Once Upon a Time in Fantasyland

Chapter 4: Well-Met, Mr. Mercenary

Fantasyland, or Fantalasia (as its modern inhabitants like to call it) is divided into nine regions. First, are the two northern regions, Friglands in the northwest, and Drablands in the northeast. Just below, are the Midlands, West and East. Then off to the eastern coast, the Eastlands. There's the capital of Fantalia and just below it, surrounding it almost, are the Wilderlands. Lastly, on the arm of land branching out in the southwest, lay the Mistlands.

In all that vastness, one could surely find someplace to call her own if she really wanted. The only question was, where to go?

Not the capital, of course, unless Phanny was feeling particularly bold and wanted to hide from the Imperial Government right under their noses. Phanny was many things, but bold has never been one of them. She couldn't stay in the Wilderlands, there were too many people who knew her there. She also couldn't go so far north on her own. Who knew what manner of man and beast she would encounter on the way? So, West Midlands? Or the Mistlands?

Oh, boy, here we go. At this point, this narrator can only roll her eyes. Bold, Phanny was not. But indecisive? That, she was.

So it happened that our unfortunate heroine, newly homeless, totally alone, and helpless as a newborn babe, found herself in the dark Wilderland Woods, hiding under baneberry bushes, still dripping wet, and as good as lost.

As she continued to dither and dally and drip pondwater, Phanny started to hear horse's hooves getting closer. She shrank further behind the baneberry bush and peeked through a gap between the leaves, just in time to see two men jump off a black horse in the middle of the forest path. They stood there facing each other, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion.

One of them was a dark-skinned dwarf, with a black ponytail and cropped beard, taller than most dwarves, almost four feet, and heavily muscled. He was only wearing a brown leather vest, and Phanny could see burn scars snaking down his left arm. Across him, stood a much taller man, wearing black trousers and dusty, black, leather boots. All Phanny could see were his bottom half, but judging from his thigh girth, he must be quite large. Far larger than Phanny, that's for sure.

They both looked very dangerous. And as much as Phanny surprised herself by managing to outrun and hide from the Imperial guards earlier, she wasn't sure she could do it twice in a single day. She could only pray to the gods that they wouldn't discover her.

"This ain't what we discussed, Wilder. We said half," said the dwarf.

"That was before," said the other man, in a deep growl that had Phanny curling her toes, "you tried to sell me out."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The dwarf's eyes turned cagey. He's lying, thought Phanny.

"You don't?" The other man drawled, unconvinced as well. "Then I suppose the Wilder Guards showing up was just a coincidence?"

"I don't know! I don't know why they're here. I'm no rat."

The other man stepped closer to the dwarf, close enough that the dwarf had to tip his head all the way up to look at him.

"Don't test me, Burns." He said, barely above a whisper. "You know how I work. You know what I do to those who cross me."
Burns gulped. "Alright, alright. It was me. I told them. But you have to understand, Wilder. It's desperate times, you know one neighbor or another's trying to sell me and me family to those royal hounds. Amelia and I are trying to get the young 'uns to Draconia. The passage alone is 2 gold each, who knows how much I'll need to start fresh over there. And," Burns continued, "The Duke of Wilder's put a big prize on your head."

Phanny was starting to feel sorry for Mr. Burns. He was right, after all. It was quite desperate times. Mr. Wilder must be feeling sorry, too. She hoped he'd give him his half.