Elements of Glory: The Princess of Nothing

’There are many things I don’t understand, Eleanor, but we’re locked into this now, and there’s no turning back… let’s learn all we can, in the time we have…’

-Thaddeus to Eleanor, twenty-two cycles ago

Emily and Aragam looked at one another, both were startled and wide-eyed. They looked back at the sleeping baby on the floor.

‘Pick it up,’ Emily prodded after a moment.

’You pick it up!’ Aragam retorted. ’You made it!’

’I didn’t do anything!’ Emily growled. ‘Besides,’ she protested, ‘I’m all wet.’

‘I suppose I’m perfectly dry?’ Aragam frowned, motioning to his wet cloak.

’You’re not dripping.’

Aragam grumbled to himself. Slowly bent down, picking up the baby, sloppily holding it in his arms.

‘Here,’ Emily said, shifting his arms and the child so he was holding it right, ‘don’t you know how to hold a baby?’

’Of course I know how to hold a baby!’ Aragam said snottily. ’But I wouldn’t have to hold a baby, if you’d kept your hands to yourself!’

’ME?’ Emily exclaimed. ’I was minding my own business until you touched my arm, and then the next thing I know I’m seeing you and the Stryth getting that crystal orb and then running for your lives!’

‘Oh,’ Aragam said, his voice raising along with his anger, ’so this is my fault!’

’Well it’s not mine!’ Emily shot back. ‘I was having a peaceful dinner until-’

’Hush!’ the Stryth said, his voice filled with exasperation. ’Do you want to wake the baby?’

Emily and Aragam looked at the child, watched it stir, smack its lips, and go right on sleeping.

The hallway remained quiet for several long moments.

Aragam sighed. ’What are we going to do with a baby? How are we going to explain this to Grulem?’

’What do you mean we?’ Emily asked suddenly.

‘What?’ Aragam wondered, astonished.

’You said what are we going to do with a baby,’ Emily reminded the man. ’This is not my responsibility. You, the baby, and the Stryth-’

‘My name is Togik!’ the horse said, cutting her off.

’Whatever!’ Emily exclaimed in exasperation.

’Yeah, quiet, Horse,’ Aragam added.

’When the morning comes, you’re all out!’ Emily growled, and she had to wonder if the reason Wilth had kept her alone all these cycles was to protect her from people! If they were all this frustrating, she could understand why. Suddenly her dreams of fancy balls looked a little less inviting. Suddenly she couldn’t wait to have her solitude again.

‘You can’t just-’

‘Can’t I?’ Emily said sternly. ’I’m the Princess! I can do whatever I want, and I want you and the Stryth and the baby gone tomorrow! Is that clear?’

Aragam’s face filled with frustration. He narrowed his blue eyes, and his thick, blonde, eyebrows seemed to bunch together. ’Very,’ he snarled.

’Good,’ Emily grumped, turning on her heel and hurrying away, telling herself the whole way back to the dining room that she was making the right decision.

When she’d say back down to her dinner, she found she’d lost her appetite. She didn’t really like how rude she’d been to Aragam, even though she still told herself that she was making the right choice. Aside from the fact that their problems weren’t hers, she couldn’t imagine what Wilth would say if he returned and found guests in the castle.

Despite all this, Emily had been taught better manners than she’d shown Aragam. Of course, she reminded herself, he hadn’t been especially kind to her. They had in fact both been a little rude. Still, Emily knew that was no reason to be unbecoming herself. She sighed, ran a hand over her tired face, and wondered again if being around all people was this exasperating.

Emily made a decision, stood from her dining room table, and was starting to the doorway, when she stopped short. Standing in the entrance was a small being. It was about half a metron tall, wore short trousers and a vest. It had blonde fur all over his plump body. The creature had a small button nose, large feet, no visible ears, and large, round, blue eyes. Its mouth was rather wide. It was smiling with beaver-like teeth, innocently, as if it had been caught unprepared.

Emily stared at the little creature, wondering where it had come from and how it had got into her castle.

‘Who are you?’ she managed to say.

Still, with a funny, little boy, look in its face, the creature scratched the side of its furry head, before shyly announcing, ‘Me am Wuzzul.’

Emily narrowed her eyes. ’What are you, and how did you get here?’

‘Me am a Dooy,’ Wuzzul said. Then he bit his bottom and top lip, as if he was trying not to cry, even though large tear drops were forming in his yes. ‘Me no know how me got here,’ he said, and started fumbling with the buttons on his vest, as tears splashed down is face.

Emily was surprised by the Dooy’s reaction. Slowly, she walked over to him and crouched down, gently placing an arm on one of his small, furry, shoulders. Wuzzul looked up at her, his bottom lip quivering as he seemed to be forcing himself to look brave.

‘It’s okay, Wuzzul,’ Emily told the Dooy kindly, though she didn’t know, for sure, if she was telling a fib or not.

‘Will you help me, pretty lady?’ Wuzzul asked.

‘I can try,’ Emily responded, willing herself not to hesitate in answering. ‘What do you need?’

‘Me needs to find Samantha,’ Wuzzul said. ’Me was with her, and then… me was here. Me don’t know where she went.’

Emily decided, with how weird this night had become already, another stranger in her castle shouldn’t be a huge surprise. ‘I guess I could help you look for her,’ Emily said. ‘What does she look like?’

‘Sometimes she has long blonde hair, and is a pretty woman… but sometimes she’s a girl… but sometimes she’s a baby,’ Wuzzul replied.

’A baby?’ Emily asked, suddenly surprised.

‘Mmm-hmm,’ Wuzzul said, wiping his nose with the back of his arm. ‘A baby,’ he said, ‘every time she starts over.’ He put a hand on top of his head. ‘With blonde hair,’ he explained. ‘Me am s‘posed to protect her.’

Emily stared past the little Dooy, out into the hallway and sighed. ‘This just keeps getting weirder and weirder,’ she whispered to herself. Then, standing up, she took Wuzzul’s hand and guided him into the hallway.

‘Do youm know where Samantha is?’ the Dooy asked.

‘Maybe,’ Emily replied.

She guided the little man through her castle, back to the guest rooms where she’d left Aragam and Togik. Stopping outside Aragam’s door, Emily reached up to knock, but stopped short, closed her eyes, and sighed.

‘What?’ Wuzzul asked, looking up at Emily in confusion.

She looked down on the little man. ’Nothing,’ she told him. She turned back to the door and knocked twice.

There was a moment. Then door was pulled open. Aragam stood in the doorway. Beyond him, over by the bed, Togik stood, looking down on a sleeping bundle on the blankets.

‘SAMANTHA!’ Wuzzul cried and darted into the room, rushing to the bed and leaping, to land beside the baby, which he started to hug and cry over. ‘Me thought me lost you!’ Wuzzul bawled.

Aragam stared at the little crying man for a moment, and then turned to Emily, a look of dismay on his face. ’What’s this?’ he demanded.

Emily shrugged. ‘He just showed up and said he was looking for a baby,’ Emily replied.

’You made him too?’ Aragam grumbled.

’I didn’t make-’

But the Wasgician turned, throwing up his hands in frustration, and walking back into the room before Emily could finish.

‘Hey!’ she called, hurrying after him. ’Don’t just walk away from me when I’m talking to you!’

Aragam turned quickly to face Emily. ‘Listen,’ he said, making his voice too nice. ’I’m sure you have a great number of important things you think I need to hear, but apparently I have to leave first thing in the morning, and now I have a baby and a little…’ He glanced back at Wuzzul.

’Dooy,’ Emily said with a note of smugness.

’Oh? You know what it is?’ Aragam asked, looking back at her, making a face.

Emily folded her arms across her chest and smirked.

‘Anyway,’ Aragam said, ’I have to figure out what I’m going to do with these two, and how I’m going to explain things to Grulem. So, if you’ll excuse me, that would be nice.’ He made shooing gestures at Emily.

’Fine!’ Emily growled at the Wasgician.

’Fine!’ Aragam shot back.

Emily turned sharply and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

As she started away from the bedroom, she heard the baby start to cry. Emily closed her eyes and winced. She’d not meant to do that. She’d not wanted to wake the baby up. She glanced back to the room and watched the door open. Aragam stuck his head out, and his red face seemed to barely contain the rage behind it. Still, he kept his voice even.

’Thank you, very much for that,’ he said. ’Do you think you could, possibly, do anything else to make my night just a little more pleasant, or are you quite finished?’

‘I’m done,’ Emily said, throwing up her hands, now feeling actually quite embarrassed because of her behaviour.

‘No, really,’ Aragam pressed, ‘would you like to kick me, or, maybe pour boiling water over my face?’

Emily clenched her jaw, turned, and walked away.

Behind her, Aragam continued to call out suggestions of painful things Emily could do to him. Before she was fully out of earshot, she had considered that one or two of them might actually be funny to see.