“Up there! Look, Odette!” Derek exclaimed, pointing at the top of Mt. Mar. It was massive through the lens of two children, or rather, make it three, as Bromley just caught up with them, breathing heavily. “Hey! You guys are too fast. I said, wait for me! But you guys didn’t wait. No fair.” Bromley dropped down. Derek leaned down to stare at him. “And I said, last one here has to smell the horses' haystack!” The prince stood up proudly, hands on his hips. Amongst their chatter was an uncharacteristic silence from the princess. They felt the tension and looked over towards Odette. Her lilac hues were confined to the base of the mountain, where she was trying to find the proper route. “Odette?” Their voices were left on deaf ears.
She had heard rumors of a creature that lived in Mt. Mar and could bring back the dead. All you had to do was face its many challenges, and it would provide you with an equal amount of happiness. Odette assumed that doing one thousand tests would offer her an insurmountable amount of gifts to make up for it. And the only thing Odette desires is to see her mother again.
Her last memory of her mother is humming a sweet tune while lacing some designs into a new blanket. That soothing aura echoed in her mind as if the moment was happening as they spoke. A final smile spread across the queen's lips, and the memory would disappear. Even if it meant going through endless horrors, she wanted to relive that memory once more. “I’m coming, Mother.” Headstrong Odette stomped forward towards the bridge until Derek tugged onto her arm. “Are you sure about this?” He opposed this journey from the start. Derek urged her not to believe the rumors. The disappointment would be worse than a lie. Bromley grabbed her other arm with a tighter grip. Perhaps he let his emotions get the best of him. “The Queen is gone. Even if the rumors are real, do you really think the Gryphon would help her?” Odette pushed through the boy’s and strutted forward. “I don’t care.”
The hike was becoming strenuous. The heat battered their skin, and their brows were sweat-covered. Odette wouldn’t let up, but the boys contemplated turning back. “Odette…” both boys moaned. She was having none of it and continued to ignore them. They came across a wooden bridge barely lifted up by dodgy rope. It could be the elevation or the weakness coming over her, but Odette could have sworn she heard her mother's song once more. “Mommy?” Beyond the creaking bridge were the howling winds blowing the decrepit structure into a sway, and a song played in Odette’s mind. She set a small foot down on one of the planks, and it immediately made a cracking sound. “Wait, Odette, Don’t! Derek leaped forward, grabbing Odette. Creaks turned into debris flying in the wind, their bodies plunging below. Derek held Odette’s body closely, hoping to take the brunt of the fall.
Hours later, Odette woke up. Apparently, an entire week had passed. The memory of that incident had too many holes for her to remember even the slightest reason why she became injured. Derek was out of commission less and recalled most of the incident. The King told him never to speak of it again, especially with Odette. When her half-lid eyes opened completely, she looked up at her father and asked, “Did Mother come home? Did I do it?” Even though she didn’t recall the entire event, she remembered her determination to see her mother again.
