Ajo walked the woods with excitement in his heart.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and called loudly, "Whooop!"

The trees above him rustled.

From the high boughs a mass of leaves and mud landed before him with a graceful leap.

"How are you?"

"Warm and healthy," the Gretch replied. "What magic will you show me?"

Her speech had improved as she grew older, and it did not go unnoticed that she aged at the same pace as Ajo. Even after a few years he remained uncertain of what, or who, the Gretch really was.

If she was a product of nature or Galeia.

Many signs pointed towards her being what she claimed, but there remained a nagging suspicion that she was nothing but an elaborate bit of mischief.

"No magic today. Let's talk."

The Gretch pouted. "Magic's more exciting."

"But talking can be more important."

"What's more important than having fun?"

"I don't know. How about...love?"

"Love?" Her nose scrunched and she looked every inch like Galeia. "Love is not important, let's do magic instead."

"It is important."

"I don't need it."

"Everyone needs love."

"Not me. I need berries to eat. I need water to drink. I don't need love. Not at all."

"It's more than that, Gal—my friend. Love does not feed our bellies, but our souls. You're too young to understand."

"Am not! I'm not too young at all!"

Ajo smiled. "One day you might be in love with me."

He expected an argument or feigned disgust, but the Gretch tilted her head.

"I do love you, prince," she said. "You know this."

"Something more than friendship?"

"What's that?"

Ajo sighed. All the explaining in the world would not help her comprehend something so complex. And there was no explanation, he felt, that could do the feeling justice.

"Forget it," Ajo said, slightly defeated. "We'll do some magic."

***

Ajo took special care to make himself handsome.

He tamed his unkempt hair into a flattering style and ensured his clothing was neat and clean.

He looked at himself in the mirror, admiring the picture there.

"Good morning," he said to his reflection. "It is a good day, isn't it?"

Ajo frowned, displeased at the sound of his voice.

He straightened his posture and tried again.

"Shall we go for a walk in the woods? I don't have any lessons today and..."

He shook his head.

"No. Be bold."

He nodded at the mirror, gathering his courage.

"Be. Bold." 

The Queen's absence at breakfast puzzled Galeia, but not as much as the sight of the prince.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

Ajo looked down at the clothes he'd fretted and fussed over.

"Am I not allowed to look nice?"

Galeia bit into a slice of bread and butter.

"Where's mother?" she asked.

"She left for a diplomatic meeting...in another kingdom."

"Which kingdom?"

"Does it matter?"

"She always eats with us."

"Does it upset you to eat alone with me?"

"No, Ajo. That's not what I meant."

He took his seat and drained an entire cup of water before setting the dish down, a little too roughly. The clang of it hitting the table made an embarrassingly loud echo.

"Mother said, um, that I have the day free from lessons—and we could spend it together, if you like."

"Would you like that?" Galeia asked skeptically. "I thought you'd want to spend your free time reading."

"No," he said softly. "I'd like to spend it with you."

Galeia's face brightened.

"I would like that," she said, then added teasingly, "You'll have to change first. It'd be ridiculous to go into the woods like that." Ajo blushed and Galeia rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ajo, I never know what goes on in that mind of yours."

As they walked, Galeia told him the names and ages of the trees. Ajo had changed his clothes, but his hair remained neat and combed, and when Galeia tried to ruffle it he pulled away, not wanting to upset the hard work he had done.

She told Ajo the stories of the animals in the forest, their lives and dreams, and showed him their burrows and nests as they passed them.

When the opportunity arose, he supplied his own stories, though they were little more than recited facts from history.

"That hole over there," Galeia said, "belongs to a grumpy badger. He doesn't talk much, and he absolutely cannot stand the sound of whistling."

"There was a king who abolished whistling once," Ajo supplied, "because a musician interrupted his breakfast."

They went on this way for hours, and Galeia told made-up stories as they popped into her head, which Ajo sometimes corrected with historical truth, and every so often they argued over a point, but always in good humor.

"I know someone in the woods that you do not," Ajo said smugly. "My secret friend who lives here."

He had mentioned the Gretch to her only once before. If the creature was nothing but a game of Galeia's making, he was curious to see how far she would take it.

"I know the woods better than anyone," Galeia said. "If you had a secret friend, I would have found her long before you."

"So you know it's a her then?"

He was sure he'd caught her, but Galeia only shrugged.

"I guessed. Who is she?"

He thought he detected a hint of jealousy in her voice and found it both charming and confusing.

"She's a different sort of creature. Born from the forest."

Galeia crossed her arms over her chest. "Call her to us, if she's real."

Ajo cupped his hands around his mouth and made a long, high-pitched, "Whooop!"

After a long wait in silence, Ajo's smile faded. The Gretch had never refused him before.

He looked at Galeia, hoping she might give up her ruse, but she waited expectantly with a smug grin on her face.

The Gretch did not show any sign that she was near.

"Is this the same creature that looks like me?" Galeia asked warily.

"Yes," Ajo admitted and cast a pointed glance at his companion. "Exactly like you. It is a little strange that the first time she refuses to answer is when you're with me."

"It's not strange. She's probably jealous."

"Why would she be jealous?"

"Well...I'm a princess, and she is not."

"She's not like that. She doesn't care for titles or crowns. Galeia..." He paused before asking carefully, "You would tell me if it was you, right? There's no need to deceive me—we're not little anymore."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not trying to trick you."

"Oh," Ajo muttered. "Let's continue on then."

They reached a cliff overlooking a clear lake with a short waterfall.

"Let's jump together," Galeia said and held her hand out to him.

Ajo's heart fluttered at the height. "Shouldn't we climb down to it?"

Galeia had already backed up a few paces and was readying herself for the leap.

"No," she said plainly.

"The plunge is far too high."

She looked at him like all his hair had jumped from his head.

"Exactly, it'll make a good splash."

"It'll sting when you land."

"Only for a second."

"What if the water's shallow?"

"It won't be."

"There could be rocks."

"And?"

"I'd rather climb."

"Brave Ajo," Galeia mocked, "with all your safe, dry books."

"I am brave," he argued. "But I'm not foolish."

"As foolish as this?" Galeia raced past him and flung herself off the cliff.

"Galeia!"

He peered over the edge just in time to see her crash into the water. With a great gasp, she broke through the surface, spitting water from her mouth like a fountain. She looked up at Ajo and grinned.

"No rocks here!"

Ajo grimaced, unconvinced the jump was safe. He didn't want to feel the water slap against his skin—and he wasn't fond of heights. He walked to where the cliff sloped while Galeia waited with a judgmental scowl.

"You'd already be in the water if you jumped," she said.

"I don't want to jump." Ajo dipped his foot into the lake. "It's cold."

"If you jump it won't be cold."

"Yes, it would."

"But not for long. Come on!" 

Galeia swam to him and splashed water across his lap.

Ajo smiled and made the smaller dive into the lake.

They were laying on the bank under the sun when Ajo pulled a book from his pockets. A simple spell had protected the pages from getting wet, but when he opened it Galeia groaned.

"Are you really going to study right now?"

"I actually wanted to read to you."

"Not boring philosophy or history."

"No."

He held up the book to show her a blue cover with a white rose.

The Queen had placed it in front of him during his lessons, and when he asked about it she nonchalantly replied, "Haven't you read the romantic epics and poems? It's something to help your courtship."

He'd read it a dozen times since then.

"It's poetry," he said.

"What's poetry?"

"Oh, it's lovely. Mother showed it to me. She thought I would like it and she was right. You'll like it too, I promise."

"I'll try to listen—but I'm closing my eyes."

Ajo cleared his throat before reading.

"Her collar lace is like her hair, it blows with gentle wind

I take her hand and keep her there, with hours left to spend

We dance and sigh and touch the clouds

And to her brow I bend

Upon her lace, her pretty face, I touch her like the wind."

Galeia opened one eye. "What does that mean?"

"It means he kissed her."

"Who did?"

"The one who wrote the poem."

"That's it? He kisses someone?"

"Sometimes poems are just about a kiss."

"Are there any poems about dragons or ghosts?"

"There's one with a knight."

"Read that."

"Let me find it."

But he took too long and Galeia grew bored.

"I don't know if I like poems. They seem to be concerned solely with kissing."

"You don't like kissing?"

"I don't find kissing very interesting."

"Oh." There was a small dismay in his heart.

Then, a flicker of hope.

"Let me try one more."

"Only one more."

"You'll like this one, I know it."

Galeia rolled over and closed her eyes. She waved a lazy hand in the air.

"Go on."

Ajo turned to a page he had marked.

"She runs onward

like a beast into the night,

her lips savage, her eyes of fire

The nails that dig into the soil,

are the same that scratch a prayer in my throat

She draws a dagger of passion across my skin

and the blade is one thousand promises left unkept

One day I shall pull her from the clouds

into an embrace that will tame us both."

Ajo looked up from the book, confident that the primal imagery piqued Galeia's interest.

But the only answer he received was faint snoring.

***

"She didn't like it."

Ajo threw the book of poetry to the ground, frustrated and defeated.

"Give her time," the Queen urged.

"She fell asleep!"

His mother let him fume before comforting him.

"These things need patience, Ajo. You need to be more cunning. You cannot capture a woman's heart any quicker than you can grab a lion's paw. Would you have Galeia demur and easily won? Would you have her be something she is not?"

"No," Ajo said with a sigh. He looked at his mother. "I should be cunning?"

"And patient."

"Why can't I simply tell her we're going to be married in a few years?"

"Because she needs to arrive at the conclusion naturally, not be told by someone else. And she will, in time. She loves you as much as you love her."

"Are you sure?"

"I've seen it."

"I haven't."

"Ah, but you are just as innocent as Galeia. It takes an old, wise eye to catch these things. So Galeia is not fond of romance—yet. What are her interests?"

"Everything I'm not."

The Queen snickered. "It only feels that way. You could talk to Isolam. Learn her interests, and mold them into something you can share."

Ajo picked up the book and examined it. The rose on its blue cover seemed to taunt and mock him.

"I know there is something in there that will catch her interest one day," the Queen assured him. "You should memorize some of those words, then you'll be able to recite them when the proper moment arrives."

"You mean for me...to study romance?"

The Queen gave him a coy smile.

"I mean for you to use your strengths to win Galeia's heart."

***

"Why didn't you come when I called you?"

Ajo was standing before the Gretch, his expression severe.

"I wanted you to meet someone special. Now she thinks I'm a liar."

"The one I look like," the Gretch said.

Ajo blushed. "Yes."

"That's why I didn't come."

"What?"

"I can't appear before the one whose form I take."

Ajo released an incredulous laugh.

"Why not?"

"If she's nearby I will be...muddled."

"Muddled?"

"You'd see me as I really am."

It was too easy an excuse. If he had still been a child he may have believed her. But he was older, adolescent, and wiser.

The Gretch turned from Ajo and her voice grew soft.

"I would frighten you. You would never want to see me again."

She was embarrassed, and Ajo pitied her.

"That's not true. I could never be frightened of you, no matter what you looked like."

"I couldn't bear the look on your face when...when you saw what I am."

"What are you?"

"The Gretch. Strong and bold, but not very pretty. You spend your time around lovely princesses. I wouldn't live up to their likeness."

"Let me be the judge of that. Show me your true face now."

She considered his request but shook her head.

"Not today, my prince." Her lips curled into a tight frown. "Did you enjoy your time with the lady? The one you brought to see me?"

"Oh. I didn't...bring her to...I thought it would be nice for the two of you to meet."

"Maybe someday we will, or maybe not."

"I would like to introduce you."

"To prove you are not a liar."

"No, because she's my friend and you're my friend. My friends should know each other."

"I see. Did you have a nice time with her?"

"I did. I always do." Before he had a mind to stop himself he added, "I love her. More than anyone or anything."

A weight lifted from him. No one but Galeia knew about his friend, and Galeia appeared convinced that the creature did not exist. The Gretch was Ajo's secret, and with that privacy came freedom. He could tell her his thoughts and no one would ever know.

And if she was Galeia in disguise, it was all the better that he unburdened his heart to the one he believed should hear it most.

"You love her," the Gretch echoed. "Like a sister?"

"No. Differently."

"Like a good friend."

"More than that. She's going to be my wife one day. My mother said so."

The Gretch's eyes grew wide and Ajo thought he saw sadness in them.

Surely the Gretch wasn't—upset?

"Are you angry?" he asked. "You're not...jealous, are you?"

"Jealous?" She thought about the word. "No, not jealous. Impossible for me to be jealous. But I wonder...when you have your lady...will you still have time for me?"

"I will," Ajo promised quickly.

He moved towards her but the Gretch shrunk away. It was odd to see his friend behaving in such a manner.

"I promise I will see you," Ajo said. "I will never give you up."

"I suppose," the Gretch murmured, unconvinced. "But I wouldn't make promises you don't know you can keep."

"I can—I will keep it!"

"And what need would you have of me once you have your lady?"

"You're my friend. I'll always want your company."

"Even after you've outgrown playing?"

"There's more to being friends than playing."

The Gretch smiled, but it did not erase the melancholy in her spirit.

"We should make do with the time we have now," she said. "Save our worries for the future."

"Save our worries for the future," he echoed.

"I have a new game," the Gretch said, her mood suddenly shifting into merriment. "A special game I thought of just for us."

Ajo winced.

It had become a well-known fact that the Gretch's ideas often turned foul. There was always an element of danger to them, no matter how innocent or well-intentioned they began.

A chase that began in fun but concluded in pain.

A song that ended with something on fire.

When the Gretch first revealed to Ajo that she had magical abilities of her own he was excited—until it became clear that all her spells inevitably caused torment.

And Ajo was the one who had to set things right.

Once, the Gretch cast a spell that was meant to change the color of a flower, but it warped the petals into slivers of glass and curled them upwards to create a ghastly weapon. Ajo waved his hand and the shards melted like snow in summer.

When the Gretch tried to entice a rabbit into talking, she almost choked the air from the poor animal—but Ajo intervened and saved it, and taught the Gretch the necessity of handling life with delicate care. After that, she didn't attempt another spell on animals.

She swore to Ajo that she never meant harm, but it always seemed to find her.

Ever the good friend, Ajo encouraged her—but remained alert and poised to save them or the woods from disaster.

Sometimes, to ease his distress, he imagined that he wasn't teaching the Gretch, but Galeia. Directing her energy into acts of kindness. Showing her how to turn her darkness into good.

Doing his duty to help her, as the Queen instructed.

The Gretch was always grateful for his guidance and claimed he was teaching her many new things. It made him feel important. Necessary.

A savior.

But now she had a new game for them to try.

He shifted nervously, sensing the approach of another catastrophe that would ultimately lead to him scrambling to save the day.

"What sort of game is it?"

"It's called 'Bodies'."

That didn't sound nice at all.

"Does it involve magic?" he asked carefully.

"No, no, nothing like that."

"How do you win?"

"You don't. It's not a winning sort of game."

She dropped to the ground and motioned for Ajo to follow. When he was sitting before her, she held out her hand.

"Touch here," she instructed.

He obliged.

"What part is this?" she asked.

"Your hand."

"And what part are you touching it with?"

"My...hand."

"Now: Where has my hand been?"

"What sort of game is this?"

"Don't question, just tell me."

"Don't you already know where your hand has been?"

"Yes, but I want to know if you can tell. Look at my hand. What do you see?"

Ajo leaned forward and examined her skin.

"You've got dirt under your nails."

"Uh huh."

"It's not dry though. And—" He took hold of her hand and held it close to his nose. "Yes, I smell it. Water weeds. There's a bit of green there, too. You've been swimming. This hand has been in water."

"Good. Now where will this hand go?"

"How could I know that?"

"Guess. Use what you already know."

"Well...I'd say this hand will pick berries. Because swimming makes one hungry and tired. So this hand will pick berries to eat, and then it will climb up a tree for a nap."

The Gretch beamed from ear to ear.

"See? You're already good at this game."

"But I don't understand it."

"My turn now. Give me a part."

Ajo bent his head and pointed to the top of his skull.

"What's this?"

"Your head!"

"Where's it been?"

"The castle. And the woods."

Ajo snorted. "That was too easy."

"Yes, it was."

"Where will it go?"

The Gretch hummed in thought.

"It will go back to the castle, where it will see people it loves."

"What people?"

"Its mother. Probably some guards. It will nod to them."

"What else?"

"It will see another head. That one is special. That's the head it loves more than a sister or friend. That's the one it loves more than anything."

"You only know that because I told you."

"No, I would know anyway." She grabbed his head, holding him down so she could inspect it. "This head is good at a lot of things, but it's never been good at keeping secrets."

Her nails dug into him, making Ajo shudder.

"Ow. Let go."

"You forgot to ask what part I'm touching it with."

"Your hands—" He grit his teeth when her grip tightened. "Your nails."

"No, that's not it."

"I give up. What part is touching it?"

The Gretch bent down and placed a kiss on the crown of his head.