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The palace of the Sun King sits on the top of a hill where the sun is visible from the moment it peeks over the horizon in the morning to when it kisses the ocean at night. Its hallways are always filled with light, warm and comforting on a sunny day as well as rainy ones. By contrast, the palace of the Storm King is carved into the cliffs where it sees little sun. The cold, rocky corridors are a twisting maze whose walls carry the thunder of the ocean.
As a child Santi finds himself lost in the Storm Palace during one of his father's diplomatic visits. Each dimly lit passage resembles the next; the only difference is where the sound of the ocean comes from. They are dizzying and soon he regrets sneaking away from his minder as he sits huddled on a stairway, tiny and barely visible in the shadows. Santi always sneaks away and no one, except maybe Fernando, will realize he's missing until they are ready to leave. Sometimes he hears footsteps bouncing off the stones, but they fade away and he is left alone. Santi doesn't know how long he's sitting there when he hears running and someone appears around one of the bends. He straightens up and puts on a brave face as is expected of him, but as they come closer he sees a girl who is not much older than he is. Her cheeks are wet and her face is red with the effort of running; she looks right through him as if she doesn't see him and only notices him as she passes him on the stairs. She pauses and looks away as she wipes the tears from her gray eyes with a fisted hand.
"Are you lost?" She asks him, and even though her voice is barely above a whisper there is an air of steel authority in it.
Santi is struck dumb, unable to say anything or do anything but nod. Her smile is sweet and comforting despite her tears as she extends her hand to him. Taking her hand, he lets her pull him to his feet. She doesn't let go as she leads him down the hallway, taking a few turns in places Santi finds indiscernible from the last. The breeze in the tunnel-like halls blows a strand of her long, tawny hair against Santi's cheek; it’s soft like a newly bloomed flower and smells of the ocean. Santi feels as if he has seen her before, as if he should know her name, but he's too caught up in willing himself not to blush.
"What is your name?" she asks him as they reach an area of the castle Santi thinks looks familiar.
"Santi," he tells her, relieved he doesn't stutter and his voice doesn't break. "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"If you follow the sound of the water with your heart, you'll never be lost," she lets go of his hand and with a smile she disappears down another corridor, lightly shimmering trail of dust falling behind her as she goes.
Santi's heart is beating rapidly, and he gasps in air as he realizes he's been holding his breath. Fernando finds him not even a minute later, still standing there and looking after where the girl disappeared, pixie dust long since scattered by the wind, as if willing her to come back. His brother takes his hand and returns him to his minder with a firm reminder to keep a sharper eye on Santi. Fernando pats him on the head and asks if he'll be okay. Santi puts on a large and bright smile, the one he knows no one can see through, and Fernando echoes it before returning to his duties.
It isn't until later that night when the official betrothal of Santi's oldest brother to Princess Ursula is announced that Santi remembers why she is familiar. A smile is on her face as she stands next to Santi's brother in front of the gathered court as they paint the traditional marriage symbols onto their skin with clay, but Santi knows this smile is both fake and masking her displeasure. He's seen her real smile, but now that she is to be married to his brother Santi wonders if he'll ever see her beautiful smile again.
*
It would be a disservice to his family to say Santi is a forgotten child. As the youngest of five children, Santi is not forgotten but rather pushed to the side as an afterthought. The eldest is to be the next king, the second son is groomed to be the eldest' advisor, the third and fourth are twins who are a handful, and by the time people remember there is a fifth son one of older ones need attention again. He thinks perhaps if he had a mother, if she hadn't died in childbirth, the often strained relationship his family shares would be different. The others speak fondly of her, Fernando says Santi has her smile and the same golden eyes, and he wonders if he reminds them of her. It's disheartening to think he looks like his mother, and he is the one who took her life.
Fernando, the second brother, is often the only one who speaks with him or remembers to include him when the entire family is summoned. Their interactions are few and far between-- as the future advisor to the King, Fernando's days are full of learning thousands of years of Pixie traditions and histories.
Sometimes Santi is grateful he is the invisible prince. He is free to spend his time wandering the island collecting whatever catches his eye, to speak with Raul at his waterfall, to observe the Imps from a careful distance, or to pester Xavi with his many questions. The island is often parent and family to him more than his own family is, but that is not to say Santi is not fond of his family. He loves them very much, but there is joy in the simplicity of the island. The island is like the castle in which he is always but never alone.
"You shouldn't be out here alone," Pepe tells him when he finds Santi poking around close to the salamander caves trying to grab a flower that only grows there. "The island can be dangerous for someone so small."
He thinks of Raul who lost his heart to a witch and of the mermaids on the coast who lure men to their deaths; the island can be dangerous to anyone no matter what their size. Santi listens to Pepe though as the Salamander is one of the oldest inhabitants of the island, and by far the most jovial and easiest to speak to. Their conversations might be no longer than a sentence or two, but it is often the only interaction Santi has in a day. Others might find it lonely, but Santi prefers the peace of the wilderness to the commotion of the castle.
A blue and yellow bird lands on a branch close to him and sings a song to him. Santi answers and the bird hops closer, black eyes studying him carefully. Santi reaches out to scratch it, wondering if it will let Santi ride on its back for a ways, but it spreads its wings and darts inland. He wonders what it's like to be completely free, if being an invisible prince is worth the invisible chains which will never let him forget who he is and never let him leave the island.
*
When Santi's oldest brother is eaten by a troll, no one is really sad. A spoiled child, the future King had grown to be an arrogant adult who people despised. But seeing to as how he was currently being digested instead of helping with the summer bloom, he wasn't going to be King of anything except the troll's stomach. Everyone is secretly relieved. The funeral is nice, painting his brother in a much kinder light than anyone remembers, and everyone pretends to be the appropriate level of sad.
Princess Ursula stands next to her father, and Santi wonders if he sees a bit of relief in her expression. She keeps her head high, but her eyes trained on the ground as a gesture of regret. Both kingdoms have come for the royal funeral and as the deceased's betrothed, Ursula stands with Santi's family for the attendees to pay their respects. Santi doesn’t stay long enough for that, nor does he stand with his family. As he is young enough to not be considered an adult, he is able to stand with the younger children and eventually he sneaks away.
"I'm sorry about your brother," Pepe finds Santi sitting on a log staring out over the ocean.
"I never knew him that well," Santi tells him with a shrug and apologetic smile. "He was a few hundred years old when I was born."
"I'm still sorry," Pepe restates, sitting down next to Santi.
"I'm not sorry," Xavi appears out of one of the boulders next to them; arms crossed and frown on his face. "No one has to pretend to like him anymore."
Pepe seems like he wants to look surprised Xavi would say something insensitive, but neither him nor Santi are surprised. Santi lets out a little giggle, and immediately puts a hand over his mouth and looks abashed. The words might sound cruel, but they are true. Pepe chastises Xavi, who doesn’t look the least bit sorry, and after a while both of them leave Santi to contemplate the passing of his brother in peace.
He doesn't think about his brother. Instead he thinks of Fernando who the burden of the crown now falls to. Fernando has been trained since birth to be an advisor, and although he is much kinder and craftier than the eldest ever was, Santi is not sure if Fernando wants to be King. It's not his decision though as Fernando is the only one who can be the future king. The twins, while sharp, are too irresponsible for an important task. It's laughable to think Santi, as the fifth son, could ever inherit the throne; Santi wouldn't want it even if it did fall to him. A king should be loved and respected by his people; most of the pixies don't remember Santi exists.
His thoughts turn to Ursula, the only child of the Storm King. As alienating as it is being invisible, he is sure being under constant scrutiny and having no way of escaping it is even more alienating. Santi thinks of how beautiful she is, how they have never been introduced because when she is visiting or they visit the Storm Palace, Santi becomes a stuttering, mute mess and disappears rather than embarrass himself in front of her. He doubts she knows he exists, but he’d rather be invisible than pitied. Santi remembers the comfort in her smile, and how she stopped to help him instead of passing him as though he wasn't there.
Raul finds him later, drowsy in the afternoon sun, and takes him back to the safety of his waterfall. The steady song of the stream is comforting, and lying on a patch of moss with a leaf tucked around him, Santi is lulled to sleep. He dreams of his family sitting at the table in their private dining room, eating a meal together and speaking with him. His oldest brother is there, but he is barely visible; he is now the invisible son. When Santi wakes, he feels a burning ache in his chest. Rolling on his side, he puts his hand on the earth beneath him. A whispered song comes haltingly from his lips. A single stem rises from the moss and a bud appears at the end of it. Sitting up, Santi runs his fingers along the velvet underside of the bud and leaning forward, he kisses the tip.
A dark purple flower blooms.
Raul emerges from the water, a mirage brought to life, and shrinks until he is barely taller than Santi. Lifting his hand, the water elemental pulls moisture from the air around them and forms it into droplets before he rains them down on Santi's flower. The flower reaches out to Santi, nudging the back of his mind with a newborn consciousness.
"Your father formally announced Fernando as the new crown prince," Raul tells him. "Your brother asked after you when he was told to pick an advisor."
"Esteban would be a better choice," Santi mumbles, grateful Fernando thought of him, but unwilling to part with the freedom he has. "Has the Storm King left yet?"
Raul nods. "After they announced Princess Ursula will marry Fernando now."
The edges of the flower petals begin to brown and in seconds the flower crumbles and is blown into the wind with a silent cry as if it never existed. Santi frowns and tries to pull another flower from the ground, but the words of the song won't come out of his mouth. With a heavy sigh, he sits down and doesn't object when Raul pulls him close. Santi doesn't remember many hugs or embraces, and embarrassingly he finds himself leaning into Raul as if desperate for touch and affection. Raul says nothing and simply pets Santi's hair and rubs circles on his back as he falls asleep. The sound of falling water hitting the stream drowns out of the silence of where Raul's heartbeat should be.
*
The dynamic in the castle is different now Fernando is crown prince. A new advisor is not appointed as the King is not sure which of his remaining three sons is wise enough to be an advisor. Santi prays to be overlooked so he can continue to exist outside of the restricting confines of royal duty. As he has still not reached the age of maturity, he is doubtful his father has considered him.
As the years pass and the time of the wedding draws closer, Ursula visits the castle more often and Fernando visits the Storm Palace. When Santi asks Fernando about their relationship, he learns they have an unusual camaraderie in the sense of which neither of them is happy with the position they are in; they are friends and confidants, but marriage is something else.
"I envy you," Fernando tells him one day when they are out overseeing the seeding of new gorse plants to help replace the large quantities the salamanders burned through. Santi stares at his brother, unsure if he heard him correctly. "You're free to be yourself. Never let anyone tell you how to live your life."
Santi understands how Fernando feels, but is unable to vocalize it in a way he can understand. Instead, he hugs his brother, tucking himself against his side and smiling up at him. Fernando's golden brown eyes are sad and his smile is tight but genuine. There's something there, something Fernando keeps buried inside of him. Santi knows a secret when he sees one, and he wonders what is weighing so heavily on his brother's heart. He holds his favorite brother a little closer. Fernando picks the much smaller Santi up and places him on his back, flying down to where seeds are being scattered. Setting Santi down, he grabs a basket of seeds and drags Santi over a little ways away from the rest of the group. They plant the area around a tree close to the edge of a cliff together, and as they do, Santi can't recall the last time a family member spent time with him like this.
When the gorse begins to flower later that year, Santi returns to the cliff side and sits among the shrubs. Their yellow flowers reach out to him as he passes, surrounding him in a silken embrace he is reluctant to ever leave.
*
The sun rises and sets, the moon shows her face and hides from the islands countless times, the seasons of storms come and go. Santi reaches the age of maturity and another few years pass before anyone remembers. Fernando arranges for a small and quiet party. Their father shows up for a few minutes, pats Santi on the head as if he were still a child, before returning to a meeting with the Boreas. Juan pries Esteban away from his examinations of various plant species in the lab, and the brothers sit around in an awkward silence for a few hours. Santi is painfully aware he has little in common with his brothers aside from sharing the same parentage.
Esteban wears the suffering of being the middle child like a badge, unleashing his angst in the form of ironic pranks often carried out by bright-eyed and dimple-cheeked Juan. The twins aren't identical, but they are inseparable. They are nothing alike, complete opposites, and Santi thinks they are the same soul split into two bodies; two different halves who make a whole. Santi is jealous of their relationship, jealous they have each other to turn to. He knows he could speak with them if he wanted to, have a chance to know his brothers, but he doesn't know what to say and he doesn't know where to start. So instead Santi smiles and puts on the cheerful face everyone knows him for.
"How are the plant studies?" Fernando asks Esteban, who looks like he'd rather be anywhere but where he is at the moment.
"Tolerable." Esteban takes a drink out of his cup and offers no more.
"We're looking for the seeds of an orange flower we haven't seen in a long time." Juan expands for his brothers.
"What's it called?" Santi asks, trying to be involved with the conversation.
"It's rare. They were around before you were born. You probably haven't heard of them," Esteban mutters and Santi looks back down at his plate.
Fernando frowns at Esteban before sighing. Juan just shrugs, unphased and unsurprised by Esteban's standoffish behavior. Clearing his throat, Fernando asks Santi what he has spent his days on recently. Santi speaks briefly of the island, of fluttering about to watch the other species, speaking to Raul or Pepe, and helping some of the more troubled plants grow. Fernando looks wistful at Santi's freedom, and Santi wishes his brother could taste the freedom he has.
Later that night when Fernando is able to sneak away from his duties, he comes to Santi's room and sits with him. They speak in greater detail of Santi's exploration of the island and his understanding of the other species on it. Fernando understands the island like the others don't, and Santi thinks the pixie tribes are lucky to have Fernando be their new king. His brother sits with him until Santi's words are slurred with sleep and his eyes are unable to stay open any longer. Santi's last thought before he falls asleep is how Fernando's eyes are sad as he pets Santi's hair like when he was a child. He feels a light kiss on his forehead and a whispered goodbye that floats in and out of his ears as if it never happened at all.
*
When Fernando runs off with the only Kelpie on the island, everyone is surprised. Santi is perhaps a little less surprised than the rest, but startled nonetheless. He supposes he should have seen it coming, that Fernando's secret had to do with a lover their father would not approve of, but a Kelpie? Santi is sad to see his brother leave, but happy he has ridden off into the sunset on a white horse. Er, literally.
Their father is furious and immediately proclaims Fernando as disowned and dead to the family. As his three remaining sons stand in front of him, the King rages about how the Gods must be making a mockery of him by taking his two good sons from him and leaving him with such a mess to deal with. Esteban rolls his eyes, Juan looks upset which in turn makes Esteban angry, and Santi leans against the wall in the corner, assured his father will forget he is even there. He thinks perhaps if his father had spent more time with the youngest three instead of spending all his time on the oldest two they wouldn't be in this predicament. But seeing as to how he didn't know about the Kelpie, Santi isn't sure his father is close to any of his sons.
When they leave an hour later, their father is no closer to deciding on a heir. Esteban silently stalks back to his lab and Juan gives Santi a half-hearted grimace of a smile before following his twin. Sneaking out of the castle from one of the kitchen doors, Santi wanders away from anywhere a pixie would be into the solitude of the rock fields. Clouds of sulfur coat the fields, painting the smell on every surface, turning everything in sight gray and black. His eyes water and his nose stings from the sharp odor which keeps most creatures safely away. Salamander territory.
In his elemental form Pepe is a large, compared to Santi anyway, gray lizard-looking creature. He finds Santi sitting on one of the darkened rocks and curls around him. Santi's fingers come up and trace the orange, star-shaped spots scattered across Pepe's skin, connecting them into patterns and trying to find a meaning in nonsensical things. Every now and then a burst of fire flares up from the ground around them and crackles into smoke which fades into the haze around them. Occasionally a gust of wind carries away the heaviest parts of the smoke and leaves only wisps behind. Concealed by the smoke and fire, Santi knows no one will find him here, and he can be alone with his thoughts for as long as he needs.
Santi stays there until later in the evening when the sun has long since set; Pepe doesn't leave his side. Andres appears out of the haze of smoke clouds, wings bright and almost glowing in the absence of the sun. Pepe lifts his head and Santi greets the air elemental with a smile and a nod.
"The Sun King wishes to speak to us," Andres' voice is almost drown out by the hissing of the fire. "The Storm King has just arrived at the castle." He frowns. "Raul is already there, but I cannot find Xavi."
"Because I did not want to be found," Xavi appears from the rocks next to them, eyebrows knotted and arms crossed. "I have more important matters to attend to."
Andres lifts an eyebrow at Xavi, fixing him with a cross look Santi is not sure he's ever seen before. It seems to slightly mollify Xavi, who huffs and agrees to meet Andres at the castle before he disappears again. Pepe slightly whips his tail, and Andres nods to him and spares Santi a smile before he disappears again. Pepe uncurls himself from around Santi before turning into his humanoid form in a roar of fire and smoke.
"Did you know?" Santi asks him, standing and stretching his wings out.
"Yes." Pepe nods, eyes a dark fire in the velvet of night. "For a long time."
"Does he make Fernando happy?"
Pepe's smile is sad and sweet as he embraces Santi and tells him yes. Santi is glad one of his brothers has chased happiness.
*
When the gorse blooms Santi returns and sits among them, listening to their murmuring. Their father has had all of Fernando's things burned and removed from their lives. The yellow flowers are Santi's only reminder of him. As the years pass the shrubs grow larger and larger until Santi is able to bend the branches to growing into a small, hidden house for himself and his growing collections. The branches and needles weave themselves together to keep the rain and wind out, and he coaxes the plants to keep the tiny rooms hidden from animals and other creatures as well as to brush away the pixie dust he leaves behind. The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff below drowns the outside world out. It isn't much, but here he can disappear for weeks and store the items he collects from around the island.
He's less invisible now, but all that means is he is called to meetings where he is ignored instead of being ignored on his own terms. His father refuses to choose between the twins to appoint an heir to the throne, and the Storm King refuses to let Ursula marry anyone but the future king. Santi is more than happy to remove himself from the frustrations running rampant in the castle and between the two kingdoms right now. Without Fernando to instruct their tribe as to where plants need help, the flora of the island takes a turn for the worse as the pixies run about without instructions. It's frustrating for Santi to watch and hear vital plants be neglected for others and for disrepair to fall upon the island he loves so much. He tries to talk to his father, to tell him the fruit bearing trees need to be sung to and other crops need help, but who is Santi to know anything? His words are brushed aside as his father put the twins in charge.
The rejection shouldn't hurt after decades of this treatment, but it does. The twins, while sharp and savvy in the areas they are interested in, know little of the current flora and fauna of the island and resort to asking Santi for help. He wants to say no, to tell them they should know their home and their responsibilities, but in the end his anger will only hurt the island he has spent so many years learning. They manage to salvage enough for the island to survive, and their father praises their hard work. Santi puts on a smile and echoes their father's commendation all while wondering if he will ever be more than the child who lives on the periphery of everyone's notice.
*
Pixies are a favorite food of trolls, but there are safeguards and spells woven around the island to keep the large creatures away from the castles. Trolls are migratory, moving between the islands and back to the mainland, and largely living solitary lives. With the elementals inhabiting and protecting the island, it is rare for dangerous creatures to settle here, but every once in a while one slips through.
Santi is in the gorse patches hiding for a week after Esteban and Juan release a rather vindictive series of pranks, and their father decides all of his sons are to blame. Their father's angry shouts reverberate off the walls and Santi vacates the premises before he can be blamed for something he had nothing to do with.
He smells the troll before he sees it and remains tucked away in his small house. At ten meters away it stops. Santi watches in a petrified silence as it lifts its nose and sniffs the air, boulder-like head swiveling as if looking for him and Santi knows it can smell the pixie dust. For a few tense moments Santi forgets how to breathe. He tells himself the wind whipping up the side of the cliff will confuse the troll and eventually it does. He sighs in relief when it finally moves along away from the direction of the castle. When it is safe to leave the branches of the gorse plants, he flies as fast as he can back to castle. He's nothing more than a white blur against the twilight, the trail of dust his wings create are blown into the salty wind.
"Where have you been?" Juan grabs him by the arm and drags him into the lab as soon as he enters the door he always sneaks in and out of. "Do you know how worried we've been?"
Santi blinks at his brother and feels like he should gasp in surprise when Juan hugs him. No one ever notices when he is gone and if they do, they never comment on his lengthy absences. It's surreal, the way Esteban looks relieved for a few moments before becoming aloof again. The twins dispatch a guard to find their father, and when the King enters the lab he embraces Santi against him tight enough so he is unable to draw a breath.
Santi can count on one hand the number of times his father has embraced him. This is the first.
The situation becomes even more confusing when the Storm King enters the room, eyes red and wild. He places his hands on Santi's shoulders, fingers pressing bruises into Santi's skin.
"Ursula- did you see Ursula?" His voice is hoarse, nothing more than the scratch of a dry stick across the rocks.
Santi stares up at the King with wide, bewildered eyes. He shakes his head no, and then looks to his father. His father offers no explanation and pulls the Storm King from the room, leaving Santi alone with the twins.
"We'll never be allowed to be alone again," Esteban sighs and shoots a dark glance at the pair of guards stationed at the door.
"They think the troll took Ursula," Juan tells Santi; Santi's mind becomes blank like the midday sky. "They thought it took you too." Juan looks up from his hands, glum expression on his face. "I suspect you were up on the hill."
Santi blinks at him.
"We knew about Fernando too," Esteban tells him. "There isn't really anything we don't know."
"What are they going to do about Ursula?" Santi demands from them. "Have they sent anyone after her?"
The twins exchange a glance, and Santi watches as a silent conversation unfolds between the two of them. They both shift their eyes back to him and nod 'no' on the same beat. No one has been sent to rescue her because no one knows where the troll is hiding her and no one is brave enough to find out. A pixie has never bested a troll.
"It's been four days," Juan tells him softly and he doesn't have to say anymore for Santi to know the odds of her survival are far from good.
*
Santi doesn't think he's brave, but he knows he is often foolish. Sometimes they are one and the same.
The twins agree to tell their father Santi has sought refuge with Pepe until the troll has left the island. In the periwinkle hours of twilight he steals away from the castle and picks up the trail of the troll from the gorse fields and follows it inland. Around him the voices of the trees and plants tell him to be careful, that he is small and the one he follows is dangerous. Despite their reluctance, they guide him closer to the troll, painting the way with their song. It echoes around Santi, a swirling cacophony of colors pulling him through the night. Their lullaby fades away at the entrance of the abandoned dwarf caves where the only color is the barely visible glow of moss.
"There's a troll in there."
Santi jumps and has to slap a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from shrieking. Xavi is standing there, eyebrows raised and looking at Santi as if he were out of his mind.
"There's a troll in there." Xavi repeats.
"I know," Santi is surprised his voice sounds calm when he can feel his heart rapidly beating against his chest. "It has the Storm Princess."
"You think you can save her?" Both of Xavi's eyebrows are raised now and Santi hears the doubt scored into the gnome's voice. "A troll killed your brother."
"I am not my brother."
Xavi stares at Santi for another moment with granite eyes before he disappears into the darkness. A loud snorting noise comes from the cave and Santi has to stop himself from running away. His thoughts center on Ursula, kind gray eyes and caring smile, stuck in the cave and he finds a strength he didn't know he had. With silent footsteps, he enters the cave, unable to fly without seeing where he is going and unwilling to risk leaving his scent in pixie dust on the floor for the troll to follow. The moss and lichen on the walls light a pulsing path for him as he descends down into the caverns. The passageways are not large enough for a troll, but they have been smashed open by a rudimentary weapon, most likely a club or a large rock. In the basalt pillars, Santi sees the crumbled remains of dwarven carvings. He can't hear the rocks, but the plants tell him the pillars are a light wind away from collapsing and he gives them a weary glance as he passes.
Time passes at a crawl in the dark tunnels, and Santi has to stop to gather himself a few times. He's never been underground for longer than a few minutes and the encompassing silence and darkness confuse his senses and puts terror in his heart. His mind screams at him to turn back, but his heart pulls him further down into the shadows. The putrid smell of decaying flesh wafts toward him and he knows he is growing close. The glow of a fire, the flickering lights dancing on the stone walls, are Santi's only indication he has found the troll. He doesn't see it at first, its gray skin blending in with the rocks around them, but when it burps in its sleep and shifts, Santi freezes like a statue as he wills it not to wake up.
The fire is dying, the flames miniscule and barely lighting the cavern the troll has expanded. When the troll settles down and is still, Santi moves toward one of the pillars. Finding a foothold, he begins to climb the rough rock, wincing as he bruises his knees against its rough exterior. His wings sit folded and unused on his back-- there's too great of a chance any pixie dust falling from them would wake the troll. The flames are gone and only the red embers remain by the time he makes it to the top of the pillar. Touching the flora around him, he asks them to show him where the Princess is and one by one they stop glowing until a patch of green moss is left not too far from where he is.
Ursula is asleep when Santi reaches her; relief floods through him at finding her alive. For a moment he loses all of his fear as he watches the rise and fall of her chest, the way her nose twitches when her hair brushes against it. One of her wings is bent at an angle which renders it incapable of supporting flight. Kneeling down next to her, he puts a gentle hand over her mouth to prevent her from making any noise and nudges her awake. Large, sleep-filled eyes blink up at him in confusion as he holds a finger to his lips. She goes from half-asleep to sharp and fully awake not even a few seconds later. Removing his hand he stands and pulls her to her feet.
The moss and lichen begin to glow again, lighting their path of escape for them. Ursula throws nervous glances at the sleeping troll and stumbles behind Santi. Taking her hand, he guides her to the pillar he climbed up on.
A log cracks in the fire, sound echoing off the walls of the cavern as the two pixies freeze and stare at the troll. It opens its eyes for a moment and lifts its head in the direction of the fire to see what made the noise. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, it scratches at its stomach with a grimy looking hand before turning over and falling back asleep. Santi's shoulders slump with relief and Ursula relaxes the crushing grip on his hand. The rocks feel sharper under his hands as they climb down, and he takes care not to cut his hands and give the troll his scent. He stays side by side with Ursula, wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her up when she falters and placing a reassuring hand over hers every time the troll makes a noise or shifts. When they reach the ground, she holds his arm and follows close enough for him to feel her warm, shaky breaths on his shoulder.
The plants murmur in the back of Santi's mind, urging him to move faster, glowing brightly for him. As they near the entrance, the tunnels grow lighter and at the mouth of the cave they see the sun is already in the morning sky. Santi keeps moving forward, but Ursula stops to look up at the sky. Her hand is still wrapped around his wrist and outside of the cave he sees her skin is smudged with dirt, her hair is tangled and matted, and her dress is torn to shreds. Her eyes though, gray and filled with wonder and tears as she looks at the expansive blue above them.
Santi thinks she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
*
"How did you make them glow?" Ursula asks him when they stop by a stream for her to wash up. "I've never seen that before."
Santi is sitting on a rock facing the other way as she strips down and rinses her clothing and puts them in the sun to dry. She jumps into the water, and Santi hears her splashing about. A red blush sits heavily on his cheeks as he thinks of her only a few feet away completely naked and has to will himself to look down at the ground.
"I asked them to," Santi mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. "They talk to me."
He hears her stop moving and he wonders if she is staring at his back. "They talk to you? Out loud or only in your mind?"
"Both."
She hums a bit before leaving the water. The sound of water falling from her body fills the space and he listens as she pulls her clothing back on. She comes to stand next to him, and he loses the ability to speak when she smiles at him. Her hair is tied back in a messy bun on top of her head and though her smile looks absentminded, her eyes are anything but.
"I've never known anyone who the plants still talk to," Ursula tells him with a piercing stare.
"Perhaps no one knows how to listen for them," Santi shrugs.
"You can speak to the plants and rescue errant princesses from trolls when no one else is brave enough. How is it we have never met?"
'We have,” Santi wants to say, but instead he says, "I am no one important."
"We both know that's not true," her smile is as bright as the sun and she laughs as Santi flushes red.
*
They walk in the stream to hide their scent from the troll. It's an hour or so back to the Sun Palace if they were to fly, but on foot it will take at least a day and a half. Ursula is unable to fly due to her injured wing and too proud to let Santi carry her. He doesn't mind it if means spending more time with her. Santi knows he's being more than foolish as sooner or later Ursula will marry either Esteban or Juan, and Santi will return to being invisible.
They've been in the stream for a few hours, not long enough for the sun to be over head, when the floor of the forest begins to shake. A deep roar makes the leaves tremble as the troll nears them. Santi reacts without a second thought as he picks Ursula up as if she weighs nothing and darts for the upper branches of a nearby tree. He makes sure she is shielded from view and out of reach before he moves to another tree to draw the attention of the troll. The branches vibrate as the troll stomps into view, breathing heavily as growling comes from deep in its throat. The troll smells the air around it, nostrils flaring as wet, sniffling noises come from it. Santi doesn't look anywhere but at Ursula, finding strength in the calm and resolute look in her gray eyes. His heart beats in his head, filling his ears with a thundering beat.
The troll stands there for a few minutes that seem to stretch on into eternity, staring and sniffing in every direction. It approaches Santi's tree and paws at it a few times, long claws raking into the tree's bark. Santi hears the tree cry out, shrill sound boring into his head. He closes his eyes and counts backward from ten. The tree groans and a cracking, snapping sound comes from the branches above him. The leaves rustle, a crash followed by a boom and the troll's roar nearly deafens him.
When he opens his eyes there is a large branch where the troll was standing and the troll is nowhere to be seen. All around him the tree thrums, bark rippling a faint white. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he feels the tree telling him the troll is far away and he is safe. He looks up at Ursula and sees she is watching him with speculation in her eyes. Santi waits until he is able to hold his wings steadily without them shaking before he returns to Ursula's branch. She doesn't say anything, but allows Santi to wrap an arm around her waist as she puts her arms around his neck. His face is red as he returns them to the ground.
*
After their run in with the troll Ursula has many questions for him. She's inquisitive, wanting to know not only what plants he can communicate with but how they speak to him. Santi tries not to mumble, to keep the red off of his cheeks. Her voice brings a smile to his face, and he looks down to keep from grinning like a fool at her. She has a way of making him laugh, of making him speak more than he is used to; Santi thinks it's because she seems genuinely interested in what he has to say.
"You're from the Sun tribe, but you were the one they sent after me," she muses, mostly to herself but to Santi as well. "I was expecting a few guards or perhaps an army detachment, but you're just a single pixie. Was this punishment?"
"No!" He sputters before noticing the teasing look in her eyes. "I, uh... I was... ummm." Santi doesn't know if it's better to let her assume her father was apt enough to send someone after her, or tell her he volunteered because he thought the others were taking too much time. In the end, he settles for a middle ground. "They asked for volunteers."
"I'm sure you'll be handsomely rewarded," her voice becomes a hint fainter and out of the corner of his eye Santi sees her shoulders slightly slump.
"I wouldn't accept one," Santi looks down at the ground as he mumbles. "There shouldn't be a reward for doing the right thing. I think we forget that sometimes."
Next to him Ursula stops walking and he pauses and turns to face her. She looks at him with her eyebrows knotted and lips pursed. The sun has long since dried her hair, which tumbles in loose waves around her shoulders and down her back as if she is surrounded by gold. Santi's heart flutters like the wings of baby bird just learning to fly. It's hard to hold a gaze as piercing as Ursula's, but Santi tells himself looking away at this moment is not a good idea. Overhead a falcon circles lazily in the midday sun, its shadow passing over them for a moment before it lets out a cry and darts elsewhere.
"I wish you would tell me your name," Ursula tells him, a smile floating on to her face as he bashfully looks away. "I will never forget your kindness."
Santi knows he's never forgotten hers.
*
Something about Ursula's story of how she came to be taken by the troll doesn't add up. Santi is no expert on trolls, but he knows they rarely keep their food alive for more than three days. Ursula has been gone for four and as she recounts the tale of her capture and the few times the troll left the cave, Santi doubts she was the troll's captive for more than two days. She is hiding something from him, leaving out an important part of the events of the past few days. He knows this behavior pattern, this concealment or suppression of facts-- it was how Fernando behaved. Santi wonders what she is hiding from him, what she was doing during the two unaccounted for days.
They rest in the safety of a hollowed out log segment adjacent to the stream they are still walking in. It's not a large stream, not like Raul's, but it runs to the ocean and close to Pixie territory. More important, it masks their smell from the troll and anything else potentially looking for a meal. Santi leaves Ursula for a few minutes as he finds something for them to eat. When he returns with some yellow fruit from the date palm, they eat in silence and doze through the hottest part of the day. Ursula sleeps, but Santi makes sure to stay on the brink of consciousness in case the troll finds them. The air is stifling hot when she wakes and they sit in the shade as they wait for the sun to drop lower.
"The first prince I was set to marry was eaten by a troll," Ursula says out of the blue, sitting down next to Santi and stretching her legs out in front of her. "The second ran away to be with the one he loved." She tilts her head as she looks at him. "Something about you reminds me of him. He was a good friend, perhaps the only I've ever had."
Santi doesn't know what to say, or even how to react, so he nods his head. She speaks guardedly of her feelings, giving Santi a faint expression of how she feels but never revealing enough for him to be certain. When she asks him about his life, he tells her a heavily edited version of the truth.
"It can be alienating," Santi tells her, his smile still there but not as large, "living alone, but that's my choice. Not everyone has a choice."
"No one answers my questions or speaks to me like you do," Ursula tells him, expression serious. "They speak to the Princess, but not to me." She pulls her knees into her chest and puts her chin on top of them. "I think they forget I have my own wants."
"What do you want Ursula?"
Her lips twitch as if unsure if they'd rather smile or grimace. "To make my own choices instead of having my life presented to me. To be free."
"No one lives without chains," Santi thinks of Fernando trading the chains of the crown for the chains of knowing he could never return home. "You chase the unobtainable."
"Don't we all?"
Scooting herself closer Ursula rests her head on Santi's shoulder. Biting his lip, he places his cheek against her soft hair. His heart beats painfully as if the walls of his chest contain sharp protrusions. Santi knows well what chasing the impossible is like; soon he will know what having the impossible taken away is like. Ursula can never belong with him.
*
The troll does not find them again, leaving Santi on edge wondering just when the creature will appear. Trolls are relentless in hunting pixies and Santi knows it's only a matter of time. To mask their scent, Santi leads Ursula through Salamander territory. He watches the look of wonderment on her face at every new thing she sees and a part of him feels as if he is reliving and sharing the thrill of discovery. The Salamander's steer clear of them, sticking weary heads out of the burning logs they inhabit to make sure the two pixies stay well enough away. If Santi was alone he knows he would be welcomed, but a stranger is always something to be wary of.
The rocks dwarf them, and at times it is like they are walking through a stone labyrinth. Santi flies up to assure Ursula they are walking in the right direction; it's all for show as he knows the rock fields by heart. There's no one in sight as this part of the island is generally avoided due to the smell and loud noises. Ursula jumps each time a fire flares into existence, but she laughs at herself afterward. In the dying rays of the sun the flames throw dancing lights and shadows across her skin, and Santi finds himself completely entranced.
Raul's stream borders the rock fields and they must cross it to stay on the fastest path. The waters are too fast and deep for them to swim across, so Ursula allows Santi to fly her across. He hooks an arm around her knees and holds her to his chest, careful not to jar her injured wing. Her hair tickles his nose as it blows in the breeze created by flight. Once on the other side, they rest for a moment and wash the heavy sulfur smell of the rock fields from their skin.
The sun is long gone when they reach the relative safety of the gorse on the cliff. Both are weary from traveling such a long distance on foot. From here, the Sun Palace is no more than a few hours, but neither wants to press on at the moment. Santi is more than embarrassed when he leads Ursula through the hidden path of branches that unravel and part only when Santi is there. They knit back together and fall in place as they pass and Ursula watches with something akin to delight. There's not a door on his small dwelling, nor has he ever whittled himself a bed or chairs to sit in. A hammock woven with long grasses hangs between two branches and serves as the only place to sleep. The rooms are littered with items he's collected from around the island- hundreds of different flowers and leaves, rocks and gemstones, etchings of the variety of animals. The rooms are organized chaos, making sense to no one but Santi.
"This is amazing," Ursula tells him as she moves from room to room and examines his collections. "How long has it taken you to find all of this?"
"I don't know," Santi blinks stupidly, caught off guard at the admiration in her voice. "Twenty storm seasons perhaps?"
The last and biggest room is Santi's favorite. In it he has shaped the branches of the gorse into an outline of the island and added geographical features. Tiny drawing of plants are etched into the map, showing where everything on the island grows with a sun or cloud drawn next to them to denote what season they grow in. It is perhaps the only physical catalogue of the island; Ursula looks at is as if it's the most beautiful thing she has ever seen.
"You made this?" Santi nods, not trusting his voice. "Who are you?"
The ground beneath them begins to shake. Santi knots his eyebrows before the shaking becomes more violent and the room around them glows golden like the flowers. Ursula reaches for Santi as a loud roar explodes around them, her hand grasping his. The light flickers as the plants tremble, and Santi wraps an arm around Ursula as bits of the plants begin to fall. The plant cries out as the troll begins to rip at the plants. The tough spines of the gorse dig into the troll's hands and it screams in rage. Santi pulls Ursula out of the room and into the room holding his flower specimens. He pushes her into the corner and throws the most heavily scented blooms on top of her to mask her smell from the troll.
"Do not move until I come back for you," he tells her.
She squeezes his hand before he darts from the room, a whispered word of caution floating in the air between them. The branches twist around the room Ursula is in keeping her hidden away. In front of him, they arrange an exit far enough away from the troll that he is able to burst into the air out of reach. The troll smells the pixie dust falling from his winds and charges after him, howling as the thorny spines of the plants cut into its skin. Santi's eyes dart around, but he doesn't know where to lead the troll. The only path left open to him is back the way they came or toward the Sun Palace. Santi knows the troll will not leave until it captures what was taken from it, but he has no intentions of ever letting the troll touch Ursula again.
As he flies up out of the troll's reach he grows nearer and nearer to the edge of the cliff. The old tree, branches and roots extending into the precipice, calls to him and urges him onto its leaves for safety. Santi's heart is beating loud enough to drown out of the sound of the waves crashing below as he lands on one of the lower branches, still within the troll's grasp. He darts from branch to branch as it tries to catch him with its clumsy swipes. The smell of rotting flesh fills the air as it bellows at him, and he gags as he is flying, distracted just enough for the troll to clip one of his wings. Santi yelps as he falls from the tree in a spiral, trying to regain control of the injured wing so he can balance himself. He hears a snapping sound as the troll howls again; the gorse has wrapped part of a branch around the troll's ankle.
Santi lands at an awkward angle, his shoulder taking the brunt of the blow so as to not to render his injured wing unusable. Blood pours down his face and wiping it away, he feels a gash above his eyebrow. Scrambling to his feet, he runs as fast as he can to the edge of the cliff. The troll is much larger than Santi, and what takes Santi ten seconds of sprinting is a mere step to the troll. After it rips the branch from its leg, the troll closes in on Santi. There is nothing between the troll and the edge of the cliff, and Santi's body burns with the ice of fear. His eyes dart around wildly for any other option than the one he has, but there is nothing.
Behind the troll, Santi sees Ursula has fallen out of the room. The movement of the plant and the troll's destruction of it has rendered its protection useless. She is frozen as she stares at the creature's back, eyes filled with terror. Santi knows if he does not kill the troll now, the troll will kill both of them. He looks at Ursula, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath.
Santi takes a step back and jumps.
The troll reaches after him too quickly and is unable to keep its balance. With an earth-shattering roar, it plunges off the side of the cliff. The thunder of the waves covers up the noise of it landing on the rocks below. Santi doesn't look at its body. The tree root cradles Santi, wrapping him so he will not fall and gently prodding the back of his mind with reassurance. His wing is not strong to support his weight, so the tree lifts him back to the top of the cliff, petting his hair as if he were a child who needed soothing. Santi thanks the tree when he is on his two feet again, and he sinks to his knees when it lets him go.
Ursula is by his side instantly, wrapping her arms around him. She isn't crying, but Santi feels wetness on her cheeks as she presses her face against his shoulder. Ripping part of her dress off, she wipes away the blood on his face and frets over his injured wing, apologies falling from her mouth. His legs shake when he stands, and she immediately wraps a steadying arm around him. It takes them a few minutes, but they reach the remains of his house and Ursula helps Santi sit. The tree shakes its branches and a few leaves tumble in their direction. She catches them and piles them on the floor to make a soft surface to sleep on. Helping Santi move, she sits next to him on the leaves.
"I thought," she whispers before standing and turning away.
Ursula fetches some water from one of the still intact jugs in the house. Pouring some on another rag from her dress, she kneels in front of him and cleans the rest of the blood from Santi's face. Santi thinks about the pain in his body to distract himself from the gentle touch of Ursula's hands against his face and neck. His body hurts from falling twice. His wing is sore, but it is not ripped and only needs a few days to mend. Heat shoots through him as she reaches out to brush her fingers against his injured wing to check it for any tiny tears.
"I thought," she tries again, but her words fail her.
"I know," he tells her, taking her hands in his.
She stares down at where their hands join them, and Santi sees a few more tears roll down her cheek. When she looks up at him, he can't think of anything but her as her eyes reduce him to nothing. His breath hitches in his throat as she leans forward and plants a shadow of a kiss on his lips. His heart drums an erratic beat against his chest, but his mind overpowers it telling him Ursula is not his.
"Princess," Santi lets go of her hands and looks down at his own.
"I ran away," she cuts him off before he can say anything else. "I wanted to explore the world I could see from afar but was never allowed to touch. I wanted to make my own decisions and be who I wanted to be, not who they told me to be. But I was foolish and naive, and the troll caught me when I was lost. Now you bleed for my mistakes and your home is destroyed." She reaches forward and cradles his face in her hands. "Tomorrow I will step back into my cage knowing my taste of freedom came at your expense."
"Wounds and homes are fleeting, you are neither. You are strong, you are smart, and you have always inspired me." Santi tells her, voice shaking. "We should sleep."
She releases him and nods. Reaching forward, Santi wipes the tears from her face and kisses her on the cheek. Ursula gives him a ghost of a smile before helping him lay down in a way as to not jar his wing or shoulder. When he is comfortable, she lies down next to him and pulls the biggest leaf over the both of them. She is asleep within minutes, and he can feel the heat from her body. In the moonlight and in the realm of sleep, she looks more beautiful than he could imagine. His heart feels like it is trying to claw its way out of his chest; the pain in his heart outweighs any pain his body feels.
*
The sun has just begun to peek over the horizon when they begin to walk again. The night is restless for Santi; being close to Ursula is nothing short of torture for him. He knows there are dark circles under his eyes and he must look haggard. When he woke, Ursula was still asleep and curled up against his side. She did not wake when he rolled off of the makeshift bed and went to gather food from the nearby berry bushes. When he returned, she was buried under the leaves and he gently prodded her awake. Her hair was a mess and her eyes a bit swollen from crying the night before, but she was still breathtaking. They ate in silence before beginning their journey to the Sun Palace.
It does not take more than a few hours, and soon there is too great of a risk of being spotted by another pixie for Santi to continue onward. He stops by a large rock, and Ursula falters to a halt behind him.
"I cannot go any farther," he tells her quietly. "You must return on your own."
"Please come with me," she begs of him, eyes imploring and he must look away. "My father will reward you and give you anything you ask."
"You are safe," Santi smiles at her, but she still looks distraught, "I need no other reward."
The frown is still on her face as he bows to her as is expected. She reaches for his hand and places it against her face, skin soft beneath his palm.
"Thank you."
He smiles at her before he turns and begins to walk back to the gorse. Santi doesn't look back. He keeps his eyes trained on the ground ahead of him as the seams of his poorly crafted world strain and begin to break around him.
*
In his few hours of absence, the plants have been mended and his house reformed. The flowers give off the slightest white light and they sing happily, their silent song filling Santi's ears as he wonders who or what fixed them. His puzzlement does not last for long as he sees Raul and Pepe sitting by the edge of the cliff. Santi knows he looks like death with his ripped, dirt smeared, and blood-stained clothing on, but he stumbles toward them and collapses on the ground in a heap. He's aware of them talking to him, but he's too tired to answer. Santi closes his eyes and for a while it feels like he's moving. He gives into the call of exhaustion and drifts away.
The sleep is endless, stretching on for what feels like weeks but is only a matter of days. In his dreams the troll is relentless in his chase; Santi is tired in his bones but cannot stop running. Sometimes Ursula is with him, but more often than not she is lost to him, nothing more than screams in the distance or simply silence.
When Santi wakes up, the sun is overhead and he's on a mossy bed next to Raul's waterfall. In the dead heat of midday the trees are silent around him as the birds and other creatures sleep. Wiggling his fingers and toes, he slowly begins to move the rest of his body to make sure nothing will hurt if he tries to sit up. His shoulder is still a bit stiff, but it no longer throbs. When he sits up, he unfolds his wings and moves them back and forth a few times to make sure he can fly again. Reaching for the jug of water close to him, he uncorks it and takes a few huge gulps to relieve his burning throat. Looking around, he sees a change of clothing folded next to some food. He eats quickly, rumbling stomach quieting down as he fills it, before grabbing the clothing and wandering down to the stream to clean himself.
Jumping into the water, he washes away blood, dirt, and the grime of travel. His hair still smells faintly of the sulfur from the rock fields; he grabs a dark blue lavender spring and rubs it into his hair and against his skin. The water is cool, healing, and after a while the aches begin to leave his body. As he feels his heartbeat, slow and calm, he knows some aches will be more permanent than others.
When he feels clean, he leaves the water and dresses in the new clothing. His question of who brought them for him is soon answered as Esteban and Juan arrive with more food and the news of the past few days. Juan holds Santi close, going as far as to kiss his temple, while Esteban, forever more restrained than his twin, pats Santi on the back. Santi eats as if he hasn't had food for day, which could be true as he doesn't know how long he has been asleep, as he listens to his brothers’ account of what happened while he was gone.
"The Storm King has decided it's too dangerous to only have one heir," Juan tells Santi with a grimace. "He told Princess Ursula if she won't marry one of us, she has until midnight of the solstice to choose someone else or else he will choose for her."
"That's not fair," Santi mutters, pulling his knees into his chest to rest his chin on them. "How can she make a choice with only a few days?"
"What about our lives have ever been fair?" Esteban gripes as he flops down on the moss. "And of course father has demanded we find wives and produce a thousand heirs to the throne if she doesn't pick one of us." He lets out a tortured sigh.
"Why didn't you tell her who you are?" Juan asks Santi, and Santi looks down at his hands and shrugs.
"I like being invisible," Santi mumbles.
The twins exchange a look. Santi know they've never had the luxury of going unnoticed, but before their first brother was killed they were rarely bothered. He doesn't know if he would rather have Ursula marry one of them so she would always be close, or a complete stranger to sever his misplaced affections.
"There's a ball tonight to celebrate the Princess' return," Esteban grouses. "Father says you have to be there." He snorts and rolls his eyes. "I doubt it's anything more than a veiled attempt to introduce us to anyone of importance who is not yet married."
Santi's stomach churns, knowing he will have to face Ursula as a prince and not just as someone nameless. It was hard enough to speak with her outside of the castle, but the idea of everyone watching makes Santi feel sick. Juan rubs his back and Esteban comes to sit on his other side when Santi buries his head in his hands. They sit in silence, the only sound coming from the small waterfall, three brothers at a crossroad.
*
Santi's skin feels like it is being scratched at, and he restrains himself from itching at it. He rarely wears clothing befitting of his station much less formal clothing. The ladies in charge of dressing him and his brothers have dressed the twins in varying shades of dark blue, but have put Santi in a soft yellow. While yellow is a favorite color of his, it makes him more visible than he is comfortable with, and he stays in the confines of his room until his father sends a guard to escort him to the gardens.
The gardens are beautiful, lit with fires given by the salamanders in a rainbow of colors. The flowers glow for everyone tonight, strung up in garlands that cascade down from their containers like a floral waterfall. It would take Santi's breath away, but his eyes land on Ursula and he forgets to breathe. She is by far the most stunning thing in the gardens, red dress floating around her as if is lighter than air and her hair looking softer than rose petals. He doesn't understand how his brothers on either side of her aren't tripping over themselves in trying to win her favor.
"Santi!" His father voice booms across the terrace and Santi takes a step back. "Where have you been hiding?"
Taking his son by the elbow he directs him to the major domo, who lifts an eyebrow as if unsure who Santi is. His father clears his throat and snaps at someone waiting close to him, who procures a golden circlet and sets it on Santi's head. His father whispers something about playing nice and impressing people. Santi wants nothing more than to slink out of the room, crawl into a dark corner, and pretend like none of this is happening, but the major domo beats his staff against the floor and announces Prince Santiago to the room.
Ursula looks up at him and he freezes. Recognition flickers into her eyes and she covers her mouth with her hand. Santi can't move or breathe. His father's hand comes to rest on Santi's back and urges him forward, but Santi doesn't budge. His mind is silent and roaring at the same time, giving him conflicting commands while his lungs won't work. The room is suffocating and all he knows is he has to leave.
"Santi," his father whispers in his ear.
"I can't do this," Santi mumbles, taking a step away from his father. "I feel sick."
Turning, he bolts from the garden amid whispers and barely concealed laughs. He doesn't go to his room, he doesn't stay in the castle; instead he bolts for the waterfall to find Raul and to hide for all eternity. Santi is sure he has embarrassed his father, who will be livid with him when and if he decides to return. The court will speak of nothing else but the elusive prince's rare and disappointing appearance for months to come. All he wants to do is pretend like nothing has happened and go back to being invisible; that will be near impossible now.
Raul is nowhere to be found. Santi flies to the top of a large boulder in the middle of the stream and sits there, waiting for Raul to return. The moon is almost full, illuminating the grotto behind the waterfall and the pond that pools around it. From his perch, Santi sings to the plants growing in the water, and soon a green leaf appears and unfolds itself into a large lily pad. A few more appear, light pink flowers dotted among them. When they are large enough to support his weight, he flies down and lays on one. It sings to him, rocking him back and forth in time with the movement of the stream, cradling him in the comfort he needs and desires. Around him the various birds of the night sing to each other and he wonders what they are saying. Through the trees above him the stars dance through the sky on their never ending journey.
Clouds begin to cover the light of the moon when he sees the white glow of another pixie approaching the area. He supposes one of the twins has thought to find him, or perhaps his father has sent a guard out after them. Santi doesn't expect to see Ursula staring at him with a cross expression on her face. She lands on the lily pad he is on and towers over him with arms folded in front of her. He can't think of anything to say; her anger is terrifying.
"How can you tell me no one lives their lives without chains when you shrug yours off and ignore them?" Ursula's voice is ice. "How dare you."
"I've always been invisible, that is my chain," Santi stumbles over his words as he sits up. "No one remembered I existed until Fernando left." He looks down at his hands. "Even you didn't know I existed."
"The little boy," he looks up at her. "You were the little boy who was lost in my father's castle. I remember you."
"I don't know what you want me to say," he still can't look at her.
"Why didn't you tell me who you were?"
Santi doesn't know. There is not one simple answer, but rather multiple complicated answers. They all run through his mind: he didn't want to undermine his brothers who should have been rescuing her, he values his anonymity, he has always lived in the shadows of the rest of his family, he knows it is easier to keep his heart in check when Ursula does not know of his existence.
"Because you are the unobtainable I chase." He whispers. "And it has been miserable to have you close to me when I know you will marry one of my brothers. What good does it do me?"
"I make you miserable?"
"No," he shakes his head. "You make me happier than I have ever been."
Ursula doesn't say anything for a moment. Santi rests his chin on his knees, waiting for her to be disgusted with him and leave or else yell at him. Overhead, the sound of thunder can be heard. Finally she drops down on her knees and forces him to look her in the eye.
"I am tired of people making decisions for me," she tells him firmly before leaning forward and pressing her lips against his. "Now come on."
She jumps back to her feet and drags him up. Santi is too frazzled to think straight; his free hand traces his lips as if he doesn't believe Ursula just kissed him. Unfolding her wings, she moves to fly, but Santi is still standing there like a rock.
"Where- what-... where are we...?" Santi's world is spinning.
"I'm telling our fathers that I want to marry you," she tells him.
"Me?" Santi looks at her with a slow blink and she huffs and lands. "But..."
"But nothing," she waves the hand that isn't holding his, "you are a prince, you are kind, you are smart, and you were the only one brave enough to save me." She leans forward and kisses him again, pulling a bit of his hair, and a shy smile overtakes Santi's face. "And if those aren't qualities a King need, than we might as well let a troll eat all of us." She grins impishly at him. "And you're cute."
Ursula has to drag a sputtering and mute Santi back to the castle. He's not sure what is going on around him as their fathers stare between the two of them, or when Esteban and Juan hug him and whisper 'thank you' in his ear. The two kings bicker amongst themselves for at least ten minutes as Santi and Ursula answer a barrage of questions. Ursula answers everything; Santi stands there looking at where their hands are intertwined with a blinding smiling on his face.
*
The gardens are deserted after the ball, the only part of the castle they know no one will find them in. The fires are still burning and they sit on a bench in front of a light blue flame.
"How did you know where I was?" Santi asks her later, when their fathers have left and they are eating the sweets they have stolen from the kitchen. "And why me? Esteban is smarter, and Juan is the court's favorite."
"Do you remember what I told you when we were little," she asks him, licking the chocolate off of a spoon; there's a bit on her nose and Santi reaches up to rub it off.
"If you follow the sound of the water with your heart you'll never be lost," Santi recites from memory.
Ursula takes his hand and places it over her heart. Overhead lightning flashes across the sky and a crash of thunder follows. Rain begins to sprinkle down on them and all they hear is the dancing of water drops against the ground.