Migs, Luna and Skylar had been caught off guard. They each had four warriors attack them simultaneously. Leashing them and trying to tie them down. They struggled but to no avail.
Elena and Gabe stood frozen, staring at the hundreds of warriors that now surrounded them. Each sat tall, broad and armed upon their horses. They were each shirtless, exposing their abnormally large and muscular physiques. To say that they were intimidating would be an understatement.
"Well.. we needed an army..." Elena said positively and stepped away from the shelter where she and Gabe had been sleeping just moments ago.
"Elena..." Gabe said in a way that advised her to proceed with more caution than she was about to do.
"It's fine Gabe! They clearly want to talk to us or else they'd have come after us too. But they haven't. They're just sitting there waiting." Elena responded.
Gabe let out an exasperated sigh and followed closely behind Elena as she began to approach the warriors. As she neared them, three dismounted, sheathed their swords and started towards Elena. Elena turned towards Gabe just to give him an "I told you so" look to which he rolled his eyes at her, thinking that she shouldn't be so confident just yet.
As the five strangers all came face to face, they stopped and just for a moment, they all remained silent as tension began to build. The warriors towered over both Elena and Gabe. One of them stood in front while the others remained slightly behind, just as Gabe was doing with Elena. Elena assumed the front man to be the leader. They all sized each other up, wondering about the intentions of the other party. The leader gave Elena a slight chill as he looked her up and down. His gaze lingered on her body a little too long for her liking. He licked his lips and his eyes filled with lust. Despite her uneasy feeling, Elena held her head high and stood her ground.
"You will release my friends. They won't do you any harm." She demanded assertively, motioning towards the jaquins.
The leader audibly laughed at her. "Those beasts? Oh no. We can't do that"
"Are you the leader of this... tribe?" Elena said, still strong.
"I am King Galtero of the island of Fuerzo. And you? What sort of woman are you to approach a king so boldly?" He clearly felt superior to Elena and didn't seem to have any actual interest in what her response to his question would be. He took a step closer to her and changed his tone as he wore a lewd expression. "Although... I must say... I admire your spirit" He said, and grazed the back of his hand across her cheek. Elena didn't move. She defiantly stared him directly in the eyes, trying her best to not let him intimidate her. She swatted his hand away, angering the king and triggering Gabe to take a step forward, readying himself to protect her. Before Gabe could even get close to his princess, the two other warriors were all over him. One landed a blow to Gabe's jaw, knocking his head back. The burly warrior's punch felt more like being hit in the face with a brick. Gabe became dazed and dropped to his knees. Blood poured to the ground from his lower lip. The two men stood over him as a warning to not get up or make any other sudden movements.
"GABE!" Elena screamed out in fear for her guard. Her instinct was to rush to his side but Galtero grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Galtero looked to his men and called out his orders. "First, you can Kill him and then you can kill the beasts and then..." he paused as he turned his sights on Elena. He brought her in close to him, grasping her wrists behind her back. Elena remained calm and wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of looking fearful but then Galtero reached for Elena's skirt and untied the drawstring. Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard as the king continued his command "When I'm done with this one... you can kill her too."
Elena finally had to take some action. She dug her nails into the aggressive King, causing him to flinch just enough for her to pull a hand free from his grasp. She slapped him across the face and tried to pull her other arm free. The king recovered quickly, Elena's fight barely detouring him from getting what he wanted. He grabbed her arms again and threw her to the ground. Gabe attempted to go to Elena but was met with a hard kick to the ribs before he could even make it back up to his feet. He hunched over and fell back to his knees in pain, helplessly watching as King Galtero hovered over Elena and the other two warriors pulled out their swords, ready to carry out their leader's commands.
"ENOUGH!" Cried a voice in the distance. The king hatefully glared at one of his approaching warriors. The other two men by the kings side, immediately lowered their swords. Elena closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, relieved for the brief opportunity to organize her thoughts and come up with a plan to survive their situation. Gabe looked up and his eyes widened. He immediately recognized the warrior that had momentarily postponed his death.
"You can not touch her. She is Elena Castillo Flores, the Crown Princess of Avalor. That man is a member of her royal guard. The jaquins are her protectors. She is to be treated with respect." The warrior said, much to King Galtero's dismay.
Elena looked up at the man, surprised that one of the barbaric tribesman had recognized her. It was then that it hit her who he was. He was known simply as "The Beast". He was a champion fencer who she had faced and defeated nearly two years ago in Avalor's swordsman's cup tournament.
Galtero let out a boisterous laugh as he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "This is who beat you at the tournament brother? This skinny woman?"
The Beast looked down at Elena. It was true, she didn't look very strong but she was a persistent fighter. She had heart and she had know how. He looked to his brother and just nodded in a way that showed he was not ashamed by it. She was tougher than she appeared. Galtero accepted it to be true and raised his eyebrows with awe as this new information peaked his interest.
"Well then... " He said, placing his lustful eyes back on Elena. "Knowing that she too is a warrior, makes me want her all the more. Maybe she'll put up a good fight" He said grinning and then leaned down towards Elena who's stomach flipped with disgust at the thought of him touching her "You won't win though princess" He whispered.
"She is royalty brother!" The Beast reiterated. "Our laws do not allow you to harm her. You can not go against the word of your tribe."
Elena's eyes went back and forth between the two brothers, in an obvious disagreement. He can't touch me she thought and repeated that to herself as she conjured some courage and rose to her feet. The king eyed her and his expression told her that he wasn't used to being stood up to or told no. He didn't like it and she didn't care.
"You're the princess of Avalor? Then what are you doing on my island, sleeping on my beach?" Galtero asked Elena, growing irritated with the unabating stance she was taking with him.
Elena looked to Gabe, still hunched over on the ground, holding his beaten ribs. Gabe nodded to her that she should tell him. They already knew who she was, there was no reason to hide anything else anymore.
"My kingdom was invaded. I was forced to flee or be killed" Elena explained "I would need an army in order to return and reclaim my throne"
"Are you suggesting that I offer you my army?" Galtero asked her, turning serious now as he realized that this was not just an encounter with expendable strangers. This was now a game of politics.
"I am" Elena said firmly, standing with authority.
"You would need to offer something to me in return before I could even consider such a thing" Galtero stated before giving Elena his one and only offer. "You will be my queen."
Elena took a deep inhale, not expecting such a demand.
"No" She responded without hesitation.
Galtero narrowed his eyes on Elena, stepping closer to her until they were face to face. His body mere inches from being directly against hers. Again, Elena didn't budge. She matched his glare. She was steady despite her heart nearly beating out of her chest with anxiety.
Galtero leaned impossibly closer to Elena. His voice was vicious but calm as he quietly made clear to Elena that this was not a negotiation.
"If you don't accept my offer, I will kill your guard, I will kill your winged friends and I will return you to Avalor where I'm sure that you too will be killed. It's your choice princess." He told her.
Elena's breath quickened and she scowled at him, finally revealing some emotion on her face. He had given her a choice but it really wasn't much of a choice at all. Her eyes glanced over at the jaquins and then over at Gabe. She was their leader. She thought about how they had given up everything to protect her. Now it was her turn to sacrifice for them. She returned her eyes to meet Galtero's and locked them on him. A fierce sensation came over her as she knew what she had to do.
"You may take me as your queen" She responded but not in a yielding manor. She wasn't finished. "But my friends are not to be harmed. My guard will resume his duties. He will remain by my side and live as a member of the Fuerzo community."
Galtero turned and looked at Gabe and then back to Elena.
"Done" He agreed as he grinned in a way that Elena didn't quite understand yet.
Galtero motioned for some of his men to send over two horses. He then turned and walked back to his own horse, followed by his two soldiers, leaving Gabe and Elena alone. Elena finally rushed to Gabe's side and helped him to his feet.
"What did you just do?!" Gabe scolded before Elena could even ask about his injuries and if he was OK. His voice was filled with worry and panic.
"I saved your life" She replied, surprised at his reaction. She stood in front of him and their eyes met. His were troubled by their encounter and what Elena's future had suddenly just become. He knew that they were all still in danger. Elena's eyes were confused. She watched him wipe a final drip of blood that fell from his lip with the back of his hand. She had expected him to thank her for her sacrifice and couldn't understand the pain in his eyes. "I don't understand why you're angry. Are you OK?" She asked.
"No!" Gabe answered, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't think you realize what you just did"
"We needed an army. When I'm queen that army will be mine." Elena explained.
"No Elena. This isn't Avalor. You being his queen doesn't mean what you think it means. He doesn't want someone to rule beside him... he just wants you!" Gabe insisted. "And even if he does keep his word and lets us live, we are still trapped here. We won't ever get back home"
"At least we're alive!" Elena stated defensively.
Before Gabe could respond two men approached with horses. Gabe mounted his and Elena hers. They were both frustrated with each other and frustrated with how their situation had gone from bad to worse so quickly. They followed the warriors in silence, heading towards what would become their new home. The jaquins remained leashed but followed the crowd as well.