CHAPTER SIX
Princess Celia trudged on. The
forest was thinning. A clearing appeared ahead. There was a tiny crunch.
Perhaps it was a squirrel… Celia sighed. She had yet to see a single
squirrel. She slid behind a tree and peered
around. She jerked back. There in the clearing stood a young man, clutching a
bow and arrow. She gulped. What now?
Before she could decide, he yelled. “OW!” She started, and risked another glance
around the tree. He was throwing his bag off his back, and rubbing his back.
“You little rascal!” he said, half amused,
half angrily. Celia looked around to see what he was talking to.
“A squirrel!”
the words escaped her lips before she could stop them. The young man started, glancing
up, his bow aimed at her head.
“Oh! You
startled me. I thought you were a deer. You’re lucky I didn’t shoot,” the man
said, looking a little worried.
“You startled me, too!” said the Princess, her eyes
fixed on the squirrel, who was on his haunches nibbling a mushroom.
“Oh…he’s so
funny!” she smiled, as the squirrel darted into a tuft of grass, than scampered
to her shoe and nibbled the toe.
The young man grimaced. “Would you like him?
He would just be another mouth to feed at my house. I picked him up because he
was so small. I don’t have any pity for him now… the little rascal just bit me!”
“Oh, could I keep him?” asked Celia, looking at Leo (for that was who he was).
“It’s fine with me. He doesn’t belong to me.
I don’t know whether the little fellow will let you hold him though.” Leo was
looking at the girl. He always liked it when others liked animals. This girl seemed
to love squirrels…
“Thank you!” she said, gently scooping the squirrel into her
hand, and cuddling it. That’s so nice of him… she thought,
glancing at the young man. She smiled suddenly remembered her manners.
“I’m Princess Celia.”
“Ah! Your highness!” Leo bowed a little awkwardly.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Leo,” he added. A
princess…she has a pretty name, though, thought Leo.
“What are you doing
here?” asked Celia.
“I’m hunting for my family,” said Leo.
How brave!
He feeds his family! thought Celia.
“But a better question
might be what are you doing here?” asked Leo.
“Well,” started Celia, smiling,
“I was trying to catch a squirrel, but you have done that for me!”
She does like animals! thought Leo,
smiling.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“She MUST be somewhere!” cried
the king, face red with exertion. He was
sweating, and panting, and moving as fast as he could, but that did not conceal the fact that he was at the very back of the army, and they were slowly pulling
away from him. His weight was not helping him any, either. “WE,” he gasped,
“MUST,” he panted, “FIND,” he wheezed, “HER!” he collapsed in a heap. The army
marched on. “Listen!” whispered a man in the front ranks. “I hear something!”
The army surged forward.
~
“Listen!” whispered Leo, “I hear
something!”
he drew an arrow to the string,
and motioned Celia to his side. Probably a rabbit. But it could be a deer… Let it be a deer…let it be a deer… he
thought longingly.
~
“PRINCESS!”
cried the front ranks of the Eastern army as they broke through the surrounding trees
of the glade.
~
“OH!” cried Leo and the Princess,
as the army surged toward them.
~
“CHARGE!” cried the army of West
Listrans, and pelted toward the door of the East Listran fortress, sneezing and
yelling. Their cry echoed off the mountain walls, bouncing into the forest.
~
The army, Leo, and the Princess
froze, as “CHARGE….ARGE….arge…arge” echoed around them. They all looked at each
other.
“W…what…” whispered a soldier, “was that…?”
Leo collected his wits
first. “Sounds like a battle cry...” he muttered, looking worried. He began to
climb a pine nearby. “I might be able to see what is going on,” he explained,
to some of the confused looking soldiers. They nodded, trying to act as if they
had already thought of that. After a good deal of cracking branches, and
several cries of “Ouch!” (For pine trees are not very friendly), Leo finally
reached the top. He squinted toward his village of Ralet, toward the Laslorn
Forest. All seemed normal. The palace...the Palace! But the flag of East Listra
was gone! In its place, fluttering in the breeze flew the flag of West Listra!
Leo nearly fell out of the tree in his haste to tell the others. After the
horrible news was communicated to everyone, King Cartow staggered into the
grove.
“What,” he gasped, “is going on
here?” and promptly sat down for another breather. The horrible news of West
Lista’s triumph was broken to him. He
looked depressed, and was heard to mutter that “nothing ever went right on
Fridays.”
“But!” exclaimed on optimistic young soldier, “The princess has
been found!”
The king nodded, dejectedly. “Very nice…very nice.”
He suddenly drew a deep breath. “WELL,” he
stated. “What is to be done, to reclaim the honor of East Listra? How shall we
be avenged this terrible, this horrible act against us?” The soldiers all
looked at their boots. “What, I repeat, is to be done?” asked the king, in
louder tones.
Leo spoke up, a sudden thought entering his head. “Excuse me,
sir.”
“Well, boy?” boomed King Cartow.
“Perhaps West Listra has
used all, or nearly all its troops to take the East Listran fortress. Then
their castle would be quite empty of soldiers. Just a matter of taking the
castle. I know it’s a risk. They may have left some men. Perhaps this was just
a small band who took ours. But…I think it’s worth a try!” The soldiers murmured in agreement, glad to
support any idea rather than having to supply one themselves.
The King glanced
around, then nodded. “Good lad. We shall take your suggestion. Very good plan.
Very good.” So they began the long march.
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