[Mariel and the Wish-Granting Necklace] by Alyssa Aurinia and Cord – Scarlet System

Mariel was struggling to carry a pail of water when the knight approached her. The girl dropped the bucket and blinked, amazed.

The young woman's armor shimmered like silver, and she herself was also astonishingly beautiful. She spoke, startling Mariel.

“Hi! You must be Mariel, right?”

A single nod, filled with awe.

“Well, that’s splendid! Won’t you help me out with something?”

Mariel, now confused, was only capable of asking a single question.

“I, um… Huh?”

Well, kinda.

The knight called herself Lotte. She wanted to talk somewhere more private, she said. Out here a knight stuck out like a sore thumb.

Of course, you do, Mariel thought. You would stick out anywhere that wasn’t a fairy tale.

❄️

Away from prying eyes, the knight went on to confuse Mariel even more.

“With your help, I’m sure we’ll be able to rescue Princess Honey and Beedriel from that dastardly bandit!”

Rescue…? A princess…?!

"We’ll be headed west of here, to a land where bandits stalk the roads, drakes that roam the sky, and… Oh, and I heard on some nights you can see fireflies! Fun, right?”

Mariel had trouble taking it all in. Were her actions so well known outside the village?

Lotte looked a little discouraged at Mariel’s silence. "Look, I apologize for dumping all this on you but… I need your help… please. I should have kept the princess safe. It’s my fault she’s in danger.”

The knight looked like she might cry. Mariel felt a tug at her heart.

I want to be useful to everyone. And if she says I can help somehow…

“I… I will do my best, Miss Knight!”

❄️

They departed the very same day.

Lotte eyed the girl’s meager belongings. “You didn’t sneak out, did you? Are your par—Is everyone fine with you leaving?”

“The auntie who takes care of me said it was fine! I can catch up on all my chores when I get back.”

❄️

From their first morning on the road, Lotte would wake up to see their bags neatly packed, her armor given a fresh shine of polish, and a steaming bowl of porridge laid out in front of her bedroll for breakfast.

Several days in, feeling guilty she hadn’t done so sooner, she told Mariel to knock it off. The girl would wear herself out getting up so early, and she really didn’t have to.

"I do have to!" Mariel protested. Then she added, with a bit of a mischievous smile, "And it isn’t really me who does all of that."

"No? Who is it?"

Mariel showed Lotte her necklace. It was a gorgeous piece of jewelry, with a blood-red ruby so radiant that Lotte saw it reflected in the girl's eyes.

Lotte stared blankly.

“This necklace grants wishes,” Mariel explained. “That’s why I’m here with you, right? You must’ve heard about the necklace from the villagers. I use it all the time for chores, and it makes everyone happy! I never tried a big wish like rescuing someone, but if you want to, I can!”

Lotte patted her head gently. “Magic is a precious thing. Let’s leave that for if we can’t think of anything else, okay?”

❄️

That night, Mariel told Lotte a little more about the necklace.

"My mother gave it to me," she said.

"Your mother. Is she the one who told you—I mean, who let you know that it's a magical necklace?"

"Mhm."

"You must have been very little. I'm surprised you remember."

"I do."

Lotte sat up to look at Mariel with an eager expression.

"Then I hope you'll also remember where the place where you grew up is. I believe that's where the princess is being held."

“Where I grew up…”

All Mariel had ever known was the village. 

As far as she was concerned, she had never till now set foot outside. She strained to remember something more, but all that came to her was a memory of her parents waving goodbye. They were embarking on what must have been a grand adventure.

That was the last time she saw them.

“I’m sorry. I can’t remember,” she said with a slight tremble, eyelids fluttering. “Um, can I ask you… how come you know that's where the princess is?”

Lotte smiled. “Do you want to hear some stories about your mother?”

Mariel had never stayed up as late as she did that night.

She had known that her mother had been an adventurer, but she only now realized how little she actually knew. Mariel had never heard such wonderful stories about anyone, let alone someone so near and dear to her heart.

Lotte’s eyes never stopped gleaming as she regaled Mariel with the heroic tales of cunning and bravery.

As she was finally drifting off to sleep, Mariel did wonder where her father, her mother’s adventuring companion, was in these stories. But she figured those tales could wait for another night.

❄️

To both Lotte’s and Mariel’s devastation, the stories had dislodged no memories. Mariel still found the land utterly foreign.

“It’s… It’s okay, Mariel. We’ll wander some more, and maybe…”

Lotte thought that the girl, with her back towards her, was crying silently. But no, she was in fact whispering to herself while holding her precious necklace.

“Mariel…”

Lotte reached out to put a hand on Mariel’s shoulder, but froze as something caught her eye.

The knight looked up.

A scaled, eagle-sized creature was diving right at them.

“A drake!” Lotte went to unsheathe her sword.

But the drake changed course, fluttering past Lotte. It had avoided her completely. Her stomach sank.

“Dammit—!”

Lotte spun around, and braced herself for a gruesome sight.

It wasn't gruesome. But it was strange.

“That tickles!” giggled Mariel. “Schlange, stop!”

The drake whined, but did stop licking the girl’s face.

Lotte blinked. “Mariel, you know... this creature?”

“Hm? I do, but…” Mariel was at a loss. 

Yes, she recognized that wagging tail, the floppy wings, the scar on the drake’s belly, the missing amber eye…

But from where?

She couldn't say. But she felt eager to show Lotte more.

“Schlange, sit!” The drake did just that. “Schlange, paw.”

The drake gently placed its paw on her hand.

“Schlange knows a ton of tricks. All you have to do is say his name before a command! And he enjoys belly rubs."

“Huh…” Lotte grabbed a rabbit she had caught the night before. “Schlange, catch!”

The drake flew up to snatch the rabbit out of the air. Then it flew away.

The next morning the drake found them again. It licked its lips, expecting another treat.

❄️

It only took a few short days of following the drake for it to lead them to the fortress.

The fort lay hidden inside a ring of hills. Lotte didn’t need confirmation that this was the place—she could see the look of recognition cross Mariel’s eyes.

They crept forward more slowly. Lotte didn't light any more campfires. She packed away her shiny armor, too, only putting it back on once they reached the very front of the fortress.

Lotte told Mariel to wait behind one of the bushes in the overgrown garden, but Mariel wouldn't stay. Not until Lotte promised three times over that she would be back safely.

They shared a hug.

Puzzlingly, the last thing Lotte said before she left was, “I’m sorry.”

❄️

The inside of the fort had Lotte twitchy and nervous, nearly jumping at every shadow. She had expected fierce resistance. What she hadn't seen coming was an empty hideout.

Or maybe not quite empty.

If she strained her ears she could hear it: a familiar whiny voice.

Lotte found her in the underground holding cells.

"Princess!"

The young woman—in a dirty dress but unharmed—grabbed the bars of her cell. The two antennae-like strands in her blonde hair shook with irritation.

"Lotte! It took you long enough! I was getting bored with Beedriel here!"

The tiny bee knight sighed.

"I'm sorry! I'll get you out right away!" Lotte looked around. "Is there something like a—"

Something whizzed past her ear.

Lotte turned to see a throwing knife embedded into the wall behind her.

The princess piped up. "Oh, Lotte! That brute is here, so be careful!"

"R-Right, princess."

The head bandit emerged from the shadows, scowling. He wore black leather with a messy fur cloak around his shoulders, where, as before, his monstrous drake sat perched.

He spoke casually, considering the situation.

"You here to break the brat out?"

"I'm here to save Princess Honey!"

The bandit looked Lotte over. "I bet I could squeeze a few more coins out of the king and queen for a knight. I'll treat you nice if you surrender."

Lotte unsheathed her sword.

"Shame," he said.

The bandit had a sword at his hip, but he didn't draw it. Not right away.

He pointed at Lotte and gave a sharp command.

"Schlange! Fly!"

The drake flew from his shoulders like a bolt of lightning. It was almost too fast to even follow with your eyes.

But Lotte had witnessed its frightening speed several times by now. She gave a cry of her own and, at the same time, tossed something.

"Schlange! Catch!"

The drake snatched the piece of dried jerky out of the air and landed. Lotte looked back at the bandit, expecting to find him slack-jawed with surprise.

She just barely parried the swing of his sword. Even then the impact came with bone-rattling strength.

The princess stomped her feet.

"Lotte! Don't you dare lose, you hear!?"

Lotte gritted her teeth as she blocked another strike, then another. The bandit was a superb fighter who left no openings. If she could only reach into the pouch at her side...

Screw that! Just staying alive is a challenge!

Just then, Lotte’s heel caught a loose stone. She tumbled down onto her back. Her sword clanged against the floor.

This was it, and Lotte knew it. She had only time to look up at the bandit, who was…

...Who was staring, slack-jawed with surprise. Even by the dim torchlight, Lotte clearly saw the red ruby glow reflected in his eyes. The necklace had fallen out of Lotte’s pouch, and just as Lotte had hoped it would, it had the bandit transfixed.

She had her opening.

❄️

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you in good health, Princess Honey, Beedriel!”

The princess turned up her nose. “In good health? I was tortured, I tell you! Tortured heartlessly!”

"Really."

"Indeed! They made me eat simply dreadful food, and the only entertainment those brutes provided were their dumb card games. Even poor Beedriel was losing his mind!”

“Pretty sure that’s not the reason why,” Lotte mumbled to herself.

"And that one over there, he even refused to carry me!" She stuck her tongue out at the bound bandit, who glared back. "Just because I bit him on the neck once or twice! So once everyone else was gone, Beedriel had to carry me!"

The knight bee buzzed wearily.

"Wait, Princess... did you drive the other bandits away?"

"Hm? Yes, something like that." Princess Honey idly brushed her hair back. "My royal presence must have intimidated them. Isn't that so funny? Laugh, Beedriel."

Meanwhile, thunder was brewing behind the bandit's eyes.

His companions had all said he'd lost his fangs. They even called him soft when he told them not a lay a finger on the hostages.

And now this brat of a princess was laughing at him.

A man could only take so much.

He'd been working at the ropes for a while now. His newly loosened hand inched its way to a smoke bomb.

❄️

Mariel was on her hands and knees, searching desperately for the necklace.

When could she have even dropped it?

What if she never found it?

Her eyes started to tear up, but she wiped them and kept looking.

If only she could see anything. It was just too dark.

Then a dim light came on in the empty air, followed by another, and another…

❄️

The bandit stopped dead in his tracks. A girl stood in the garden amid a number of softly glowing lights.

Mariel noticed him. Well, she really saw the piece of jewelry gripped tightly between the bandit's fingers.

"My necklace!"

She drew back when the man himself stepped closer.

"My neck... lace…" Mariel swallowed. "D-Did you see it lying on the ground, mister? Thank you for finding it for me." And she held out her hand.

The man did not move.

"You've got to give it back to me! It's stealing if you don't!"

Still nothing. The man gripped both the necklace and the edge of his cloak. For some reason, he had pulled the cloak over his face, so only his eyes were visible.

Was he trying to scare her?

Mariel took a deep breath. "I know who you are, mister, and I know you've done some bad things, like kidnapping the princess... but I can still help you! Look!"

Mariel showed him the floating lights all around them.

"This must be the magic of the necklace! I wished so desperately for a light to see by, and here they are!"

Then another voice shouted from the dark—Lotte's.

"Don't you dare come close to the girl, scum!"

"Lotte, no! I'm going to help him!"

Mariel drew close to the bandit.

"Please, mister. Let me cast the spell on you. I-I know everyone always says there's no such thing as magic, but my spells do work!"

The bandit spoke at last, hesitatingly.

"No, girl, I’m afraid there’s no helping me. I'm that bad of a man. Everything I touch, I ruin.” A pause. “The best I can ever do is go away. I-I didn't think I'd ever see..."

Mariel heard a sharp intake of breath from the man. Then his demeanor changed completely.

"You can have your stinking necklace back, little girl! It looks like cheap crap anyway!"

Mariel caught it with both hands.

He shouted in a raw voice. "This is the last any of you will see of me! Goodbye and good riddance!"

Lotte dashed their way. But before she could reach the bandit, and before he could throw down another smoke bomb, they both heard Mariel desperately begin to chant her spell.

It was the same spell she always cast. Its words were special—they came from the only clear memory Mariel had of her mother. Mariel held the necklace to her chest as she sang the lullaby.

When she opened her eyes, the bandit had finally let go of the cloak that covered his face. She recognized him immediately. Lotte had paused, too, surprised to see the man biting back tears.

They would swear later on that, just then, the orbs of light grew more luminous than any fireflies ever could, and how on that night they witnessed nothing less than real magic.