Journey through the capital

The rowdy noises of the capital city rouses me from my slumber. Fluttering Bird's eldest daughter, Little Swallow, perks up from where she was watching the scenery outside with a mouth open wide. Her little hands help me sit up properly and adjust my clothes in an expert manner. All the practice from helping her mother with the younger siblings has taught her a lot.

"My Lady, should I call my Mother?" she asks, passing me a bottle of water.

"No need," I yawn, giving her a smile. She yawns back at me and then we both yawn together.

"The city is so big and exciting," Little Swallow chirps, pulling out some cakes from a packet by her side and gives me one. She can't take her gleaming eyes off the cake in my hand. "This cake looks so yummy. The Second Prince gave you a lot. Look! Mother said I'm not allowed to eat any unless you give it to me."

She points at the small pile of packages to the side that she has been looking after carefully. Breaking my cake in half, I watch her shove it all in her mouth.

"Yummy!" she says, with eyes lighting up. "Can we eat more?"

"You choose and we'll eat," I say, wiping crumbs from the corner of her mouth, "but not too much or your Mother will scold us both if we can't eat dinner afterwards."

"Oh," Little Swallow nods and laughs, pulling out one cake after another. We munch and peek out the carriage curtain, looking at the shops, the walking peddlers and stall keepers. We point at the big mansions and giggle to each other when we see a child playing hide and seek with his friends, pulling faces at them from where his friends couldn't see.

"Uh oh," Little Swallow blinks at an empty cake wrapper.

"Uh oh," I agree. "Are you full?"

"Kind of," Little Swallow looks at her bulging tummy and then pats mine. "What about you?"

"Kind of," I echo her. "I think we're going to get a scolding later."

"I'll get a scolding," Little Swallow wrinkles her nose and corrects me. "Mother will be happy to hear you ate so much. She says you've been getting as skinny as the beanstalk and she's been worried the wind will blow you away."

"What about you?" I squeeze her skinny little muscles. "If we don't find enough food for you, you're not going to grow. You're about as skinny as me."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"My Lady," Little Swallow puts her hands on her hips in a cute imitation of her mother, "you shouldn't tease me like that."

"Like what?" I peer outside the curtain at the passing scenery.

"My La-dy!"

Little Swallow's cheeks puff out and I poke the air out of them, making us both laugh. The carriage turns into a road with large houses filled with multiple courtyards.

"Do you think we'll be able to live in one of these big houses?" Little Swallow asks with a wistfulness in her voice. "I'm tired of travelling in the bumpy carriages."

"I think we'll find out soon," I say, sticking my tongue out at Sword Song when he happens to catch us looking out the window. He sticks his tongue out at us back and Little Swallow pulls a face at him too.

"Cheeky monkeys," Sword Song grins at us. "His Imperial Majesty has given us a residence to stay in while we are visiting in the city. He has given permission for us to continue to take care of you and has given us an allowance for your care while he sorts out some things in the court."

"When will we get there?" Little Swallow sticks her head out the window to look up and down the wide street.

Sword Song pushes her back in when another carriage trundles past in the opposite direction.

"Careful, little sister," he tells her. "Keep your head inside or it might get knocked off."

"Are we there yet?" Little Swallow persists, looking up at him where he sits on his black horse with big, cute eyes.

"Nearly," Sword Song says. "Just a few more minutes."

"All right," Little Swallow heaves a huge sigh. "I feel like this journey has taken half my life."

Sword Song laughs and trots away on his horse, while I close the curtain and pull Little Swallow back to sit beside me.

"Almost there," I say.

"Almost there," Little Swallow agrees, swinging her feet and starting to sing. "Almost there. Almost there."

I sing along with her.

"Almost there, almost there, almost there."

Our carriage stops to let another carriage past first and we both peep out the curtain still singing. The curtain of the passing carriage flickers.

"Stop the carriage," the stranger shouts. Little Swallow and I immediately pull our heads back in and exchange glances with widened eyes. We peer through a corner of our window to see Sword Song walk over to talk to the stranger. Sword Song's head is in the way, so we can't see. Neither can we hear what they're talking about. All we see is Sword Song talk to them for a little bit and then back his horse away so that they can continue past.

"Don't stick your head out anymore, Princess," Sword Song says to me when he passes by to inform Prince White Fur at the head of our carriage train what just happened. There's a little crease between his brows. "Little Swallow, you too. Understood?"

"Understood," Little Swallow and I chorus, letting the curtain fall back into place. Exchanging glances, we both let out a breath.

"We're going to get a big scolding later," I look down at my hands and Little Swallow takes my big hands in her little ones.

"Don't worry," she says. "We'll get scolded together. Don't be scared. I'll be right here beside you."

"Thank you so much, Little Swallow," I say, scooping her up into a big hug, feeling my eyes fill up. "I think I'd be very lonely here without you."

"Mother says I have to keep you company more since Big Brother has gone away. I miss Big Brother too, so if you want to cry, I'll cry with you," Little Sparrow pulls out a handkerchief to wipe my eyes.

"Thank you," I whisper, wiping her eyes with my handkerchief. "Thank you."