Harley
I couldn't tell Tristan I didn't know how to leave my own kingdom of Greatland, either way somewhere in his, brain, he must know some way to get out of the kingdom without people noticing.
If he could sneak past out royal guard when her was younger he could get out now when he had been sneaking around living in the woods.
He was so lazy though, I can't believe he even lasted a year, he must of gambled like a fool. My face was clearly showing obvious ponder on a subject.
"Harley, what are you thinking about?"
"Well, how exactly did you survive all those years?"
"Ah, questioning my survival technique? Princess, we will live. I did for much longer then it will take to even get right up in the princes face at Tropicus Island."
"Tristan, what about the Iron-Compass Sea?"
"I, well."
Oh great. His plans are always very right here, right distance to the Iron-Compass Sea from where we are now is a week at least. A week to plan, a week to live, and a week to hide.
Before I killed my brother, but after my "suicide", I lived by the Iron-Compass Sea, it had water, plenty of animals, and lots of fish. No one ever went there, they were to afraid of what wasn't there. At that time people were to concerned with my death to even manage to keep the castle gates free, of intruders. It was the perfect time to flee. I had thought about looking for Tristan but realized there was no point in disturbing him, and the life he may have had.
It was a different story when I killed Charming a few days ago. Yes my brother was Prince Charming, no more secrets from me, not ever again. So after I killed him, I heard word of a butcher shop, owned by no other than Tristan Cabtiot. Obviously when he had word of the Prince's death he came back to The Kingdom of the Lost. I knew I had to tell him, tell him I was alive but I had to go.
When I did, he gratefully said he would escape, but before that we bought two matching cloaks, fine armor, clothes, and two rings just in case…
I will get to that later. I looked at Tristan and decided something, "Tristan, I mean how do we cross the sea? You and I both know there is no monster in that sea other than wind and waves. It can't be hard to cross, can it?"
"You see, Princess, I have thought that too, but even with no monster from the legends something is still there."
"Tristan, you know one of your family who belongs to that of Mer, am I correct?"
"Yes Princess."
"Does he not live in the Iron-Compass Sea?"
"He does, but Princess, he would not willingly turn us, to them."
"Tristan, we are both UNdefined, if we do not claim our race, you know what we become. Don't you?"
He sighed, "Deadwalkers."
"Precisely."
"Princess do you really wish to become one of them? There are so many more options for us, we could be anything, it is one of the positives of being a UNdefined. Anything at all."
"Tristan, at least give it a thought."
"Yes, your highness."
"and Tristan?"
"Yes Princess?"
"My name is Harley, you will call me that."
"Yes, your, I mean Harley."
He knew we had to leave, and if we didn't we were dead, and this time for real. We wouldn't even live to be Deadwalkers. I hope I won't become a Deadwalker, alive but living in graveyards with the dead. Once a Deadwalker, the only way out is to become a Spirit Receiver, you hunt the souls of innocent, and take it, until the person is on their deathbed, then you find a new soul and the cycle continues, you would never be yourself.
We were still in town gathering supplies. When we returned to the butcher shop, we scanned our goods, making sure we had everything we needed, Tristan would call it off a list, "Knives?"
"Check."
"Cloaks?"
"Check."
"Clothes? For both of us?"
"Check, Check."
"Rings?"
"Check, and Check, they are quite beautiful."
"THank you, Boots?"
"Check."
"Gold?"
"Check."
"Maps?"
"Check, and the compass too."
"Bows, and Arrows?"
"Check."
"Are the horses outside?"
"Yes sir."
"What will our names be?"
"I still like Ash."
"I will go with James."
"Remember, to stick to it Tristan."
"I understand Harley."
After we had gotten everything, we carefully fastened the baskets of belongings onto the horses saddle.
When we strapped the last one on, my knees buckled and I went down, hard and fast. Tristan raised an eyebrow at me, I nodded to say I was fine, but my checks caught fire with embarrassment. He held his hands out to help me up, my peach dress had become a mess, my black hair had even slackened in the bun it was tied in, and fell to my shoulders.
This was bad, people would recognize me, Tristan held out a cloak, "Here you go Ash."
That was my only signal to the name cover, "Thank you sir James."
He put on a fake smile, and lifted me onto my horse, he got upon his too, and leaned his horse in, and whispered quietly, "Harley, ride ahead to the gates, and they will not suspect a woman, see how many guards, and locate the gate latch. I am sorry but if we become know there will be no escaping our penalty for treason."
"Bye, Tri- James."
"Bye Lady Ash."
As much as I wish I could, it was not one of those riding off into the midnight things, in fact, it was mid-day, it was hot, wolves howled at me as I made my way to that gate not far from the butcher shop. When I arrived guards were on break, and switching post, I couldn't decide whether or not this would of been a good time to make a break for it, of the worst time ever.
Death flashed throughout my mind as if it were welcome as a friend. Temptations and illusions were common on this path, even when you think you have made it out, the perpetual length grew on. With luck I won't lose my sanity to a mere illusion. Even though luck it's self is an illusion.
I could not think of the bloodthirsty creatures that lurk in the woods among these paths.
I decided to close my eyes to think about what would be at the gates, any hope it would be the same as when I "died".
My knees still hurt from the fall, I had no idea what had caused the humiliating situation back in front of the shop. My knees just feel.
I looked at my pocket of my cloak and found one of the rings, the bright amethyst one. It had been gently crafted, and one pearl on either side of the elegant violet gem. I couldn't help myself to put it on, and suddenly my illusions were gone, and the fog cleared through quickly as I left the woods.
The barricade blocking off the rest of the world went all around The Kingdom Of The Lost, but there is only one entrance and exit. The guards there could be anything from wolves, to pixie, or even Deadwalkers with stolen souls. Their rankings could be anywhere from privates to generals. There were so many of them though, and no way Tristan and I could make it through the gate without notice.
We were to well dressed to go as hunters, to few of us to fight them off, to old to play innocent. The barricade was made from crumbling ash colored cobble-stones. I began thinking of ways to distract them while Tristan continued through. I wish I had encountered a shape-shifter in my years before and chosen that as my race, but as foolish as I am I waited until a mere month before my birthday to begin worrying about this. There was another trouble, Tristan was sixteen in a week, and he must change before he becomes a Deadwalker, oh how dreadful it would be to be among the dead, and the only loophole was stealing souls of the innocent. She began flashing through images of her her friend, but this time tall and dark, glancing hungrily at the civilians passing by mourning those they had lost. This would not become of him, she would not let it.
One of the guards then sprung into her face, clearly vampire, smelling awfully of the iron blood of her people, he showed his fangs, and in a flash began searching her things, the wind stirred by his speed blew her hood off, so she quickly pulled it back on. His cold black stare was questioning and full of hunger, there was no loyal guard to that who looked of a commoner. With one slight move she could be dead. Something struck her memory, this was Justin, her brother's old friend, he had been an UNdefined to, I guess we know his path. He opened his mouth as if he were going to strike his blow, "What is it they call you my darling?"
"Harley."
Darn my wretched mouth, he was tempting me to proof.
"Harley is it? Did we not recently have a delusional princess named Harley?"
"Yes sir, but…"
"You will not make excuses, or speak back to a solider madam, do I make myself clear Madam?"
"Yes sir."
He would never listen, just keep on talking she thought, it would give her time to think of a plan.
"You see darling, I was Charming's friend, he spoke ill of his sister, but you must have attended enough of his speakings to know that, the ones after he died."
He did what?, "I am sorry no, sir, I lived in…"
"Where could you have lived? There is nothing but monsters that live beyond these walls, only people of the royal army know beyond the barricade."
"There are now monsters, other then those of the paranormal decent as of yourself. Now release me!"
"You are not permitted to speak to me in that tone you disrespectful twit! You are as delusional as the Princess if I may say so myself!"
"Because I am Princess Harley!"
What have I done!
"You can not be! She preformed a great deal to herself! She, I thought that, her family told us, I read her diaries, she even wrote she would preform the deed!"
"Would you shut-up you fool. Justin it is me! Can you not look at me and tell."
She removed her hood. Justin's jaws fell open, his fangs still through his gums ready for attack, "But Harley why did you, why did you let people believe you killed yourself?"
She thought for a moment, if she didn't tell him it would take little time to figure out she was lying, "Because, I did all the work for my brother that was the Crowned Prince, I could not live under his rule! So I lived on the shores of the Iron-Compass Sea, years later I wondered why I had to be the one out of my home! So I killed the wretch!"
"Harley, you killed Char?"
"Yes," she began crying realizing this will happen many times, "and I have to kill you now that you know. I am sorry, wait you read my diary!"
"Why wouldn't I, I love the parts about me, my Princess, but you know your brother wouldn't approve, well," his voice grew in rage, "what does it matter, he is dead!"
"And you aren't?"
"That is not the same Harley, and you know that, he was a great friend…"
"And a lousy brother, he did nothing, he was lazy, he sat there like a bump on a log. I felt bad for killing before, but know you are not even going to remain undead.''
"Because I read your love letters to me in your journal? A woman can not kill a man, especially an undead man, even if she is a princess. Wait, before you humiliate yourself trying to give me a hang-nail, was I truly as stunningly alluring as you claim me to be?"
Yes, "No."
"Well what does it matter now? I am more attractive then ever, and you will soon be dead."
A familiar voice rang, "That will mean you have to make sure I lie dead first."
"Harley, truly I thought you were better then Tristan the stable boy, even though I am quite thirsty. He must be very meaty judging all that lifting you onto your horse when you were little, and waxing her saddles.''
"How do you know my name?"
"Tristan the stable boy, everyone knows your name, you are the only one who escaped the castle alive. Tell me boy, how did you do it?"
I called out, "That was my doing."
He snickered, "Of course it was. You know Harley, I when I read your journal I saw many things about Tristan to, in fact I think I saved a page, or maybe I showed the entire village. Who knows really but i must say Tristan, I am going to have to kill you know that your little girlfriend has ranked you higher then me, maybe we should make it where you deserve to be described as that of my kind."
I had to stop him, "Justin! Please stop, what do you want from us?"
"Well since you asked, I want him dead, and I want you to admit your feelings for me."
Tristan was terribly uncomfortable with the situation, my cheeks lit light fire displaying my embarrassment. I had written things about both of them, more about Tristan who was my only true friend. "You won't kill him, and I won't kill you, but you must promise this, you will come with us, and you will tell no one of our existence. Understood," I held a Oak stake to his heart, or what looked like an oak twig. His Immediate response showed understanding, and obedience.
He grabbed us by the arm, and began throwing us on our horses, he took the reigns and began walking through the gate, he nodded to the guards by it, and they waved a sign of respect, but questioning shown in their eyes. I felt the urge to run, like I couldn't trust my horse to go forth. I didn't trust Justin very much either, he seemed to straightforward to act this mysterious. He made sure the gates closed behind him and then snatched Tristan and I off our horse, "You will not threaten me girl, I will come with you because I do not wish to hurt which thy brother loved, despite your feelings for him. If you can deal with this Tristan fellow, so I will too, but darling now that we are through what were your intentions?"
"My intentions will remain a secret until we know yours, and wether or not we can trust them."
Tristan looked at me, "Harley, if he wanted us dead he would of done so to us already, I hate to say my trust is in him."
"Harley, I wish nothing upon you people, listen to him, and now that I am in this situation what are we doing?"
"Well do you want a straightforward answer, or the plan?"
"Both."
"We will be crossing the Iron-Compass Sea to Tropicus where we can live unknown."
The color that was never there left his face.