The Princess And The Stones

"Miss Maria!" a young males voice cried from across the pasture. In the distance, a tall figure could be seen moving closer and closer.

Maria groaned in disgust. She knew the voice far too well. Petah Narcin. The single most obnoxious man in the entire village, and the man who had decided that he would take Maria as his bride. After all, what would be better than having a beautiful foreigner as a bride? Nothing, in Petah's opinion anyway.

As she turned to the sky, Maria whispered a tiny pray, begging Aruna to give her the strength to deal with the arrogant man once again today.

"Maria? Is that you? My my, don't you look lovely today?" Petah purred, wrapped his arm around Maria's neck and pulled her close that that her head rested on his shoulder. "Did you make yourself look so beautiful for me?"

With all her strength, Maria shoved the boy away. "Likely. Petah, if I were changing my appearance for you, I'd make my self appear to be a brittle-boned troll, or a wrinkled old hag. Or a wrinkled old brittle-boned troll! Then we just might resemble one another." She said with a smirk.

Her attempts to send the boy away had failed. Miserably. He casually leaned against his pitchfork and smiled coyly. "Oh, you tease, you know you adore me." He wasn't so much as disappointed when Maria rolled her eyes at this. "Just think, one day you could be my bride. After all, we are by far the most attractive two in the village, we belong together."

Maria was a bit disgusted by his false charms. It wasn't that Petah wasn't attractive, he most certainly was. He had jet black hair that shone like the jem. His eyes appeared to be made of onyx, which only made his alabaster skin appear whiter. Even his features were sharp and defined. Actually, almost like Oreon's... Too much like Oreon's for Maria's taste. This made all his other features almost repulsive.

"Yes, we belong together just like oil and water." She spat.

"Exactly!" He cheered. "It's wonderful to see you finally understand."

Aruna forbid, Maria thought to herself, He's actually more vain than Oreon... He's actually less intelligent than him too!

"You know know water and oil don't mix, right?"

He was about to reply but was cut off by a voice calling out for him in the distance. "What do you want?" He snapped, turning around to face the voice. The voice belonged to the mayors daughter, Tanzania, a little ginger-haired girl.

Tanzania stopped running and slowly walked the last few steps. She took a deep breathe and composed herself speaking again. "Petah, Maria, my father's holding a meeting. He wants everyone at the town hall as soon as possible."

"What's it for?" Petah asked.

She shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know, but go! Moraca will take your job away from you if you show any more tardiness!"

A look of pure panic crossed Petah's face. He let the pitchfork drop to the ground and took off running across the pasture. Once his tall figure faded into the distance, both girls broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Should we tell him the town hall is the other way?" Tanzania finally asked, once she'd fully regained her breathe.

"Nah, let him run. He'll figure it out sooner or later." Maria said with a smile. "Or not at all, if we're lucky."

"Well aren't you nice?"

"You were thinking the same thing."

"True." Tanzania admitted. She shrugged her shoulders and turned towards the town hall, her back facing the direction that Petah had set off in.

"You know, I owe you for this, right Tanzie?" Maria said, as she followed behind the younger girl. "I thought I'd never get rid of him."

"You've certainly said that before." was all the other girl said.

Maria shrugged and walked on. There was no sense denying what she knew was true. Tanzie had come to Maria's rescue more than a dozen times from awkward or uncomfortable situations with Petah just within the previous few weeks alone, and even more over the three years she'd been there. As they reached the crowd, Maria whispered, "What is going on?"
Tanzie simply shrugged. "Who knows."

Villagers gathered around the town hall. Uproars were breaking out often, but were almost instantly hushed by Mayor Tren. The poor mayor seemed to be at his wits end, as he stood on the town hall porch rail, and tryed to keep the crowd focused on him. "Now everyone, please calm... Cath, please, relax, it's going to be okay... No, no, Diana, they aren't going to take you away... Doctor, I can assure you this village has nothing to hide!"

"Illi? Illi, where are you?" Maria called in a hushed voice. She wove her way through the crowd until she was roughly tugged in the opposite direction.
"Right here. Now keep your voice down! If Moraca catches you here, she'll have Simon take you home."
"Fine, fine." Maria agreed, dropping her voice to a weak whisper. "What in Picaro's name is going on?"
Illiana leaned in closer and whispered directly into Maria's ear. "There are royal guards coming down from Karelena tomorrow."
"For what?"

"He hasn't said yet. No one will shut their mouths long enough for him to tell us." Illiana said. She shrugged and turned her attention back to the mayor.
Finally, the loudest woman in the village, Mrs. Rosamay spoke up. "Mayor, what ever would be in Asiati that would interest the Karelenian high king anyway? It's not like any of our resources would be of value to a king of his standings."

Her husband cut in, "Matha, there is plenty of resources, like my mine!"

His daughter Victoria rolled her eyes. "Papa, if there was anything of value in our mines, we wouldn't be living in this sorry ezcuse for a town, would we?"

"Victoria!" her father snapped. "That is not true!"

"Aye, Papa, it is. Mr. Mayor, what is the real reason the guards are here?" Victoria pushed her way to the front and awaited her answer.

The crowd became silent and stared at the man. He cleared his throat and began to speak. "It seems they suspect we may be harboring their lost princess." Again, the crowds burst out in uproars and confusion. "Quiet, quiet, please! There's no need, we all know that the princess isn't here!"

Maria joined in the ruckus, in her best attempt to avoid suspicion. Of course, she hadn't averted it.

Victoria pressed her finger and thumb to the corners of her lips and whistled loudly. "Now, what if the princess is here? What if she's among us, even in this very crowd?"

"What are you rambling about Tori?" The young man from the farm on the opposite end of town cried out.

Victoria pulled the chair on the porch closer to the railing and stood up on top of it. "Well, I'm just saying. What if she's here?"

Petah's sister Maribeth made her way through the people and joined her friend at the front. "She's right. The princess could be any one of us. Except those of us who were born only here."

A sly grin crossed Victoria's face. "She's absolutely correct. Now, who among us wasn't born here?"

Maribeth pointed out at Maria. "Why, only this girl here, Tori."

Victoria laughed. "This girl? Like Maria could ever be a princess! In appearance, she's plain and dull and let's all agree, she isn't exactly the ideal lady, is she? Picking fights, wearing short dresses and cropped pants, and of course, let us not forget her temper. I say this only to calm you all down. There is no princess here, nor will there ever be."

Maria pushed her way to the front and fought back her frustration. "Did you just use this pathetic speech of yours to point out my flaws Vicky?"

"Me? Why would I do such a thing? And don't call me Vicky!"

"Why not, I find Vicky rather fitting. Rhymes with Icky."

Victoria balled her hands into fist and stamped her foot. "You are so immature!"

Maria rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm the immature one!"

Before a full fight could break out between the two, Moraca stepped in and pulled her daughter away. "Maria Leiann Harmoniac!"

Maria turned to her mother and batted her eyes innocently. "I'm sorry Moraca."

Moraca shook her head and called for her son. "Simon, take her home. I don't think we need these two igniting into another heated fight."

"Yes ma'am."

The walk back to the old farmhouse was long and awkward. Maria could tell by the thoughtful expression on Simon's face that he was trying to come up with a suitable punishment to suggest to Moraca. After all, a girl couldn't just be let off free for publicly embarrassing her family the way Maria had. Of course, Victoria on the other had would be praised by her parents for "bringing reassurance" to the people of Asiati.

"I'm thinking something along the lines of mucking the stables for two weeks with Petah." Maria finally said as an attempt to break the silence.

A smile finally broke through on Simon's lips. "Maria, be realistic, Mum is stern, but she certainly isn't that cruel."

"I suppose you're right." Maria admitted, smiling a bit herself. "Still, I'm a bit worried about what she may say."

Simon put his arm around her. "If it's any reassurance, I think Victoria deserved it."