The Sorceress Princess

Princess Sasha Vanderbuilt of Neo-Adlehyde knew she had little time left. If she could not find the cure to her curse, then the brigand would be able to silence her with only one shot. Meaning, she and her father would have to give into his demands in order to spare her life. Demands that included the hand in marriage of the heiress to the kingdom of Neo-Adlehyde, and wielder of the mythical Teardrop.

Not that the twenty-year-old maiden wanted to do that. She'd rather die than marry a brigand. But she had little choice, as the only child of the king she was the last in line. If she died, then a civil war might break out over who inherits the throne. Her long blond hair that she'd tied a red ribbon to the end of swayed in the wind as she rode on her horse. Sasha's light blue eyes scanned the team of guards her father had assigned to her before she set out to see what the world was like, which would prove useful when she was queen. Dressing in a simple tan dress with red boarders on the sleeves and bottom, with a ruby encrusted belt, red boots, and golden hoop earrings, Sasha looked more like a wealthy merchant than a princess. Which had not fooled the brigand at all, as she still wore power like a cloak.

"The cave is ahead," Victor said, "We must proceed with caution. Sasha, you will follow me in, and I want Mason at the rear of the column. Cedrick, out in front. And remember, when we find the herb, then Sasha gets to eat it first. Once she tastes a bite of it, she will be cured, and immune to the curse in the future. If only one of us lives, then it must be the princess." Mason and Cedrick nodded, and then the team fell in. With Cedrick in the lead, they descended into the depths of the cave.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, they came to a treasure chamber. Although the men were tempted to fill their pockets with gold, and bring the rest back for their king, their training told them to wait. Protecting the life of their princess was the most important thing, nothing else mattered. So they continued on, vowing to come back for the gold after finding the herb.

Soon, the team arrived at their destination. Light filtered in from a hole in the roof of the cave. A lone herb was growing, From the looks of it, the plant seemed to be a potato, with blue skin, and green leaves coming out of the top. It looked just like the ones seen in the book they had used to locate the cure for the curse. Sighs of relief left the mouths of everyone there.

"Now then, Sasha, take a bite of the herb. Then the three of us will partake of it. Once that is over, we can deal with the brigand. How dare that knave try and take the princess's heart by force. He will pay for his transgression, and pay dearly," Victor stated, enjoying his monologue.

Sasha took one bite of the herb, and a revolting look came over her face. She thought, 'This is worse than raw garbage, it is almost as if I ate Dragon Steak. I remember the time my dad had me do that, I spit it out. If this wasn't a cure for my curse, I'd do it now, too. I guess it must be an acquired taste, as everyone is always saying about Dragon Steak. But I don't see how anyone could eat this slop.'

She handed it to Mason, so he could eat some too. But suddenly, all three guards began to gag. Then, they dropped down to the floor, dead. When Sasha looked up, she saw the wicked brigand had caught up to them at last. His coal black hair was hidden by a red bandana, and his pants and shirt were midnight black. The brigand's boots were made of leather, as was his belt. Deep blue eyes locked on her aqua orbs, and his mouth had a triumphant smile that brightened as he stepped forward. "I killed all of your guards, but spared you from the attack. If you agree to be my wife, I will let you live. Refuse, and end up like the three on the ground. So, what's it gonna be Princess Sasha?"

"I'll never marry you!" Sasha screamed, "You're a cold blooded killer, and you'll never get your hands on my kingdom! I know you'll just kill Father, so you can become the king!" She yelled this whole response, all while looking at the battered forms of her three guards, just lying on the floor. Sasha would not allow their deaths to go unpunished, she would avenge them if it cost her the life she cherished.

"Foolish woman. You know I can kill you in one blow with the curse, just like I did to your guards. Now, you will die for your insolence, Maitrai Sevia," he called out. But noting happened. The brigand was wondering why she hadn't died on the spot. Then, he saw the herb lying there on the floor, with one bite taken out of it. Instantly, he knew what had happened. And now, he was afraid. For a sorceress like Sasha is not the kind of person you take head on in combat if you want to live to see old age.

Sasha laughed, and said, "You will be the one to die, my friend. My magic will take you out, and avenge the deaths of my friends. Aqua!" A ball of water began to surround the thief, and he rose off the ground. The pressure was just too great for a human being to bear, and there was no oxygen inside of his watery prison. Soon, the brigand let out a cough, and died. Then, he fell to the ground once more, landing at the feet of the heiress of Neo-Adlehyde. A sigh of relief escaped Sasha's mouth.

* * *

The princess left the cave, and began to wonder what to do next. 'Daddy didn't want me to go off on my own, that's why he gave me the guards to protect me while I saw the world. I've got to hire a Silver Wolf to take me back home to Neo-Adlehyde. But how can I find someone who won't just want me for my money, or my identity? That's it, I just won't tell anyone I'm a princess. After all, my ancestors couldn't even tell about their powers if they wanted to live, and I have liberty to talk about that aspect of myself. So I won't be a burden to the person who guards me. Now, I'd better get to town immediately.'

Sasha headed towards a town she could see in the distance. A smile was on her face, as she thought about the adventures she would have along the way home. Once there, her dad could give her another group of soldiers, and she could see the world again. For she knew that it would be impossible to keep her secret forever, rumors might tell her guardian who she really is. Then, Sasha would have no idea if that person would treat her honorably, or try to use her like the brigand.

- - - -

Teefa's Last Words…

Just like Virginia, she isn't one you mess with. However, being Jet's descendant as well, she doesn't need a bodyguard to do it for her. But, like most princess characters, she doesn't know if people will think of her as herself, and not as princess of Neo-Adlehyde. That's her only problem, if not confronted with that, she'll be a strong willed woman. Heck, she'd rather die in combat than give into the brigand. I like strong-willed women warriors. We've got Sierra for the strength aspect, and Sasha for the will aspect. That'll give us some nice situations. Well, the characters begin to meet in the next chapter. I think, we'll have two at the most involving that, and by the third chapter all will be together.

Translations

Vanderbuilt= an extremely ritzy family from old New York, thought it would work well for a royal character