A Royal Fate

Chapter 5: Friends Hidden in Plain Sight

Friends Hidden In Plain Sight

We walked out of the now-extinct volcano, and looked down upon a grassy plain that teamed with life. The desolate sands had been replaced by prairie dog towns and wandering coyotes, and the volcano's once barren sides now teamed with bird nests and badger burrows. We walked down to where we had left Snowshoe, but just before we rounded the corner we heard voices coming from behind the rock wall. We listened closely, and nearly panicked when we heard a man say, "Captain Fredrick, how can we be sure they will come back to claim their horse? There are many a tale of foolish travelers who entered the volcano and never returned. What happens if they don't come back? Do we just stay here until our own bones turn to dust?"

We heard Sir Fredrick answer with a deceivingly calm voice, "If they had not survived the trek into the mountain, then how do you explain the extreme transformation the landscape has undergone? The desert has transformed into vibrant grassland, and animals now dart in every corner of view. Something happened inside that volcano, and I intend to find out what. You two! Enter the volcano and see what has become of our wayward princess." We heard footsteps approaching our quiet eavesdropping, and there was no way I could move fast enough to hide. They rounded the corner and we tackled them, knocking them out before they could sound the alarm. We quietly dragged them off the trail and behind some rocks, but I knew we were on borrowed time.

As soon as the guards woke up, we would be forced to either kill them or to attack Sir Fredrick's men, so I formulated a plan as to how to deal with what must be a large band of armed guards. Then I remembered something, I had three Soul Sabers on my person, and if even one could shake entire mountains, then I should be able to take care of our little guard problem without a second glance. Only one problem, I didn't know how to activate the Saber's powers, let alone control them.

I fuzzed about in my head while William stood guard in case more of them showed up. I had a vague idea forming in my head when our two friends decided to wake up. The first thing I knew was one calling out "The princess is here! Right behind you!" I turned around to see they had shakily regained their feet. There wasn't time for more study, because the rest of Sir Fredrick's band rounded the corner and surrounded us in a matter of seconds. William was levered off his feet and shoved to the ground, where he was pinned by virtue of Sir Fredrick's largest guard sitting on him. Sir Fredrick took note of the fact that the boy was now detained, and kneeled before me as if in apology, "My princess, are you alright? Has this ruffian done any harm to you in any way?" He gestured to William, struggling under the guard's immense weight, "If he has his death will be swift and painless. Much as I would like to have him hang for kidnapping you."

I stared at Sir Fredrick as if he had gone mad, "What do you mean kidnapped? I ran away from the palace and met William some three days later. It was my own choice to leave, and for good reason. My uncle sits on the throne now that my father is dead, is that correct?"

Sir Fredrick looked at me with a confused look on his noble brow, "Yes he does, and it was he who informed us that you had been taken by the very man who had killed your father. We followed you until we thought we could capture the fellow and return you home to Merida. Is something wrong Princess? You look as if something is troubling you."

I was now almost about ready to scream with rage. The fitful shaking Sir Fredrick was seeing was my feeble attempt at controlling it. "That lying..... deceitful...... low-down, no good TRAITOR!!" I pulled myself together enough to lower my voice, but it still was sharp as a razor blade as I spoke to Sir Fredrick and the rest of his men. "I am going to say this once, and once only. My father was not killed by the boy you see before you. No, I saw my uncle as he was leaving my father's rooms, and as he bumped into me, some of my father's blood came off of his robes and stained my shirt. He killed my father in an attempt to grab power, but he needed me in order to seal his place as king. Had I not foreseen the danger I was in, he would have trapped me inside the walls of Merida and claimed me as his queen. I ran as far and as fast as I could, and had it not been for William here," I pointed to where he was still pinned under the big guard, "I would have been captured that very night. He helped me escape the tavern I had been cornered inside, and saved my life when the cave we were staying in collapsed." I looked around at the men who stood before me, taking in every face and rank. "This man should be showered with gifts and thanks, not be treated as some common thug. Off of William's back this instant, and let me show you what true power is."