Mission Start

The night once again had Asterid in her nightgown and robe sitting with Heikka on his branchy pearch. Eyes closed, Asterid stroked the bridge of her nose up the top of her forehead and down again with a cool finger, attempting to massage the stress of the day from her thoughts. Heikka finished the last sausage nicked for his dinner, joining her in a silent rumination of their day. He climbed down off his branch to a shallow bowl nearby to clean the grease and dirt from his skin. Throughout all of his actions he watched her, examining her actions, trying to decipher her thoughts as has been trying to all throughout the day. It was a way to distract himself, he said in his thoughts, from his current situation.

Asterid breathed in, and quietly let out the air in her lungs. "Are you sure that my taking you to the edge of the forest to the border is all you want?" She opened her eyes. "I just feel that with a little patience we could find a way to get you to your parents without you trying to make it there by yourself."

"It's too dangerous for you to get involved too deeply. It could draw the attention of whoever was behind my current predicament. While it may take me till after my own funeral to get back home," He paused tilted his head, then returned to his seat atop his branch, "at least I'll no longer have to worry about politics, given that I'd be dead."

"You could wait till your cousin leaves and hitch a ride with him."

"That wouldn't work. There is the chance that he might be either behind or working with who's behind this. Also, I've no idea if he'll be heading in the direction I need to go." Then Heikka smiled and gave out a series of chuckling ribbits. "And the most important factor, he isn't entirely fond of amphibians."

Asterid, amused, gave him a playfully stern look, "Did you do something mean to him?"

Still reliving the memory Heikka shook his head. "No, only fortunate enough to witness an embarrassment of his. When we were young and visiting the Palace, we were adventuring the gardens, and he fell into one of the ornamental ponds. One devoted to frogs." Heikka's froggy laugh sung through the room and his enjoyment of the memory made Asterid smile.

"Alright then, we'll head out tomorrow." Asterid got up from the couch she was lounging on and started setting up Heikka's bed.

"Tomorrow? Are you sure you can get away with disappearing for so long? Didn't you say you had hosting duties?" Heikka worriedly leaped over to the couch and sat on the back of it, facing her as she fluffed a pillow for him.

"It should be alright. Most of those still here are my grandmother's contemporaries and idle young gentlemen vying for my sister's attentions. The rest work for my father and run the kingdom." She pick him up and plopped him on the center of the pillow, then shook out a nearby throw before tucking him in, throwing it over him. "It should only take half a day since we won't be following the path and going directly through the forest."

Heikka squirmed and then gave up, sighed spoke through the blanket covering him. "Only if you are sure." He sighed again. "Good night then."

Asterid smiled and gently pat him, "Good night."

Having left Sky with Smithy and her own horse, Asterid and Heikka were just starting making their way through the Cartazonos Forest as the mid morning sun dappled the brush and brambles around them.

Heikka rode Asterid's shoulder, easily noticeable against the older riding habit of light brown. "How long do you think it'll take us to get to the border?" Heikka worried, "If you don't think that you can make it back before the sun goes down we can try again later."

Asterid shook her head, walking an easy pace that easily ate up distance. "It's nothing to worry about. I'll be fine. The only thing you have to worry about it how you are going to do anything once you are out of the forest and without anyone to help you. Be sure to be careful of snakes and birds out there."

"It won't be as bad as that. It's also not like I don't know how to defend myself." Heikka puffed up.

"A lot of damage you can do as a tiny frog."

"Hey tha-!" Heikka stopped as suddenly they heard a loud wailing, along with a slightly quieter voice trying to consol it. Asterid paused only for a second before continuing on, directly towards the voices. "Wait, are you sure that's the smart thing to do?"

"The forest wouldn't put anything to harm us in our way. We don't have any impure intentions. So, we might be able to help them. Just like I can help you."

When they reached the voices they saw a tall woman weeping on the broad chest of a plain man. Both were in disarray, clothing ripped and muddied, hair wild, tired eyes. The man had bruises and along the edges of his mouth and some of his clothes were traces of blood. Having been startled by Asterid's appearance, the man hugged the woman closer, making her notice that they were no longer alone. Being not much shorter than man, she spun around in his arms to fiercely face whoever was there. Her blue eyes flared, tear streaks cleaned the dirt around them.

Heikka gave a startled croak and pointed, "You're the one who turned me into a frog!"

There was a moment of still silence as they all stared at each other in wide eyed shock. Then, the witch's face crumpled in on itself, and she wailed again. "Yes I did!" She heaved and covered her face and fell back into the man's arms, now worriedly holding her up. "And right lot of good it did! 'Arely savin' me man! They had no intensuns of givin' me 'ack me family!" She turned and then tried to lunge toward the west, "Me son, they have me son, I've got to get him back!" The man held her and murmured to her, sad, worried and tired.

"Tha' you wer' able to fin' me is a miracle." He held her closer and looked to Asterid and Heikka. "They wer' plannin' on sendin' me oft' some deadly place." The witch cried harder.

"That nasty no'le, sneaky, evil man." She turned again to Asterid and looked to Heikka. "What kind o' man has a lord o' a place just take a person's family an' force a person to do somethin'?"

Heikka stared at the woman, not answering. Asterid spoke, trying to ease the situation. "I imagine so you could enter the forest and do what he wanted since he couldn't." She walked toward the two, who watched her warily. "The forest must have felt your desperation, and allowed you in, especially since you had no intent to kill. Just a desire to protect and save." The witch widened her eyes. "Now, I imagine you fled here as a last resort. Since we meet here like this, I imagine it's because we can help you, and you can help us."

Hope blazed in the witch's eyes and her husband seemed to have life breathed into him. The witch stepped forward and grasped Asterid's hands. "You can help us get our son 'ack?"

Heikka replied, confident. "Yes." He croaked and looked into the witch's eyes. "Was it just the lord of Sikar that you spoke to? Or was there another man? Eyes like mine. Middle aged, soldier like, and with a fierce gaze?"

The witch, and her husband, nodded. She narrowed her eyes and seethed, "He said that I had to kill you, and didn' 'elieve me when I said I don't have any of those sorts of spells. Said a Stochastic witch wouldn' not have 'em." Her man angrily shook his head. She looked back at him and comforted him. "You didn' do wrong, he jus' wanted to show off his power. I'm jus' glad lil' Fusi didn' get a beatin'." Her eyes began to waver. "Hope he's safe." Then firm, "Know he's alive!"

Asterid nodded and introduced herself. "I'm Asterid Agate Bidasar, and this, the one you turned into a frog, is Heikka Teikoku." Heikka nodded.

The witch nodded, "Pala, illegitimate daughter of a hedge witch, which got me family in this mess." she derided herself.

The man put his arm over her shoulder in comfort and spoke slowly, "Patuga, farmer, hus'nd of Pala, father of Fusi."

Pala stared at Asterid and then at Heikka. "Wait, isn't the king o' Nanshilin an Adamas 'idisar?"

Patuga looked down in thought, "Pretty sure Teikoku is the Emperor's family name."

The two share a look and then go to their knees, apologizing.

Heikka and Asterid share a look of bemusement, before Asterid helped them up. "It's of no matter right now, we've got people to save."

Heikka asked Pala, "Can you reverse your spell?"

Pala held him, examined him, then returned him to Asterid. "I don' think I can, Highness." She gave a helpless shrug, "Surprised it even worked, I changed a lesser spell to get somethin'. Was a las' hope thing. Is a magic I can not touch now."

Heikka sprawled out on Asterid's shoulder in defeat.

Asterid just nodded and asked her, "We read in a book of various spell effects that a possible cure would be a kiss of true love. Do you think that would work?"

Pala crosses her arms and ponders, tiredly swaying in thought. "Is possi'le. Could straighten out the kinks in the magic."

With a nod Asterid jostled her shoulder to move Heikka out of his dramatics. "I think, Heikka, there is a change of plans." She looked to Pala and Patuga. "I think I should take you guys to the castle and explain things to my father and sister."

Heikka righted himself and tilted his head, "I understand bringing Pala and Patuga to the castle for their safety, but not explaining this all to your family."

"I just have a feeling that this is something that has gotten to the point that if we keep on trying to do things on our own, it'll turn out for the worse. Not only for Pala and Patuga, but for you Heikka, and for our two countries." Asterid motioned for them to follow her as she headed back the way she came, "My sister has always had a head for these things and my father should be aware of the potential danger Indivedic is."