The Fairest Thing Chapter 14

Chapter 13
Johan stared at the girl dumbfounded until Swanhild took her from his shaking hands and began trying to revive her. A life aboard ships had made her quick to react to a drowning man, or woman as it happened. Thankfully, the girl was soon conscious but disoriented, and coughing up water. "Johan, who is this girl? Why was she disguised as a boy? Is this some kind of trick?" "It's Pr- it's Sabina," he murmured, gingerly supporting her as she coughed. Peewit looked like he was about to speak, and the black wolf sat near them, watching intently. "Well, who is Sabina? Is she a spy?" "She, uh, she ran away," Peewit squeaked. "From an arranged marriage. There's this…magic ring she had, it made her able to change appearance..." He could feel both Maenad's and Johan's eyes on him like hot coals. "You knew this all along? And you didn't tell me?" "She begged me not to! She knew you'd be upset, but she was going to tell you…eventually." Maenad made an odd series of pouncing gestures, and raced off through the reeds in the direction of the village, leaving the other wolf behind. "Now what? Where is the dog off to?" asked Swanhild. This day was getting stranger and stranger. "To get help?" "How is she going to ask anyone for help? She can't speak, and we can't move this 'Sabina' yet." "Peewit, go with her. Like Swanhild said, she can't speak, remember? I'll stay here with Sabina. We'll discuss your not telling me about this later ." Peewit was gasping for air and holding his side when he finally caught up with the werewolf, who immediately changed and began berating him for stealing her ring. Peewit wished he'd stayed back by the pond to have a mere awkward conversation with Johan. …"And now it's lost forever! I promised I wouldn't let that ring out of my possession, did you forget, or are you just that stupid? But you had to go and take it and look what's happened! Now I'll never get another one. And another thing…" Thankfully, the village appeared on the horizon. "Hop on my back, Peewit, after I change." Really? You'd let me do that?" "It's faster and Sabina needs our help. I don't want to blow my cover. Not now when there are more important things to worry about." Peewit hopped on her back, grabbed fistfuls of fur, and then held on for dear life as she shot across the marsh towards to village…making sure to hit every low-lying tree branch, shrub and big puddle on the way, much to Peewit's terror. She loped into town and shook off with a spray of water, knocking a bruised and filthy Peewit off in the process.  "I think she might still be mad at me…" he said as He stumbled to his feet.  The strange, stout wolves patrolled the pond, keeping their distance from the humans there until the smell and distant sound of more humans caused them to scatter. Peewit trotted up riding Biquette, followed by Cyneric and some of the men from the village. They were all surprised to see Dennis was now a young lady, but carried her back, with Peewit answering the many, many questions. Johan stayed at her side, a mixture of shock and worry subduing him. He wanted to scoop her up and carry her back to the village, and get a straight answer from her himself, but he had to restrain that urge; there would be enough trouble just by her being here. Sabina was still dazed when the rescue party reached the village, and was taken immediately to the hut of the village Herbwife to be looked over. Johan and Peewit were invited to come and eat with Johan's family. Johan did so reluctantly until he was reassured that the princess was asleep and would be best left undisturbed. "That girl you snuck here will be fine under the Herbwife's care, Johan," assured Cyneric once they were comfortably eating in a smoke-filled, thatched roof hall. Maenad went round the table looking for scraps. It was really more "threatening" than "begging." Such a thing would be beneath her, even when pretending to be a pet. A moonless night lay think outside of the flicker of the torches and lamps. "I didn't sneak her anywhere! I was as surprised as anyone to learn Dennis was really Sabina…well, almost anyone." Both Johan and Maenad shot a look at Peewit, who ignored them and went on eating. "Sabina…that's her name?" Edelhart sat deep in thought, "I recall Queen Anne having a daughter by the same name...tell me that's not the same girl!" "It is." Johan couldn't lie; Queen Anne was Sabina's mother and the Good King's sister. " Queen Anne? This girl is a princess?" "Why on earth did you bring her here? Surely she didn't go with her uncle's blessing into such danger, dressed as a man?" "I told you, I didn't bring her here, she ran away!" "It's true, Johan didn't know. Sabina told me herself; I only knew it was her because I saw through the spell! She was about be married against her will." "But if she was being forced to marry, why did she follow you, Johan? Why didn't she go to a place where she could disappear without magic or having to pretend to be a boy, like a Free City or a convent?" "I…I don't know. Perhaps she knew how isolated this place we were going was, and wanted to disappear here. This is a place where royalty doesn't matter, if I recall." Johan was visibly uncomfortable; he had to decide between lying and looking like a fool, or telling the whole truth and facing even worse consequences. "We have to take her back," said Edelhart. "Her uncle will have sent out search parties. You know he assumed the duties of her father after her parents died, and she is his only heir now. And as I recall, her governess was that harpy Dame Barbara. She'll find some way to put the blame for all this on you, Johan. She's tried similar tricks  before , and you have far less claim to innocence than I did. The best thing to do is return to Hauvon as soon as possible." "My uncle is right; it's all well and good that she wanted to join our fellow runaways here, but if she is indeed the only heir to a kingdom, she'll endanger all of us if word of her gets out. Fulk would leap at the opportunity to 'rescue' her." Johan and Peewit both agreed with heavy hearts. The best they could do now was damage control, and claim innocence of any wrongdoing by reason of magical trickery. "I'm assuming you will come to Hauvon with us, father? It's you we came for, and I'm sure the King will be happy to see you again." "You're welcome to come or go as you please, uncle. But you will always be welcome as a kinsman among our people, as will you, Johan and Peewit." Despite the late hour, Johan asked the Herbwife to visit Sabina as soon as she was awake. The plump, middle aged woman only spoke the odd dialect of all the residents of the marshes, and Johan ended up resorting to using his father's native tongue, as it was somewhat more intelligible to her. She agreed, and let him into her hut, standing outside the door to keep an ear on the couple. Sabina sat on a bed of stuffed straw, eating some kind of soup from a wooden bowl. The cottage was small and lit only by a fire in the central hearth. Bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling, giving the room an aromatic smell. She heard the door creak, and turned. Her eyes grew wide when she saw Johan, and she quickly looked down at the borrowed pesant dress that she wore. "Did you have to cut off all your hair?" He sat down next to her. She didn't answer him. "Why didn't you tell me, Sabina?" Johan switched back the language of their homeland, knowing that the Herbwife was listening in. "I knew you'd send me away. I knew you'd be angry about me taking such a risk. But I really was going to tell you." "I would have been less angry if you'd just told me. I was scared to death seeing that you had nearly drowned, and you did put all of us in a lot of danger by doing this. How are we going to explain running away and disguising yourself as my squire to the King when we go back? To Gerard? To Dame Barbara? I already look foolish enough." "I wasn't planning on going back. I…I never thought about it. About you being angry or looking foolish, or... I've really made a mess of everything, haven't I?" She bit her lip and stared at the dirt floor. All her well laid plans weren't so well laid after all. "It's all right, it's all right. We'll go back together, and everything will be fine. My father is coming with us, he can explain…" "No it won't," she said, looking him in the eyes for the first time, "I did all this because I wanted to be with you, and now that can't happen. It was all for nothing." "We were together; I just wish you'd have been more honest with me. You could have at least let me know after Peewit found out. I could have kept you safe." "I actually liked not being safe," She said, giving a small grin. "Nobody treated me like a helpless girl, and I got to learn all the things from you that I was never allowed to learn back home. Well, except for swimming." "I can still teach you a few things on the way home, you know. I don't think Peewit or Father will mind if we're discreet. It'll be just like old times back home." The Herbwife made impatient noises outside her door. "I should go. Good night, Princess." "Please don't call me that. Royalty doesn't count in this place, remember? I'm no more a princess here than you are a prince. Let's just be a boy and a girl while we're here." "All right," he said, squeezing her hand before he left.