The Tales Of Esmeralda

Chapter 4: The Truth About Titania

Esmeralda was now sitting in the back of Yolanda's cart as they were continuing to go down the road.

"Hey, Yolanda?" Esmeralda asked, stretching her neck so she could see over the blonde head in front of her.

"Essy?"

"I think you should help this old man up here."

"What old man?"

"Ummm...the old man running this way with his arms waving frantically in the air? You don't-you don't see that?"

"Uhhh, no."

"Hm. Well, he's yelling at you to help him."

"What?!"

Sure enough, Yolanda could suddenly see an old man waving his arms frantically as he ran down the path towards Yolanda. "Heeeelp!" he yelled. "Heeeeelp!"

Yolanda stopped her horse. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The old man stopped beside Yolanda's horse, and was leaning over, panting. "Thank you." He panted some more. "For helping me. I." Pant. "Have passed three or four people," pant, "and none of them have stopped. So thank you. And, uh, my village. Right down this path. We were under attack by a-a warlord. She...she was just awful. I was wondering if anybody could-could help me. And my village. Please...my wife and eldest son have been taken captive. Please..."

"Who was it?" Yolanda asked quickly before Esmeralda could actually get a word out.

"It was...it was..." The old man sighed. "It was Titania."

Yolanda gasped a short, hard gasp. "Oh my gods! I-I'm so sorry! We-we'll help, right, Es?" She turned to look at Esmeralda.

"Yeah, of course." Esmeralda smiled shyly. "We-we'll help. Just..." She got the only money she had left out of her pocket, and gave it to the old man. "Take this. There's a town if you keep going down this path. Tell them that Esmeralda Xanthis wanted you to get help. If none of the guards will help you, go to a woman named Kyra Lekkas. Got it?"

"Yes. Thank you, Esmeralda. You are so very kind."

"No problem," Esmeralda said with a smile. The man continued down the path.

"Okay, Es," Yolanda said, making her horse continue riding before she turned all the way around to look at Esmeralda. "You-you sure you can do this? I mean, Titania is the most feared person in Greece. Okay? And Greece is pretty big."

"Hm. Yeah! Yeah, I think I can. I mean...I don't think Titania is really all that bad."

Yolanda gasped a long gasp, leaning back with her hand on her chest. "Oh, sweet mother of Zeus!" Yolanda put her neck back before looking back up at Esmeralda. "How? I mean, ha-have you not heard what she did to, like...what was it...Olympia, I think? Anyway, she completely burned the place, tortured innocent people, including children, and let the worst prisoners out of jail to roam free in the world. Tell me she's not that bad."

"Well...I'm sure she had a reason. She didn't use to be -" Esmeralda suddenly stopped.

"Es?" Yolanda asked warily. "Do you...do you know Titania?"

Esmeralda half-smiled. "In a way. Yeah."

~~~~

Esmeralda told Yolanda the story of how she knew Titania. As she finished, they had reached the old man's village. It was burned to the ground. Nothing but ashes left.

"Holy shit," Yolanda said, standing up on her stopped cart. "How...why..." She turned to Esmeralda. "Are you sure that she's not all that bad?"