid to teach people. What’s a few more?”

            She frowned for a moment, thinking it over. “Fine. But only self-defence. I don’t want them tempted to fight things too strong for them or to start fights with other children.”

            “We won’t!” Cavyle promised.

            “You must teach us,” Bayon said.

            Valerie sighed. “Alright. Stand up. We might as well get this farce going. But if your parents yell at me, these lessons stop immediately, do you understand?”

            They all nodded frantically and she sighed again. She sometimes forgot how exhausting children could be.