“I just got news!” Jen exclaimed, rushing into Rienna’s room. “All the fifteen and sixteen-year-old kids who are from four towns or do not have any family are coming here right now! I think that there are only three of them, so that is good. I will be at the entrance greeting them. Do you want to come with me? Quelti is one of the three, and I figured you must be pretty bored.”
It was true. After the excitement of curing the mute kids, Rienna ended up having nothing to do. She somehow had managed to take another nap and was on the verge of doing something crazy. Like sprinting around the care center until she was tired enough to go to sleep again, sort of crazy. “Sure,” Rienna said. This was definitely a better way to relieve her boredom. She didn’t like running. At least, not with Xia, who didn’t even have to try. She stood up. The cats were still lying on the bed, and if they were awake, they weren’t showing any sign of it. “Let’s go.”
Jen smiled and led Rienna out of the bedroom, through the hall, and into the entrance area. Yinda was at her little desk as always, though this time she was reading a book. In one corner of the room were three simple chairs. Otherwise, the room was completely empty. There were no people, and the lack of furniture and decoration made every abnormality in the wooden floors and walls stand out.
“Their carriage should have left fifteen minutes ago, so they should be here any moment,” Jen said. She walked over to the chairs in the corner, sat down in the center one, and began gently tapping her foot. Rienna followed and sat next to her.
After a few minutes, Rienna heard the sound of horse hooves on the dirt path outside. Sure enough, a carriage had arrived. Through a window, Rienna was able to glimpse four figures climbing out of the carriage. Jen immediately jumped up from her chair and ran over to the entrance. Rienna stood up as well and walked over just in time to see Jen open the door and let the four figures inside.
The first person to come through the door was a man dressed in noble clothes. He nodded to Rienna and Jen and walked over to the desk where Yinda sat. Next came a girl and a boy who were both tall and had similarly dark brown hair. Jen began talking to them in Queltan, gesturing towards the hallway. The two of them appeared to thank her before they walked towards their rooms.
Finally, Quelti came through the door. Jen smiled, “Hei, Quelti.”
“’Hei, Quelti?’” Quelti said accusingly, “Du lenner mi lin derre! Få to yers, jeg wer lin derre. To yers!”
Jen said something defensively, and Rienna watched as the two of them argued. She just stood there, rather confused. Honestly, she wished people would stop having conversations that she couldn’t understand while she was two feet away and watching.
“Um… Excuse me… I’m not sure what’s going on, but if you could fill me in, that would be great,” Rienna said, annoyed.
Jen said something to Quelti, who Quelti stopped talking for a moment. Turning to Rienna, she said, “Quelti is upset that we left her at the camp. She thinks that it is unfair that we were able to escape in less than a day, but she has not had a chance in two years.” She glanced at Quelti and continued. “I understand why she is upset, but it is not like we just left her there! We helped her escape by telling the King the location of the camp. She could be at least a little thankful!” she said, staring straight at Quelti, who crossed her arms and said something in a matter-of-fact tone. Jen said something in Queltan, and they began yelling at each other again. Rienna sighed; this was ridiculous.
She turned to see the man who had come through the door first walking towards her. “Hello,” he said, “Are you Rienna? The King has a letter for you.” He held out an envelope to her. It was closed with a red wax stamp depicting an intricate flower like the ones that grew on top of the hedge.
“Thank you,” she told the messenger. He nodded and walked back out the door, carefully avoiding Jen and Quelti, who were just starting to settle down.
Once the man got back into the carriage and left, Rienna pried open the envelope. Inside was a sturdy parchment with small, thin flower and vine designs at the top of the page. Cautiously unfolding the paper, Rienna saw fancy flowing writing that was thankfully in her language.
Dear Rienna,
It came to my attention that you wished to go to Westrikov Kontravi with the children who are from there. I see no problem with this. We are planning to have three caravans go to Westrikov in the next two days.
First Caravan: @9am – The majority of the children
Second Caravan: @3pm – Some trading supplies & the children
who are unable to go on the morning caravan
Third Caravan: @7am the next day – Any children who need a
day of recovery
I suggest you take either the second or third caravan so that you have time to complete my following request. Recently, I have received news that your crystal has proven to be a cure for mute children. I would appreciate it if you could meet me at the castle at 5 pm this evening to discuss the possibility of you gifting the crystal to Rufdand. I will send a carriage to bring you here. It will likely arrive at four-thirty.
Sincerely,
King Hoyand
By the time she finished reading, Quelti had disappeared, and Jen was watching her intently. “What does it say?” Jen asked.
“It says that King Hoyand has no problem with me leaving to go to Four Towns but that he wants my crystal,” Rienna responded, handing the letter over to Jen.
Reading over the letter, Jen said, “I guess that was to be expected. Although, he does have a completely valid reason this time.” She handed the letter back to Rienna, “What are you going to do?”
Rienna folded the parchment and returned it to its place in the envelope. “I guess I’ll meet with the King. I don’t want to give him my crystal, though. It’s my way home… but it’s the only way we know of to cure muteness, and there will probably be others who need it…”
Jen looked into Rienna’s eyes. “It’s four o’clock now, so you only have half an hour to think about this. Personally, I think you should give him the crystal, but you’re right; it’s your only way home. So,” she said, “leave the crystal here. Put it in your dresser and tell him that you will bring it to him tomorrow morning. He obviously is expecting that since he gave you that time in the letter.”
“Okay,” Rienna said. “Thank you.”
Jen smiled somewhat sadly, “Of course. Magic is not something to fool around with. Keep that crystal if that is what you think is best.” She patted Rienna’s shoulder. “I have classes with Qun. Kulendale this evening, so I have to go now. Good luck with the King.” She waved to Yinda and walked out the door, closing it behind her.
“Thanks,” Rienna said weakly. Going to meet the King? On my own?! She shook her head and walked back to her room. This day was turning out to be not nearly as relaxing as she hoped it would be.
Just like it was promised, a carriage came to the care center around four-thirty. Rienna had been summoned out of bed by Yinda, who had been talking loudly and quickly. Not that Rienna understood a word she had said. The carriage had been very similar to the one she had rode in when she first went to see the King. Three times, I’ve been summoned by the King. Is that normal? She had thought. She had hidden the crystal inside her pillowcase with the cats to protect it. Still, the entire ride to the castle had been full of anxious thoughts.
Now, she stood in front of the castle, staring up at the giant, open doors. A guard with a metal helmet obscuring his face had just come through the door, and he gestured for Rienna to follow him inside. She hesitated; Jen had done most of the talking the last two times. If she did this alone, would she mess up terribly? She forced herself not to hesitate too long, though; she would save any mistakes and suspicious behavior when she was actually with the king.
They followed the carpet through the castle, past the ‘throne room,’ and into what Rienna had deigned the ‘meeting room.’ Already waiting for her was the King. He gestured to the chair in front of him. She thought it was a little silly, really; she had always imagined meeting royalty as being a big deal, but here in Rufdand, it felt… mildly special, somewhat important, kind of informal. She sat down on the chair quietly.
“I hear that crystal of yours cures the magic-induced muteness,” the king started.
“It does,” Rienna said matter-of-factly. I am only ten years old; why do they expect me to make any important decisions? She thought resentfully, her mind already skipping all over the place, predicting what the king would say next.
“I take it you received my letter?” the king asked, smiling.
“Yes.” Hurry it up!
He nodded thoughtfully. “So, what is your take on the matter?”
Don’t mess this up. Be careful. Choose your words wisely. “I completely agree that it is important for Rufdand to have a piece of crystal. However, I need that crystal to go home.”
“Home… To the kingdom that caused all this trouble?” The king asked slowly.
“It’s where my family is. It’s my home.” Even if I have no idea what I’ll do when I get there...
The king looked up at the ceiling with a slight frown. He then looked back at Rienna and smiled again, “So what will you do?” Rienna could see the hidden tension in his smile.
He was thinking it would somehow be easier than this. But then why did he hint that I would need the entirety of tomorrow morning to ‘complete his request?’ Remember what you practiced. “I will attempt to fragment the crystal and give Rufdand a piece by tomorrow at eight,” she said, exactly as she had rehearsed. She felt herself relax, just a little bit.
The tension in the king’s smile struggled to take over for just a second so quickly it was hardly visible. Rienna wasn’t even entirely sure it had changed at all. “What if that… reduces the amount of magic in the crystal?” He asked.
I bet he was hoping to try and infuse himself or something with the crystal’s power. Rienna thought angrily. But then he wouldn’t be able to use it to help the mute children. The optimistic side of her mind chided. “It should still be fine. If I understand it correctly -which I’ll admit, I am definitely not an expert- then it’s the presence of the crystal and its power that cancels the magic rather than the amount of power that the crystal has.” She paused for a second, then continued. “Though, I’ll make sure that I give you a substantial piece of crystal tomorrow morning.”
The king hesitated. Finally, he sighed, “Very well. I will send a trustworthy messenger to collect the crystal tomorrow at eight. Although, if you ever change your mind before then, feel free to give the entire crystal to whoever I decide to send.” He waved over the guard who was standing by the door, “Escort her back to her carriage, please.”
The guard nodded and stepped up to Rienna’s chair. She stood up and followed the guard back into the throne room. Well… I guess that didn’t go so badly,… she thought as they walked through the halls. I just need a way to break the crystal. It shouldn’t be that hard. They exited the castle, and Rienna stepped up into the carriage. Not long after, they were leaving the castle. I still don’t get why he would go through all that effort for such a short meeting, though...
It took around half an hour, as usual, to get back to the care center. When they got there, though, Rienna immediately ran into her room, where the cats were relaxing. “Xia!” she said loudly, “I need your help!”
Xia, who was in the middle of grooming her tail, looked up at Rienna and gave her a disdainful look. “Mrow.”
“Please! I need to break the crystal into two pieces by tomorrow morning, and it will be a whole lot easier with your powers of wind and weight,” Rienna said hastily. It was already 5:45 pm, and Rienna wanted to eat dinner, take a bath, and go to bed before nine. Which reminded her she still needed to ask Jen if there was a bath…
Xia sighed, “Mow,” she agreed. Full of grace, she stood up and jumped off the bed… almost running into the dresser and ending up scrambling across the floor to Rienna. She shook herself and gave a small chirp. She looked up at Rienna, “Meow.”
Rienna shook her head, smiling. “Okay,” she said, “Let’s go outside. I think there’s a nice open area around the back of the care center.” She walked over to the bed and grabbed the crystal from the pillowcase.
Xia didn’t even nod; she just walked out the door with her head and tail held high.
Rienna quickly followed, walking through the hallway and out the entrance. She saw the dirt path that she had followed her first day here when she had gone into the main town. This time, though, she followed Xia around the building. The grass was tall, and Rienna had to step higher than usual so that she could keep up with Xia. Finally, they got to a nice clearing behind the building that was somewhat rocky and had a short tree, like the ones in the hills outside the hedge.
Xia walked over to a small boulder and looked back at Rienna. Suddenly, the crystal grew extremely heavy, and Rienna was forced to drop it. It then floated gently over to where Xia was standing.
“I could have brought it to you, you know!” Rienna said angrily. “You didn’t need to force it out of my hands!”
Xia ignored her and sent the crystal up into the sky. Once it was just a little bit above the height of the tree, it abruptly plummeted from the sky and landed with a loud PAP! on the rock below.
Rienna slowly approached the rock to look at the crystal. She watched carefully as Xia began to make it float again. There was hardly a scratch on it. Rienna sighed, and Xia sent the crystal far up into the air again. There was another loud pap as the crystal hit the rock yet again. She looked at the crystal; yet again, there was hardly a scratch. She sat down and waited as Xia sent the crystal up into the sky and down to hit the rock again… and again… and again.
Suddenly, a cracking noise sounded through the air as the crystal fell on the rock. Rienna jumped up and rushed over to look at the crystal. She picked it up and looked over it carefully. There certainly don’t seem to be any cracks in the crystal… She looked down at the rock. It was split into three pieces. “Ughhhhhh!” Rienna groaned. Xia looked properly miffed as well.
“I guess we'll just find another boulder and try again,” Rienna said tiredly. Xia mewed in apparent agreement and began inspecting the rocks nearby.
Soon, they found another boulder and began the same process as before. Rock after rock after rock, the crystal broke them all. They were beginning to have trouble finding objects to test against the crystal’s strength. I almost wasn’t even about breaking the crystal anymore, but rather what rock could stay whole the longest. The sun was going down in the sky, though, and Rienna had a feeling that they should stop. So they walked back to the care center in defeat. How am I going to fulfill my deal with King Hoyand if the crystal won’t break?
Rienna walked into the lounge, and Xia continued to Rienna’s room. Entering the lounge, Rienna was surprised to see more than a dozen kids, and also Yinda, eating. There were more tables and chairs set up than usual, and the snack table looked more like a buffet table.
“Rienna!” Jen exclaimed. “There you are! I could not find you.”
Rienna paused, “Yeah… I was trying to break my crystal. Boring story short, it didn’t work.” She handed the crystal over to Jen, who examined it carefully.
“Well, at least you got it to crack somewhat,” Jen said, to Rienna’s surprise. “By the time you have to give it to the King tomorrow, you will be able to split it.”
“There’s a crack?!” Rienna said, “It wasn’t a complete waste of time?!”
“I would not think so, no,” Jen said, handing the crystal back to Rienna, amused.
“Huh,” Rienna said, grabbing the crystal and staring at the split. She looked up and around the room. “So… what’s going on here?”
Jen’s face lit up. “We are having a feast! Well, a small feast… But we wanted to celebrate bringing all those kids back! I was just about to leave to see if I could find musical instruments; some of the kids who have been here a while have become really good at playing music,” she said enthusiastically. “Actually, I should be getting those since some of these kids haven’t talked for a while. They are not great at simple social conversations. It has been making things a bit awkward… I am sitting at the table with Yinda; I will meet you there,” Jen said, running out the door.
“But I’m pretty sure Yinda doesn’t like me,” Rienna said, but Jen was already gone. “I guess I’ll go sit with Yinda then,” she mumbled. She saw other kids eating already, so she assumed that it was fine to serve yourself. She walked to the feast table and grabbed a plate that was at one end. She walked along the table, grabbing different foods that she knew and liked. There were so many delicious aromas that Rienna had a hard time grabbing all that she wanted while making sure she didn’t have too much. By the time she got to the end of the table, she had grabbed a beautifully cooked chicken drumstick, a small baked potato with cheese and bacon, a slice of bread and cheese, some roasted carrots, and a sausage and chicken kebab. And there was still so much that she would’ve gladly eaten if her plate hadn’t seemed so full.
Rienna wandered over to the table where Yinda was sitting with two other children. There were a total of six seats around the table. She glanced at where Yinda was sitting and sat the farthest from her that she could, which ended up being two chairs away. The chair that she sat in was simple but not necessarily uncomfortable.
Rienna picked up the kebab stick and brought it to her mouth. Suddenly, Yinda spoke, looking directly at her, “Det er en lott få un ung jente. Liker du fite?” Rienna couldn’t tell if the question was genuine or possibly accusing, so she just stared blankly at Yinda, slowly bringing the chicken at the top of the kebab into her mouth and eating it. Yinda sighed wearily but looked slightly amused.
As Rienna ate her food, a thought came to her suddenly: My birthday is in five days. Assuming I’ve been keeping track of the days correctly. Would she be able to get back to Vieryen by then? Probably not… Plus, did it really matter that she turned eleven outside of Vieryen? Still, for some reason, it seemed… sad. She chewed the piece of bread she had grabbed thoughtfully. I’ll miss any presents though… Perhaps that was the sad part? No, that wasn’t it. It was the fact that she would spend her birthday without her parents that made her so sad. She was still disappointed that she wouldn’t get cake or presents, but her parents had been around her entire life, and not only did she leave for over a week without telling them, but they also wouldn’t be part of her birthday this year.
All of a sudden, bright and jolly music began playing behind Rienna. She turned around and saw a group of five kids playing various musical instruments. She recognized a violin and some drums, but the other three instruments were unfamiliar. The music was exciting, though. It was fast-paced and happy, and the musicians were all smiling. Some kids even stood up and started dancing.
Rienna spotted Jen walking over from the corner of the room with the music; she was smiling and had a bounce in her step that went in time with the music. She reached the table and sat down beside Rienna. “I found their instruments!” She said happily.
“They’re amazing!” Rienna exclaimed.
“I know, right?” Jen said. “A couple of them have been playing music since they were really young, but the other three started from scratch within the past few years.”
“Are they from the place with those four towns?” Rienna asked.
“No, they’re all from Rufdand. The kids who stay here longer than a few weeks often either have no family or need more help,” Jen explained. “Since they can all speak now, I guess some of them will go back home with their families, and the rest will at least start going back to actual school.” She seemed happy, but there was something about her tone that was sad. Rienna felt glad for the other kids but knew that the community at the care center would change dramatically.
“Are there any kids here who aren’t here because they are kidnapped?” Rienna asked suddenly.
Jen hesitated a moment, then gave an embarrassed smile, “Sorry, I did not quite understand what you said; it was a little fast.”
Rienna also felt embarrassed but rephrased what she said. “Are there kids at the care center,” she started, trying to choose the right phrasing, “who never left Rufdand or were kidnapped?”
“Oh,” Jen said, “Yes, there are a few. Most are orphans, but I know that there have been mentally disabled children in the past.”
“So the care center will still be useful?”
“I believe so, yes,” Jen replied. “It will just be… emptier.”
The rest of the meal consisted of a little more conversation between Rienna and Jen. The musicians took breaks every once in a while to both rest and eat some more. Rienna ended up going back to the food table to try a different type of food that Jen had suggested to her. It was called yahti. It was a delicious combination of sourdough bread, melted cheese, beef, and bacon. She would have to remember to try to recreate it in Vieryen. Eventually, though, the party came to an end, and everyone went back to their rooms.
When Rienna got back to her room, she grabbed a bag and began to pack the few things that she had. The cats were disappointed when they realized that they had missed food, but Rienna, fortunately, brought back a kebab for them to share. She left the crystal outside of the bag, knowing that she would have to find a way to split it in the morning. She also didn’t pack any clothes since she only had one set that wasn’t from the care center. In fact, the bag ended up completely empty besides the jar of sunscreen that Jen had given her.
Rienna sighed, blew out the candle that was her light source, and flopped down onto the bed. She had gotten about a day's worth of rest, and now she was about to begin another long journey in an attempt to get back to Vieryen. Before she even did that, though, she had to find a way to split the crystal, see if she could take a bath since she had forgotten to today, decide which caravan she was going to go on, and pack food, water, and maybe a map if she could get one. Also, she was exhausted, even after a full day of rest. It didn’t seem fair, but she also wouldn’t get a better chance to travel to the Four Towns.
She got under the covers of the bed and pushed her face into the pillow, making it so that she could no longer see even a hint of light. She stayed there for a minute, breathing shallowly until Xia startled her by jumping right next to her head and purring loudly. Turning on her side, Rienna was able to see both of her cats snuggled up on the bed. Xio was kneading gently, and Xia’s deep purring relaxed Rienna immensely. She closed her eyes again. I may be a long way from home, but at least I have Xio and Xia. she thought. So she let her thoughts drift away and settled into a deep slumber.
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