Crown of Shadows

Chapter 10

It was a beautiful night. Freya had already fallen asleep and Frederick had just dozed off after talking with Alistair for a while. Alistair had volunteered to stay up and keep watch while the two others slept. It was a fairly cool night. Alistair pulled his cloak tighter around him. His thoughts began to wander. He wondered if they would have to fight any Visenin or whether his family was safe back home. And what was happening to Rosaline? 

He was deep in thought when he was brought back to reality by the sound of crunching leaves. Someone or something had moved. "Hello?" he whispered into the night. Nothing. 

Alistair stared into the blackness. There it was again. "Who's there?" He got to his feet and looked around. He could not see much. And then someone came out from behind a nearby tree. The next minute was full of confusion. 

Alistair screamed in surprise which woke up Freya and Frederick who bolted up and looked about in alarm. The stranger jumped out in front of them and unsheathed his sword. Alistair lunged at the stranger while Freya screamed, only to fall over a root and land on his face at the stranger's feet. And then all of them froze and looked at the stranger who was not attacking. 

"Don't be alarmed. I am not going to hurt you," the stranger put his sword back and helped Alistair off the ground. 

"Who are you?" asked Frederick as he looked up at the new figure. The stranger was quite a bit taller than the rest of them and stood with an authoritative air. He was draped in a hooded cloak and wore distinguished clothing. He looked animatedly at the others with a bit of humor and took off his hood. In the moonlight, it was hard to make out his features, but he had a kind looking face. He had slightly graying black hair that was tied behind him. 

"I am a captain for the King. My name is Raven Blackwood and I am on an urgent mission. I will bother you no longer as I cannot waste time. I apologize for frightening you." And he turned respectfully to leave. 

"Wait, I know you," said Frederick. "You trained Rosaline, didn't you?" 

Raven turned abruptly around. "You've seen her?" 

"Well, yes, in fact, we're on our way to rescue her," replied Frederick. 

"So you know where she is?" asked Raven. He seemed to be highly interested. 

"Well, sort of. We know that she was captured by Elvira." Alistair looked skeptically at Raven. 

"I see. When did this happen?" asked Raven. 

"You seem to be quite interested in this," commented Alistair. He was beginning to feel that Raven was asking too much information. 

"Well, I suppose I should inform you of my mission. Starmane appeared at the castle today and I knew that something had gone horribly wrong with Rosaline. I informed the King and he sent me to find her. She is one of the most valuable citizens in our kingdom. " 

"Wait, Starmane made it to the castle in one day!?" exclaimed Freya. She had not noticed that the horse had left them at the manor. 

"I suppose he is a fast horse," said Frederick. 

"Fast? Of course he is fast! Starmane is a Straeleon," replied Raven. 

"What is that?" asked Frederick. Alistair quickly told Raven that Freya and Frederick could not be expected to know much about this world due to their unique traveling experience.

"Well, now, that is something. The last time we had someone from a different world was... " 

"So what is it?" interrupted Frederick. 

"Well, a Straeleon is a type of horse that is blessed with the power of unnatural speed. It can run faster than four times a normal horse, but only in times of extreme need. So, normally it looks and acts just like a regular horse, but when its master is in grave danger or needs help it can unleash its real strength. Starmane was a gift from the King to Rosaline when she became a royal scout." 

"Oh, I see. So that is why he was able to go that far in such a little time. He must have known that you could help her better than anyone," said Frederick. 

"I don't know. Elvira is a terrible witch. I have lost to her before." 

"Perhaps you should join us," said Frederick. 

"Frederick, that is nonsense," said Alistair, "Raven is one of the King's captains. He doesn't need our help to rescue Rosaline." 

"Actually, I think I will join you," said Raven. "After all, Starmane came to you first. And we need all the help we can get. He must have known that it will take both of us." 

The others agreed and were more than happy to have such a talented member join them on their quest. And Raven was right. Although he did not admit it, he knew that Rosaline had changed since she had been trained by him. She had been sent on many dangerous missions alone and he barely knew her from her days at the castle. Those days were over. Raven missed those days at the castle. He had never had a student like that before. She was so different from any other girl he had met. And yet... 

Rosaline woke up. She was lying down on a very hard surface and the bright sunlight blinded her. She blinked hard and tried to get up. Her body ached with pain and she realized where she was. She was being carted along a lonely path through the woods. She was in a sort of cage that was being pulled along by two horses. 

She looked through the bars of the cage and could see Visenin soldiers on every side of her. She instinctively reached for her sword hilt, but it wasn't there. The soldiers had taken all of her weapons. Her sword, dagger, bow and arrows, and even her small dagger that she kept in her boot were gone. She sunk heavily down against the hot metal bars of the cage.