Valaria perked up. No one ever asked her to do anything. To most she was nothing more than a worthless spoiled little girl. She had already seen nineteen years pass. She was not a child, though everyone treated her as one, especially her father.
After her initial shock wore off, Valaria observed what the boys were doing and quickly set about gathering larger sticks and smaller fallen branches to add to the pile they were forming.
"What is this for?" she finally asked as sweat trickled down her back.
Perhaps the corset and dress she was wearing were not entirely appropriate for such activities, but her mother had always frowned upon her fondness of britches. Since her mother's death she had taken to wearing nothing but dresses as a way to feel closer to her. Grief constricted her heart as she thought of her mother.
"I need to make a stretcher of some sort to help carry Callia back to the stables," Arion said.
"Carry her? Are you insane?" Valaria retorted.
"Do I look insane?" he asked. "Don't answer that. You know what? No one asked you to come here, your highness," he spat out.
"You'll be lucky if I don't have you thrown in the dungeon. How dare you speak to me that way! What is your name?" she demanded.
"Arion," he replied.
Her eyes widened in surprised. "Arion? The next High Keeper of Magic?"
"Does everyone know this with certainty but me? I haven't even been officially offered the apprenticeship," he mumbled under his breath.
"But you were chosen," Valaria said.
"As a child," Arion defended. "I cannot be officially named apprentice until my twentieth year, and it is my choice," he told her defiantly.
"Zallon has lived many moons, Arion, and never once has even considered taking an apprentice--until you."
"You really think I don't know that? That somehow you're the only one bound by duty to the kingdom? I'm not discussing this right now. Besides, how do you even know that? I've lived with Zallon most of my life. I've been private tutored for much of that time. How do either of you even know me?" He was getting angry, worried for Callia and feeling trapped by the attention. Arion was used to being invisible, keeping to himself, or at least that's what he had thought all these years.
"Everyone knows who you are," Garron assured him. "Much in the same way everyone knows who she is, though most of us common folk never dream of actually meeting and talking to either of you. Wait? Am I dreaming? Am I going to wake up and find out none of this happened?"
Valaria reached out and pinched him.
"Ouch!" Garron said, rubbing the red mark she left on his arm.
"Did that feel like a dream?" Valaria asked, her words slathered with sarcasm.
Garron winced and shook his head.
Arion didn't know what to think of it all. He kept his thoughts to himself and tried to focus back on what was most important. Looking down at Callia he had a bad feeling set into the pit of his stomach.
Something was very wrong and there was a darkness in the air that he didn't fully understand. He needed to discuss it with Zallon, but he couldn't leave the unicorn alone in the forest. She was his friend and he had to find a way to save her.
Without a word as the other two continued to talk, Arion gathered the sticks into a pile. He looked around and saw some vines nearby. He had never built anything like this before, but he had to at least try.
Walking over he tugged on the vines until enough dropped to the ground that he could gather up to use. He walked back and tossed them next to the pile of wood they had collected.
Now what? he thought.
Looking to the sky he closed his eyes and tried to envision the end product and the steps it would take to get there.
Valaria looked up to see Arion standing there, his hands were out in front of him and his head was turned up to the sky, but his eyes were closed. She had seen him gather the vines, but what she couldn't fathom was what her eyes were showing her now.
As Arion stood there, muttering something she couldn't make out, the sticks began to move and align in a perfect rectangle. Next the vines slithered across the ground, looping and knotting as it binded the wood together, though no one touched it.
"Oh my word, is this really happening?" Garron asked startling Arion from his trance.
"What?" Arion asked as he turned toward them.
"I-I've never seen anyone perform magic like that before," Garron stuttered in awe.
"What are you talking about?" Arion asked.
Valaria simply pointed to the nearly finished stretcher.
"Oh, good. You guys figured it out without me," he said sounding quite relieved.
"That wasn't us, Arion. That was you. You used your magic to build it," Valaria told him.
Arion looked at her like she was the silliest girl he'd ever encountered. "Princess, I don't have magic. I'm not even officially an apprentice. I can mix a few potions, but that's it. Zallon refuses to teach me anything until my twentieth year."
"I know what I saw. Garron saw it too. You were standing there with your hands out and your eyes closed and then the branches shifted, and the vines began to bind. It was amazing. I've never seen such magic," Valaria said.
“That’s not possible,” Arion said trying not to show how much they were freaking him out. “Besides, we’re standing around wasting time when we should be working to get Callia to safety, so either help me or get out of my way.”
How could he have done something like that without even realizing it? It wasn’t possible. He knew they were just messing with him.
With a huff, he picked up the makeshift gurney and dragged it close to Callia. It seemed sturdy enough.
“Sorry, girl. I know this is going to hurt some,” Arion said, as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted. “Quick, slide it under her,” he barked, hoping they would listen.
Both Garron and Valaria pushed the gurney under her as best they could.
“Let me try lifting the other end,” Garron said as he ran to Callia’s backend and attempted to left her enough for the princess to slide it the rest of the way.
Callia didn’t like him touching her and whinnied, kicking her legs out behind her.
“Almost there, Callia. Hold on,” Valaria encouraged.
Garron carefully lowered his half of the horse down just as the unicorn farted and nearly knocked him over.
“Callia,” Arion scolded, but it sounded much like Callia was laughing and snorting, proud of herself.
Valaria couldn’t keep her composure as she doubled over laughing too.
“Gross,” Garron complained. “I smell like skunk spray now.”
“When this is over, come back to the palace with me. The kitchen maids can give you a tomato bath to take away the stench. Just please don’t ask how I know that,” the princess said between tears of amusement.
It was two miles to the western stables as they took turns, two at a time, dragging the unicorn along. Halfway there Callia’s breathing became rapid and her heartrate was irregular. Arion said a quick prayer for her safekeeping.
His heart lightened as the stables finally came into view. Sweating, covered in dirt and exhausted, the three of them found new strength in the final stretch.
“Run ahead and gather the vet,” Arion told Valaria.