King Small(Alex)

“Your Highness, we have a gift for you”

“A gift, for me? How kind of you, Fronwith.”

A filthy young lady was brought into the throne room by two men wearing black tunics. Roughly they pushed her to her knees before the king and forced her head down to pay respects.

“What is this?” stormed the king, disgust contorting his pudgy face. “A village wench, and a dirty one at that, I have enough of these. This is no gift, this is an insult and you will pay for defiling my throne room with such trash.”

“Please, your Excellency, allow me to explain.” The man’s face had grown deathly pale at the threat from the king. King Small was notorious for executing people in unusual ways; he took mercy on no one including his most loyal subjects.

The king leaned back into his over sized throne and rubbed his stubbled chin, “Very well, I will hear what you have to say then I will have you and this wench executed.”

The large man swallowed hard and shook visibly under the barbaric king’s gaze. “You are too kind, your Splendedness.”

“Enough with the buttering up, Fronwith, I grow bored looking at you.”

“Yes, your Highness.” Wiping his sweaty palms on the side of his tunic the man began recapturing the night’s hunt ending with their finding this girl covered in mud asleep in the rainforest. “Everybody knows your command about the rain forest, so I found her presence there most suspicious.”

The king eyed the muddy mess kneeling before him; her hair was matted and hung in front of her bowed head obscuring her face. “Bring her closer.” The guards that were holding the ragged creature lifted her to her feat and brought her to the step that led up to the throne. The king stood displaying a well fed belly. Stretching out one of his grotesquely swollen hands he brushed the hair aside and lifted the girl’s chin with his index finger. What he saw in her eyes frightened him and excited him all at the same time. If looks could kill he would have surely been a dead man. “Give her to one of the maids. Have them give her a bath and clean clothes and then send her to my bedroom.” With a wicked grin he added, “She can keep me company tonight.” The guards quickly moved to follow the King’s orders.

Returning to his throne, King Small now addressed the man standing before him. “You did well to bring her to me, Fronwith.” The still shaking man let out an audible sigh of relief. “Bransmet, take him down below.”

Fronwith started, his eyes bulging from his head. “But your Grace, you said that I did well. What of my reward?”

The king gave a wicked grin and leaned forward in his throne, “You’re right, you do deserve a reward.” Turning to Bransmet who stood to the left of the quaking man he said, “Make sure they use a sharp ax when they take his head.” Looking into Fronwith’s eyes he simply said, “Your reward.” and laughed as the stunned man was led from the hall sputtering a row of obscenities.

Night Out(Alex)

Alex had been walking for hours and her head was throbbing as testimony to her plight. Her damp hair hung in ringlets down her back and over her shoulders leaving wet spots on her tunic that the lady in the village had given her. Her breeches were dirty and torn from going through brush and stooping down to look at tracks. Her feet and arms ached from the many cuts and scratches that they had received from the long trek. Over all, the cowgirl was miserable. She knew that she would need to find shelter and soon but the terrain didn’t make for much to pick from. Spotting a tightly knit cluster of trees and vines she prepared for her camp out.

As darkness descended upon the island the rain forest became alive with nocturnal creatures. The birds had long since quieted down for their rest and now came the hum of thousands of blood sucking insects as they sought out any exposed flesh. To protect herself, Alex covered her face, arms, and feet with mud. “So much for feeling fresh.” She laughed to herself to ward off the rising feeling of panic. She had become familiar with the panic attacks at a very young age, the first time she saw an Indian raid. Her head would become swimmy as if she had just been spinning around in circles, her heart would race, and she felt as if the air in her lungs were being squeezed out. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her breathing, forcing her heart rate to slow – a tactic her father taught her when she began her new school shortly after they had traveled out west.

“Just close your eyes and think about something that makes you happy. Now just breathe.” She could still see her father standing before her as alive as the trees protecting her. He always smelled of pipe tobacco and saw dust. When she was smaller she used to sit on his lap, close her eyes, and savor the smell of him.

Alex’s breathing regulated as she thought about her beloved father but unfortunately the insects had no intent on simmering down. The forest was alive with the thunderous chorus of a million crickets. She couldn’t see all the tiny creatures but she could hear them and feel them, so much for a peaceful night’s sleep. Curling up into a fetal position on the forest floor, Alex closed her eyes and listened to the forest, anxiously anticipating the morning.

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Something sharp kept poking her in the ribs as she slept, she squirmed around hoping to dislodge the pointy object. Again the prodding occurred and Alex roused herself from her sleep. Her mind suddenly updating itself on the situation and her environment. Sensing danger the girl stealthily grasped some dirt into her hand and opened her eyes feigning a groggy head. “Leave me alone, ma, just a few more minutes.”

“I ain’t your ma, now get up girl” more pokes from the pointed object accompanied the harsh words.

Alex sat up, still pretending to be half asleep. There were five men with spears and guns standing around her. They all wore black tunics with an emblem of a griffon embroidered in red upon their right chest. Their breeches were brown and they wore soft leather boots that came up to the middle of their calves. Alex was struck by the contrast of their dress in comparison to the villagers’ she had been staying with.

“Get up, I said or I’ll run ya through, girl!” Realizing that these men were out at night in the hopes of finding something, she thought it best to do as she was told. As soon as she was on her feet, two of the men grabbed her arms, leading her out of her protective cove.

They had only walked a few feet when they met up with another group of men clothed in the same attire. This seemed to be some kind of search party but what they were searching for Alex could only guess. After waiting for a few minutes the group was joined by five more men and together they all began to march through the rain forest, happy with their discovery.

Ship a'hoy(Evilin)

Evilin had lost track of the time but judging from the position of the sun it was fast approaching sunset. She knew that Luke’s hideout must be nearby for only a fool stayed out at night in the forest. The men talked amongst themselves in hushed voices, the only time they spoke directly to her was to see if she needed a bathroom break or a drink of water. Her legs and back ached from the unaccustomed riding, and she desperately wished that they could walk for a bit but she was afraid to ask such a request as she didn’t know how much further they were going.

Without warning the forest ended and a vast rocky beach opened before them. Evilin had never been to the other side of the island and judging by its appearance, she hadn’t missed much. Large rocks jutted up from the water to form a semi-circle with a small waterway that led into the ocean. The beach was littered with broken shells and pebbles that had tumbled their way onto the shore and seagulls loomed over head looking for a bite to eat. There were no signs of any other people and Evilin couldn’t help but ask why they were there.

“We’re going home, of course.” Laughed Solo with a wink to Chewie. It took the hairy man a few seconds before he understood the joke, then he too began to laugh.

Luke made a gesture with his head and the men set to work uncovering something in a nearby brush pile. To Evilin’s surprise they pulled forth a small row boat, complete with oars. Ben took the horses and walked them to the forest edge where he appeared to be talking to them. He sauntered back with a content smile upon his face. Evilin glanced around the man and saw that the horses had disappeared.

“You can help carry,” Solo nonchalantly put two ores in her arms intending for her to carry them to the water’s edge. The small girl stumbled and fell into the sand under the weight of the wooden poles.

“Think, man.” Chastised Ben as he removed the ores from atop the girl. “Just follow us and don’t try anything funny or your father can find his own way out of the slave pens.”

Evilin was too scared to try anything anyhow and wouldn’t know where to go if she could escape so she simply did as she was told. Once the boat was placed in the water the five of them loaded in and Solo and Chewie began the laborious task of rowing the vessel out to sea against the incoming tide. Evilin had never been on a boat before and clung to the side of the boat with all her strength as it pitched back and forth upon the frothy water. Noticing the girl’s white knuckle grip, Luke decided to try to make small talk with her in order to help her relax.

Once they came out of the cove the large four sail schooner that awaited them could be seen. Her colors of royal purple and gold whipped about in the ocean breeze and the ship rocked gently on the waves as if it were excited to see its captain return. Pulling the row boat along side the much larger vessel where some ropes awaited, they quickly tied off. Having done this they waited patiently as they were hoisted up by man power and pulleys. The crew that awaited them was a vast arrangement of noblemen, peasants, and free men who had come together under one cause – to rid the Island of Antipodes of the dictator James Small.

The Party(Alex)

Chewie stood next to Solo, his dripping wet clothes forming a mud puddle beneath his feet. “The least you could have done was remove your shirt and shoes, you big hairy rug.” Growled Solo irritably has he moved away from the large man in order to avoid sitting in mud.

“I thought my clothes could use a bath too” and the others laughed at the hairy man’s simple wit.

Luke swallowed the piece of jerky he was chewing on then looked apprehensively at the water. “There must be somebody else out there. Did you check by the falls?” Chewie nodded his head as he worked on a piece of bread. “Well, let’s finish our lunch and be on our way then, I see no need to linger.”

“What about the girl?” asked Ben.

“If she’s precious to the “King” then we will certainly need to take her with us.”

With that the men replaced the jerky and bread into a knapsack and prepared their horses for travel. Evilin sat quietly listening to the men’s conversation all the while she was wondering where the blind lady had gone off to. She had heard of Luke and his men, as had most of the island. It was rumored that he was heir to the throne before Jake Small arrived buying off the law and murdering those who would not have him crowned. If it hadn’t been for a quick thinking maid, Luke would no doubt have been lying in rest with the rest of his kin – six feet under ground. Once the would-be king was strong enough to hold a sword and form a plan, he gathered a few close friends to his side and began the long process of making King Small’s life miserable.

“Ben, put the girl on your horse, I don’t trust Solo with her.”

“Yes, Captain,” Ben reached out with very gentlemanly manners and helped Evilin to her feet. Then carefully he took hold of her by the waist and lifted her upon the brown horse that was awaiting its rider. Ben looked to be a little older than the others, there was a touch of gray over his ears and his face shown with wisdom and experience that can only come with age. He never seemed to be in a hurry but moved with purpose and grace.

As the party moved out Evilin took the opportunity to study the others starting with the one they called Chewie who was riding on a large black work horse. He was a big man easily standing a foot taller than any of the others. His face was covered in a bushy brown beard that merged into his hair making it hard to tell where the one ended and the other began. He had unusually hairy arms and she could tell by the opening on his shirt that he had a hairy chest as well. His voice was deep and gravely, and he seemed a little slow in the thinking process but was very loyal to his friends. There was no doubt that he would lay down his life if they were to ask it of him.

The other member of the party was Solo, a young cocky looking fellow with jet black hair. He had a crooked smile and could be considered handsome despite the deep scar that ran down the side of his left cheek . His greatest pleasure seemed to be in belittling others. Evilin was surprised that his horse could carry the man as well as his ego for it was truly a large one.

Luke had sandy blond hair and alert blue eyes, very little escaped him. He treated his friends as equals despite the fact that he had the final say on things. He rode his horse with a deceptive aloofness, his eyes searching the surroundings, and his right hand resting on the pummel of his sheathed sword. To be so young, there was no doubt that he had great intellect surpassing even his elders.

Although Evilin was frightened by her captors, she couldn’t help but be excited as well. She was riding with the legendary Prince Luke and with any luck she could convince him to help her father, thus ending the need for her to marry the king.


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Alex waited for bit to be sure the men were gone before returning to the lake. It seemed the safest and fastest way to get to the other shore where she hoped her clothes still awaited her. After a nice swim she emerged from the water and was relieved to find her things upon the rock, warmed by the sun. Quickly dressing she studied the ground to see which direction the riders took. Once discovering their trail she carefully made her way along the same path her mind racing for a plan.