Soldier, Poet, King

II

Leaves Rustle, tumbling down to the earth

falling from their hearth

the life fades from their once vibrant leaves

the petals turning brown

as one draws near

the flowers

bloom

~~~

As I sat by the campfire, warming my hands, I looked over to Zanna to see how she was faring. We had been walking for 3 days now, and I knew the wear was hard on her. She was resting. Just sitting on a log. Anyone else would assume her to be at peace, but I knew better. I could see the small crease forming between her brow, and her breathing shifting from stable to ragged. She was scared.

I sighed, and took my vision back to the trees around me. They were content, happy. I noticed a small tree that was thirsty. As I went to give him some water from my canteen, I heard the screaming of many plants. Someone was coming. Several someones from the sounds of it. As the screams grew closer, indicating a rapid pace, I went to get Zanna so we could run. We traveled out of our wagon so we didn't have to break camp to move. Before leaving I looked to the small tree, and made a simple request.

~~~

The grass crushed under my horse's feet as we ran through the forest. We had seen smoke from above the trees and rushed to see what caused it. All in the kingdom know the price to be payed for trespassing on the king's private property. 'tch' If someone started another fire we would have hell to pay to the king.

"General Allehy, we can see tracks from squatters not far from here. Should we follow them?"

I looked to Xeith and nodded. He took all of my men and went to follow the trail.

I took this time to think. I was nearing 20, though I looked closer to 30. I pulled out a scrap sheet of metal from my pouches and looked over myself. My grey eyes looked tired from nights of planning, sunken in with bags forming underneath. I ran my fingers through my once luxurious hair, now frayed and disheveled, with my fingers getting caught. It was once long, and sleek. Gorgeous to look at. Now my hair is at my shoulders, more of a white than my once glorious silver. I noted the faint wrinkles, setting in a crease around my brow. I quickly shoved the metal away and steered my horse around. My men had been gone long enough.

As I followed the trail, I noticed several hints of people. Scratches in the wood, disturbed leaves, and a trail left by the feet of those too careless to hide. I scoff at their idocrasy. As my horse trots down the path I begin to hear my men talking on low voices.

"Do we tell him?"
"Of course not! He will go on a hunt for weeks to find them!"
"But than he will kill us for not telling him!"

I walk my horse right up to the squabbling boys.

"What is going on here?" I ask, uninterested in their following statements. I instead avert my attention to what was around me. We were in a small clearing, with tall trees all around. It was near 19:00 and the sun was begging to set. I looked from the large trees to a smaller one with browning leaves. It was drought. I than looked in the middle of the clearing, there was a small campfire set. I could still see the steam rising. People were just here.

I quickly look to Xeith, ignoring the children babbling to me, and ask him why I had not been contacted, and why no one had pursued the trespassers. He looked at me and kneeled respectfully and spoke.

I could not hear him over the inconsequential yapping of the dogs I call men.

"SILENCE!" I screamed, while rearing my horse, to cast an impression. I stepped down off my horse and stood in front of the mutts. "What are your names?" I asked coolly.
"I am Jack Jones, and this is my brother, Carter." The shorter one said. I looked to Xeith and nodded, telling him to write the names down. "And your numbers?" I inquired. "31402 and 41785" the taller one said. I eyed them and looked to my other men, who were looking around anxiously, awaiting orders. "I need two extra bridles." Within seconds after my command I had two horse bridles in my hand.

~~~

"General, excuse my brashness, but was it truly necessary to tie the men up to the trees like that?" Xeith asked coyly. I looked to him and gave a curt nod before continuing to walk down the trail. The footprints were changing. I could see where they would change from a steady walk to a full sprint. I thought back to the incells I had left at the camp. The horse bridles were stuck in their mouths and tied around trees. I had left most of my men behind to keep an eye on them and to make sure that they don't try anything funny.

As I walked with 10 men and Xieth, I noted something glistening ahead. I walked towards it carefully and saw a lone cart. No, it was too small to be a cart. As I kneeled down to inspect the contents of it  I commanded my men to continue following the trail. I looked through the belongings, and saw nothing more than food, clothes for a small male and a grown woman, and blankets. I huffed in annoyance as I stood up, leaning on the cart as I did so. I looked down to see the boards of wood had shifted from my weight, and went to lift them. The wooden boards groaned against the force but eventually gave way, revealing a small secret compartment. As I lifted the fabric to further investigate, I could hardly comprehend what I'd seen.

As I grabbed the reigns to my horse and jumped on, I immediately kicked her to a gallop. I quickly overtook my men who were still on foot. I needed to find those theifs.

~~~

We walked for what felt like ages, but was mere minuets, before I heard it. The moss was whispering to me. 

Before we left camp I had asked the tree I had watered to alert me if Zanna and I were in any danger. The tree had seen rangers, many of them, following behind us. I told Zanna what I had been told, and we both took off. We were mortified. Everyone knows the penalty for trespassing into the kings woods. 'a fate so horrible, you wish for death.' So, we ran. As we ran the moss, lichens, firs, and even the grumpy oak trees all kept Zanna and I up to date on the rangers. When we heard that the head ranger was on our tail, I stopped Zanna.

"Aunt, we need to leave the wagon. It is doing nothing but slowing us down."

"No." Her reply was quick and stern. I looked into her eyes and begged. "There is nothing in that wagon worth more than our lives." I protested back. I could see her eyes churning with emotions. Grief, fear, pain, sadness, and finally, resignation. She dropped the handle to our wagon and looked away. 

"Run Child. The General approaches."

I quickly took Zanna's hand and ran. I ignored her mumbling of regret, her soft cries of agony, her faint whispers of a prophesy, and the bright golden glow of the trees surrounding us. And we ran. We ran for miles, ignoring the small cuts on our bodies from the low brambles, and the searing in our lungs from the crisp afternoon air filling our lungs.

We eventually reached a clearing in the woods that opened into the mouth of a river. The rushing waters created a rapid, with white water splashing over rocks, forming bright and colorful rainbows flitting in and out of sight through the fine mist. A small grove of colorful wildflowers grew all around the edges of the trees. The blossoms had all colors the eye could see. Vibrant tulips of blues and yellows grew on the outermost edges, with purple and green hydrangeas beside them. Rows of Iris's in purples and reds grew alongside the pink and white carnations. The final row was of daffodils. The short grass then enclosed on a small tree stump surrounded by a seemingly circle of mushrooms. The way that the light filtered through the leaves of the trees left a spotlight on the trunk.

I walked towards the stump, almost in a trance. As I walked closer to it, I noticed many crystals resting on the top. Many different sizes and colors. I could recognize several rose quartz, a piece of black tourmaline, several agates, and some sodalites. And then my awe turns into confusion as I lift a particular rose quartz that looks exactly like my necklace. I turn it around in my hands and run it between my fingers before I hold it to my necklace. Suddenly I felt a shrill buzzing in my back, starting from my shoulder blades and extending down to my elbows. I could hear a dull screeching forming behind my ears. My hands moved against their control, bringing the pieces of crystal together, closer, and closer. And then, just as they are about to touch, they are a hair apart, I hear a scream.