by Lisa Chitty
‘Did no one try to stop them?’ Abi was aghast at the ease with which the brutal murders had appeared to happen.
‘People loyal to the King and Queen tried to stop the attacking army but they weren’t ready. Everyone had been enjoying the festivities and were ill prepared for any attack. Those that tried to fight were killed. With no royal family left he declared himself the true ruler of Trelyssia. He was distantly related to Queen Alissandra so he did have a legal claim to the throne. However, to soften things and to be accepted, he never called himself King, he retained his title of Baron.’
‘But how did he retain his power?’ James asked. ‘Surely later, when everyone regained their senses they tried to stop him?’
‘A few did, but most of them realised that they were no match for Baron Hurlon and his army. Especially the way they went about things. The Baron was a vindictive and cruel man and encouraged his followers to be the same. Anyone who objected to the Baron’s rule was brutally murdered or else arrested, taken to the castle and tortured. Anyone suspected of treason against the Baron was publicly beheaded. Support for the old ways was soon quelled and the Baron’s family have been ruling ever since.’
‘But where do we come into all of this?’ Abi asked.
‘A good question! No-one knows how or when the legends started, but amongst those still loyal to the crown a rumour started that one day, help would come in the form of three men and one woman, and that they would be easy to recognise as they would be total strangers to this land. The legends gradually grew and became accepted by everyone, and now, here you are, just like the stories said.’
They sat in silence for a moment. Theldon’s tale had shocked all of them, even Randall, whose bang to the head seemed to have made him more accepting of what they had got into.
‘So, we’re just meant to overthrow the current Baron are we? Just the four of us. I take it that’s what you meant when you said we had been brought here to help?’ Steve questioned Theldon, raising one eyebrow derisively.
‘You are here to assist, but it doesn’t have to be just the four of you. You can get help.’
‘But you just said that support for the royal family had been thoroughly squashed. And even if we were to defeat the baron, who’s going to take his place? You?’ Whilst Randall seemed to accept Theldon’s tale, he clearly still had objections.
Theldon smiled at Randall. ‘There is more to what happened the night of the murders. You see, the King and Queen had four children, two boys and two girls. The rumour is that one of them escaped and only three of the children were killed. One of the boys managed to get out of the castle and despite the Baron’s men searching for him, he was never found! There are people that say he grew up, married and had a child, and his descendant is still alive now.’
‘So, all we have to do is find the last surviving relative of the royal family, defeat the Baron and put them on the throne in his place? Sounds simple. We’ll have it done before tea!’ Randall’s acerbic manner had reasserted itself and he was not accepting what Theldon had told them.
‘It will take you longer than that, but I can provide some assistance, for example transportation and supplies for your journey.’ Theldon rose from the table and started gathering various items of food from around the house.
‘Transportation?’ Steve looked eager. ‘You mean you’ve got a car?’
Theldon looked at him puzzled. ‘I’ve got a cart’ he said emphasising the t on the end. ‘I’ve also got a fairly decent horse to pull it.’
James interrupted before Steve could say anymore. ‘Before we go anywhere there is just one thing I’d like to know. Does the current Baron know that it’s been foretold that four strangers are going to come and usurp his power?’ James sat back and crossed his arms. It was quite clear he had no intention of going anywhere until Theldon replied.
‘Ah,’ Theldon sat back down. ‘The Baron has been very thorough about trying to quell any rebellion. People who are loyal to our side have been captured and regrettably, some of them have told everything they know under torture. The current Baron knows of the legends that foretell of your arrival as well as I do.’
‘Great. So even if your preposterous story is true, we don’t stand a chance because everyone knows we’re coming.’ Randall was getting very agitated.
‘Not everyone,’ Theldon countered. ‘There are people who don’t believe, including the Baron. But there are people who would inform him of anything like your presence, which is why, now that I’ve told you why you’re here you have to go before someone reports you.’ Theldon got back up and began hastily packing again.
‘I don’t care about that, I just want to get back to the hotel and go home!’ Randall was now standing over Theldon making his demands.
Theldon cowered slightly, but answered Randall. ‘I’m afraid that’s not possible. The only way that you can return to your own world is to complete the task that you have been given.’
‘And if we don’t?’ asked Steve.
‘Then I’m afraid that you’ll die here.’
The four of them were silent. Theldon took advantage of their stunned immobility to step around Randall and began grabbing various items whilst giving a running commentary. ‘I can let you have a tent to sleep in, as you’re going to be sleeping outside a lot and some blankets as well. I’ve got lots of dried travel rations, so you won’t go hungry. Oh, yes and I’ve got some savings, because you’re probably going to need money, to purchase various items that I don’t have. I can also give you water to take with you so you won’t go thirsty. I’ll also make sure that the horse has some oats and hay. Oh, and you four are going to need to change your clothes so that you blend in a bit better.’ Theldon finally stopped his rambling.
Randall took this opportunity to speak. ‘You’re serious aren’t you? You actually think that there’s no way back to the hotel other than finding this royal person and fighting the Baron?’
Theldon turned to Randall with a serious expression on his face. ‘Look around you. Does this really look like anywhere you would expect to see in your own country? From the way you look, talk and dress, you appear to come from somewhere with a much higher level of sophistication than here.’
‘This could be a poorer country than England that we’re now in.’ Randall was beginning to clutch at straws now.
‘Mate, we’re not in any third world country or one with a low economy. I think Theldon’s right.’ James moved over to Randall. ‘You need to begin to accept what’s happened.’
‘Your companions are right,’ Theldon tried to persuade Randall. ‘They have accepted that things are very different. Now you must too. Only when all of you are united will you be able to complete your quest here and return to your own world.’
Randall turned round and looked at Abi, James and Steve. ‘You three are going along with this?’
‘I don’t see that we have much choice’ Steve replied.
Randall turned to look at Abi. ‘You said that you trusted Theldon, so I’m guessing you’re going along with this too?’
Abi could only nod, unsure of what she could say to him to make him realise that he was a part of what was happening.
‘Alright. I’m in. For now! But if I see anything that makes me think that this all some giant hoax I’m backing out again. Is that understood?!’ Randall then turned to Theldon. ‘Well I guess you’d better help us on our way.’
Half an hour later they had changed into the non descript clothing that they had seen the villagers wearing. Steve was sitting on the drivers seat of the cart with James beside him. Randall was lounging in the back, waiting for Abi to get in and join him. She was saying her goodbyes to Theldon.
‘Are you sure that you’ll be alright? After all, about half the inhabitants of here saw you with us,’ Abi asked Theldon, seeking reassurance that he would be ok.
‘You are a dear, sweet girl,’ Theldon placed both of his hands upon her shoulders. ‘I’ll be fine. Everyone around here thinks that I
’m just some batty old man half gone in senility. No one will think that I’ve assisted you in any way.’
‘But we’ve got your horse and cart!’ she protested.
‘I’ll just say that you tricked me and stole it. Don’t worry about me, you need to be thinking ahead and worrying about your friends here not me. I promise that nothing bad will happen to me over this and that you will see me again when the time is right.’
Abi sighed. ‘Well, if you’re sure …’
‘Abi! Stop gossiping and get in the back of the cart!’ Randall was impatient to leave.
‘Go on. You need to start on your journey. The best thing to do is to find the people who are still loyal to the old ways. The rumour is that a band of them live somewhere deep in the Great Forest. They’ll be able to assist you.’ Theldon gave Abi a nudge towards where the three men were waiting for her. ‘Just remember to follow your heart and you’ll never go wrong. Don’t let the three of them overwhelm you!’
Abi leaned forward, gave Theldon a kiss on the cheek and then jumped up into the back of the cart with Randall’s help. ‘Finally,’ he said. ‘Right, Steve, let’s go.’
Steve shook the reins and the horse started slowly off. Abi continued to look back at Theldon until they rounded a corner and he was lost to her sight. She settled down amongst their provisions to get herself comfortable and then turned to look ahead. She felt a tremor of fear run through her. They had no idea what was in front of them or what they were getting into. Would they be able to do as the stories had apparently foretold and overthrow the Baron? Or were they going to die here, miles from anywhere?
Chapter 3
For a while they travelled in silence. Each one of them lost in their own thoughts about what Theldon had said to them. Now that they were away from the village it almost seemed unreal. However the fact that now that they were on a much broader track and were now coming across other traffic made it real. Horses pulled carts like theirs and occasionally they saw a smart looking carriage. There were definitely no cars here.
‘Come on Steve, can’t we go any faster?’ Randall was used to travelling at speed and the walking pace of the horse was too slow for him.
Steve turned to look at him. ‘No, we can’t go any faster! I’ve only got one horsepower here, in case you hadn’t noticed. This is about as good as it gets.’
‘But it can go faster than a walk can’t it. Make it go at a different pace.’
‘Look Randall, I’m in charge of the driving here and I say we continue at this pace. If we push the horse too fast, it’ll get knackered and we won’t be able to go any further!’ Steve was starting to get angry.
Randall decided to give it a rest. ‘No wonder we invented the combustion engine back in our world. Travelling like this is a nightmare. We’re not going to get anywhere quickly.’
‘Well, as the only thing that we know is that we need to go into the depths of the Great Forest does it really matter at what speed we travel?’ Abi asked Randall.
‘Yes it does!’ he exclaimed. ‘The quicker all this is over, the quicker I can go home!’
James turned round to look at Abi. ‘You’ve got a lot to learn about our Randall, Abi. The more horsepower a car has, the better he feels that car is. Isn’t that right Randall?’
‘I enjoy the feeling of power that a sports car gives me. Also, if it has a lot of horsepower I know it can get me out of trouble quickly if I need it to. What do you think?’ Randall asked Abi.
‘Oh, I’m not the person to ask,’ she replied. ‘I drive a small car with a small amount of horses under the bonnet. I don’t even drive to work, so I only use the car a couple of times a week.’
Randall looked disgusted at Abi’s response. ‘So you’re not really interested in cars?’ he asked her.
‘Not really,’ she shrugged. ‘I just use the car to get where I need to. Living in the country it’s essential that I have a car, and that’s as far as it goes for me.’
Randall was clearly disappointed by Abi’s response and turned away from her.
James smiled at Abi. ‘Just ignore him,’ he told her. ‘If people don’t agree with his opinions he gets a bit stroppy. Give him time and he’ll come round.’ He then turned back round to face the front and started talking to Steve. Randall continued ignoring Abi, so she was left contemplating her own thoughts.
They drove on for some time before Steve turned to Randall and Abi. ‘It’s going to get dark soon. We need to find somewhere to stop and make a camp for the night.’
Randall made a face when Steve said camp.
‘Look Randall, we haven’t got any choice. There aren’t any towns with a handy pub to spend the night in. We’re in the middle of a forest and we need to stop!’ Steve had reined in the horse and had turned round to berate Randall. ‘I think I can see a clearing just up ahead, I say we pull in there. Yes?’
Randall shook his head. ‘The power of being in charge of the horse had really gone to your head hasn’t it. But, if you think we should stop, fine! I’m sure that you would anyway whether I wanted to or not.’
‘Look,’ Abi interrupted, anxious to head off an argument. ‘It does appear to be getting dark. Stopping for food and to settle for the night is a good idea. We can’t travel whilst it’s dark. After all, I don’t think this cart comes with headlights!’
Her feeble attempt at a joke raised a small smile from Steve and Randall. The decision was made and they stopped to set up a camp for the night.
Randall and James took charge of erecting the tent that Theldon had supplied whilst Steve and Abi gathered wood to make a fire. Abi had started to pick up wood close to the clearing but Steve made her put down what she had and took her deeper into the forest. She saw that he was also holding one of the water containers. Abi went willingly with him but gave him a questioning look. On seeing it he smiled and then told her why he had taken her away from the clearing.
‘It probably wasn’t the best of ideas to have Randall and James erect the tent, but as they both volunteered at the same time I thought that it was best to leave them to it.’ Seeing Abi’s blank look he went onto explain further. ‘Randall will just try and put the tent up without any thought. He’ll bang in the pegs and attach any old rope to it. How he became our boss is beyond me! James however will want to plan it all. He’ll lay everything out and go about everything in a logical manner. There’s a very good possibility that they’ll have killed one another before we get back! But I do suggest that we stay away for as long as we can possibly manage.’
Just then they heard raised voices in the distance and Steve turned to give Abi a look that was very much along the lines of I told you so. She grinned back at him. ‘So do you think that we should go deeper into the trees just to make sure that we get the best possible wood for our fire?’
Steve laughed and held up the canister he was carrying. ‘We need to find a stream too and I’m sure that it will be a long way into the forest before we find a suitable one.’ He gave her a conspiratorial wink and giggling like school children they ran off into the trees. It was some time later before they returned to the clearing and when they did, they stopped at the edge in surprise. The tent was perfectly erected, the horse un-tacked and tethered and there were logs arranged for them all to sit on around a ring of stones that had been put down to bracket where the fire would be.
‘You two took your time,’ said James as he relieved Abi of the wood she had been carrying. ‘Especially when you consider the fact that we’re surrounded by trees! Anyone would think that you’d had to go for miles before you found any wood.’
Abi was about to confess why they had taken so long when Steve nudged her and brandished the water he was carrying. ‘We didn’t just get wood you know, we went to get some water too, so we had to find a stream.’ He walked further into the clearing and put the container down near where James was starting to build a fire.
‘Funny. I’m sure that’s a stream I can hear just beyond the edge of this clearing. Sounds l
ike it’s going over rocks and quite a lot of it too!’ Randall was regarding Steve with a faintly superior look on his face. Then before Steve could reply Randall turned to Abi. ‘Don’t believe everything that he says and don’t let him drag you into trouble.’
Abi flushed guiltily unable to meet Randall’s gaze so she went off to the cart and got out some of the rations that Theldon had given them to make their dinner with. Behind her, she could hear Randall and Steve having a low toned conversation. When she turned back round they broke off and Steve went to help James without looking at Abi. Feeling slightly angry she went up to Randall. ‘There’s no need to tell him off you know. I have a mind of my own and was perfectly happy to go off with him. We’re both adults!’
Randall sighed, took Abi by the arm and led her away to the edge of the clearing. ‘Relax! I wasn’t telling him off, I was just reminding him that we’re in unfamiliar territory and none of us know what’s out there. Anything could have happened to the pair of you. It’s best if we stick together. I wasn’t expecting you to go so far. If you had got into trouble, James and I wouldn’t have been there to assist you. I was just telling him not to wander so far off again.’
Abi could see the sense in what Randall was saying. ‘Fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I guess that this just feels so like a forest close to where I live that I forgot for a moment where we actually are.’
Randall put a hand under her chin and tilted her head so that she was looking directly at him. ‘Abi, we can never forget that we aren’t at home any more. We were lucky that Theldon turned out to be friendly. Next time we might not be so lucky. I want you to promise me that you won’t wander off so far again.’
