ALIENA

   "Princess? Princess, can you hear me?"

   I came to, gasping as I sat up sharply, nearly knocking heads with my maid and friend, Nania. Good that we hadn't knocked heads, seeing as mine was already pulsing sharply. I winced. Even as I did, I felt a wetness flow out of my nose and over my mouth, turning icy cold in the bitter wind. Quickly, I wiped the liquid away only to stare in surprise at my snowbear mits and the blood that tried seeping into the fur. Violent red on white.

   "Princess? Oh, Aliena, you've got a nose bleed." Nania quickly rummaged in her sack, then came out with linen squares. She handed one to me and I put it to my nose as quickly as possible as she asked if I was alright.

My head was still reeling from the images and so I replied with a question of my own, "What happened?"

   "We were walking, Princess, and you---"

   "Walking?"

   "Y-yes, Princess. To see the wolves, remember? Anyway, we were walking and you simply.... you collapsed, miss, and I was unable to wake you." As if speaking iy  suddenly reminded her, her voice went fearful again. "Oh, Aliena, are you alright?"

   The ache in my head was abating and once I moved my nose to a cleaner part of the linen, I was pleased to see the bleeding had slowed. "Yes. I believe so." I told her. "Help me up?"

   "Oh, but perhaps you should---"

   "It is cold, Nania. The snow is soaking through my furs."

   She quickly agreed to helping me stand, fifty years of putting the royals comfort before her own desires or opinions making my words move her instantly, then she stood herself before grasping my arm and pulling me to my feet. I felt a slight dizziness but it left shortly afterward. The ache in my head pulsing with each movement.

   We moved across the snow to the shelter we'd made with the travelling furs. Inside, Nania helped take off my snowshoes and then loosen the layers upon layers of fur needed to keep one warm at all times this far north. Satisfied that my nose was no longer bleeding at all now, I handed the bloody cloth to Nania and she left the shelter to get it some distance across away from our camp. By the time she returned, the ache in my head was gone and I had my furs hanging while I was curled up in the bedding.

   She secured the fastenings in the leather against the growing wind, then sat herself down, taking her own snowshoes off, then tackling her furs. Once they were hanging next to mine, she crawled carefully into the bedding next to me and touched my face with an icy, wrinkled, calloused hand.

   "What happened out there, Aliena? I was afraid I would be unable to wake you."

   My fingers went to the glass eye that hung from the chain around my neck. They clutched it against my chest, feeling my still-pounding heart vibrating through it. "I believe I may have had a vision." I admitted, my voice only able to be described as awed.

   Nania let out a gasp. "Tis true then! You have a spirit of a snowbear inside you!"
   I waved away her comment. "No man or women can have a spirit inside them, Nania, you know this. Do not believe those old rumors." At the age of eight, I had accidentally come across a snowbear den and in my shock, had leaped away only to find myself falling through ice. Never will I forget the heart stopping cold of the black, salted water, or what it felt like to be absolutely sure that I was going to die.

   I had somehow managed to pull myself from the water onto the ice, but soaked as I was, it did little to warm me; I passed out from cold and exhaustion and remember nothing else.

   Later, however, they told me that they had found me inside the very den I had leaped away from, curled up between the bear and her cub. They'd had to kill it, of course, in order to reach me safely, but they took the eye and incased it in glass to show the Mother my thanks.

   "If it was not a vision of the spirit," Nania was saying, pulling me from my musings, "it must have been from the Mother herself! What did she show you?"

   The very memory of the dream had my heart pounding. "Fire." I said hoarsely.

   She laughed her sweet laugh that always sounded like a child's laugh, no matter how many wrinkles adorned her face. "Perhaps only wistful dreaming then."

   "No. No, I saw the castles burning." I insisted, then tugged at my necklace. "This was in the vision as well."

   "Castles as in plural?"

   "All of them. Tark, Averton, Florn, Dargolyn... and Nascia." My mouth went drier as I spoke of it. "Nascia was burning too, even surrounded by ice as it is. Burning so brightly." I looked at her worried face in the dimness. "And there was a sense of urgency to it. I believe... I believe I must go home, Nania."

   "Hush now." She said firmly and patted my hair. "It was more than likely only a dream brought on by thirst. You did not drink nearly enough today for such a long hike we took on the snowshoes."

   "I do not know, Nania... I'm really frightened."

   "Hush." She said again. "Sweet princess, you're fifteen winters now and growing quickly. You are experiencing many changes in body and mind, that is all. Besides, we'll need to wait for the storm to blow over before we can find our way back to the castle anyway."

    "Perhaps." I said, but only because it was expected of me to agree. I knew something was wrong and Nania's voice held a forced nonchalance with still a slight quiver of fear in her own voice. This made her logic far less convincing.

   "Rest now, Princess. You will feel better once you've slept some."

   I doubted that but closed my eyes and allowed her hand to lull me asleep as it skimmed shakily across my raven-black hair.

KOVEN

   "Koven? Hey, Venny, wake up."

   "I hears ya, Hark, I hears ya." I said with a groan and I was pulled into a sit even before I could open my eyes. Good thing, too, because the sun was bright enough to sear my eyes even through my lids. I squinted one eye open then quickly shut it again as I coughed, hacking up water. I was soaked with icy seawater that felt even cooler in the autumn wind that forced itself unwelcome around us. "What happened?" I croaked.

   A heavy hand landed on my shoulder. "Y'fell o'erboard, boy."

   "I saw ya!" Said Hark, voice high in both pride and lingering fear. "Y'juss collapsed and slipped right under the rail! One second you was standin' there juss fine, the next you was--- woah! Venny, y're bleeding!"

   I wiped at my nose and squinted my eyes open enough to see that it was true.

   "The salt must have tore at y'r nose." Said the captain, squeezing my shoulder once more, then moving under my arms to haul me to my feet. "Get the prince below deck, Harper."

   "On it, Cap'n."

   I gritted my teeth. "I'm fine." I protested. "I don't need to be babied." But no one listened to me and I was shoved toward the stairs. Hark ran ahead to open the doors, chatting all-the-while.

   "May as well take a break, Koven, seein' as we'll be out into open water soon, y'remember, and ye knows my da, err, the cap'n I mean, he won't go lettin' us take no breaks once them nets are dropped."

    "No, I... I think we should go back." I said.

   Hark nearly stumbled into the door. "Back? To the shore you means?"

   I nodded, wiping at my nose as my headache dulled, my voice --- raspy as it was thanks to the unintentionally swallowed water --- became stronger and more determine. "We need to return to shore."

   "Don't be a jelly, lad," said Harper with a snort, "that's the seawater talkin'."

   But I stopped moving, refusing to go to the door. "It isn't. I... I demand you send for the captain, Harper."

   Harper, the First Mate, who hadn't taken an order from anyone but the captain since he was an wee lad at his mums teet, narrowed his eyes and towered over me. "I gotta mind t'beat ye bloody, boy. Prince or no."

   I looked up at him calmly. "Send for Captain Riggy at once. Tell him it is of utmost importance."

    A good portion of the crew respected me, but Harper had always longed to kick my liver, having some sort of rift between my eldest brother for as long as I could remember. He only sneared at me a moment though, and then left me at the door of the captains quarters. Hark stayed with me, his eyes wide. "Bloody seawitch, Koven, talk about playin' the Prince hand. The men won't be likin' ya much for that one."

   "I know." I said with a grimace. "But I had to. We need to go back. It's important."

   "What's important is remberin' that y'r the third son of the king, not the first; if my da beats ya bloody, he won't be needin' t'worry much about execution."

   "I know." I repeated. "But it is important." My nose seemed to have fully stopped bleeding so I wiped my hands across my still-dripping pants, leaving bloody smears across the expensive cotton. "What's taking so long?"

   Hark tilted his head, listening to the minute sounds of the old ship creaking and groaning, the heavy footfalls of boots and bare feet on deck, and the vague shouts muffled by wood and water. "They're droppin' the nets, Venny. They're busy up there."

   "I'll go up there then and---"

   "Woah! You stay. I'll go get my da for ya. Can't have ya goin' all princely in front of the crew or he'd juss have ya beat ya bloody. At least in private he got a choice."

   "Just be quick." I said, growing anxious.

   Being left alone nearly caused the panic to fully set in. I have to force my mind away from the dream or vision or whatever it had been. To distract myself, I pulled the small blade out of my belt and cut my palm, letting the blood drop to the wood under my feet as if it were water to thank the Watergods for spitting me back out of the saltwaters. I wondered if I should thank them for the vision as well --- were they responsible for it? I had heard the visions gifted by the Watergods often drove one to madness. Was I going mad then? At only thirteen summers, was I not too young to be driven mad?

   I was saved from further contemplation by the captain storming down the stairs. "What's it, boy?" He demanded from the base where he stopped. "We're too busy up top t'cater to y'r e'ry whim."

   "I had a vision." I said calmly, as if this were completely normal. "We need to return to shore."

   He gave a snort and spat on the floor. "Don't waste my time, boy---"

   "We must return, Captain Rigald."

   At that, he paused and narrowed his eyes. To the crew, he was Captain Riggy. Once, I'd heard him say the only ones who called him Rigald were kingsmen and tax collectors and he liked avoiding both. This wasn't true, I knew, seeing as his only son was the best of friends with the third son of the king, youngest or not. Still, calling him Rigald had the desired effect: he narrowed his eyes but moved away from the stairs to pass me and open the door to his quarters.

   "What's it, boy?" He asked again, going to his desk but not sitting down, irritation even more pronounced in his voice than before. At least he was listening now.

   "We need to return to the city." I repeated for the hundredth time. "It's important that I speak to my father."

   "About a vision y'had?" He spat again. "Have ye gone jelly, boy?"

   Best not answer that, I decided, seeing as I was unsure of the answer myself. "It's saw Tark burning, Captain. It is important that I return."

   "We're already three days out! I only juss cast me first nets. I'll not be turnin' back right when we've reached the open waters juss b'cause a boy had a bad dream." He went back to the door as he spoke, dismissing me. "Now get some rest a'fore ye---"

   "I demand it!"

   Hark, listening quietly this entire time, made an audible pop sound when his jaw dropped open.

   The captain stopped and swiveled to face me. "What's it, boy?"

   "As the son of your king, I demand that you take up your nets and return me home immediately, Captain Rigald. Do you understand?"

   "Bloody sea witches." Hark whispered to himself. "He has gone jelly."

   But my eyes were on the captain. He had two options; he could obey my command, or he could beat me and then obey me as I lay broken and bloody on his floor.
Rigald (Riggy) Boogan was one of the greatest fishermen in Tark. Once a smuggler, his know of hidden fishing spots and his quick and loyal crew gave him just as much advantage as his rare, silverwood ship. He even caught fish for, and took other small contracts from, the king himself --- my father. This was, in fact, how I had met his son Hark.

   I'd heard from Gorji, my eldest brother, that Captain Riggy's crew had captured a mermaid that had been terrorising the fishermen in the fjord. My father had sent out a reward for the one who killed the creature and so he himself went to see the proof of this claim. I had wished to see, but Father would not allow me to board the ship as I was too young at only five summers.

So instead, I'd went down to the wharf in the dead of night myself and climbed aboard. It had been difficult to find a way to the bowels of the unfamiliar ship without being noticed but I was small and my dark skin helped hide me in the smallest of shadows. Finally, I found myself in a maze of storage barrols, unstrapped and ready to be refilled and reloaded for another trip the next morn.

   I'd found no mermaid in the maze, but I myself was found by a small boy with dark green eyes, wide with wonder as he took his my rich clothing. "Y'r a prince, ain't ya?" He'd asked. "You ain't s'posed t'be in 'ere."

   "I wanted too see the mermaid."

   He instantly nodded in understanding, loosing his awe at the sight of the prince and changing into one boy meeting just another boy. "My da, err, the cap'n I means, already gave it to the king."

   "Oh." My disappointment was clear.

   "It wasn't a whole mermaid, y'know." Hark continued. "My da, the cap'n I mean again, he caught her but she wiggled free she did. But no a'fore he got a good slice out of her side! Scales and all!"

   "Really?" He had my attention. "How did he do that?"

   "With his bare hands he did! He saw her wigglin' loose and he jumped off the side if the ship with a big ol' roar! Blade raised above his head as if the tiny thing was a bloody spear! He..."

   And right there in the bowels of the ship, I made an unlikely friend. When Captain Riggy found us giggling about hours later, he gave us both a good smack on the ear causing our heads to ring. Too late, he noticed my clothing and realized who I was. Most right then would start groveling for forgiveness, but not he. No, Captain Riggy had been a smuggler, and before that he'd been a pirate; he wasn't afraid of me or  the king. He simply put me onto my feet, crossed his thigh sized arms across his barrel sized chest and asked me what it would take to keep me from yappin' like a guppy to my da about the beating.

   "I want to join your crew." I told him, so sure and so proud, captured like a fish on a hook to the life by Harks stories.

   "Now why would you want ta go and do that, boy?"

   "I want to see a mermaid, bare a blade to pirates, and fight off sea monsters, Captain Sir." I'd explained to him seriously.

   Instead of laughing as most would have, he'd simply looked down at me for a while and then spoke to me as if I were an adult, not a little boy prince that stood barely as tall as his hip.

   "I tries my best t'avoid them seamonsters and pirates, I'm afraid, and we won't be seein' no more merfolk for a while. More'n that, I don't have no room for another crew member on my ship." He paused. "But how about we makes you a deal, boy: when yous grows as tall as that peg there out on the wharf, and if y'has the kings permission a'course, I'll take ya out for another trip an teach ya the way of fishin'. What's it?"

   I had thought about that, then nodded, finding the deal more than fair. "If I have your word, Captain, here before the Watergods themselves."

   His lip twitched then, it had been the first show of humor I had seen. I'd been unaware that in order to claim a vow by the Watergods, you needed to have your hand in water. "Aye, boy, ye has it." He said and then brought me back to the castle himself. I'd gotten a good beating by my father right at the door, but before the captain left, he discreetly tossed something to me and held his finger to his lips for silence, then winked and walked away.

   It had been and single scale, dried hard and glassy. Razor sharp it was. Blue in colour but reflected green at every turn of light and ripples of silver sometimes shone through it if you held it just right. Never had I seen a scale like it that before and I knew then, without a doubt: this was a mermaids scale.

   He'd held true to his promised, probably assuming that I would hate every bit of the work, but I'd kept coming back for more over the years.

   And here I was now, going out to my first month-long trip. A real trip. One I had always wanted, and not three days in I was demanding that I be returned. He had never laid a hand on me again, but judging by his reddened face now, I knew he wanted to. If I were being honest with myself, I would admit that I would couldn't blame him one bit if he did.

   He finally made his decision and instead of beating me, he turned without a word and left me alone with Hark who remained quiet, struck by awe at the turn of events. A few minutes later, I could feel the tilt of the ship as the nets were hauled up, then shortly after that, I could feel us turning, heading back to shore.

   I went up to deck and avoided meeting the glares of crew. They had all at first been wary of the little prince boy, but they've grown used to me over time. Now, whatever respect I had gained was completely gone. I knew that should have hurt me but the truth was that I was simply too worried about the vision. The sense of urgency was strong in me.

   I could only hope the three days it would take to return was a short enough time for me to warn my family that we needed to leave the castle.

   That we needed to run.

LORYN

   I woke with a terrible headache and groaned, turning onto my side and pulling my arm over my face to hide my eyes from the terribly hot sun.

   "It's about time you awoke, Loryn." Came my mother's voice. The word awoke rather than using simply woke was the only thing that hinted she was not born in Florn. Her Dargolyn accent had completely left her, but the certain phrases still stuck to her speech no matter how hard she tried. Those here in Florn never said awoke.

   Odd what things enter your mind at the most oddest of times.

   "Mother?" I struggled to sit up. "I... I think I had a vision, Mother." I wiped at my nose. "And I'm bleeding." When there was no reply, I squinted in the direction of my mother, fighting past the ache in my head to see her. She sat in a chair reading a leaterskinned book with a silk canopy protecting her fair skin from the glaring rays of sun. She glanced over at me briefly and grimaced at the blood.

   "Don't get any of that on your dress. The daughter of a high lord should never be seen in such a state." She reminded me briskly. "And wipe that dirt from your skirts."

   I stood slowly, careful to capture the blood on my pale silk glove as not to let a drop onto my dress. I fought a wave of dizziness but managed to stay upright as I moved under the canopy to the chair I had been sitting in moments ago, I was sure.

   "Did you hear, Mother?" I asked, still wincing asked the ache in my head. "I believe I had a vision. The castles were all burning."

   She scoffed without looking up. "Nonsense, Loryn. You only fainted because your wrap is too tight around your belly. If you ate a bit less, you wouldn't have this problem you know." She finally looked up to raise an eyebrow at me. "Perhaps this will give you reason to care more for your weight. You're to be a lady, Loryn, not the wife of a baker."

   "I... I know, Mother." I said, lowering my head. "But... I'm sure it was a vision. I truly think we should---"

   "Oh stop this nonsense!" She lay the book in her lap roughly. As delicate at the binding was, I was surprised it didn't fall apart at such force. "Must you always seek attention?"
   "I'm not looking for attention. I truly believe something is wrong. We should warn the king at once " I checked to be sure I was no longer bleeding before taking the glove away from my nose, folding it inside the cleaner, matching glove before placing it on the table for the servants to take away later.

   She looked me over, then sighed and motioned me closer. I obeyed, kneeling next to her carefully. She took her own silk glove and dipped it into her crystal water glass, then used it to gently wipe my face. "Sweet Loryn." She said gently. "You know the king of Dargolyn is planning on looking here to Florn for a wife for when his babe comes of age."

   "I know, Mother."

   "You would be the perfect wife one day. You have the beauty under there somewhere, I promise you. But you must stop seeking attention." She patted my cheek and returned to her book. "Now return to your reading."

   I returned to my seat, my head lowered. "Yes, Mother."

RITCH

   I gasped at the cold water splashed over my face.

   "Good, you be up."

   I squinted at my boss as he glared down at me. "S-sorry, sir."

   He snorted. "Get back to work, kid. I catch you sleeping again and there will be no pay."

   I stood quickly, fighting not to show pain at my head. He didn't wait for an apology before turning and walking away. I felt eyes on me though, so quickly picked up my axe and went back to chopping the silverwood, each drop of the axe a sharp pain in my skull but it wouldn't dare slow; I needed this job.

   I noticed drips of red on the wood below me and realized it was blood. Quickly, hoping no one was watching, I ripped a piece of my filthy shirt and wrapped it around my head and under my nose so it would catch the blood, then lifted the axe again.

   My mind went to the castle in the distance even as I chopped downward, splitting the wood into halves. Should I tell someone? Surly the king of Averton should know...

   There was no point, I realized. No one would listen to a poor bastard boy anyway.

GEACOB

   "Geac? You alright, son?"

   I squinted my eyes open to see my uncle looking down at me, worry on his face. "Help me sit up." I croaked, wincing.

   Angus was the one who helped me sit, Uncle Jack kneeling in front of me instead. "What happened? You fell from the goat! If we were on the mountain, you would have fallen your death, son. "

   "It was a... a vison, I think."

   His eyes widened, then narrowed. "Tell me."

   I did, explaining the fire of the castles, the five items including my dragon talon necklace, and the needle pointing me south-east.

   "All five castles? You're sure?"

   "I'm sure." I promised, pulling the rag away from my nose which Angus had handed me during my story as my nose had begun to bleed. It looked like it was slowing now though.

   My uncle turned to Angus. "Find Falcon, you two go with him. I'll gather the other Rangers and catch up to you."

   Angus ran off as well as he could for his age and my uncle helped me stand. "Where are we going?" I asked.

   "South-east of course." He said simply. "Where the vision told you to go."

   "But... what about the job? We need the gold."

   "This is more important."

   "So... you believe me?"

   "Of course I do, son." He helped me onto the mountain goat.

   "But..." everything was happening so quickly. "But what about the king? Shouldn't we warn him?"

   "Ha!" He laughed shortly. "Let's hope the crown-thieving brat don't find out before he's burned. Aye," he grinned, "it's going to be a good day for Dargolyn." He grinned wider at the thought and slapped me on the shoulder, then nodded at Angus and Falcon as they returned. "Now go. Trust your instincts, Geac. I'll get the rest of the crew out and then I'll find you."