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From Prince Rodericks' Travel Journals (#20 of Iana's Story)
10th day of counting before April, year 217
The search continues. No village. Only endless weed and riverbank. The weather soured, which gives Leric plenty to complain about. He refuses to leave his quarters. Holing up in the coffin-like bunk would make me ill too. The head space on this barge nonexistent. A child's leg room not a grown man's. I haven't had time to write as much these days, the crew short handed as it is. Perhaps this venture should be abandoned?
8th day counting
A break in the wet weather allowed Captain Gress and his men to end our agreement. They'll search no more. They're making for the nearest port and that should have been the end of our ill fated venture. Had Leric and I any sense, we would go with them. We did not. We took the dingy offered to us and supplies. Now we skirt the riverbank, edging along it with a strong pole.
"I don't have a reckless bone in my body," Leric joked. "So this can not be recklessness. This is nothing."
The rain only relented briefly this afternoon, and now I write this from a most peculiar position. The ink smears something terrible and my powder is a wet mess. But what really surprises me most - Leric didn't leave off with the captain and crew. From now on we will spend our days and nights under this oil skin. Cook and eat out of tins, or fish when we can. Building a fire won't be possible, but fish can be eaten raw I've been told. It will be much much worse than that filthy river barge. I thought Leric hated roughing it as we are.
7th day counting
No nothing yet. How much further south will we go? I wonder. The only consolation right now is knowing everyday I find myself closer to Winding. As for Leric, what keeps him on?
6th day counting
The truth of it comes out. I might have guessed it. It only makes sense now. Why else would anyone go forth in search of madness and curses unless they had a good reason?
I have long wanted to understand the magic, it has fascinated me since I was a boy and since forced to leave Carentas by mother, occupying my mind is all I can do. When I met Leric, he joked that he would accompany me for the lark of it. I welcomed his knowledge of the magical arts, and didn't even guess the truth behind it. His carefree smiles, his magicking, his entertaining all concealed it. He has more reason than I do to be out here looking for this village. Leric has told me all, about his family, his lost brothers and silent-broken sister and the witch who cursed them; how only he escaped, by some small miracle, and now how many years has he wandered looking for them. He hopes within this village he might find them, as least one of them, but fear grips him. Since the injury to his eye, his magicking ability has faded terribly, will he be able to break their curse? First though, we must find them.
He has a better reason than my curiosity, or, as I confessed to him, my stupid idea to find a cursed Princess. They are out there. She was one once. In my stupid brain, I always thought that if I did find one, and if I managed somehow to break her curse, that she would be good enough to bring home as a bride, one that might satisfy mother. Perhaps I'd even love her. Perhaps not anymore.
Then why do I keep on with it? For now I will go for Leric's sake. For him and his more noble reason, I will not give up. When I said as much, Leric merely laughed, a ragged sour sound. "A noble reason?" he said to me. "What could be more noble and valiant than a Prince searching for a Princess in distress?"
Not me, I'm afraid. Not me.
5th day
We have found it.
to be continued . . .
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