The Cursed Princess and the Black Knight chapter 4/6

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I do own these characters. Please, do not use them without my permission.

4: The Witch and Her Knight

Crow stood before Father with a confident glint in her eyes and her armor shining as if she had taken the time to polish it. Kumari stood in by Father’s throne. Father glared at Crow, who was quite unfazed. It was time for the second task.

“Good morning, Great King.” Crow bowed her head and Kumari now understood Crow was being extremely respectful. This daughter of a dragon, fed by a unicorn, could probably destroy their little city. And here she is, interested in me because I tell good stories. It still did not explain how Crow was the Black Knight considering the Black Knight’s exploits, but maybe that would explain itself as they got to know each other.

“I have your second task for you, sir Crow,” Father announced, doing his best with a commanding voice. Funny enough, by voice, Crow seemed much more in charge of things, even though Father was the king.

Crow grinned and threw her shoulders back. Her dark eyes practically sparkled. “I’m eager for it, sire. Please, direct me.”

“You are to kill the witch of the Forest of Despair.” Father’s voice seemed to boom at that. The entire Court stood at attention and stared at Crow, wanting to see her reaction.

Crow scoffed, throwing her head to the side. “That’s all? You know she’s guarded by a mountain of a knight, correct?”

Father nodded. “Slay the knight as well.”

“Shall I bring the bodies here?” Crow asked. “As proof. I mean, I could easily vanish for two days, return, and say I killed them.”

Father’s nostrils flared. “Obviously you would need proof.”

“Then I shall bring back their bodies. My Lady, shall we go?” Crow held out her hand for Kumari.

Kumari blushed. “You want me along again?”

“Whenever you desire.” Crow smiled. “I’ve grown to enjoy your company and your wit. If you do not wish to come, it’s fine. I thought you might like the adventure.”

“Of course I would. I’m actually already packed.” She had hoped to go with Crow again, even though they had not discussed it.

Father gasped. “Kumari, you can’t! You’re only just recovering from the last time a witch laid eyes on you.”

“Is this the witch who cursed me?” Kumari asked. “Because I would love to demand answers. Who curses a toddler?” Petty and evil did not begin to cover it. Who would ruin her life as a child?

“Kumari,” Father said, voice pleading. Maybe it was that witch.

Crow leaned in with interest. “So, it was a witch who cursed the princess?”

“Sir Crow, let’s depart with great haste!” Kumari rushed down to and past Crow, who chuckled.

Crow trotted after, armor clinging. “Take the dragon with you!” Father called.

“Be kind to my mother! Feed her some goats and chickens while we’re away!” Crow replied with a wave.

Crow readied Raven while Kumari went to grab her travel satchel. Kumari fed Raven an apple and a pear, earning a happy neigh before climbing into the saddle. Crow climbed up after her and wrapped that arm around her waist like before. Kumari’s body heated up and it had nothing to do with her curse.

Then, they were off. She then filled Crow in on what she did last night with Raven and Ar after making sure Crow went to her room. She put them in one of the larger gardens and they seemed quite taken with all of the flowers.

“Mom has a thing for nice smells, but can’t be around flowers for long thanks to allergies,” Crow said.

Kumari blinked, not expecting that response at all. “A dragon with allergies. Will she be fine there now?”

“Oh, yeah. Unless she eats the flowers, she’ll be fine for a few days. I’m sure she’s loving it. I mean, you see where she lives. Color will do her well. I assume you had meals sent to her and Raven as well.”

“Yes. Raven enjoyed a trough of salad.” At the mention of her dinner, Raven snorted, earning a nod from Crow. Kumari waited a moment and then continued. “And I managed to get your mother several goats, chickens, and a couple of pigs. I hope that was all right. I know you just said goats and chickens.”

“That was fine. Thank you. Oh, and thank you for having breakfast sent to me. I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen this morning.”

Kumari shook her head. “I knew my father would avoid feeding you. He wants you to fail.”

“Then he needs to give harder tasks.”

“So, this isn’t hard?” Father had seemed more confident with this task than even when sending Crow after the swamp dragon.

Crow blew out a breath. “Nope.”

“Do you know this witch?”

“You could say that.”

“Do you think she’s the one who cursed me?”

Crow moved to her side and grinned at her. “Won’t hurt to ask.”

“Do you think she will answer?”

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

That was quite true. They fell into a comfortable silence until Crow requested a story. Kumari entertained her, grabbing her book. She read another story.

They came to the swamp again and it was different from yesterday. It did not seem as dreary or menacing, even with the wandering balls of light. She caught glimpses of what she would have thought were shadows if only Crow did not whisper the word “unicorns” in her ear. According to Crow, whenever the unicorns came out, everything else went into hiding, not wanting to risk upsetting the unicorns. It was bad business to upset a unicorn. And then, they were out of the swamp, giving way to dense woods. The scenery seemed to get worse, almost like the trees were closing in.

“Do you think you could tell us a story instead of reading one?” Crow asked.

“Did you not like the ones I read?” Kumari replied and her stomach sank at the thought of disappointing Crow.

“No, these were fine. I’m just getting that you tell a story much better from memory. The way you tell it is better than the book to me.”

Kumari took that as a compliment and she could feel a blush burn her face. It took her a moment to think of a story to tell. Again, Crow and Raven both seemed engaged. They made interested noises and Crow even asked a few questions. She always apologized for interrupting. For some reason, it was adorable.

They rode for a few more hours before stopping to eat in a clearing. Kumari prepared a little picnic. She gave Raven some fresh fruit, which earned her a nuzzle. Crow then chucked a pebble at Raven, hitting her in the forehead. Raven snorted and glared at Crow, who glared right back.

“What did she say?” Kumari asked.

“Nothing.” Crow frowned, so it was clearly something. “What food did you pack?”

“Easy to carry things. Biscuits, cheese, fruit. More hard boiled eggs since I noticed how you enjoyed those yesterday. A few pastries and dumplings. I wasn’t sure how much we’d need or how long we’d be out, so I just took as much as I could carry.”

“That’ll probably be too much, but still very smart of you. Always be prepared on an adventure. It’s also best to over prepare than to under prepare.”

Kumari tried not to preen over the little compliment, but she could not stop the warmth that spread through her. “Can you tell me about some of your adventures?”

“You sure you want to hear? I mean, you didn’t seem too thrilled before.”

“I’m used to you now and I think I might be able to tease more details out of you. Please, tell me about some of your favorites.”

Crow nodded and they shared food while Crow went into her very first adventure. Nothing went right, except she won a jousting match, showing up a group of much larger, older, more experienced men. Of course, Kumari had to ask a lot of questions to get the full effect, to understand just how “nothing went right,” but it was still cool. And then, they were off yet again, passing farmland and a couple of small villages.

The sun began to set, but Crow did not mention stopping. Kumari trusted Crow would stop when they needed to, and if not Crow, then Raven would. So, Kumari enjoyed the landscape as it went by and continued on with her stories.

As stars began to come out and the sky was on its way to dark blue, they came to a forest with bare trees and branches bent, sharp, like they were all made of swords. The leaves were dark like the night sky. The grass was black, as was the earth. Dark bushes crept up the trees. The shadows seemed to move.

“More unicorns?” Kumari asked.

“No, shadow creatures, much more dangerous than unicorns as they would enjoy devouring you,” Crow replied. Raven snorted. Crow made the sound right back. “Just because you can kill them doesn’t make them less dangerous to the princess. The fact that you wouldn’t hurt her is what makes them more dangerous.” It honestly felt like Raven shrugged. “Yeah, I know I make a point. I’m not a total idiot.” The snort that followed said it all.

“Ouch, even I got that,” Kumari said.

“Don’t encourage her,” Crow replied.

“You set yourself up for that one, though.”

Crow did not say anything. The branches got thicker, twistier, and seemed to close in more as they went along. Raven burst through the sharp edges as if they were nothing. And then Raven reared back, just in time to miss being chopped in two by a massive blade.

“Whoa!” Crow cried, leaping off of Raven and taking Kumari with her.

Then next thing Kumari knew she was thrown to the hard ground. It was like smashing into a cold stone. She was shocked her entire body did not shatter on impact. Yes, pain rippled through her entire form and she would definitely have a bruise on her thigh, where she landed, but a force like that would have broken her leg not even three days ago. She turned to see what happened, catching a glimpse of the giant blade between her and Crow. Crow landed on her feet.

“Run to the house!” Crow drew her sword, which was much smaller than the one wielded by a mountain of a knight. Crow’s sword was a double-edged blade that could be held with one or two hands while the knight had a thick, single-edged sword that was easily the size of a tree and could probably cut through an elephant. Dark gray armor blended in with the landscape, but the sword, almost as tall as the knight, stood out as clean, shiny metal. Crow used her sword to briefly point Kumari in the direction of the house and then turned her full attention to the knight.

Kumari did not need to be told twice. She spotted the small house. Struggling to her feet, ignoring the agony tearing through her entire leg, she hobbled off, making a mad dash toward the cottage. She stopped short as the giant blade came down in front of her, blocking her path. Her heart was in her throat and felt like it might explode as the knight turned to her.

“Where do you think—” The sentence was cut off as Crow came out of nowhere, kicking the knight in the face and the sound of metal on metal rang out. The knight stumbled back.

“Go now!” Crow screamed as she landed and spun into another kick, landing it before the knight was able to regain his balance.

Kumari sprinted to the cottage, holding her leg, but making it that time. She opened and shut the door as quickly as she could. She looked around for a weapon, something that she could use to go help Crow. Before she could even fully take in the living room, there was a dagger to her throat.

“And who might you be?” An almost sickeningly sweet voice asked, causing Kumari to turn to her left.

Just behind Kumari stood a rather average looking woman, some lines on her brown face, but quite lovely features. She had a little black spot on her nose, which could have been mistaken for a wort. She was small, almost like Crow, which led Kumari to think she was a lot more dangerous than she looked considering Crow. She was dressed in rather normal clothing as well, a simple pink dress, white apron, and black boots. Her black hair with a thick white streak on the side was pulled into a bun and small rimmed spectacles covered stern, blue eyes.

“Your name?” The woman demanded again.

“Princess Kumari Kiritan of Vasya,” she answered quickly, doing her best not to breathe too hard. She did not want to make a wrong move and press herself closer to the blade.

“And who told you to break into my home?” There was a growl that should have been threatening, but her voice was too high pitched for it. The serious look in her eye made up for her voice, though.

Kumari was not sure how to answer that. “I’m not breaking in. I’m escaping.”

“Oh, escaping my guard?” She chuckled.

“Your guard? You’re an all-powerful witch with a guard?” That did not make any sense.

“Rather judge-y, aren’t you?” The witch countered and then Raven whinnied, sticking her head in the open window by the door. The witch pursed her lips and dropped her dagger. “What the hell do you mean this is Crow’s betrothed?” Raven clicked her teeth and the witch blew out a breath, lowering her dagger.

“Um… you know Crow?” Kumari asked.

The witch smiled and her eyes sparkled. “She is my silly daughter.” She turned and tossed her knife onto a nearby, wooden end table.

Kumari arched an eyebrow. “Excuse me? She said her mother is a dragon.”

“Oh, this is quite true. Ar found her as a baby, but a dragon cannot care for a human child. Ar realized that about a month into having Crow and brought the baby to me. Twenty years later, the baby keeps coming back to me,” the witch replied.

That made as much sense as anything else with Crow. “Um… so, what do I call you? Oh, and I’m just Crow’s friend, not her betrothed.” Raven actually scoffed. Kumari gawked at her. “I thought we were friends.”

The witch chuckled. “I’m called Edra. As I said, I’m Crow’s mother.”

“Um… then why is your guard trying to kill her?” Kumari pointed behind her.

Edra scoffed and waved that off. “That’s how they greet each other. It’ll be a while. Would you like something to eat or drink? I made some cakes, thinking Crow would be home days ago. Cake and tea?” Edra moved before Kumari had a chance to reply. Raven snorted and Edra turned around. “You know you can’t have tea. Your mother would run her horn through me if I even chanced it.”

“You understand Raven, too?” Kumari asked as she finally looked around the cottage. It was such a tiny space. She was in the living room, but only a few feet away was the dining room with a simple, low wooden table with a chair on each end. On the other end of the house, there was half-wall that sectioned off what appeared to be a bedroom. There was a loft space, which could be another bedroom considering Crow lived here with Edra. The whole place smelled comforting, like it was wrapped in cinnamon.

“I should hope so as her aunt. It would have been very difficult to babysit her when she was younger if I could not figure out all of her smart-ass comments. You’ll start to understand her as well. It’s more unicorn magic than anything else. When they open up and connect with you, you can understand them. Crow didn’t explain that to you?”

“No, she seems under the impression that it happens because she grew up with Raven.”

“Well, that’s probably true for her, but for the rest of us, the unicorn has to grow to trust us. Please, sit.” Edra put two tea cups onto the table followed by two small plates of yellow cake.

Kumari sat without a thought. “You’re very polite for a witch.” Stories always made witches seem like terrible creatures.

Edra arched an eyebrow. “How many witches have you met?”

“Um… counting you, one. No, maybe two.” Kumari tapped her chin. She was not sure how that would work.

Edra sat down across from her. “What do you mean ‘maybe two’? I would think you would remember if you met a witch.”

Kumari’s face scrunched up a little. “Well, I might have been a baby. I was cursed, but the curse did not take effect until I was about five.”

Edra frowned. “There are not many witches who would curse a baby for no reason. Are you sure it was a witch?”

“My father said so.”

Edra rubbed her chin. “Did your parents happen to offend the witch?”

Kumari shrugged. “I was never told and my mother is now dead, so I don’t know. I was hoping you would be able to tell me about it.”

“Drink your tea, dear.” Edra motioned to her cup. “Can you describe the curse for me? Sometimes, magic is like an art and the artist’s style is distinctive. Knowing what the curse does might help me guess who could have cast it on you.” She sipped her own tea, probably to prompt Kumari to do the same.

Kumari nodded and then drank her tea. She chirped. It was very good, just the right amount of sweet. “It has a lot of things with it.”

“We have time.” She made a show of glancing out of the window. Raven nodded.

Kumari took a look out of the window to see Crow still mixing it up with the giant knight. They seemed to be serious, but no one was seriously hurt yet, so how serious could it be? Even when Crow was kicked in the chest and pushed back, Kumari did not think anything of it because Raven just ignored it. Kumari turned her attention back to Edra to fill her in on the curse. Edra nodded and then held up a finger.

“Let me get a notepad. You’re right, this is a lot and very odd to put on a baby.” Edra grabbed some nearby paper and materialized a quill in her hand. She put those items down and then grabbed some fruits and vegetables, dropping them out of the window for Raven. Then, she rushed back to the table, picking up the quill. “Continue, please.”

Edra jotted down plenty of things as Kumari laid out her curse, as well as the insane things she had gone through to cure it, and how she began to heal once she met Crow. Edra’s brow furrowed and she glanced at Raven, still hanging out in the window. Then, she turned back to Kumari.

“Did you think of something?” Kumari asked, trying not to squirm under the questioning gaze. She wished she still had the tea to act as a distraction, but she finished that halfway through her explanation.

Edra folded her hands in front of her on the table. “I’m wondering if this is a curse or not. I’m also wondering if this is one witch. It seems like it might be a group. Possibly a whole coven. Everything about it is just so strange. Very odd. I’m willing to bet, though, your parents offended a witch somehow and got this started, but that’s not very helpful to you, I know.”

“Can you cure me?”

Edra shook her head. “There’s no reason for me to try. You’re being gradually cured thanks to Crow. She’s got a good heart and she’ll stick by you well beyond being cured.”

“You think so?” She did not see why Crow would do that. They hardly knew each other and Crow was unaware she was helping to cure Kumari.

“How many people do you think she brings to meet her mothers?”

Kumari blinked. She had not thought of it. “This is not a normal occurrence?” It did not have to mean anything, but it was strange for Crow to go out of her way to make sure Kumari met her mothers. But, is it really out of her way? She had no way of knowing Father would send her on these quests. Of course, once she heard the quests, she knew she would meet up with her mothers and she invited Kumari along anyway.

Edra offered her a kind smile. “It is not. She must like you. And you must like her to follow her into these woods, not knowing what to expect, but trusting her enough to go.”

Kumari nodded. “I suppose so.” Both of those things made sense. “What if we part ways and my curse returns?”

“Curses usually don’t flare back up, so even if she left you now to never be seen again, you shouldn’t experience extreme symptoms like before. The magic is easing out of you.” Edra glanced at the window. “Excuse me, I didn’t realize we spoke for so long. Those two will need food soon.”

Kumari nodded and Edra got up, going over to a pot over dry wood. Edra pointed to the wood and a fire sparked. Edra hummed as she fetched two bowls from a cupboard as well as two spoons. After putting those down, she checked her pot. She sprinkled several herbs and spices, stirred the pot, and then poured stew into the bowls. Just as she set the bowls down, Crow and the giant knight fell into the cottage, laughing.

“Eddie, you should see our little lizard move!” the knight shouted. The voice sounded rather… female.

Edra glared. “Do not bring your dirty armor or boots into this house!”

Both knights yelped and stepped back outside. The clangs on their armor dropping accompanied disgruntled sounds, but within seconds they were back inside. And, surprise, surprise the giant knight was a giant woman with muscles as thick as any man’s. She had spiked blonde hair and rosy cheeks highlighting green eyes. Her nose was crooked, like it had been broken. Both she and Crow stood in simple, short tunics, and short pants that were covered in sweat.

“So, Eddie, our little lizard is so good now!” The giantess clapped Crow on the shoulder.

“Calynn, perhaps introduce yourself to our guest before spouting off about your little lizard,” Edra replied and pointed at Kumari. She then served Kumari a bowl of stew as well. Steam rose from the bowl.

Kumari smiled and gave a light wave. “Hello, I’m Princess Kumari Kiritan.”

“Oh, a princess!” Calynn elbowed Crow. “Good job, lizard.”

“Ma!” Crow glared at Calynn.

Calynn laughed and bowed her head to Kumari. “Forgive me, your Highness. I like to tease the lizard. I’m Sir Calynn, Crow’s—”

“Mother,” Kumari cut in and then looked at Crow. “I’m sensing a theme.”

Crow chuckled as they sat at the table. “Yes, this is my ma and my mommy when she’s nice. Motherwhen she’s mean.” Crow made an exaggerated face at Edra.

“I wouldn’t have to be mean if I wasn’t the only adult about the place. That includes you, Raven.” Edra looked at the window and Raven scoffed, but also ducked her head as if it was true.

“How did you come to raise Crow together? Did Calynn move in to train her as a knight?” Kumari asked.

Calynn scoffed as she dropped into the seat next to the chair Edra had been in. “I was here long before this tiny lizard.” She nodded toward Crow, who sat down in the last chair and moved it closer to Kumari. “I was the reason she got interested in knights and how she became the Black Knight in the first place.”

Kumari tilted her head. “How so?” She looked from Calynn to Crow and then back again.

Calynn shrugged her broad shoulders. “I used to be the Black Knight. The armor is passed down.” She then started in on her stew, not bothering to wait for it to cool off.

Kumari gasped. “That’s why it’s said the Black Knight is immortal. And why so many stories about the Black Knight contradict each other.” Now, it made absolute sense that Crow was the Black Knight.

Calynn nodded. “The Black Knight before me was a mean old bastard. Gave me the armor after I bested him in combat. Jackass didn’t tell me it was cursed.”

“Wait, the armor is cursed?” Kumari looked back and forth between Calynn and Crow again. She was not sure if her neck would survive this meal.

Crow nodded, pausing from devouring her stew. “Yup. Very cursed. It makes you practically invincible, but it’s impossible to get off once you put it on unless you reveal your darkest secret to at least fifty people at the same time.”

Kumari’s eyes went wide. “You did that?”

Crow nodded. “Oh, yeah. No problem.”

Calynn scoffed. “‘No problem.’ I had to talk you into not walking into a lake with that armor rather than confess.”

Crow frowned. “Well, excuse me for not wanting to break Mommy’s heart.” Crow glanced at Edra, who was seated next to Calynn, leaning on her.

Kumari arched an eyebrow. “What was your secret? I mean, if you want to tell me.”

Crow glanced away and Calynn practically cackled. She pointed her spoon at Crow. “Tell her, lizard! You told a whole market place before. Climbed a statue and everything to make the announcement.”

Crow grumbled and shoved stew in her mouth. Calynn was not having it and yanked the bowl away. Crow glared, which might have been more effective if she did not have a spoon dangling from her lips. “Fine!” She tossed her hands up. “I didn’t want to be a witch.”

“Excuse me?” Kumari asked with an arched eyebrow. She had not been expecting that as a dark secret for Crow.

“I didn’t want to be a witch and I didn’t want to tell Mommy because she clearly wanted me to be a witch. I didn’t want to disappoint her.” Aw! So sweet.

Edra sighed. “I was more disappointed in you following in this muscle-head’s footsteps than anything else. Now, I have to worry about two reckless knights under my roof.”

Crow snatched her bowl back from Calynn and stuck her tongue out at Calynn. “Why don’t you share your deep dark secret since you want to act like mine was nothing?”

Calynn frowned. “You honestly thought your secret was harder than mine? I had to stand in the middle of the town square and admit before hundreds of people that Eddie was the love of my life.”

Kumari gasped before she realized it. All eyes went to her and she wished she could sink to the floor. “I’m so sorry for being rude! I just didn’t realize…” She was not sure how to end that sentence.

“That two women could love each other?” Edra asked. “Because Calynn was also caught by surprise.”

Calynn blushed all the way up to her ears, but laughed. “I truly thought I was broken. You spend your entire life being told to find yourself a husband only to discover you want a wife, it’s a little world changing. It took me years to accept.”

“You spent years in that armor?” Kumari could not imagine.

There was more laughter, now from the whole family, including Raven. Calynn shook her head. “Oh, no! That statement was misleading. But, I did spend months in it. I thought Eddie would hate me for being so backwards as to fall in love with her. We had been somewhat friends and she hired me often for jobs. I didn’t want to ruin everything. Turns out, she loved me, too.”

Edra rolled her eyes. “Love is a strong word.”

“You’re raising a lizard with me.” Calynn motioned to Crow.

Edra frowned. “More like saving her from turning into you.”

Calynn clicked her teeth. “You’re doing a piss-poor job of that, my dear. She’s literally a tiny version of me, right down to the haircut. We even have the same eyebrow scar.” She tapped her left eyebrow and, sure enough, Crow had a matching one in the exact same spot.

“You gave her that scar!” Edra huffed and she pinched Calynn.

“Because she’s my tiny reflection.” Calynn threw her shoulders back.

Edra glared and then turned to Crow. “Dear, what brings you and your guest home so late? We expected you two days ago.”

Crow scraped the bottom of the bowl for the last of the stew. “Oh, I met Kumari a couple of nights ago. Her father set me three tasks to prove myself. It seemed like a good excuse to get Kumari some adventures under her belt. We’re currently on task number two. The first task, he asked for the head of the swamp dragon. Mom and her head are in the royal garden. And, now I have to kill you.”

Edra curled her lip. “Again? You’ve killed me at least two dozen times in this life.”

Calynn snickered and hit the table with a heavy hand. “Remember when you literally died on your feet?” She turned to Kumari. “I put this kid in a jousting tournament at fourteen just to test if she was ready for some real fighting and in her first match, she gets smashed right in the chest. She fell to the ground in a heap. Eddie stood there, completely unmoving, eyes wide, and not breathing. It wasn’t until Crow groaned that Eddie was jump started.”

“It wasn’t funny. I thought those brutes killed my baby,” Edra replied.

“It’s jousting. You’re going to get knocked off sometimes.” Calynn put her hand to the small of Edra’s back and her expression relaxed.

Edra sniffed. “Yes, well, you and those knights were about to rue the day until Crow showed she was all right.”

Crow nodded. “So, I was hoping you’d both go to the palace with us and let the king know I’ve killed you plenty of times.”

Calynn grinned. “Of course we’ll go. Obviously you’re building to kill your mother again.” She glanced at Kumari.

Edra nodded. “Yes, because what’s the end game here?” She stared Crow down with the sternness only a parent could muster.

Crow shrugged. “We’ll see.”

Edra frowned. “I might have to die again to avoid killing this child.”

“It’s a good thing we only have one lizard,” Calynn said.

“More definitely would result in a premature death for me,” Edra replied, putting her head in her hands.

Crow and Calynn snickered, used to the dramatics obviously. Still, once the food was done, Edra forced the two knights to go bathe in a stream not too far away. They did not seem put off by going into the dangerous woods at night, but they were probably used to it. Edra began packing for the trip to Vasya.

“Are you planning to leave as soon as they come back? Crow should get some sleep. She’s been riding for the whole day,” Kumari said.

Edra smiled at her. “That’s kind of you to think of Crow, but as long as she hasn’t had a tough battle yet, she’ll be fine. She has more energy than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m more concerned for you. Your father has offered you to Crow. Is this something you want?”

Kumari blew out a breath. “I’m not sure. He is trying to get out of it now.”

“He won’t. There’s nothing Crow can’t do. Her upbringing has seen to that.”

“She can’t tell a story to save her life.” Kumari could not help her smile.

Edra blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Nothing. I have no doubt Crow can complete the tasks, but I’m not sure my father would honor his offer and I’m not sure Crow would accept anyway. She doesn’t seem to like the idea that I was given to her.”

“No, as a foundling, Crow is very big on being accepted by others as their choice. She had been accepted by a variety of people just from being herself all of her life. You see she’s got a dragon mother, a unicorn sister, a knight for a mother, and a witch mother. All of her communities accept her for who she is. She would never want to be forced on anyone and she would always want someone to be able to be themselves with her as she is able to be herself with people.”

Kumari nodded. Crow was unapologetically herself and it was understandable for all of the reasons Edra just laid out. Crow and Calynn were back soon, laughing, shoving each other, and soaking wet despite being wrapped in huge towels. Raven snickered behind them while Edra sighed.

“I don’t even want to know,” Edra said. “I’ve packed for us. Should we leave now or first thing in the morning?”

“We can go now.” Crow turned to Kumari. “Right? Or do you want to sleep? You’re not used to this.”

Kumari smiled. “I think I can handle it.” These were not just boastful words. She felt like she really could. She had never had so much energy before in her life.

“Then, it’s settled. Lemme go get Injo ready. Help me out, lizard,” Calynn said and she slapped Crow in the shoulder.

Edra looked at her as if she was crazy. “I think you mean you’re going to get dressed first and you’re going to let our daughter do the same. And, please, dry off properly. Can you at least pretend I’ve civilized you in front of company? What am I going to do with either of you?”

Calynn and Crow both laughed sheepishly, but did as Edra ordered. Kumari averted her eyes, not surprised by how comfortable they were with their nudity. They toweled off and then Crow went to her “room” to grab clothes while Calynn went up to the loft space. She came down fully dressed and grabbed Crow. They both readied her horse, a giant like herself named Injo, and hitched a small wagon to it to carry a small trunk Edra packed. Edra rode in front of Calynn, the same as Kumari did with Crow.

On the ride home, Edra requested Kumari give a more detailed account of her time with Crow. Apparently, Crow’s poor storytelling skills were a habit from childhood. The less details in the account, the less trouble she thought she would get into if she did something she was not supposed to. Then, Edra treated Kumari to tales of Crow as a child. Crow spent most of the ride saying, “No! Don’t tell her that one!” Each one was more adorable than the last.

A few hours into the trip, Edra fell asleep against Calynn, who held her secure, so she would not fall from the horse. Crow had done that for Kumari when they first met. Kumari’s eyes drifted close and she relaxed against Crow, who’s arm tightened around her.

“Go ahead. Get some sleep. I’ve got you,” Crow promised.

Kumari was asleep before she realized it. By the time she woke up, the sun was climbing into the sky. The group stopped to have breakfast. Edra used her magic to warm some of the items Kumari had. It was a nice time. They arrived at Vasya late the next day. They were taken to the throne room where Father sat, waiting. He seemed none too happy.

“What is the meaning of this, Sir Crow? You were meant to slay the witch and yet you bring her here,” Father bellowed.

Crow arched an eyebrow. “You asked me to kill the witch. She is here to tell you I’ve done that many times.”

Edra bowed, at the waist. “I’m sure you can relate. Children’s behaviors can often kill their parents.”

Father blinked and then turned to Crow. “Wait, do you mean to say this is also your mother?” He pointed to Edra.

“Mothers.” Crow motioned to Edra and Calynn with both hands. “Raised me to the capable knight you see before you.” Crow grinned and Father fumed. He did not even argue over this task.

-8-8-8-8-

Next time: the third task.