VI

Madame Gemma’s Pub

 The wind blew extremely wild, making my hair flutter behind my back. It was the first time that I have experienced the air like this; it was sticky and cold, but above all, the feel of its intensity against my skin was wonderful. 

 I was not aware that riding a horse would be such an amazing experience. If I could, I would have spread my arms and accepted the gush of the wind and the sunlight freely.

 However, my enthusiasm about this experience was unfitting for we were being chased by six royal guards. 

 “C’est tellement frustrant!” My thoughts about the ride abruptly stopped when Henry spoke with such frustration. Despite the inability to understand his language, I can still depict what he was trying to say.

 “Ils devraient tout simplement me laisser partir,” he continued murmuring under his breath. 

“The prince lost his marbles, hadn’t he?” Eos commented as he flew above. “He kept on talking gibberish.”

The situation we were in was not fit for a laugh, but it slowly escaped my lips, which I regret. Nevertheless, Henry did not seem to notice my short giggle for he continued uttering in foreign words as he gripped Clementine’s reins tightly while the latter continued to run as quickly as she could.

As the chase became longer, the road of dust vanished and was replaced with the earth and fallen leaves, the field of tall grass replaced with thin and dead trees. No birds can be heard, nor crickets, croaks, hisses, or screeches.

The dead forest, I thought. 

I have read its name on the map while I was thinking of a plan to get Princess Aurora. It never occurred to me that the name speaks for the place itself. It was distressing to see the dead and uninhabitable pond but seeing this made my heart ache even more. 

How could they let this die? Could they not save it anymore?

“Cola, which way do we go?” Henry’s sharp voice brought me back to our current situation. 

Three roads were ahead of us. The left one reeks of sunlight and healthy grass, the middle was a bit dull, while the right road was filled with cut-off and fallen trees. 

Why is he asking me? He was the one who stared at the map all day long! 

Without further asking, Henry took a right turn. Clementine and Farrio were quick to react for they were able to jump from the tree logs that blocked the path. 

“Ha! I would love to see those palace horses jump at those logs,” Clementine lamented.

“Can they? Their precious feet would get hurt,” Farrio mocked and the two synchronously produced laughter.

Due to their statements, I turned my head to peek on our chasers. It took them a while to jump over the logs but they did it successfully. We were already far from them, but not far enough to disappear from their sight.

As we ran deeper into the forest, the nature around us seemed to die a bit more. Leafless trees. Thick, polluted air. Brown grasses. Dry earth. The immediate change in our surroundings made me shiver. For what, I do not know.

A wooden bridge came into view, and beyond it was another forest delved into darkness despite the daylight. The ropes  in the bridge looked like they would snap any minute, like it could not handle too much weight.

“That doesn’t look safe!” Scylla shouted when she saw what was ahead of us.

Clementine and Farrio stopped before they could step another foot inside the bridge. Together, we peeked our heads below it. Despite our best efforts to see what was under, only a thick, dark fog could be seen.

“Should we turn back?” I whispered, but my voice echoed through the forest. It was both fascinating and terrifying at the same time.

Before Henry could answer, a series of gallops made us alert. With a single whip, Clementine ran over the bridge while Farrio followed.

“That prince definitely lost his marbles! We’re going to die because of him!” Scylla screamed at the top of her lungs as the bridge shook and vibrated.

My body was shaking from nervousness. I wanted to close my eyes and evade the fear that the deep hole below us was giving me. However, I wanted to make sure that every one of us would make it to the other side safely.

The bridge’s ropes started breaking one by one. Scylla’s screams and Eos’ continuous shouts towards Clementine and Farrio to run faster did not help in calming my disordered and nervous thoughts. 

When we reached the other side of the bridge, the last rope broke. Everything seemed to have slowed down when I saw Farrio and Scylla were still in there. It felt like my heart stopped beating when I saw their horrified face and heard their screams for help.

“Podržte!”

Farrio and Scylla remained hovering in the air, while the bridge collapsed beneath them, taking Farrio’s saddles and a couple of our travel baskets with it. The guards left dumbstricken at the other side, surprised by the magic they had witnessed.

Scylla’s face was wet with tears while Farrio’s legs shook when I levitated them safely to the ground. Eos and Kalare welcomed the two with a hug, their faces were washed with relief. My hands were shaking badly as I walked towards them, grateful that they were safe.

“You!” Scylla hollered at Henry. Her expression screamed anger and fear. “You are the reason those guards were after us! We should have just left you!” 

I wanted to remind her what the prince had done for us, but since she was speaking out of emotions and not rationality, I decided to let her speak and release her feelings. The prince would not understand what she was saying, after all.

“She is mad at me, am I correct?” Henry whispered in my ears.

“Yes.”

“Could you tell her that I apologize for it?”

Scylla squinted her eyes. “What are you whispering at? Speak louder, you imbecile! Just because you apologized for waking the princess, it does not mean that we are friends! I am still mad at you!”

“I will tell her once she has calmed down,” I replied softly.

It took an hour for Scylla to calm down. She was now quiet and was resting in Clementine’s saddles. Her rants were valid but it was a bit tiring to listen to, that was why seeing her rest comfortably gave me, and the others, a peace of mind.

“What will we do now?” Kalare asked. “We lost Farrio’s saddle, a week’s worth of food, and our map.”

“We’re also lost inside this big, dead forest,” Eos added.

Farrio snorted a sarcastic laugh. “Thank you for reminding us of our misfortunes.”

“What will we do now?” I say, repeating Kalare’s question to Henry.

“Honestly, I am out of ideas,” he answered truthfully.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips. It was discouraging to continue our journey at this point. Princess Aurora was probably riding her horse continuously, getting further away from us while we’re stuck here.

Is our journey still meaningful? Would we be successful in obtaining her back?

“However, we could follow the sun to get out of here.” My head turned to get a better look at the prince. He was grinning while his eyes were in the shade of sea green. “Once we are out of this forest, we would take shortcuts to get to the mountains. We could still reach the princess.”

A smile slowly spread on my face. “We could do that? Does that really work?” 

He chuckled deeply. “Of course. All we have to do is find a spot where the sun shines brightly.”

“How do you know about these things? Did your teachers teach you about journeys?” It was really inspiring whenever he spits out knowledge I am not aware of. It was one of the advantages of being a royalty; knowledge is limitless and unrestricted.

“My older brother did. He was an explorer, and he would take me with him at times.” 

“That must be wonderful.” Being able to explore the world without worries, without… limits.

Henry smiled, a smile where a mix of sadness and joy can be observed. “It was. Out of all my brothers, Prince Ambroise was the one who actually liked me.”

“Did he come to the Kingdom of the Moors for the King’s birthday as well?” 

“No.” He released a deep breath. “Ambroise died in one of his journeys in the sea. His ship got wrecked, and not even his body was found.”

My lips pursed, surprised. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I say, “I am certain that Prince Ambroise is proud of you. You’re here with me on a journey. He would be happy to see that his little brother is following his footsteps.”

Henry’s reproachful smile was replaced by a masking grin. He softly caressed the top of my head. “Thank you, milady,” he spoke. “And I apologize for the troubles and harms I had caused.” 

“My family was the one who sent those guards after me. They often do this whenever they want me to go back home,” he explained. I felt thankful for him telling me that even if I was not asking.

We have been travelling together for days, and as time passes, my curiosity about his family and life grew. The only thing that was stopping me from asking questions after questions was the rational part of my mind saying that he seemed like he did not want to talk about it.

“Do you often leave the palace, back in your country?”

Henry nodded. “Oui.”

“Is that why you were wearing a servant’s clothes back in the Moors? To escape from the guards and your family?”

He grinned. “You are quick to catch up, milady.” A sheepish smile crossed my lips as I welcomed the rare compliment whole-heartedly. “How about you? Do you leave your hut often? You were away when I found the princess.”

“No, I never left the hut nor the forest. I only left at that time to gather spices and ingredients. This is my first time outside the Moors.”

“Really? You should have told me.”

“Why? What would you do if you knew?” I asked out of curiousness.

“I could have been a bit more kind and understanding towards you. The outside world is a scary place, you know. Maybe it was a good thing that I decided to come forth in this journey of yours.”

He was right. The outside world was indeed scary; it was full of thieves, judging and brutal persons, but it was also beautiful. Right now, I am only focusing on the beauty, and trying to ignore the ugly and scary ones. My time on this Earth was limited, I could not afford to think and absorb every negative thing I cross upon.

“It was both a good and bad thing that he decided to come forth in this journey,” Eos uttered in a sudden. He acquired my attention for I did not notice that they were listening to our conversation.

“I agree that having him here has its advantages and disadvantages,” Kalare seconded.

Eos nodded eagerly. “We would not be here in the first place if he had not woken the princess.”

“Though, I must say, his travel skills kept us alive at some point.”

I giggled at my friends’ conversation. They were not as harsh as before towards the prince, but I could not say that they consider him as a friend, either. Still, this is an improvement.

“Your friends are talking about me, are they not?” Henry queried, to which I responded a ‘yes’.

As we kept on walking towards the light, the darker it seemed to get. Eos and Kalare kept on talking about the advantages and disadvantages of having the prince with us, while Henry and I plucked out some edible mushrooms as we passed by. 

It was not much compared to the food we had lost, but it would keep us well-fed until we escaped from the forest.

“A cliff!” Clementine suddenly shouted in an enthusiastic manner. 

All of us delightedly went to the direction where a shallow cliff stood. The bright beam of the sun came across our face as we finally exited from the darkness of the forest.

“Now, all we need is a stick so we can determine the directions--” Henry’s words stopped short when he took notice of what was in front of us.

A vast wooden building stood proudly in the middle of the forest. It had large, open windows where a soft hum of melody came out. The left door was open while the right one was closed; there was a huge sign hanging loosely that says: Madame Gemma’s Pub.

Despite all its peculiarity, the thing that I immediately noticed was the colorful flowers and healthy plants growing out of the earth. 

This building was standing in the middle of a dead forest, and yet, plants and vegetables grew on this specific part. 

How was that even possible?

“Do you think we should check it out or just pretend that we did not see a giant building in the middle of nowhere?” Clementine asked in a whispering manner.

"It looks harmless," Farrio spoke.

"A monster could be living in there," Eos argued.

"Just let the prince do what he needs to do so we could get out of here immediately. Who knows who lives in there," Scylla stated.

"Cola? What do you think?" Kalare asked. 

Before I could say a word, a voice came from behind. "Travelers, eh? First time to see the pub?" 

A man with no hair in the head but a lot of it in his chin walked in front of us. He was grinning from ear-to-ear, as if we were old friends who finally saw one another after several years.

"You lot did not expect to see the pub, eh? Look at those little, confused faces." He laughed aloud, like something was humoring him. The man started walking, using the stair-like earth at the side of the cliff to reach the pub. 

When he reached the ground, he looked back. "What are you all waiting for? Come down here!" 

Henry and I exchanged meaningful looks, deciding whether to follow the nameless bearded or just leave. 

"Let's just leave!" Scylla insisted.

"This is tearing my mind apart! I want to know what's inside, but I want to leave too!" Kalare exhilaratingly commented.

The wisest decision was to leave, of course, because we could not afford to lose another day in tracking the princess. Nevertheless, our pesky and irrational minds did otherwise. 

And so, we started following the man.

"Oh heavens." I heard Scylla whisper as they followed behind.

When we reached the insides of the pub, I could not help but marvel at its beauty. The walls were filled with paintings of nature; the icy mountain from the north, the volcanoes, the rare trees and flowers, and animals I had never encountered before. There was a small counter, and behind it were different bottles of drinks. There were also lots of small, circular tables and stools, as well as people sitting on them. 

Various kinds of people.

A huge, beefy, black man wearing a purple dress sits at the table far from the counter while talking to a lady with a mustache and large muscles. On the other side of the room were old men and women who had hairy arms and legs playing cards. 

The room was large enough to accommodate all these people. It was fascinating to see them interacting and communicating with one another in such a peaceful and lovable way.

"Come, come." The bearded man appeared again, urging us to follow him. "Madame Gemma! We have travelers!"

The moment the man spoke the word 'travelers', the noise stopped in a halt while the people turned their heads to take a good look at us. Their scrutinizing gazes made me feel uncomfortable, but it was only for a moment because they immediately tore their eyes away.

"Wait here. I'll call on Madame Gemma. She would be delighted to see another set of travelers."

Henry and I waited at the counter. Eos rested on my shoulders, while, to my surprise, Kalare rested on Henry's. The latter seemed more surprised than I was for he looked at me with widened eyes and a huge smile was plastered all over his face. 

I could not help but beam at Henry's expression, feeling joyous that my friends were starting to get comfortable with him. His delighted face was very pleasant to look at. 

"Where are they?" I heard a soft, grumpy voice say.

"They're at the counter. They do not look like they need the pub, but they can see it, and so, they belong here."

The small door behind the counter opened, revealing a woman with white hair. She was wearing a pink gown engraved with patterns I am familiar with. Her face was stoic while the bearded man was smiling enthusiastically. Due to this, I am not certain whether to smile or not.

"Good afternoon," Henry greeted, offering his hand for a shake. For a second, I admired his politeness.

Madame Gemma accepted his handshake with a firm grip. However, her hold seemed suspicious for it lingered for a few seconds before she completely broke free. She then offered her hand on mine, which I still accepted, despite my doubts. 

Madame Gemma's eyes fluttered a bit when our skins touched. Her expression, changing from hospitable madame into a curious and alerted one. It made my heart thump double in nervousness.

"All of you are welcome here in this pub, you could stay for as long as you like." Her voice was soft and small when she spoke. 

It reminded me of my Godmothers for they spoke with similar tenderness. 

"Do you mind if I ask why is this pub built in the middle of the forest? Would it not earn more if it was in the center of the kingdom?" Henry asked, and again, he earned my admiration because of his bravery to converse and question.

"This is not a regular pub. This place is for people like you; people who needed an escape, who needed to be free from society's judgments and expectations." Madame Gemma turned to stare at me. "And responsibilities."

"The only one who could see and enter my pub was people who yearned for freedom and escape. I built it that way." She grinned proudly, and I daresay that Madame Gemma deserved to be proud of her work. 

This place was like a haven for different people. She deserved to be applauded for her thoughtfulness and kindness.

"If you built it this way, then you are--"

Before Henry could finish, the woman spoke. "A Godmother, yes," she replied before peeking at me, meeting my eyes. "That is why it is such a wonder to me why my cousins' greatest life work is in this place.

"Are you not supposed to guard the princess, dear Constanza?"