A/N: Okay, okay, I know it's been forever and a day since I updated this.
But consider me duly chastised by the one review the last chapter garnered;
that kind-hearted soul being the wonderful Autum. So, this one's for you,
girl, enjoy, and happy holidays!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Linnet sighed and smiled as she soaked up the early morning light just outside the cottage. Everything seemed pristine, almost ethereal, after the storm's departure. The grass glistened with dew like dropped diamonds, and the small rock mountains that girded the south side of the green plain reminded her vaguely of kindly gods watching over her. A wide river unrestrained by rocks at its banks flowed soothingly until it disappeared among the trees the lined the plain's north side. The sky was dazzlingly blue, scoured by the storm of any clouds to impede the sun's light. All thought of Burke, the Kingdom, even Taren and Xandro and Irula, cheerfully departed from Linnet's mind as she wandered across the plain.
She recalled with a smile the morning's events, awakening to find the face of a young girl staring at her, brown eyes ablaze with curiosity from behind a curtain of russet hair, "Are you the Princess evr'body's lookin' for?" the child had asked.
Half-asleep, Linnet could only murmur something unidentifiable and roll over, bent on her return journey to the land of sleep.
But the child's tinkling laughter pierced Linnet's veil of sleepiness, "Well, at any rate, I'm Evera, and it's time fer breakfast, Princess." Linnet listened to the sound of Evera's feet sprinting away, down the hall, before levering herself to a standing position.
As she tried to orient herself, Irula came in, deftly drying her hands on a towel, "Ah, I see you're up. Breakfast is on the table when you're ready."
Linnet blinked a few times, and after seeing Irula vanished and she alone in the room, decided she'd better not seem an ungrateful guest and made her way down the hall to the kitchen. Her stomach moaned at the first sight of the modest breakfast laid out on the table. An extra place had been set between Taren and Evera, who were currently filling their plates along with Xandro and two other small boys.
"What did I miss?" she asked, plopping into an empty chair and promptly shoveling various foods onto her plate.
Taren glanced up from his meal, "Irula made breakfast," he said between mouthfuls.
"Yeah," Xandro chimed in, "And this is Evera," he gestured to the busily munching girl, "and this is Wat," he gestured to a boy maybe a year or two younger than Evera who gave Linnet a short nod, "and this is Tomsin," a boy a year or two older than Evera greeted Linnet with a similar nod as Wat. Evera and Wat could have been twins with their ginger hair and pale complexions, while Tomsin clearly inherited most of Amos' looks including a dark thatch of hair and brown eyes.
"Nice to meet you all," Linnet said diplomatically, "I assume you're Irula and Amos' kids." The three children nodded.
"Well, plus Awin," Wat added, glancing up at her with Irula's keen blue eyes.
"Of course," Linnet replied, and all conversation was limited to requests to pass an assortment of food items for the rest of the meal.
"Where're your parents?" Linnet asked as she sat back and unconsciously began the process of digestion.
"Out in the fields," Tomsin answered, "They get an early start, and then come in for food and we take over fer a spell." Then, as if with one thought between them, the three children rose from their seats and left the room without another word.
"I think I'm going to go for a walk," Linnet said after a minute, which had led her to this happy wandering among the fresh grass she was currently enjoying. But even as she strolled in nature's beauty, she couldn't help but wonder, what would today bring? This journey had brought so many challenges and obstacles, could she really expect them to stop now, when they were only halfway through? No, she thought as she gazed at the more ominous and snow-covered mountains in the distance, most certainly not. In fact, it's probably only a matter of time until our next adventure. The thought brought a buzz of excitement to the Princess as she continued her stroll across the vibrant plain.
Linnet turned sharply around to face the cottage. The thrill that had so recently pulsed in her veins suddenly vanished, creating a vacuum of dread in her chest that made her suck in a gasp of air. Coming down the road toward the cottage was a contingent of men, black in the morning sun. Kingdom's Guards, Linnet recognized the silver and purple banners fluttering in the light breeze immediately. She sprinted for the cottage, her eyes as wide as the plates she'd moments earlier eaten off of.
"Taren! Xandro!" she shouted as she flew through the door that led to the cottage's kitchen, they weren't there. She raced through the house while continuously shouting, "The Guard's here, we have to leave! Taren! Hurry, Xandro!"
Her two companions emerged from the upstairs with Irula and Amos, chuckling about something. Their laughter died upon noticing Linnet in her distressed state, "Something wrong, Princess?" Taren inquired.
"Kingdom's Guard... is coming," Linnet gasped, winded by her run, "We must leave, let's go!"
The Wesley brothers burst into action, dashing into sitting room and to grab whatever they'd brought inside, which wasn't much. "We have to get the horses," Xandro said, sounding slightly frantic, "All our supplies are out there."
"No time!" Linnet said, peeking out the window to check the contingent's progress, "We'll have to run for it, or hide. Irula, you may want to bring your children inside." The woman's eyes widened a fraction, but she followed Linnet's advice, leaving the three alone in the sitting room.
Amos, who had stayed silent during the turmoil, said, "You need a way ta' 'scape?"
"Would be helpful if you've got a spare," Taren quipped.
Amos viewed them for a moment before nodding slightly and saying, "Well, come on then." Linnet, Taren, and Xandro grabbed whatever they could and followed Amos as he led them out of the cottage.
- - -
Tan was the closest he'd been to jubilant in the past few days. He'd felt so positive this new lead would take him and his men to the Princess he'd roused them as soon as the storm had ceased and set out. Now they were nearing the small farm and cottage marked on the map. He, as the troop's leader, closed in on it astride his horse. He saw a woman standing in the field, gathering three small children to her. She, as well as the children, regarded him coolly as he approached.
"By command of King Paris and his esteemed council," Tan stated his memorized order, "we are searching for the Princess Linnet. In accordance with the Law, this house will be searched for her or any possible clues as to her whereabouts. I-"
"Well, you might as well turn round now, 'cause you'll find no Princess here!" Irula sharply interrupted, "And I'll thank you ta' not terrorize my children with all your horses and swords. We're a peaceful people, we don't need-"
"I'm sure you are, ma'am," Tan said, leaning down on his horse to put his face closer to Irula's, "But for the sake of the Kingdom, this has to be done. Princess Linnet must be found." Tan looked into the woman's eyes, but they kept darting back to the cottage, "It is vital to the Kingdom that she... is back where... she belongs." When Irula's eyes glanced back a fifth time Tan straightened abruptly and commanded his men, "Search the house, she's hiding something!"
- - -
Linnet's head shot up at the sound of the captain's shouted order. Her face was pale as death beneath its olive-skinned color, her eyes wide with anxiety for Irula and the children. What could the soldiers do to them way out here without any higher-ranking official than a captain to stop them?
"Come on, Linnet," Taren said, trying to break her from her fear- filled stupor, "They'll be fine, Irula knows what she's doing!"
"Listen to the boy," Amos murmured and guided Linnet into the small canoe that was tied to a stake stuck in mud of the riverbed.
With the skilled release of the rope by Amos they were off, gliding gently down the sparkling river Linnet had been admiring not ten minutes earlier. Xandro and Taren dutifully paddled for all they were worth as Linnet sat between them and tried not to imagine what that horrible captain may be doing to Irula and her family at that very moment. She watched Amos's retreating figure reenter the house as the unmistakable shadows of the soldiers passed by the windows. The boat turned a corner just as Tan Yi strode out to the back of the house. As the boat entered the forest he barely caught sight of a dark head bobbing among the riverbed vegetation.
- - -
"Well," Taren said as he pulled back on the oar for what seemed like the hundred millionth time, "Now we know just how much your father cares for you, Princess. Did you see the size of that search party?"
Linnet said nothing, only huddled miserably between the brothers in the canoe.
"Aye," Xandro continued, "musta' been more than twenty men! Wonder how they knew we'd be at Irula's. Maybe they've been followin' us since the beginning."
Linnet swallowed silently and tried to tell herself that it was impossible that the Guard could have been their shadows the whole time. To be honest, the possibility more than bruised her ego. Master escape artist she was not, but she was certainly sure she had managed to shake the Guard this long. It was probably a good thing Princess Linnet remained unaware of the Guard's traditional practice of letting all rookies tail her for a day. Her ego would have never recovered.
Not to say it didn't take a severe blow when she glanced up from her dark thoughts to be confronted by several fierce archers, every one with literally blazing red eyes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: Ain't I a stinker, to borrow a phrase? Happy Holidays!!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Linnet sighed and smiled as she soaked up the early morning light just outside the cottage. Everything seemed pristine, almost ethereal, after the storm's departure. The grass glistened with dew like dropped diamonds, and the small rock mountains that girded the south side of the green plain reminded her vaguely of kindly gods watching over her. A wide river unrestrained by rocks at its banks flowed soothingly until it disappeared among the trees the lined the plain's north side. The sky was dazzlingly blue, scoured by the storm of any clouds to impede the sun's light. All thought of Burke, the Kingdom, even Taren and Xandro and Irula, cheerfully departed from Linnet's mind as she wandered across the plain.
She recalled with a smile the morning's events, awakening to find the face of a young girl staring at her, brown eyes ablaze with curiosity from behind a curtain of russet hair, "Are you the Princess evr'body's lookin' for?" the child had asked.
Half-asleep, Linnet could only murmur something unidentifiable and roll over, bent on her return journey to the land of sleep.
But the child's tinkling laughter pierced Linnet's veil of sleepiness, "Well, at any rate, I'm Evera, and it's time fer breakfast, Princess." Linnet listened to the sound of Evera's feet sprinting away, down the hall, before levering herself to a standing position.
As she tried to orient herself, Irula came in, deftly drying her hands on a towel, "Ah, I see you're up. Breakfast is on the table when you're ready."
Linnet blinked a few times, and after seeing Irula vanished and she alone in the room, decided she'd better not seem an ungrateful guest and made her way down the hall to the kitchen. Her stomach moaned at the first sight of the modest breakfast laid out on the table. An extra place had been set between Taren and Evera, who were currently filling their plates along with Xandro and two other small boys.
"What did I miss?" she asked, plopping into an empty chair and promptly shoveling various foods onto her plate.
Taren glanced up from his meal, "Irula made breakfast," he said between mouthfuls.
"Yeah," Xandro chimed in, "And this is Evera," he gestured to the busily munching girl, "and this is Wat," he gestured to a boy maybe a year or two younger than Evera who gave Linnet a short nod, "and this is Tomsin," a boy a year or two older than Evera greeted Linnet with a similar nod as Wat. Evera and Wat could have been twins with their ginger hair and pale complexions, while Tomsin clearly inherited most of Amos' looks including a dark thatch of hair and brown eyes.
"Nice to meet you all," Linnet said diplomatically, "I assume you're Irula and Amos' kids." The three children nodded.
"Well, plus Awin," Wat added, glancing up at her with Irula's keen blue eyes.
"Of course," Linnet replied, and all conversation was limited to requests to pass an assortment of food items for the rest of the meal.
"Where're your parents?" Linnet asked as she sat back and unconsciously began the process of digestion.
"Out in the fields," Tomsin answered, "They get an early start, and then come in for food and we take over fer a spell." Then, as if with one thought between them, the three children rose from their seats and left the room without another word.
"I think I'm going to go for a walk," Linnet said after a minute, which had led her to this happy wandering among the fresh grass she was currently enjoying. But even as she strolled in nature's beauty, she couldn't help but wonder, what would today bring? This journey had brought so many challenges and obstacles, could she really expect them to stop now, when they were only halfway through? No, she thought as she gazed at the more ominous and snow-covered mountains in the distance, most certainly not. In fact, it's probably only a matter of time until our next adventure. The thought brought a buzz of excitement to the Princess as she continued her stroll across the vibrant plain.
Linnet turned sharply around to face the cottage. The thrill that had so recently pulsed in her veins suddenly vanished, creating a vacuum of dread in her chest that made her suck in a gasp of air. Coming down the road toward the cottage was a contingent of men, black in the morning sun. Kingdom's Guards, Linnet recognized the silver and purple banners fluttering in the light breeze immediately. She sprinted for the cottage, her eyes as wide as the plates she'd moments earlier eaten off of.
"Taren! Xandro!" she shouted as she flew through the door that led to the cottage's kitchen, they weren't there. She raced through the house while continuously shouting, "The Guard's here, we have to leave! Taren! Hurry, Xandro!"
Her two companions emerged from the upstairs with Irula and Amos, chuckling about something. Their laughter died upon noticing Linnet in her distressed state, "Something wrong, Princess?" Taren inquired.
"Kingdom's Guard... is coming," Linnet gasped, winded by her run, "We must leave, let's go!"
The Wesley brothers burst into action, dashing into sitting room and to grab whatever they'd brought inside, which wasn't much. "We have to get the horses," Xandro said, sounding slightly frantic, "All our supplies are out there."
"No time!" Linnet said, peeking out the window to check the contingent's progress, "We'll have to run for it, or hide. Irula, you may want to bring your children inside." The woman's eyes widened a fraction, but she followed Linnet's advice, leaving the three alone in the sitting room.
Amos, who had stayed silent during the turmoil, said, "You need a way ta' 'scape?"
"Would be helpful if you've got a spare," Taren quipped.
Amos viewed them for a moment before nodding slightly and saying, "Well, come on then." Linnet, Taren, and Xandro grabbed whatever they could and followed Amos as he led them out of the cottage.
- - -
Tan was the closest he'd been to jubilant in the past few days. He'd felt so positive this new lead would take him and his men to the Princess he'd roused them as soon as the storm had ceased and set out. Now they were nearing the small farm and cottage marked on the map. He, as the troop's leader, closed in on it astride his horse. He saw a woman standing in the field, gathering three small children to her. She, as well as the children, regarded him coolly as he approached.
"By command of King Paris and his esteemed council," Tan stated his memorized order, "we are searching for the Princess Linnet. In accordance with the Law, this house will be searched for her or any possible clues as to her whereabouts. I-"
"Well, you might as well turn round now, 'cause you'll find no Princess here!" Irula sharply interrupted, "And I'll thank you ta' not terrorize my children with all your horses and swords. We're a peaceful people, we don't need-"
"I'm sure you are, ma'am," Tan said, leaning down on his horse to put his face closer to Irula's, "But for the sake of the Kingdom, this has to be done. Princess Linnet must be found." Tan looked into the woman's eyes, but they kept darting back to the cottage, "It is vital to the Kingdom that she... is back where... she belongs." When Irula's eyes glanced back a fifth time Tan straightened abruptly and commanded his men, "Search the house, she's hiding something!"
- - -
Linnet's head shot up at the sound of the captain's shouted order. Her face was pale as death beneath its olive-skinned color, her eyes wide with anxiety for Irula and the children. What could the soldiers do to them way out here without any higher-ranking official than a captain to stop them?
"Come on, Linnet," Taren said, trying to break her from her fear- filled stupor, "They'll be fine, Irula knows what she's doing!"
"Listen to the boy," Amos murmured and guided Linnet into the small canoe that was tied to a stake stuck in mud of the riverbed.
With the skilled release of the rope by Amos they were off, gliding gently down the sparkling river Linnet had been admiring not ten minutes earlier. Xandro and Taren dutifully paddled for all they were worth as Linnet sat between them and tried not to imagine what that horrible captain may be doing to Irula and her family at that very moment. She watched Amos's retreating figure reenter the house as the unmistakable shadows of the soldiers passed by the windows. The boat turned a corner just as Tan Yi strode out to the back of the house. As the boat entered the forest he barely caught sight of a dark head bobbing among the riverbed vegetation.
- - -
"Well," Taren said as he pulled back on the oar for what seemed like the hundred millionth time, "Now we know just how much your father cares for you, Princess. Did you see the size of that search party?"
Linnet said nothing, only huddled miserably between the brothers in the canoe.
"Aye," Xandro continued, "musta' been more than twenty men! Wonder how they knew we'd be at Irula's. Maybe they've been followin' us since the beginning."
Linnet swallowed silently and tried to tell herself that it was impossible that the Guard could have been their shadows the whole time. To be honest, the possibility more than bruised her ego. Master escape artist she was not, but she was certainly sure she had managed to shake the Guard this long. It was probably a good thing Princess Linnet remained unaware of the Guard's traditional practice of letting all rookies tail her for a day. Her ego would have never recovered.
Not to say it didn't take a severe blow when she glanced up from her dark thoughts to be confronted by several fierce archers, every one with literally blazing red eyes.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A/N: Ain't I a stinker, to borrow a phrase? Happy Holidays!!