The Dark Queen of White `1.11

11.

Gareth looked to the house where the Princess had stayed for the last week; all alone in there, while he took shelter beneath the stars. It was the same nightly when she would send him off out there, while the pair of wolves stood guard at the doorway. He found himself drawn to her but held back as she was the Princess. More to that, she did not displayed any moves that would allowed him to expressed his feelings, except for that one time, she had wept on his shoulder.

"Alas! Gareth muttered to himself. "I would stick to my own Gwen of Steinheim." Gwen was his close friend in the village prior to the war, and had lost touch with her since then. He smiled at the thoughts of Gwen and how they used to run together in the village. He smiled on and then walked to the nearby stream to wash up for the morning meal. It was near there when he heard the voice calling him,

"Gareth?" The voice was on the right side and he looked there.

"Gwen? Is that really you?" Gareth saw the lady standing before him, dressed in her farm dress, and holding the basket of fruits.

"Aye, it’s me. I missed you." Gwen replied to him and ran over to hug him. He had hugged her before; maybe twice but those were during greetings with the families. He had never hugged her in other times, lest held her hands, although they had chatted for hours.

"What are you doing here?" Gareth asked of her.

"Aye, I lived over yonder and heard from your ma'er that you are here." Gwen smiled at him. "Look, I brought you some juicy apples."

Gareth looked at the apples in the basket. They looked juicy and red with the freshness of just being plucked. He was reach for one, when he heard the growl of the wolf.

"Wolf!" Gwen reacted in fright, in which Gareth stepped forward to protect her. He rise up his arms at the wolf, as he was unarmed, having left his sword at the campsite.

"Move, Michael. She is a friend." Gareth told the wolf that remained there growling. Gwen held onto his back and was sobbing.

"Move, Michael or I shall call on your mistress." Gareth told the wolf once more and then it turned to run back to the house. He then turned to look at Gwen and held her in his arms. He soothed her down, and asked her to sit down.

"Nay, I can't. I got to go. Ma'er waiting for me." Gwen handed over the basket of juicy red apples. "Have this for yourself. Or share one with her in the house."

With that, Gwen ran off into the forest despite his pleading to stay. Soon she was gone and he was holding the basket of apples. He then heard the call of the Princess who was running towards him with the wolf at her side.

"Gareth, what happened here? Michael came growling to me." Princess Clarity asked. "Are you in any pain?"

"Nay, I was with Gwen. She brought me some apples." Gareth showed her the basket of apples.

"Gwen? Who's Gwen?" Princess Clarity asked. She then looked at the apples. They looked juicy and delicious. She had tasted apples before during the war, but there were hardly any apple trees there in the forest.

"Gwen was my village friend. We grew up together. She was staying over yonder with her ma'er." The simple reply by Gareth was all convincing and then he handed over to the Princess an apple.

"Here, have one. Gwen gave me these." Gareth extended the apple to the Princess. She took it from his hand and looked at it. It was then Michael growled again, and she looked at Gareth.

"There are no houses nearby when I was staying here before. More to that, there were no apple trees here." Princess Clarity weighed the apple in her hand. "Are you sure you met Gwen?"

"Yes, I am sure. I could smell her...." Gareth looked down to his basket of apples with the sheepish smile. He recalled holding her and the smell of the body on his. It was so exhilarating. He then looked at the Princess.

"I knew Gwen. She won't harm me. Or you too, Clare." It was the first time he called her by the nickname. He then reached for an apple from the basket and took a bite. Next thing he knew, he was not in the forest, but back at the village.

His own village with his neighbors.

They were all rushing with their weapons drawn, and looking to fight someone.

Or something.

"Grab a position, Gareth." It was the Village Head, Luker Moran.

He recalled. It was then before the attack by the army of King Bannion. Before he was to join the exodus with the rest and found Clare. He was thrown back in time. He ran to the barricade; shoddy piled up of overturned wagons and wooden crates. He joined the blacksmith and the woodsman.

"Gareth, nice to have you watching my back here?" Jones the Blacksmith told him while he weighed the mallet on his hands. It was part of his trade tools, but in crisis like these, he used the same tool to smash bones and skulls. Jones was previously a pike man and found his mantle in the iron foundry.

"King Bannion had his army assembled there. According to the shepherds, they saw Lord Cornell with him." Gareth heard the update from the woodsman. He might have been in the woods and knew the shepherds.

"It can't be. I knew Lord Cornell was with the Queen." Gareth recalled the Lord was with Clare then in the village. He did recall it was Lord Summer who invaded the village then. The Lord was working on the orders of King Bannion. And his army was only two hundred but the one that was assembled on the hill side was more than five hundred strong.

"Gareth, move over." He looked over and saw it was Gwen. She was carrying a farmer's hay fork, with the long handle. And more to his knowledge if he was witnessing was reality, Gwen was supposed to be in the temple with the other ladies of her age. She was not supposed to be here.

"Ain't you supposed to be in...?” Gareth did not complete his words. He saw the blacksmith's young boy who was in still not in his puberty carrying a dagger and taking position by the father. Gareth grabbed the kid, but the father stopped him.

"Leave my boy alone. He would stand by me to fight. It’s our customs. Have you forgotten?" The Blacksmith pulled his son back on the barricades. Gareth stepped back and looked at them.

This was not how it happened then.

It was all wrong.

All wrong.

"Funny how we could witness something and when someone changed it, we get confused." The voice moved Gareth to look to his left side. There was an older lady standing there with a long staff in her right hand. She had gray streaks of hair on her long hair locks, and was dressed in a red gown with a matching darker red cloak.

"Hello, Gareth. You may not recognize me, but you may of her." The older lady became Gwen in her farm dress. She then changed back to her older lady persona.

"I am Queen Morgana, the grandmother of your Queen, or Clare as you wished to call her." The older lady told him. "You are the simple one. The only one I could hit on with my spells, and took my bait. Sadly, it was not her."

"You harmed Clare and I would ...." Gareth threatened back.

"Kill me? Perhaps not. Or shall I say, nay. You are too ...simple and yet not a murderous kind." The older lady told him. "I did not expect you to be here. I was to trap Clare, but you took the first bite."

Lady Morgana glared at him.

"You did not kiss her yet? You liked her but yet you would not kiss her. You are so....simple. You have not even kissed Gwen. You are pathetic, Gareth, for a man." Lady Morgana taunted him. "However, I am not here to inquire on my granddaughter. If she was here, she would be dead soon. Dead in my world and dead in sleep in yours till her life get exhausted."

"Harm her and I would really ...kill you." Gareth approached her but she waved her hand and he was back at the stream.

"Gareth, are you awake?" It was Clare talking to him. He nodded, and she leaned down to kiss him on his lips. He returns her kiss, and later hugged her. He was thankful for being alive.

Alive with Clare.

The one he had loved then.

Tweet....tweeeeeeeeeeeeeet....06/02

And that was to announce that I am running for President.....

Oops! Not that post. I am just joking. It was the effect of reading one too many books on the Presidential candidates; not the dry stuff but the fiction exciting writes. These are The Day of the Jackal, or The Golden Gates. Or the Watergate Scandals.

Actually, the tweet was to announce with the support of all you readers/bloggers, we have hit the 30,000 marks on the hit. And from me, a Thank you to all who helped us to achieve it.

I would take my Martini stirred and not shaken please. Thank you.

So what's new to come? I found a not so popular play of Shakespeare; Coriolanus. It caught my eye and have been delving into it. Dinna worry, I would complete Loki first. He has been pestering me with this 'treat or tricks' since I started on his tale.

Till then, let us set a new mark at 50,000 before we bring out the other wine bottles from the cellar.

Cheers

The Crusaders II Bets are placed 7.4

1.          Half a day from the den

The walk was torturous until Hval decided that Geraldine was a burden to follow him. The Frost Giant reached for a long branch and broke it. He then asked Geraldine to sit on it while he pulls her along the snow surface.They soon made more progress in these arrangement. But there are also obstacles to their journey.

"Hval, we bid you to stop." Hval looked ahead and saw his own kind standing there.

"Bergan, so Hela also bought you here." Hval can see the one named Bergan as huge as himself and also carrying the weapon of the Frost Giant.

"Aye, she offer me a piece of you in return. You insulted me when you defeated me in the trial of combats. Friya not for you." Bergan shouted back.

"Its Fredya and Friya, you oaf." Hval corrected his ex-friend. "If we are fight, then let us do it now. I can hear the wolves and they liked fresh cold flesh."

Hval rushed to his friend Bergan and they clashed with their issgeisl. The clash of the weapons revert through the forest that even the icicles on the tree branches within a hundred metres fell. Both of them circle each other and tried to looked for weakness in the other. They feign thrusts and swings with fancy moves. Then Bergan rushed ahead and his blade swung close to Hval but the later had jumped and rolled to the side.

"So Hela taught you how to fight." Hval got up and swing his weapon from the side to be deflected by Bergan but Hval held back the last moment and swing it downwards. Bergan did not made contact with his weapon, but Hval struck at the exposed left foreleg. Bergan jumped back with his leg bleeding while dragging his weapon. Hval did not stopped there as he pushed for the next move; an upward reverse swing with the issgeisl. The weapon of Hval dart out and cut into Bergan left side of the chest.

This time Bergan fell on his back and find himself looking at the issgeisl at his neck.

"Strike me down before I come back for you another day." Bergan hissed back. Hval did not hesitate as plunge the sharp blade into Bergan. There were no blood but a dark shaded liquid seeped out from the wound.

"Should you not showed him some mercy?" Geraldine spoke from behind Hval. "He ..."

"He is a Frost Giant. We hold no mercy in our .....kind." Hval pulled out his blade and then thrust it into the snow to clean it. "Should we continue our journey? The lodge is not far away."

The lodge is none other than a small hut in the middle of a snow covered forest. Geraldine stepped off the branch and looked at the lodge. She walked up to Hval and asked him.

"Isn't that a bit small for a God?" Hval looked at her.

"Its the perception of the mind. Look to the left." Geraldine saw the wolf there. "That's the real Fenrir; the wolf is the son of Loki along with the Hel the half-rotted woman, Jormungand the giant serpent. Its said that Fenrir would be one that would swallow Odin. He's afraid to leave the lodge where he was lure here by the deceit of Loki."

"Why do you seek Odin?" Hval continued in his questioning.

"I do not know, Hval. When I arrived here, I wanted to see Odin. It was in my mind to seek him." Geraldine looked at Hval. "My dimension is on the brink of a war with the Underworld. Here I am in yours and your champion held captive. I also know I need to see him."

"Lady, I find myself compel to assist you. Maybe if I believe in God, I would said he has a hand in it." Hval smiled at Geraldine but the later have walked towards the lodge by herself.

Fenrir the Wolf saw her approaching and the wolf moved towards her. Hval came running to assist her swinging his issgeisl at the wolf. Fenrir leap aside and charged at the Frost Giant. Both are about the same build with equal ferocity. The issgeisl slash the wolf but it bear no marks on the wolf. Suddenly Hval fell backwards with the wolf on his chest. He could smell the wolf breath on his face as he thrust his hand into the wolf's jaws. It prevented the wolf from biting his face, but he could feel the wolf fangs tearing at his ice coated cover on the flesh. Then the wolf howled in pain.

It was Geraldine who hit the wolf with her staff. The Yggdrasil staff bent itself to the wolf neck and hurt the wolf very badly. Fenrir slunk back and faced the two opponent. It could feel the blood on its fangs and then took off into the forest.

"Thank you." Both Hval and Geraldine looked at the old figure who just stepped out. He is dressed in a thick overcoat to keep warm with the large brimmed hat covering his left side of the face. He was holding a spear that towers his height. "I am Odin. I am in debt to you."

The Tempest - The End ( Epilogue )

Epilogue

The scenery at New England was a splendor during the Autumn. It was 1938, twelve years to the day when Ariel drove them to their new homes up here. It was a country home invested by Miranda' father, Paul Miller. He had left it there unoccupied for over twelve years; he had bought it for Bernice but she said only if he retired. It was a two level house with a long porch and a rose garden, with a small orchard on the right side, while the left side housed the garage where they parked the Ford 1937 Model.

But Paul never retired from his work till that night twelve years ago.

Miranda stood there at the window looking out. She had grown much since she left Evergreen. She had lost her young youthful to an adult lady dressed in a floral dress and her hair was all done up in the latest tresses but they were still long. She heard him come in but she did not acknowledged him. He rolled the wheelchair to her but still she ignored him. He looked out to the rain that was going to pour on the outside. He heard the thunder and saw the lightning.

"Miranda, do you want to step back?" Freddy asked her. They moved here as this place hardly had any storms but the radio said this one may be a bad one. He heard that the storm may be a Category Three hurricane; the storm did killed over 682 people, damaged or destroyed 57,000 homes, and property losses estimated at over three hundred million.

"No, I will stand here. Its not the first one I had endured." Miranda replied. She was concerned on her father on the hill in the rundown structure that was once a sanatorium. She had asked to see him but Freddy told her off.

"We are not going back. Not ever." Freddy told her. "My father was there. And he may be dead for I care."

That ended their discussion. Freddy never put the past incident behind him. He was dragged out with two bullet wounds, but he survived to live the rest of his life on the wheelchair. He also lost a lot of other things; his legs were the least worrisome, he had issues with incontinence. His wife; married after he recovered from his wounds, they performed the ceremony in a private place with only two attendee, Ariel and Gonzales. The later had recovered too, but he rebuild his practice with many business booming up with Europe on the threshold of a war. The rich were moving to the States, and a good attorney with knowledge of handling large funds was welcomed.

"Miranda, please allowed me to ask Ariel to close the drapes." Freddy asked her.

"No, I want to hear the thunder." Miranda told him. Freddy knew his wife of twelve years had forgotten about the fear of thunder but not Freddy. He feared it then, with his nightmares going back to his stay at the Evergreen but he died on those nightmares.

"Miranda, its been over twelve years." Freddy pushed him away from the window. "Can you forget it?"

Miranda had been reminding him of visiting the old men but he declined while citing their agreement with Gonzales. He made them take the oath not to visit the place anymore. She had asked Ariel who was their servant cum driver, to drive her there, but he also declined. He was sworn to uphold that oath.

"Freddy, I lived with the man for over ten years. We did nothing but talk and eat, and play chess." Miranda replied. "You grew on him and then in one evening, we were all shuttled away for miles. What is it that you are so afraid of?"

"We sign an oath..." Freddy defended himself.

"An oath kept you away? Please, Freddy. You are not part of a mob family with the oath taking. You never were one to begin with. You only rejoined your father two years prior to our departure." Miranda told him off. "You are one selfish bastard."

"Me, selfish? Who had been my wife and would not let me approached her on the bed. We still sleep on separate beds. I doubt whether you are frigid or I am just to die a virgin." Freddy left it all out to his wife of twelve years.

"You are unable to do anything, Freddy Nates. You could not do either right, back and front." Miranda knew from the doctors but she kept her sanity to herself standing by him.

"Who did it? Your damned father." Freddy snapped back. "He shot me twice."

"No,! Blamed not on my father. Blame it on yourself." Miranda shouted back. "You have no passion for me. Nor of these."

Miranda had pulled aside her dress to reveal her breast.

"Have you seen this? The same ones that you kissed when in the shed." Miranda tears rolled down her cheeks. "You would not see them. Not even now...."

"How could I fulfilled my obligations, when I am unable?" Freddy retort.

"Its only in your mind, the phallus of Man. Do you know that the love involved more than it? Are you so fixated on it?" Miranda replied. "Freddy Nates, do not put the issue on there? You were never into me. You would never be. Your mind was it. You adored it, which was why you stared at it. I could had forgiven you if had diverted your attention. Its not that we needed in our love. Its the feel of our love. I had rejected you from my bed, because you are not keen to pursue the love of myself."

"I wished he had shot you then." Miranda paused. "Dead so we would not have this talk now."

"I...." Freddy paused in his words. He was always lost in his mind; who am I? A man or part of a man? He does not loathe women, he just find himself not desiring them. They are his friends, but he sometimes drew on his own inner self to say he could love them when its the man he desired most. The thing they have; he worshiped it. Father had said he was wrong; he was demented but inside him, he felt right. He denied it all, but he found it in London. He was his own person there; no guardians, no snoops, no restraint. He was the enjoying his new freedom.

It was till Christopher told him more.

"You could be be your own man, but do you have to wait that long? I can help you." Christopher planned with him. It was a ruse that he build about him dating the daughter. He never did, and all he ever do was walked the line between himself and his sanity. He looked once more at Miranda. He had not failed her. He had failed himself.

Freddy pushed his way out of the room. He went past the incoming Ariel who brought the tray of tea for his mistress.

"Miranda," Ariel himself had remained about the same but he had straighten his back. He placed the tray on the side table. He then walked to the window to pull the drapes but Miranda stopped him.

"Any news for me?" Miranda asked.

Ariel looked to the doorway and spoke up. "He had arrived."

Miranda walked to the main door and picked up her coat. She may be blind in sight, but she knew her way in the house and the grounds outside. She went out and walked towards the garage, and pass it to the hill behind. She walked on despite the feel of the coming rain. Ariel had rushed after her with an umbrella but she ignored him. He then stood at the foot of the hill while she went up. It was a made path for her, with the markers on the ground so that she would not be lost, but every step she took was another agonizing one for her. Her heart beats like the flutter of the butterfly wings while her body was worked up to see the person who awaits her. She soon reached the top of the hill, and then on it was a downhill move towards the small hut hidden among the trees.

Miranda walked in through the door just as the rain had started on the hill. She stood there at the doorway and looked into the dim lighted hut. He stood there by the fireplace as he placed the woods there.

"It would be cold with the rain falling outside." The figure continued on with the stoking of the fireplace. "You never did like the cold rain."

Miranda ran forward to clasped the hunchback frame of her lover who come over once every few weeks to see her. Since their freedom from the control of her father, Kabib had been his own person. He treats the two old men as his duty permits; with their food and drinks, and their basic needs, but most times, he was left alone while the two played chess.

It was five years ago, when Christopher die of a heart illness that Kabib was allowed to go out to see Gonzales. He had brought the message to tell the Attorney that the man requested for a nurse to take care of his needs. He was getting more sick and so that two new nurses were employed. They attended to him on rotation, while Kabib supervised their works. One of his routine was to drive the nurses for the weekend, but he also divert to see her. Their time spent together would be short but it was worth the drive.

Kabib pulled her hands from his chest and turned around. He may be a hunchback on his frame, but he was leveled to her face. He kissed her on the lips and trailed his lips towards her eyes. While he was kissing her, she held back to her body and whispered into his ears.

"Kabib, I love you." Miranda told him. She had loved him then when he was with her, but they were too young to love then. They made a mistake of trying but it caused him pain. Much pain. She remembered it all. It was not what her father thought it was.

It was not the whole truth. 

The whole truth lies in her.

That one day, Miranda made a mistake. She did taunt him. They been friends for some years then, he was her sight and led her many a times into the hidden corridors. He told her tales of the old days when the place was filled with people.

"They were funny people then." Kabib had told her. "They needed the doctors and nurses to stopped them or they would go all funny."

Both of them laughed. All she could remembered being funny was when the clown come onto the stage. She always laughed at them. They would pulled at each clothes and ran when chased.

"That was the same here. They pulled at each other clothes and ran in the rooms. They would jumped on each other and play." Kabib told her. He was then a growing man, and though he laughed, he felt the presence of her next to him. She was a girl and he was a boy. He remembered then the occasions when he saw the boy played with the girl. He then looked at Miranda.

"Do you want to play some more?" Kabib asked her. She nodded to his request in her mind.

He got up and told her to follow him. He took her on the runs in the dark corridors, unknown to her while they moved past the maze. Soon he left her there in the room and left. He was at his hidden hole in the wall.

"Miranda, you are alone there. You can't see me." He was play acting his scene

"Take off you dress. Pretend to change." Kabib told her.

"No, I would not." Miranda told him. "Father said I must never changed in front of a boy. You are a boy."

"A bad boy." Miranda continued on.

"No, I am just playing." Kabib replied. He then stepped back and told her that was how the funny people played their games.

"Then I do not want to play." Miranda replied and proceeded to walk out but she was in an unfamiliar room. She knocked and tripped on the furnitures. She then cried out.

"You bad boy! You hurt me." Miranda screamed out. "You bastard."

The one word, that Kabib would not take for lightly. He rushed at her and pushed her to the flooring.

"Do not call me a bastard. I am not a bastard. I have a father and mother." Kabib shouted back. He had left the hidden corridor door opened. It carried the words through the house within its walls. But Kabib cared not. He shook at her and slapped her.

"I would make you a bastard child. One I would not recognised as my own." Kabib tore at her dress but it was then her father came in.

The rest was told before. It was the real truth that she soon find herself longing for him. Even after leaving the place, she could not find herself to consummate her marriage with Freddy. His medical condition helped her to defer it, until he had given up.

That day during the new storm, Miranda had to tell Kabib another truth.

"Kabib, I think I am pregnant." Miranda whispered to him while he lain in her arms on the small cot they made in the hut. She listened to the falling rain and the howling wind. "It could had been your last visit."

Kabib did not reply. She continued on.

"You must not tell Father."

"He would not know. He is dead." Kabib replied. Miranda sat up and looked at him.

"When did this happened?"

"Two weeks ago. I had just dismissed the nurses." Kabib replied. "He died of old age."

"Then we are free of him." Miranda looked to him.

"Yes, he also asked me for your forgiveness. He felt bad to marry you to Freddy, but he needed you to know that he was fulfilling his wife's wishes. Your mother wanted you to marry Freddy since young. She had dreams of the two families together. But she died before she could see it. That was why he was reluctant to kill Freddy and also Alan. He only wanted to teach the later a lesson in killing his wife, but not to rake vengeance with his life."

"And I agreed to marry Freddy to stop the fighting." Miranda replied. "It was a blessing then. One who was blind and the other binded to servitude. More to it, it was freedom. To be away from there."

"What of mine, did anyone asked too." The voice came from the doorway; standing there soaked to the skin was Ariel. Miranda heard his voice and covered her bare skin with her dress while Kabib sat up to hold his love.

"I came bearing bad news too. Freddy Nates had died. He fell into a pond of muddy water." There was a pond by the small hill. "He had pushed himself to see you. He fell down and rolled into it. Given his condition, he was unable to get clear. He had struggled but the mud around it pulled him in. He drowned in it." Ariel told them. "I was late to saved him."

"Why did he come?" Miranda muttered to herself.

"He wanted to know if you are ...with your lover, I guess. The one he may not replaced." Ariel told her. "He did confide in me. He wanted to be who you wanted him to be but he could not. He found no words or feeling to compensate for it. He remembered you since young, you were always his friend. Never his lover. He loved you like his sister."

Miranda cried on her lover' shoulder but Ariel placed in the good words to comfort her.

"It was better this way for he had died in his body a long time ago. So was his physical love, if there were any for you. In death, there are no need to forgive as they are forgotten in our journey." Ariel told her. "Something your father once taught me when I was serving him. He never forgive the ones he killed. He said they are dead and deserved no more thoughts from him. Its the living ones he try to forgive."

"Now with that done, and you reunited with one who loved you, I am free to leave." Ariel spoke up and turned to leave.

Miranda to looked to her lover.

"What have we to stop us now? I am free and so are you." Miranda leaned over to kissed his lips. "Your past lies behind but your future lies in me. Do we lived the present and forget the past, and wished for the future?"

Kabib smiled and kissed her back.

"Forget the past. Its the future we lived for."

The Tempest Prologue 23

Prologue 23

"Rook takes Bishop. Check." Paul told the guy seated across the table with the chess board. The guy was a art collector who was supposed to part some good pieces to Paul but he swapped the original for fake. He thought Paul would not be able to tell the difference been a previous dockyard worker. Paul could not do it, but he got another expert in. The Collector pleaded for his life and then leverage on the links of his with the others.

"You do not want to have them breathing down your neck, Mr Miller. Compared to them, you are only a Rook while they are the Kings'." Paul at that time wanted to kill the man but he held back. He offered him a game of chess. They had played to this move.

The Collector moved the King to the next block but Paul had him trapped. He moved his Queen and told the Collector.

"Checkmate." Paul told the Collector. He then shot the guy. He stepped over the dead guy.

"The only King is the one still on the board. Yours' would be taken off in checkmate moves." Paul walked to Alan who sat by the bar.

"Pour me one." Paul told Alan, but the other ignored him. Paul took his own glass and poured it.

"You realized that the guy had good links to some families." Alan told him and poured him another. They all poured their own glass; a tradition of the family.

"I called the families. They had given me their consent. He played one too many fakes in his sales." Paul replied.

"So why the chess game?" Alan asked. "We could just shot him."

"I like to give everyone a chance. " Paul replied. "Okay, of late, maybe I was getting mellow. More to it, I like chess. His King against mine."

"There can only be one King." Paul told him. " If there was another, then we would tussle for the spot. I can only allowed for one King on the board."

"So when can I get to be King?" Alan asked.

"Over my dead body, or if I said you can." Paul smiled. "Shoot me if you can't understand." 

The Dark Queen of White `1.10

10.

Gareth had held his sister when she was afraid or cold during her younger age, but he had not held her since then. When she had become a lady, she had taken to hug her friends. But then he had reached out for the Princess, and held her. It was the closes that he had ever been with her.

"She had been visiting me, and when I was in her chamber, she did not appear." The Princess sobbed into his left shoulder. "I waited for her every night and then she came. She told me to leave the chamber and come here. I am here now but I feared seeing her. She told me to bring you here."

It was then an apparition appeared on the pool of water and became the image of the previous Queen.

"Mother..." Princess Clarity pulled away and looked at the image. "Are you here?"

"Yes, I am here." The image of the previous Queen told the Princess. "I cannot come to you in the castle, as there were spirits there. They were stronger than me."

Princess Clarity was to speak when the image continued on.

"It was not your father. There were my mother’ servants. Not the one who birth me. But the one who raised me after her death." The image told her. "Lady Morgana was a witch. She’s still alive, and plotted my downfall. She caused your King to be ...incapable of giving me a child. But he deceived her and got another to do it.

“Queen Morgana? I knew not of her.” The Princess replied.

“No, you would not. She did not attend your birth and never did ask of you before. She feared you, my dear. You are her nemesis. It was foretold that a female child of the Lord would be her nemesis. That was one reason she had you banished. It was her doing to convince the King then that you were cursed.”

“Mother, stop!” Princess Clarity stood up and glared at her mother. “I am becoming troubled by all that you had said. Now and then, when the war was on. Please stop….”

The Princess ran to the nearby tree trunk and leaned on it.

“I am sorry, Clarity. I was trying to help you.” The image of the mother spoke to her. “I am truly your mother, not in body but in spirit. I loved your …King, and his noble sacrifice to have me birth the two of you. It was just that when I was at my weakest point, I was struck by witches spells but I held on to deliver both of you. There were not my doing, but the works of your evil step Grandmother.”

The Princess did not turn to look at the mother but the other continued on.

“Lady Morgana bewitched your Lord Falstof soon after the first Lady died. She was the distant cousin of the First Lady and had resented the former. But there was a curse on her, that she would be overthrown by the ladies of the Lady. She 

had me married off to King Egan thinking I was the one. I fought against the wedding as it was against my will for the King was older than me by many years. But no one could stop Lady Morgana when she wanted her way. With my banishment, she exerted more control on Lord Falstof. She had done worse things to the King and thought it was the end of my line. But later she heard I was pregnant, she mounted her attack on me.”

“I was saved by Lin Denham who had the help of the Helwyr Clans. He had them protected me, and many mystical battles were fought. They won and Lady Morgana backed off. But soon as the child bearing came, I was left vulnerable, as the sacrifice of the bloods was a bane to the Helwyr Clans. That was when she came in and took her attack on me and the King.”

“It took me years to recover back my tattered soul, but the Helwyr Clans had protected you well. So well, that even Alan, the loyal follower of the Clan would not allow even Lin to see you then. I came to talk you soon after as your land was under attack by the evil Lady Morgana. She was destroying your King’s works.”

“Yes! You did. Influencing me by force and telling them how to fight the war. Half of those times, it was you speaking from my voice.” Princess Clarity voiced back in anger. “Did you ever ask me if I was willing to fight then? My own brother?  Blood and flesh of yours too. And those of the others?”

“I would do it if it was my own brother, Clarity.” The image of the previous Queen replied. “We are the broods of the powerful, and many people relied on us to live and die. If we are weak, they would soon revolt and all that we had would be gone. Your brother was under the influence of Lord Falstof acting against his interest to divide the land. He had succeeded to annex one third of it during your slumber. I had to protect both you and Bannion.”

“But we are ladies of the Court. Wars are fought by men and not us.” Princess Clarity shouted out. “I was growing up to be a lady. But you made me a warrior.”

“No, not a warrior but the Queen of the land.” The image replied. “Yes, both of us are ladies. You and me. We are not supposed to fight the men, but if we don’t who would? Let another man who would then take over the land from ours. The total stranger riding in and invading the land that belonged to us. Do you think he would give it all back later? I would say nay.”

“Let it be us who fought alongside the men who would protect our lands, than to see it going blindly away.” The image of the previous Queen sighed. “I saw what were yours and your twin brother, Bannion. I had to stop it before Lord Falstof takes it all for his lady.”

“Did you ever ask me of my thoughts, Mother?” The last word came out in a stern sounding of her voice. Her stern voice also brought out the hidden wolves from the trees line. They stood there and looked at the Princess.

“I had no time. And neither would I. I have said before, we are the daughters of the Elite. We are to do what was needed.” The image replied. “You are Princess Clarity, the daughter of King Egan. You would do as what your royalty position demands of you. You would be tested on this many more times, and you would do as needed. Those are my last words to you as your previous Queen.”

With that, the image faded off.

Princess Clarity fell down to her knees and sobbed by the tree trunk. Gareth stood up and moved towards her, but a big gray wolf came in between them. It growled and showed it fangs towards Gareth. He stood still watching the lady cried there. She leaned her head against the trunk and motioned for Gareth to come over. He stepped forth but the wolf in between them growled.

"Its okay, Michael. I need to talk to him alone." The wolf heeded the command of his mistress. The wolf disappeared into the forest and so were the others. Soon it was only Gareth and the Princess. The later motioned to him to sit down by her side.

"Gareth of Steinheim, tell me of the role of the ladies. The common ones that lived in the village."

Gareth narrates to her of what he knew. It was all from his life with his ma'er and chwaer.

Near to dusk, the animals of the forest would come to the pool of water at the waterfall. There they would quench their thirst, and then be on their way to the place of rest for the coming dark. They were all kinds of creatures'; both the predators and prey, but none attacked the other at the pool of water. It was a place of peace and tranquility.

"I was introduced to this place by Michael. He brought me here daily to learn about the creatures. I soon find myself coming alone when Michael was not around." Princess Clarity told the warrior. They were seated by the banks, and made no effort to disturb the water.

"I would like to thank you for telling me so much about us....the women." Princess Clarity told Gareth. "Helene hardly tells me of that, nor would Alan. When I was growing up, all I ever did was living a life of my own; hunting and running through the forest with the creatures. I soon learned to shoot the arrows as required by the Helwyr Clans. All the members are required to be able to shoot an arrow at fifty paces."

"You were a warrior during the war. A warrior and Queen then." Gareth complimented her.

"No, it was not me most times. It was my mother who took over my body; she was the one who had those plans drawn up for the guards. At times, she forced her spirit into my body. I was upset, but I could not fight it. You saw our arguments."

Gareth remained silent. He had witnessed the argument and understood little then. He was never an intellectual person, but a simple peasant with the skills of a warrior.

"I never met a Queen before you, and since our times together, I had seen more Lord and Ladies than in my earlier life." Gareth told her. "I had seen that they are no different from my ma'er in her everyday life."

"Yes, like stooges to their Lords. They only stand there and smile." Princess Clarity commented back. "So helpless and ....so obliging."

Gareth wanted to correct the Princess but he held back. His chwaer had times argued with the other men folks in the village before, and spoke her mind to them. His ma'er had reprimanded her but she done the same regardless. He did not tell the Princess of that, as his ma'er had told him his chwaer was a fool to argue with men.

"They are as ignorant like the hogs." Gareth had laughed at his ma'er remarks. Nevertheless, he was unlike the others. He allowed the other ladies to argue with him and listened to them. He had heard the rumors of the independent women; they were named the Amazons. They were like the men dressed in armor and wield weapons, while they shunned form men. They were also rumored to steal the young girls to raise as their own. With that thought, he blurted out to the Princess.

"They were one breed of women who fought like man. They were named the Amazons." Gareth spoke up. "But it was only rumors."

"No, please tell me more." Princess Clarity asked of him. "I want to know more of these Amazons."

Tweet tweet....I was away

Jumping jupes..... the internet was not working while I was in the remote side of town, hence my disapperance for the last three days. I am back now and to make up for it, herewith are the new postings. So pardon my lack of posting.

One plus factor was I discovered some old novels of the 70's and earlier. I grabbed two of Perry Mason ( who? ) by Eric Stanley Gardner, and two more novels by Dennis Wheatley ( who again? ). I found Harold Robbins classic Stilleto and Lonely Lady. These are gems to be read again, and again, from the era of literary delights age.

Well, for now, let me rest my mind.....it had been numbed from all the travellings.

Cheers

The Tempest Act 5, Scene 1 Part 6

Act 5, Scene 1 Part 6

Much later when the mess were cleared, Paul asked the young ones to leave.

"All of you are not needed here." Paul told them.

"Father,what of me? Do I lived on in darkness? Are you that blind to leave me here by myself?" Miranda looked to her father. "Are you heartless like before? Even Prospero, your hero in Tempest, found kindness to forgive."

Paul looked to her. Tempest was one tale he always tell Miranda.

"I have, Miranda." Paul replied. "You would not be alone. Ariel is here. So will Freddy. He would not die, but he may not walked anymore. He would need your help to move as he would guide you in the dark. In true, I have become Prospero. I had forgiven him. He owns everything we have; Alan', Christopher and myself. Enough to take care of both of you for life."

Paul looked to Ariel.

"Ariel would be there to assist you.. Its his last task to me. He would be your servant when I die. All he asked that the two of you leave this place with him. He would take you on a world wide tour. He would care for you as he had did for me."

Ariel who had listened nodded his head.

"I do, my benefactor."

"Alan and myself would die here as once when we started together the family. We stay united till death do us die together." Paul recite the pledge he made with Alan. "So now go. Ariel had another vehicle hidden away. He would take you all away."

"You too, Gonzales." Paul told him. "You would make them a trust fund that would keep them going."

Miranda looked to her father, but he hushed her words.

"I married your mother when she nothing good about me. But she soon found love with me. You would with him, as he needed you more than ever." Paul told her. He looked at her expression and decided to try his luck with a passage from Tempest; a part she liked.

"I weep at mine unworthiness, that dare not offer....." Paul was interjected.

"What I desire to give, and much less take..." Miranda stopped while she wipe the tears on her eyes. "What I shall die to want, but this is tiffling...."

Miranda stopped.

"I am blind, Father. What is beauty on me, when I cannot see it for myself." Miranda looked to Freddy. "Can he see me for that, or does he see a blind ....maiden in desperation for a man."

"No, Miranda. I did not marry you to Freddy for sympathy. I saw in him some good qualities." Paul told her. "But his late admission threw me to my first conclusion. He is an impostor by himself. He was imposing to love you but he wanted to get at me through you. He went through his father to get at the business his father owned. I saw in him, the greed which was why I shot him. I had to make him an invalid, to ....be with you."

Paul looked to the young man on the seat. He was tended to his wounds temporary but he would live.

"I had to make him leveled to you. His father would agreed. We are partners and partners are leveled."

Freddy looked at the old men and then at Miranda. He felt he was being checkmate by them. With his condition, he was a washout for anyone. He looked at Miranda. He then saw someone he might want to know.

"I am yours, if you want me. If not, I'll die your maid. To be your servant, whether you will or not." Freddy utter those words to her.

"And you need to learn your lines more." Miranda replied. She was touched by his words.

"So be it. Please leave then." Paul spoke up. "Before I forget to forgive and forget."

Paul shooed off the four persons from the Hall leaving him and Alan alone. They sat down by the seater and smiled at each other.

"So who were served both of us before our death?" Alan asked.

"Kabib, come now." Paul called out. "You had listened long and hard enough. Now come and claimed what is yours."

Kabib stepped from the hidden doorway. He was dirty and looked like he had a long run in the rain.

"You disobeyed me and left the keys with the map for them. For that I forgive you." Paul told him. "You changed my game direction, but I pulled it back to the original form. For that, I forgive you. But now I need you to forgive me for holding onto you land for so long."

"Kabib Miller, of all that belonged on this land, its yours now." Paul reached for the paper in his dressing robe. "It had been endorsed by Gonzales. But there is a condition. You are to have the two old Kings remained here till their life expired. Do you accept?"

"Yes, ....Father." Kabib bowed to the man who finally acknowledged him as his son.

"Father?" Alan looked at Paul.

"That's another tale which I would tell you later. Care to have a game of chess? This time we played with the pieces on the board only." Paul smiled.

"I don't mind, but you must let me win at least once." Alan replied while Kabib retreated to his corridor with the paper of ownership.

The Tempest Prologue 22

Prologue 22

"Alan, how many you got on your side?" Paul asked his partner when they were caught in an ambush set up by the gang from across the city. They were led to this deserted warehouse, told that one of his boys was sheltering there from the cops. He was Brady, and Alan dragged Paul on the impulse. They arrived without the boys, reckon Brady was really in another of his stupid acts. It turned out that it was an elaborate trap; Brady was at the docks waiting for the so called invasion by the others.

"I got two here." Alan told him. He then point at his gun. His finger showed two. That was bad. There was no mercy bullet. Paul had one guy on his side and was down to one bullet. He was hoping to keep that one for himself. He dread being tortured or drowned with his feet encased in concrete. Paul looked out, and saw his guy was behind the crate. If he missed the guy, he was dead. Alan let off one shot and got two shots back.

"I got one more. I am down to the last guy." Alan told him. "When you can get yours?"

"Soon." Paul looked out. He poised to shoot, but then he heard the shot. His target dropped down on the flooring. Paul looked towards Alan.

"He pop out too far with his butt." Alan laughed; besides his splash of anger, he was also into dry humor. "Shoot mine, please."

Paul looked over and saw he was not in any position to shoot the other guy. He moved to the next cover and drew more fire. It was then Alan fired and missed.

"Damned!" Alan cursed at his aim. Paul was at his next cover and tried to sight the guy. He got it and took his shot. He did it. Both Alan and himself walked over and looked at the last dead guy. He picked up the gun and looked at the ammo clip.

"Two bullets." Alan whistled out. "The guy must had us tagged for his mercy bullets."

The mercy bullets was a joke between the two. They said if they were in a fix, they would do each other with one bullet.

The Crusaders II Bets are places 7.3

1.          Three hours march from Camp Frontier

The two Crusaders had the Major handpicked a squad to go with them to locate the second gate. The squad of four trained soldiers picked up their gear and three days ration.

"Major, if this mission is voluntary; how come my name came up, Sir?" Rico Mende; rank of Sargeant and expert in demolition. He is clean shaven on the head and build with a stout body like a wrestler but he hardly fights besides in training. He's also a devout Catholic, never misses a mass unless he is on field training.

"Sargeant Rico, all of you are picked by me as you are all good men; soldiers with courage and above all, you are part of my flock. I may be your shepherd but sometimes, the sheep can also help me to guide me back." Major Chapman told Kruger that all this men are devout to their faith and if faced with the devil, they might just spit at it and shoot the heathen back to Hell.

"Sarge, am I your sheep?" Private First Class, Pedro Sanchez; sniper and communication expert. He look like a punk you would meet in the street at night if you are lost but Pedro is one clean kid wit no drugs or uncalled for habits.

"Baa," That's Pedro nickname from the Sarge. "Not until you marry my sister, you ain't in my sight."

They both laughed until they saw the FGM -148 Javelin missile launcher. They saw the new warhead its made attached. They nicknamed it Buckshot for the small cluster of mini bombs inside the missile. Its mean wide spread bombing missile. They are carrying two loads per person.

Sargeant Mike Brien; Irish descent with a penchant for reading classics books and quoting them hauled up the M60 Machine gun with the ammo belts slapped onto his shoulder. His sidekick, Private First Class Ian "Paddy" Glam kissed the crucifix on the neck chain before he leaned down to carry the extra ammo belts. He shoved his own M4A1 to the rear of his butt and prayed hard that it would kick some ass today.

All of them are carrying M4A1 as their personal weapon with the two fragment grenades.

Major Chapman armed himself with a Winchester shotgun in addition to his army issued handgun. He also carried himself a wooden stake. He told the boys maybe Dracula could be in the vicinity. That drove the boys to dipped their daggers into the holy water.

Kruger was armed with his sword and the greaves given by the priest while Miles carried his modified cross bow.

They started off with a silent prayer before taking over the walls.

"You would thought the training in Belize was bad but here this is Hell." Pedro was the one who broke the silence after walking for an hour. He was doing point and reckon someone had to start the conversation. The ground they been trampling on was red dry sands with red boulders and streaks of wind blown design on the surface. Every hundred metres or so, they would circumvent a steaming vent or an over flowing lava outlet.

Suddenly Pedro raised up his hand to halt the squad. Major Chapman ran forth from his third position to come alongside Pedro.

"Ten o'clock, Sir. Looks like movement." Major Chapman grabbed his field glass and looked. He had to adjust his eyes to clear off the thin mist of sweat on the eye lids to peek clearly. He saw what may appeared to be a five demons patrol. They been here long enough to call these demons and not enemies. The later you declared war on while the former you just shoot to kill.

"Demons, fifty metres, unaware of us." The Major spoke into the comms.It was then Kruger came to crouched next to the Major. He saw for the first time the so called demons. They looked like ordinary man in build but their skins are all reddish and more to it, its scalded in many places. They also carry metal like weapons that resemble more like cleavers. One of them turned to look at the soldier's position. It facial expression was that of a wrinkled expression with one large orbs for their eyes, and nasty claws on those limbs. Then he saw the mouth at the belly.

"Mapinguari!" Kruger placed the name of the demon. Its a believed to exist in the Amazon forest but never proven. Kruger heard tales of it but never encountered them. "They seen us."

The demons charged over but the soldiers were ready. They fired in succession to bring down the demons, but it took more than five bullets to stop one. One of them got close and Kruger stood up to swing his sword. The cut took off the demon's head and settled the battle.

"Thanks", Major Chapman spoke to Kruger. The creature was approaching for the Major. "They are tough creatures and we normally used the M60 on them for better measures."

"Major, I have neve seen one of them before and the rumors said they feared man more. Are we shooting them because they looked different." Kruger asked the Major.

"Son, I seen them kill and maim many of the boys. In my mind, they are demons. Maybe we are just in the wrong dimension." Major Chapman walked on to catch up with his boys.