by K. Lew
Chapter 11: A Stranger’s Sacrifice
“Brother Bear, I waited for you for so long. I thought you forgot about me. Oh Brother Bear, the water was freezing. But deep down in my heart, I knew. I knew you would find your way back to me. But when my eyes began to close and I was beginning to slip into a cold sleep. It was so hard to keep fighting and when I about to take my last breathe…I breathed in air. You saved me when I had given up the will to live. But the worst part was I ready to die and reunite with Mom and Dad.” Her brother replied. “Don’t you ever say that, I will always come back for you.” Her brother leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
Phoebe woke up to the bumps of the wagon moving slowly over the gravel road. Phoebe rubbed her sleep away from her eyes. Every night after her first night in the wagon, Phoebe has been having dreams about her reunion with her brother. Phoebe had the blanket snugged tightly around her to ward away the cold. Willis looked at her with concern. Willis spoke. “Are your dreams getting worse, sweetie pie?”
After several times correcting him with her name, Phoebe gave up. She smiled weakly and spoke softly. “No, they are not getting worse. My dreams show me reuniting with my brother. I’m starting to lose my mind. It’s getting more difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is not.” Willis opened his mouth to speak, but a blast of cold wind blew past the wagon and Phoebe shivered violently under the thin blanket.
Willis took the ragged blanket that the knights gave him and covered it over her. Phoebe spoke with concern. “What about you, Willis?”
Willis replied. “I am fine.” But she shot him a look of suspicion. Willis spoke. “Trust me. It’s going to take more than cold wind to best me. I am a fat man. Don’t shake your head. It’s true.”
Phoebe spoke. “It doesn’t matter how you look on the outside as long as inside you are good. My father told me that.”
Willis replied. “Your father is a smart man.” Phoebe looked out at her surrounding. The surrounding around them changed from the lush forest to a plain of grass without a tree in sight. It made her feel sad inside.
After hours of empty grassland, the wagon began to slow down. Phoebe heard the sound of footsteps coming towards her. Phoebe turned and saw a beautiful woman walking towards them. There were two knights in black marching at her right and another two knights in black at her left. As the beautiful woman walked past her and Willis, Phoebe saw a tear running down her cheek. A pleasant aroma of flowers entered her nose.
Phoebe looked at Willis who was staring at her with longing.
Phoebe spoke. “She looks sad. I don’t understand why. She doesn’t look like a prisoner.”
Willis didn’t answer, who was still staring in the distance. Willis began breathing deeply. Phoebe snapped her finger at his face and yelled. “Willis!” Willis turned suddenly and spoke breathlessly. “That is the Chemlady.
Phoebe could still lingering smell of flowers. Phoebe spoke. “Snap out of it. We need to stay focus.”
Willis turned and spoke. “I am focused. Focusing on the smell of flowers. Brings back memories of my mother’s garden”
Phoebe spoke. “Willis, I have it. A plan to get out.”
Willis replied. “What? We don’t know yet where we are going? So what if we got out. We have no food and miles of empty land around us.”
Phoebe spoke. “Let me finish, Willis. The plan involves the Chemlady.”
Phoebe whispered in his ears, explaining the plan to him. “You will have to pretend to be ill. I will then signal the guard that we need a healer. I’ve been watching this Strongblood’s army and I’ve seen only archers and knights. The only possible healer is the Chemlady. When she comes to check you, I will find a way to signal her to get her onto our side.”
Willis listened and spoke. “I like everything except for the last part. How in Light’s name are you going to convince the Chemlady? Other then that, it might just work.” But Willis shook his head and spoke. “But you know if we get caught, the Strongblood…”
Phoebe put her index finger to her mouth and spoke. “Shush now. Someone is coming.”
Two knights in black approached them. Their black armors clanked with every step when finally the knights in black stopped in front of the cage. They moved aside for a person behind them. It was a middle-aged woman. The woman wore a blue crinkle dress. A knight in black pointed two katanas at her and Willis and bellowed. “Stay back!” The second knight in black unclicked the cage lock, yanking the cage door open. The second knight restrained her arms because she was wailing and yelling. “Unhand me. I’m a citizen of the city of Leydeity.” Without hesitation, the second knight in black roughly pushed the woman in into the cage. The first knight in the black swung his black katana at the cage door, closing it shut. The second knight clicked the cage lock together. Then the two knights in black walked away.
The woman in the blue crinkle dress turned around. Her brown coffee hair was messy and tangled. The woman wore black thick-framed glasses. Her eyes were amber. The woman put her hand out accompanied by with a warming smile. The woman looks friendly enough. She had wrinkles sprinkled around her face. Phoebe grabbed the woman’s hand. Her hand felt cold as ice. Phoebe spoke. “Are you alright? Your hands are cold. Come share my blanket.”
The woman replied in a snappy manner. “What is that repulsive smell?”
Phoebe snapped back. “Well if you haven’t noticed there isn’t a bath tub in sight.”
The woman replied, softening her tone. “Oh I’m sorry, taking my frustration out a girl. It has been a bad day for me.”
The woman moved in closer to Phoebe. Phoebe waited until the woman settled in the blanket next to her before asking. “So how did you end up here?”
The woman glanced at Willis with disapproval before speaking. “I’m a professor at the school called Withper. Have you heard of it?”
Phoebe spoke. “No, I haven’t.”
Willis replied. “I have. Isn’t it an all-girl school?” Then he shrunk back as he regretted opening his mouth.
The woman spoke. “Before I was rudely interrupted, I was traveling back from Withper to city of Leydeity, home for the break. But on the way home, my carriage broke down on the road. My driver went down to investigate the problem. The next thing I felt something hit my head and lost my consciousness. I woke with a ball-sized lump on my head and a headache and found myself lying on the side of the road with my driver and my wagon gone. Then I got picked up by the knights in black and instead of being treated as a guest, they throw me in this cage.”
Willis spoke. “Seems like you got double-crossed by your driver.”
The woman replied. “Seems like it. What a bully. I known my driver for a long time.”
Willis spoke. “Sometimes it those who you known longest that betray you. Trust me, I know from my experience in the field.”
The woman asked curiously. “What exactly is your experience in the field?”
Willis lied. “I’m a farmer. I raised pigs for a living.” Phoebe gave Willis a quick glance before looking at the woman.
The woman spoke. “I’m no genius, but I’m not a dummy.” She looked at Willis and then down at his hands. The woman spoke. “You’re a slaver. You and your kind are despicable and terrible human being. ”
When Willis didn’t answer back, Phoebe knew the hurtful words struck a chord with Willis. The woman yelled out. “Let me out. I don’t want to be anywhere near the stench of a slaver. Let me out, I demand it.” The woman continued yelling even after the Phoebe tried calming the woman down. When Willis came closer to calm the woman, she yelled hysterically. “You vermin. Stay away from me. Help! He’s trying to kill me.” Finally a knight in black ran over to the caged wagon. The knight in black bellowed. “Hush it. There some people trying to sleep.” The woman pointed at Willis, crying. “That man tried to have his way with me.” The knight in black turned to Phoebe and spoke. “Does she speak the truth?”
Phoebe spoke simply. “No. He was tryi
ng to calm her down and she went crazy after she found out he was a slaver.”
The knight in black spoke. “Settle down woman. The next outburst from any of you and I will be taking your blankets away.” Before the knight in black left, he spoke. “You know slaver, when we get to the castle, there will be no court for you. You will behead for your crimes. Make peace with your gods tonight and pray for a swift death.” The knight turned away.
Willis crawled to his corner and put his head down. Phoebe looked out and saw the forest fading behind her. Time is running out. We had to escape soon. Phoebe looked at the woman who was next to her opposite of where Willis sat. That woman is going to be a problem. Phoebe spoke to the woman. “So do you know what will happen to us?” The woman seemed to have calmed down. The woman replied. “I was told I was a prisoners of war now. I didn’t even know we were in a war? I thought we were living in a time of peace. We will probably end up as maids or servers for the Strongblood.”
Phoebe spoke. “Don’t you see a problem with that? My mother told me freedom is not a right to be given or taken away so frivolously. We are born with it. Freedom flows through every human being’s veins. We breathe it in and out, day and night until the day you abuse it.”
The woman spoke. “What other choice is there?”
Phoebe whispered into the woman’s ear. “We can escape tomorrow morning.” The woman widened her eyes in shock. Phoebe spoke. “It’s the only way.” The woman looked around frantically. The woman spoke softly. “You know you remind me of my students. Her name was...it doesn’t matter... I was never good with names. She was a troublemaker, always disrupting my class. But over the two years I had her, I realized she had a strong sense of justice, standing up against bullies and protecting her classmates who couldn’t stand up for themselves. You remind me a bit like her. Yes, I’m in.”
Phoebe spoke honestly. “One more condition. Willis is coming with us. End of discussion.”
The woman grudgingly agreed. “I don’t like it. But okay. What is the plan?”
Phoebe spoke. “Right now nothing. But when you see us running, you run too.” Phoebe whispered Willis’s name and waved him over. As Willis huddled next to her, she told him the entire plan.
Willis and the woman both decided that Phoebe was the best choice to pretend to be sick. That night for the first time when Phoebe lay down on the hay, she felt warm.
The next morning as the sun began to rise, the sunrays warmed her face. Phoebe woke up with her mind spinning, ready to set the plan in motion. Willis and the woman were both staring at her. She closed her eyes. Brother Bear, I always expected you to protect me. Always hiding behind you, knowing that you would be there to take care of me. I ready to take the next step for you. She opened her eyes and nodded at the woman.
The woman began yelling hysterically. “Brave Knights, help! We need a Chemlord immediately.” Soon as the woman began yelling, Phoebe could hear the rushed footsteps running towards the cage. Phoebe waited as the footsteps stopped. Phoebe felt something long and dull prod the side of her back. The knight in black yelled. “Tell the Commander. The girl’s not reacting to my touch.” Phoebe heard the sound of black armor clanking as the black knight ran. A few moments passed and Phoebe was about to sneak a peek. But before Phoebe did, she heard the footsteps and the clank of armor. “The Commander orders us to check her pulse. If there is no pulse, the Commander orders us to burn the body.” The voice came from the knight in the black from earlier. A finger pressed down on her neck. The knight in black yelled. “She has a pulse, but it is a very weak one. You two don’t move in the cage, we will be right back.” The finger lifted off her neck. As the footsteps faded, Willis crawled over to her. He brushed her hair. Willis bent down and whispered softly to her ear. “You are a smart girl and one day you will grow to be a beautiful and strong woman one day. I decided to stay here. These few days with you, I learned more about myself than my entire life. I need to right all the wrongs I have done. My only two regrets are not being able to see my mother again and the other is not being able to see you grow into a beautiful swan. You are the daughter I never had.” Willis crawled back to his corner. Phoebe struggled to hold her tears. A stranger she met only a few days ago was now like a surrogate father to her. It took all the shreds of muscles within her not to cry out. Only the thought of her reuniting with her brother was keeping the tears at bay. Phoebe held her breath as she heard cage lock unclick. “You two stay where you are.” The voice sounded like the Commander. Then Phoebe felt herself being lifted out of the cage by rough hands. Phoebe was placed onto the hard ground. She felt a cool hand touching her forehead. “Knights, I will need some privacy. I have to undress her.” The Chemlady spoke out. Without a word, the knights in black marched off. Before the Commander left, he spoke. “Five minutes, my Chemlady.” When the last of the footsteps faded away, the Chemlady spoke again. “They’re gone. You can open your eyes now.” Phoebe opened her eyes and saw a goddess in front of her. Her beauty left her speechless. Willis was right after all. The Chemlady did indeed smell like fresh flowers. The Chemlady spoke. “You’re playing a dangerous game, little one.”
Phoebe spoke. “I’m playing to win. Please can you help me and my friend escape?” The Chemlady’s eyes sparkled in the moonlight and spoke. “I can. But what do you have in mind.”
Phoebe asked quickly. “Can you will pretend to fall unconsciously as if one of us knocked you out. We will then run off to the forest. Easy, right?”
The Chemlady replied. “You are a very courageous girl. I will do my part, but you have to go now.”
Phoebe turned to the woman and Willis. Phoebe looked back and saw that the clumsy knight forgot to click the cage lock together. The woman who was inside the cage stepped out, she turned and spoke to Willis. “Are you coming or what?” Willis shook his head.
The Chemlady spoke. “Hurry now. Time is of the essence, you must go now.”
Phoebe pleaded. “Willis, please come for my sake. I am begging you.” Willis looked at the open cage door before crawling forward. When Willis got to the cage door, he grabbed the cage door handle and shut it closed. Willis smiled at her and mouthed something to her. I will miss you, sweetie pie. Phoebe ran to the cage door. Phoebe grabbed the metal bars with her fingers and shook the metal bars violently. Phoebe looked at Willis with tears in her eyes. Phoebe wailed. “Why Willis? You have a mother that needs you. Phoebe lowered her voice. “I need you.”
The Chemlady spoke. “You have to go now!” Then the Chemlady fainted and dropped softly to the ground.
The woman grabbed her hand and forcibly dragged her towards the forest. Phoebe looked back at Willis one last time as a loud horn was blown. Phoebe yelled at the top of her lungs. “I will miss you too, Willis.” You are a gentle giant among men.
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