Phoenix Stone

Catrine sat and nodded her head, as her teacher Thomas went through the daily lessons. She tuned him out as she sat and stared outside. Waiting impatiently for the day to be over. She fluttered her wings, flipping her raven hair from one shoulder to the next out of nervous habit. Her hands went to her lap and played over the short red silk dress that she was wearing. It was one of her favorites. Along the hem and collar, silver threads were interwoven into the shape of flames, that played over the fabric. “Catrine? Catrine! Are you listening to me?” She glanced up at her blonde headed tutor, who by this time was fluttering his wings in agitation. Her hazel eyes were filled with surprise at the voice that broke through her thought filled silence. “I’ve been asking the same question for the past…, “ Thomas sighed and shook his head. “Never mind. Were you daydreaming again?” He crossed his arms a crossed his chest. “You know what your father will say if he hears about this, young lady.”
“Thomas, I’m sorry. I just can’t help myself. It’s such a beautiful day outside…I just want to stretch my wings. Is that so wrong?” she asked smiling up at him.
For a moment he kept the same stony expression. Then he laughed. “You always know just what to do to get to me, don’t you? All right, get out of here. But, if your father asks, I didn’t cut lessons early. Got it?” She sprang out of her chair and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Thank you, Thomas! You’re the most wonderful sprite I know!” Then she bolted out of the room.
She ran down the hall and past Marigold her best friend. Half flying, half sprinting after Catrine, Marigold managed to catch up. “Hey, are we going to go see Cornelius today?” her thin red headed friend asked, emerald eyes sparklingCatrine shook her head, “No, I’ve got to talk to Juno before he manages to leave the Destinia Kingdom again. He’s the only one who can possible get me out of here without father noticing..” They landed at the foot of the palace gates. The guard that day was Jasper, on of the young guards. That is if you could call 34 young. His hair was already starting to crawl with shades of gray, and crows’ feet form beneath his eyes. “Hey Jasper, you mind letting me loose? I think my wings need a stretch.” Catrine said with her sweetest smile.
He shook his head, grinning, “You know that I can’t do that princess. I do and you know that I’ll get in trouble.”
“Please?!? I’ll only be gone for a few hours. Please?,” Catrine begged.
Jasper looked around. Then he glanced back at the girls, and grinned. “All right. If you promise that you won’t say anything about me letting you out…deal?”
The two girls turned to each other and then back to Jasper with big smiles, and chimed together, “Deal!” Jasper opened the gates and let them through. The girls turned around to thank him, but he had already closed the gates. They took off, out past the Gono Tree, and beyond the Chasm of Brudia, which was approximately four miles west of the Calriditia Kingdom they had learned to call home. Way out beyond the boundaries that their parents had placed before them.
Marigold kept throwing a nervous glance over her shoulder. Catrine looked at her and then started laughing. “Don’t look so paranoid. No one even knows that we’re alive half of the time, do you really think that they’re going to notice us being gone for an hour or so?”
Marigold gave a mischievous grin that went straight to her eyes. “I don’t know, but you being a princess and all…the other guards are sure to notice that you’re gone. After all, how can they not? It is their wings if you get hurt, and they know it.”
Catrine grin fell from her face and she ran a thin nervous hand through her hair. “Shades! Do you think that they will? They never have before, but father is an old stuffy sprite. He noticed the last time that we were gone.”
Marigold sniffed, “First off don’t use such language. It’s not proper, I mean what would your mother say? And second, I was only teasing. Your father only noticed because we were gone the entire afternoon. If we’re only gone an hour or so he shouldn’t notice.”
Catrine sighed with relief. “You’re right as usual, Gold. I don’t think that he will.” She threw a nut at Marigolds shoulders and the younger fairy yelped in surprise. Catrine started to giggle. “Now who’s nervous?” They looked at each other and broke out into laughter. They touched down in a near by elm to take a breather. As they looked around into the grove they saw the glittering roof tops of the Destinia Kingdom, and just barely they could make out the fairies, working hard as ever to keep their town flourishing. Marigold and Catrine glanced at each other, and grinned. They jumped off the tree and allowed themselves to fall for what seemed like an eternity, before they opened their wings and allowed a strong wind to carry them forward. As they got closer the fairies got bigger. Soon enough they could pick out Kaspinier, the dressmaker, and Havita the jeweler.
When they reached the center of the city, they touched down in the nearest tree, looking around for Juno. Then Marigold saw him. His auburn hair glittering in the sun, and his festive blue vest setting of the specks of sky blue in his eyes. Even at this distance that ocean blue was visible. “hey, Catrine. He’s over there! By the fruit stand, do you want me to…?” But before she could finish off her sentence, Catrine was already off and flying straight towards him.
“Juno!”, she shouted. Just as she did so, Juno turned around and she had to stop just short of running into him and ended up hitting the fruit stand instead. Cherries, apples, peaches, and other fruits went everywhere. Catrine shook her head to clear her vision and picked herself up off the ground. She looked at Juno, whose face was now in an ear-to-ear grin. Catrine turned as red as her skirt and cast her eyes down at the ground. “I’m sorry, sir. I should have been watching were I was going,” she stammered. As she glanced at the fruit stand owner. The owner smiled as he bent to try and salvage what was left of the days wears.
“It’s not your fault, young one. Maybe old fruit stand owners should watch where they put their stands.” He gave a little chuckle and continued cleaning up the mess. Catrine glanced at Juno. Juno wiped the grin from his face and tried to look serious, but anyone who looked, could see that his eyes were sparkling with laughter.
“It’s alright, Uncle. I’m sure that Catrine wouldn’t mind helping you and I pick up the fruit. Would you, Catrine?”, Juno asked with a hint of amusement in his voice. Catrine shook her head variously and bent down to help.
“There’s no need, Nephew. I can clean it up by myself. Go ahead and take the young lady somewhere where you can talk. I fear that she has something important to discuss with you.”, the stand owner said smiling and patting Catrines wrist lightly, “Go on, child. Young fairies should not be picking up the messes of an old stuffy fairy like me. Go ahead.” HE glanced up at Juno, “It is really alright. Tell your Aunt that I’ll be late to supper.” Then he started to clean up again.
As Catrine stood up, Juno took her arm lightly and led her to the nearest quiet spot. Juno glanced around to see that they were alone, then looked back at Catrine, as the smile broke out on his face once again. “Girl, you do rush around so, don’t you? Oh never mind. Uncles all right and I’m sure that the stand is all right too. So don’t feel so guilty about it. But what on earth could be so important that you had to nearly kill the both of us with your horrible landing?” Catrine glanced up, a somber look upon her face, and could see that he was trying quite hard not to laugh. Now that she though about it, it really was kind of funny.
She choked back a giggle and attempted to paste on her most I-am-the-almighty look. “I just wanted to catch you before you left was all,” she said in her most uppity tone. “You know that you’re the only one who can get me out of the palace unnoticed.” They looked at each other and then burst into laughter.
At that moment, Marigold came up behind them. “What on earth is wrong with you two? Shades! You’d think that you were both a couple of new school sprites that had snuck into the kitchen after hours, standing here giggling like two idiots.” Catrine and Juno calmed their laughter to a snicker and turned around to look at Marigold. With her hands on her hips and the most infuriated look upon her face, she really looked quite comical, and this caused them to break out in a fresh burst of laughter. Marigold dropped her arms to her sides, and looked very confused, as she stares at the other two who were laughing so hard they had to hold each other up.
“Well I didn’t think it was that funny,” she said, a little hurt but the outburst. When Juno and Catrine had managed to control themselves, they looked up at Marigold, and noticed the hurt look upon her face. This sobered both of them right up.
Catrine went over and gave Marigold a hug. “I’m sorry, Gold. We weren’t laughing at you/ Honest. We were laughing at my stupidity. Forgive us?” Marigold looked from her to Juno and then back again.
Slowly a small grin crossed her face. “Kay.”, she state a-matter-of-factly, “I was only funning anyway,” she said as she poked Catrine in the ribs with one slender finger. They fell into each others arms laughing.
Juno glanced at them shaking his head with a slight grin on his face. “Can one of you please tell me what is going on?” Catrine straightened up, and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek.
“Is there anyway we could discuss this over a nice cup of violet nectar? I am so thirsty. It is really a long way from home to here.”
Juno started to smile. “Sure, my Aunt Zila makes the best. Let’s go.” And with that he took off, flying over the top of the girls towards his home. The girls to a second glance at each other, and then they followed him.
When they reached that thatch-roofed house they were greeted by a grinning female fairy. She waved casually towards the group and went inside. As they made gentle landings, the young fairies half walked half flew into the house. Catrine was surprised. Juno’s social status was a high one, and she would have expected him to live in a huge house, with anything one could ever want and more. But instead the house was small, quaint, with only the necessities of living. TO decorate the walls, his aunt had hung flowers to dry. Roses, violets, bleeding hearts, the breeze that came in from an open window sent the smells of each to invade her nose. On the floor was a small rug, woven out of leaf veins. The furniture was dried wood, common from the looks and plainly carved. The table was made out of birch tree limbs, the bark still attached. Juno’s aunt came walking in with a tray full of drinks. “I thought that you young ones might like be a little thirsty. So I took the liberty of preparing some drinks. She placed the tray down on the tiny table in the middle of the room. “Catrine, I believe? Oh don’t looked so shocked, child. Juno has taken the liberty of explaining your whole status to us. Among other things.” As she turned and looked Juno he choked on the nectar he was drinking.
He cleared his throat. “Aunt Zila, you are a talker aren’t you?” He walked across the room and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “This is Marigold DeParte, a friend of both Catrine and I. They had something to discuss with me I believe since Catrine nearly killed not only herself, but Uncle and I as well in the process of her hurried landing.” Juno winked at Catrine and she started to blush yet again, and looked down to avoid his eyes.
His aunt laughed and shook her head smiling. “You young folk are always rushing around. And Juno, you shouldn’t be talking, young one. I remember when you were just as reckless in your flying if not more so,” she said as a she poked him in the ribs causing him to jump. “So, don’t you go teasing the young princess or I’ll have some stories for the both of them to hear.” She smiled at Marigold and Catrine, then she brushed her hands off on her apron. “Now, I have some errands to run before supper. You young fairies have fun and stay out of trouble.”, she said as she headed towards the door. Juno reached out a hand to take her apron for her, and she handed it to him allowing him to place a kiss on her cheek before she left. Then after she had closed the door behind her, Juno crossed to the table and handed a cup to Catrine and then one to Marigold. He sat down and there was an awkward silence.
He cleared his throat and said, “What was it that you wanted to talk about?”
Catrine gulped her nectar down. “I need help getting out of the palace.”
Juno grinned. “You seemed to have done that just fine. You’re out right now aren’t you? You seem to be alright and whole, so why do you want out?”
Catrine gave him a look that would have made fire freeze. “you know that I hate living in the palace, and you know that I meant for days not hours.” She flopped down on the nearest chair. “I hate feeling like I’m a bird in a damn gilded cage.” Juno gave her a reproachful glance. “What? Now I can’t even talk the way I that I choose? Do you se what I mean?” She stood up irritated beyond belief. “Things are expected of me. Well here’s a news flash boys and girls,” she said throwing up her arms, “I don’t want it! I want to live my life the way that I want to! I want to be able to go out and see what I want to see, do what I want to do without a stupid guard detail on my back all the time! Why in the bloody name of hell do I want some old guard trailing me night and day? I feel like I can’t even feel the way I want to feel. Everyone in that damned kingdom has opinions, they can have feelings. But me? No! I have to act and feel as I’m told. What kind of life is that, Juno? It isn’t a life at all! It’s being a damn dress up doll for the bloody community!” She slammed her cup down on the table, and stomped across the room. She turned around and looking at Juno said, “Why do I have to do as I’m told? I want out, Juno! I want out!”
Juno stood up and started applauding. “Bravo! Now if you could only control that anger , you could go far in the royal court.” This comment received him another death glare. “What? It’s the truth.” He stood there looking her in the eyes for awhile, and then sighed. He shook his head. “Catrine, no matter how much you would like to be free of you ‘cage’, it’s never going to happen. You were born into privilege and with that you have specific responsibilities. It’s not like you can shun them…” He looked up and could see that Catrine was not happy. Her hazel eyes flashed in fury, and her wings fluttered angrily. “All right. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, but you know what? I don’t like where I am either. But I live with it. You’re going to have to do the same thing. Learn to live with it. There’s nothing else to be done.” He sighed and glanced from Catrines darkened face to Marigolds pleading eyes. He shrugged his shoulders. “All right.”
“So you’ll help? You will?” Catrine asked smiling.
“Yes. If your father will listen. But it will have to wait until tomorrow. I have things to do tonight.”
“That’s fine with me. I mean…golly, can you really? I mean it’s possible….geez.” Catrine crossed the room and threw her arms around his neck. Juno very cautiously placed his hands around her waist and gave her a light hug. After they broke away, Catrine glanced at Marigold, who was grinning like a fool, and then Catrine ducked her head, and pulled herself away from Juno, who still had his hands resting gently on her hips. “So I guess we should…get going? Thanx, Juno, I appreciate this.” Then she headed toward the door, dragging Marigold with her. “We’ll see you tomorrow?” Juno nodded his head, flabbergasted.” “Okay, well…tomorrow then.” And she bounded through the door, Juno looking after them.
When Catrine and Marigold were in flight, Marigold looked at Catrine, “What the hell was that? I thought that you would want to stay and talk to him? Something! You guys looked so cute toge…”
“Don’t you dare say anything!” Catrine shouted cutting her off. Stopping in mid-air, her wings fluttering furiously, she turned to Marigold and shouted, “There is nothing going on between Juno and I. There will never be anything going on between Juno and I. And I don’t want to talk about it. Got it?” Marigold opened her mouth to say something but Catrine turned and flew off, cutting her short. Marigold attempted to catch up to her, and wouldn’t have if Catrine hadn’t landed on a branch near by to get her thoughts under control.
Marigold landed next to her, “I’m sorry. I know that that was pushing it, and I apologize.” Marigold touched Catrines shoulder and Catrine looked at her. “I mean it. I’m sorry. And if you really want, I won’t mention his name and yours in the same sentence as far as being romantic goes. K?”
Catrine ran a finger under one eye to catch a tear. “It’s okay, Gold. It’s just I do like him. And father…shades! He’ll never allow anything to go on between us. It’s just frustrating. Another reason that I would love to have your life instead of mine. A stupid spokesman for the damn community.”, she said throwing a pebble to the ground and flopped onto the branch. She buried her head in her hands and started to sob. “I just want to live a normal life. Is that so damn wrong? I mean is it really that wrong?” Marigold went and sat down next to her, putting her arm across her shoulders.
“It’s not a problem. Really. I mean, everybody wants to be normal. Catrine, you’re lucky.”, she bit her lip and continued on kind of hesitantly, “In your own little fashion.” This gained her a small giggle from her crying friend.
“Yeah, in my own form and fashion.” Catrine looked up, and Marigold reached out a hand and brushed away the tears. Catrine smiled at Marigold, and then stood up. “I think we need to get home before it gets dark.” Marigold gave her a curious look. “I’m alright. Really I am. I can make it home.” She hugged Marigold to reassure her and then took a little leap off the branch and practically stood in mid-air perfectly still except for her rapidly beating wings. “Come on, Gold. Race you home?”
Marigold jumped up and took off. “Fine by me.”, she said laughing.
“Hey! No fair you got a head start!”, Catrine yelled and then took off after her.
They reached the palace a little after dark. Cautiously, Catrine landed at the foot of the gate doors. She glanced left and right, nobody there. Strange, she thought, the guards must be changing out. She shrugged her shoulders, then turned around and waved at the shimmering shadow like figure that was her friend. The figure raised a hand and waved in return before taking off, then Catrine was left alone. Catrine turned back around and stared at the gates. She bent down and started unlacing her shoes, and slipped them off her feet. She folded her wings and quietly pushed open the front gates. When there was a big enough crack between them, she slipped through. As she closed the gates. She could feel her heart beating frantically. Her head swinging from side to side as she slinked from shadow to shadow across the courtyard. When she reached the servants entrance, she attempted to open the door with as little nose as possible. But the door was old, and groaned in protest at being disturbed. Catrine halted in mid-move. She threw a glance over her shoulder to make sure that no one was there. She waited a moment, listening for any footfall upon the stone courtyard. Nothing. Everything sat still and quiet. To quiet, she thought. She exhaled the breath she had been holding and slipped through the door. After she had closed the door without gaining a reproachful creak, she slowly and cautiously began to climb the stairs to the upper hall. She had learned at a young age that there was a certain place on every step that you had to stand to keep it from creaking. A game that she used to play with the cook. She fluttered from corner to corner on each stair. When she reached the top, she sighed with relief. She was home free. She glanced up and down the hall, half-expecting for one of the guards to show up. She shook her head. It wasn’t like she was breaking any rules being in her own hallway after dark. She turned to her right and started to quietly make her way to her bedroom. When she got there, she turned to open her door, and another door at the other end of the hallway banged open, spilling light into the dimly lit hallway. “CATRINE!!”, shouted her father.
Catrine cringed, this was not good. With her eyes concentrating on the floor underneath her feet, Catrine walked slowly toward the door and the looming shadow of her father at the end of the hall. When she reached the doorway, she glanced up from her fathers’ feet to his face. His eyes were drawn into little slits and his face was red with frustration. His mouth was pulled in a thin line, lips so tight together they were starting to change colors. His wings were folded behind him tightly, all except for the tips that seems to be beating in full agitation. “Young lady, where on earth have you been?”, her father asked angrily. Catrine tore her eyes away from his face and looked down at her feet. “How could you? Your mother has been worried sick! I was about to loose my mind! Where have you been?” He started pacing and throwing his hands in the air, exclaimed, “What on earth was going through your head that you thought you cut out on lessons early, and con Jasper into letting you out? That fairy…Jasper of all fairies! I can’t believe this. Catrine, how could you?” She cringed and ducked her head far into her shoulder refusing to make eye contact. “I’m going to have to dismiss Jasper…”
“No…” Catrine mumbled.
Her father stopped talking and looked at her. “What did you say?”
Catrine looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. In a choked voice she said, “I said, No.” She ducked her head again. “Jasper had nothing to do with this,” she muttered.
“Well, that’s interesting. First you disappear and now you’re talking back! And I believe that Jasper most certainly…”
She threw her head up and looked him in the eyes. In a tight voice she spoke, “Juno had nothing to do with this. And I mean nothing…”
He stopped her, “You listen here…”
“No. You listen here, father. Jasper had nothing to do with this…I mean nothing at all! I left here on my own accord, and without help from any of the guards! Believe me, I have other ways of getting out of here besides the front gate. I’m not exactly the perfect little girl that you want me to be. Or the role model that the community wants me to be. But don’t you dare go blaming others on the fact that you don’t care enough to make an effort to make sure that I stay here. You don’t even know that I’m alive half of the time! Just because the only reason you want me around is because I’m an idol in the eyes of the people, doesn’t mean that I want to be here. And it doesn’t give you the right to criticize others for your mistakes!” By this time Catrine was in his face and shouting at the top of her voice. She had managed to be loud enough to wake at least a third of the staff which was now gathered around the servants’ entrance at the foot of the stairs listening to the argument. “Just because you don’t give a damn about my happiness, or anyone else’s, doesn’t give you the right to walk all over everybody! Did you ever think that maybe…just maybe Mother and I would like to have our own lives? Did you? Did you think for one second that maybe I’m old enough to be let off of the apron strings and go out on my own? That since nobody really gives a bloody damn about whether I’m here or not that I would like to have some time and space to myself? With my friends? Did that ever occur to you? Did it? Did it?” Her father just stood there staring at her. She was till in his face. When she realized this, she backed away to the doorway. She ducked her head, holding her hands to try and keep them from shaking. “I’m sorry, Father. I’ll take my leave. I will spend tomorrow in my bedroom and I will not leave the grounds for any reason.”
As she turned to go, her father placed a hand on her shoulder. “Now wait a minute, Catrine. DO you seriously think that I don’t care about you? How can you say such a thing? How can you such an accusation? If I didn’t care about you, do you really think that I would send a guard out with you? Do you think I would make such a big deal out of you missing all day, if I didn’t care? Do you consider me that much of an ogre, that I wouldn’t love my own daughter? My own flesh and blood? Do you?” Catrine turned and looked at him, his eyes pleading with her. He went on, “Do you really think that little of me? Do you really think that I wouldn’t like to spend more time with you and your mother? Of course I would. But, you have to remember that I need to spend time working on the kingdom too. It’s a full time job being king. DO you understand that.
Catrines eyes hardened, then she pulled away. “Yea, right. I understand. I understand just fine.” She gave a blank stare as she left. “I’m not going anywhere tomorrow. That should give you plenty of time to ‘get to know’ me.” She slammed the door shut behind her. She stood there for a second just staring off into space and thinking. Then a solitary tear left a trail down her cheek. As the night greeted her loneliness and she made her way to her empty room, the shadows played over the hallway.