Mint spent the next three days preparing for her trip home. She finished mending a travel pack to carry the clothes she made and a few personal items she'd crafted during her stay and charms given to her by Fauntheia and her sisters. On the day of departure, she stood at the base of Verk's treehouse, gazing longingly at the place that'd been her home for the last few months.
Gathered in the clearing were Fauntheia and the nymph she'd come to know during her stay. The younger sisters offered her rings of flowers for a safe journey.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Mint curtseyed.
"Think nothing of it, little sister," Fauntheia gently patted her head, chanting a prayer in ancient Elven for safe travels. "Do make an effort to visit within a hundred years or so."
Mint technically didn't lie when she promised she would. If ever given the chance, she would love to visit, but she highly doubted such an opportunity would arise in her near or distant future. She wasn't certain what would happen upon returning home, or after. Perhaps she wasn't even going home; her escorts could be bringing her Halifax was promised. Though the fact her arranged fiancé wasn't searching for her was perhaps a glimpse of hope, most likely a fleeting one.
"Ready?" Verk trotted into the clearing atop a massive steed made of vines and roots, an Ent Beast, a common Nymph familiar. One that she wasn't sure he would have given, he was a half-breed. She nodded, and the great six-legged steed of wood laid on its belly, and Verk placed her baggage on its mossy rump. He helped her into the saddle and climbed behind her. "Hang on tight."
She nodded as Verk gave the reins a gentle shake. The massive Ent Beast rose and sprung through the forest with the agility and grace of a deer, though it was as large as a plow horse. Mint couldn't help but shriek as the trees blurred around them.
"Easy, Europa," Verk chided the beast, but if it slowed, she couldn't tell. Mint pressed her back to Verk's chest and gripped the flowery mane of Europa to keep from falling. She felt Verk's arm wrap around her waist, keeping her firmly rooted, and calmed her nerves. "How are you faring?"
"I'm well," Mint replied, careful not to bite her tongue. "A part of me wishes I could have experienced this sooner. It's rather exerting."
"Yes," Verk replied solemnly. "It would have been nice."
The trees thinned, revealing the vast clearing where the highway lay. She wondered how far she'd been in the forest all this time. Europa's frantic gallop made determining the distance difficult, and though not much time passed, they traveled a significate distance.
Mint's musing turned sour upon sighting the charred trees that marred the forest's edge. Why, of all places, have they returned here? Verk called Europa to a halt, ordering the steed to lie down, and began unpacking her luggage. Perhaps ignoring or not knowing her discomfort.
Captain Tallinn… Mint wondered about the ground where her loyal knights made their last stand, guilt plaguing her heart. There were no bodies to be found. Whether they were turned to ash or picked away by scavengers was of little comfort. I'm sorry for being such an unworthy princess.
She wasn't worth someone throwing their life away for, but they had, and now she must bear the burden. That was another reason she must return home, not just for the sake of her mother, but for the ones that allowed her the chance to live.
"They'll be here soon," Verk said from the shadows of the forest.
It was as if they were standing in two different worlds. Perhaps this was how things were. Was their meeting fate or chance?
Fate or chance? The words weighed on her. What were she and Verk? They'd been thrust together by forces outside either of their control and now they were separating by those same forces. Was this truly the end? Would they never see each other again? Her chest ached at the thought.
"Verk," Mint swallowed hard. She'd made so many selfish requests already, all of which had led to one disaster after another. Yet even in the face of that, she spoke, "Would you come with me?"
And be what? They couldn't be together. Her father, the court, no one would allow a princess, even a lowly one such as her, to be attended to by some vagabond half-breed. What were her feeling for Verk, anyway? They'd lived together for a few months. He was the only man she knew so intimately, but they'd never shared a bed in the way lovers do.
Though I wouldn't have minded if we had. She shook the thought away. Did she think that because she truly felt that way or because it would save her from her arranged marriage? She desperately wanted the truth to be the former, but couldn't deny the latter.
Verk didn't immediately reject or accept her offer; instead, he held out his hand and said, "You could stay."
Temptation filled her heart. Mint reached for Verk's hand, her feet moving without thought, before she could accept a voice cut her to the bone.
"Princess!" A joyous cry came, riding full bore down the muddy highway was a man atop a valiant steed ahead of a formation of knights. The man's armor was familiar and heavily scarred; his unarmored face was equally scarred with burns, and a black eyepatch covered the left side of his face, but she knew him.
"Captain Tallinn?" Mint gasped, unable to believe her own eyes. It wasn't only him riding hard to catch up; it was Lofie, one of her female knights, who also bore scars upon her face and a fluttering right sleeve.
"Princess, we're elated to see you safe and well!" Tallinn brought his steed to a hard stop and ran to kneel before her, Lofie quick to join him. "When I heard word from the Sages, I desired to fetch you with all haste, but alas, the weather would not allow it until recently."
Mint's eyes stung with tears as she looked upon the knights. She hesitantly shuffled towards them, touching their faces to make sure they were in fact real and not her imagination. "How? I was certain you had all perished! What of Nevi or Marigold and Falabien? Are they alive as well?"
Regretfully, she didn't know all of her former escorts' names by heart. Another strike against her worthiness as a princess. Captain Tallinn and Lofie's ashen expressions were all she needed to know all was not as hopeful as she wanted to believe.
"Dame Nevi perished in the battle with the Night Yeti, as did almost all the others, but Lady Marigold yet lives, though much has been taken from her." Captain Tallinn bowed his head. "She has been sent ahead to home, but I lack the words to describe her condition."
"I understand," Mint nodded. "How did you two survive?"
"Nevi shielded me from the Yeti's attack," Lofie said, her voice hoarse and raspy. "I fell into a small earthen pit hidden by the snow, with her atop me. Her body crumbled to ash as she used her magic to stave off the flames." She touched the empty sleeve. "Her flame burned so brilliantly until the end. I owe what remains of me to her sacrifice."
Captain Tallinn was equally solemn. "I owe my survival to Lady Falabien and Marigold. They both tried to shield me, hoping I would survive to find you. Falabien used her body to block the flames, as did Marigold. Falabien was reduced to ashes, while Marigold suffered grievous injury at my expense. I wished to fulfill their wishes, but by the time the Yeti left us for dead and the blizzard ceased, surviving was all I could do. By the grace of Elfania, we reached a settlement in the Halifax region. Where we could recover and prepare to mount a rescue."
It could only be divine intervention for their survival; Mint couldn't imagine anything else. "Then are these knights of Halifax?"
"Yes," Captain Tallinn confirmed with a troubled smile. "They have gorgeously offered their aid in bringing you home."
"Home?" Mint asked. "Where is my home?"
"To Bellanyx," Tallinn said. "I'm afraid things have changed since your disappearance."
In short order, her fiancé married someone else during the winter. There was talk of her becoming a second or even third Queen, but Halifax's offer for her hand was greatly reduced to where even her father, crass as he was, deemed it an insult, though not for parental reasons.
"If I accept such a paltry offer for a daughter of mine, it will diminish their value." Was his words. It was another way of saying that even a bargain-bin princess such as her was worth more. Neither was very faltering or heartfelt, but it was nice to know her father saw enough worth in her not to sell her off for nothing. If only for the sake of her half-sisters. That said, she could most likely expect another engagement by the time she got home.
"It's safe to assume some bargain has been made for their aid?" Mint asked, already accepting her role as Princess once more. Halifax no doubt wanted something out of returning her home.
"No, not this time," Captain Tallinn said. "They're escorting us as an apology for the cancellation of the engagement on their part."
So it was a favor to her father for the trouble. No doubt they threw in some gold and other things as an apology as well.
"We'll depart as soon as finish thanking my benefactor," Mint turned to say her last goodbye to Verk, but he was already gone. The only evidence of his presence was his footprints in the snowy grass. "Verk…"
"Was there someone there, princess?" Captain Tallinn asked, following her gaze.
"Yes, the one who took care of me while I was in the forest, and brought me here to you. I wished to express my gratitude to him." Her reply caused quite a stir between the pair.
"Him? Lofie gasped.
"Yes, is something the matter?" Mint assumed since they knew she was alive they'd were fully informed of her circumstances, but apparently not.
"We were told you were in the care of the nymphs in the Northern Forest." Lofie looked uncomfortably back at the Halifax knights a distance away and leaned closer. "Did anything happen?"
"No," Mint reported firmly, knowing what the female knight was implying. "It remains intact."
Lofie sighed in relief, but offered an apologetic smile. "That's great news, but you will still be 'examined' when we arrive at the castle."
"I'm aware," Mint sighed, expecting as much. Soon her life would be in the control of others once more. "Come, let us be off."
-break
Mint once more found herself caged within a carriage, with a pair of Halifax ladies-in-waiting stationed inside for her benefit. She assumed some sort of enchantment allowed the heavy vehicle to traverse the marshy ground, a true luxury to be sure. Their kingdoms may not be joining hands, but she supposed relations had to be maintained. Even the knights were equipped with horseshoes that allowed the steeds to trot unhindered.
"How are you faring, my lady?" The question came not from the maids, but from Lofie, who rode beside the carriage.
"My condition is favorable," Mint replied, looking at the semi-familiar tree line. They'd already passed the site of the attack and were making great time for the conditions, but the day still wound to a close as the shadows lengthened with the sun's departure. "Will we be stopping soon?"
"Yes," Lofie looked tense. "We still rest at the ruins once more. I'd hoped we'd traveled further, but given the conditions we made good time."
Apparently, the distance between the site of the Yeti attack and the ruins was roughly twenty miles. For a group of their size, traveling such a distance in a day was far beyond the average. Humans might manage ten or fifteen in good conditions. If not for the blessings of their goddess, they'd be lucky to have made five in a day.
"We're of a slightly smaller number than last winter, but we're still bound by our food stocks." Mint said. Besides her carriage, there was a supply wagon, which had gone ahead of the escorts to prepare camp. The ruins were simply the closest rest spot on this route. No matter how far a knight on horseback could travel, they'd get hungry. "How far will our escorts be with us?"
Besides Captain Tallinn and Lofie, all the knights guarding her were from Halifax.
"We will depart with them at the border of our kingdom. From there, our own will guide us to the castle." Lofie answered, meaning the knights would be with them for at least five more days.
"I see," Mint kept a neutral face as the carriage made the turn into the trees. Snow still lingered at the entry of the campsite, and from what she could tell, no one had used it recently. Of course, who'd be foolish enough to travel in winter?
I suppose frost elves wouldn't find it troublesome. Mint briefly thought of her northern cousins, wondering if she'd ever meet them. Hmm, on second thought, if I did it , it would probably be for marriage. I'd prefer somewhere warmer.
The carriage rolled to a stop in the middle of the clearing, and the knights went about brushing down their steeds. Tents were already set up thanks to the supply crew, one of whom was stirring a large pot over a fire.
"Here, princess," a young boy offered her a bowl of stew while leading her towards a slightly larger tent. "You can eat inside."
"Thank you," Mint smiled at the lady-in-waiting who took the bowl for her. Inside the tent there was a small table and chair, the Lady with the bowl set on the table, and the other took a single spoonful into her mouth. She winced as the stew was still hot, but remained utterly stone face as she stood there for a solid minute before offering her another spoon.
I suppose I'll have to get used to having a taster again. Mint sighed as she sat, taking slow, elegant sips of her meal. Her etiquette hadn't diminished to the point of being boorish, but she'd grown used to more casual meals. I wonder if Verk is enjoying my stew.
She'd made one last meal for him before departing. Mint could imagine him sitting alone in his treehouse, sipping quietly as he did, with a faint smile on his lips. That's how she knew he liked it. When he didn't like something, his left brow with twitch, but he'd still eat it without complaint. His stony demur had vexed her to no end as she sought to improve her cooking. When she'd grown tired of his twitch, she forced a critique out of Verk to find out what he found so distasteful.
Too salty. Not enough pepper. He'd say things like that, and she'd adjust the amount until his twitch stopped. Master chef she was not, but she knew his tastes by heart now.
Mint sighed; she'd acquired a rather useless skill over her time in the forest. When she returned home, all her meals would be cooked for her, and when she's married off, her new husband, a prince, would have his own staff. All the domestic skills her mother taught her growing up, besides sewing, would be useless once she became Queen.
"You're sighing quite a bit, my princess."
"Oh, Lofie!" Mint hardly noticed the knight's presence. She was dressed down, most of her armor removed safe for her breastplate and helmet. The Halifax maids were elsewhere, perhaps attending to the others. "What brings you here?"
"I thought you might like some company." Lofie raised a steaming kettle with her left arm and with elegant skill poured her a cup of tea, and then one for herself. "May I?"
"You may," Mint smiled, allowing the knight to sit across from her. "I'm surprised, I thought you starlets were…" She struggled to find a non-pejorative. "Tomboyish to a fault."
Lofie blushed. "Yes, we are rather pour excuses for ladies, but given my circumstances, I thought it was time to brush up my domestic skills during my stay in Halifax. Though I remain a rather poor excuse of a knight, and lack much of the charm of a castle maid."
Female knights were relegated to 'bedchamber guards'. Their most important duty was to ensure a princess's chastity or the Queen's fidelity. Dark rumors of their 'unofficial' roles as playmates to the king circulated the castle. The position of a starlet knight was really a place for unlady-like noble girls to be of use to their families. After all, if they happen to birth a bastard of royalty or find the favor of some knight or official, it is still better than nothing. It was, truthfully, an alternate route to the same destination as every other noble daughter.
"A knight that can act as a maid, and a maid that's a knight," Mint pressed a finger to her lip in thought. "Some might find the idea ridiculous, but such duality would surely be useful."
"But I remain one armed, you would find my performance lacking," Lofie said, looking at her empty sleeve. "My time as a knight will end once we return home. I'm sure my family will recall me and send me off to be a mistress, as no noble would take a woman like me as a bride."
"What family would dare recall the favorite lady-in-waiting of a princess?" Mint said, sipping her tea, enjoying the shocked look on Lofie's face.
"You wish for me to continue serving you, Princess?"
Mint nodded. "You have shown such great loyalty, despite our brief time together, why would I throw that away?"
Lofie wiped a stray tear from her eyes and bowed her head. "Then I will endeavor to improve my domestic capabilities so that I do not embarrass you, my lady."
"I'm looking forward to it. Now, as for the matter of your arm, would it not be possible to source a replacement? In fact, why have you not, already?" Her knowledge of prostatitis was limited at best, and nonexistent outside of the fact she knew they existed. "When we return home, I shall ask my father if anything can be done."
"You don't need to go so far for me, Princess! I've grown used to my condition. It would be a waste of resources to gift me such a valuable thing, and…" Lofie gripped her stub. "I don't deserve it. Marigold…" The knight's eyes widened as she covered her mouth.
"What of Marigold?" Mint pressed upon Lofie, insisting on being told the truth of the maid's condition.
"It would be better for you to see her in person. She is alive. I sure you of that. However, her condition was far worse than I, or Captain Tallinn's. Only through the grace of Elfania and the King of Halifax's mercy did she survive. In some aspects, I find myself envious of her as she has become closer to our goddess." Lofie and Marigold were both humans that worshipped Elfania. Marigold was more fanatical, but at the root they were the same.
"Was she fed to a Nymph tree?" Mint asked, knowing such a thing was the dream of any Elfanian worshipper. To have their flesh consumed to make a new divine being is the height of devotion to Elfanians followers. It could be dressed up as much as they liked, but even if the Nym produced contained some part of the person consumed, they were still dead.
"No, no, no," Lofie quickly waved. "She's still alive, but to call her wholly human would be a lie." The knight paused, searching for the right word. "She's closer to an Ent now."
"An Ent?" Mint could scarcely imagine what that meant. Ents were beings that failed to become nymphs, familiars made of nature to serve the Goddess Elfania, such as Verk's Green Knights. They had personalities, but were basically wood golems.
"Perhaps half-ent is more accurate?" Lofie mused. "I thought it was too bold of Marigold to ask for such a blessing, but our goddess granted her favor, and Halifax agreed to facilitate the transformation. Though I feel it was merely a whim of Elfania to see if such a thing was possible."
Now Mint understood why Lofie and Captain Tallinn struggled to explain Marigold's condition. It was so far outside of the norm that perhaps the only way to understand it was to see it. With the information given, Mint could only imagine grotesque horrors.
"Her head isn't merely set atop an Ent's body, is it?"
"Thankfully not," Lofie assured.
Mint breathed a sigh of relief and decided they'd spent enough time on this topic. Instead, she asked how Lofie and Tallinn had spent their time over the winter and what Halifax was like. Though she'd probably never see the kingdom now, she was curious to know how it measured up to her expectations. She also asked how her former husband-to-be was like in person.
"Halifax has a closer relationship with a Nymph grove than we do, so their city is a mix of Nymph and Nacht trees. There were also a few Thunder Elves milling about as the Prince took a bride from their clan. As for the prince himself, I only met him once, so I can't say if he meets your expectations. He didn't seem upset at your engagement being broken, but that was decided by the King." Lofie shrugged as she smiled. "You look about the same as he did, I suppose would be a fair comparison."
It was all business and politics as expected. Mint supposed she might have grown fond of the prince given time, but the point was moot. At least there was no heartbreak, not that she expected love.
"Any word of my next engagement?" Mint asked. "I'm sure Father has not been idle."
Lofie shrugged while refilling her cup. "I'm afraid I lack such information. Besides the few messages detailing your return, there's no word of what awaits you back home. Given tradition, I would expect it would be season to a year before anything is decided."
Mint supposed her father would have to confirm her condition before he could bargain her off again. Things like whether her maidenhood was intact, or if her beauty was marred. It would all affect her bargaining price in negotiations.
"Given what I remember, Halifax was favored because they could give us a Green Knight; the next best offer was from the Gnomes." Mint mused, trying to imagine her wedding to a dwarf. It was rather comical. "Then again, I'm sure the political landscape has changed drastically."
What was offered before might not be offered again, and if all the princes and princess of that year were married off, it would be some time before a marriage could be arranged given who and what was available.
Lofie tensed as she set down her tea. "This is merely a rumor I heard, but there was muttering from a thunder elf that a Yorgmen chieftain had a son looking for an elven bride."
"I'd rather not think about that," Mint replied, trying to imagine laying down with a full-blooded Yorgmen? She'd be torn apart on their wedding night! What else could be expected if she was forced to wed a nine-foot-tall giant who sang songs of swollen swords that horses envied? "Let us take a walk."
"But it's night, my lady."
"All the same, I could use some air." Mint insisted.
-break
The snowy path glowed faintly with the moon's light as Mint and Lofie traveled the same path to the ruins as they'd done before. Steam rose from pockets of the semi-frozen pond near the vine-ridden structure. With steely resolve, Mint entered the temple of the three goddesses, the warmth of the ancient enchantments dispersing the chill of winter.
"Do you wish to pray again, my lady?" Lofie asked as Mint made a beeline for the altar in the center of the temple.
"Yes." It was perhaps laughable to do so again, after what happened last time, but perhaps her survival was tied to actions from back then or the cause of her misfortune. Regardless, she had to make her answer clear to the goddesses. "If you could wait here for me, I wish to pray privately."
"Of course," Lofie stood outside the altar room, keeping watch at the intersection.
Once more, Mint felt the oppressive force of all three goddesses fall upon her shoulders. Were they angry with her? Perhaps at least Elfania surely was. She knelt and created the symbol of her goddess with her hands.
"Forgive my… indulgence from before. I did not mean to make light of your generosity. I am a daughter of Elfania and shall remain as such." Mint prayed with all of her heart, hoping it would appease Elfania, Solaris and Minerva. She expected scorn or something of the sort, but the three goddesses' replies were rather muted. The oppressive force lessened, but her unease remained. Perhaps they lost interest in her? That would be for the best, but…
The path you've chosen is littered with thorns, my child; you must walk it.
A deal made cannot be undone. Prove thy resolve or suffer for thy cowardice!
Turn your heart towards my light when you find yourself lost in darkness; I will not abandon you.
The phrase 'a thrown stone will continue to roll' came to mind. As much as Mint wanted to believe her selfish request could be amended, it seemed it wasn't possible.
"I chose you, Elfania, my mother! Please do not abandon me!" She cried for her goddess's mercy. After meeting Verk and the Nymph, she truly believed she was not forsaken, but was that only temporary? Did she do something wrong? No, that was the wrong way to think about it; she'd chosen this path. Perhaps Elfania wasn't punishing her, but she couldn't help her either.
Elfania's power lay within her territory. So long as Mint was there, she would be safe from Minerva, but outside her only hope was Solaris.
"Oh no," Mint's blood froze as reality dawned on her. She hurried out of the altar room, grabbing Lofie by the arm and pulling her along.
"Princess?"
"We need to flee! As fast as we can!"
"Flee? From what?" The knight asked as they exited the threshold of the ruins. Far in the distance, a rhythmic 'thump, thump, thwack!' shook the forest. Lofie stiffened and then threw Mint over her shoulder, her heels blazing with emerald fire as she ran for camp. "Enemy attack!"
Her frantic scream was drowned out by a feral roar as the Night Yeti came barreling out of the forest.