Island Dolls

Chapter Five

Part I

Sunlight dripped down from the canopy above, illuminating every imaginable shade of green that dressed the foliage of the exotic forest surrounding them. Down below, standing beneath a tree that reached up six times their height Charles stood looking into the eyes of the energetic and dark skinned girl, Feioha.

"I was raised as a warrior. Whatever kind of danger you face, I can cope with it. I'm strong so you can rely on me. Even if you bring me to the pits of hell, I'll survive and stand next to you. You can trust me to do that, I promise."

Feioha stuck her chest out as she said those brave words. She looked like a true warrior swearing allegiance to a king. However it was the hidden meaning those words conveyed that bothered Charles.

Surely she wasn't... confessing to him, was she?

"Feioha?"

Charles' heart beat rapidly as he said her name. For someone that had stood fearless before powerful enemies countless times, Charles cursed himself for the weakness he felt before women.

"Yes?"

Charles gulped.

"W-what do you mean... you'll stand next to me? Will you..."

Charles couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence but his meaning had been conveyed. Feioha's eyes widened and her face immediately flushed red. She put her hand to her mouth as she realised what she had said and took a step backward.

"I... I mean... that was... it was a... a poem. That was a poem. I was... reciting a poem to... inspire you..."

"A poem?" Charles felt suddenly deflated. Had he misunderstood?

"Y-yeah... a poem. S-surely you'll find a girl like that one day, right? One that can stand with you in the pits of hell. Haha. A poem. Do you like our poems? They're quite beautiful if you study them well."

"Ah.."

"Weren't we going to look for something?"

Feioha was flustered as she suddenly walked past Charles and headed up on the track.

"That's right, you've been stealing all the glory today, haven't you? I think it's my turn to wrestle with the wild animals!"

"No, you don't need to force yourself..." Charles chased after her as she walked ahead without looking back.

"Force myself? I'm energised. I'm just getting started. Watch me take out a baboon or two. I'll show you how it's done! Ah ha ha ha ha!"

A cold sweat formed on Charles' brow as he followed the dark skinned beauty up the track. If he had learned one thing today, it was that he had absolutely no understanding about women.

The two took the path upward and out of the jungle to follow a ridge around the north side of the mountain.

Charles looked out over the jungle of the northern coast of the island. From this vantage point it looked so beautiful, the thick canopy of a rare assortment of exotic trees that intertwined with each other to form a ragged carpet of rich green, yellow and blue that extended out to the glistening waves of a relatively calm sea.

Even for someone as well travelled as Charles it was a rare sight, but even as he stood there his attention was somewhere else. Something, or rather someone, had suddenly captured his thoughts, and the more he thought about it the more crazy he felt.

Did she like him? Or didn't she? She was a simple girl; uncultured, unrefined, uneducated. Her manners were rough and rather than the dainty feminine outline of the girls he was used to, her body was strong and lean. But as he watched her climbing the slope in front of him his heart couldn't stop beating.