The Final Task

Enna escorted me outside to the edge of a small lake and I was soon joined by Opal, Rowena and Galatea. We stood in silence, stealing glances at each other every so often, or just appreciating the beauty of the gardens and the lake in the middle. It was certainly beautiful. The green sparkled emerald in the early morning sun, and the lake glittered in the light. There was a gentle breeze, a coolness in the air signifying the early hour.

Eventually, the host from the previous events soon arrived and addressed the group.

"Champions, welcome. It is admirable that you have made it this far, and regardless of the results, all of you will be able to return to your peoples with pride. This will be your final task. If you pass, the court will choose their favourite. Now. Your task is to swim to the other side of the lake, solve the puzzle that awaits you and swim back."

It sounded simple enough, but I knew from swimming at home that waters such as these usually had hidden depths and strong currents. Plus, they were impossibly cold in anything less than summer heat. Added to that that we weren't dressed for swimming but rather decked out in matching dresses, I had a feeling that only the girls with real drive would succeed. The last few challenges had lulled us into a false sense of security. This new task was a reminder that this was a tournament we were staking our lives on to win.

"You can start whenever you are ready. This challenge does not have a time limit, and only one of you will be eliminated from the championships." Looking at the others it seemed we were all equally reluctant to go in. There might be fish and stuff in there. And the idea of weeds clinging to me as I swam made me shudder. But I had to do this. The Village was counting on me. The Prime was counting on me. Silk was counting on me. So I plaited my hair away from my face and ripped my skirt to a scandalous length (scandalous for Central at least) above my knees. I kicked my shoes off and stood at the edge of the lake. Then I plunged in.

I gasped as I was suddenly surrounded by icy water. I started kicking out and swimming to get myself moving. I looked up and saw the other side and focused on moving my arms and legs. I heard three other splashes behind me but I didn't turn around. I needed all my focus on moving and not being pulled under by the cold, cold water. I could feel myself slowing as I got towards the middle of the lake and I had to chant in my head, just a bit more, just a bit more, just a bit more. My muscles were aching and I felt so tired. The current was hellishly strong and if I stopped for even a second I knew I would get swept away.

I swam and I swam, powering forward and ignoring the cold leeching into my bones. Somehow I made it. I dragged myself onto shore and just lay there panting. I could feel my body cool down as the air hit my drenched body. I had not been this exhausted, this bone tired, since my training.

"I was exhausted, sweat covered my entire body in a greasy film. I could barely hear my harsh breaths over the roaring thud of the blood pumping round my body.

"Get up!" Silk yelled sharply. You aren't done yet. Again." I pushed myself up and stood shakily. I had been training for hours, and I felt close to collapse. "Now!"

Taking a deep breath, I launched myself at the cliff face, scrabbling for purchase. Grasping blindly, I found foot and hand holds in the rock and pulled myself up, and up, continuing to climb, higher and higher. "Faster!" I sped up as much as I could, till I reached the top, parts of the cliff crumbling beneath my feet. I reached the top of the cliff and crawled to a tree set a little ways back from the edge. I attached the rope I carried to the tree trunk, securing it and tugging to test the knot, which held firm. Wrapping the rope round my wrist, I tried to calm my heart, and then I leapt off. The wind rushed past me, whooshing in my ears as I plummeted down. I had to time my release just right, or I would uproot the tree again, or be thrown back into the cliff and snap my arm or worse, my back instead. As the ground came closer, I felt tension in the rope, and in that instant I released, diving down before tucking my legs and head in and rolling over and over into the river.

"That was better than before," Silk mused. "Go catch us some dinner, and I'll let you have a warm bath tonight. Don't forget to bring back the rope. They don't grow on trees." She walked off back towards the compound. I stared back up at the tree on top of the cliff where the rope was tied and groaned.

I had to move. I could do this. I was nowhere near my limit yet. Pulling myself up from the muddy shore I trudged towards one of four tables set up. There was a key inside a box on each one. There was a note that simply said, get the key. I picked up the box and examined it for any joins. As I did so I saw Galatea pull herself out, shivering and teeth chattering. She picked up the box and threw it on the ground. She started stamping on it and screaming in anger. It would not break, though I did see a few tiny cracks develop. Whilst Galatea worked through her anger issues, Opal pulled herself up, shaking but with a determined look in her eyes. She had completely dispensed with the dress and stood only in her undergarments. She approached her box, read the note, and like me examined the box. I turned back to my task, trying to focus.

It was a clear see through box, at first glance it looked like glass but it was too strong to be that. The edges seemed seamless and I couldn't find any way the open it. I pushed at the sides and looked for a weak point. To the side there was a smashing noise. Galatea had succeeded in smashing the box open. She stopped with a surprised look on her face. She snatched up the key and dove back into the lake. Whilst I was watching her my fingers were pushing at the edge and it slid open.

That was when Rowena finally reached the shore. She was wet and shivering as she pulled herself up and crawled to the last table. She heaved herself up onto it and started to read the note, clutching to the edge.

Looking back at my box, I was unsure how exactly I had done it, I took the key, tucked it inside my cleavage and, steeling myself against the cold, I once again plunged in. I heard a splash behind me and assumed Opal must have figured it out as well. I focused on getting back to shore and not sinking into a watery grave.

In front of me I heard frantic splashing ahead of me and looked up just to see Galatea's head sink under. It seemed that she did not have the stamina to finish the return trip. Especially since she had expended so much energy smashing the box open. In the end she was undone by her lack of forethought. I would love to say that I dove down to save her from the depths, but I didn't. There was no guarantee I could save her and I would be putting myself at risk. Not just myself but the fate of The Village, of the Crocasant people. If I drowned trying to save someone else they would spit on my name. If you can't keep up on the hunt, you get left behind. So, I ignored the thrashing and the eventual air bubbles when she went under for the last time. I focused on moving my screaming muscles and moving forward. Later on perhaps I would regret it, but perhaps not.

I kept swimming and somehow I did it. I dragged my body onto dry land and collapsed. I felt the cold in my bones and could not stop shivering. With the very last of my strength I pulled the key from my cleavage and held it aloft. I was quickly covered in a thick towel and carried somewhere. I don't recall much of it as I floated in and out of consciousness. I do remember being surrounded by warmth though.

I woke to Silk's calm face observing me.

"How do you feel?"

"Tired."

"That's to be expected. I have to say you did well on that last challenge. It is a good thing that we started teaching you girls to swim."

"Mmm."

"You, Opal and Rowena are the only ones left. You will be presented to the prince where he will make his choice with the help of the court. Usually, he would be given a week to get to know you and see if you are suitable, but for some reason they are rushing."

"What, so he just sees us and picks the prettiest?"

"Not exactly. He will be looking for specific traits and qualities. The court will also be observing you at all times, and they will vote on whom they find to be the best match for him. The prince will show his preference but the court will make the final decision. As such, you need to be calm, collected. In control. And most importantly, smile."

I looked at her thinking she was joking but Silks face was deadly serious.

"You are going to be Queen. You need to be able to smile at all times in all situations, even when your limbs feel like jelly from swimming across a lake in nothing but a flimsy dress."

"I understand."

"Good. Now, come on, there's a hot bath waiting for you. I'll wash your hair, it still smells of lake." Silk wrinkled her nose. She helped me up from the cosy bed and let me lean on her as we walked to the bathroom. There was a huge white tub filled with bubbles.

"Before you get in lets rinse the worst off." Silk helped me out of the now ruined dress and upended four buckets of warm water over my head, rinsing off dirt and lake water. She helped me into the tub where I sank in relief. The warm water soothed my aching bones and soon I was half asleep.

Silk washed and scrubbed me from top to bottom. It was nice to have someone looking after me. Silk always looked after me, but she was being extra gentle this time. I just lay back and enjoyed the feeling of getting clean. I wanted to ask where the Prime was, but she was probably in meetings with officials or something.

"Close your eyes and cover your ears." Silk said as she rinsed my hair. When she was done she wrapped me in a big towel and helped me back to the room. Drying me off, she put me into a flannel nightgown and helped me into the bed. Before I had just been sleeping on top of the covers, but now I got to enjoy the soft sheets too.

"Where's the Prime?" I slurred. I was fighting a losing battle against sleep.

"She's networking with other groups. Hush Sorrel. You have a big night tonight. Get as much rest as you can." By this point Silk sounded very far away and soon I slipped into a deep sleep.