Chapter Fourteen - A Thrill of Hope

Eldor, King of Elenaesia, looked up as the old knight entered the tent.

“Sir Rupert!” he cried. “What a pleasure to see you! But what brings you here?”
“Is this turn of events not enough to warrant my coming, my lord king?” Sir Rupert asked with a bow. “I trust that I find your majesty in good health.”
“Quite excellent health, Sir Rupert. Please, please, be seated. You appear to be doing quite well yourself.”
“Thank you, Bob. I am feeling quite spry lately, as a matter of fact.”
“That’s wonderful, Sir Rupert. But, my name is not . . . Bob.”
“My apologies your majesty. My memory fails me a little on names. But come now, I hear there is a war on.”
“Quite true Sir Rupert. The Duke of the Seventeens has, shall we say, produced behaviour that is rather suspectful of treason, and he had launched an attack upon Ge’irdae. They left without a fight however, once they were discovered by scouts from Ge’irdae. We are riding out to meet him. It is a pity you had to come to us at this time.”
“Quite the contrary, Bob, my old friend. I am very glad to have happened upon you at this hour then. I am still one of the Eleven, am I not?”
“Yes indeed, Sir Rupert. You are still one of the Eleven. And the old friend of Eldor your king,” he snuck in a subtle reminder to his true name, a lesson he had learned from paying close attention to his wife, Queen Raelle.
“Then, why should I be denied the privilege to fight along side my king, Lord Eldor? I am fit, and able to grasp a sword. Let me fight, Bob. I would rather die with a sword in my hand on the battlefield then of age lying on a bed with fussy nurses bleeding me.”
“I understand your position, Sir Rupert. I know that you are very loyal to your country, and to your king , but . . .”
“No buts, Bob, my friend, no buts. You see, I will fight, with our without your permission. Come Bob, you know me well enough now, nigh on what, forty, fifty somewhat years? Do you really think that denying me your blessing will stop me?”

Eldor sighed, he knew that his old friend was right. Sir Rupert was not one to sit around if there was a battle going on, and even the strictest order from his king would not prevent him from joining the fray. “I give you my blessing, then, my old friend. Go get some rest before the sun rises.”

Binks Vizzini, General of the Army of the Seventeens under Orlando DiCaprio, once Duke of the same, now styling himself as King of Elenaesia, looked around the next morning. All was ready to go. Vladisk had finally come up with a path that would work for them, and the army was ready to move. All that they need now was his signal. A quick jerk of his head, and the army was off.

“Vladisk,” he called over to the burly man astride a horse that seemed to fit the soldier.
“Yes, General Binks?” the husky voice responded as the giant of a man rode over towards his general.
“There is a fork in the path here, which should we take, Vladisk?”
“Whichever one you see best, General Binks.”
“What’s your opinion on the matter though?” Binks asked with a sigh.
“Whatever you want to do is what I want to do, General Binks. Your word is my command. I hear and obey, General Binks.”
“VLADISK! I want your opinion, and I want it now. Will the left-hand path take us too close to Minelido, or is it safe to take it? Answer me with your TRUTHFUL and HONEST opinion, do I make myself clear?”
“Yes General Binks. Of course, General Binks. I do not believe the path on the left hand side will take us too close to Minelido. We should be able to take that path without any mishaps occurring, General Binks.”
“I don’t want should, Vladisk. Nor will I accept it. I need to know, and I need to have a definite answer. I cannot risk the long term problems that there is a possibility of being faced with if we are discovered by scouts from there. I need a definite answer, Vladisk.”
“Yes, General Binks. I shall do so, General Binks. Let me compute the risks, first.”
“Do so, then, Vladisk.”

After a few minutes, with the fork in the road growing steadily closer and closer, Vladisk looked up from his hands. He had been concentrating on them while deep in thought.

“There will be no risk posed to us, General Binks. It is safe to travel on the left hand side.”
“Are you willing to stake your life on that, Vladisk?”
“Yes, General Binks. I am always willing to stake my life for you.”
“Bah, humbug,” muttered Binks. “Announce it then to the lieutenants and captains, we will take the left fork.”

Cynthia rode the horse that had been waiting for her at the gate out from Merisna away, north towards Aiulindale. She did not glance behind her, for fear of the sorrow that she kept boiled inside. She could not let it overflow, the King had to be warned of the treachery of the Duke. Suddenly, her eyes picked up a movement ahead, she could barely make out the figure of another rider. Or was it only one? She could not be sure, but it looked like it was more than one. No matter, she had time to think of an excuse before she reached them. Perhaps she could invent a relative in Aiulindale.

“Ho there!” cried one of the riders, a man dressed in black armour, like the other three riders. “Where are you going, young miss?”
“I have to go to Aiulindale,” Cynthia explained, her heart beating in her chest.
“Oh, really missy?” asked the first one again. “And might I ask what the reason for that might be?”
“I have a family member there, she’s ill, I have to go for her, she sent for me, you see,” explained Cynthia, trying not to rush the words.
“Likely story miss,” the rider said. “So, I’ll have to take you to the Duke himself.”
“All the way back to Merisna?” Cynthia said, her heart falling within her.
“Nothing quite so heart rendering, my little missy. The Duke isn’t in Merisna right now. We shall take you to his camp. Come along, we have not got that much time to waste.”

Barely nodding she followed them, her mind racing over the endless possibilities, but one thought standing out amidst the flood of others. She was going to be led to the last person she wanted to see. The man who had vowed to kill her, and all the others who bore her name, or a variation of it. How would she escape from this?

Edmund, Kathryn, Jessica, and Yoran rode northwards towards the Drimvue Forest in peace and quiet. The only sounds were the occasional birds singing, or a bee buzzing from the nearby flowers. There were only a few clouds in the sky, much nicer than the wet rainy day when they had first met Yoran. Suddenly Edmund heard Jessica scream.

“What is it?” he cried turning his upper body towards her.

She pointed up, her face pale, and screamed again as a huge winged beast flew low above her, nearly clipping her with its hooves.

“Pegasi!” shouted Edmund at the top of his lungs. “Ride! Ride hard!”
“No good will it do,” cautioned Yoran. “No matter how hard you ride, catch you they still will. Wings they have, while only hooves do the horses have.”
“But is there then nothing we can do?” asked Kathryn, her voice still steady and calm, like the anchor of a ship during a storm.
“Nothing has been done, Lady Kathryn,” said Yoran. “Know I do not of a suitable option to try. Work it will not, for outrace the Pegasi of the air, no one can.”

Suddenly, the Pegasi swooped downwards again, each grabbing one of the riders in their mouths. Kathryn felt her heart fly up as she was grabbed by she knew not what. No, she knew it was indeed a Pegasus, a winged horse, but more than that she did not know. Only that Pegasi were said to take one to their dens in the mountains or forests. After that they were never heard from again. What was done to those captured by Pegasi no one knew, for no one lived to tell the tale. But she did not give up hope. She had held hope in her hands her entire life, it was what gave her the strength to get up each day and live. Hope was what she had built her life around, hope, and faith. The two most important things in her life, and she would not let them go easily.