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"Fantasy mirrors desire. Imagination reshapes it." - Mason Cooley
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Aura, Carolyn, and Bailey were at a loss for words at what awaited them as they walked through the wall of ivy into camp.
Dozens of the canvas tents were either ripped to shreds or burned to the ground in a pile of ash. The lopsided stands in the center of camp that housed the food supply and rations laid in a crumpled heap, robbed of everything aside from a few stray, mushy vegetables. The large pots that typically held the daily stews laid on their sides, their broth seeping into the dirt.
Residents of the camp were clumped together as they attempted to treat their bloodied neighbors' injuries with the miniscule amount of supplies they had. Mothers kept an ironclad grip on their children's wrists, their gaze as sharp as bear as they surveyed every moving thing.
"What the hell happened?" Carolyn asked, a knot tightening in her chest as she scanned every face she could see. He's not here.
"The Sheriff and his men decided to pay us a little visit," a deep voice replied. The girls looked to see Little John lumbering their way, his towering frame looming over them. "That slimy piece of cac waited for me, Will Scarlett, and a few other men to leave for our usual visit to Nottingham to strike."
"Is everyone alright?" Bailey asked as she rummaged through the small satchel slung over her shoulder, pulling out the few first-aid supplies she had brought from Earth.
Little John graciously accepted them as he led the girls deeper into camp. "For the most part, can't say the same for a lot of the tents, though. I guess he was tryna find ol' Robin, but the bloke hasn't been back since the last time we saw yous." He handed some of Bailey's supplies to a young woman who was hard at work patching up an older fellow with a gash along his arm. "A week ago a friend of yours returned a few horses and gave word that Robin was in her care, but she hasn't been back since."
Carolyn's stomach dropped and could feel stinging bile begin to rise in her throat. Has Althea not returned because Robin died? She felt like she was going to be sick. "How far is Althea's cave from here?"
Bailey tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she thought. "About a week I would say?"
Carolyn placed her cloak's hood onto her head. "Then let's go, I don't want to waste another minute."
Little John nodded and led the girls to the bare grazing patch, where the three mounted two of the camp's remaining horses. They said a quick goodbye, and with a yank of the reigns they sped off through the curtain of ivy and into the late afternoon sun.
They travelled at a steady pace for hours, straying from the main path to lower their chances of an encounter with the Sheriff or his men on the off chance they were still nearby.
Carolyn perked up when the forest around them grew quiet, the birds in the trees seemingly going mute. She studied the ground as the grass became a pale, sickly shade of grey until everything around them was coated in a thin layer of ash. The faint scent of smoke lingered in the air, stinging her nostrils.
"Bailes...?"
"This is the only route I know by heart without my father's map," Bailey replied in a strained, shaky voice, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.
Through a gap in the trees, all the girls could see was a wide clearing where the shadow of a charming village loomed over the land in pockets of ash and blackened wood.
They never left the safety of the trees as they circled around the deserted clearing, but through the thick foliage they could see the blood red flag that still stood tall, mocking them from afar as the setting sun set it aglow.
Bailey wordlessly whipped her horse's reins, sending her flying down the path and away from the scene. Aura and Carolyn followed closely behind, staying silent even when they set up camp for the night, and each night they found themselves unable to fall asleep, resorting to staring up at the stars and the bright, two moons. But even a simple action as that sent Carolyn into a spiral of worry as memories to her flight with him in Neverland sped to the forefront of her mind.
After a few days of extensive travel, Bailey sighed. "We still have a few days left, but we're almost out of supplies. I know it's risky, but we need to find somewhere to restock."
Carolyn let go of her sister's waist and stretched her arms. "Is there anything even close by?"
Bailey urged her horse forward. "There's only one way to find out."
They rode throughout the afternoon, but as the sun began its lazy decline to the horizon a small village came into view.
Only a handful of houses and shops were sprinkled around a central well, the slight breeze blowing the loose dirt of the unpaved roads up into little billows of dust.
A middle-aged woman stopped in her tracks on her way from the well when she saw the three girls, nearly dropping her pail of water. She ran up to their horses, her eyes wide. "Never in my life would I imagine royalty visiting here! Your highnesses, it is an honor." She gave them a curtsey as best she could, placing a hand onto her round stomach lovingly. "What you have done for Fabula by fixing the Stories has done more than you know."
People around them stepped out of their shops or popped their heads out of their windows at the woman's loud outburst.
Aura smiled awkwardly as the woman rose back up. "Thank you. We're running low on supplies and were wondering if you or anyone here might have some food to spare?"
The woman adjusted her bonnet and nodded her head excitedly. "Y-yes! Of course!" She waved her hand. "Follow me. I'm Elena, by the way."
The girls dismounted their horses and guided them through the village sending small nods to the people they passed. Elena led them to the largest building in the town. Its off-white walls were accented with dark timber structural outlines. From its steeply pitched, thatched roof hung an iron sign with "Tavern and Inn" painted onto the rusted metal.
A young girl, no other than thirteen, ran out of the building and grabbed the water pail from the woman.
"Tell your brother to come out here and bring their horses around back," Elena instructed before leading the twins and Bailey into the tavern. She motioned for them to have a seat at one of the handful of tables spread about the main area before heading to the wood-topped bar.
The three girls instinctively went to the back corner, near one of the few windows with its shutters closed.
The woman scurried over to them, with a man around the same age, likely her husband, following close behind, with small plates of food and ceramic drinking mugs filled with spiced cider. "Eat up, your highnesses. We're fillin' up your saddles in the back, but I thought yous could use a good, hot meal before you continued to where you're goin'."
Carolyn smiled at the aroma of roasted chicken and potatoes as a wooden plate was placed in front of her.
The little girl, with a preteen boy at her heels, ran into the common room, their eyes as wide as saucers. "Mummy! They're back..."
The smile on Elena's face vanished, her skin visibly becoming paler. She ran to close the shutters to the rest of the windows before following her husband outside. She leaned back into the inn, pointing to her two children and the three girls. "You lot stay inside."
Aura leaned forward in her seat and squinted through the small slits in the shutters in an attempt to see what was happening. Her stomach dropped when she saw a familiar carriage with a silver wolf crest on its door ride into the town square. "It's the Sheriff..."
"Bloody hell..." Bailey muttered as she looked through another slit.
Outstepped the man in question, adorned in dark purple and a wide-brimmed hat with a feather of the same hue.
Elena's husband tentatively stepped forward; his hands balled into fists. "You just collected our taxes a few weeks ago, Sheriff, why are you here?"
The Sheriff flexed his fingers inside of his leather gloves without glancing at the man. "Well Her Majesty, Queen Onyx, is in need of more funds to build up her army. To protect Crystia, Fabula, and," he looked up from his gloves, squinting as he looked around the town square, "your lovely village. Be grateful you are being looked after."
Elena's husband stood his ground. "You've already basically robbed us this month of all our money. We have nothing for you."
The Sheriff's nostrils flared. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, "have it your way." He whistled and waved to his men. "Men, take what you want. Burn what you don't."
The Sheriff's goons smiled wickedly as they unsheathed their swords as he stormed into his carriage. He left them to follow his order as his stagecoach sped back into the forest.
His men did not hesitant to act, racing to ransack house after house. Two armored soldiers barged into the tavern, despite Elena's screams, and began to flip over tables.
The three girls instinctively reached for their swords but faltered when they realized they were still clipped into their horses' saddles. Nonetheless, they jumped from their seats when one of the soldiers grabbed Elena's daughter by the hair and dragged her away from the tavern's money box.
Carolyn marched up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, she punched him right in the nose.
The guard stumbled back, which gave her the opportunity to snag his sword from his sheath. He gulped when she pointed the tip to his throat. His hand blindly searched the bar behind him before grabbing onto a cast iron candle holder and flinging it at Carolyn.
She jumped back and frantically patted her sleeve before the fire that transferred over from the candle could eat away at the fabric.
The guard grabbed his comrade before running out of the tavern, slamming the door behind them.
Aura's eyes widened as the same two guards stacked crate after crate in front of the door before lighting them and the roof on fire, the flames spreading to the rest of the exterior in a flash.
Bailey tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.
The roof above them let out an agonizing creek as the fire seeped through, raining down and setting the wooden furniture aflame. The tavern's common room was quickly filled with suffocating, black smoke.
Elena's children let out shrieks as the flames ate away at a wooden beam, sending it flying towards them. They prepared for impact, but it never came. When they opened their eyes, the beam was two inches from the top of their heads, incased in swirling purple magic.
Aura and Bailey grunted as if the beam's weight was distributed to their shoulders as their purple-incased hands manipulated where it went. They hesitated when they finally realized the type of spell they unknowingly cast. With a forceful throw of their arms, the beam crashed through one of the tavern's window.
Aura and Carolyn grabbed Elena's children and hurried them outside as Bailey snagged the tavern's money box before diving back out into the sun.
The Sheriff's men had lit three more houses aflame in their wake as they sped through the village, torches in hand. Bailey walked into their path, conjuring two balls of red magic in her hands as she ignored her body's cry of fatigue from her previous spell. If she couldn't save her village, then she would sure as hell save this one.
"Leave this village. Now." Her tone was so sharp, it could cut through their armor.
If the guards had tails, they would have been between their legs as they spun their horses around and took off in the same direction as the Sheriff.
Aura and Carolyn handed Elena and her husband their tavern's money box but couldn't look them in the eye.
"We're so sorry," Carolyn mumbled as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"It's alright, Your Highnesses, it wasn't your fault," Elena replied as she sent her son away. He returned moments later with the girls' horses. "You saved my children, for that I'm ever in your debt. But you three best be going before the Sheriff hears wind of you being here."
The three girls mounted their horses and gave the townsfolk one last smile before racing off in the opposite direction of the Sheriff's men.
The rest of their week went without a hitch, yet that final morning of their journey, Carolyn's stomach churned in anticipation of seeing Robin again as the ground became rockier and they began to travel up an incline. The girls steered their horses through the increasingly hilly terrain until a familiar path came into view. They trotted along the cliffside and eventually reached the landing outside of Althea's cave. The opening was already visible, with the floating candles welcoming them back and beckoning them inside.
Althea met them halfway, draped in a light-yellow stola that was clenched at the waist with her hair styled into box braids. She wrapped them each in a warm, comforting embrace. Carolyn's eyes scoured every inch of the cave, but there was no sign of Robin anywhere.
Oh no...was all Carolyn thought as she saw his bow and arrows leaned against the cave wall, her breathing became shallow. Her mind began to spiral as the image of Althea laying Robin's body to rest haunted her. It couldn't be true, it couldn't. Her throat began to sting as tears began to well in her eyes. It isn't true.
It wasn't until she heard heavy footsteps at the entrance of the cave that Carolyn was snapped out of her daze. She whirled around to see Robin ambling toward them, using a tall walking stick as extra support. He was dressed in a simple pair of slacks and a loose tunic, where a thin layer of bandages around his chest peeked out under the collar.
"Robin!" Carolyn yelled, sprinting towards him. He barely opened his arms wide enough before she wrapped her arms around his torso, nearly knocking him to the ground. "I was so worried about you."
She inspected his remaining bandages, relieved to find his cuts and once broken bones to be fully healed.
Althea led the four deeper into the cave and set out fresh kettle of tea that filled the cavern with a sweet aroma. The girls sipped their tea gratefully from stone cups, their insides warming and tense muscles loosening.
Carolyn and Aura noticed Althea's russet brown eyes never leave them. They could practically see the gears turning in her head.
Aura softly cleared her throat as she placed her cup onto the cedar table.
Althea propped her elbows onto the table, laying her head on the back of her hands. "Pardon my staring, but I couldn't shake this feeling that something was bothering you two."
The twins shot each other a wide-eyed look, which made Althea let out a chuckle. "Like I said during our first meeting, my powers go beyond simple healing."
Carolyn chewed on her lip before saying, "The other day we kept hearing the sound of dripping water, as if we were back in the Crystian dungeons. Since then, if I ever zone out for too long, I start to feel as if I'm actually there. I feel the damp stone, the chains around my wrists..."
Althea's eyebrows furrowed in deep thought before standing up and beckoning the twins to follow her.
She led them even deeper into her cave, ushering them into a section that was blocked off by vibrant red curtains. There was a small table with jars upon jars of colorful oils. Althea directed them to sit on a bench made from the same rock as the cave's walls before dabbing a sweet-smelling oil on their wrists.
"Now," Althea started as she crouched down to eye -level, "I need you two to focus on getting the vision back."
Aura and Carolyn nodded before closing their eyes. They took deep breaths until they could hear the faint dripping of water.
Drip...drip...drip...
A burning, pounding sensation filled their heads Then, like a strobe light, flashes of damp, cracked stone walls flashed across their eyelids, becoming clearer and clearer.
Drip...drip...drip...
A harsh stinging encompassed their noses as a small stream of warm blood slid down their upper lip.
Aura tried to put her visions into words, but she couldn't find the strength to move a single muscle. The flashing visions in front of her eyes began to fade as a dark, dizzying haze clouded her mind. As she started to float out of consciousness, a single vision painted itself in front of her.
A pair of pleading, crystal blue eyes stared at her before Aura's world was filled with black.