Retrieve the Kingdom

The Second Stage

“Run!” 

Belle shouted as the four of them started running. The guards who saw them ran after them with their swords in their hands. They kept running and hoping they can outrun them. 

“Don’t stop, just run!” She shouted once again as they took some turns to lost them in the forest. They ran like they were chased by an ostrich. They decided to split up as Andrei took the old woman with him. He believes he can make her safe. 

As they split, some of the guards come after Andrei and some on Phoebe. Belle wasn’t seen by them. They all just ran, in turns and in circles. They tried their best not to go where the carriage was hiding, or else they will be screwed.

Andrei keeps running, but not too fast that the old woman would stumble or suddenly collapse. He is trying, but some of the guards are coming near to them. This was the tensest moment Andrei ever encountered. 

His feet and legs are already tired, but he can’t stop running. The life of this lady, his future, his friends’ future, they all depend on this moment. He just need not to screw up. 

They took a hard turn, Andrei didn’t notice the rocks as the old lady tripped and was injured. He helped her stand but she can’t run anymore. “Go on, my child, don’t risk yourself here.” He shook his head, “No! I won’t let you!” He dragged her as the injuries start to make her suffer. She tripped again, doubling the pain she is enduring. 

“Just go! I am hopeless. Please, save yourself.” She pleaded, she didn’t make an effort to raise her head. “You have a lot to do. While me, I have nothing. I am better off dead, so I could finally rest.” Andrei kept insisting. “We want to save you, please, we just need to run another distance, don’t be like that.” 

“My child.” She held his hand and slowly raise her head, her face was messed with dirt. “Please, go. Don’t bother save a lady like me. You have more to do with your life, I… Thank you for the attempt, but let me stop here. Thank you for listening to my burdens, now, I feel better.” 

Andrei was already in tears, “No… No! Come on.” He heard some of the clangings of the steel armor the guards have. “Go now my child, before they see you!” She pushes him away as her face falls flat on the ground. Andrei was hesitating, but the increasing loudness of the boots of the guard made him run away. 

The guards saw the old woman and approached her. One of them grabbed the back of her dress, making her stand up. She doesn’t had the choice but to obey, she stands as he pinned her. The guard holds the neckline of her dress as he looks intently at her. 

“Where is the child?” She shook her head. “Answer me!” She insisted, “I don’t know where he is!” It made him pissed, “Don’t lie to me.” She shook her head, “I am not gonna say where the boy is! Leave him alone.” 

He draws his sword, but the lady didn’t even flinch. “Come on, kindly cooperate with us, or we will not get so kind of you.” The lady looked at them like it was just a petty thing, which hurt the ego of the guard. “Don’t look at me like that!”

“You can’t threat me like that, come on, if you want to kill me, then kill m—” The shining sharp steel of the sword pierced her stomach, the shiny blade was now covered in blood. The lady smiled one last time, even blood was coming out from her mouth, “You didn’t… Win anything from t-this.” She said as she shook her head along. 

It made the guard pissed, the stab on the stomach wasn’t enough. As she slides down against the tree after he pulled his sharp sword away. He slashed her front body, leaving a long wound across her left shoulder to her chest. A shriek of pain heard as she fall to the ground, leaning on the tree. 

“Let’s go.” The one who stabbed the lady earlier goes forward as a question stopped him from continuing. “Aren’t we gonna dispose of the body?” He shook his head. “What if some—” “Let’s go, we need to catch the boy.” The others just shrugged and they continued finding the teenagers who rescued the lady. 

Andrei was behind the tree, who just witnessed what happened. A tear slowly slides on his left cheek. It was a devastating scenery for him. With his two eyes, he just saw the lady got stabbed and the guard isn’t contented with that, he even slashed the slowly dying lady. 

In mistake, he stepped on a twig that made a noise. It attracted attention to the guards. Andrei squeezed himself together behind the thick tree as one of them approaches the source. The screech of the steel of the sword as he draws it was been heard, which made Andrei a lot more nervous. 

He is not nervous because they will kill him. Once he was noticed and identified, it would be a great issue and his friends’ lives depend on it. He is trying his best not to be identified as the prince, he was glad that he is wearing a commoner’s suit. 

The sound of the boots was getting louder and louder. He was trying his best not to scream and even make sounds while breathing. The sound stops. The guard looks around. 

“Let’s go, we got someone to chase.” One of them spoke as the guard who almost caught him went back to his group. The collective sound of boots was a cue for Andrei to calm himself and slowly go out from his hiding spot. As soon the guards were out of his sight. He decided to run in a different direction. 

Conveniently enough, he met Phoebe along the way. “Did you lost them?” She quickly asked him as they hid behind a tree. “Yeah. How about you?” She nods, “Yes—wait, where is the old lady!?” She panicked as he sighs, “I am sorry. She was the one who said to let go.”

“Why did you—” He covers her mouth as he looks around. She mumbles as Andrei shuts her up. He peeks as a lone guard was wandering and looking around. He looks back at Phoebe who is now concerned. 

They breathe quietly as Andrei hugged her. Phoebe was shocked as she hugs him back. He peeks again, the guard is still wandering around the place. They slowly circle around the tree once the guard is heading to a place where he can spot them. 

Phoebe can’t take it and pushed him. She silently mouthed at him, “Why were you hugging me!?” He placed his hands in front of him, telling her to calm. Suddenly, a loud clang was heard, not too far from them. They both instantly peek as they saw Belle just hit the guard in the face. He was lying unconscious on the ground as she looks at two of her friends. She quickly approached them and without a word dragged them into a more woody area. 

They arrived on the carriage who was covered with leaves and other things that could hide it from a far distance. She cleared some twigs and leaves in front of the door and opens it. They safely went inside the carriage as the coachman quickly made it go and left the place.

They all breathe their stress out. They looked at each other’s messy face. “Where’s the lady?” Belle looked at the two of them as Andrei sighed, he can’t count how many have he doing that for an hour. “She’s dead.”

“What!? Why did you let her—” “It was what she wants! I know it’s stupid but doesn’t blame me for it, maybe you can for some reason, but I regretted it too.” He burst into tears, he let out the feeling he is been containing for all of that.

Both of the girls comforted him. “I can’t forget it. They stabbed her in the stomach and it wasn’t enough for them. They even wounded her. It was devastating. I can’t… I…” 

Phoebe shed a tear too. She can imagine what happened. Her fist clenched as she tries to calm herself. She is angry with the guards and with herself. She can’t do anything to protect her subjects. That is what Andrei is feeling too.

“Come on, Andrei… We can’t do anything about it now.” Belle said as Andrei pulls his hair. “That’s the point! We can’t do anything. We are just mere hero wannabes. Even me as a prince can’t do anything, I hate myself. I hate you, I hate you.” 

Before even Andrei can slap himself, Phoebe was able to hold both of his wrists. “Andrei, don’t hurt yourself. It won’t do any better to you.” She pleaded even she is experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. “I wish I stopped them. I wish I used my power. Why did I just watch!” He sobs more. 

Belle keeps comforting him. “Andrei, don’t blame yourself. If you did, everything would fall down for us. You would be screwed to your father and uncle. We would be killed for what we know. Andrei, not all times you can control something.”

“I wish I can. I-I am sorry. I failed you guys.” Phoebe shook her head, “You failed no one, the woman was already waiting for her death, and you did her a favor. Even it sounds so wrong.” 

Andrei just cried his frustrations and eventually stopped when they arrived at Belle’s home. They ate their lunch with Belle’s parents. “Don’t you three go there again.” Belle’s dad, Brian said. “If this thing that your aunt wants will get you in danger, let’s cut the deal with her then.”

“Please, don’t.” Belle pleaded. “Just don’t go anywhere near that place and even don’t go way too much of what you three can. Especially you have the prince, we would be really screwed if something bad happens to him.” She sighed, “Okay. Just let me finish my high school, okay?”

“Just enjoy your vacation here, little ones. Just calm yourself. You only have a week to rest your weary minds. I know time’s ticking and the kingdom needs help, but you guys are still humans who get tired. Tomorrow we will visit some of Lalonde’s landmarks. Let’s make this a real vacation, all okay about that?” Her mother, Myrla, smiled sweetly at them. 

“For this afternoon maybe you can take a walk around nearby. Just enjoy the place, and Belle, sweetie, please keep your promise.” She looked at her daughter. “I will.” They finished their lunch and the three took a walk around the streets just nearby the house. They ate snacks and just played like children. 

The next day, they all prepared for their trip. They suited up and they board the carriage. For some sort of compensation for the coachman who gone the trouble with them, they let him join them as they visited some restaurants, some farming fields, and some landmarks in the pride of Lalonde, the Valley of Lalonde. 

They did this until it’s time for them to go back to Enoch. “Be safe, and remember the promise,” Brian said as the three looks at the two adults. “It’s the nth time you said that, father.” Phoebe giggled. “I am just making sure that you go with your promise this time.”

“It’s for your own good, sweetie. It’s for you three, just like us your parents would be worried too. Just think of yourselves.” Her mom sweetly smiled at them. “Anyway, goodbye. To you, Phoebe and Andrei, we hope to meet you two soon, again. And it’s been an honor to meet the prince.” 

Andrei smiled a little as they board the carriage. They went on their journey to Enoch. Belle was dropped on her aunt’s home as Andrei and Phoebe took their stop in the archduke’s mansion. “Andrei, aren’t you going ho—”

“Did you know about this!?”