Someone Else's Kingdom, BOOK I - Chapter 68

Having sailed further on, patiently arching past the outer edge of the great desert, like the pointer of a slowly moving clock hand, the Arbowlan eventually happened upon yet more clement land. Another faraway refuge the small crew were happy to find. Though by this point their absent-minded state meant that it had arrived upon the shores of their world, before they'd even started looking for its shores. Carefree as they now were upon the waves.

Since the earlier landfall, where they'd buried their two dead crewmates, the journey had been nothing but smooth and peaceful. Saving the brief storm that had overtook them as they'd left the previous bay. Even the crew member that had taken ill in the deathly days following the passing of Acalee had now fully recovered. The fruits and other provisions they'd taken on board during that docking, along with the tranquil sabbatical air of the place, having had a miraculous effect. Reinvigorating the five remaining shipmates to a point of near perfect health.

When they landed upon this latest territory the feel was somewhat different, though not unpleasant. The weather and sandy beaches being almost as beautiful as at the earlier spot. Making a stay of at least a few days an obvious attraction. Having made a few minor repairs to the ship two of the crew members began setting up camp, whilst the others headed inland. Luckily, a source of freshwater had been found almost immediately upon landing, so after making a few short trips to fill their flasks, the two setting up camp had little to do. Dawdling around in the shade, collecting scraps of dry wood for fire, and creating a small clearing where they would rest for the night. Knowing full well that if the weather turned sour they could return to the ship.

"If only we had a few women with us we could simply stay here and start again," noted one half-laughing, as he looked out over their surroundings. The other echoed the sentiment, though it instantly made him wonder what their real prospects were. "We will probably never return," he replied soberly, "Even if we could make such a long journey back, there's no way the five of us alone could pass through that channel unnoticed. It would be impossible."

"We're on the outside now," reiterated the first. He then paused for a moment and considered once again the weird situation they found themselves in. "All the wars going on in there, all the action and the violence, yet here we are, out here, not a care in the world. It could be that we're the fortunate ones."

The second crewman acknowledged the oddness, but preferred not to ponder on it too long. "I do miss the women and the violence," he joked, trying to lighten the conversation, "Perhaps even if we don't make it back we can at least do a little damage by trying." He then tapped the handle of the sword that hung at his waist. "Definitely," came the firm reply. The first then gripped the handle of his own sword in brotherly concurrence, as the balmy Sun blazed down through the yellow-green palm leaves.

Deeper inland the other three were having a somewhat different conversation. The younger crew member had stumbled upon two rickety pieces of wood that had seemingly been lashed together. "There must have been someone here," he exclaimed, a tad excited, to the ship's pilot, as he took a closer look. The ship's pilot lifted the pieces of wood from the ground to inspect them himself. There was no obvious reason as to why they'd been tied together, but he concurred they'd been notched together by design. "Perhaps they're from a wrecked boat or something," he noted casually. The aged and eroded nature of the wood giving him some certainty that it wasn't part of a freshly made structure.

Essen, who'd drifted away from the pair, returned to see what the interest was. His bow slung across his shoulder cavalierly. The ship's pilot handed him the wooden construct. "Signs of life," he commented laconically. Essen prodded the fibres that lashed the two pieces of wood together. "This is a strange place," he expressed, with mild apprehension as he turned it over in his hands. "I was hoping we could simply come out here, hunt, then head back to fill our bellies, but now I'm wondering if we should perhaps just go back."

He then guided the other two further out to where he himself had been wandering. Ushering the pair beyond the trees to reveal something that he had found. As they stepped through the uneven brush it came into view. Fields and fields of poppies stretching outwards. Ever-distant. The continuation only broken by the odd coppice of trees jutting upwards between the rosy meadows, or by the blunt horizon of odd hills that gently climbed to eye level.

They'd noticed these fields from the distance as they'd arrived by sea. The shimmery red haze being visible even from the ocean. At the time they couldn't quite make out the reason for this red tinge, so hadn't quite envisioned the scene. Now it was up close and apparent. An arresting sight for the three wanderers. Considering the view for a moment they then petered back into the shade of the jungly woodland.

"I think it's unlikely we'll be finding any animals," conceded Essen, "It might be time to head back." His bow now hanging forlornly in his right hand. "I guess," replied the ship's pilot, who by now was beginning to tire a little in the heat. Then the younger crew member noticed something else. Inspecting a nearby tree, he could see that a word or marking had been etched into the bark. What looked like a large letter "G", followed by some other badly carved letters. As he traced his finger over the grooves he tried to read what it said. Essen and the ship's pilot followed over to take a look. Just as they honed in, however, two strange looking deer ambled innocently into the nearby scrub. Barely thirty paces away from the three. Essen, noticing the animals first, gripped his bow tightly; hungry to take aim. Eager to not let such a piece of good fortune go to waste. Within a split second the ship's pilot had also caught a glance of the beasts. Less vigilant than Essen, and surprised at the sight, he took an instinctive step back. The rustle of the leaves and the crack of twigs spooked the animals, and they shot off into the trees.

Essen, not wanting to lose the opportunity, sprinted off after them. Striding across the firm ground with a similar animal vigour. It was futile trying to catch the deer, and landing a shot mid-run would simply be impossible, but he followed nonetheless. Enjoying the opportunity to put his strong frame to the test. The exhilaration and adrenaline instantly raising his mind and body to its peak. As the deer left the safety of the forest and pushed out into the billowing red poppies he stuck to their trail. They outpaced him as they swept through the stalks and grasses, but the open vista allowed him to keep the majestic pair in his vision. He breathed hard as he swiftly cut through the fields.

The younger crew member and the ship's pilot followed, but just as Essen couldn't keep pace with the deer, so too could they not keep pace with him. The poppies were high, and they bobbed up around the chest of the pair as they ran; their heads above the waterline, trying to behold the determined head of Essen, who now raced out far in front. Finally, as Essen continued on, the deer eventually escaped his sight. Even the rippling of the grassy poppies as they cut their path disappearing from his view. As he stopped he went to shoot his bow in their general direction, but, accepting it was pointless, spared his arrow and returned it to the pouch. As he caught his breath he could hear the other two faintly in the distance, now walking rather than running. When they finally caught up the three sat down in the field and tried to assess their location. They'd travelled a good distance in pursuit of the animals and were now a touch lost. Their entire circumference almost nothing but meadow. Fortunately, they could just about glimpse the fair blue sea in the distance, so elected that as their compass.

Essen rose to his feet first, the gentle breeze tousling his hair and clothes as it did the surrounding poppy stalks. Then the younger crew member tugged his sleeve. He could hear what sounded like voices in the distance, carried and distorted on the drifting wind. Essen heard nothing, but crouched back down in response. "I think I heard something too," whispered the ship's pilot. Essen eased his head back up above the flowers to look around. In the distance he saw a man standing in the field amidst the lolling red petals, staring out in the direction of the sea. He urged the ship's pilot to take a look. The form and figure of the man stood out clearly against the fluffy blue sky. "It's Prince Aralak," the ship's pilot noted with great surprise.

"What?" asked Essen, puzzled.

"I'm certain," repeated the ship's pilot. It then suddenly dawned on him why the prince was here and where he had come from. Essen looked down at the young boy, who by now had also popped his head up slightly to take a discrete view. As the pair made eye contact they each shared a look of bemusement.

"A better opportunity than the deer," joked Essen, though as he said this the sentiment became more vivid. He thought about the war back home. About Acalee, his beloved half-cousin, more like a brother, dead in the ground. He slid an arrow from his quiver, set it tightly against the string, then raised the bow. Taking aim through the swaying poppy heads.

"You can't kill him. Think!" exclaimed the ship's pilot, in a panic, using his arm to lower Essen's bow back down.

"We're at war," replied Essen calmly, "..the prince is a tyrant". He then repositioned his aim, nudged the ship's pilot to one side and focused on his prey. The bow wobbled slightly as he brought the tension to the string. With a relaxed breath he then held his arm steady and released the arrow.

"Zouuusssshhhhh"

It struck Prince Aralak in his left eye, smashing through the bridge of his nose. He dropped down dead to the ground.