Letty gratefully thanked Phillipe's mother the next morning, all she got in return was a glare. Letty didn't let the old woman's suspicions get her down, she helped Susana with the work with a smile. Susana tried to gently protest, but Letty insisted she'd help before she continued her trip.
Phillipe had gone to the herds that morning and wasn't seen till after breakfast.
Susana grew to love Letty quickly, and they talked while they cooked, did the wash, and tend the garden.
Letty would smile at the mother, but would only get a sneer in return, she didn't mind.
She was thankful that she meet them, and that they would point her to Jarick's home.
Rosa loosened another brick as she argued with her Aunt,
"Auntie, as brilient as the plan is-"
"a problem" the queen paused from her work.
"The problem is, only Ann, myself and Mama servive. We won't leave you two behind, this new world needs you both."
"Rosa, I have only done a few things in my life-"
"And you can do more for the Lord!"
Her aunt gentlely cut her off,
"Rosa, you have leadership skills like your father, and a servant like you mama. You must understand that Jarick will kill us all in the end."
"how can you say that so calmly?"
"I know something that Jarick doesn't know, when Edward and I die. We will see the true King of the universe, Jesus."
Rosa wiped the sweat and tears for her face,
"I won't leave you alone"
Her aunt hugged her, letting Rosa have her tears.
Till they heard the dungan door creak open.
...
Susana was shocked when her brother said that Letty was really heading to spy on lord Jarick's castle so that she could find the missing royal family.
Susana begged Letty to change her mind, but Letty reassured her that she would be alright with God on her side.
"Hmp, God" the mother sneered. Letty felt sad and sorry that the woman didn't believe.
Phillipe said he would show her a trail to take that wouldn't be too conspicuous.
An hour later Letty said her tearful goodbyes with Susana, and a gracious thank you to the mother that glared at the spectacle.
Phillipe said he wanted to tell something to his mother alone, so Letty patiently waited at a far distance on a hill.
Phillipe was gone for a long time, when he got to the hill. He silently lead the way with Letty fallowing him into the thick Leaping Forest.
...
It was Jarick who walked into the dungeon with two of his guards,
He looked at Rosa in her aunt's arms then to the King and his sister holding her niece.
Jarick glared at Rosa,
"You have kept me waiting for four days now, I plan to make each day count"
He snapped his fingers to a guard, and pointed at the King,
"Take him"
The queen and the Duchess clung to the King while the guards tried to pull him away.
The King begged Jarick for a goodbye to his daughter and wife.
Jarick looked at Rosa, her doe eyes pleaded to him. He nodded and held up one finger.
Smiling at Rosa he waited outside.
The King said goodbye to his sister and Rosa, then to his wife and daughter.
Ann was too young to realize what was going on, so her father said that he was going to live with Jesus.
"Will you tell him, I said Hello, Father"
"Yes, Ann, I will"
Tearfully he embraced his wife, whispering to her how much he loved her. Queen Jenny held her husband to her heart, till a guard came to take him away.
King Edward called out his last words to them over his shoulder,
"Don't let him marry Rosa!"
Rosa collapsed into a ball and cried.
...
Phillipe stopped to rest near a stream, Letty asked him how many miles it would take to get to Jarick's house.
"Another day or more to be safe"
Letty looked at her new friend and held out her hand,
"This is where I leave you, thank you"
Phillipe looked at her hand, removed his glove as he had done before and shook her hand.
Letty smiled,
"Please tell you sister and mother thank you for me again, goodbye"
Letty slipped her pack on her back and started walking down the small path again.
After a few minutes she heard some leaves rushing behind her, carefully pulling out her knife she choose her timing.
Letty counted to ten, listening to the steps behind her, than jerked around to fight whoever was following her.
All she saw was Phillipe, looking at her with a raised eyebrow,
"what are you doing?" he asked simply
Letty put away her dagger,
"What are you doing following me?"
"You forgot your guide"
Letty felt confused, "You WERE my guide, and you gave me the directions so now I go on my own."
"You need more than directions, so I'm coming along"
Letty let all that sink in,
"your coming with me?"
Phillipe shrugged,
"You'll need help"
Letty sighed,
"I'll be fine on my own Phillipe, thank you for thinking about my safety. Yet, I would rather go alone. No offence to you or your family, but the Royal family and my lady are my responsibility, so farewell."
She smiled and gave him a wave goodbye,
"you need to get home Phillipe, its late and your family would be worried"
As she turned her heel and walked on, but she heard Phillipe fallow.
He talked to her back,
"I already told Mother, I'm not going back"
Letty turned to face him,
"Phillipe, why do you continue to be so… so…?"
She couldn't find the word,
"helpful?"
Phillipe shrugged,
"I have to learn more about you"
"about me?"
"Yea, I want to learn more about where you come from, how you live as a royal, and-"
Letty gently interrupted,
"hold on Phillipe, one question at a time. I don't know why your curious, I'll try to answer well"
"I also want to know about your God"
...
Rosa didn't want more death, she didn't want to live with Jarick, so she worked harder on the bricks with her nail chisel.
She felt her mother tap her shoulder,
"Rosa, come and get some rest"
Rosa hammered the nail into the hard clay,
"Rest later Mama"
"Rosa, Edwards death isn't your fault. Even if you did marry Jarick, he would still plot to take the throne."
"Then as soon as I finish making this opening, get everyone out, then I'll kill myself to save you all"
"Rosa! Do not speak like that! God has created you for a bigger purpose!"
Rosa rested her hands to sigh,
"What purpose?"
"My purpose was to raise you and teach you about the Father God, I will not let you think otherwise."
Rosa dropped her nails and sobbed in her Mother's arms,
Then the clank of the doors opening echoed around the room.
...
Letty awoke the next morning under a tree, when she stretched and opened her eyes she looked at Phillipe's bed roll across form her, it was empty.
Where was he?
She rolled up and folded her blankets to put in her pack, took out her water gourd for a drink and ate one of Susana's rolls.
Phillipe didn't even show up after she washed at the stream.
Puzzled she went to look for him.
She found him in a tall tree, climbing to a big mass of twigs at the top.
Quietly she watched him reach into what looked like a nest.
Was he stealing eggs?
"Phillipe! What are you doing?"
He grinned down at her and tossed her two small round white objects to her.
She caught one in her hands.
When she looked up again, he was gone.
Where did he go now?
A big splash a the stream answered her question, gently putting the eggs in on of her bags she ran to the noise.
Once at the stream she called his name, till she saw him rise from the moving water.
His hair was wet against him and his clothes dripped, he reminded Letty of Mrs. Miller's canary when it fell in it's water bowl. His long red locks plastered all over his face in a bizare fashion like wet bird feathers.
She giggled as Phillipe walked over to her,
"at least I won't need a bath"
Letty laughed till her side hurt, she hadn't laughed this hard in a long time.
Phillipe calmly waited till she regained her breath,
"Glad I could amuse you, milady, you looked like you need a good laugh"
She set her bag on the ground, and pulled out a blanket for him to dry with,
"We can't delay too long, I have to find Jarick's lair"
...
Juan walked down the road Kyle had told him was the last anyone had seen the royal family. He found the armor and saddles of the Knights and their horses. There were no dead bodies anywhere.
Yet there was blood on a few articles.
Juan stood to think, Kyle had said that it has been almost a week since the family went missing.
Juan knew he shouldn't go alone, but the Senate was in an up roar and wouldn't send the rest of their troops to help look around.
How did Senator Kent Fowler know it was an attack by wild aniamls? To Juan it looked like an attack alright, but by humans.
He walked to the Village nearby to buy a horse, the mare was stocky and tall enough for him. He couldn't afford a saddle and supplies, so he went to the battle area on the trail to use some of the knight's supplies and tack.
There was even a supply of grain in one sack for his mare, and plenty of weapons.
If no one was going to do anything about this, he'll have to do it himself.
...
Rosa jumped in front of her mother and the Queen, barricading them from Jarick.
"Jarick, where is my uncle?"
He narrowed his eyes at her question,
"Are you ready yet?"
Her aunt and mother pleaded her,
"Rosa, don't let him take you!"
"Rosa he will kill you!"
Jarick looked over Rosa's shoulder,
"silence!"
It became so quiet, that Rosa was sure everyone in the room heard her heart beating.
Jarick put his arm around her to drag her away, snapping his fingers, he pointed to the Duchess diAngelo.
"Take her!"
...
Letty was surprised that Phillipe didn't know much about what she knew.
He could read, but not write. He had only been as far as Jarick's house and the coast most of his life.
Phillipe continued to ask questions about God, so she tried to answer them. Yet she also had to explain a few things, like long words, places far away, history of people and their sins. Even some animals and colors.
"Never heard of him"
Letty glanced up at him, "who?"
"This, Horse fellow, odd name"
Letty laughed, "I don't know anyone named, horse, why be named after an animal?"
They stopped by a creek, Phillipe stopped to fill his water gourd as he continued to talk.
"What is this, animal then. This, horse."
Letty giggled, "you don't know what a horse is?"
When she saw that he was serious, she felt ashamed for her outburst, "I'm sorry, I thought you were joking."
He shrugged and sat down under an Oak tree, "I'll forgive you, if you tell me about, this horse. Never seen or heard about one before."
"Never?" Letty was shocked, she couldn't think about living without even seeing a horse.
Grateful for the rest, she sat down across from him and tried describing as best as she could.
Promising that she would show him a mare herself, once all this was over.
...
Rosa and her mother were taken to Jarick's office, it was the same one Rosa had seen before.
Her mother was seated in a chair and guarded, Jarick had Rosa seated across from her mother.
"My lady, you have been driving my patients this week. You continue to say no to me, what is you do not like?"
Rosa looked at her mother not saying anything.
"you'll tell me what you want, or you mother will pay with her life!"
The duchess looked at Jarick with no fear in her eyes,
"She wants peace, lord Jarick, peace and hope."
Jarick calmly looked at the both, gave a signal with his hand to his guards then grabbed Rosa to drag her out of the room.
"No, don't hurt her! No!"
Rosa kicked and screamed with all the energy in her as Jarick and two guards dragged her out.
She was thrown back into the dungeon with her aunt and niece, she screamed and pounded on the door till she was tired and worn out.
The queen worked on the bricks while Rosa sobbed.
...
Juan continued to travel for hours, galloping the horse through brush, jumping over logs, letting the poor mare walk when she was tired.
At night, they only rested for five hours then traveled some more.
He was thankful for the mare, called her 'Star' for the one on her face.
Juan would scrap the sweat and brush her every night to make her comfortable.
Every night he'd pray that Rosa was safe.
...
Letty was at her whit's end with Phillipe; he would not go home, he still asked many questions and sometimes douted her answers.
"I'm only saying, you can't believe everything you hear, in my experience. I believe everything I see"
Letty snorted softly, "so you choose not to believe"
He held up a hand, "I'll believe it, when I see it"
"Blessed are those who hear and believe, yet not see"
Phillipe looked at her as he lifted a low branch,
'Who said that?"
"Jesus"
...
Rosa didn't feel like escaping now, she felt numb.
Mama was probably dead, she had to be, she and uncle Edward didn't come back.
She sat staring at a wall for a long time, till Ann walked over to her.
Ann sat next to her, and looked at the wall too.
"What you looking at?"
Rosa barely heard her, she sighed,
"nothing"
"Father, and Auntie Lu with Jesus"
The little princess clapped her hands,
"I can't wait to see Jesus, Mama sayz I wait longer"
Queen Jenny called to them across the room,
"I need help girls! We must hurry!"
...
Juan left Star tied to a tree, so he could get a bird's eye view over a few trees, there had to be some clue that lord Jarick's house was nearby.
He jumped down to continue down the trail.
Praying that he'd get a sign from God.
Rosa pushed brick number 30 back in its place when she heard the door creak open.
It wasn't lord Jarick this time, it was a guard with their dinner.
All they got was soup and bread with water twice a day, the guard always slid it under a trap door.
Today was different, because he was carrying a large tray. It contained two small bowls of soups, a small plate of dry bread, a cup of milk and a cup of hot brewed tea.
Queen Jenny looked puzzled,
"Only two bowls, how will Ann get any?"
Her answer came when another guard came in.
He pulled Rosa to her feet by her arm to drag her to the door.
Rosa kicked and struggled, digging her heel into the guard's thigh.
The guard let go of her arm to grab his leg to howl in pain.
He limped out moaning, calling for help.
Rosa was already fuming in frustration,
"I won't go, Auntie! I can't stand the man!"
"we'll have to pray for that evil man's soul-"
"Auntie! He is an evil man! I can't pray for him!"
Her aunt sighed, "I went against it myself before, but we must not fight evil with evil. We must do what the Lord would want his followers to do."
"I have been polite, generous, and nice for too long. I should get him with my
"Oh, Ann. Sweet Ann don't cry" Rosa was close to tears herself, it wasn't fair.
How could her aunt just thrust the little princess into Rosa's arms before death?
Rosa held the little 5-year-old child and rocked her back and forth. The way her mother used to.
Little Ann held on tight, silently whimpering on her cloak.
Jarick had Rosa in chains, like an animal he pulled her beside him.