Caroline breathed deeply, wiping a hand across her sweaty forehead as she leaned against one of the largest walls in her father’s palace, her legs stretched out across the paths of the royal courtyard. Her father paced in front of her, while Elizabeth stood next to Caroline’s side, just stroking her thigh to help her not be as upset by Richard’s reaction. He was not even able to look her in the eye as the sun began to fade. She steepled her fingers together and flexed them at the joints nervously, twiddling her thumbs in the process. Her eyes pleadingly followed Richard as he walked, but she was unable to get his attention. His stare remained firmly locked to the ground.
“Father…” she moaned, the silence killing her. “Please, simply hear what I have to say. There was nothing I could-” she began, but she was cut off.
“YES, there WAS, Caroline!” he practically spat out. “I… I can barely fathom what you’ve done…”
Caroline’s eyes welled. She felt like a small child again, the way her father was speaking to her. “He would have died, father. He needed me.” Richard just shook his head disbelievingly.
“And Phillip?”
“I… I was not aware he had come with me…” she sighed sheepishly. “He crawled inside the extra drape I brought along as a scarf. He wanted to come along, and knew I would never allow it if I knew. I was not alerted to his presence until…”
“Yes, that is precisely my point, Caroline…”
“What, father?”
“You were not aware. Think of it. What might have happened if you had tripped and fallen? You, perhaps, would have been unhurt, but think of your brother. He might have been killed if such a thing had happened, completely by accident, and you wouldn’t have known until you opened the drape!” At these words, the tears began flowing again, warming Caroline’s cold cheeks.
“I know father. And I am truly, truly sorry. I would never want anything to happen to-”
“Of course you would never want anything to happen to him, Caroline. He is your younger brother and you love one another. This is not a question of that. This is a question of the risks you take just by leaving so.”
“It was my own choice, father. I knew I had to do something to save Luke. I never asked for anyone’s help. And when Phillip came along, I protected him with everything I could.”
“Be that as it may, my daughter, you simply must begin thinking of these things. You are your siblings’ heroine. They worship you, Caroline. Did you truly believe that neither of them would try to do something if they knew you could be endangered, out in the wilds, in the Black Mountains, no less?”
“I… I… suppose…”
“Regardless of what you might have thought, Caroline, it is the truth. And with your… newfound condition becoming more and more extreme, you can simply not afford to make such reckless decisions. Because very soon, your decisions may impact many of us. Perhaps all of us.”
“Father…”
“I’m sorry, Caroline, but I do not believe I can continue this conversation now. I must go and continue my work with my scouts.”
“Please, wait, father. I beg of you.”
“Yes?” he asked calmly, turning around from walking back toward the door into the palace.
“How is Phillip?”
“He is well. Some warm blankets, a bath, and some soup, and the nurse says he will be fine by tomorrow.”
“Good. And… what about…”
“Luke hasn’t spoken, but he is awake. The doctor says he will live.”
Caroline, despite the tension between herself and her father, laughed lightly and joyfully at these words. They had done it. The journey hadn’t been all for naught. She wiped her teary cheeks.
“Where is he, father? I so desperately would like to see him, even just for a moment…”
“He is there, my daughter, the bedroom reserved for regal guests,” said Richard, pointing upward. Caroline looked up to a window roughly five stories in the air, the window and attached balcony being just above the top of her head from a standing position. “However, I do believe it might be best to let the doctors do their work before you see him, Caroline.”
She nodded. “I understand.”
“Good night, my daughter,” said the king, his voice softening a bit from earlier as he exited.
“Good night, my dear. Oh, please don’t leave us again like that…” said Elizabeth, looking sadly up at her daughter.
“I’m sorry, mother,” was her only response. The queen nodded and exited. All seemed well again, or at least relatively so.
The journey home had been an uncomfortably frightening and rough one. Having little other option, Caroline had pulled her scarf off in the darkness, and laid it on the damp cave ground like a stretcher. Then, acting as if handling a baby bunny, Caroline had slipped her fingers under Luke’s battered body and lifted him up with almost no effort before placing him in the scarf. She had then picked it back up and tied it around her neck, letting Luke swing in it like a hammock so he was out of her way (and the possibility of harm). To ensure she left no other brave soldiers behind, she crawled just a bit further into the darkness, searching for survivors or even other bodies, but she found none. The next part was the slowest and most agonizing part of the journey, not just from Caroline’s sore forearms and toes, but because she had no idea of knowing how long Luke had before drifting away from the earth. And she was determined to not let that happen when his salvation was so near at hand, if she could just move quickly. Gathering her focus, Caroline had crawled backward through the Black Mountain Caves. It took a bit longer, as it was harder to feel out turns in the tunnel, but she had made it in nearly the same time she took to crawl that far inside the cave because of her resolve.
Emerging from the cave, she had taken in a massive breath of fresh air, letting the sunlight warm her bruised body, then tied the scarf tighter to ensure Luke didn’t flop around inside of the garment. Phillip she had lifted from her back and placed back on her shoulder, and he leaned against her neck for warmth, still wrapped in golden, sopping hair. And then Caroline ran. She didn’t sprint, knowing that would more easily throw Phillip from her shoulder, but he was tightly wrapped enough that her hair was able to hold him in place. In around half an hour, Caroline was exiting the Black Mountains and dashing back across the dead fields into the forest. This journey took far less time than the wandering amble through. Soon, Caroline found herself back at the large gorge she had only this morning nearly lost her brother in.
Looking at it now, she realized the only reason she had been forced to take the detour around the cliffs was because she wasn’t quite big enough to safely make the jump. But with her determination in full force and her height a full ten feet higher than when she had initially decided this, Caroline realized that it was a viable option. Stepping back over a hundred feet for a good running start, Caroline gripped one hand around her brother on her shoulder, and the other around Luke’s limp form in the scarf. Then she sprinted forward, gaining incredible speed and shaking the ground beneath her feet. Pushing off at the very edge of the cliff, Caroline propelled herself forward, flying across the distance of the cliff. She landed uncomfortably in a crouching position on the other side with an earth-shattering slam that knocked quite a few rocks loose into the canyon. The journey the rest of the way home had taken almost no time. Caroline was pushing herself to the limit, staying in a full sprint for almost the entire time before reaching home and handing over both her little brother and her tiny betrothed to the palace’s doctor and nurses. And then she found herself back in the courtyard, unable to re-enter the palace. She wouldn’t have been able to fit back through the hallways anyway.
Her eyes shifted up to the window, wondering how Luke was doing. He was awake, they had said, but surely his fight was far from over. Would he be able to walk soon? Speak soon? Would he even recognize where he was, or be able to remember what happened? Caroline had seen no massive scrapes across his body like in her dream, but then again, he was so small he might very well have had lots of scratches her huge blue eyes couldn’t notice alone. She shuddered at this thought, hoping the rough ride home in her scarf pouch hadn’t worsened the situation.
A bit later, the door opened and Rose, along with half a dozen guards in tow, stepped through.
“Hello, miss. How are you feeling?” she gasped, running forward to see her friend.
“Oh, ROSE! I’ve missed you so terribly, I needed you so much…” she said. Rose walked between Caroline’s outstretched legs, standing between her thighs and looking up at her with a huge smile. Caroline laid a massive hand across her back, her alternative to a hug. Rose patted the hand, squeezing at Caroline’s fingers.
“You… have indeed grown quite healthily, have you not?” she asked as cheerfully as possible.
“I’m afraid I have, Rose. Quite a bit, in fact.”
“The rest of my staff has been hard at work upon mending the extra material to extend your garments, miss, of that I assure you. They are ready to add them on to your articles.”
“Thank you dearly, Rose, I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Well, I suppose you might run short on clothing…” she joked, tittering as she walked back toward the door. Caroline laughed, and looked up at the six guards.
“What is this?” she said kindly, looking at the men.
“Washing up,” said Rose, and the six guards grabbed behind the doorframe, yanking into view a sponge nearly the size of a carriage. “I presume you have been wanting to.”
“Oh, THANK you, dear ones,” said Caroline. The men dragged the sponge halfway into the courtyard, then marched respectfully out with a quick bow. Caroline grabbed it up in her fingers, delighted at the prospect of having something to hold that made her, just for a moment, feel as if she was normal again. She squeezed it, and felt fluffy soap suds rush over her powerful fingers as they clenched into the supple material.
“You may, of course, use the pond, miss, for water. We have a second drape as well for you to utilize for drying. I shall leave now, but remain outside this door if you should need anything.”
“Rose…” said Caroline uncertainly, suddenly realizing what she had to do. “All of these windows…”
“Have no fear, miss, I instructed all the staff to close each window tightly, and to stay away from them as well until I give the signal. I know you may feel uncomfortable, but I promise you, you shall have total privacy.”
“Thank you,” smiled Caroline, unable to come up with any other words. “I shan’t be long.”
“Oh, please, don’t hurry on our account, miss. I know you’ve had a weary few days. And after what you did for him…” she said, pointing up toward the window. “I have a feeling you may be… wanting to look your finest for when you see him.”
Caroline understood immediately, gratified; she hadn’t thought of this yet. “That sounds wonderful, Rose. All right. I’m going to bathe now. I shall alert you if I need anything.”
“ANYTHING at all, miss, anything,” she answered, scurrying out the door.
Caroline breathed deeply, then slowly began pulling her arms back inside the drape garment, working down her body to the base. Her fingers fumbled with the folds Rose had worked in just above Caroline’s thighs in order to cover up her body underneath the robe and ensure she wasn’t made immodest by anyone who happened to look underneath. Rose’s talented sewing work had ensured that no undergarments were necessary. After working at these folds for a moment, Caroline slipped them apart. Then, gripping the sides, and she lifted the robe up and over her head, leaving herself completely in the nude in the middle of the royal courtyard. Despite Rose’s insistence that no one could see her, as well as the fact that all the windows were indeed covered, Caroline felt horribly ashamed being so out in the open. Deciding it was best to just get it over with, Caroline strode to the pond, the calming zephyrs soothing every inch of her body, and dipped the sponge into the water to get it wet. She then set about scrubbing the thick layers of sweat and grime from herself. She intentionally turned herself away from Luke’s window. She felt terrible knowing that, even though he was too weak to move, and the window was closed, that if he happened to stand up, walk to the window, and stand on the balcony, he could very easily see the woman he loved completely naked, and their possible future marriage was just barely developing in both of their minds. Such an event would be unspeakably humiliating, so Caroline used even more speed while cleaning herself to avoid this fractional possibility.
Her golden yellow hair, damp and matted with dirt clumps, became smooth and sleek once again, absolutely glowing as the sun began to set. Despite the threat of embarrassment, Caroline found herself in total bliss as she felt the tiredness and soreness itself begin to wash away as the soap suds ran down her legs and collected between her toes. Finally, feeling satisfied, Caroline plucked up the towel drape and wiped herself down, feeling more relaxed than she had in days before redressing herself in the other clothes. It was a tight fit getting back into them, and she felt several tears pop on certain spots. She hoped the staff would be able to work quickly and get the new pieces attached.
They were indeed able, and as soon as Caroline alerted Rose that she was finished, Rose instructed the princess to lie flat on the ground. For the next three hours, the work being finished by torchlight, a dozen maids crawled over Caroline’s body, letting out seams and attaching new pieces where necessary. It was tedious just lying there, and Caroline was bored very quickly, but she knew how necessary this was, and was grateful to the maids for their hard work. As the last stitch was added, Caroline stood to full height as the maids admired their work. She stretched her arms out and plumped at the cascading folds of her garment along her legs, which now was just above her ankles, as before. She smiled and flapped the billows, enjoying the feeling of having extra room in her clothes. Rose had purposefully made the outfit a bit baggier than the first time, and while it was slightly cumbersome at first, it made Caroline feel secure. Rose sent the maids off with Caroline’s continuous thanks before stepping up to the princess a final time.
“Please get some rest, miss. You deserve it so.”
“Thank you for everything you’ve done, Rose. I believe I shall.”
“Good night, miss.”
“Good night, my friend,” sighed Caroline, settling her head into a patch of soft, leathery-leaved bushes for use as a surprisingly comfortable pillow. She drifted off rather quickly, saying a prayer to the heavens that Luke would be all right.