"So, is that the cure?" Nicholas asks, pointing at the jar of green liquid in my hand.
"No, this will turn me into a mermaid again once I have her... compensation."
"Oh, what did she ask for?" Ione asks, suddenly interested in my quest.
"Well, she was pretty vague. She gave me three riddles and I have to travel the world looking for miscellaneous items that all have one thing in common," I explain with a sigh.
"That's unusual," Ione says.
"What do you mean?" Chase and Nicholas ask at the same time.
"Well, she usually asks for traits, like Adella's voice or someone's smile. She isn't the type to send people on wild goose chases."
"Oh my gosh! Goose!" I exclaim suddenly. Everyone turns to look at me with confusion. "I think that's the answer to one of the riddles. An egg from which nothing will ever hatch."
"Goose eggs hatch," Chase tells me.
"Yes, but golden ones don't." I'm buzzing with excitement now. I've already solved one riddle, though the others do seem harder. Plus, I have to figure out where to find it, then retrieve it.
We swim back to shore. I tell Nicholas, Chase, and Ione the riddles but they don't know any fairytales and they're pretty vague so we don't get far. About a hundred feet from the beach the magic wears off. I jumped into the water first so I'm the first to turn human again. Unfortunately, I don't realize until I breath in and get a nose full of water. Luckily, I'm somehow wearing a bra and panties. By this point the magic isn't protecting me from the cold, I have to come up for air every other stroke, and my adrenaline has worn off so I'm exhausted. The air is warm compared to the water so I use my last bit of energy to dash out of the water to my cloak.
Chase chuckles as he reaches me. "You cold?"
"Y-yes," I say, my teeth chattering. "How are you not?"
He shrugs. "I run hot." Nicholas, who stayed back to thank Ione like the gentleman he is, finally reaches us, his arms crossed to stay warm and his lips blue.
"See, Nicky is cold too. He's normal, like me," I say. Chase laughs and suddenly wraps his arms around me. I freeze, again, my brain too tired to process what's happening.
Chase rests his chin on top of my head and asks, "Is that better?"
"Yeah, you're right. You are warm," I say, allowing myself to close my eyes and enjoy his body heat. When I open them I see Nicholas staring at us. "Join us, Nicky." He hesitates but shuffles towards us and joins our huddle. I'm sandwiched in the middle but I don't mind, heat radiates off of both their bodies and comforts me. We only stay huddled for half a minute, before Chase clears his throat and pulls away. Nicholas does the same. I can't help but roll my eyes. Fairytale boys are the exact same as the ones from my universe. They're so embarrassed to be seen being affectionate with other guys.
I wave goodbye to Ione before putting on the rest of my clothes and trudging up the hill to the castle. I'm so tired I could pass out but when Chase offers to carry me the rest of the way back I decline. I don't want to seem weak and helpless like so many princesses do. No matter how exhausted I am, I can get back to my room on my own.
After making our way back to the castle and through the long hallways I pause at my door. "Listen, I can't ask you guys to come with me to find the objects." Anticipating their reaction, I hold up my hand to stop their protests. "You both have lives and I really appreciate all the help you've already given me but I don't want to keep you from your duties for any longer. I'll give you a day to think about this. If you decide you really do want to help me, I'm happy to have you. If you decide you can't pause your life for me anymore then I'll respect that decision. Don't talk to me about this until the 24 hours are up." With that I walk into my room, shut the door, and immediately pass out on the bed.
The next day I wake up late. Usually I wake up to the sound of birds chirping and sun streaming through my window but today the curtains are drawn and it's so late the birds have better things to do than talk right outside my window. I groggily pull on a dress and brush my teeth.
The hallways are full of servants performing their daily chores. I notice the maid that makes my bed walking past and I stop her to ask, "What time is it?"
"Twelve o'clock ma'am. 'Tis nice to see you're awake."
I chuckle sheepishly. "Do you know where I could get some breakfast?" She shows me to the kitchen where I find leftover pastries. Then I make my way to Miola's garden. When I get there I see Miola kneeling by some flowers and patting the soil. "Hi," I say softly, once I'm behind her.
"Oh, you're up!" she exclaims happily.
"Yeah, I have some news for you. I found a way to get Cinderella's cure."
"That's amazing," Miola says, rising from the ground to give me a hug. "How did you do it?"
"Well, I can't really talk about it. I don't want to hurt anyone by telling you something I shouldn't have," I say.
"That's alright, I understand."
"Thank you. But, I need to ask you a favor." I feel a little guilty for asking so much of her. "I need to go on a quest, to pay for the cure, and I don't want to bring a whole caravan with me like I did on my way here. I may bring Chase and Nicholas but at this point... I don't know who's going or for how long. My plan is to just disappear in the middle of the night. I will send your castle and Nicholas's a letter every week so that everyone knows that we're still alive and safe. Can you tell everyone about this only after I'm gone?"
Miola pauses, thinking it all over. "Okay. Whatever you need. When do you think you'll leave?"
"Less than a week," I say.
"I'm leaving in a month, I won't be able to hear from you after that," Miola says sadly.
"Yeah, but maybe we'll run into each other! Plus, we can spend all our time together once you're back." Miola nods happily. I pull her into another hug. For a moment I imagine a glimpse of the future. Me, Miola, and Cinderella all spending time together. We play charades, tend to our gardens, hang out at balls, gossip. My fantasy ends abruptly as I feel a warm hand on my shoulder. I let go of Miola to see Chase and Nicholas standing behind me.
"Good morning," I say.
"More like noon," Chase jokes.
I roll my eyes. "How did I even sleep in so late? Someone usually wakes me up."
"Oh, that was my fault," Nicholas says. "I asked no one to wake you up. I closed your shades too. I know you didn't get much sleep the past few nights.
"Thank you then, that was very nice. I do feel better today."
"Can we talk to you, in private?" Chase asks. I look at Miola and she nods, letting me know she won't feel abandoned. "We were talking about what you said last night," Chase says once we're out of earshot.
"It hasn't been 24 hours yet."
"We know, we just wanted to ask some questions," Nicholas tells me. We walk over to the willow tree and sit in it's shade. "What is your plan, exactly?"
"Well, I'm going sneak away in the middle of the night and hitchhike around until I find all the items."
"That's your plan?" Chase asks loudly.
I give him an annoyed look. "Yes, I mean I'll pack clothes and money and stuff. I only know the answer to one riddle and I don't know how to get there. I figure as I travel inspiration will hit me. Now be a little more quiet."
"You need more than that," Chase says.
"I hate to say it, but I agree. Vi, that isn't enough. It's a good base but so much could go wrong," Nicholas says, taking on a more gentle demeanor.
"Have I told you about the part where I write letters to your family and Miola every week, letting them know I'm okay? Plus, Miola has already agreed to tell everyone where I went after I disappear."
"So you thought out one aspect. I'm telling you, you can't rely on... what was it you said?"
"Hitchhiking. It's where you wait on the side of the road and someone eventually takes pity on you and drives you where you need to go," I mumble sheepishly.
"That's a ridiculous idea. The only people who drive are overworked delivery men and rich people who don't have the ability to pity anyone. Even if you do get picked up, what if you get assaulted?"
"Uh... I don't know." I take a deep breath and try to figure out what I was thinking before. My whole plan seems very flimsy now. "I guess I assumed you guys would be there. But you're right. What if you can't come with me? What if something happens to you and I'm on my own? I don't want to rely on you guys to save me."
Nicholas sighs and puts his hand on my shoulder. "I know we can't tell you what we're doing yet but can we at least help you brainstorm better plans?"
I nod, thankful I have such good friends. "I love you guys," I say. I wasn't expecting it to be a big deal, I used to say it to my friends all the time, but Chase stops making eye contact with me and Nicholas turns red.
We spend the next few hours under that willow tree and by the end, I have an idea of what I'm going to do. The same feeling I got before going to see the sea witch stirs in me again. This time I can tell that once I have all the items there will be no more twists.