by Billy Miner
Banished under false accusations, he finds himself desperate and alone. But when he meets others who think the same way, they prepare for an invasion. Rebellion is at hand, and there is no stopping it. Wesley is determined to end this thing for good.
Entry 1: Archery
The forest was dark and dreary. I could feel the tension in the air. A chilling wind was piercing through the marrow in my bones. I didn’t like hunting in this particular area, but a lot of the game had evacuated and made this their habitat. The most difficult part of hunting, was when you knew they were hunting you back.
Giant bears had been spotted. The deer were gone. Hunting had become a new challenge, with only one of the two opponents becoming victorious: Either I would get eaten or I would eat my enemies. It was a cat and mouse game.
I snuck around in anticipation. My keen senses were at its sharpest. Every rustling leaf, every gush of wind was carefully observed and analyzed in my brain. I could not allow myself to mess up or to lose focus. This was a matter of life or death.
What was that?
Oh, it was just a branch falling from a tree.
I turned around and pulled back the bow.
Oh, it was just a squirrel.
Mmm… perhaps I could have squirrel for dinner. No. Not today. I had my mind set on something bigger, something that would satisfy our taste buds for a longer time period. I longed to see those bears they had been telling me about.
I took another step. The crackling sound of breaking branches and other small stuff on the ground gave me away. I didn’t like it, but there was nothing I could do about it.
Snap!
Another branch broke in half.
Something was going to happen. I had a hunch. It didn’t make sense. The bears were supposed to be in this area. Did I make a mistake? Was I misinformed?
I kept going, fearing that something might overcome me and take me by surprise. Unfortunately, I was right...
As I was thinking about the possible danger, a huge bear jumped on me from behind.
“Rooaaar!”
I still don’t know why I didn’t see it before, but it overpowered me, pressing me down and holding one of my arms. I kicked and struggled and punched it. The bear let go a little, but I was still unable to free myself. I have to admit I was a little scared. The last moments of my life seemed right in front of me. I was about to die. The bear went for the kill. It suddenly moved its open mouth with sharp teeth towards me. As soon as it did that, I evaded his bite by moving my head to the side and putting both arms behind his head instantly.
THUD!
I banged its head on the ground. The dust rose up, and the bear screamed in anguish. It must have been very painful, because it completely loosed its grip from me.
As soon as I was able to stand on my two feet again, I jumped to the side to grab my bow and arrow. I snatch it from the ground as fast as I could, placed the arrow in the bow and shot an arrow into the bear.
“Groooowl!” the bear said.
Two more shots did the trick. This beast was humongous, so I made sure it was dead when I walked over.
This was the killing stage, but now I still had to carry the bear to the village. I wasn’t looking forward to that. And even though I had trained my muscles in the previous years, I didn’t like carrying such a heavy bear all the way down the hill. Yes, that was the only good part: At least it was downhill.
After a few hours of heavy lifting, I arrived at my tiny home. I lived by myself. I was fine that way. It had been my lifestyle for quite a while now. The village was small, and there weren’t that many new people to meet. I knew every name by heart. All the farmers and guild masters were in their specific shops and fields to exercise their profession. Life was a routine. It was peaceful and everyone tried to keep it that way. I always wondered if it would remain that way, or if something or someone would disturb this precious peace. But then again, that’s all I could do: Wait and wonder.
One of my friends walked by as I pushed the bear forward.
“Hey, Wesley,” he said. His name was Jack. “Looks like you caught a good one. How many arrows did it take you?”
“Just three,” I said.
“Three?! Sounds like awful lot to me,” he said.
“Well, I have to admit it was a bit of a challenge, but I did it, and that’s what counts, isn’t it?”
“You’re right. Okay, see you later, Wesley. Enjoy that bear for supper.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I will.”
I went inside and shoved the big animal into the living room of my home. I had already decided what to do. I could sell some of the meat, as well as the bear skin, and I would keep a little meat for myself. With that thought in my mind, I rested for a few minutes and then went to work.
It was a great day. I was successful; this prey I caught and the money I would get for it would keep me alive for a while.
Entry 2: The Ruler
Like I said, the village was peaceful. We never bothered getting involved into the politics of the big cities in the vicinity. They had their own problems and we had ours. However, I found out through the sad intervention of the corrupt ruler, that we couldn’t stay aloof from all these national issues. They wouldn’t leave us alone.
It all started with the messenger. A shady guy on an ornamented horse rode into town, yelling his lungs out and announcing the new rules of the new ruler. We all came together. Since nothing ever happened in our tiny village anyway, this was big news. Children came to watch with big eyes and observe the elegant horse. Women stopped their cleaning and cooking and gathered in the town square, still holding pans and barrels. Men interrupted chopping wood, molding steel or milking cows. It was the event of the month, perhaps of the year.
“The king has been murdered,” the messenger said. “We mourn for his departure to the next world. But do not fear, loyal citizens. We have a new king, a rightful heir to the throne, and it will be in your best interest to follow him. His name is Bartholomeus, and his new policy is the following:
1 Every household will be inspected. The king will see to it that only the bare essential are left behind. The rest belongs to the royal house.
2 The king’s knights are allowed to stay in each home during their travels, and they are to be served according to their needs and wants.
3 The king will claim part of your lands. Specific details will follow.
4 Protestors will be locked up or executed.
These are the king’s new rules. Now, bow to his royal messenger and we will spare you from the consequences.”
Everybody bowed.
Everybody… except for me.
The king’s messenger stepped off his horse and walked towards me. His face was only a few inches away from mine. He tried to be intimidating, but I stayed calm. Then he opened his mouth and slowly asked, “Why aren’t you bowing?”
“I do not believe in such ridiculous rules,” I said. “Moreover, we don’t even know this king. Just who does he think he is? We should be FREE!!!”
As I raised my voice at the end of my rebellious little speech, some of the farmers and villagers lifted their heads and looked up a little. But when they saw the rage in the messenger’s eyes, they quickly bowed their heads again.
“You think you are above the law? Do you want to be an outlaw? Is that it? Do you know what we do to outlaws?” he asked.
“Enlighten me,” I said with squinted eyes and a sarcastic tone.
“They are punished by the king’s court. You can count on the most miserable days of your life after that. Mark my words.”
“I wonder if that king of yours has any idea of the poverty of these good people,” I said. “Do you have any idea what would happen if you take their means to survive?”
“Ha!” he laughed. “They’re peasants. They don’t have any rights. We are of noble birth. Tell these commoners they have to do something and they will obey. They don’t know any better, and they shouldn’t. And now that I think of it,
neither should you.”
With that, he grabbed my arm and was about to arrest me, but he was by himself, so I wasn’t afraid of him. I deflected his move and held his arm behind his back, twisting it so that he would be unable to go anywhere.
“Aw! Stop it! It hurts!” he said.
“Listen to me, messenger. I don’t care who you are or what status you think you have. I never want to see you in this village again. You can go tell the king that he needs to change his policy or he will regret it.”
“You are nuts. You will be punished for this. Don’t you see that this will make you a fugitive? You have offended the royal messenger. You won’t get away with this.”
“Perhaps not,” I said. “But for now, there is nothing you can do about that, is there. Now, I am going to let go in a few seconds, and you’re going to walk towards your horse and leave. Understood?”
“What? I don’t think I will… Ouch! Okay, okay, understood.”
I let go of his arm and he looked at me. I could tell he hated me, but I didn’t care. I was acting in behalf of the village, or so I thought. He turned around and shook his head. I knew he was going to be back, but by that time, I would be long gone.
We all watched him ride his horse out of the village. Some of the men and women came to me and urged me take back my words and solve it. We discussed the matter, and unfortunately, none of them wanted to stand up and fight. They were willing to submit to the king’s evil rules. So I decided to leave.
When everyone went back to what they were doing before, Jack came to me and said, “I admire your courage, Wesley, but don’t you think it’s unwise to stand up to the king like this? I can already see him commanding a hundred soldiers to invade our homes and take our possessions. We simply do not have the man power to fight back.”
“I know, Jack. I know. But what else are we supposed to do? The king has already enforced his new rules on us. He is going to take away a lot of what we have anyway. We cannot allow this. Something needs to happen.”
“Well, whatever you end up doing, I support you, Wesley. You can count on me.”
“Thank you, my friend. My next plan is to go to the city and sort things out. I will be careful. I will take my disguise.”
He wished me luck and left. I thought I was alone, but then I saw someone else, someone I had never seen before.
Hey, what a pretty face. She was hiding a little behind one of the walls near the town square, but she was clearly looking at me with big eyes.
“Hello there,” I said, showing her that I saw her.
“Oh, hello,” she said sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure whether to approach you or not. How are you? My name is Isabella.”
“Wesley. Nice to meet you.”
She was beautiful. When she appeared from behind the walls, the pupils in my eyes got bigger, seeing her brown skirt and white top. She had some fancy boots, which made me wonder where she got them.
“I am from the city,” she began.
Ah, that explained it.
“I came here to visit, nothing more. I have some relatives here, so I thought I would stay here for a day or two and then go back.”
I was a little mesmerized by her gorgeous appearance, so my stubborn, rebellious attitude had already changed a little into a softer, more tolerant one.
“That’s great,” I said. “Who is your relative?”
“Uhm… J-jack,” she stammered.
“Jack? The one I just talked to?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Jack.”
“Odd. He never mentioned you,” I said. “But when I look at you, I cannot imagine why not.”
She blushed a little. “Thanks,” she said. “It’s probably because I live somewhere else. But anyway, I wanted to talk about something else with you. You are planning on going to the city, is that right?”
“I am.”
“Well, do you think you can take me there? I am a young, vulnerable woman and who knows what evil robbers or predators could do to me?”
“I see your point, Miss.”
“Please, just call me Isabella. If you want, you can even call me Bella.”
“Isabella is fine. It’s a beautiful name,” I said, happy that I would be able to guide her back to the city.
“What time are you leaving?” she asked.
“Oh, tomorrow in the morning somewhere. I will be taking the back roads though, if you don’t mind. The king’s guards will be looking for me, so I would rather sneak into the city without any hostile encounters. But also know that I will be armed and will protect you when you need me. Don’t worry about that.”
“That makes sense,” she said. “Thank you for doing this. I will knock on your door tomorrow.”
“Sounds like a plan. Good night, Isabella.”
“Sweet dreams, Wesley.”
Entry 3: Banished
The next morning, I woke up with a smile. I couldn’t stop dreaming of the beautiful Isabella I had just met. Perhaps I was getting ahead of myself, but I was secretly dreaming of us getting married. I didn’t dare say I loved her, but she certainly caught my attention with her smile and her curved body.
Knock! Knock!
There she was! I was excited to open the door, so I jumped out of my bed and ran towards the front the room. I opened up and saw her. She looked even better than in my dreams, maybe because I had forgotten and the image was imperfectly impressed upon my memory.
“Good morning,” she said. “Are you ready to go?”
“Hold on,” I said. “Let me put away some stuff and pack a few things. By all means, come in and make yourself at home. Sorry about the mess.”
“Oh, no problem. I am a little sloppy myself sometimes.”
She stepped inside and I put away some of the meat from the bear. I grabbed my bow and arrow and put them, along with some other necessities, in a big bag. She snooped around a little, and picked up an item or two in my room.
“Aha, you’re a hunter, aren’t you?” she said.
“Yes, I am.”
“I love that. I bet it makes your strong. Does it help you build muscle?”
I felt a little awkward answering that question, but I am sure she just said it to flirt with me. She already made some suggestive gestures, so it seemed like she was into me. I affirmed what she said—the building muscle part of course—and I got my stuff together.
“Shall we go?” I asked.
“I am ready if you are.”
“Okay. Let’s go.”
We walked to the edge of town and waved at a few villagers. We kept walking up, out of the valley where our village was located. On the way to the city, we passed through pinewoods; we crossed creeks and helped each other up, climbing over the mountain and descending on the other side to reach the city. We avoided the main roads, which sometimes meant that she felt completely lost and depended on my intuition. But I had been hunting in these forests for years and I knew exactly where we were every minute of the trip.
Meanwhile, we had a pleasant conversation.
“So tell me about your childhood,” she said.
“My parents didn’t live very long. I was only a teenager when my father passed away. He was about ten years older than my mom when they got married. She died a few years ago, so that left me wandering on my own.”
“And you never get married?” she asked.
“To whom? I don’t know if that is my mission in life, but we’ll see.”
“Yes, we’ll see,” she said with a smile.
I was head over heels. I really liked Isabella. I wondered if it could really be true, if I had found my partner. Perhaps, but I stayed cool. I played it smoothly. Even though I was tempted to jump to conclusions, I tried to resist and be patient.
We talked about many more things: Politics, hunting, relationships, family, and the village. It was a lot of fun. I hadn’t had this much fun for a long time. Eventually, we arrived at the city. I knew my way around, so I guided her to a secret passage and we hid amongst the crowds
. There were thousands of people on the streets, so it was easy to hide.
“Let’s go to my home,” she suggested. “You can stay the night there. The guards don’t know me. You’ll be safe there and you’ll be able to plan your next move. How does that sound?”
“Perfect. Thank you so much.”
“Oh no, thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t know what would have happened on the way here.”
We weaved our way through the foot traffic and walked to her house by cutting the corners of a few streets and going through some narrow medieval alleyways. She showed me the way, but I insisted… I wanted to open the door for her like a real gentleman.
She walked in. There we were… just the two of us. It was quiet.
“I will make you some tea,” she said. “It will help you relax.”
I was fine with that. There were lots of herbal teas I liked, so I was curious what kind of tea she would serve me. She went into the kitchen and came back a few minutes later.
“Drink,” she said after blowing on my cup.
I drank it all up in one sip; that’s how thirsty I was.
“Very tasty,” I said. “What’s it made of?”
“Oh, just some kind of seasonings and a little peppermint,” she answered.
“Ah, I thought I tasted peppermint. Thank again.”
I don’t remember much of what happened after that for a long time, because I was overcome with fatigue. First, I became a little drowsy, then I felt dizzy, and after that, I fell over on the bed I was sitting on. I don’t know how long I was out, but one thing was for certain: There was something wrong with that tea.
When I woke up, I was surrounded by the king’s guards. I was startled and looked for a way out. Isabella was standing near the exit, talking to one of the guards. She noticed I had woken up and looked at me with big eyes. Then she shrugged her shoulders and left the room.