Ranger's Apprentice: The Tantalizing Tales

Wind

In which there's some necessary mother-daughter bonding between Araluen's Princesses.

~~~

Maddie had always loved the wind. Had loved the feeling of the air blowing through her hair when she and Bumper were speeding, had loved the sound of one of her arrows flying through the air, destined to meet its target. She had loved how it rustled in the trees and swayed the grass. But now, that same wind was pressing on her chest and the fresh air she loved so dearly had trouble reaching her lungs.

Ranger. Queen. Ranger. Queen. Ranger. Queen. Ranger Queen Ranger Queen Ranger Queen Ranger-

The muscles in her chest were contracting and she doubled over in pain, gasping. Will had taught her how to handle these attacks. If only she could remember how. Wait- she had to pay attention to her surroundings. That could distract her. And then her breathing would slow down eventually. Eventually. But don't worry about that. Worry about the surroundings. Were those footsteps approaching?

"Maddie? Oh, honey."

Her mother didn't make the mistake of wrapping her arms around her. Instead, she kneeled down on the ground beside her, a warm hand softly lifting Maddie's chin. The other supported her back, straightened it, until Maddie was sitting upright again.

"That's it, honey. Now breathe."

Breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe breathe.

Slowly, the muscles in her chest relaxed. The pressure released. Air filled her lungs once more as Maddie breathed in, deeply, then out. And again. And again. And all that time, her mother just kneeled beside her, waiting and watching out for her, like she had always done. Finally, the Princess-Regent asked the question Maddie dreaded the most.

"Wanna talk about it?"

No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No yes no yes no yes no yes no. Yes.

With a voice smaller and softer than the wind on a hot summer afternoon, she just said: "I don't want to disappoint anyone."

Maddie envied the wind. Wind was free, wind was unbound, wind was stronger than rocks and yet softer than silk. Wind didn't have to choose between Ranger and Queen.

Ranger Queen Ranger Queen Ranger Queen Ranger Queen.

Wind could just blow.

Her mother knew what she meant. Of course she did. Maddie had never been able to hide a single thing from her. Not even the dilemma that pushed down on her shoulders the most.

But instead of lecturing her, instead of telling her what to do, Cassandra asked: "Do you know the first thing I said when you were born?"

Maddie shook her head. She had thought that she'd heard all the stories of her birth. Apparently, she didn't.

Cassandra elaborated.

"I said 'she was born with a hurricane for a soul, that one'."

Her daughter looked up to her, a puzzled look on her face, and the princess laughed.

"Your father looked at me the exact same way. He thought I was crazy. You were so tiny back then, he couldn't believe I called you a hurricane. He quickly came back to his words when you spent your first night with us and cried for hours. It was unbelievable how much air you could breathe in and cry out with those tiny lungs."

Now Cassandra did wrap an arm around her daughter's shoulders and pulled her closer. She pressed a kiss on Maddie's head.

"Before I knew it, you started growing up. You stopped crying and started running. You always ran away from us, on to your next adventure. The nurses couldn't catch you. Gorlog, even your father and I had trouble keeping up. I think you would've outrun the wind if it had dared you."

A deep sigh sounded.

"And now you're a beautiful young woman, almost of age, and you're more independent than even the wind. I can see how much joy being a Ranger brings you. And I can see how much you long to follow in my footsteps, even if you're not certain that you can. So whatever you decide, just don't let anyone tell you what to do."

Cassandra chuckled.

"Not even your father or me. As long as you follow your path, wherever it may lead you, you could never disappoint us. Wind also has a path, you know."

Her mother was right. Of course she was. Wind too had its path, even if there were infinite possible destinations. It was air with a passion, with a direction, a drive powering onwards. Wind also didn't know where it was going. It just went.

They sat together for a while. Araluen's two princesses, the two most important and most powerful women in the Kingdom, sitting on the ground. Cassandra watched as the wind blew through her daughter's hair. She'd always known how much Maddie loved the wind, time and time again, and now too, she could see how it was the wind that blew some life back into the young woman.

She loved the hurricane of that child and would be a sweet summer breeze. Because above all, Maddie was her daughter, and no matter the decisions she would make, Cassandra would always love her with a power mightier than the wind.