"This is going to far!" Lolita stated. "Has the Captain gone insane? All the women of the blackfeather tribe?" she asked.
Francesco didn't look too good by this new revelation, he was sitting in a arm chair in their big living room. A line of worry dominated his forehead and his eyes looked incredible conflicted.
"Surely the king wouldn't approve of this if he knew." Lolita then insisted.
Francesco frowned then glanced up at Lolita. "I could try to send him a letter." he said. "Then we would have to smuggle that letter unto a boat in some way or another, and the Captain is checking all of them. Then it would take three weeks for the letter to arrive at Blakeney and another three weeks for any response. And this hanging of the Captains is in three days." he reminded him, his voice sounded painful and he clearly had to fight to sound proud. "And even so, to the king the Akapaki is the enemy people of a foreign land not his own subjects. As long as his own subjects are safe he will have no reason to interfere. For him it'll just be wasting resources."
And Lolitas face fell then she looked away.
Angelina as well looked down as she fidgeted with her skirt, it was breaking her heart to see her family this powerless.
The way she remembered her father, he had always stood up for what he believed was right without any regret. But now he was just to worn out, to afraid of loosing the things he had left.
"I will write a letter." Francesco then said. "But I doubt the king will take it to seriously, Monstrasio is kept in high regard after-all. And well, as far as the king knows he is receiving all his products without a problem and that's good enough for him."
"And in this case… It will be to late." Lolita glanced away and then squinted her eyes.
Angelina sighed deeply, then slowly she stood up and walked towards the exit.
"You got nothing to say Angie?" Lolita asked.
For sometime Angelina stood there, with bowed head and her hands in front of her.
"Well?" Lolita asked.
"What would you have me say Lolita?" Angelina asked. "The Captain is acting in the name of the king, for the king to pull back now would make him look weak in the eye of the Akapaki and his own country men." her voice was even, but in reality Angelinas fist was tightened and if Lolita could see her face she would have seen how Angelina was biting together fighting against her own racing heart beat. "I will go pray to the lord." she said taking a step but was stopped.
"Pray?! That's all you've been doing since you got here!" Lolita exclaimed. "Sleeping, eating and praying. Don't you even care?" she asked.
"Lolita." Francesco tried to inject.
"No father!" Lolita waved him off. "The sister I had who left us, she was a pain, she was always in trouble but at least she had passion and cared. This one only seem to care about her own image. Where is my sister?" she asked. "What happened over there in Blakeney? Where is that annoying Angie whom would climb in trees like the boys and stand up to bullies three times her own seize to protect an Akapaki child? She would insist on acting while I would be the one holding her back. But you're not doing anything! You're just an empty shell!"
Angelina didn't respond as her head was lowered and her back still to Lolita. "From what I remember, back then you always asked me why I couldn't be a real lady. You should learn how to make up your mind." she said and headed outside.
Though the moment Angelina was out of sight she squinted her eyes regretting her harsh words to her sister.
It sounded like Lolita genuinely missed her! For a minor second Angelina played with the idea of sharing her little secret with Lolita but quickly realized what a disaster that would be, what an situation that would put Lolita in. And Lolita would insist on telling Francesco, and they would do all in their power to stop her and Angelina sighed deeply as she walked to the garden where she met with Bernadette whom had enjoyed herself sitting beneath one of the big trees eating grapes from the garden. Though by the sight of Angelina she stood up and looked questioning at her.
Angelina sighed deeply. "It's nothing, Lolita is just kind of disappointed with me." she admitted. "I need to get out of here, let's ride to town." she said and exhaled deeply. "We have to find out what the Captain is planning in regards to that mass hanging he is planning. Undoubtedly it's going to be a trap"
Bernadette lifted an eyebrow.
"Well of course i'm going to stop it!" Angelina exclaimed with her arms in the air. "This time though it needs to be grand, most of the city is going to watch! This time the Fox is going to be seen by the citizens so well. You only get one chance at a first impression you know. Also I would deeply prefer it if I don't get shot." she rolled her eyes.
It was a pretty sinking feeling to experience though as Angelina entered town and looked around to see soldiers stationed at every corner as well as a stage in the middle of the plaza being build for a public hanging.
Angelina sighed deeply, if she was to get out of this one unscathed she would have to act really smart and really quick.
If only she knew what kind of trap the Captain would be setting up for. Of course every soldier would be armed with guns or muskets, this was kind of obvious. But what else? She needed to know what to look out for.
"This is so scary." a female voice sounded from the corner and Angelina turned to see the sergeant hanging out with a bunch of women. No real surprises though.
"Don't worry lovely Luise." Garzia smirked. "I'll protect you."
And the women squirmed in excitement.
Angelina sighed deeply and turned to the military headquarters where she knew all the blackfeather women was being held, a few had been tied to a pole outside to show off and beside them was a large poster announcing that the women would all be freed upon the turn in of Eifreen and the Scarlet Fox.
These women were all here because of Angelina, if she hadn't freed Eifreen they would not stand in this situation… It would only become worse before it became better.
Garzia had now moved along to the tavern veranda with his little group of female admires and they had ordered ice cold white wine which Garzia drank happily. "Don't worry." he said. "Even if the Akapaki comes for revenge, we'll have soldiers on the roofs ready to shoot them down."
With a snap did Angelinas head snap up and she listened to Garzias words.
"And a little something extra." Garzia smirked.
Oh my god…. Garzia was a blabbermouth! And he was drinking already! Slowly Angelina turned to him and then a grin spread across her face, then she grinned darkly to herself as Bernadette looked questioning at her.
Angelina however fixed her heart and cleared her throat. "Bernadette how do I look?" she ased.
Bernadette blinked.
"Oh well it's not like the sergeant has standards." Angelina shrugged then picked up in her skirt and approached the group.
"Good afternoon sergeant." Angelina greeted him and Garzia looked up.
"Lady Pulido!" he grinned. "We meet again."
"Yes, I managed to get out of that dreadful ordeal yesterday. And I never even managed to thank you or the Captain." Angelina exhaled deeply. "We really must stop meeting under such unfortunate circumstances."
"I'll say this is a rather pleasant circumstance right now." Garzia commented. "Wont you sit down Miss Pulido?"
"Certainly, thank you sergeant." Angelina said as she sat down. "Allow me to thank you, this tavern serves my favourite wine, you should taste it." she said raising her hand. "Waiter!"
"Lady Pulido you shouldn't!" Garzia exclaimed though he was drinking. "I can't even afford that exspensive stuff myself."
"Sergeant, this is merely a thank you. And everyone should taste this wine." Angelina said. "You must introduce me to all your friends." she stated looking around at the ladies whom looked back at her, not all of them looking particularly pleased with this new competition.
"Ah yes of course!" Garzia exclaimed. "This Ann Marie, Luise, Victoria." he started to present. "Elena and Rosa." he presented them all. "Ladies, may I introduce you all to Angelina Pulido. Francesco Pulidos youngest daughter and Lolita Pulidos sister."
The dismay on some of the womens faces were now replaced with curiosity as they looked at her.
"You recently arrived from the capital did you not?" Ann Marie asked with curiosity.
"Oh yes indeed, and how I miss it already." Angelina sighed. "The culture, the fashion, the noble men! And then I come back here and there's just nothing." she sighed deeply.
"Tell me about it, the sergeant is the only man around whom is even worth the time." Elena muttered. "Any other man of just remote stature is already taken, I suppose there's the captain but he's always so mean."
"Not like the sergeant." Elena leaned up against Garzia. "He's always so nice to us! Perhaps he'll even pick one of us for his plan!"
"Oh? And what plan is this?" Angelina asked bemused.
"Tell her sergeant." Ann Marie cheated.
"Oh nothing big." Garzia shrugged. "I'm just waiting till I have another promotion in the bag and get called back to the mainland. Then i'm going to build a house!" he grinned. "A really big one! A mansion, and with servants of course! My pension is going to be big and fat and i'll live like a royal."
Angelina croaked an eyebrow. "You don't dream small do you?" she asked.
Garzia shrugged. "I was offered this promotion as sergeant, it just came with me having to go all the way out here for a while. It's going to be nice to get back home though, hopefully very soon. This is not even my own country."
"But don't leave to soon sergeant!" Ann Marie pleaded. "Then it'll become boring around here!"
"Maybe i'll take you with me." Garzia blinked and Ann Marie squirmed.
"Clearly it's me you should take, I was born for life in the capital!" Elena exclaimed.
"No me!" another exclaimed and another one. "No me!" "Clearly I would make the best noble wife!"
Boy… these people all seemed like they wanted to leave really bad, Angelina was not sure why.
Sure, Blakeney was great and all but it was nothing compared to this beautiful land. Just then the waiter came with the wine Angelina had ordered and she generously poured up in the sergeants glass and he drank thankfully.
At first Angelina just continued gossiping with the girls, talking about random none important stuff as she kept on filling up Garzias glass and soon enough he started to become tipsy, Angelina didn't stop there but filled up even more wine and then finally as Garzia seemed like a person whom would loose balance if he stood up Angelina started to segway into asking about the soldiers plans, and Garzia responded extremely easily with just a bit of baiting. With patience Angelina managed to get everything out of him.
Where the soldiers were going to be stationed, which guns they would be using, the details about the hanging. He just spilled it off without thinking about it, and probably wouldn't even remember that he had said any of this the day after, and then as the sun had gone down and it had become evening, Angelina walked away happily with all the information she could possible need as well as a lunch date with some of the other women her own age.
It was perfect. Angelina Pulido was getting a social life and the Scarlet Defender would get her due, this trip to town had been well worth it!