"Emet, wait up!" JD called as he chased after his Ex-Captian. His endurance only a little better since his adventure began, the grain farmer hunched over panting. "I need to ask you something. You're a girl, aren't you?" The glare that masked Emet's face would make any man shiver. "Is that a yes?"
"If you want to live, you will either drop the subject or leave." Emet clenched her fist. Her mood already sour from the argument before.
"Why are you acting like this? I don't appreciate you lying to me, and I'm sure you have your reasons." JD elaborated. "But lying to Rhodri is something completely different. Why can't you just tell him what really happened? I'm sure if he knew, he'd understand."
"He's a traitor." Emet sneered. "It shouldn't matter what we get out of this. As long as we're alive, that should be enough. Treasure is replaceable, we could always get more. But that idiot was going to leave with the money the first chance he got and just give up on everything we worked for. If that's the way he's going to be, he can leave now and I'll keep all the future treasure."
"Did he tell you he was leaving?" JD asked. He thought the three of them had stuck together pretty well up until now. If there was a fight like that, he was sure he would have remembered it.
"Dork, how many times do I have to tell you, talking doesn't help anything." Emet groaned. "It just brings up stupid questions with stupid answers."
"You didn't ask him about this." JD realized. His ex-captain probably jumped the gun like she always did. "Well if you didn't talk to him, how do you know that he was going to leave?"
"He said he was going to buy a town and be mayor, didn't he?" Emet huffed. As if that explained everything.
"That doesn't… the treasure." JD stared at her astonished. She had gambled away their goods so Rhodri would have to stay. But her whole plan had back fired and now Rhodri was trying to get on the first boat home. "Look, if you just told him not to go in the first place, I'm sure he'd hear you out."
"You don't know Rhodri." Emet rolled her eyes.
"Neither do you apparently, or we would be running around looking for trouble." JD admitted. "Just tell him, please. If it doesn't work you can beat me up or something. I'll even fight back. Just, try to talk him out of this." Emet squinted at the brunet.
"Fine, but only because I haven't sparred in a while." Emet relented, "it's not like I think it'll work or anything stupid like that."
+ o +
Emet walked along the boardwalk if she ran into him again, she'd probably kick him before anything came out of her mouth. It was his own fault, who leaves a life of adventure for some boring life as an aristocrat? She shouldered past a crowd of people, the faces barely registered to her. It wasn't until someone grabbed her shoulder, that she paid them any mind. She looked up at a young man, his rounded features framed by straw-colored hair. He squinted, as if unsure what he was looking at. Before Emet could say anything, the man face lit up.
"EMET, DARLING!" He hugged her tight, only to be smacked off. "I was so worried, I didn't know what had happened to you." Emet stared at him, her face pulled into a confused snarl. Just who did he think he was? Then she noticed the armor, the weapons, and the green and white insignia. They were the warriors she was supposed to join for training. However, the knight before her never knew of her alternate life. Even still, he had recognized her as his long, lost fiancé. If only she could have stayed that way. "Why on Earth did you cut your hair? Did they make you do it?" Emet's mind scrambled for an explanation.
"They?"
"The people who kidnapped you!" He looked her up and down at her attire. While fancy, it was made for a man.
"Ah, yes. Of course," She needed more help if she was going to talk her way out of this. She needed Rhodri and his stupid, lying face. "and they made me wear these clothes… so no one would recognize me!" She could gag; her damsel in distress routine was rusty. Any sane man would have seen through it immediately, but Sheil was too happy to see his bride-to-be to notice.
"I have been searching for you everywhere." He beamed with relief. "Now we can take you back home." Home!? No, she couldn't go back. Not now! She had to stall them, quickly she thought of the place where either of her companions would find her by accident.
"Wait! They also took some of my treasures." Emet pleaded. "I would be… heartbroken without them. Yes. So we have to go there. I know the way. We'll go there and get my stuff and then you can rescue me." The tailed end of her sentence curdled on her tongue, as if she needed to be rescued.
"I suppose we could." Sheil turned and barked orders at his men. "If any of those scoundrels tries to stop us, I'll take care of them." Those 'scoundrels' better show up or she'd hunt them down herself. Unfortunately, she didn't run into either of them on her way to the ship. They retrieved her clothes and jewelry. "This is what they took?" He frowned, puzzled by the thought.
"Uh, they were terrible tailor bandits." That sounded aweful, even to her. Yet, Sheil accepted the lie at face value.
"Well then, let us head back." Shiel offered his arm for her to take like a true gentlemen. And Emet found herself wanting to punch him in the face all the more. The whole walk back to Cailbury's ship, Emet felt numb. Social contract kept her from attacking him. Her ship wasn't fast enough to outrun a military vessel and she had no crew to aid her. She couldn't think of a way out of this. It was over.
Her big adventure had come to a close before it began yet again. Yet this time, her silent screams fell on deaf ears. She would be subjected to become nothing more than a doll; silent and compliant, only meant to be viewed from within a sheltered prison. Was this really how her life was meant to be; nothing more than a cosmic joke to whatever dealt her hand? If she had known this is how it would have turned out, with her alone and back on square one. She never would have left. At least then, she would still have someone to talk to.
+ o +
There was a soft knock on the door. After which a short, plump woman slipped through the door.
"Hello, is anyone home." Puck and Big perked up at the sound of the melodic voice.
"Mom!" Big shouted and ran to embrace her. Puck was excited too, though he didn't move. He was an 'adult' now, he didn't need hugs from his mother. "Did you see any monsters?"
"Did you bring us anything?" Puck couldn't help but ask.
"No," she chuckled, "but I need to talk with your brother before I tell you what happened."
"He's polishing some stuff in the smithy." Big grinned. Clover pealed her legs out of her son's vice like grip and made her way to the familiar shed.
"Knock, knock." Clover said in sing-song.
"Mom! You're back!" Harv gapped. "Is dad here too? Did you find Rhodri? Is everything alright?"
"Harvey, calm down." Clover smiled a sweet familiar smile. "Everything's fine… but we didn't find Rhodri. Even with you boys here, we just," she paused, "can't afford to keep looking. Your father didn't want to give up, but he said he'd be back her by the week." A weary sadness finally sunk into her features.
"Mom, I'm sure Rhodri's fine. He's always been able to fend for himself." Harv attempted to comfort her.
"Anyway, once your father gets back you won't have to stick around the house anymore." Clover tried to be optimistic by changing the subject. "Where's Finn? I haven't seen him since I got here." Harv visibly withered. He had been using work as a way to ignore what happened, but now it was being shoved back into his face.
"He left." Harv croaked. "We… got into a fight and he went home." Granted it didn't play out quite that way, but it was how he perceived it. Why else would Finn have run off?
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that dear." She patted his knee.
"I should be leaving soon as well, to find a job." He couldn't stay home and polish shields for the rest of his life. He needed to make use of the education his parents paid for. But without the full internship, he'd have to do something else.
"I understand," Clover nodded, "but I would like it if you'd stay for the wedding." Harv looked confused, so his mother elaborated. "They found the tailor girl that went missing a few months back. It's going to be a grand affair, should bring us a lot of business. Besides, a party might do you some good." Harv couldn't help but feel the passive motherly pressure pushed upon him.
"I could stay for the wedding." He suggested.
"I'm so glad to hear!" Clover beamed. "And I know your father will be happy to see you again. Now if you don't mind I have to go check on the boys. They've been quiet for too long."
+ o +
As JD walked back to the docks he saw an eerily familiar crest. What was a ship from Cailburry doing here? It couldn't be, had Rhodri left him behind? If so, then why was Emet on the boat as well? The short teen dashed down the board walk, searching for a familiar face.
"Rhodri!?" He called. "Rhodri, where are you." He ran by so fast, that his friend had to grab his arm to pull him back.
"What's your hurry?" Rhodri asked. "Our boat doesn't leave for another hour."
"Rhodri, thank goodness I found you." JD panted. "I thought you guys left me behind." He paused, realizing that Emet had left on her own. "So I guess you couldn't work it out with him?"
"You guess?" Rhodri scoffed. "You were there for the whole thing, you saw what happened. I've known Emet long enough to know when she's lying." JD's face pinched up in puzzlement.
"Why, what did he- she- they say the second time?" It was going to take a while getting used to the idea that Emet was a girl. Rhodri eyed him a bit, assessing what all JD had managed to piece together. Considering how much he was stumbling though his words, he probably figured out quite a bit.
"What do you mean 'the second time' Emet didn't come back." Rhodri frowned. Even if she did come back, he doubted she'd do anything different. For whatever reason, Emet had stopped trusting him. Not that it mattered much anymore. He had scrapped together enough gold from his stash to buy at least a village. All he had to do was make it back home. Stowing away on a ship wasn't the loveliest of conditions, but it would do.
"Then why did I see him on the boat?" JD mused.
"Frankly, I don't care." Rhodri pouted.
"But doesn't that seem a little odd to you? I haven't known him- her as long as you have, but she has our boat. The Emet I know would never hitch a ride when he could sail herself, especially when he- she doesn't want to go home." JD floundered. "Something has to be wrong."
"It doesn't matter, she made her choice." Rhodri huffed.
"But if she goes back, she'll have to marry that noble guy won't she?" JD baited. He needed to get Rhodri to help him. Something was obviously wrong and his friend was too busy sulking to care.
"That's her problem." Why did he have to be so frustrating! "Come on, we should find a good place to stow away on deck." Was nothing getting through to him? JD balled up his fist and did something he never dreamed he would have done. He punched his friend in the face.
"Listen to me, this is more important than your stupid fight!" JD shouted. "Do you want her to get married?" Rhodri blinked at him, his hand settled on his bruised cheek. The sense literally knocked into him, he was angry yet again. But this time, due to the fact that Emet just let herself be captured.
"Yeah, well what am I supposed to do? Hunh?" Rhodri shouted back.
"I don't know." JD emphasized. "You're the smart one; dig deep. There has to be a way out of this." Rhodri held his head in his hands, quickly trying to come up with a plan. This was so frustrating, he never planned well under pressure.
"I think it's time we turned around."
