Fearless Fire

Chapter 2 ~ The Cousins

I wake up to my family and friend towering over me. I’m lying in a king sized bed made out of silky bedspreads. Lionare is lounging next to me, giving himself a luxury bath. I look away.

In a flash my royal advisor, Salma, is now up and ready. As soon as she saw my eyes open, she jumped up and off the soft, cushioned chair and began fiddling with my hair, my bed, my sheets, my pillows, anything she could get her hands on. I really hate her. With her long, golden locks, sparkly blue eyes and girly, pink robes, she looks like the perfect princess. And, even though I owe her more respect, it’s still more fun to change her hair shampoo every so often.

When Salma’s done making my bed perfect princess style, she steps back and my mother comes over. She’s a tall, well-built woman (just like me!) with brown hair and eyes that always have an inquisitive glint in them. Everyone respects this queen and she respects everyone. She’s the most amazing woman on earth.

“Hello, deary,” she says kindly. “You had quite a shock. But, luckily, it saved you from a certain death… They told me all about it…” She’s smiling at me in an expectant way. Salma is doing the same. I realize that they’re waiting for me to ask what had happened. Just like a child after some terrible accident. But I don’t need to. I remember everything. Including my encounter with the two figures…

“Zora and Zoron!” I exclaim suddenly. “They were in the arena with me! They must have…”

“They saved your life, they did!” Salma was looking quite eccentric. “You were going mad from the fumes and they saved you! Ooooo, they’re so kind!”

I shake my head, “no”. They’d knocked me out and pretended to save my life. What a story!

“We’ve made them honorary guests at the palace for a month! Isn’t that wonderful?” Salma is simply jubilant. And for what?

Again I shake my head but it’s no use. Their minds are made up. I might as well go along with their happy little plan and – if worse comes to worse – stop them myself. Isn’t that wonderful?

“We’ve sent a palace maid to fetch them,” my mother continues. “But right now, I have to go. I must speak with Emmer about the battle. Good day!”

Be nice to them, Eva,” Salma reminds me. Of course, that’s the last thing on my mind. “I’ll see you later for horse back riding lessons.”

Once they’re all gone I’m alone with Lionare. He’s still taking a bath.

“Aren’t you glad I’m alive?” I ask hopefully. “I could have been dead by now!”

“I suppose so,” he sighs. “I just don’t trust Zora and Zoron to be quiet and kind.”

“Me neither.” I sigh too.

Just then, the door opens and a maid steps in. She’s followed by the two figures, Zora and Zoron, my “evil” cousins. Zora flounces into the room, her skinny, bony arms waving behind her. Her white her is piled on her head in a lopsided heap. She’s prancing around like a maniac, a crazy glint in her eye. Her brother, Zoron, comes flopping behind. He’s round and stupid and just follows everything that Zora says without a single thought.

“Hey cousin, baby!” Zora screeches at me. She has just knocked over another antique vase and I cringe every time another falls. “And we meet again, do we not? You looked simply terrible yesterday and now you look all cutie and small like a baybeee!” She sticks out her bottom lip and starts making pouty faces at me. Zoron laughs stupidly and punches the wall. I swear it left a dent.

“So is it true we get to stay here for a month? A whole month in the lap of luxury? Do we get to eat exotic fruit and prance around like tiny, little deer? If we do, well, that’s wonderful! But of course, we brought our own plans too…” They exchange a look, then they’re back. They start mock bowing to me at the end of my bed. “All hail, great princess of king-sized luxury!” They laugh crazily and begin to open drawers, knock things over and punch the wall. I sigh.

When they’re just getting on my last nerves, the maid returns. I had barely noticed she’d left but she had and now she’s back, with a little duster and a big voice.

“Miss Zora and Master Zoron! You are requested in the royal throne room to be spoken to by the queen herself,” she bellows. “Please pull yourselves together and make your way down the hall.”

As soon as they hear her speak, Zora and Zoron stop they’re crazy flurry and stand perfectly still. They had probably never been addressed this way before (and probably never will be again) by the way that Zora attempts to flick her white pile and by the way that Zoron tries to straighten his shirt. But, as always, it doesn’t last long for, in a minute they are out of the door and down the hall, running like maniacs.

Once again I’m alone with Lionare who is lying on the bed and taking a bath like nothing ever happened. I sigh and slowly get out of bed. This is going to be a long month.