by Brian Davis
Sir Vladimir quickly flipped over the large barrels as they rolled towards them. The guards paused in shock and quickly evaded the barrels. Sir Vladimir instantly sprinted to the stables where Sheena climbed on one of the horses.
“Come on! Quickly!” She encouraged.
Sir Vladimir climbed on the horse and they both tugged on the horses’ leashes, forcing them to sprint away from the right exit of the castle. Sheena’s eyes stretched in sheer horror.
“There’re lifting the drawbridge!” She warned when she saw the drawbridge slowly rising up.
“Hurry!” Sir Vladimir screamed as his horse raced behind hers.
The horses continued to sprint forward and Sheena braced herself closer to the horse’s body while the horse leaped up and off of the tip of the drawbridge and landed on the other side of the pond. Sir Vladimir’s horse mimicked Sheena’s, and the horse landed next to hers. They continued to sprint into the city as the guards sound their horns.
“Turn here!” Sir Vladimir exclaimed.
The horses turned right and Sir Vladimir shouted.
“Stop!”
Sheena tugged on the horse’s leash, forcing the horse to stop.
“Why are we stopping?” She asked.
“We leave the horses.”
“What!?”
“We leave the horses and run on foot!”
“Are you mad!?”
“Come on, we have no time!”
Sir Vladimir and Sheena climbed off from the horses and sprinted through town.
The guards rode on the horses and some raced through the town and city. Sir Vladimir and Sheena continued to run ahead of them. They quickly paused when they saw an alley to the left.
“Quickly in here!” Sir Vladimir suggested.
Sheena followed him and paused when Sir Vladimir forced her back against the brick wall. He now faced her and instantly covered her mouth with his lips, kissing her passionately. She was shocked over his actions. The guards continued to race forward, passing the alley. His lips now left hers, leaving her eyes wide in shock.
“Come on, this way!” He grabbed her hand and sprinted out from the alley.
They raced across another alley to the right as the guards rushed into a crowd of bystanders. Sir Vladimir and Sheena pushed through the crowd while he held onto her hand tightly, pulling her with him. The guards searched desperately through the crowd. Sir Vladimir and Sheena finally pressed through the crowd. She paused, forcing him to stop.
“This way! There’s the passageway towards our ship!” She said.
They both raced through the passageway as the guards continued to press through the crowd. They now raced through the passageway after Sir Vladimir and Sheena.
On the ship, Calvin the Terrible stood on the upper deck. His eyes broadened when he saw Sir Vladimir and Sheena racing down the passageway towards the ship. Calvin the Terrible turned and faced the sailors.
“Lower the sails!”
The sailors quickly lowered the sails.
Sir Vladimir and Sheena continued to race down the alley. Her eyes stretched.
“Come on! The ship is moving! We have to catch up to the ship before it’s too far away for us!”
They sprinted faster on foot and quickly approached the shoreline. The instantly climbed up the wooden platform on the ship, and the sailors pulled the platform up onto the deck.
“Cut the ropes!” Calvin the Terrible ordered.
The sailors cut the ropes that were attached to the post on the shorelines and the ship swiftly sped away with the sails blowing within the wind. Both Sheena and Sir Vladimir crawled on their hands and knees, panting.
“We’ve made it!” She gasped.
“I… I’ve seen a woman run like a deer in a skirt!” Sir Vladimir complimented.
“Aye… when you have the devil chasing your ass, you’ll learn to run like the wind… even if you’re wearing a skirt!”
“The loot?” Calvin the Terrible asked.
“All right here!” She laid the bag on the deck.
Calvin the Terrible pointed the tip of his blade at Sir Vladimir.
“Take the loot from the outlander!”
The sailors approached and Sir Vladimir quickly sprung up to his feet with his hand clenched to the handle of his arming sword.
“Halt!” Sheena demanded.
The sailors paused over her orders.
“Stay where you are! The loot belongs to him!”
“But…” Calvin paused.
“That is his share!” She quickly shouted. “He earnt that. The rest will be ours.” She stood and with the bag of loot and walked away to the lower deck.
The sailors slid their swords back into its sheaths. Calvin the Terrible frowned.
“Make sure that we are not being chased!” He ordered the sailors with a grim expression on his face, while cutting his eyes away from Sir Vladimir and walking away.
Chapter 17
The Castilians Knights paused as they now reached the snowy Alps. The land was covered with snow. The wind blew, blowing a cold crisp of wind through their armor and fur. The knights’ jaws clenched as they stood waiting for Sir Alexander’s commands. Up ahead from a short distance in eyes’ view, a fortress towered ahead.
“There,” Sir Godfrey pointed, “it is our fortress up ahead!”
“I know… we march forward!” Sir Alexander said.
The knights pressed forward through the snow. Their armored boots sunk deep into the four inch snow that covered the ground. They now approached the front gates of the fortress. The gates opened where the knights met. Sir Richard, commander of the fortress approached Sir Alexander.
“My lord, you have finally arrived!”
“Yes. Our journey was perilous, but we managed to overcome our threats.”
“Aye my lord. I sent scouts up ahead.”
“Any word of them?”
“We have trouble up ahead.”
“Trouble?” Sir Alexander asked while walking side by side with Sir Richard.
“Yes my lord. The scouts discovered that the Paladins Knights are here. They may be setting up a fortress as well.” Sir Richard paused, forcing Sir Alexander to stop in his tracks.
“What is it?” Sir Alexander asked.
“An elf? What is she doing here?”
“Aye, she aids me on my journey.”
“She…? My lord, I do not understand…”
“It is for you not to understand or question my judgments.”
“Yes my lord.”
“About the Paladins…”
“Yes, the scouts reported that they saw an army of Paladins.”
“Was my bother with them?”
“Sir…?”
“Sir Franklin?”
“I do not know.”
“We prepare the knights.”
“Aye. I will accompany you.”
“Nay. You will stay here. My knights will accompany me. We will meet up with the scouts.”
“The scouts are already here.”
“Then they will show us the way. Also, I want you to report to Castle Boarstall and give Lady Jetta a letter that I’ve written to her. Give her my regards also.”
He handed Sir Richard a folded letter.
“Yes my lord.”
Sir Alexander walked away.
“My lord I…” Sir Richard paused when Sir Godfrey grabbed hold of his arm.
“Sir Richard what is it that’s troubling you?”
“It’s our lord, Sir Alexander… Sir Godfrey… I received terrible news… Castle Boarstall has fallen into the hands of the Paladins.”
“What you say?”
“It is true. The queen has been slain.”
“My God.”
“Aye… including the knights… Lady Jetta was one of them. Sir Alexander gave me a letter to give to Lady Jetta. I have to inform Sir Alexander that Lady Jetta has fallen in battle.”
“Nay.”
“What? But I must inform…”
&
nbsp; “I say nay!”
“Sir Godfrey… I must! It is Lady Jetta that we’re talking about! He must know. She is his heart!”
Sir Godfrey aggressively grabbed Sir Richard.
“Trust me as I say to thee… Young Sir Alexander must not know of his heart, Lady Jetta has fallen in battle. His mind must be focus on his journey. If he is distracted, this war of uniting the lands will be lost! When a man loses the woman he loves… he loses his focus and only judge irrationally through his emotions! He is our lord he cannot be distracted!”
“Then what must I do then?”
“Gather the knights. Summon more if you must. We revenge the fallen knights and retake the castle, but in due time. However, Sir Alexander must not know of Lady Jetta’s death. I’m depending on you to not say a word about her death to Sir Alexander. Do I make myself clear?”
“Aye. I understand.”
“Good. I know it’s a difficult choice to not inform the tragedy of one’s heart. But Sir Alexander is the only hope we have in uniting the lands for our king. Now, we go forth, and my God and Merlin aid us to our victory…”