Aurum POV
Walking in the shadows of the mountains was intimidating.
Aurum had seen them once before, on a tour of the kingdom when she had just turned sixteen. Traveling along well-established roads with a retinue, visiting towns along the way – all of it had been in stark contrast to moving through the wilderness with only the mildly ridiculous Pollan for company. Not that she didn’t appreciate having anyone for company at all, it was just that she kept missing her family and her old life. And, if she was to be honest with herself, she kept missing a particular frizzy-haired someone. Someone who, despite her shyness, had a tendency to scold the princess.
But fortunately for her anxieties, as they got into the foothills the traveling was very difficult, and although she couldn’t dispel her feelings completely she was able to focus on the tasks at hand during the day. It was at night that they plagued her the most, when she sat on watch in the silence or struggled to fall asleep on the uncomfortable ground. As much as she tried to ignore her misgivings about leaving Alice, she couldn’t shake the lingering worry that she had made a mistake.
It was on the third day, as they made their way up the mountainside to a narrow game trail that undercut an intimidating rocky cliff-face, that they saw the first signs of other travelers: the remains of a small campfire in an alcove.
Aurum’s heart sank at the sight. The only people who would be traveling here, so far from any centers of civilization, were hunters. Either big-game hunters looking for bears and mountain cats, other treasure hunters, or, most concerningly, people hunting them. Encountering the first would be fine, the second could be contentious, and as for the third… With their limited combat abilities and the fact that there were only two of them, being found by the witch’s minions would be a disaster.
“This is great!” Pollan said, sounding almost ecstatic.
“What?” Aurum was annoyed and confused.
“This means other people are here, probably looking for the crystal. It means we are looking in the right place! We didn’t get lost!”
“What?” Aurum said again, even more annoyed. “No, it doesn’t. It could be that it’s not other treasure hunters.”
“Unlikely,” Pollan pronounced, sounding like he was about to go off on a long explanation. Aurum cut him off.
“And even if this is where other people are looking for the crystal, it doesn’t mean we are looking in the right place. It just means we are looking where everyone else is looking.” She glanced at the charcoal left on the rocks, and the faint impressions of people’s footprints. “Keeping in mind, of course, that no one has ever found it.”
Pollan made a sort of half snort, half sigh. “You are always so negative.”
This was the closest to an insult that Aurum had ever heard from him, and she bristled, even as part of her felt a bit relieved and almost excited at the prospect of an argument. She had been tense and upset all by herself all this time – or at least, she had thought she was. Being able to let off some steam, or even better, finding out that Pollan also had negative thoughts, would be a relief.
“And you,” she said, relishing the opportunity to tell him what she thought of him for once, “are positive to the point of delusion.”
“Better than being a constant drag on our progress! Your moping has been slowing us down ever since we left Aliss.”
Aurum flinched. “No,” she said, struggling to think of a comeback. “I’m just – I’m just realistic. This who trip is incredibly dangerous! We are being pursued, and we – ”
“What?” It was Pollan’s turn to say this.
Still not realizing her mistake, Aurum kept on. “And you, instead of being careful and vigilant, you just keep trying to – to engage me in pointless conversations.” She stopped short of accusing him of hitting on her, since he really had backed off recently. “We could die, Pollan. And honestly, I don’t even think this stupid crystal is even real. And I just – ” Tears threatened to fall, and Aurum choked off.
Silence. Pollan looked like he had a lot that he wanted to say, but what came out of his mouth was simple.
“Is that why you sent her away?”
Aurum stared at the rocky ground for a long time. Was it? “No.” She sounded unconvincing, even to herself.
“Right.” Pollan looked at the sky, sighed heavily, then sat down on a boulder.
“What do you mean, we are being pursued?”
Ah, mother------. “I mean – ” Aurum struggled to think of what to say. In the end, the truth was the fair and right thing. Pollan shouldn’t even be involved in this. He was innocent and should just go safely back home.
“I’m not who you think I am,” she finally said.
“Really? Who do I think you are?”
That wasn’t exactly the question she had expected. She looked at Pollan, really looked at him, maybe for the first time. He seemed tired, and serious, and very calm. He looked like someone prepared to help her. Like a friend, maybe.
“I don’t –”
“Princess, it’s alright. Just explain it to me.”
Aurum sat down next to him. After a long silence, she decided to state it all simply. She had made so many mistakes up until now. Honesty might be another, but it felt like the right choice.
“You know there’s a witch. She’s the reason for all the disasters. But she did something else, too. You shouldn’t know who I am at all, she – she made everyone forget me.”
“I didn’t at first. But the longer I spent with you and Aliss, the more things seemed to come back. You seemed familiar like I should recognize you as someone important. And after all, you were both looking into the disasters, and you never explained why. It was right before Aliss left that I remembered you even existed and realized who you were. And then I knew things were more complicated that I had thought.” He laughed a bit. “And I heard Aliss call you Aurum at once when she thought I couldn’t hear. I knew Mura wasn’t your real name, but it did help me put things together once I remembered that there was a Princess Aurum.”
“Ah. So you knew then.”
“Not for that long.”
There was another long silence, but it was more companionable now.
“It’s not really my place, but you shouldn’t have sent her away.”
Aurum looked up, surprised. “But you –“
“I know my infatuation, let’s call it, I know it’s doomed. And it’s fine.” He still managed to sound a bit pompous, but Aurum didn’t mind so much anymore. “I suppose I should’ve been happy when she left, but really, I liked her. And I think we could all be friends.” He sounded a bit uncertain. “I don’t have that many, but I think… I think we can help each other. We can do this.”
“We have to.”
Pollan nodded. “After we find the crystal, we should find Aliss if we can.”
Aurum wasn’t sure, really. Alice was finally safe, theoretically at least. And there was still the minor problem of her possibly being delusional and all. But she didn’t say anything about this to Pollan.
They rested for a few hours. Aurum finally felt a bit better.
We have to do this.
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