*This is my first attempt at RtED fanfiction. It doesn't seem like it
actually fits into the movie, but it will.eventually. OOOh! I'm such
a procrastinator! Can you guess who Mandalyn's father is? I bet you
can.*

Mandalyn
By Antoinette Snickeri

It was a usual scene in Spain 1521, busy, and always crowded
with strange people. But one such person was particularly
interesting. A ragged little English girl, no older than eight, was
standing in a bustling square with a tattered bag slung over her
shoulder and a "wanted" poster clutched in her hand. The little
girl's name was Mandalyn. She had traveled all the way from Cornwall,
England to Madrid and was exhausted, dirty, and not to mention poor.
It had been three months since she had seen her mother, her dear
mother whom she had loved forever, who had been taken away by guards
for a crime she had not committed. Mandalyn held in tears as she
remembered reading the note her mother left her:

My beloved daughter,
I don't know how all of this happened, or why. All I want
you to know is that I love you and I will always be with you in
spirit, no matter what happens. The guards will most likely come back
to the home to examine it, so I want you to get out as soon as
possible. You will go to Spain to find your father, take the "wanted"
poster I keep in the drawer; his face is circled. Take as little as
possible on your journey. I don't how you'll make the journey to
Madrid, but promise me that you will. There isn't much of a chance
I'll make it out of here alive, so you have to be strong and make it
through this. Again I want you to know that I love you and I will
still love you even when I'm gone. Keep your chin up and just know
that there will always be better things to come, no matter the
circumstances. When you get to your father, give him this note and
send him my love.
All my heart,
Your mother Martha

Her beautiful green eyes were now red and puffy as she fingered
the letter still hidden in her pocket. It had all happened too fast.
She was here, having been a stowaway on a ship headed for Spain and
sneaked onto many an unsuspecting cart headed for Madrid. Her
thoughts were a buzz intertwined with the noises of the square.
Finally, unfolding the poster, she stepped up to a suspicious looking
salesperson and in her sweetest tone asked, "Excuse me sir, have you
seen either of these two?" She held the poster up for the man to see.
"Yeah I've seen 'em. So has everyone else in this town. Them two
gotta be the most wanted pair in Madrid! But I happen ta vaguely know
their whereabouts. Never tried ta find 'em myself though, too risky.
Who's askin'?"
Mandalyn was startled by the scruffy man's answer and hesitantly
replied, "I-I'm the circled one's d-daughter, sir. I need to find
him."
"Family, eh? I'd watch your back kid, if I was you. Well, I guess I
could point ya in the right direction. Them two are somewhere over
there," the man stopped and pointed to his right, "ya gotta go pretty
far, they're somewhere around the outskirts."
Mandalyn dropped her shoulders even more at the thought of more
walking, but at the same time relieved that she knew where to find her
long-lost father, who had left before she was ever born. She didn't
even know what he was like. Her mother had always told stories about
how he was a con artist along with his partner. She had told her that
he had the most charming English accent, and laugh, but that was all
she knew. "Thank you, sir", was all she could get out as she quickly
made off in the direction indicated, the breeze blowing in her long,
golden hair. Finally, finally, things were turning out better, just
has her mother had said. She kept her chin up, hoping for the moment
she would finally meet her father, and make her mother proud.

*TO BE CONTINUED.okay there is the first chapter. More to come! By
the way, I don't own any of the RtED characters, names, places, etc.-
they're property of Dreamworks Skg. I'm really bad at history and
geography so don't hate me because I make historical or geographical
errors.*