Lucky

Aurora silently tried to steel her heart against getting her hopes too high. A message from the mirror after so long might not be good. To her relief, when she held the object in both hands, the image of the princess filled the looking glass.

What's more, she seemed healthy and whole.

The Empress released the breath she was holding as the message began. "Mother! I am so glad to hear from you! I am sorry for keeping you waiting for so long. There was an incident which led to me being separated from my bag and, well, the mirror, but we as you can see we have just been miraculously reunited!"

Mairwen's rosy cheeks brought warmth to the Empress's heart. 'Wait, is that the ice barrier behind her?'

"Get to the point, Mair! We haven't got all day!" Alaron's voice chided his sister from offscreen. Aurora couldn't help but laugh softly at his brotherly tone. It meant he was alright as well.

"Yes, yes," the princess shot an annoyed look away from the mirror, presumably at her twin. She refocused. "Long story made short: we are in the land of magic and were hoping to meet you. But it seems that you are not with the elves. So...where are you?"

"Are you--" the question from a deep voice was cut off as the mirror suddenly went dark. Either Mairwen had lowered the mirror prematurely or she had been done speaking and had not expected the other person to talk. The gruff voice was almost familiar but Aurora could not place it.

Staring at the mirror, the Empress was left with many questions. But the biggest one--wondering if her children were alive--was well and clearly answered. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Go on, Rory! Don't just stand there like a wood nymph in hiding! Send a message back." Brinn was tempted to take the mirror and respond herself.

Since the humans had no magical creatures with them, Mairwen had likely entered through the elven gate. Brinn had a few things she desperately needed to tell the king as well as her parents.

Pulled from her thoughts, Aurora snapped her head toward the she-elf and nodded. Lifting the mirror, she crafted her response.

"Dearest Mairwen, I have indeed been worried. I am glad to see you are well and that your mirror was returned to you. We are a few days walk from the edge of the Great Lake which has been our aim for some time now. How I wish I could tell you everything, but I will not do so until you give me the clear signal that it is safe to do so. I hope to hear from you very soon." Aurora lowered the mirror. "Let's get a move on."

"Your Majesty?" Nurlan was slightly confused by her sudden action. He fell into step behind her with a curious glance. Her pace was quicker than they had been going before.

Zan understood. "The princess is inside the land of magic. The elves and fairies may be friendly, but not everything is so welcoming. She could easily run into trouble without guidance."

"Even with an escort I nearly lost my hand," the doctor reminded them. He thought of the gorgeously enticing flower that had come close to eating his finger.

"No offense, doc, but I think the little lady is a bit smarter than you in that regard," Reyan shook his head judgmentally.

"But she is every bit as curious, and with Renat by her side, those two will want to explore and learn everything they can." Aurora's pace hurried even more.

The Empress had been quite lucky in her journey with Devrim so long ago that they hadn't gotten hurt as soon as they came into the strange new world. Well, they likely had a friendly Fate watching over them, so they were not in the same level of danger as they could have been. The princess and new prince were even more curious than she had been at their age. 'Be careful!'

"They have the Guardian with them," Zan reminded the Empress. "He has been there before more than once. He will keep them out of trouble...probably."

By now the group was almost running, with Jaymes and his tutor having very little clue why the others were on the verge of being frantic.

"Who knows how long ago that message was sent..." Aurora mumbled. "The sun looks different inside the barrier so I cannot even use that as a reference. Did I even check the mirror today?" Aurora felt a sudden worry well up inside of her. "Yes, I know I checked this morning. At least I think I did..."

"You did, Your Majesty. The message cannot be that old." Nurlan assured her.

Down on all fours, Gela looked at the Empress. "I can take turns giving you, Jaymes and Professor Frode rides so we can move more quickly."

"The boy and I can keep up just fine, thank you," Frode tried not to show the fear he still felt for the bear-man.

"I am alright for now, Gela. Thank you very much for your kindness." Aurora gave the former assistant a gentle smile. She did not have any qualms with riding him, but her own energy was currently propelling her as fast as he was going. With the mirror clamped tightly in her hand, Aurora allowed the trees to speed past her.

Running was easier than normal. The Empress realized Brinn and Alvar were using their wind magic to help them move more quickly. While they couldn't keep up this pace forever, Aurora was happy to close the distance between herself and her children.

"Your Majesty!" Jaymes's eyes opened wide.

Although Aurora was not looking at him, she could hear the anxiousness in his voice. She slowed slightly. "I know you are worried about your sister, but Mairwen is Dania's friend. Hopefully she has some news that will help us get to your sister more easily."

The Empress actually hoped that Dania was with Mairwen, but she did not want to give false expectations. Until the theory was confirmed, she would stay silent.

"We are still working toward the same goal," the Empress assured the boy.

Jaymes shook his head. "I know you would never abandon my sister. What I wanted to say was 'look down'!"

Surprised, Aurora glanced down at her moving hand. The mirror was already glowing. She had expected it to take longer for a message to come, so she had not dared look at the magical glass. The group slowed to a halt.

"I appreciate your worry, mother. It is safe to speak." Mairwen spoke their secret code. If all had not been well, she would have said, 'Don't worry, Your Majesty.' While the stilted language was unnatural for the princess, someone holding her captive would not have known the difference. "If you can give us your location, we will send a ride to come and get you."

The mirror shifted to show Alaron. He was hooded, but his voice was crystal clear. "Polymedes has graciously volunteered to get his hawk..."

"Not my hawk! My associate! My ASSOCIATE!" Polymedes yelled from somewhere off to the side.

"...to get his hawk," Alaron persisted, "to fetch eagles to give you a lift. We only need to know where you are and how many eagles you need."

"Tell Her Majesty my fee!" Polymedes yelled.

"How about I put a good word for you in your trial—" the glass went blank as Alaron lowered his arms.

"What was that last part about?" Zan had caught the final word even if the Empress had not.

"Polymedes? The satyr? He is wanted by the elves for swindling…" Brinn shrugged. It was old news to her.

"What about Alaron's offer? How do we tell him where we are?" Aurora was far more sympathetic to her own plight than the satyr's. She knew what a dubious creature he was.

"I'll get to drawing a map in the mud over here for them to view through the mirror. I'll make it easy for Alaron to copy," Alvar offered. For his act of service he received a peck on his cheek from his wife. The elven prince moved to one side and began his sketch.

"That solves one problem. How many eagles do we need? I don't know how big they are." Aurora admitted.

"I'm not riding on a bird brain! You guys can take your chances. I'll portal ahead of you and meet you wherever the princess is." Reyan crossed his arms firmly.

Brinn rolled her eyes. "It's perfectly safe as long as you don't make those 'bird brains' angry. I would say most of us can double up with the exception of Gela. Sooo…5 eagles?"

Aurora nodded. It seemed like a fair assessment if everyone doubled up and Gela rode alone. She looked over at Alvar. "And the map?"

"Almost done!"

Brinn plopped down on the ground. "Whew. I can't wait for our ride to arrive. There's one very good thing about traveling by eagles. No more abominations! Those critters are obnoxious, but at least they can't fly."

The others couldn't help but agree. That was very lucky indeed.