Chapter 5: The Princess and the Mortar
The Princess knew Ben fancied her, but she continued to lead him on as if she did not notice his approach - much. God only knows where the man picks up his women, but she aims not to be one of them. After all the time she wanted to feel close to someone for a change, the Princess still, did not forget her royal position. The impropriety of having "loose relationships" was not something she intended to have in her résumé. She conversed as diligently and guarded as she could. But even Avo could not deny that she yearned for intimacy. As she grew older, any sign of affection was hindered in her presence. All the men in her life could only give her praises and advice. In Logan's case, any sign of warm affection is far from what is expected of the way he treats his sister. Any slight congratulation or acknowledgement of her existence just never happened – his eyes would avert from her in coldness.
The night, too, grew colder now. Ben shifted himself nearer to her, as the men around them watched from their posts in the distance. They eagerly watched for any sign of romance; more watched from behind books or guns, some had stolen glances as they stood facing away. The Princess' guard became even more heightened, her body stiffened, she wanted closeness – but this was too close! Ben, to his dismay, noticed her awkward rigidness. She pretended to give breath to her hands and places them on her face to keep her warm, when really she was hiding her blush.
"Don't flatter yourself, Your Highness. I am merely contributing to your warmth; we mustn't have a sick Princess in our midst. That would make a terrible slogan for our rebellion – "Fight on! Run! With your noses! Join the Sniveling Hero Princess!" and so forth."
The Princess laughed – it was a terrible joke. Ben neither had wit nor delivery fit for a proper joke. But still, the Princess laughed. Ben always knew his comedic performances were a joke itself, but at this knowledge, his cheerful attempts supersede everything - and his character shone as charming.
"Yeh – if you like that, you should come see me at the Cow and Corset after this is all over."
"You are going back?"
"Oh to be sure, I will continue my holy pilgrimage of roaming this earth – but every now and then I think I shall pop in to show off my experiences. Your pretty laugh is very encouraging to my long dead comedic career."
In great embarrassment with herself, she blushed once again, no one but Elliot had ever made a mention of anything about her as pretty. Although there was once a time, Logan, oh so long ago – he complimented her in a beautiful blue gown during a ball. How differently his character had become – an evil character.
"Logan, he… I don't know why he had changed so severely. I mean, since our mother died. He used to be so kind. And now…"
"He's cutting heads off, left and right."
The Princess was speechless for a moment at this direct unforgiving statement. She figured Logan to be more complicated, something about him should be forgiven, if not how can she call herself a sister? But she nodded her head. The orange glow of the burning pit in front of them both shone in contrast to the darkness, it displayed gloominess to her features. She nodded, because it was the truth and her sadness was more than apparent. Ben was at first, taken back at the sudden mention of the wrathful King of Albion.
"When and how did you run away?" asked Ben.
The Princess looked up at him, thought a moment on how their conversation veered off so easily from their previous discussion.
"Perhaps no more than two weeks before Walter and I arrived here" said the Princess.
"Now wait a minute, I thought you were about to tell me a story of when you were younger."
"What gave you that impression?" she huffed.
"I told you stories of my childhood, my hopes, and my dreams – are you to tell me you had never once in your life ever been rebellious? You never pursued any desires? You just took orders, behaved and never uttered a word of protest?"
She fell silent once more. Walter, who had overheard the few minutes of this conversation, walked over and brashly told him, "Shut up Ben". Both jumped at the very booming sensation of his voice. Finn immediately shifted away from the Princess from where she sat, trying not to cause any further alert from Walter.
"Being chummy are we, Captain Finn?" inquired Walter, who raised an eyebrow at the both of them.
"Just thought I'd get to know what the plan was. You know, before Swift and I jump in and kill ourselves" he replied.
"The plan is simple, Ben. We gather as much followers as we can, round up the group, and overthrow the king. We must make as much allies as possible. We cannot take on Logan's royal guards alone."
"I'll bet you if I take Logan's side I'd be better paid for this sort of work, this soldiering business" he joked. But Walter only sighed; Ben wasn't nearly as experienced as both he and Swift. However, he had been in the army for quite a while to know that there is no reward in their profession, not materialistically anyway. They might lose more than what is to gain, most likely their lives. Soon, Swift rejoined his old friend and attempted to get caught up with the conversation. Both Ben and the Princess stood up. It was then Major Swift asked Ben to teach the Princess how to use the mortar. He assured her it was perfectly safe and would be great experience for her to understand the mechanics of such weaponry in case of future battles. Secretly, this was also part of Swift's test whether the Princess can handle being a rebel leader.
"As you know, we lost a lot of good men last night. Including the late Lieutenant Simmons, poor chap. The air is cold. They will be back again tonight. Captain Finn will show you the know-hows, my dear. Ben, do be so kind as to take her to Jammy – he will be ready for you both."
At this, Swift and Walter left them. Swift walked away while puffing away the smoke of his pipe. Walter, who lagged behind a little, spoke directly to Finn.
"You mustn't be too harsh on the Princess, Ben. She went through a great deal more than you realize." Then he left the pair and rejoined Major Swift, they returned to their conversation of how Logan seemed to have sent them on the best assignments.
Ben turned to his companion,
"I… am sorry I snapped. That was terrible manners on my part."
"I forgive you", the Princess replied smiling, but then with serious tone continued "only if you show me how to use the mortar properly and without undermining me."
Ben smiled and nodded with respect, very playfully he brushed his fist against her chin – and walked off. She is absolutely in self-denial if the Princess did not admit she is growing attached to the Captain; unwillingly she repressed her feelings. Her hesitation exceeded her honesty and held back any reaction to that act just now. The Princess is not by any means willing to lose herself in complete sensibility. As she watched Ben walk, she touched her chin, wishing he'd touch her again. Ben led her past the stairs they had previously climbed the hour before, then approached a very odd gangly fellow who was patched up perhaps eighty percent of his entire body. The soldier was covered in bloody bandages; some wounds looked a little fresh. The very sight of the man took the Princess by surprise. The soldier was standing up as straight as he could; he saluted both the Captain and the Princess.
"My Lady, may I introduce, Private Jammy."
"Private Jammy, at your service ma'am!" he sniffled.
"Jammy?" the Princess giggled, but then reposed, "Ahem, that is truly your name?"
"Oh" Jammy chuckled "It's true what they say, you know. Jammiest soldier in Albion. Seven hundred and twenty-four wounds and still standing."
The Princess shook his hand with confidence and sympathy; she looked closely at his wounds but not for very long – as she did not want to be rude. The lad was warm and homey.
Ben chuckled, "Don't worry you'll get used to him. After a while he's hardly revolting at all."
"Oh I hardly think so," said the Princess, then she turned back to Jammy, "I commend you for your unbroken spirit, Private. It is a very admirable trait."
Jammy smiled brightly at this recognition, Ben coughed and continued to the matter at hand,
"I suppose you never used a mortar before,"
The Princess shook her head.
"There's always a slight chance of maiming, of course – but I'm sure you'll pick it up. Alright Jammy, it's time to show her the ropes."
At this the Princess' smile turned upside down, she did not feel intimidated by Ben's cynicism. He once again, underestimated her. Jammy explained to the Princess how the mortar works, and then explained his role as a 'loader' in the process. He continued teaching her until it was time to practice.
"Right then, my life's going to be in your hands, so let's make sure you know what you're doing okay?"
The Princess nodded; out of nowhere Ben held the mortar's weight over her hands.
"Whoa there, girl. Be careful where you're aiming. The scarecrows are that way."
The Princess looked at Ben; she was going to turn red again at the touch of his rough hands on her knuckles, but with agitation said aloud,
"Captain, I am well aware of myself. Now please, back up, otherwise we'll both be maimed at the cost of your overexcitement".
Ben backed off; he smiled crookedly at the Princess' stubbornness. He thought it was rather cute. He realized now that she was the type who refuses to be weak in the knees – independent and strong. Perhaps there really is hope in her after all. He was further amazed at her strength (although he thought it was just her being boned, not her Heroic blood). When Ben first used the mortar years ago, he himself had difficulty controlling the weight and shifting its target. Jammy loaded the mortar continuously as the Princess obliterated each scarecrow one at a time. Jammy cheered with excitement,
"Yeah! Destroy them scarecrows! Boom! Boosh! Bloody brilliant!"
He had never seen such skilled maneuvering, and this was her first time, a girl! A Princess!
"You're not the least bit bourgeois-type are you?" said Jammy and the Princess only smiled quietly at the comment. Ben got a bit defensive at the connection the two were having, as much as he was charmed by the Princess' smile and his loveable subordinate – he had to break it and continue the mission,
"Alright Jammy, don't get too excited. Just finish the last one."
"Right, we got one more scarecrow to go – oh, hold on…"
Jammy looked peculiar in the distance towards the last scarecrow, it seemed differently dressed than the rest and didn't remember whether he set that up himself.
In the blink of an eye, the scarecrow broke away from its bonds and mystic glowing spheres appeared from the ground. There, emerged like a horrific camper tale, the rotting bodies of bones and meat enclosed by worn dirt clothes. The night was no longer filled with dead air, but dead bodies wielding rusty weapons. Each came by half a dozen, their eyes glowing with the same spheres, hungry for the living. Seeking to attack the fort. Ben yelled,
"THEY'RE HERE!"
He didn't have to say to anyone, who or what are coming to attack Fort Mounrningwood – the men are prepared. Everyone scrambled with their rifles and swords, each soldier awaited for those up in the mortars to clear the evil skeletons first. Ben pressed for the Princess to continue firing,
"It's all you now, Princess!"
Without any further instruction, the Princess' awareness of the battlefield became acute and with the help of Jammy's speedy loading and direction – she demolished the soulless boned army at every emergence. One can say the Princess' talents are showing immensely, Jammy was constantly impressed by the devastation she is laying on them.
"Haha! Bye-bye skellies!" he cried with joy.
"That was amazing!" said Ben, "Be careful not to get that zombie dust in your eyes!"
The Princess, in midst of all this chaos outside and inside her mind, laughed and was strangely happy as the rest of the men were. The soldiers looked on victoriously and became inspired by the Princess' great skills. However, the confidence of the soldiers of not having to put up a fight, was short lived, Major Swift yelled that the hollow men were coming at them by the rear door. He ordered all men to take their guns and posts. Ben pulled the Princess by the back of her jacket to get downstairs,
"That's enough blood thirst for you, love" then to the men "Do not – let them get through!"
The soldiers downstairs tried to hold their wooden gate closed, but the strength in numbers that of the hollow men was too great. They were hauled to the ground, and the hollow men ran crashing through in waves – attacking at everything that is alive. Ben and Swift with their rifles, are armed and ready; they made repeated shots towards the dead men. Walter and the Princess drew their swords – ready to take them on in close combat. At her first swing, the Princess severed an arm and a leg at her second; she laid a reversed strike that destroyed a hollow man. One by one, she killed them off and turned them into mere bags of bones. This was the time, the moment, where she repeats everything that Sir Walter taught her. All the moves and dodges that make her a skilled, educated and proficient fighter. Her sword was long and it acted like an extension of her arm – it danced with her, her twirls and rolls gave deadly strikes immediately after. The constant back and forth with the sword made her looks as if she was swaying.
Ben couldn't help but to notice her at the corner of his eye, as he skillfully made headshots on every hollow man in his range. She was a true vision of a heroic warrior; she radiated intensely, as if she was born to do this. It was in this setting that suit her best. She appeared so much more womanly than before. Her long hair swept across her face each time she made a turn, her skin glowed, and her lips looking plumped and tense as she constantly gasps for air in her movements. In that moment, her moves became more of an art form than a battle for survival. 'So she's the real deal, she really is a Hero', he thought. Something in Ben awoken, something he thought he had long abandoned during his younger years. Perhaps it was faith in Heroes, to believe in a power greater than his. Whatever it may be, she helped him get it back. As soon as the Princess stabbed a hollow man in the rib, she swiftly took out her rifle and shot an incoming one from the opposite direction in the eye. But the Princess' count in rhythm and visual perception, even only for one second, was flawed. She did not see a third coming towards her right after her shot, her eyes were looking hard, watching the dead man coming at her in slow motion – but then she heard an even louder shot. The third hollow man diminished into dust, she turned her head to see that Ben Finn had her back this whole time. Ben had a look of worry accompanied with a smoking gun. He sighed in relief and gestured a short salute with a smile. For once, the Princess was truly at ease with Ben's intentions and gladly welcomed the help.
Sadly that moment of connection was cut short, when Jammy's body hit the ground hard right next to the Princess. It came out of nowhere; he took a huge strike from a hollow man's mace. To her sudden horror, the Princess wanted to scream, but couldn't. Her eyes merely widened with shock in that same moment he laid flat on the earth. As a muffled-out sound to her ear, she could hear Ben yelling his name, the pain and misery of losing another close subordinate became too much to bear. Jammy was not moving, what was once the luckiest and spirited soldier was now a lifeless one.
The Princess got back up and her thirst for vengeance made her ruthless and sadistic. She grew tired of the increasing number of hollow men that continued to march through the gates. But it was after the her last blow, that she did not realize her endurance had led her to annihilation of the last hollow man – the fort was empty. The soldiers cheered at their victory – but another surprise came when a larger hollow man emerged from the earth. It shocked everyone to see that the hollow men had resurrected the body of Lieutenant Simmons. The undead monster roared at the Princess – who became his primary target. The large swords swung at her, he shook the earth that caused the men to stumble and faint. In a whole minute, the girl was all alone. No Ben to cover her, no Walter to come between and no soldiers. She grew weary of these obstacles, she screamed at the monster,
"I am not afraid of you!"
The late Simmons spat out more of those glowing spheres that rose back up into hollow men. With her rifle, she made quick repeated headshots that took out his lackeys in an instant. Whenever he ran out of pawn, the Princess rolled around him and struck him with her fire magic and sword. She put all her strength into his defeat, she thought of Jammy and all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect Albion from all kinds of evils. She refused to accept that same fate for future soldiers – especially Ben Finn – who she saw with worry lying on the floor with Swift and her mentor Walter. Simmons was too big and had electric powers that made him too slow to kill, this frustrated the Princess. She had to block all his powerful strikes that came down upon her sword like thunder. Without hesitation, she seized an opening. The Princess leaped over Simmons and severed his head, it fell off his neck and rolled off – and then both head and body turned to dust. At that moment, the sky cleared and dawn was breaking. She did it! She had defeated them!
All the soldiers awoke from their unconsciousness; Ben came to as well and looked around at the remains of all the hollow men.
"That was pretty damn impressive!" he exclaimed, and then in a whisper put his arm around her in a comrade-like fashion, "So your mother wasn't the last Hero of Albion after all."
"I can't believe it," she sighed "This whole time you doubted me?"
"Oh no, I suspected. But I needed to be proven."
"Well I think, now, you should thank me for…"
"Let the poets tell our epic tale!" he cried to the men, "The Swift Brigade fought against impossible odds. They won. The end."
The Princess made pursed her lips, just when she thought she had gained some respect and understanding from the man. Walter and Swift came into consciousness, got up, dusted off hollow man ashes and approached the two. The other soldiers also came feeling glorious, all wanted to shake the Princess' hand and even bow. This embarrassed her, she did not want at all to feel superior. She urged them not to bow, but she felt very close to them. For once, she didn't have subjects, she had comrades.
"Well Sir Walter, you didn't do too bad," said Ben shaking his hand, "for an old man."
"Neither did you, for a buffoon." Replied Walter.
Everyone laughed. The Princess was so happy, as were the rest of them, to be rid of this struggle – the battle was over. She finally understood all the times Walter told his bedtime stories and explained the feeling of victory to her – she felt that wave. It is the joy of surviving and just being alive.
"Ahh, that was just like old time Walter. Just like old times" said Swift.
"So what do you say? Will you join us? With your help we can put a stop to Logan's madness and bring back the real Albion army."
Major Swift hesitated at these words, his thoughts are forming through his mouth and he finally spoke,
"I swore to serve my King to the death, but this wasn't meant to be. The old guard has been shoved aside, and these new soldiers Logan has been gathering… they don't care about the land or its people."
"And I bet they get paid more" grumbled Ben.
Swift turned to the Princess; he looked deeply into her eyes with highest respect and addressed her as such,
"Walter has absolute faith in you, and after seeing you in action, so do I. all that I ask if that you make a soldier's oath. Let your armies protect the people instead of oppressing them. Bring honor back to this uniform."
"Yeah and don't forget the pay rise" Ben added.
"Shut up, Ben." Walter hissed.
The Princess with every integrity and virtue, smiled with relief that Swift had finally come around, shook his hand and promised to him her word, a Princess and soon a Queen's promise. All the soldiers of Albion will be honorable and follow justified orders; also she would make Swift the next General when she reinstates the old army.
Within the hour, Ben finally caught the Princess alone after she was swarmed with compliments and declarations of loyalty to the rebel cause by the soldiers of the Swift Brigade. She rested on a bedroll, and Ben sat on the bedroll next to her. He gave her a pint of ale, as ordered by Major Swift to go round. The Princess rarely drank any kind of alcohol, but despite the early morning and long battle, she could go for anything. Before Ben even got started with his, he saw the Princess lifted the bottom of the mug and finished the last drop. Without care, she lay down and wiped the corner of her lips with her jacket's sleeve. She took a long, deep, and loud breath. Her chest was heaving trying to gain as much oxygen as she could, her state of relaxation was of no avail, and her heart could not be still. Ben sympathized, this must've been her first real battlefield, he thought. As her eyes were staring deep into the space of the sky, Ben's hand rested on her forehead and she averted her attention to him.
"Well, rest assured that slogan about a sniveling rebel Princess wouldn't have happened."
"Oh Ben" she sighed.
"Yes?" he responded a bit excitingly.
"Poor Jammy."
"Oh." He reposed.
"I.. I didn't… I mean, I did everything in my power to… I never wanted harm to come to the men."
Ben hushed her gently and stroked her cheek. But it only piled on her overwhelming guilt, that she could have saved Jammy. If only she fought right next to him. Hot tears started to leak through her eyes and ran down her cheeks. Ben wiped them off with his sleeve, his facial expression was indifferent but his heart melted at her quiet display of emotion – her empathy for mere soldiers, most who were sent here to die in the fronts, made her a compassionate leader.
"Please, don't let Walter and Swift see me. They'll think I'm weak."
The Captain placed his body hovered over the Princess, shielding her from the world. If anyone were to walk closely by, no one would have to see her cry. The Princess was not bothered or surprised by this gesture; she appreciated every bit of it.
"Just let it out" whispered Ben. And she did. Ben continued, "For an incredibly and mannishly strong Princess, you need a lot of protecting."
The Princess laughed slightly disheartened and wiped her tears away, their noses were so close together, she almost worried he'd keep teasing her about a runny nose again while she sniffled.
"I guess I'm just, a girl, like you thought I was."
"No, I was wrong. You are the most incredible woman, I had ever known. You are strong; you never let anything get the best of you. The powers you wield are awe-some. You are a Hero. And I…" right then and there Ben wanted to tell her of his falling in love. Perhaps, even planned on kissing her, but he felt a sharp tug at his collar and felt it pull up his body a couple of feet off the ground like a noose around his neck. The moment of intimacy had been broken, a red-faced Walter Beck forced him on his feet – but without losing his cool announced that they were just leaving.
The Princess didn't even realize the moment they were having, she immediately checked herself and stood up awkwardly. Her composure was regained and her sense returned. She gathered her things and after Walter said his goodbyes to Swift, he beckoned her to follow and meet the next allies.
"I took your stay here for granted, M'Lady."
The Princess looked back at Ben quietly, her walk slowed.
"You fought so bravely, there were so much of you to admire."
She only smiled and continued walking, saying nothing. Ben tried not to show panic. He said laughingly,
"Are you going to leave me so unsatisfied? What did you take from this, apart from our alliance?"
The Princess stopped for a moment. His desperation was discreet but he needed something – anything - to show her interest and attachment in him. With almost a wink that she learned after his charming techniques, and with a smile so sweet and innocent replied,
"That your eyes are blue."
Ben was speechless, one could only think this was mere observation – but to him, it was acknowledgement. Major Swift only scratched his head in confusion at the mysterious code of communication between the two. Walter and the Princess continued out the gate and off on their trail to Bowerstone. Ben Finn lingered there for a while until the two forms disappeared in the morning mist.
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