Tales of Cubonia

The Golden Hourglass 15 - The New Deal

On the far southern shores of Elazio there lies a massive fortress known as South Keep. Nearly six leagues of sweeping plains were excavated to give way to the massive stone slabs that would eventually become the stronghold's walls. The men that held the garrison were part of a branch of the Royal Watchmen known as The Protectors. It was set along the only tract of land on the southern shores that came anywhere close to sea level. Around South Keep rose up perilous cliffs of sheer rock known as the Cliffs of Folly, named as such because it was a true man of true insanity who would deign to scale their face. It is a stronghold that has protected Elazio from Goblin invasion from the south face of Cubonia for nearly an eon.

Just beyond South Keep and the Cliffs of Folly begins a road. Any traveler who wishes to take this road north could follow it around the Green Sea, through the Pak-Pak Mountains, into the heart of Old Andora, and up to Northport, Elazio's northern most port used for trading with the great Dwarven city of Kazatlӧr. The road, known as The Long Road or The Queen's Thoroughfare depending on who you ask, is the main trading and travelling route for Elazio's citizens. Anyone travelling north or south can find inns as fine or as poor as they wish somewhere along the way and get to just about anywhere in the continent if they take the right side road.

Beside the Long Road, in a small copse of trees no more than half an acre wide, Broderick, Adhemar, and Princess Alexandra were just waking from a night of uneasy rest. Broderick hadn't slept much due to the fact that they were now wanted criminals by the Queen's Watchmen. Princess Alexandra didn't sleep well either, as she was much more used to large, cushy feather mattresses on four poster beds with curtains that could be drawn to block out the invading dawn light. Adhemar, being a beast of the land, slept like a swaddled babe in arms. They had agreed to make camp in hiding just five miles north of Old Andora, lying low for the night before making any plans on destination.

It had crossed Alexandra's mind to escape during the night, but running away had been more tiring work than she expected. Even if she had all her strength, Broderick slept little and she had no chance of escaping unseen while he relentlessly stood sentinel over their camp. Broderick, on the other hand, had a feeling the princess would think to make a break for it and did extra watch duty to keep a close eye on her. Broderick didn't seem much disposed to chatting, so Alexandra feigned sleep as much as she got any real shut eye simply because there was an uneasy silence in the camp if she was fully awake.

When they had all fully awoken, Adhemar announced he was going to find himself some breakfast and took off through the tops of the trees with a great whoosh of his wings. Alexandra was still in awe of the gryffon as she had only ever seen them in books she had read, and had certainly never thought to see one so tame as Adhemar. Broderick produced some granola from his satchel and gave some to Alexandra who took it gratefully, her stomach rumbling at the sight of it. The two sat and chewed silently, neither one fully understanding who was captor and who was captive, doing their best to avoid eye contact.

"So, where are we headed, highness?" Broderick asked finally as he finished off his portion of granola.

She thought for a long moment. As much as she had thought about running away, she hadn't once thought about where she was going to go once she had finally done so. She didn't want to tell Broderick her real destination because he'd be able to track her down quickly once they had parted ways, but she had to tell him somewhere convincing enough for him to believe her.

"Port Fishmouth," she told him finally.

Broderick chuckled, disbelieving. "Port Fishmouth? Seriously? Do you have a death wish, highness?"

Alexandra scowled at him. "What do you mean?" she asked, adding, "And don't call me highness."

Broderick put his hands up to cede her request. "What I mean, queenling, is that Port Fishmouth is a den of sellswords, cutthroats, thieves, and ne'er-do-wells that will as soon cut your throat as look at you. What would a young girl of your station want with a seedy place such as Port Fishmouth?"