Dressed modestly in a worn dressing gown, Isabella felt comfortable as she strode out of the castle behind the Malagi warlocks Samuel and Ronan. The two men carried on as if they had known each other since childhood. Watching them interact, she would have never guessed that earlier they were enemies in battle. She did not partake in their lively discussion but enjoyed listening to their tales mixed in with occasional bouts of laughter. It was slightly reminiscent of her time spent tagging along after her brothers. Except in this instance alongside Samuel and Ronan, Isabella did not feel ignored or forgotten.

Pleased to bask in the rays of sunshine this late afternoon, Isabella’s worries began to fade away. The overwhelming stress of the Malagi competitions had been replaced with peaceful serenity over the result. She could not predict the outcome would unfold into the two muscular men walking ahead of her and chatting with each other. As her previous trepidations eased, she could focus on her concerns held long before this chaos. Shaylee, her dear handmaiden had advised that a great queen knows and understands her people. Isabella aspired to become a great leader for the constituents of her kingdom. Exploring the towns with the two warlocks could assist her in acquiring more knowledge on the villagers.

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard. “Isabella, is it true you have not received any training?” She snapped her attention back to Ronan and Samuel as they turned their heads to speak with her. Isabella unsure of who asked the question answered flatly. “No, I grew up in a home with mortals.”

The dark-haired warlock stated to her. “Well, we should begin to train you.” Ronan slowed his pace and moved to the side to walk beside Isabella. “Not to worry, we will have you turning people into toads soon enough.” She scoffed at his statement. “I am pretty sure you can not turn people into toads.” Smiling she watched Ronan’s relaxed expression as he spoke. “My cousin’s wife was furious enough with her husband for drinking too much ale and changed him into a frog for three days.” Isabella shook her head as she had never heard of such magic before. She thought transformation was impossible as she answered the warlock. “You must be jesting.” Isabella thought the feat impossible, but doubt crept up on her as she was not raised in a Malagi home. Perhaps such a thing was possible as Isabella asked the smiling Ronan. “Are you serious? Can you do that?”

Letting out a laugh and playfully bumping her with his shoulder he stated. “No Princess, I am just pulling your leg.” Shaking her head, Isabella exclaimed. “Don’t do that. I have no idea what is doable with the use of magic.” She gazed up at the dark-haired warlock as he spoke. “Princess, you need to spend more time with your tribe. You have been cooped up inside too long with the Dulra.” Ronan spoke over her head to Samuel. “We need to begin training her.” Isabella turned to watch Samuel nod in agreement at the warlock’s statement. The three of them strode together as they passed through the castle entrance guarded by several palace guards.

Samuel nodded at the guards as Isabella studied the overhanging gate apparatus held high in the air by large ropes tied taut to the ground. Crossing underneath, she glanced up nervously at the spiked ends that could easily impale them if the gate fell. She breathed a sigh of relief once they were safely on the other side of the castle entrance. She knew she was only allowed to leave the property because Samuel accompanied her. Isabella figured the palace guards would not allow her to leave the castle by herself. Past the entrance the dirt path began turning sharply as it began snaking down the mountaintop. At the base of the mountain lay their destination, the village of Tipperary.

As they briskly walked down the dirt path, Isabella felt her body relax under the sunlight this late afternoon. Ronan interjected in her thoughts when he asked her. “Tell me Princess, how did you learn about magic?” Isabella rolled the question in her mind before she answered. “When I was growing up, I was unfamiliar with the clans of the Malagi, the Dulra and the Vilkros. Had no idea these supernatural clans even existed.” She focused on the footpath as she spoke to the dark-haired warlock. “When I was four or five, I would tag along with my brothers to the woods for their hunting trips. They thought the forest was boring and void of life and assumed it held nothing of interest.”

Smiling as her memories surfaced, Isabella explained. “But to me, I found the woods to be alive and brimming with energy. I was fascinated with the birds, the bugs, the moss, the wildflowers and the trees. I could spend hours exploring the meadows and woodlands. Within nature is where I stumbled upon magical elements.” She gazed at the grin forming on Ronan’s face. “I began to hear whispers on the wind, the songs sung by the birds, and I felt the hum produced by the trees. I never thought I was magical; I feel I just stumbled across it. The more I appreciated the living world, I found I could do more things. Such as beckoning a flower to bloom, speaking with the birds or feeling the pulse of a tree.” Isabella bowed her head as she could hear her mother’s voice admonishing her for being foolish. “I apologize if I sound silly.”

Ronan stated to her. “You do not sound silly to me Princess. My gift is I feel a connection to the ground – the earth. Started when I was a young boy playing in dirt and digging up earthworms. My mother would complain all the time about me being dirty.” The dark-haired warlock laughed as Isabella gazed into his brown eyes as she pictured him as a young lad. Ronan continued explaining. “And that hum you speak about.” He leaned down towards Isabella. “I can feel it too.” She became livelier as she felt understood. “You can?” Isabella questioned him as she placed a hand on his arm. Ronan nodded as his black hair strayed in front of his eyes. “Yes, Princess, I can. We are Malagi, we are guardians of Mother Nature.”

“Dammit.” Isabella heard Samuel swear and turned her head in his direction. She saw frustration on his face as she followed his line of sight. Opposite them on the dirt path stood several men surrounding a horse drawn cart. Isabella saw one of the wheels on the cart lay broken in pieces teetering the cart sideways. The lopsided wagon threatened to spill its contents of green apples onto the dirt path. Samuel explained to her and Ronan. “Oh no, I had better help them as that is our only shipment of apples for the month.” Samuel veered towards the standing men and stated over his shoulder. “You guys keep heading to Tipperary. I will catch up with you.”

“Are you sure?” Isabella questioned her palace guard to which Samuel answered her. “Yes, it should not take too long. Go ahead without me.” She watched as the shaggy brunette greeted the men around the horse drawn cart. Her companion, the dark-haired warlock asked Isabella. “Princess, are you nervous to be left alone with me?” Isabella glanced at her companion and shook her head as she felt no fear of being alone in his company. “No Ronan, I feel guilty of leaving Samuel with work while we are having leisure time.” The dark-haired warlock stated. “Not to worry Princess, a broken wheel should not take too long to fix. You have the privilege of giving me a guided tour of Tipperary.”

Ronan described to her. “When I first came through the village, the townspeople were slightly hostile about the gathering of warlocks for the competitions. Your people are very protective over you Princess.” Continuing to stride down the footpath, they increased the distance between them and the broken wagon. “Tell me Princess, is it true that you tried to escape?” Isabella blushed as she recalled her attempt to flee down this very mountainside. Even strangers to this area had heard about her foolish escapade. Embarrassed she answered him. “Yes, it was silly of me, but honestly I was rattled by the decision of the Golden Oracle Council. I did not know what to do about it, and I thought fleeing was my best option.”

Isabella glanced up at Ronan expecting him to agree her behaviour was irrational and reckless. Instead his expression softened as he spoke to her. “Princess, you were placed in an impossible situation. Nothing you did was silly in any way.” She looked up at his rugged face as he spoke. “If I was here at that time, I would take you as far away from this place as I could.” Isabella’s mind swirled with confusion as she did not expect his answer. His reaction was different compared to Nathanial’s response that she let down her constituents by her rash response to the Council’s decision. Isabella knew she was the Queen and her people expected her to be wise and supportive of the Golden Oracle Council.

Uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, Isabella remained silent for the next few minutes as they strolled side by side down the road. She questioned how a regular Malagi woman would respond to being forced to conceive a child. Before she could inquire with Ronan on how other women in the tribe felt about the law, Isabella spotted a few men approaching them. Three men dressed in fur coats were walking up the mountainside with their eyes fixed on her and Ronan. She saw their faces were dirty and their hair was unkempt as she instinctively grabbed her companion’s arm. Ronan took his arm and pushed Isabella behind him.

The taller man in the middle spoke. “Well, look who we have here. Boys I think we found ourselves a doll to play with."