Lissana: The Guardian Princess

The Journey

“We are completely lost,” exclaimed Lissana, somewhat annoyed.

Dark rain clouds loomed overhead as they found themselves in the middle of a dense forest with nowhere to take shelter from the rain, which was about to fall. They had been on their journey for a week since leaving the royal palace of Cosset, but they kept getting lost; Uzziel had a terrible sense of direction.

Lissana had realized that too late.

“We are not lost,” muttered the handsome young man with chestnut hair and delicate features, who at that moment was examining the forest they were in with his deep gray eyes.

“We’ve just strayed a little from the path; if we take this route, we’ll probably get out of this forest.”

Uzziel’s words did nothing to calm his cousin; she closed her beautiful golden eyes. Her long eyelashes contrasted with her pale, smooth skin.

Lissana huffed in frustration.

“And how are we supposed to get out of this forest? Although I can fly, I’m still not very good at carrying another person with me; I might drop you mid.”flight.”

“We agreed not to fly when we left the palace. We’ll travel like regular people,” said Uzziel, reminding his cousin of the promise they both made when they left the palace and which, in a week, his cousin had threatened to break a dozen times.

“We are not normal people, Uzziel,” responded Lissana, somewhat exasperated. “And with your sense of direction, I don’t think we’ll get anywhere.”

“Of course we will, stop being so bitter, Lissana.”

The beautiful young woman ran a pale hand through her brown hair, trying to calm the anger that was beginning to well up inside her. They had been on their journey for a week, and she already regretted leaving her dragon behind and bringing Uzziel with her.

“I should have listened to Aunt Maya,” she murmured to herself with deep regret.

At that moment, Uzziel let out a scream, capturing all of Lissana’s attention.

“Ah!”

“Why are you screaming now?!”

“I think I know where we should go,” he said with more confidence than before.

“If it starts raining, I want you to know that I’ll leave you in this forest.”

“Don’t forget you promised my mother you’d take care of me while we’re on this journey.”

“Take care of you?! I wish that was all.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a complete mess.”

A few drops of water started to fall. Lissana couldn't take it anymore; she had completely run out of patience. She called upon the winds and began to lift off the ground. Uzziel grabbed her by the waist and pleaded:

"You can't leave me stranded here."

“Then do something to get us out of this damn forest or find us some shelter."

“Just follow me,” Uzziel said, not letting go of her hand.

Afraid his cousin would leave him, they found a cave to shelter from the rain before it started pouring.

“See? We found a place to spend the night. Tomorrow we'll look for the way out at a more relaxed pace."

“Tomorrow, I'll fly over the forest, find the way out, and leave."

“You're not really going to leave me, are you?” asked the boy with some fear.

Lissana lit a fire to warm up in the middle of the cave and replied:

“Of course I am,” the girl confessed, adding a few branches to the fire.

Uzziel paled at her response.

“But you don't have to worry, I won't abandon you,” she continued, seeing the expression of fear and uncertainty that had taken over her cousin's face. “I'm sorry,” she quickly apologized. “If I had let you fly over the forest from the start, we would have been out a long time ago, but the truth is, I was afraid you would leave me."

Uzziel's words reflected what Lissana saw in his face, making her feel guilty for how she'd treated him lately.

“I'm sorry too. I know I haven't been the best travel buddy."

Uzziel didn't refute his cousin's words, as they were true. After a long silence, he finally asked:

“Lissana, why did you want to make the journey this way? I know you want to go to the land of the fairies; if we had traveled on your dragon or with the scrolls, we would have saved a lot of time."

Lissana threw a few twigs into the fire. The flames crackled, and she finally replied without taking her eyes off the flickering flames:

“It's not just about where I want to go. I wanted to know my kingdom. I don't know anything about it. Before leaving, my mother told me: don't settle for just what you know, open your eyes to the vast world out there, let your journey be your adventure, and then decide what you want to do, where you want to be."

“Aunt Abril's words were wise."

“That's what I want to do, and I didn't bring any mounts because I don't want to cause panic; dragons aren't popular, and neither are winged horses. Not after the war, everyone fears the unknown."

“You're right."

Uzziel watched the flames flicker in silence. Lissana asked him:

“Why did you come along?"

“I can't leave you alone, you're my dear cousin,” Uzziel replied, which Lissana sensed was a lie.

“If you don't want to tell me, there's no need to lie."

“I'm not lying, I'm a fairy, after all."

“You're only half-fairy. You're not bound by the fairies' oath of honesty.

“Hmm... it's not that I don't want to say it, it's just that I don't know. Sometimes I feel lost myself,” the young man confessed with a certain sadness.

“I thought you liked life at the palace."

“And I do, but I know that's not my place."

“Why do you say that?"

“Because it's true, you're the crown princess, but because of our uncle's absence, many wanted my father to assume the throne and for me to be next in line; although I like being at the palace, my presence poses a threat to you, Lissana."

“I wouldn't mind trading places with you if that's what you want,” Lissana responded with complete sincerity."

“I don't want to be king,” the young man quickly said as he ran a hand through his short, damp brown hair. “I just want to support you and take care of you. We've grown up together. To me, you're like a sister.

“To me, you're like a brother too, though sometimes a very annoying one, but one I care about a lot. So don't be afraid, I'd never leave you behind; besides, I'm sure if I did, you'd probably cause a big scene with your magic."

“I won't,” he said with complete seriousness. “My mother still forbids me from using my magic unless it's a matter of life and death or she's present, so I won't, I promised her."

“I don't understand why they forbid you from using your magic."

“I guess it's because I nearly destroyed the kingdom once."

Lissana had completely forgotten how powerful Uzziel was until he mentioned the incident from years ago. Great power without control is more dangerous than a horde of monsters. Her mother had once told her while they were rebuilding the city.

Uzziel lay down on the ground, next to the fire, using his arm as a pillow, and said to her:

“We should get some sleep. Our journey's just beginning. We still have a long way to go."

“Yes, you're right, our journey's just beginning."