Power and The Queen

Chapter Six.🟢

The stream was not so far. Cora and Tivo ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Tivo tried running without losing water since he carried two. They got to the houses and saw that Barun had gotten everybody out.

The men tried putting out the fire using the water in their pots, but it was not much because the soldiers had destroyed those pots. Cora and Tivo gave them buckets of water and it was used to finish quenching one house. Tivo ran ahead of Cora and came back a second time.

Cora did not know how many times she went to the stream and back. Every time she felt tired, she would look at the faces of the women and children who lived there. They were crying and hugging each other and Cora was sure they were hungry, too. They were at the third house when more men came with horses and buckets of water.

She had never seen these men before. She knew they were not from around here. The people of Ovalon became selfish as the government became rigid. They did not care for each other. Cora had not seen the love among them, though her father told her it was not always like this.

Barun had joined in the runs to and from the stream, but these men came about fifteen of them and they stopped the fire within a few minutes. He ran to Cora and Tivo. If these men were bad, he needed to be near them. Barun looked closely, trying to recognize anyone. He did not know them, but he knew one of them. He smiled, thinking of all the wonderful memories he shared with him. He was like a second father to him and he was happy he survived.

Septimus sighed deeply as the fire was out finally. The damage would have been terrible if some of the towns people had not helped. But he looked around and saw no one but the people who lived there. How was the first two houses put out? He knew the people of  Ovalon they would not care unless it was their own house. They were his people and he hated what they had become.

He saw a familiar face ahead of him and came down from his horse. The women and children thanked him and two others. He lived here all his life. These people were selfish. So why did they risk their lives? Moving closer to them, he could already tell who it was. After the deaths of his wife and daughter, he missed him a lot. He was the only one he thought of as a son apart from the Prince. He just looked different from his shiny silver armor. It was barely a month before he saw him last, but he missed him.

"Sir Barun!"

Barun turned as he heard his name. He knew who it was. He has been waiting to be called. Barun did not want to disturb him. Lord Septimus was smiling at him like he always did. He got down from his horse and moved towards them. The excitement in Barun took control of him and before he could stop himself, he was running towards Lord Septimus, feeling like a boy again.

Cora smiled as she watched her brother hug Lord Septimus. She turned to Tivo and saw he was smiling too. They had not seen him in years. He used to visit when Barun first left, but then he stopped. She could not help but remember the cause of the soldiers coming to Ovalon. Lord Septimus is no longer their prefect, so who is?

It was dark now, but the men did not leave. Some rode away and came back with meat. They set camp fires in different places and the men sat and ate with the owners of the houses. Cora sat on a wooded stool along with Lord Septimus and her two brothers. They had their own fire.

Lord Septimus promised to send some men to repair the roofs of the affected houses before the King sent a new prefect.

"I wondered who would help them. I knew these people would only think about themselves. But I did not think of you. You did well Barun." Lord Septimus said.

"As much as I would like to take your compliment, Lord Septimus, it was Cora who convinced me." Barun said and took a sip of his drink.

"Cora? You helped them?"