The Mage Queen Book 1: The Princess

While waiting for Rowen and Marick to finish surveying, Anastacia roamed around the ship's wreckage. Although she offered her help, Marick and Rowen preferred she take a break. Her heart sank at their suggestion but figured that there was nothing she could do. She knew nothing about repairing airships nor did she know where they were.

She made it towards a room that surprisingly remained intact despite the crash. It took a bit of effort but after a few tugs, the door fell with a loud crunch. Ignoring the fallen door, she strode past and entered what appeared to be a storage room.

Boxes piled high with some of them made of cardboard and the others wood. She smelled a fruity and nutty fragrance from the wooden crates, making her realize that this room may have been the ship's pantry. Crouching down, she found a bottle peeking out from one of the crates. Bewildered, she plucked it out and noticed that the cork was slightly dislodged. Popping it open, she took a swig only to spit it out after.

"Ugh!" She coughed. "What is this?"

Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, Anastacia took one more look at the bottle only to read the word "rum". She groaned in frustration and placed the bottle down. Didn't Marick keep any water in the airship? She checked amongst the debris and rubble only to find nothing to quench her thirst. With a sigh, she huffed and leaned against the boxes.

"Is this why Erkalla stopped me from going back?" Anastacia murmured.

Her heart sank as everything clicked together. Why else would Erkalla be so adamant about her returning to Sofiene? It broke her heart even more how quickly she changed sides. Was she even on her side? But if she weren't, why didn't she just kill her when she had the chance?

"Ugh!" She groaned while staring at the ceiling, her eyes stinging from her tears. "I don't understand any of this at all!"

"We all don't, lass," someone agreed.

She jumped up to see Marick leaning against the doorframe, with his arms folded.

"Captain Hawthorne! I —"

He raised his hand, effectively silencing her.

"I have a ton of questions that need answering," he started. "And you will answer them."

Anastacia nodded numbly. "To the best of my ability, captain."

"Right. First, who was that girl we saw in Sofiene?"

"The petite blonde was Erkalla who was supposed to be my lady-in-waiting. The black-haired one says" — she paused — "she's Princess Anastacia."

"And you've never seen her before?"

She shook her head vehemently.

"Not even as a maid or what not?"

She shook her head again.

Marick sighed and walked inside, taking a seat on one of the crates. He then pulled out a small vial and tossed it to her. Anastacia yelped and fumbled, but managed to catch it firmly in her two hands. Confused, she looked at the vial and then at him.

"Drink it."

Anastacia blinked. "Why would I drink this? Is it poison?"

"Do you have anything to hide?"

"No!"

Marick's lavender eyes flashed. "Then, you won't be scared of a little vial of truth serum now, will you?"

Anastacia gulped and then looked at the vial. She glanced towards the wrecked remains of the pantry and then at the vial. With a sigh, she popped it open. Shakily, she began to drink the whole vial. She resisted the urge to spit out the bitter liquid, gasping after finishing the whole vial. She coughed a little as it burned her throat before sighing.

"There! Are you happy?"

Marick blinked for a few moments before snorting and coughing. Soon, he began chuckling before roaring with laughter. So hard that he began to choke and cough. She gawked. What in the world was his problem!?

"Jeez, lass, you really are uptight!" Marick hooted with laughter.

"What!?"

"Relax, that was just a bit of rum. You were so uptight that you would've earned yourself some wrinkles."

Anastacia gawked. How dare he trick her like that! As her cheeks burned with embarrassment, she threw the vial at Marick which he dodged.

"Y-you, you insolent peasant!"

He continued to laugh. "You should've seen your damn face!"

"Why would you do that!?"

"Because you were having a pity party in your head, that's why."

Anastacia stopped. "What?"

Marick shrugged with a bitter chuckle. "I knew that look on your face anywhere. It's the look of a pity party."

She shook her head vehemently. "I—"

"I shouldn't have brought them along with me."

Anastacia blinked.

"What was I thinking? I should have stayed at home. Why did I even bother returning to Sofiene? Erkalla should have just killed me" — Marick appeared to notice her pained expression and raised an eyebrow at her — "shall I continue?"

Her heart sank as she collapsed back onto the crate in silence. He was right. Those were the thoughts running through her head. She looked at her torn-up palms from skidding down the vines. It was only now she noticed how raw and fresh her skin was. When she poked her palm, Anastacia winced.

"See? You were so deep you didn't notice that you nearly ripped off the skin from your palms," Marick pointed out. "Guilt can do that to you."

She raised an eyebrow. "Talking from experience?"

"Ain't this supposed to be about you?"

She giggled with a bittersweet sigh. "How am I supposed to feel guilty if I don't even know what's real?"

"Hmm, you've got a fair point."

She sighed again.

"Well, you're sitting in me busted airship now. That's real."

"I... I didn't mean to destroy it."

"It wasn't your fault. She already took a lot of damage when we escaped both Xychosia and Sofiene."

But his words did nothing to soothe her guilt. "I... I just can't wrap my head around all this," she admitted. "There's just so much like, who was she? She said I replaced her! Why? And most of all" — she turned to him — "how can you still think I am the princess of Sofiene?"

He shrugged. "Rowen said so."

"You're placing your hopes in a plant!?"

"He's not just a plant, lass. He's a dryad who saved our sorry butts from being skewered." His eyes flashed. "You do best to remember that."

She flinched. "S-sorry."

"You're angry, we get it. But that's no reason to take it out on the one person who still believes in you."

Anastacia's eyes teared up. "He believes in me?"

"He told me, 'She could've left us behind to die, Cap. But she didn't. Isn't that reason enough to believe that she is the princess?'"

The tears that welled up soon began falling down her cheeks.

"He's pretty naïve sometimes," Marick sighed. He then scowled. "So you better not say crap about him."

She nodded. "D-do you believe in me?"

"I believe you're crazy enough to go to that damn demon-infested city."

A bitter laugh bubbled from her throat. "No kidding."

"But I also believe that you're a crappy liar."

Anastacia pouted. "I can lie!"

Marick scoffed and shook his head. "Yeah, if the person you're lying to is a toddler. Lass, when you told us you could restore the city with the royal regalia, we thought you were lying. But you just had that earnest look on your face that really believed that the pendant could solve all your problems."

"That's because I really thought I could," she murmured.

"Besides, you could have just forced us with your magic to make us do whatever crazy chores you wanted us to do."

Anastacia shook her head. "Why would I do that? And I can't do that!"

"Don't you magoi got that ability to play with people's brains?"

She shook her head. "If you mean illusions, that's more on the eyes than the brain."

"You're essentially tricking the brain," Marick explained.

She frowned. "I thought you didn't know magic."

"Just because I can't do magic doesn't mean I don't get it. I've fought enough arrogant, entitled noble magoi just because they wanted to throw Rowen into a terrarium for their collection."

Anastacia nodded slowly. How could nobles do that to someone? Plant or not, Rowen was sentient and had emotions. Throwing him inside a terrarium was inhumane! She sighed and nodded. "Do we know where we are?"

Marick shook his head. "Rowen's trying to go tree-huggin' but none of them are talkin'. Told him to threaten the trees with an ax but he told me that the trees will willingly fall on me if I did."

She laughed. "Trees can't willingly fall on people!"

"I'd rather take the word of the Dryad, the one that actually speaks Grass."

She snickered and shook her head. "That'd be something."

Before they could continue their conversation, they heard a soft knock on the door. Marick chuckled.

"Door's open, Sprout."

The door creaked open and revealed Rowen with a tray and glasses, grinning. "Juice, anybody?"

Anastacia giggled with a bit of a cough. "That would be lovely."

"Yeah, I just shot her with a bit of vodka," Marick snickered. "Pass me one of those chasers."

Beaming, Rowen trotted towards them and passed the glasses around. After, he grabbed his glass and sat down in front of them, with his legs folded. He took a sip and tilted his head innocently.

"Hey Cap, remember you told me there was a forest that made you hate vegetables forever?"

Marick blinked. "Yeah, the Cicuta Forest. What about it, Sprout?"

Anastacia saw the dryad sheepishly smile. "We're here, aren't we?"

Once Rowen sheepishly and slowly nodded, Marick and Anastacia groaned.