Something to Cling to

Mairwen awoke with a start. She was in a bed, and her muscles were so stiff from exertion that she could barely move. The curtains in the guest room were drawn tight but it was clearly midday, possibly later.

'How did I get here?' Rolling onto her side, the princess saw two figures in chairs sleeping peacefully. At one point they must have been watching over her, but had drifted off. Mairwen felt a small pang of guilt for making them wait so long.

She shut her eyes. The bed was so soft, it was almost like the night before was just a nightmare. Maybe this was still part of the dream. Yes, soon Mairwen was sure she would wake up in her own bed in her own room at the palace, and Renat would kiss her on the cheek gently like he did every morning--

Mairwen let out a piercing scream as she sat up suddenly. From his seat, Alaron shot toward the bed and took his sister's hand. "What is it? Are you hurt?"

"Renat!" the princess sobbed, falling onto her brother's shoulder. He gathered her up in his arms and sat next to her on the bed.

"There there," he comforted her. The man had no other words to offer. They sat like this for some time while the princess calmed down.

Alaron turned with his dark hood and faced the Duchess. She was staring at the two of them, her mind puzzling out what she was seeing. At that moment, the Guardian did not care what she thought of them. His sister was broken, and he would be there for her no matter what.

"I am assuming someone would have come to get us if there had been any news," he said crisply.

"Most likely. I shall be a good hostess and go and check on your behalf." Ashleigh rose from her seat. Knowing how much more the other two had been through, she tried not to show how much her muscles ached from the simple act of sitting in a chair for too long.

Mairwen quieted, her breath coming out raggedly as she looked up with her red-rimmed eyes. "Thank you, duchess," she breathed.

Ashleigh dipped a curtsy, her joints creaking. "Anything for you, Your Highness. You are family. While you wait, please do make use of the bath," she said softly. "I will send in the servants with the water." She glanced at the man. "I will have a bath drawn for you next door.

Alaron did not argue, though he had little intention of removing his cloak. "Thank you, Your Grace."

Sweeping silently from the room, Ashleigh did as she promised. Servants with buckets of steaming water entered the room, being careful not to stare at the curious scene on the bed.

"We should probably stand on the floor," the princess suggested, her voice becoming more even. The wave of hysteria had passed, and she was ready to move forward. Mairwen had been through all these emotions before, so they were strangely familiar.

"What? Oh!" Now that the princess was calm, Alaron realized how things must look. He planted his feet firmly on the floor and helped his sister stand. With his thumb, he wiped a stray tear from her delicate cheek.

"I am alright now," she assured him. "I will bathe as the duchess suggested."

Mairwen slid out of his reach and removed the Guardian's cloak from around her shoulders. She wondered for a moment why Junayd had the magical cape, but in the end she did not care to pursue the matter just now. All she wanted was her husband. And for lack of that, she wanted to make herself presentable so she could go in search of him.

"Are you sure you alright being alone?" Alaron asked, seeing the lines of worry on her face.

Mairwen inhaled deeply through her nose in a sigh that turned to a grimace. "I'm sure," she said as convincingly as she could. "And you should get clean as well. You smell like moldy cheese."

"Hey, I do not..." Alaron sniffed experimentally under his arm. His toes curled. "Ok, point taken. I will be back soon."

With a flourish, the man disappeared into the shadows and exited into the hall.

"The bath is ready. Shall I help you, Your Highness?" A servant finally dared to approach the princess. With the other figure present, no one had dared interact with them.

Mairwen straightened her shoulders and put on a brave face. She did need help, but not the kind this woman could provide. "I would like my privacy, please."

The servant nodded and she and her companions quickly exited. Mairwen's shoulders slumped. Despite wanting to be alone, the empty room felt lonely. She realized that she didn't want just anyone's company; she wanted Renat.

Somehow, she pushed past her gloomy thoughts, and plunged herself beneath the steamy water. The dirt and grime from the road washed from her face and body, leaving behind her lithe skin and pink cheeks.

Before long, the lady was wrapped in a towel and trying to decide how she should proceed. Her bag had been lost, but even if it hadn't she had no clothing in it that was indicative of her station. Princess dresses did not exactly fit in satchels.

She peeked out of her washing room and back into the bedchamber. To her relief, a petit gown was lying, freshly pressed, across one of the reclining chairs.

The dress was lightly decorated and lilac, and was far superior to going out without anything at all. Mairwen slipped on the gown and did her best to tie the sash. It was a wide, old-fashioned ribbon, but the princess found a way to manage it to make herself look presentable.

Although the fit was a bit loose, and slightly too long, it did not look awkward. The low heeled shoes, thankfully, fit better than the rest or walking would have been difficult.

Exiting into the hall, Mairwen found her brother waiting for her. His cloak looked clean—though it had never actually looked dirty—and the musty smell was gone. 'He must have washed at least a little,' Mairwen decided.

"Duchess Ashleigh has offered to take us to the dock herself," Alaron told her as he offered his elbow. She looped her arm into his

"The dock?" The princess tried to remember if she had seen such a place when she entered town. "Doesn't the Duchess have other things to which she needs to attend."

"Apparently not. Her words were, 'I am an old woman with servants and soldiers to take care of all my needs. What use am I if not to attend my cousin and her Guardian?' She then casually asked me if I had ever met a water nymph…" Alaron paused, the angst in his voice coming to a head.

"What did you say?" Mairwen knew that Alaron had met the Duchess while in the arms of Wai the water nymph.

"After nearly choking, I asked her why she wanted to know." The Guardian answered.

"And?"

"Your cousin shrugged and said that they sometimes played within the flood waters and wondered if I might be able to get their attention to ask for help."

Mairwen relaxed. "That makes sense."

The silver eyed man grunted. "I suppose, but it did feel like a rather pointed question. She is rather odd."

"Father calls her delightfully odd. I rather like her myself." Mairwen could see a little of herself in the woman. Among other things, they both had magical beings as friends and tended to be rather stubborn.

"I am glad someone in the royal family thinks well of me," Ashleigh said casually, startling the pair. As they rounded the corner, the twins found the Duchess waiting for them with her hands folded. "At least the Emperor thinks I'm delightful; that does take out the sting a little bit."

Mairwen's cheeks drained of their color. She bowed her head in embarrassment as she dipped a respectful curtsy. "I did not mean to offend you!"

"Nonsense. I pride myself on being a little eccentric. It was one of the ways I survived under Zephyra's purge. Once I spouted all manner of crazy promises on behalf of myself and my brother, the former Empress did not see me as a threat, you see. When I told her to send me to Oblivion, she thought I was quite mad. What normal noblewoman willingly settles in a town that becomes an island for three months out of a year?"

"You have a point," Alaron agreed, before being elbowed by his sister.

Ashleigh chuckled, "The Guardian is quite right. Perhaps I should thank His Majesty for seeing me for who I really am." Her smile faded as she regarded the young princess's pleading eyes.

"Did you hear anything about Renat?" Mairwen wanted to know.

"I have not received any word from the docks, which is why I want to go with you there myself." Ashleigh hooked her arm onto the opposite side of Mairwen from Alaron. To the outside, it looked like the older woman was using the younger for support. Really, she wanted to help the young woman with whatever would come.

"Chin up, Your Highness. No news is better than bad news. Until we know otherwise, we will choose hope." Ashleigh nodded determinedly.

"I will not only choose hope; I will cling to it." The princess tightened her grip on each of her companions. Until they knew more, hope was all any of them had. Fragile hope, but it was better than despair.