They walked over to greet them and introductions were made after they got down from the horses.
“Princess Wildheart! I am so honored to meet you! I can’t believe I am meeting you in person,” said Tori.
“I am glad to meet you also Tori. We have plenty of room inside the castle and you are all welcome here. Follow me and I will take you inside the castle and make sure you are provided for,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Pricilla and I will get them settled in and change our clothes,” she told Prince Morgan.
The Princess gave Prince Morgan a big kiss.
“I will need to grab my Princess Sword and keep it with me too,” she said, smiling.
Princess Wildheart took them into the castle and introduced them to the Queen, Peyton and Lauren. The Queen ordered more rooms to be prepared for the guests. She was thrilled to have all the company in her castle. After seeing that his new love was safe, Prince Tangent gave her a kiss and excused himself to go join up with Prince Morgan and Duke.
“I’ll be back very soon to see how you are doing my dear,” he said to Elise.
“We will be fine. Take care of your business my Prince,” said Elise.
Princess Wildheart and Pricilla changed into their leather pants, boots and vests. They grabbed their swords and left the castle to find Prince Morgan and Duke.
“I already feel safer with my Princess Sword at hand,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Same here,” said Pricilla.
The girls located Prince Morgan and Duke about where they had left them along with Prince Tangent. Everyone was now armed with their own weapons. The five of them decided to go over to the stables and check on the horses.
TWENTY
When the group arrived at the stables they found the horses to be well. A quick look around the stable failed to locate the Stable Master who was nowhere to be seen. “This is odd. He is always in here, grooming and caring for the animals,” said Pricilla.
“It is strange not to find him here. I wonder where he may have gone,” said Princess Wildheart.
“I found him! He is over here under this pile of hay,” said Pricilla.
The five of them grabbed the man and pulled him free of the hay. He was not moving but still breathing. Something or someone had knocked him out. He had a big lump on his head and they were unable to wake him up.
“I wonder who did this,” said Pricilla.
“Why would anyone knock out a simple man who cares for horses? That makes no sense to me,” said Princess Wildheart.
“Let’s carry him over to that table there and put him on top until he wakes back up again,” said Prince Tangent.
They laid him down on top of the table and started discussing all the possibilities for something like this to happen. They didn’t notice the three men coming up on them until it was too late. The men clubbed Prince Morgan, Duke and Prince Tangent knocking them to the ground unconscious. Princess Wildheart and Pricilla reacted quickly drawing their swords and were about to slash the men when a voice rang out.
“Wait! I would not do that if I were you! A hasty response will not help you here!”
It was Prince Darksoul who stepped out of the shadows into view.
“Darksoul! I should have known that you were behind this,” shouted Princess Wildheart as she rose her Princess Sword up to strike him down.
“You’re making a big mistake Princess, I would not do that if I were you,” said Prince Darksoul.
“Why should I not harm you? I think you should feel my vengeance Darksoul,” said Princess Wildheart in an angry voice.
“First take a look at your men Princess,” said Prince Darksoul.
Princess Wildheart looked over at them and saw that the three men had swords pointed at their loved one’s throats. One push and they would be killed. Angry and upset, she realized there was nothing she could do at the moment.
“So what is you plan now Darksoul? You seem to have some sort of cruel plan going on here,” she said, holding her Princess Sword in the air as Pricilla did the same.
“I want you and your girlfriend to drop your swords. Unless you want to watch your men die right in front of you,” said Prince Darksoul, smiling.
“We just have no choice but to do as he says Princess,” said Pricilla dropping her sword to the ground.
“You will pay for this Darksoul. You’re messing with the wrong people,” said Princess Wildheart, tossing her Princess Sword to the ground.
“I came here to get a Princess and that is exactly what I am going to do!” Prince Darksoul scowled.
“You will never get away with this Darksoul. You should just give up now while you have a chance to live,” said Princess Wildheart.
“You will learn to love me over time Princess. Wait and see,” said Prince Darksoul.
Prince Darksoul went over and picked up the swords the girls had dropped.
“Nice swords. These would be very deadly in the right hands,” he said smiling.
Prince Darksoul turned to the three henchmen he had commissioned for his plan.
“You there, come tie these girls up,” said Prince Darksoul, commanding one of the men who was holding a sword to Prince Tangent’s throat.
“On second thought, just tie up the Princess, this one won’t be coming with me,” said Prince Darksoul.
He then took the butt of Pricilla’s sword and rammed it into her forehead. She dropped to the ground leaving only Princess Wildheart to contend with Prince Darksoul.
“That was completely uncalled for Darksoul,” said Princess Wildheart as she was being tied up. “Pricilla was no threat to you without her sword. If I get free from these ropes, you will die very quickly! Bet on that,” she said in anger.
“Princess, you are just in no position to offer any threats to me. Your friend will be fine. Just a lump on her head is all she will have suffered. No need to kill anyone over it,” said the evil Prince.
“Hide the sleepers under the hays and put the Princess into that wagon over there!” Prince Darksoul ordered to the three men.
The three men dragged the unconscious Men and Pricilla over to the haystack and covered them with hay, along with the Stable Master. Then a horse was hitched to the wagon with Princess Wildheart in the back. Prince Darksoul had her tied with her hands behind her back. Her feet were also tied and she was gagged with a scarf in her mouth to prevent her from making any more noise. Hay was piled over the Princess to cover her so no one would be able to see any sign of her. It looked like a mere cart of hay being carried in the back of a wagon.
“I won’t have to listen to your mouth anymore for a while Princess. In the meantime I will tell you how things are going to be,” said Prince Darksoul as he laughed.
Prince Darksoul had gotten what he came for and was very happy with the results. Princess Wildheart wanted to cry but she was just too angry to bring any tears. She didn’t want to give Prince Darksoul the satisfaction of seeing her soft side either. With the horse now hitched to the wagon and the Princess hidden in the back, Prince Darksoul gave more orders to the men helping him.
“You three men have already been paid one gold coin each for helping me. I want you to stay here inside the stables with these sleepers until I have cleared the outer gates with the Princess,” said Prince Darksoul.
“Why can’t we just kill them all and leave with you now?” asked the smallest of the three men.
“There is no need to kill anyone dummy. I already have what I want. If I don’t clear the outer gates, then you can start killing them all. Princess Wildheart, if I were you I would think twice before trying to make noise or get attention from anyone in the courtyard. Otherwise your friends will all be killed. Once I am safely outside the gates and on my way, I will leave another gold coin for each of you three men by the big tree next to the main path,” he said.
Prince Darksoul nudged the horse and wagon forward out of the stable and headed through the courtyard toward the main gates. The three men watched f
rom inside the stable as he slowly rode away. Princess Wildheart stayed still and quiet. She didn’t want any of her friends or her love Prince Morgan to die. She knew that once Prince Morgan woke up, he would come to rescue her and make Prince Darksoul regret his brutal acts.
The three men continued to watch Prince Darksoul and his wagon advance through the courtyard. The outer gates were opened as he rode through them to the outside with the castle guards looking on. The three men then sneaked out from behind the stables. They made their way to the gates which had not yet closed and casually walked outside to fetch their payment next to the big tree. They hadn’t bothered taking any of the weapons with them in fear someone may notice that something wasn’t right.
Prince Darksoul tossed some coins by the big tree and kept the wagon rolling along. He started talking to the Princess. Telling her how he planned to take her back to his Kingdom and marry her there. His Kingdom was a couple of weeks away but they would get to know each other real well before they made it there. He continued on bragging about himself and fantasizing about how great he was while the Princess kept quiet.
“He is quite mad,” she thought to herself.
After he was far from the castle and out of view from anyone there, Prince Darksoul stopped the horse drawn wagon and got out. He then uncovered Princess Wildheart and removed her gag. He sat her up in the wagon but left her hands and feet tied up.
“You will grow to love me over time Princess,” he said.
“Never!” said Princess Wildheart.
Prince Darksoul leaned over to the Princess and licked the side of her face. He then laughed as she grimaced in disgust. The two of them continued on down the main path into the Dark Forest. They traveled the same path as the group did to rescue the Princes from the Barbarian camp. Princess Wildheart had been trying to get her hands free from the ropes but having no luck. They were just too well tied to get free. Her only hope at this point would be a rescue from Prince Morgan when he awoke. She thought about what she might do to Prince Darksoul if she could manage to free herself. He was not a large man but she had no weapon to slay him with. It would be hard to overcome him unarmed and alone. The two of them continued deeper and deeper into the Dark Forest.
At the castle Elise and Tori had gotten settled in after refreshing themselves and changing clothes. They went to look around the castle and found Peyton and Lauren standing in the hallway dressed in beautiful Princess dresses talking with Prince Tanner and Prince William.
“Hello,” said Tori.
“Hello,” said Prince William.
“We were just discussing things we might do together after everything calms down again around here,” he said.
“Oh, I see,” said Elise, smiling.
She noticed the way the two Princes looked at the girls. They were in love with them but seemed not to know it themselves. The girls giggled often as the two Princes spoke to them and appeared to be in love with the two Princes who had helped them also.
“Where is your other brother?” asked Elise.
“He is still resting in his bed chamber and trying to heal from his wounds,” said Prince Tanner.
“Tori is a trained healer. Maybe she could be of some help to him,” said Elise.
“He is over there in that room with the open door. He was awake last time I saw him,” said Prince William.
Elise and Tori walked over and entered the room. He was awake as they greeted him and introduced themselves. They explained who they were and how they came to be in the castle. The Prince said he was happy they would be safe and told them about how he had gotten injured by the Barbarians. Tori asked him how he was feeling and asked if she could examine his wound. He agreed as she looked it over. She felt it should be looking better than it did. Tori asked the Prince’s Chamber Maid to bring some warm water and clean cloth’s to the room. While she waited for the items Tori talked with the Prince as Elise stood by listening. The Prince and Tori seemed to get along well and told each other about themselves. The Chamber Maid returned and Tori began cleaning and dressing the wound for the Prince. She had a gentle touch and didn’t cause much pain to the Prince as she tended to him. They continued talking while Tori sat on the bed next to the Prince caring for him.
“Elise, I think I am going to stay here a while with the Prince and care for him,” said Tori.
“I’ll go see if I can find Prince Tangent and check back with you later Tori,” said Elise, smiling as she walked from the room.
Elise was glad Tori was there and knew she would be of great help to the wounded Prince. Tori had been well trained as a healer. She was known by many in the outer Kingdom area for her medical skills.
In the hallway Elise found that Peyton and Lauren were still flirting and talking with the two Princes. She asked them if they had seen Prince Tangent anywhere recently. Prince Tanner told her that he believed Prince Tangent may have gone riding. Princess Wildheart and Pricilla had both changed into their riding clothes and gone to the stables earlier.
“I would try the stables first to see if their horses are there,” he said.
“Ok, thanks. I will look over there first,” said Elise as she strolled out of the hallway.
Elise walked from the castle and over to the stables. She thought how happy she was to have been able to come to the castle and bring Tori with her. With all the talk of attacks and war going on it would be much safer for them here than being on her farm. With just herself and Tori to guard the farm, the Barbarians could take that over in the blink of an eye. They could easily kill her and Tori in the process. This was a much safer place to be. Rose Kingdom was beautiful and seemed to be strong enough to defend against an attack. It was fun being here since she and Tori had really never gone anywhere. They had spent most of their lives on the farm and close surrounding areas. She thought about how much she loved Prince Tangent. He was her hero, saving her from the wolf attack with no regard for his own safety. Even if he wasn’t a Prince, she would still be in love with him. Her mind wandered about her future as she walked through the courtyard toward the stables. A merchant selling jewelry caught her eye and she stopped to see what the vendor had for sale. She didn’t have much money to spend since it took everything she and Tori could earn from the farm to keep it operating. It provided just enough for them to get by on with very little extra money to spend on items like jewelry.
“This broche is beautiful!” She said, picking up a small piece of jewelry that had been fashioned into a sword with tiny glittery emeralds embedded in it.
“How much would this cost?” asked Elise.
The merchant smiled.
“That piece is going for only a half of a gold coin dear,” he said.
“Well, it is just beautiful. I may be back to buy it later,” said Elise.
She continued on toward the stables to look for her Prince.
At the castle, the Queen had located Peyton and Lauren. They were still in the hallway talking with two of her sons.
“Not to interrupt your fun but some packages have arrived for the girls and I would like to borrow them for a while,” said the Queen.
Peyton and Lauren looked at each other wide eyed with excitement.
“Of course mother, we can talk with them later,” said Prince William.
“Tanner and I have some business we need to tend to for a while,” he added.
The Princes said goodbye to the girls as the Queen ushered them down to another hallway which led to their bed chambers.
“I really like these girls Tanner, they could make great wives for a Prince,” said Prince William.
“Me too William, I just hope they stay here long enough for us to get to know them better,” said Tanner.
“If mother has her way, they will. She has already begun turning them into Princesses. I believe they will be here for a while,” said William.
“Let’s go have some ale at the Tavern William,” said Prince Tanner as they walked from the castle into the courtyard.
&nb
sp; The King was alone in the weapons room. He had his favorite sword out and was swinging it around and making stabbing motions with it. It had been a while since he had brandished a weapon but he still had a natural feel and knack for it. In his day he had fought in a few battles and never had any problem slaying anyone he came up against. He was older now though and it would not be as easy as it was when he was a younger man. He planned to stave off anyone who managed to get inside the castle to harm his family or friends there. Trained by the best sword masters, he was a force to be reckoned with when he put his mind to it. He would still be able to deal with anyone wanting to test his skills.
“I won’t be backing down from any fight,” he thought to himself.
The Queen showed Peyton and Lauren the packages in their room.
“Open them up girls! Let us see what you have here,” she said.
Peyton and Lauren were very excited. They hadn’t received many gifts in the past. They opened the packages to find some leather boots, vests and pants. They were just like the ones Princess Wildheart and Pricilla wore. There were also some nice blouses and under garments to go along with them. They eagerly changed into their new things and were ecstatic as they stood in front of the looking glass at themselves wearing the new clothes.
“Thank you so much for these wonderful clothes! They are just too good to be true!” said Lauren. “Thank you Queen Rose!” said Peyton.
Both girls hugged the Queen. They loved her for taking them in and being so kind and generous to them. The Queen had some tears welling up in her eyes. They had already told her about losing their mom to illness when they were both very young. The Queen knew the girls had no one left in the world with their father now gone. She and the royal family could now care for them. The Queen would treat them as her own daughters and make sure they had the best of everything and a bright future ahead of them. The two girls looked great in the new clothes and continued to look in the glass and chatter with each other admiring the new look.
“We look just like Pricilla and Princess Wildheart in our new things,” said Lauren excitedly.
The Legend of Princess Wildheart Page 13
