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+JMJ+
Diary of a Sailor Prince
Part Ten
Seventh Day of the Icy
Season
We unbarred the door and the
soldiers stepped back. Kalin escorted us to the throne room. But I
was familiar with the route. Had I not been betrayed only a few days
ago to suffocate in the bath? The only person that seemed happy in
our group was Con. He still had his bundle and was whistling. To bad
for him, he would not get the chance to use his twigs as we would be
leaving. I almost smiled at the thought of the twigs turning into
soldiers and attacking Caspian. He would deserve that. The
King was seated on his throne smiling.
“It is a trap!” Deadeye
yelled and raised his musket. Immediately the curtains surrounding
the throne swept aside and soldiers poured out. Deadeye lost his
musket as he was dragged down. I was grabbed and almost throttled.
“Kill them!” Caspian
roared evilly. Hunger pounded a man on the head then was knocked
over. I wrestled with my captors. But the lack of air was making my
head swim.
“Help.” I squeaked.
Anastasia darted in the room.
“Father!” she screamed,
“You promised not to hurt them!” She tried to stop the soldiers
and was knocked over.
“Con!” I yelled, “Help
us!” The small boy ducked under the swinging fists, and began to
throw twigs. Every time a twig touched the ground a soldier appeared.
These newcomers were dressed in heavy armor and carrying huge
mattocks.
“Save my friends!” Con
shrieked. The mattocks began to whirl. I could hear Caspian yelling
and the soldiers howling. I wriggled free of my captors and ran to
Anastasia. I helped her up.
“Very stupid to get
involved in a battle, highness!” I said. Her hand felt small and
cold in my big sunburnt one.
“And you said you were
going to leave and not claim me!” she retorted, but did not let go
of my hand.
“This will teach you to
take my weapons!” Deadeye bellowed as he sent two soldiers crashing
to the floor, “The King of Filmont will be in a rage when he finds
that his men are being attacked in Hazelmorn. Why he may declare
war!”
“For a ragged outcast like
you?” Caspian boomed. He snatched up a stick and rang a hidden
gong.
“Boots, even Con's men
cannot defeated Caspian's entire army!” Swiftfoot shouted as he
unbound his leg and started kicking soldiers in every direction.
Hunger leaped through the air and crashed down on a group of soldiers
all but flattening them. Parch grabbed two soldiers by the neck and
cracked their heads together. Bale got down on his hands and knees
and slashed at people's legs with his little knife. Sharp kicked, bit
and used his fists. But more soldiers were pouring into the room and
overpowering us. We were going to lose in spite of the big mattocks
on our side. I pulled Anastasia close and kissed her.
“Goodbye your highness.”
I said grimly then I released her and darted into the battle. I was
surprised at my own action. We were dragged down by sheer weight of
numbers and cast into jail.
Signing off in pain,
Me
Tenth Day of the Gray Time
After rotting in a damp dark
dungeon alone for three days, I was finally brought before Caspian. I
suppose it was to be a mock trial. At least I got to see my friends
again. It was a great relief. They looked rather beaten up, but it
was a joyous reunion. At least it was until Caspian called our
attention to himself.
“Brave young men.” he
said dramatically, “You shall die quickly.”
“Excuse me?” I said
angrily, “What have we done?”
“You a lowly commoner have
dared raise your eyes to her royal highness!” Caspian said coldly.
“Yes, but not my friends.”
I protested, “They merely tried to-”
“They have attacked my
soldiers.” Caspian interrupted, “An attack on my soldiers is an
attack on my own royal person!”
“You could have told me
sooner!” Parch roared, “I would have slain every one of those
fops!”
“I would have ripped your
giants apart!” Hunger roared.
“We would have attacked
you much sooner!” Deadeye snarled.
“But we can start fresh
now!” Sharp snapped.
“What did you do with my
soldiers?” Con demanded, “They would have ripped you apart if you
had not cheated!”
“Just wait until next
time!” Bale shrieked.
“You will be sorry!”
Swiftfoot snapped.
“Take them away and lock
them up where they can never see the light again!” Caspian roared,
“That will teach them to disrespect me!” So we returned to our
nice comfortable cells.
Signing off in loneliness
and despair,
Me
Thirtieth Day of the Gray
Time
Nearly the entire season
passed with no sign of another human being. Unless you count the hand
that slid food through the grating at the bottom of my dark cheerless
cell. I was lying in the dark when I heard a scuffling at the door.
Someone was unlocking my cell. I sat up, my eyes straining in the
dark. The door unlocked and slid open, scraping over the uneven stone
floor. I was almost blinded by the sudden flickering light from a
torch. I fell to my knees covering my eyes and groaning. The darkness
and loneliness were finally wearing me down.
“By the great Shades of
the Seven Worlds!” someone swore. I uncovered my eyes, heedless of
the pain.
“Verek?” I gasped. My
younger brother strode into the cell jangling a ring of keys.
“I search for the most
valuable emerald in all the Third World and what do I find?” Verek
said, “But a brother who has been dead half a year.”
“Sorry to disappoint you?”
I mumbled, “I have simply been rotting down here!”
“Well, my dear brother,
allow me to aide you.” Verek said and jangled the keys again.
“We need to find my
friends.” I said with a grimace as I wiped tears from my stinging
eyes.
“You have friends?”
Verek gasped in mock disbelief. Or perhaps it was truly disbelief.
“Where did you get the
keys?” I demanded as I peered out of the cell.
“I stole them!” Verek
said, sounding ridiculously pleased with himself. I could hardly
scold him since he happened to have rescued me. We found the others
in separate cells further down the corridor. It was a delightful
reunion.
“You have a brother?”
Swiftfoot said as he peered at Verek. But my brother's clothes could
not identify either of us as princes. They were in sorrier condition
then mine.
“If I am not mistaken, and
I seldom am, he is a thief!” Sharp said dryly. Verek bowed.
“Sometimes I mistakenly
gather clutter in my hands.” he said with a bow. I jabbed my elbow
into his back.
“Do you got food?”
Hunger rumbled.
“Or drink?” Parch asked
as he licked his cracked lips.
“Or a musket?” Deadeye
asked.
“Straw?” Bale asked.
“My soldiers?” Con said.
“What exactly is going on
here?” Verek asked. It was a long story.
Signing off for now,
Me
First Day of the
Frosterdays
I have never seen anyone so
surprised as Caspian when we burst into the throne chamber yesterday.
If looks could kill Verek would have smote him upon the spot.
“What is the meaning of
this?” Caspian cried.
“Boots?” Anastasia cried
from her own little throne.
“Who the heck is Boots?”
my brother roared, “In the name of our father, King Maldirk of the
Glittering Island, I declare war on King Casp-whatever the rest of it
was and his stinking slum of a king! How dare you place my brother in
your worm infested dungeons! He is a prince, not to mention a hero!”
“Verek, do shut up!” I
hissed and tried to cover his mouth.
“Prince?” Caspian gaped.
I remembered what Kalin had said about the seventy-five unlucky
headless princes and shuddered.
“Ha!” Sharp said, “I
knew it!”
“Of course I knew all
along.” Swiftfoot said.
“Boots is such a false
name.” Deadeye said smugly, “I knew it was false!”
“Does this mean we get
food?” Hunger asked as he scratched his head.
“The finest wines in all
the Third World belong to the Glittering Island.” Parch sighed.
“How big is the reward?”
Bale asked.
“Where are my soldiers?”
Con asked with a frown.
“Why did you not tell me?”
Anastasia cried as she glared at me.
“Sorry.” I mouthed
helplessly. Then Caspian got down on his knees, much to my surprise.
“Marry my daughter!” he
cried, “I shall force her to except your hand. Please forgive me
and marry my darling treasure.”
“Excuse me?” Anastasia
cried. But I was not going to let this golden opportunity slip. I
snatched up her hand.
“We got your father's
permission, now please come back to my home and marry me.” I cried.
Perhaps it was not very flowery, but that is as poetic as I get.
After all I am just a soldier. But a soldier who got the girl after
all.
“That is disgusting!”
Verek said after ten minutes. He thought it would be important that I
should write that on the last page of my diary.
Signing off,
Me
Prince Xander of the
Glittering Island
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