Tony Karkwell

1: Quinn and I

Being killed...as you possibly know.  Not so fun, especially by General Thomas Osbourne of He Does Not Need a Title in the background.  Allow me to explain. 

The year being 1668 in England, I was 16.  My mother and father (I do not remember their names), were sitting in this hut.  About 15 feet or less in total.  it was rotted, falling apart.  And yes, all these images are AI, I do not have the skill to draw that good.  It was a cold day, as my father put wood upon the fire. 
    "Son, mind helping your mother serve the food?" he asked politely, I nodded.  His face...it looks blurry when I try to remember...so does mother's.  I'm guessing he would look like me, hopefully. 
    "Yes sir," I replied, getting up in my potato sack material shirt and pants.  We were poor, and Osbourne, he hated us poor folks.  I ran my hand through my brown hair as I walked towards mother. 
   "Tony, give this to your father, please," she said, I nodded and grabbed the small wooden bowl of...well it looked like spinach.  It was a soupy substance, but, my hungry self, I would eat anything.  I held the bowl, careful to not to spill it as I handed it to Father. 
    "Thank you, son," Father smiled. 
    "Darling," started Mother, "are you and Quinn still together?"  My brown eyes widened, she knew I still hung around Quinn? 
    "Uh...no.  I've been here...all night," I stammered.  Mother looked at me with a look that said she knew. 
    "All right Tony Karkwell, if you say so." 
    "Son, we told you to stay away from her," said Father. 
    "But why?" I asked.  Mother and Father both looked at each other, then at me. 
    "Because we are poor, Tony.  You know the Redcoats.  They don't like us," said Mother softly.  I gritted my teeth. 
    "It isn't right," I said as I sat down in front of the fire.  Mother and Father both sat down on each side of me. 
    "Tony—" started Father when Artemis, Father's golden eagle chirped softly.  Just as Artemis did so, footsteps sounded outside as a three Redcoats barged in. 
    "Tony, RUN!" yelled Father when the nearest one, I skinny fellow, tried grabbing me.  I ran as fast as my starved body would allow me, jumped into bushes and a whole bunch of bryers. 
    "WHERE DID THE OTHER GIT GO?!" yelled the fanciest of the three. 
    "General Thomas...please, leave our boy alone!  He has done nothing!" cried Mother. 
    "Shut it, woman," snapped the one called Thomas, slapping mother.  I watched, wanting to kill them all.  But I knew father would kill me if I risked myself for them.  Thomas did a weird signal with his hands, and the two others got rope out of their pouches.  Thomas got his black hair out of his eyes, his brown eyes gleaming in the slight bit of sun peeking through the gray sky. 
    Artemis was locked in a cage, being carried by Thomas, "Spread out, find the kid."  Thomas hissed, walking the small dirt path away from what use to be home.  As he walked by the bushes, he looked directly at me, my heart stopped it seemed.  He grinned however, his teeth yellow, but, he walked away. 

***

I was in a crowd of people in the village, hearing about a hanging. 
   "What hanging?  Who?" I asked with tears in my eyes to a young woman, in her 20s. 
   "I do not know, boy," said the woman with a glare.  She was in a beautiful dress and had long auburn hair.  Rich people, I thought with a frown.  I shoved past others until I got in the front and saw them; Thomas Osbourne, James Walker, and Philip Walker.  My parents were there. 
    Mother looked right at me, and nudged father who was barely conscious and bloodied up.  His eyes looked right at me.  The clouds rumbled as it started to sprinkle. 
    "Mr and Mrs Karkwell, son of Tony Karkwell, 16.  Are hereby sentenced to death, for stealing the property of Mr James Walker.  Of secret documents sent by the king himself," announced Osbourne.  My heart pounded as I watched, I felt dizzy, like I would pass out.  "Any last words?" 
    "Indeed, bitch," hissed Father.  "For our boy to find you and hunt you down!  You killer!"  Osbourne glared at him, pulling the lever.  The floor dropped from under Mother and Father, a crack came from both of them.  I didn't see what was next...  I felt somebody grab me when I blacked out. 
    "Tony, dear, wake up," said a teenage girl.  Well...a year younger than me.  "Father, I can't hold him much longer!" 
    "They killed them..." I mumbled, my eyes opening as tears started streaming from my eyes. 
    "Tony, use your legs...sit down," said Quinn softly, brushing my hair out of my eyes. 
    "They killed them!" I shouted. 
    "Tony, I know dear, why did you go?" asked Quinn, wiping my tears.  I felt from a fire place, as I started to take in my surroundings, a beautiful house.  A whale oil chandelier, that kind of stunk.  A beautiful wooden table and stairs.  Rugs that were larger than home. 
    "Tony, son, what did you learn?" asked Quinn's Father. 
    Quinn looked at her father, her blue eyes widening, "You set him up for this?"
    "Dear, you would understand if I told you why, but, I am not telling to protect you," said Quinn's Father, Artemis chirped landing on my shoulder.  I ran my fingers through his feathers, smiling softly. 
    "I can't say either.  But, I will do whatever it takes to gain your father's knowledge and kill Osbourne," I said, my crying stopping.

Some of this is part of my past life, most of it is, such as the hanging...the capture.  Quinn and her father, however, were not rich.  I am changing some stuff up to take my mind off of the pain.  It might seem like a story, but, for me, this was life.  And still in a way is.