Beast

Princess Blanche sleeps soundly beside my campfire, surrounded by my companions. By all appearances she is a sweet, innocent fourteen-year-old girl, as helpless as a kitten. I feel responsible for her. I feel an obligation to guard her safety and guide her judgment. I have to forcibly remind myself that two days ago, she had sent her Huntsman and seven Miners to kill my friends and me. Her own magical poison attack had rendered half of us, myself included, insensible. She is a formidable enemy.

But she is also a powerful ally? Yesterday, she joined us in the fight against the Sheriff of Nottingham. What will today bring?

(Catch up on installments 1, 2, 3, and 4.)

I rise from my bedroll and look around. To my left, gentle mist rises off the swift, deep waters of the Caerleon River. To my right, a meadow stretches out towards gently sloping hills, where an orange sunrise has just begun to show.

The only other person awake right now is Marion Fletcher, who usually takes the last watch of the night. She stares downstream with the air of someone lost in thought.

I stand beside her. "Do you see any signs of pursuit?"

"Not yet. But we certainly left enough enemies behind us. Cinderella, imprisoned back in Sherwood. Sleeping Beauty, stowed away in the tower in the woods. The Sheriff of Nottingham, locked in his own cell. Any moment now, I expect one or all of them to come after us. "

I nod. A moment passes quietly. I steel my nerves, and ask, "Do you want to talk about your betrothal to the sheriff?"

"I am never going to marry him."

"Then the engagement is called off?"

"No," Marion sighs. "The contract our parents signed means we can only part by mutual consent, or death."

I pat her shoulder affectionately. "You will figure it out."

"Thanks, Red," Marion says.

I look upstream. "I won't be surprised if the Fairy Godmother sends someone else after us. She hasn't heard from any of the henches she's sicced on us so far."

Marion gives me a wry smile. "We'll figure it out."

The others gradually start to wake. Fredericia Forestay dives into the river in mermaid form and emerges with several fat perch for us to eat for breakfast. As she often does, Eliza Rivers contributes fresh herbs to our meal. Isobel Hansom and Alice Cross play a card game with Princess Blanche while they wait.

Rested and well-fed, we break camp. I drive our cart up Nottingham Thoroughfare beside the river. Isobel sits beside me in wolf form, sniffing the air cautiously. Marion rides in back with the others, staring behind us with continued vigilance.

Of course, before midday, we find a blockade extending across the road and river with carts and boats.

Isobel reverts to human form. "Get ready," she says. "The people ahead want me dead, and they will take out anyone in my company if they have the chance."

I ask, "Who are they?"

Isobel bares her teeth. "My brothers."

I hear Alice tell Princess Blanche, "Stay behind me. If the situation gets dangerous, run for your life."

Princess Blanche replies, "I have heard of the Hansom Brothers. I don't think they're very tough."

Isobel says, "They are tough enough. And they brought a few hired hands as well. "

Fredericia, forced into silence by a curse, takes out her harmonica. She plays us a sea shanty. The tune is so cheerful and heartwarming that I feel equal to any task.

I stop our cart about fifty feet before the blockade. Isobel gets down first and steps forward. One of her brothers, a large barbarian wielding a battleaxe, meets her in the center.

"Charles," Isobel says. "I don't expect this to be a happy family reunion?"

"Bel. You know our errand," he responds. "You know why it is necessary."

Isobel looks at the other gathered men. "Maurice, Philippe, Pierre, Michel, Jean? Are you going to let him talk you into murdering your eldest sibling?"

The only answer comes from Charles. "It isn't murder. You are a traitor to our monarch, the Fairy Godmother. Worse, you are an abomination, bringing dishonor upon our family. It is our duty to stop you."

Isobel has heard enough. She transforms back into a wolf and pounces on Charles. He grapples with her.

Four more of her brothers step forward, holding a flail, a warhammer, a pike, and a longsword, respectively. They stare us down. A fifth with a trident steps from a boat onto the near bank of the river. Another five men, less muscular and armed with simple shortswords, take positions on top of the barricade.

Eliza stands on the back of the cart and gestures magically. A thorny tendril bursts from her hand and whips the flail barbarian, scratching up his arms and pulling him closer to us. I jump down and attack him with my daggers, slicing open the tunic of his hide armor. A white arrow appears in one of the slits I've made. Marion and I share a smile as she nocks another arrow.

Alice clambers down from the cart. She flourishes her longsword and declares, "Villains, surrender! Or in the name of the White Rabbit, I will smite you!"

Fredericia leaps down with more grace. She draws her sword with one hand and points at the trident barbarian with the other, narrowing her eyes into an acute glare.

Isobel seems to have the advantage in her tussle with Charles. She drives him and his battleaxe back towards the barricade. Their brothers make room for the fight, none of them eager to join. The fighters on top of the barricade watch warily.

The flail barbarian breaks the arrow in his chest, leaving only a short stub. He swings his weapon wildly in my direction. I easily duck his attack.

The warhammer and longsword barbarians both rush Alice. She easily deflects the warhammer's strike with her blade and laughs as the other attack bounces ineffectually off her platemail. She strikes her other attacker with her own longsword, cutting through his hide tunic and slicing the skin over his ribs.

The pike barbarian approaches the cart. "Snow White!" he calls. "Jump into my arms! I'll save you!"

Princess Blanche hesitates.

Eliza asks, "Do you want to go with him?"

I don't see or hear the princess’s response, but I do see Eliza's club glowing magically green as she swings at the pike barbarian. He catches her club in his hands, stopping the strike, but instantly calls out in pain. He releases the club and shakes his hands.

The flail barbarian gives a sign of rallying against me. With two accurate strikes from my daggers, he falls to the ground, bleeding and unmoving.

Marion looses her next arrow, catching the warhammer barbarian on the bare piece of calf between his boot and kilt.

I see the trident barbarian striding towards Fredericia. He jabs his weapon at her, but she whirls around in a dance-like dodge that closes the space between them. She slices up with her shortsword and cuts his arm so deeply that he drops his trident.

I hear screams from the barricade as Isobel pounces upon her brothers' hired fighters. I don't know how many attempt to make a stand, or how many flee.

The warhammer barbarian strikes Alice in the chest. I wince at the heavy sound of impact between weapon and platemail. Alice falls backwards, breathless. The longsword barbarian attempts to slash at her, but misses wildly.

"Snow White!" the pike barbarian persists. "Quickly! I'll bring you safely back to the Fairy Godmother!"

Princess Blanche reaches down to him. He lifts her by the waist and places her gently on the ground. For a moment, she lingers with her hands on his shoulders. He looks down into her lovely face. Then she blows a stream of poison at him.

He falls to the ground, screaming in agony and scratching at his hives.

"That's our girl!" Eliza exclaims in approval. She hops down from the cart and strikes the longsword barbarian with her glowing club. He falls down with a dull groan.

I sidestep the warhammer barbarian, flanking him. I strike. He, too, crumbles.

Our only remaining opponent is the barbarian by the river, facing Fredericia, his trident at his feet. Isobel advances on him slowly, snarling.

He throws up his hands. "Bel." His voice quivers. "Bel, you've won. It's one thing to fight your kin in battle. But I'm the only one left. Your only remaining brother. You wouldn't kill your baby brother in cold blood?"

I call over to him, "Would you kill Isobel in cold blood?"

"She's a beast!" he whines. "An abomination. A curse upon the Hansom family. It was our duty to hunt her. I never personally wanted to hurt her." He holds out his trembling right hand to the wolf. "Bel. Will you accept my surrender?"

Isobel stands back up in human form and studies her brother’s face. "If I do, will you swear upon Mamma's grave to leave me alone?"

Fredericia picks up the trident and steps back.

"I swear," he says.

Isobel takes his hand.

His right hand shakes hers. His left produces a small knife from his belt and drives it into Isobel's neck.

Fredericia swiftly ends the man's life with his own trident. Then she falls to Isobel's side. Her mouth moves desperately, but her healing spell requires her voice.

Alice and Eliza join them in an instant. The paladin and druid work together to stabilize and heal our friend. Isobel is soon out of danger. She throws an arm around Fredericia's shoulders as our bard sobs with silent frustration.

"It will be alright," Isobel assures her. "I am fine. I'm perfectly healthy. You're going to be alright, too. We will get your voice back."

Marion and I loot the barbarians' and their fallen hirelings’ pockets and bags. We pick up some coins and two small healing potions. The flail barbarian had a pair of studded leather gauntlets that look like they'll fit Isobel well.

I notice Princess Blanche staring at me. "What is it, Princess?" I ask.

"Are you on the Good side?" she asks. "I was with the Fairy Godmother because I thought she was on the Good side. But she has that horrible Sheriff of Nottingham man. Last night, Eliza told me what the Fairy Godmother did to her. And today, the Fairy Godmother sent Isobel's own brothers to kill her. That's… not Good."

"I think I am on the Good side," I answer. "I'm fighting against a tyrant who schemes and conquers. Who withholds resources from people in need. Who curses and manipulates. But, I can't say that everything the Enchantment Liberation Front does is Good. We did kill your friends, the Miners."

Princess Blanche nods sagely. "Eliza told me about that too. It was a fight. You had to try to survive. Just like today, against the Hansom Brothers. But." She gives me a serious look. "I've seen you show mercy. I've seen you hold back the killing blow. I've never seen the Fairy Godmother do that."

Her words send a chill down my spine.

"Red," Princess Blanche says. "I want to join you. I want to fight with the Front. I want to be on the Good side." She kneels. “Robin Wood, I swear my allegiance--”

I throw up my hands to stop her from making an oath. "It isn't fair," I explain, helping her back to her feet. "No one as young as you should be used as a political pawn, a hench, or a freedom fighter. You're supposed to be safe at home somewhere, getting an education. You should have a chance to grow up naturally."

"I have no home," Princess Blanche points out. "The Fairy Godmother annexed my father's estate into the empire. And, as you pointed out two seconds ago, you killed my adoptive family."

She is right.

I say, "I think I know a compromise. A place where you can be safe and help the E.L.F. Assuming we can get you there without the Fairy Godmother interfering. It's very close to Royal City."

"Where?" Princess Blanche asks.

I look at Eliza, who is hard at work dismantling the blockade with magical thorny whips protruding from her hands. "Salamander Keep in the Six Stream Swamp," I say. "Ancestral home of the Rivers family."