Chapter 6: Chapter Four: The Girl in the Garden

The big day was almost upon them, though Oden felt no sense of excitement for it. How could they be excited when they honestly did not even know what the ceremony was. Confirmation? Confirm what? It made no sense to the little prince. Rather than go to a stuffy old church where they would be seen by many as some sort of spectacle, they would have liked to just stay home. Church was boring, church was scary, church was… church. It was no place for a child, certainly not for Oden at least. Though most of all, perhaps the problem was that it was an obligation. It was another boring thing they would have to do for their father. Even as a child, Oden knew that most things they were made to do was all because their father wished for it. It was silly, it was pointless, it was just plain dumb.

 

So the little prince sighed as they played in their garden, dreading the coming day. That was not today, they would remind themself, no it was another day. Today I can play, today I can have fun. And so they did, or at least they tried. They danced around the garden, jumping on rocks, and humming as they twirled about with their favorite stuffed toy. “Oh no Batty, a monster!” they shouted as they acted out a little game with their plushie friend. “I’ll protect you!” the prince declared, swinging a stick like a sword. Hugging Batty in one arm, and flailing the stick in the other, they imagined vanquishing a mighty beast. “We did it Batty, the monster’s dead!” they giggled as they stood triumphantly over their slain imaginary foe. 

 

“Can I play,” a soft little voice barely squeaked out.

The prince jutted their head around both left and right, then spun and spun again, trying to find the one they had heard. After nearly making themselves too dizzy to stand, they saw a timid little girl, hiding behind a rose bush. “Hi,” Oden greeted them, wobbling closer to the girl, “you want to play with me?”

The small girl nodded, shrinking behind the bush.

“Okay then, yeah we can play together,” Oden smiled and ‘sheathed’ their fake sword in their belt loop, “you don’t have to hide from me. Let’s be friends,” the little prince held out their hand and smiled a soft little smile, “I’m Oden, what’s your name?”

“I’m Quinn,” she squeaked, “is, is it safe to come out?”

Oden tilted their head, a puzzled look across their face, “what do you mean?”

“There was a monster, you were fighting it.”

Oden laughed and struck a brave pose, “don’t worry about that monster Quinn, I beat it up!”

“You did? That’s good,” relief written on her face, she stepped out from behind the rose bush. Now that Oden got a good look at her, they could see that the girl was not too much younger than them, at least in appearance anyways. They wore a pretty white dress, with pink and blue lace, which Oden envied upon seeing. 

“Wait, are you blind?” the young prince asked as they realized she wore lace wrapped around her eyes.

She shook her head, “no, I can see,” she explained, “it’s just momma told me I had to keep my eyes hidden if I left my room.” 

Oden tilted their head, a little confused, but then simply moved on, “have I seen you before? Do you live nearby?”

Again she shook her head, “I’m not allowed to tell people where I live,” an odd answer, but Oden wasn’t going to question her further.

“So Quinnie, what kind of games do you like to play?”

“Uh, Quinnie?” Now she was the one confused.

“Yeah, Quinnie, it’s a nickname. Doesn’t it sound cute?”

“Yeah!” she nodded, “really cute!”

 

And so Oden and the little girl played a game of ‘protect Quinnie from the monsters’ as Oden called it, laughing and running around merilly with one another. All the little worries of the days to come were gone from the young prince’s mind as they played together with another child for the first time in their life. Quinnie would pretend a monster was hiding in a nearby bush or tree, and Oden would rush in to strike it down with their stick. After they began to grow tired of that game, Oden thought to teach Quinnie how to use a sword. Of course the little prince did not really know how to fight, but in their mind they were an a-class fencer. Oden would swing the stick a few times to instruct her, then she would try and swing it just like them. Once Quinn was confident enough in her ‘fighting prowres’ Oden took another stick and had Quinn fight the monsters with them. Together they fell a great many make believe beasts, till their little bodies grew tired, and the both collapsed in the grass laughing together. 

 

The sun began to get low as their game went on and fireflies began to float overhead. The frogs in the little pond behind the garden croaked in a pleasant little chorus, and the world around Oden felt at peace. 

“I had a lot of fun with you, Oden,” Quinn said, hugging Oden’s stuffed toy as they both laid in the grass. 

“I did too, Quinnie,” Oden agreed, “we should play together again!”

“Yeah!” the little girl sat up, and smiled over at the prince, “I would really like that.”

The prince sat up as well, and whipped grass that stuck to them off, “we could play other games too,” they suggested.

“Like what?”

Putting a finger to their chin, the prince pondered, “I don’t know exactly but maybe some kind of game where I can be a princess or something like that.”

“You already are a princess though, silly,” Quinn laughed.

Their eyes sunken, they corrected the girl, “actually, I am a prince…” they said with a sullen voice.

Quinn shook her head, “nu-uh, I know who you really are, Odie, you’re a girl just like me!” 

“Odie?” Oden chuckled, “what’s that?”

“Your nickname, you know?”

“I like it, thank you Quinnie,” the two smiled at each other, and for the first time Oden felt something inside themself, a sense of contentment, or perhaps even joy.

 

Quinn’s expression went from sweet to worried, as she looked around quickly, then stood up suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Quinnie?” Oden stood up as well.

“It’s getting dark, I need to go home,” she said, panicking.

“Is your momma going to be mad if you don’t?”

“It’s just, the… I don’t like…it’s scary…” the little girl could barely get out the words as she trotted nervously in place.

“Are you afraid of the dark?”

She nodded, hugging Batty tight to her chest, then started to run.

Caught off guard at first, Oden didn’t know what had just happened, but then soon realized that she had their toy and took off after her. Quinn didn’t get far before Oden could catch up, and when they did they called out, “wait, batty, you have batty Quinnie!”

She didn’t realize she had taken the toy, but of course it wasn’t her intention to. She stopped suddenly in place and collided with Oden as they tried to stop.

As Oden’s hand brushed against Quinn's arm a storm of emotions whirled about their mind. They had become like a sapling caught in a mighty maelstrom, as memories flooded into their mind, memories they were not meant to have. 

The face of their monster suddenly was clearer to them, the terrifying face of the creature who hurt them no longer a shadow hidden in a swirling vortex of black nothingness. Familiar eyes leared back at them, and a deep gravelly voice spoke to them from the inky abyss. The monster, that terrible monster, Oden couldn’t get them out of their head. Why, though? Why can they remember it now? They screamed out in terror as the monster converged on them inside their mind, the world going black as they passed out. 

“Quinn? Quinn!” A familiar sweet voice cried. “What, Oden, sweetie, what did you do to prince Oden?” were the last things Oden heard before crossing into a cold dark nothingness.

 

With a buzzing migraine, Oden awoke to find themselves back in their bed. The nightmare had passed, the face of the monster completely forgotten. Oden didn’t know how to make sense of the strange feelings that gnawed at their heart. All they knew was that they were happy the monster was gone, even if it was only a dream. They tried to remember what they had been doing, but it was all a blank. 

“Oden, sweetheart, are you alright?” Nioto’s voice ripped Oden’s attention back to the present moment, where she sat beside his bed, placing a warm wet cloth on his head.

“I, I am fine,” Oden struggled to answer through the searing pain of their headache, “Nioto, did I sleep the whole day?”

She looked at them with a puzzled expression that melted back into worry, “sweetie, you were playing outside, don’t you remember?”

“I was?”

“Then, how about my daughter, do you remember her?”

“You have a daughter? Can I meet her?” 

Nioto smiled a sad soft smile, “Of course sweetie, I’ll introduce you.”

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“How old is she? Can we be friends?” Oden asked, their excitement overpowering their pain.

“I think she would love to be your friend, love.” Nioto replaced the cloth on the little prince’s head, “her name is Quinn, and she is about your age.”

“I can’t wait to meet her!”

 

“Can not wait to meet who?” The dark scary voice of the king violated Oden’s aching head.

“Your majesty, what brings you here at this hour?” the caretaker questioned him, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He walked through the door, ignoring the woman’s question, and stared down at his child, “Oden, did you study your scriptures today?”

The prince had to think about it a moment, then simply shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“Do not, it is ‘do not know’, you are a prince. As a royal you must not use contractions, son,” the king corrected him with a quaking voice, “more importantly, you must study your scriptures. You will be reciting the prayer of the redeemer at your ceremony, make sure that you have it memorized. 

“But I don’t like reading them, daddy, they’re boring,” Oden whined. 

“Call me father, say ‘do not’, and read your scriptures!” his voice rose high enough to echo down the hallway, drawing the attention of a passing guard. 

Quivering, Oden pulled the blanket over their head, and cried, “I’m sorry.” 

“Gah!” the grumpy old king threw up his hands in frustration and walked away, turning back as he crossed the doorway, “Nioto, make certain that the boy reads his scriptures. No more fairy tail nonsense, you hear me?”

Nioto bowed her head, “yes, your majesty.” Satisfied enough with her response, he left.

From under the covers the prince whimpered, “is he gone?”

“Yes, my prince, he is gone,” she said, gently running her hand across his head.

Oden curled up next to Nioto, and cried as she rubbed his head through the blankets while humming a sweet melody to calm them.

 

Wearing the eyepatch made Oden feel weird, they did not understand why they couldn’t let anyone see their special eye. They thought it was pretty, a trait they wished they could show off. After all, how many people had one blue and one pink eye? It was cute, but then again, so was the eyepatch Nioto crafted for them. Because they could not wear the gown she made, she instead made them a pretty little eyepatch embroidered with a white rose. It was nice, and if they were going to have to wear an eyepatch anyways, it might as well be a pretty one. It was the only pretty thing they’d be wearing that day. As once more they were dressed in their princely finest, to go about an errand with Nioto. 

Adamant that Oden would perform perfectly, they had a closed audience with the deacon of the church, a sort of recital of the coming ceremony. The church was indeed stuffy, not so much in its size, but more so its attitude. Even with the lack of parishioners, the statues of saints present were enough for Oden to feel surrounded by judgmental glares. They weren’t actually doing anything wrong, at least they didn’t think they were, but the eyes of the saints weighed heavy on them. Guilt is a funny thing, something a child should never have to feel, certainly not this kind of guilt. And yet Oden’s very steps down the aisle of the cathedral felt heavy, as if weighted down by so many expectations. They could see an exit, or at least a door out of the sanctuary, and they had an itch to just run through it, escaping their proverbial prison.  

Expectations were certainly high, a fact Oden was reminded of as they past each pair of statues. Each of these saints, a name they would need to memorize, as well as the deeds that made them holy. First was saint Adjore, who founded the order of the Royal Shepherds. Then was Saint Alfe, conqueror of the heathens who once inhabited the Nameless nation. Saint Fredard, a man who was said to be so godly he would not eat or drink for weeks, being sustained by faith alone. But then the next few saints were a blur to them, what were their names again? And why do I need to know? Oden’s brain began to hurt as frustration and confusion danced an awful dance inside their head. How does any of this matter? Shouldn’t loving god be enough? Oden didn’t really care who the saints were, and why should they? Saints were just men exonerated and worshiped by other men. 

 

They were all silly, perhaps even a tad gross. Idol worship was a sin, that’s something Oden was taught, and even a child like Oden could tell that was exactly what these saints were. The prince disliked them, all of them, that is except one. Almost at the deacon, almost in place for the mock ceremony to actually begin, Oden passed by the statue of Saint Ella, the only woman canonized as a saint. Though not all churches accepted her status, as many thought she was a witch. Still, Oden admired her, for being a brave and noble woman. The legend says she was called by god to fight an invasion of demons. Though many think that to be a lie. Oden, however, believed it to be true. 

 

Fanciful thoughts of warrior women had to wait, as the prince made their way to the altar where the deacon waited. He was short, pudgy, and had more hair on his neck than he did on his head. Oden thought he must have worn such a big hat to hide his baldness, though of course that was a silly thought. The man did not look friendly or inviting, he was hardly a man Oden wanted to spend more than a few minutes with. So the following hour felt extra long, as the deacon recited his prayer, and Oden responded with their own parts of said prayer. Messing up a few times along the way, the prince was made to repeat the whole process, till after several attempts they at last had a perfect run. 

“And so before the eyes of the saints, and the eyes of the people that rest upon you now, we acknowledge you, Prince Oden Marquess Bonedarte the second, a child dedicated unto the lord,” the deacon closed off the prayer, ending the fake ceremony. 

Relief rushed in like a cool refreshing rain after a long day running around the garden in the hot summer sun. Thank god that it’s over, Oden thought, the irony of their words lost on their child mind. It was time to go home, the only thing now that could bother the child was the knowledge they would have to do this again the next day, only this time it would be real. Still, it was done for now, and that is all that mattered in that moment. Oden ran to Nioto’s side, as she sat in a pew observing the whole thing. They hopped a little as they got close to her, and looked up with a wide expectant smile, “can we go home now?” 

“I think we should do better than go home,” Nioto said, the prince tilting their head with a quizzical look, “how about I treat you to something special, for being such a good boy today?”

Their face went from confusion to utter bliss, as their visible eye opened wide and shone brightly, “what kind of treat?” they asked eagerly.

“How about we go to the patisserie, and I will buy you whatever pastry you like.” Oden jumped up and down with glee, and Nioto smiled a warm loving smile at them, the kind of smile a mother would have when amused by their own child's happiness. “Come now my love,” she took them by the hand, and together they left. 

 

It did not take long to get to the patisserie and soon Oden found themselves tasked with the most difficult decision they had to make as a prince thus far, what sweet did they want to eat? Everything looked too tasty; the macarons looked so sweet, the cakes looked soft and fluffy, the tarts were covered in yummy looking fruit; and the eclairs were oozing with a delightful filling. It was all too tempting, each and every treat, of course Oden knew they could only have one. Which one though? How could a child choose just a single dessert? Simple, take the desert that had the most with it. That is what Oden had finally decided as they saw a small little bag with a bunch of round balls covered in chocolate. 

“Have you found the one you want?” Nioto asked, noticing Oden zero in on a treat.

They nodded and pointed, “I want those, please.”

“Bonbons, that’s a very good choice sweetie,” Nioto said. She got the attention of the shopkeep, and paid for the treats. Oden’s eye lit up again as Nioto handed the small bag of sweets to them, then they left the shop.

Oden was excited to try their special little treat, they never had them before, but they just knew they would be so tasty. They opened the satchel, fishing one of the chocolatey morsels out and admired it for a moment. It was perfectly round, decorated with a swirl of pink and blue colored chocolate on the top, and coated in an appetizing white chocolate coating. The smell of the chocolate wafted, kissing their nose, inviting itself into their senses. Oden couldn’t wait any longer, they popped it in their mouth devouring the little bonbon in a single bite. Divine euphoria filled their taste buds, it really was the sweetest thing they ever ate. 

 

They hungered for another, so ready to consume the entire bag, they reached in to grab more, but then stopped when they saw something out of the corner of their eye. Just as they were about to step into the limo, they saw a girl sitting on the sidewalk outside a store. Her whole body, face to toe, and even her dress, were stained in blood and mud. She sat there crying, as she slowly ate what looked like an apple core. It was a pitiful sight, one that many ignored as they stepped around her, but Oden could not ignore it. 

“Hey, little girl,” Oden said, approaching the crying child.

They looked up at her with a mean scowl, clinging to the little bit of apple they had left, “it’s mine, I bought it, I didn’t steal it!” she hissed.

Oden shook their head, “you look hungry, here” they held out the satchel, “you can have these, they’re bonbon’s, and they’re really good.”

It took the girl a moment to process what was happening, was someone really handing her a bag of food, for free? She almost couldn’t believe it, almost didn’t want to believe it, but yet there that young boy was handing her their bag of bonbons. She hesitated at first, locking eyes with Oden, then reached out.

“Your eyes!” Oden exclaimed, causing the girl to recoil her hand. She got up, and started to limp away, but Oden called out to her, “don’t go, please? Take these with you, I don’t want you to be hungry!”

For a moment she stopped, and then, perhaps against her better judgment, she approached the prince. She turned her gaze away and reached her hand out, taking hold of the satchel. Oden tried to get a better look at her face, to see if her eyes were really what they thought they were, but they wouldn’t get the chance.

 

“Hey, demon, get away from him!” a passerby shouted as they saw the homeless girl with the prince.

The girl grabbed the bag tightly, and ran, but Oden had not let go in time, and so the bag ripped, spilling its contents to the wet sidewalk beneath them. “Oh no, the bonbons!” Oden exclaimed, only to see the girl had managed to slip away. 

“Sweetie, what happened?” Nioto came rushing to the prince's side, “did that girl steal your bonbons?”

Sniffling, Oden shook their head, “she looked hungry, so I wanted to share them with her, but someone scared her away.”

“My sweet precious prince, it is dangerous to talk to strangers, love, especially for a little royal boy like you.” She hugged them and gave them a pat on the head, “but it is also so very sweet and loving that you would offer that poor girl your special dessert.”

“Why did they call her a demon?” Oden asked.

Nioto looked them in the eye, “people are cruel, that is a lesson I hoped you would not have to learn at such a  young age,” she kissed their forehead, then asked, “you said they called her a demon, can you tell me sweetie, what did their eyes look like?”

They thought for a second, still unsure that what they saw was real, “I think they’re eyes were different colors,” they answered, then added, “why?”

“I believe perhaps that poor girl is cursed, the same as you my love, and that is why it is important you never let anyone see your eye,” Nioto answered. 

“I’m cursed?” They heard Nioto say it before, but they never truly understood. What did it mean to be cursed? And why would people hate them for being cursed? It was a concept too big for the little prince to comprehend. 

 

The girl, however, understood it all too well. Her curse, her lot in life, was to fall asleep in her cold little train car, her stomach pains waking her up through the night. Her curse was being chased away from every shop in town, being told “he is a demon!” everywhere she went. Her curse was crying in the rain as she bled. But that night, her curse was different. That night her curse was regret. Regret she lost all those bonbons, regret that she didn’t get the girls name, regret that she had to sleep hungry when she could have bought so much food with all that money she stole. Regret was her curse that night. But at least she had but one single bonbon, one little half melted orb of chocolate, smeared across her hands, that she could enjoy. 

She ate that bonbon, smiling a little as she cried. The sweetness just barely shone through the taste of ‘soil’ that had been on her hands. Divine euphoria filled her taste buds, it really was the sweetest thing she ever ate.

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