The Rugged Edge

Chapter 5: What I Heard in the Woods

Years and years I have lived in this place,
quiet and very forlorn.
Now somehow I see light at long pace,
and I will, I will get close.

. . . . .

Years passed in this hopeless way. The sky seemed to grow greyer and the world seemed to grow emptier. The village grew quieter; not a laugh was heard. When the sun rose in the morning it seemed to cast a shy glow across the horizon; not the perfect golden glow it had once gifted early risers with.

But I finally had something to hope for. I was determined to brighten my world.

One morning after three years of spending nights in the woods, when I was fourteen, at the early hour of about four o'clock, I heard a twig snap farther in the woods. You would think this would be natural, but I had never heard a sound here besides the occasional bird tweeting a tune. This alarmed me. Could it be a wild beast?

No. Soon I heard the murmur of human voices close by.

I didn't hesitate to climb quickly and quietly into a nearby tree.

"I wonder... could we climb the wall?" were the first words I caught.

"Well, if he's so keen on defense he should have a guard," said a second voice. "No, it would be very hard. Now, but what about another spy... inside the castle? That would be quite a help."

I must warn someone... we will be infiltrated! were my first thoughts at this remark. But then I began to wonder if they simply had the same goals as me - to bring color back to the kingdom. It seemed very likely as they continued and I caught no foreign accent.

"We don't have that many people. Who could we possibly send?" said the first voice, as they came into view beneath my tree.

There were two men. They were dressed in old, raggedy clothes and one had a straw hat with the seams broken along the top, so that there was a big, floppy piece of straw weaving bouncing up and down as he talked.

"Well, old Elbert could easily disguise himself as a gardener looking for work," said the second voice.

"But Curtis..." hissed the first voice. "Are you sure he wouldn't... you know, give it away?"

"What?" murmured Curtis as he continued walking quickly.

"Well," panted the first voice, struggling to keep up. "He's known for forgetting things, and it could easily slip..."

Now they were so far away that I had to jump from the tree, landing carefully and quietly, and follow them from within the shadows.

"...happens to trust Elbert, Roland," I heard Curtis say. "Despite his old age and absent-mindedness."

There was a pause here, as if Roland were thinking of a reply. They had reached the very edge of the woods. The castle loomed above them, a mile's distance away. Its shadow seemed dark and foreboding, though the men didn't seem to notice this.

"What about that sweet old lady, Bessy?" asked Roland. "She already lives in the castle. That would be very simple."

"We've thought of that," answered Curtis. "But she's too close to the princess, and we can't trust that girl. She's lived all her life with him. And even if it was a good idea, no one would be able to convince Bessy to come back."

"You saw that one side of the wall?" asked Roland. "The uneven stones could easily be climbed, if need be."

"Yes... I guess," answered Curtis. "But how could he not have a guard? Geraint's a guard; he must have something to do all day. I'm sure sending another spy would be less complicated and much safer." He looked around him. "These trees would be easy to hide in. We could bring the whole rebellion here and not be discovered." He looked all around, and his gaze rested on the bush I was hidden behind.

I caught my breath.

Then he furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. "Thought I saw something..."

"Well, is this all we were sent to do?" asked Roland. "Just look around?"

"And bring information back to the camp." Curtis took one last sweeping look at the castle and turned, as if resolved to go.

They turned and began retracing their steps. I hesitated for a moment, looking up at the brightening sky. No, it would be unwise to follow.

Just as they left, I heard Roland say, "I've never been a scout before."

"I can tell," snorted Curtis.

As I hiked back to the castle, I wondered about all I'd heard. Some sort of rebellion was planning Collum's downfall.

Yes, I thought, the lunatic king must go.