Merry Christmas, Angelic Sword! This is not Christmas or winter related in the least! Enjoy anyway?

Abuses of Power

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Oh gods. They were arguing again.

It was not the first time this had happened, and as former Princess turned runaway Fiona had learned over the past few months, it would certainly not be the last time Leuda's Caravan went at it tooth and nail. She covered her ears, then belatedly realized that she couldn't eat her fried fish on a stick with both hands occupied.

She genuinely liked the Selkie crew. Their journey had been a lot of fun so far. The two had taught her a lot, and they understood her need for freedom as only Selkies could. She wouldn't give this up for hardly anything, certainly not her old life, but perhaps for a little bit of peace and quiet.

Her dilemma of hearing versus eating was solved for her, though, when Hana Kohl threw Dah Yis across the camp, upsetting their gear and sending Fiona's dinner right back into the flames she'd just pulled it from. "Yowch!" Dah squealed, shooting bolt upright and running for the Jegon. He threw himself into the waters with the same wild abandon with which he threw himself into everything. Ignoring his caterwauling and Hana's screeching laughter, Fiona tried desperately to catch her fish for the second time. No such luck, the little fellow was completely burnt.

Watching the little trout she'd worked so hard to catch burn to an inedible crisp made something within her snap, and Fiona rose to her feet suddenly, surveying the scene. Dah Yis stood in the river shallows, chattering angrily at Hana as he splashed at his reddened torso and arm. Hana stood triumphantly on the bank, hands on her hips as she scolded her recalcitrant partner. This way, she never saw it coming.

Splash! Fiona was not much of a fighter, but with enough speed she simply rammed the Selkie girl into the river. Dah Yis collapsed into the water below Hana's flailing form, giving a muffled shout in answer to her yelp. For a moment they thrashed under the surface together as Fiona stood on the bank, breath hissing between her gritted teeth as she tried to rein in this strange, crazed anger. When the two at last regained their footing, already shouting, she gave up on that anger control idea.

"Enough!" she shouted. "I have had it!" The two froze, staring up at her like frightened rabbits. She liked them better that way, she realized, silent and scared. "I don't care who started it, I don't care who's right or who's wrong, I don't care what he said or what she did. I don't care," she enunciated slowly, clearly, and dangerously. "Neither of you are allowed to speak for the rest of the night! D'you hear me?"

Hana opened her mouth to reply. Fiona narrowed her eyes and the Selkie girl shut her mouth with a snap, nodding vigorously. Dah followed her example shortly and just as enthusiastically. Taking a deep breath, Fiona stepped back. "Good. You may come out and dry off. You may finish your supper. Then you will both go to bed, no arguing, and we will board the ferry home to Leuda tomorrow. All right?"

Subdued, both Selkies accepted her terms and emerged from the river completely soaked. Hana Kohl quickly gathered her night things and headed behind a clump of bushes to change and dry out. Dah Yis, on the other hand, took one look at the ruined food and couldn't help but mutter, "This is all her fault."

A quick shove sent him stumbling right back over the bank, falling into the water with a loud slap. Hana darted from behind the bushes, eyes wide as she stared at Fiona, who was a little wide eyed herself. Dah surfaced quickly this time, snorting water out of his nose and shouting, "This is an abuse of power! You'll never be Queen at this rate!"

"Why, you-!" Fiona started toward the water, then realized that Dah was already in. What could she do, drown him? The more she thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. "Just be happy we're not aboard the ferry, you runt!" she shouted, shaking her fist.

Behind her, Hana had sank to her knees, giggling madly. Her laughter made Dah snicker. Looking from one bedraggled Selkie to the other, both laughing, she felt herself begin to smile, then grin.

"Come on, Princess," he asked after a moment as he waded back to dry land. "Are we really that bad to live with?"

"The worst," she told him, then burst out laughing at his hurt expression.