GIRLS CAMP OUT! A Rina Side Story

J.L. Chan

Early morning sunshine rained upon Hedera Village. Even before the roosters on Hyland Farm yelled their cock-a-doodle-doos, Alluriana Hyland was already outside, properly dressed, and frolicking in the flower field beside the cow pens. A broad and unshakable smile was stuck on her face as she giggled and laughed. "Yoo-hoo!" Judith, Alluriana's mother, called from the log fences surrounding the pen. "Why are you so happy today, Rina sweetie?" "It's the day! The day Cass, Lissa, and I are going to camp out together! I've been marking the days off the calendar and oh—I'm just so, so happy it's coming today!" Rina exclaimed while running. "Calm down, you're going to choke at that rate," her mother replied, chuckling. "A camp? That's fantastic! You and that Cassandra have been great friends ever since you two met. Ah, it's just like destiny…" She paused for a moment, drifting off. "Oh what am I saying? Make sure you have fun today." Wind magic wrapped around Rina's two feet and she hovered a few inches off the ground. In a small thrust, Rina skated toward where her mother was standing and embraced her tightly. "Thank you, mother." "Well, I guess you want to reach there as soon as possible. So don't let me delay you, dearie." Her mother released her hugging. "Go pack your things up and get going. The animals and your father are going to miss you for a few days. Love you, Rina." Rina kissed her mother on the cheek. "I love you too, mom. I'll see you in a few days!" A moment later, she dashed across the farm, into her house, and into her room. Today was going to be fantastic—and she knew it.

" … And this should be it!" Rina arrived in front of the gate of a six-story wall. Behind it was Rosilland Village. She remembered their all-out battle against the Mysticalia witch sisters at this village, and how Princess Cassie let them go after their defeat. Hmm, where would they be right now? Ever since the acknowledgment of the returned princess, more royal guards have been patrolling Rosilland ever since. Of course, being the best friend she'd ever have (besides Lissa), she was allowed in without needing the proper protocol. She curtsied at the guards before entering the vicinity. Rina skated to the Rosilland household, waving at every person she came across. Gods, the dawn sunlight filling the sky above the village was too majestic. By the time she reached her house, Cassandra Monica and Melissa Trixton had already finished their packing. "Good morning, Rina! Are you ready?" Cassie said as she lifted a bag over her shoulder. "Yes, I am!" Rina chirped. Cassie was dressed in a casual forest green tunic and a pair of black pants. A yellow string belt was tied around her waist. She kept her hair in her unique French braid, albeit a little messy. On her right arm was a bangle and a jeweled ring. However, Floragne, her sword, wasn't with her. "Is that how a princess is supposed to show herself outside?" Rina remarked, an eyebrow raised. "Very sophisticated, I must say!" Cassie grumbled. "Oh, shut up." Melissa presented two pieces of clothing. "Um, guys. Which do you think looks better? This one, or that one?" Rina turned to Melissa and hugged her, forcing her to drop the clothes. "It's nice to see you too, Lissa! How have you been?" "I'm okay, thank you for asking," she answered. "Um, can you please let go of me?"

Rina immediately released her grasp and muttered an apology. Melissa accepted it and beamed slightly, picking up her clothes. Ah, she kept forgetting how reserved Melissa was! Melissa, the village seamstress's daughter, was wearing a casual baby pink dress, which had a single button at the top and a cutesy yellow ribbon to complement it. Her wavy hair twirling at the tips smelled of daisies (heavenly!). Oddly, for a person who was accustomed to stylish outfits, why was she wearing pajamas-like clothes? Rina chose not to question it. She herself was wearing a short-sleeved pear green shirt with a brown opened vest. Also with a matching white skirt with green trims reaching to her feet. Looks like all three of them were fit for a few days' worth of living outdoors. Awesome! "I think we should be heading to the forests now. It's almost noon and we should set up camp before sundown," Cassie suggested. No arguments there. "Um… which dress should I pick? Guys!" Totally ignoring Melissa, Rina said, "Let's go, Cass, Liss!" Both of them made a run of out of the village, leaving the seamstress's daughter behind. "Wait up!" Melissa shouted. Rina chuckled.

Rina, Cassie, and Melissa finally settled on an open field within the Great Forests. Melissa ended up wearing what she'd worn when Rina met her. Rina wasn't sure how long they'd been trekking, but halfway through, she decided to skate her way along. According to Melissa, they were near a source of water, so Cassie inferred that they were close to River Xymar. Vegetation in this area was lush. Each bush grew berries, each tree bore fruits, and each patch of grass blossomed beautiful flowers. On the way, she picked one and put it into her hair. Fauna was lush too. In fact, Rina had saw deer prancing about on her way to the campsite. Cool air brushed against her skin, and she squealed in delight. She had never felt air as fresh as this—and she loved it. Even the grass and trees and bushes and shrubs smelled so divine. Ah, she could stay here forever! Cassie barked orders for her and Melissa to ready the campsite. Melissa followed the direction of the river to collect water and berries. Rina helped Cassie set up the tent, nailing a peg into the ground. Rina pulled the ropes to secure it as Cassie took out her dagger (Oh, so that's where Floragne was!) and cut it. Both of them then tied a knot around it. Great! Three more pegs to go. After minutes passed, Rina simply went inside and let her weight fall onto her sleeping bag. Her legs and fingers were numb after all those rigorous movements. She just wanted to rest, at least for a bit. Melissa had come back with a handful of berries and flasks of water. "Rina, we still have a lot to do," Cassie urged, her head through the flaps of the tent. "We still need food. And by food, I mean meat. And by meat, I mean I need you to hunt." "Aw, but I wanted to rest for a bit," Rina pouted. "Oh, alright. I'm just having so much fun that it's killing me. Just us three girls spending our time together!" She laughed, got up, and rushed out. The sun was still high above their heads, casting not much a shadow. Melissa was sitting beneath a tree, reading her book. Cassie began gathering several stones and twigs for a campfire. And she, Rina, had to do the hunting. No problem! Gladly, she had been carrying Nephele with her all the time. She fished inside the tent for her bow and quiver. Then, she slinged her quiver around her body and brandished Nephele. She was prepped for hunting. Hunting… what? Birds! Birds would be nice, right? Small, easy target, good practice. Okay then, birds it was! Rina paced to the right and ambled into the deep forest. From here, she could see how dense the Great Forests really was. Rows and rows of tree stretching for acres and acres—and

this was only the South Forests! She'd been to the West Forests before though, and those were filled with oak trees. This part was entirely different—like a different world. How big were the Great Forests actually? Rina scanned the trees. She saw more deer and a few mooses, hares, foxes, and raccoons roaming. Gods, it was like nature in motion; it was magical. But back to her duty, she spied on the far branches… something was shaking in the trees. She squinted. She couldn't make it out what it was, but it was small and blue, and it was elevated. It must be a bird! Immediately, Rina notched a Wind arrow into her bow and aimed at the moving animal. With a finger on the string, she pulled it and the string let a low groan. Steady, Rina, steady. Aim… and— Releasing her finger, the arrow whistled through the trees like a bullet and smacked her target. Hit! But when Rina was about to celebrate her very first game, an agonizing roar of pain echoed. She stopped dead and gulped, biting her lips. "Rina!" the voice screamed angrily in reply. Rina recognized that voice. It was Dyven, the hard-on-the-outside-but-soft-in-the-inside ogre who accompanied them throughout their first adventures. And she just mistook his head for a bird. Whoops! The scream itself shook the world, sending actual birds flying away. Shaking off the thought, Rina aimed her bow at the escaping birds and fired her arrows at every one of them. All through while giggling uncontrollably. Oh, Dyven, Dyven. Then, she joyfully skated to where the food had fallen and gathered all of them. But the ogre never approached her. Hmm, she wondered why.

By the time she returned to camp, the sky was cast in deep orange as the final sunlight rays shined over Seriquas. Rina carried multiple birds in her hands. She might have gotten a wee bit too much, though. But that's alright—they could feed themselves for a week with this amount. Thanks again, Dyven. She was about to announce her return, until she saw a soaked princess and their friend. The logs of the campfire were charred black and completely wet. Cassie looked as if she had been drenched with fifty buckets of water. Melissa was next to her, mumbling, with an annoyed expression on her face. "Er, what happened?" Rina dared asked. Cassie pursed her lips. Melissa was the one who spoke up instead. "I told her it wasn't a good idea to start the fire with her powers." She sighed and put her hand on her forehead, "She set herself on fire and I had to summon water to put her out. Gods, you could've had burned the forest down, Cassie." "Well, sorry, Melissa!" Cassie exploded. Melissa sighed again. "It's—it's fine. Just be careful, please." A breath went loose from Rina's mouth before she bursted out with laughter, dropping all of the food. Cassie set herself on fire? Really? Imagining the whole scenario happening in her head was enough to cause her to roll on the floor. Oh, she was probably going to choke at this rate. Cassie turned tomato red, but refused to say anything further. "Sorry, sorry, it's just too—" She guffawed again for a good few seconds. "Alright, I'm done. I'm done." Melissa strolled to her and picked up some of the food. "Wow, Rina. Where did you get all these?"

"Let's just say I had 'unexpected' help." Rina's eyes pondered to the side. "Hmm. I'm not going to pry or anything so… " She turned around and started walking to the side of the tent. "You're really great with the bow, Rina." Rina said her thanks and helped Melissa with storing food. Moments of self-reflection later, Cassie also helped with storing the food. After that, they collected more logs to replace the wet campire since the logs were too damp to hold any fire. Rina skated to and fro, putting each log and stone in place. And when it was the turn to light the fire, Melissa scratched two stones together, creating the spark needed for it. The traditional way of creating fire. Rina made sure Cassie was far away from the campfire. By nightfall, the trio had everything ready to camp the night out. They removed the feathers from the birds and roasted them over the campfire until toasty brown. Mmm, they smelled like charcoal! All at the same time, they took a bite at it. The meat was smooth, though it had a tang of burnt taste. Finishing their meal, Rina was the first to bounce right up to her feet, stretching. The moon was up in the sky, glowing ever so brightly. A blanket of stars hung above them as millions of dots. Seeing the night sky from here was like seeing it on the cliff back at home when she was small. Flashes went across her eyes. Gods, she could stare at it forever. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Melissa said, excitement in her voice. Cassie, finally dry, stepped to her. "Wow," was the only thing she could say. "It reminds me… " Rina said, "It reminds me of when I was young ." She chuckled bitterly, but shook it off. "Anyways, today was amazing. I can't believe we spent a whole day together in the open! We should do this more often!" The two of them agreed. Then, all three of them laughed together. And they continued watching the sky. Rina had never had so much fun in her life. Too bad the day was coming to an end. Before she knew it, Cassie called it a day and each of them headed of into the tent for the night. But that only made Rina more anxious than ever to know what was going to happen in the next day. So many great adventures together! A girls camp out!

It was zenith day. Excitement and eagerness filled every single thought at every single second. It was noon, just as planned. Samuel "Salmon" Barry, in his midnight blue tunic, black slacks, and beige leather boots, exited his chariot. The royal guards at the gate let him in upon identification, and smiling broadly, he ambled into Rosilland Village. He had bathed twice today and made sure to keep his hair neat and spiffy. In his hand was a red rose. He stopped at the Monica residence and knocked on the door. Cassandra's mother, Eleanor Monica, opened the door. "Ah, Salmon! It's good to see you dressed so nicely on such a fine day." She immediately took notice of the rose in his hands, but said nothing. Salmon bowed. "I'm here to see Cassie. Is she in?" Eleanor puckered her lips. "I'm sorry, Salmon, but Cassie isn't here. She went out with Rina and Melissa yesterday for a camp out. Unfortunately, they won't be back for a few days." He felt as if the world crashed onto him. "What?" he blurted. "She didn't plan a date with you, did she?" she asked. "Celestials forgive her." Eleanor opened the door wider. "Uh, why don't you come inside and stay for a while. She'll be back… eventually." His mind was blank. His heart was blank. His soul was blank. Blankly, he stepped inside the Monica residence for a deathly long wait. He probably wouldn't survive the ordeal. Gods damn it! Why did he get a girlfriend like this?