It was early morning with the sun just now coming up. The group soon came upon the merchant wagon the brothers had mentioned the night before. The owner was already up and awake when the group rode up to the wagon.
“Good morning friends!” greeted the merchant. “How may I serve you this fine morning?”
“We were hoping you may have some weapons that could be purchased,” said one of the brothers. “A sword would be our first choice for a preferred weapon”
“I believe I may be able to assist you with that request. You seem to be fine folks. Not the usual type I encounter. Where do you hail from?”
“We come from the Rose Kingdom,” said Princess Wildheart.
“I am Princess Wildheart. These two Princes are my brothers. Over there is Prince Morgan, Duke, Prince Tangent and my friend Pricilla,” she said.
The merchant quickly took a bended knee and bowed before them.
“I have heard of you Princess Wildheart. I am honored to be present among such royalty. Please let me be of service to you!”
“We would like to view any weapons that you have for sale,” said Princess Wildheart.
Rising up once more the merchant introduced himself.
“I am Clive Londen, a traveling merchant. I have many fine items for you to consider,” said Clive London.
Clive Londen then opened up cabinets on all sides of his wagon to display his items. There were a great variety of wares and weapons to be viewed. The group dismounted and began browsing the wagon’s contents.
“I have some special swords which may interest you,” said Clive.
He pulled out two long velvet bags from a hidden drawer on the wagon’s side.
“These swords belonged to a supreme commander of troops in the Kingdom of Wilshire. I usually do not display them because of the cost and the chance of theft,” said Clive.
Clive pulled the swords from the bags and showed them to the eager buyers. The swords were very nice quality. They appeared to be of polished steel and coated with silver with golden inlays. The handles had been wrapped in nice leather and had some large blue jewels encrusted in them.
“Those are nice swords. If you two don’t buy them, I will,” said Princess Wildheart, smiling.
“That depends on how much he wants for the two of them,” said her brother.
“The asking price is one hundred fifty gold coins for each one sir,” said Clive.
“Those will do nicely Clive,” said her brother.
“Toss in some scabbards with belts and you have a deal Clive,” said Prince Morgan, tossing him a bag of golden coins.
“Yes sir!”
Clive was excited to close the deal with the wealthy buyers.
“If I can do anything else for you Princess Wild heart I would be happy to oblige you,” said Clive as he handed the swords to the two Princes.
“No, I believe you have satisfied our needs today sir,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Fare well Clive London,” said the Princess.
The entire group bid Clive fare well as they rode off down the main trail to go back to Rose Kingdom. When they had traveled an hour further down the path they came upon a fallen tree that blocked the pathway. The group stopped and looked at the tree.
“It’s just our luck to come upon another fallen tree. We already saw this trick before and I believe we should be prepared for an attack,” said Princess Wildheart, pulling her Princess Sword.
She and the others dismounted the horses. The group led their horses around the path blocking tree. Once on the other side the group was immediately surrounded by a group of ten or so men who came quickly from behind the surrounding trees and shrubs.
“Lay down your weapons and no one shall be harmed! My men are eager to shed your blood today,” said one of the men.
Princess Wildheart laughed.
“You do not command me thief! You and your men would do well to run away while I am feeling generous,” she yelled back at the man who spoke.
Princess Wildheart held her Princess Sword up high in defiance. The filtered sunlight glittered off of the shiny steel on the Princess Sword. The other also pulled their swords as Duke notched an arrow from his quiver.
“Then you all will die this day and we take your gold from your dead hands,” said the thief.
He began to run towards Princess Wildheart, with his sword ready for action. He was blinded by the potential payday he was sure could be taken with his sword. He was wrong in thinking that a pretty girl would not put up a fight. The beautiful Princess quickly dispatched the thief with her Princess Sword as the others began fighting. In no time at all, the entire band of thieves were dead on the ground.
“Fool! I offered him a chance to live and he chose death instead,” said princess Wildheart as she sheathed her Princess Sword. “Men such as them do not live long Princess,” said Prince Morgan.
“True Morgan, they paid with their lives for that mistake,” said Duke.
The group didn’t spend any time searching the slain men but instead mounted their horses and continued on toward the Castle. It would now only be a few more hours of riding before they would arrive safely back to Rose Kingdom. The sun was up and it was a beautiful day. The group had ridden about another mile or so when they came upon two beautiful girls sitting atop a fallen log on the side of the path. Both girls were modestly clothed and were hailing the group as they approached them.
“Please help us!”
One of the girls was raising both arms in the air to halt them for help.
“What do you need help with? Tell us what happened so we can help you,” said Princess Wildheart as she and the others stopped in front of the girls.
“A group of men came onto our land and killed our father! They wanted to take our livestock and our horses. My father tried to stop them. Now we have no one to help us run our farm. My sister and I cannot do it by ourselves. We hid for a while and then ran away. We fear the men will return again to harm us,” said the girl crying.
“I see,” said Princess Wildheart.
“I am Princess Wildheart from the Rose Kingdom. These two men are my Prince Brothers. This is Prince Morgan, Duke, Pricilla and Prince Tangent,” she said pointing at each person as she introduced them to the girls.
“Princess Wildheart! I would have never thought you would be the one to rescue us,” said the girl as she and her sister dropped down on the ground bowing to them.
“We have heard of you Princess. I am sorry for troubling you. We are so honored to be in your presence,” she said.
“Arise young lady and tell me your names,” said Princess Wildheart.
“I am Lauren and my sister here is Peyton. Lauren and Peyton Salvia,” said the girl.
“Lauren and Peyton, I would like for you both to come with us to the castle in Rose Kingdom. You will be safe there and protected from any harm,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Oh thank you Princess Wildheart! That would be wonderful! Thank you so much! We had hoped somehow we would be saved,” said Lauren excitedly.
“Glad to be of help girls and I am sorry to hear of your father’s death,” she said. “You girls can ride with my brothers on their horses.”
Lauren and Peyton each climbed on the back of the brothers enormous war horses and held on tight. The group once again began riding toward the castle.
“I wonder what will happen next,” said Pricilla to no one in particular.
“You never know! Hopefully nothing will be next,” said Duke, smiling.
The girls chatted with the Prince brothers as they rode along. Each of the girls now felt safe and secure. The brothers seemed happy to have two beautiful girls to talk to while riding. Having several more hours left in their journey to the castle, they would get to know each other well. As the girls calmed down more details about the attack on their farm became known to the group. The description given of the attackers matched the thieves killed by the fallen tree.
“We came upon the group you
described and killed them all when they tried to attack us about an hour ago,” said Prince Tangent.
“They will not be doing any other bad deeds,” said Pricilla.
Peyton was calming down and talking to Prince Tanner as she rode with him on his huge horse.
“I know it won’t bring our father back to us but I am happy to hear they got what they deserved. I didn’t get your name Prince,” she said.
“Please excuse my lapse in manners Peyton. I am Prince Tanner and my brother there with whom your sister rides with is Prince William. Do not worry Peyton you girls are safe now with us. I will see to it that you both have a room in our family castle to stay in. I am so sorry you lost your father but know this. Everything will be alright. You girls can stay with us,” he said as they rode along.
“That’s very good to hear Prince. We are very grateful to you and the Princess for helping us out,” said Peyton as she hugged him tight, holding on.
“We are happy to help you Peyton. Two beautiful girls as yourselves will be wonderful to have around the castle and my mother and father, the King and Queen, will adore you both! Just relax now and enjoy the ride, you can look forward to a bright future. Not much longer to the castle from here,” said the Prince.
A while longer and the Castle came into view. It was now late afternoon and everyone was getting tired and hungry.
“Good to be home again,” said Princess Wildheart to Prince Morgan.
“I need some Princess pampering now that we are back home again,” she said, smiling at Prince Morgan.
“You earned it Princess, a tiresome but successful adventure I would say,” said Prince Morgan.
“Yes and mother and father will be so thrilled to have my brothers back at the castle,” she said.
When the guards saw the riders approaching they immediately opened the gates to let them enter the Kingdom. Trumpets were sounded to note the arrival of the group.
“Princess Wildheart has returned with the two Princes!”
All of the vendors and merchants quickly came running out from their shops to see the Princess and the others entering the courtyard. They ran toward the riders, thrilled to see them all return. The gates were closed behind them and the crowd began cheering happily.
They stopped in front of the livery stables and dismounted from their horses. Castle guards came to assist with the animals and escort them back to the castle where the King and Queen had come out in front of the entry doors to see what the commotion was. They both held onto each other when they saw everyone returning.
“My sons, you are back!”
The Queen ran up to her sons and threw her arms around them.
“I thought I had lost you both,” she said as she kissed and hugged them.
“Welcome back my sons I am very happy to see you safe and unharmed,” said the King, hugging them both.
“We have our sister and the others here to thank for that father! I salute you all and am forever in your debt,” said Prince William, bowing to them all.
The king then went over to Princess Wildheart and gave her a big hug and kiss.
“I am so happy to have you back safe and sound my Princess,” he said.
She hugged her father tightly. It was good to be home with her brothers now safe.
“I am so happy to be back home again father,” she said.
The King then turned toward Prince Morgan, Duke, Pricilla and Prince Tangent who had been watching the happy reunion with joy in their hearts.
“I cannot tell you how happy I am to have my entire family back safely at the castle,” said the King.
“Your bravery and unselfish acts of courage are to become legendary. Thank you all so much for all you have done,” he said.
The King then went up to Pricilla and gave her a hug and kiss.
“Pricilla, my daughter I am so happy you have returned safe,” said the King.
Pricilla smiled as she hugged the King. The King and Queen were the only parents she had really known and she loved them both deeply.
“I am happy to be back father,” she said as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Pricilla knew in her heart that she was loved and it made her feel special. Only the special feeling you can get from knowing that others care for you deeply.
The Queen hugged Pricilla and Princess Wildheart and then turned to Prince Tanner and asked. “Who are these two beautiful young girls you two have brought home with you?”
“Mother, this is Peyton and her sister Lauren. Their father was killed by some bandits this morning and the family farm ransacked. We came upon them standing near the trail waving us down for help. I assured them they could stay with us here in the castle,” he said.
“I am sorry for your loss dear girls. Of course you may stay with us, I will order a room to be prepared for you both,” said the Queen.
“Darling, come meet Peyton and Lauren. Princess Wildheart has brought us some special visitors,” said the Queen.
The King came over to the girls and gave them both a hug.
“Welcome to my Kingdom Peyton and Lauren. Where do you girls hail from?”
The Queen explained their situation to the King. The King was understanding and generous. He would be more than happy to help the poor girls in their time of need.
“Fear not girls, you will be safe here with us in the family castle,” he said.
“You girls have been through enough today. Come with me inside the castle and we will get you refreshed and have something to eat,” said the Queen as she led Peyton and Lauren inside the castle.
The two girls smiled and were happy to follow the Queen inside. Everything was new here but they felt welcome and accepted.
“We must all go inside and get refreshed. We will have a great feast and celebrate as we have so much to be thankful for today,” said the King.
“Anything will be fine to eat, just no more biscuits and tea for now,” said Princess Wildheart, smiling.
Everyone laughed and was joyful as they followed the King inside the castle. The courtyard crowd bustled with excitement and chatter as they watched the group follow the King back inside the castle. Castle guards stood as sentries in front of the doors when they closed. Another person was watching from the shadows of the stables.
EIGHTEEN
Prince Darksoul had been standing in the shadows of the stables watching the happy reunion. Evil thoughts were his only thoughts. He resented being rejected by Princess Wildheart in favor of Prince Morgan. Prince Darksoul was bitter and would not take this entire situation lightly. He had already decided that some sort of dastardly deed was in order to take revenge.
Once inside the castle the group went their separate ways to bathe and get dressed in clean clothes for the big feast. Princess Wildheart and Pricilla both dressed in beautiful gowns and wore gorgeous jewelry. The Queen provided Peyton and Lauren with a room and some Princess gowns of their own. They looked even more beautiful than before and seemed happy to be at the castle. The King provided Prince Tangent with a room of his own in the castle as a reward for his bravery and loyalty to the Rose Kingdom. The wounded Prince Marcus had recovered enough from his injuries to attend the feast and join in the celebration.
Everyone sat at a huge table to enjoy the feast ordered by the King. Fine food and wine adorned the King’s table as they ate and enjoyed each other’s company. Prince Tangent told the King and Queen the details of the entire adventure. He had a knack for story telling that made his recount of the journey sound fun and exciting. Prince Tangent got very excited when he told the story of the wolf attack on Elise Cooper.
“He is gaga over Elise Cooper! Completely in love with her,” said Princess Wildheart.
“You must invite her to the castle Prince Tangent. The King and I would love to meet her,” said the Queen.
“I will. My plan was to ride over to her farm tomorrow morning. I know she would be thrilled to meet you and the King,” he said.
Everyone stayed at the feast
for several hours, eating and drinking. It was nice for them to be able to spend time together relaxing and celebrating. After some time it was agreed by all that a good night’s sleep was in order. It had been a very long and tiring day and a peaceful rest would be welcome. The King insisted that Prince Morgan and Duke have their own rooms in the castle to get some proper rest for the night. Palace guards would be stationed in the hallways to watch over and protect everyone from harm. The castle was quiet all night as they slept.
Morning came and everyone gathered for breakfast in the castle dining room. Each of them had their day planned doing various activities. Prince Tangent said he would be leaving to bring back Elise Cooper after breakfast. He seemed full of energy and excitement at the thought of seeing her again. The Queen planned to spend her day shopping with Peyton and Lauren. The girls needed clothing and other things that she would provide for them. Prince Morgan said he had something he would like to share with everyone. The group became quiet and listened respectfully.
“As you all know, I am Prince Morgan from the Kingdom of Caledon and this is my friend and traveling partner Duke. What I haven’t told all of you yet is that Duke and I had heard that my sword may have been taken and sold here in the Rose Kingdom. That is why we came here, not as merchants or adventurers but to retrieve my sword if indeed, it had been brought here. Caledon is a Kingdom which I am heir to the throne. It is much larger than the Rose Kingdom. We have an army that numbers over twenty thousand strong. Duke here is the commander of the entire army. He is my best friend and will always be. I found my precious sword and got it back as you can all see. I did not expect to meet and fall in love with such a beautiful Princess as I did but I am very happy things have turned out this way,”
The entire group applauded him. Then it was Duke who had something to say.
“I met my future bride Pricilla here on our journey. After spending time together I am more convinced than ever, she is the one for me,” said Duke.
“Pricilla and I were told of this the first night we camped,” said Princess Wildheart.
“I understand Prince Morgan, I appreciate the sacrifices that you and Duke have made for my Kingdom,” said the King.
The Legend of Princess Wildheart Page 11