Princess Rainy's Arc

Chapter 4 of 12

The waiting ended on a gray morning. Rainy woke to a knock, then her mother's voice at the door. Queen Della stood in the hall, her blonde hair loose over her sky-blue gown. Behind her waited King Anthony, his silver crown already on his head. "Come with us," her mother said. "We have something for your journey." Rainy dressed fast. Her white lynx rose and followed as they led her down through the pale stone halls of the castle. They crossed a courtyard under the blue-green domes and came to the stables. The smell of straw and animals filled the cold air. Rainy's father stopped at a wide stall and looked back at her. "You cannot cross the mountains on a horse," he said. "The ice would break its legs." He unlatched the door. Inside stood a sabre-toothed tiger. Its long white fangs curved past its jaw. Orange fur striped its huge shoulders. A white saddle sat on its back, and white reins hung from its mouth. Rainy stepped back. The lynx pressed low against her boots. "She is trained," King Anthony said. "She climbs where no horse can. She kept your grandfather safe in the passes long ago." He held out the reins. "She is yours now." Rainy did not take them. She stared at the great cat. Its yellow eyes watched her, calm and steady. Slowly she lifted her hand. She let the tiger smell her fingers. It huffed warm breath across her palm and did not pull away. Queen Della came close. She rested a hand on Rainy's shoulder. "I hate that you go," she said. "But you must know who you are. This one will carry you there and back." Her eyes were wet, but she did not cry. Rainy set her foot in the stirrup and pulled herself up. The saddle held her firm. From the tiger's back the stable looked small. She gathered the white reins. The great cat shifted under her, sure and strong. Her lynx paced below, tail high, unafraid. "Thank you," Rainy said. Her voice caught. "Both of you." Her father laid his rough hand on the tiger's flank. "Rowan will meet you at the foot of the north road. The passes are opening. You leave at dawn tomorrow." He looked up at his daughter. "You are ready. I only wish I were." Rainy climbed down. She held the reins now, and the weight of them felt real. The journey was no longer a thing she waited for. She had the mount to cross the ice. She had a guide waiting at the road's end. Nothing kept her here but one last night. Tomorrow she would ride north to find the truth about her white hair, her water, and herself.