Fairytale Wanderer: The Golden Bird chapter 4
Why can't princes ever follow directions?
Chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3
Matteo remained in Hungoz for two days. In that time, the king kept him hard at work healing illness and injuries among his men, his menagerie, and finally the townspeople. When Matteo was not working himself to exhaustion, he was locked in the highest tower in the castle with guards outside the door around the clock.
On the evening of the third day, a chirp from the window aroused him from a stupor where he had collapsed on the narrow bed. Lifting his head, his unbelieving eyes beheld the golden bird sitting on his windowsill. Beside it stood Azzo, his tiny lithe form a contrast to the bird’s smooth feathers.
Slowly Matteo sat up, his weary body protesting. Between applying medicine and healing power, he felt worn as thin as an old shirt, barely able even to stop the wind. “Hello, friends,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Azzo I believe, but I must be dreaming the bird.”
“Nay, tis no dream,” said Azzo, flying to his shoulder and nuzzling his face. “I had a word with the phoenix and he agreed to help you, but he is cautious. He desires that you bless him before he lifts a claw, as he said.”
Matteo went to the window and held out a hand. The phoenix gravely stepped upon it, grasping him with toes strong as a woodcutter's hand. It looked into his face with a bright, intelligent eye and said nothing.
Matteo laid his other hand on the warm, hard feathers. “May you be blessed by the Mighty God whom I serve. Long life and peace follow you, even though kings desire to possess you and your riches.” As he spoke, his hand tingled with healing power. It flowed into the bird, somehow nourishing it. The eye fixed upon his face grew brighter. The bird drew a deep breath and its feathers ruffled, their sharp edges pricking Matteo’s hand. He withdrew it with a gasp. From beneath the golden feathers poured red fire that licked outward, blazing over Matteo. It engulfed him, and Azzo, and the bird all at once.
The fire faded as suddenly as it had come. Matteo opened his eyes and saw that he stood upon a road through a wood, and his pack waited beside him. Azzo still sat upon his shoulder, and the phoenix upon his hand. His clothing and hair were singed, but he was unhurt.
“My fervent thanks,” he said to the phoenix. “I lament that you must dwell in a cage and be passed from king to king.”
“He says it’s not so bad,” Azzo said from Matteo’s shoulder. “He can escape whenever he wishes, and he enjoys being protected from predators.”
The bird leaned forward and nibbled Matteo’s ear affectionately. Then it spread its wings and flew away westward.
“If King Othmar hasn’t placed a net over his apple tree, he’s about to lose a few more apples tonight,” said Matteo, watching the bird disappear over the trees.
“Let’s go,” Azzo said. “They will find that you’ve escaped by morning, and we must be across the Hungoz border by then.”
Matteo wearily slung his pack onto his back and set off into the growing darkness. “While I am grateful to the phoenix and its magic, I wish I could have been rescued sooner. I am dog tired.”
“It was the soonest I could manage to slip in and speak with it,” said Azzo. “I would have rescued you myself, but it would have been too obvious. This way there is far less evidence of how you managed it.”
“They’ll think I climbed down the tower somehow,” Matteo chuckled. “They were half-afraid of me anyway. Waiting for me to manifest other powers, I think.”
“I know it well,” said Azzo. “I followed you about and kept watch, and seeing them work you so hard made my heart burn within me.”
“It wasn’t so bad,” Matteo assured him. “Many sick people are well again, as well as many exotic animals. I healed creatures I’ve never heard of before. Now, have you heard aught of Fredegar?”
“Nay,” said Azzo. “I was too concerned with you. However, I believe our friend the fox is near. Perhaps he has news of the prince.”
Matteo looked into the trees on either side of the path. They made a dark wall of tangled branches and underbrush on either side. Only a faint gleam of starlight showed him the path where he stood and the dragon upon his shoulder. An owl cried somewhere far off, seeming to punctuate the loneliness of the wood.
“Psst, fox,” Matteo called softly. “If you be near, come to me with your counsel.”
The fox emerged from the forest and trotted beside him. “So you didn't listen to me,” the fox said. “A life of slavery to a cruel king is the penalty you bear.”
“I suppose it is,” Matteo said, too weary to defend his innocence. “Where is Fredegar?”
“In King Octric’s dungeon,” the fox replied. “The fool placed the golden saddle on the golden horse, when I advised him to use the plain one.”
“This prince will be the death of me,” Matteo muttered. “Is there aught I can do to save him?”
“Go to the market and buy three radishes, three turnips, and three onions,” said the fox. “Pass them to him through the dungeon window. That will see him free again.”
“I will not accompany him on his thieving errands again,” said Matteo, giving the fox a curious look. “And why do you operate by deception and trickery?”
“I'm a fox.”
“So you say.” Matteo said nothing more, remembering the enchantment upon the creature.
He walked most of the night to put distance between himself and capture, his steps growing slow and stumbling. The harsh labor he’d done over the past two days had left him at the end of his strength. When Azzo told him that it was safe to leave the path and sleep, Matteo staggered into a hollow behind a tree, wrapped himself in a blanket, and sank into slumber like a stone into a stream.
He was awakened the next day by men on horseback galloping past his hiding place. He cowered beneath his blanket until the beat of hooves had faded into the distance, then rose to his feet. He had no provisions in his pack aside from a half-empty waterskin, so there would be no breakfast this morning.
“Pursuit is hotter than I anticipated,” Azzo remarked, flying down from the tree overhead. “Had they caught you, I would have had to kill them.”
“Please don't,” Matteo said, rolling up his blanket and lashing it to his pack again. “I have no wish to leave a trail of bodies in our wake. We’re supposed to seek happy endings, aren't we?”
Azzo growled and didn't answer.
Matteo cautiously stepped onto the road and peered about, but it was empty. The horses had been headed in the direction of Hungoz, not Octric, so to Octric he would go.
He walked for an hour or two, finally emerging from the trees in a bustling town with a castle looming over it in the distance. This town and castle were bigger and more prosperous than Hungoz, the people well-dressed and well-fed. Matteo found his way to the market and bought himself breakfast, as well as the vegetables the fox had advised. Then he made his way to the castle, circling it from a safe distance.
Round the back of the castle he spied several barred windows at ground level in the outer wall. These must be the windows into the castle’s dungeons. Kneeling, he called softly into each one until he received an answer.
“Matteo!” came Fredegar’s voice. One of his hands gripped the bars. “Thank the gods! The king intends to try me within the hour.”
“Here, take these.” Matteo passed him the vegetables through the bars. “The fox says they will help.”
“I haven't any idea why, but thank him for me,” said Fredegar fervently. “Hide yourself and wait for me! If Octric can be reasoned with, I will be out soon. If not, they'll be hauling out my corpse. Take it back to my father.”
“Trust the fox's wisdom,” said Matteo, although his heart grew heavy and anxious. “I will await you on the road outside.”
This he did, prudently concealing himself behind some shrubbery where he could watch the road without being seen. Presently Fredegar was escorted to the road by two soldiers. They turned him loose and left him there. Fredegar stood there, brushing off his clothing and running his fingers through his golden hair, obviously trying to clean away the rough treatment he’d experienced.
Matteo emerged from the brush and greeted him. “You're not dead, I see.”
“The fox is a miracle worker,” Fredegar told him fervently. “Let's walk and I'll tell you what happened.” They set off down the road toward the town together.
As the fox had said, Fredegar had chosen the wrong saddle for the golden horse. “I could not bear to put such a cheap saddle upon such a fine animal. If you had seen him, Matteo, you would have agreed!”
“Perhaps,” said Matteo dryly. “And then?”
“I was thrown into the dungeon for three days and given nothing to eat,” said Fredegar. “You came and gave me the vegetables and then I was taken to trial. I was left my clothes this time, luckily, and I carried the vegetables in my pockets. The king bade me give an account of myself, so I told him of the magic bird and of King Goz’s bargain. He declared I was a liar and had no proof. He said that should I be telling the truth, then I was to present him with three radishes, three onions, and three turnips. How the fox knew, I don't know. I brought out the vegetables and I thought the king likely to fall from his throne, he was so shocked. After that he turned crafty. He said he would give me the horse if I would go to the kingdom of the golden palace and fetch him the princess.”
Matteo groaned and clapped a hand to his forehead.
“It's not so bad,” Fredegar exclaimed. “I'll obey the fox to the letter this time, I swear it!”
“Kidnapping now,” Matteo moaned, turning his face toward heaven. “Lord, forgive me.”
“It's the only way to get the golden bird for my father,” said Fredegar. He counted on his fingers. “My father wants the golden bird, which is owned by King Goz. Goz will give it to me if I get him the golden horse from King Octric. Octric will give me the horse if I get him the princess from the golden palace. See? It's simple!”
“Hardly the word I would choose,” said Matteo dryly. “Where is this golden palace?”
“Haven't an earthly,” said Fredegar. “Let's walk outside of town and whistle for our fox friend. But first, I'm in dire need of nourishment.”
“The market is on our way,” said Matteo.
A little later, the two young men arrived at the edge of the forest. Fredegar was still working on meat pies in either hand, while Matteo had bought a piece of raw meat in a bit of brown paper. He walked off a few paces and called the fox. When it appeared, he knelt and gave it the meat.
“Thank you,” he told it softly as the fox bolted it down. “We owe you our lives, and yet we must recklessly endanger them once more.”
“He sent you after the princess, didn't he?” said the fox.
“Alas, yes,” Matteo replied. “And it's a mystery to me how you know.”
“I have ears that can hear a mouse tiptoeing through dry grass beneath three feet of snow,” the fox replied. “Listening to raised voices through an open window is not magic.” He licked his chops appreciatively. “Come with me and I'll advise the prince. Then, in repayment for the meal, I'll advise you.”
They returned to Fredegar, who had finished his dinner and was licking his fingers in contentment. “There you are,” he said to the fox. “Your advice so far has been good, but my inability to follow it hounds me with trouble. I just can't bear to see these fine creatures give such poor quality trappings.”
“Perhaps you should learn humility,” said the fox. “Pride in fine trappings is nothing if the creature inside them suffers misery and pain. The golden bird hates the golden cage for it is small and cramped. The horse hates the golden saddle for it is sized wrong for his girth. Have you not thought that there is a reason for all I tell you?”
The prince hung his head. “I had not.”
“Then listen well,” said the fox. “The golden palace is inhabited by giants. The princess you were bidden to fetch is the daughter of King Octric and the golden horse belongs to her. She was taken to the giant’s palace to ensure the good behavior of her father, and he pays yearly tribute. Do you understand so far?”
“Yes,” said Fredegar, exchanging a wide-eyed look with Matteo.
“Now,” said the fox, “when you find the palace, you must locate the bathhouse outside. After sunset, when the household is asleep, the princess will creep out to bathe. Meet her at the bathhouse door and give her a kiss. She will come away with you, only do not let her bid farewell to anyone in the palace.”
“I will follow your words exactly,” said Fredegar. “There are no golden garments or plain garments I am to choose for her? No trickery?”
“Do not let her say goodbye to anyone in the palace,” the fox repeated.
Fredegar beamed. “This will be simple. I'll be home with the golden bird this time tomorrow!”
Matteo waited for his own bit of advice, but it did not come until they had made their way down the road for some miles and the sun had set. They made camp for the night in a sheltered thicket beside the road. As Matteo stretched out on his blanket, the fox whispered to him out of the leaves nearby.
“I cannot perform the next feat alone. Do not accompany the prince, but wait at the crossroads. I will need the help of you and your dragon.”
“What dragon?” Matteo whispered back, for Azzo was out hunting for his supper. Despite the fox probably knowing the dragon existed, he was reluctant to admit to it.
“The dragon who loves you,” the fox whispered. “His magic is potent and I will have need of it.”
While Matteo knew of the strength of Azzo’s magic, the frank admission of the dragon’s love made a lump grow in his throat and he didn’t know why. Perhaps because he was so terribly far away from anyone he loved, and who loved him. A vision of Antium’s roofs and streets passed through his mind’s eye, and of the strong clasp of his father’s hand, and his mother’s embrace.
“I'll speak to him,” said Matteo. “Thank you.”
The golden palace was another half a day’s walk to the east, and they were beginning to climb toward the mountains. The road wound up and down the hills, and the forest climbed and fell with it. They met occasional carts on the road, and everyone warned them that they were headed for the kingdom of Turisulfus, which was ruled by giants.
“Are they not a prosperous kingdom, then?” Fredegar asked a merchant.
“Prosperous, oh yes,” the merchant replied. “They dwell in a fertile valley and the crops of that region are unmatched. But the giants are harsh rulers and keep the peace by making prisoners of the sons and daughters of kings. The people of Turisulfus are an oppressed, fearful lot.”
“We will proceed with due caution,” Fredegar assured the man.
Matteo said nothing, but he wondered what would happen if Fredegar failed his test once more and the giants simply added him to their collection. He wasn't sure he could help him if that happened. But the fox had a plan that involved himself and Azzo, and the fox had not been wrong yet. This thought reassured him. He prayed in his heart as they walked, communing with his God, casting his fears upon the divine lap.
As the sun sank, the trees fell away and they looked down upon the valley of Turisulfus. Lush green fields lay between orderly windbreaks like the colored tiles of a beautiful mosaic. Lakes and streams gleamed like gems amid the farms. In the distance stood a town with the largest, most prosperous houses they'd yet seen, and the golden palace towered over them. It was built of yellow stone, a wide, sprawling place with many towers. In the waning light, it looked as golden as the feathers of the phoenix.
Fredegar and Matteo set out toward it, but detoured across the fields, avoiding the roads. If this was their most dangerous mission yet, they wanted to be seen by as few people as possible. A thin feather of a new moon gave little light, and their journey was slow and cautious.
Night had long since fallen by the time they reached the golden palace and found the bathhouse outside. Fredegar settled down to lie in wait behind it. Matteo retreated to the crossroads, where the fox awaited him.
“Come,” the fox said in a low voice. “We will watch and see what transpires.”
Matteo followed the fox up a hill where they could look down on the palace and bathhouse. As they watched, a door opened and a young woman emerged, carrying a bundle of clothing. She looked over her shoulder fearfully, as if checking for pursuit, but all was quiet. Then she made her way toward the bathhouse.
“She is alive,” the fox murmured sadly. “Oh Gailmir, if only he would listen to me and secure your freedom.”
Matteo listened and wondered how the fox knew this girl, but said nothing.
Fredegar slipped out from behind the bathhouse, murmured a greeting to the girl, then kissed her cheek. She giggled and they stood with their heads close together, speaking in low voices.
“So far, so good,” Matteo whispered.
“She is not safe yet,” the fox replied grimly.
Presently the girl pointed at the castle and began weeping. She fell at Fredegar’s feet in an attitude of supplication. Fredegar shook his head and gestured, then his shoulders slumped and he hung his head. “All right, five minutes,” they heard him say.
The fox’s ears flattened.
Fredegar and the princess returned to the palace to let her say goodbye to someone. She reached the door and immediately called out to her nurse. At once lights blazed in the windows. Two giants twice the height of Frederick and the princess emerged from the palace, seized them, and carried them indoors. Matteo was reminded of a housewife dragging an unruly pet into the house for the night. The doors shut and all was still.
Matteo dropped his head into his hands. “The oaf simply cannot follow instructions,” he murmured. “What do we do now?”
“We sleep here, I suppose,” said the fox. “They will try him in the morning.”
“Let's go back into the woods a ways,” said Matteo. “I think I heard a stream and my water skin needs filling.”
“I'll guide you,” said the fox.
A few minutes later they found the stream. Matteo drank from it and plunged in his head and shoulders, washing away some of the sweat and grime of his adventures. The fox remained nearby instead of running off. He seemed dejected, ears flattened and head hanging.
Matteo dressed again and ate some dried meat and fruit, which he shared with the fox. The fox accepted a few bites without enjoyment. Azzo emerged from his tunic and frisked about them, ducking in and out of the stream in little splashes. Eventually he emerged with a fish, which he lay down to gnaw. The fox and dragon eyed each other, but kept a little distance between them.
“What must we do next?” Matteo asked. “Assuming the prince is still alive.”
“He is, for now,” said the fox. “As I said, the giants enjoy taking hostages. If they give him the task I think they will, I will need your dragon’s magic.”
Azzo lifted his head, licking his lips. “I am only a poor fire drake, sir fox. I have only a spoonful of magic.”
The fox looked at him. “Fire drakes do not bond with humans.”
Azzo became very busy with his fish.
The fox turned to Matteo. “When the giant king wishes to give an enemy a challenge, he asks them to remove the hill we sit upon now, for it blocks his view of this end of the valley. Naturally it is impossible, although many have tried. I am certain that Fredegar will be given the same challenge.”
Matteo looked about incredulously. “Remove the hill? What do you intend to do, obscure it with mist or something?”
“No,” said the fox.”I intend to remove the hill.” He looked hard at Azzo.
“What makes you think I can do it?” the dragon asked in wide-eyed innocence.
“I know what dragons are capable of,” said the fox. “You could move this hill without winking twice.”
Azzo turned his head to his master. “I will only perform such a feat if Matteo asks me, himself.”
“Good,” said the fox, satisfied. He curled into a red ball and rested his head on his paws. “When the time comes, I will tell you.