The Kidnapped Prince

On the Run

SCREECH

"You have got to be kidding!" Gaheris shouts, dodging a spear thrown at him.

"How far did you say the border was?" Sir Bedivere asks Lady Rhoslyn as he bends to shoot his crossbow. The grand master misses and swears. He never was the best with a crossbow. He always excelled with the sword.

Sir Gawain turns in his saddle and shoots an arrow. His aim holds—the arrow strikes the cave dweller Sir Bedivere missed. With the arrow's force hitting his shoulder, the cave dweller tumbles to the ground.

A cave dweller stops to help his friend Sir Gawain shot. It screams in agony over the body and runs after the company again. Magic aids its every step.

"Not far," Lady Rhoslyn points ahead, and sure enough, clean and clear light begins to show between the trees. Not a more delightful sight could be described by the company. After being in the perilous lands for a week, one can never truly know how much time has passed. They are ready to leave the foul forest behind.

A wyvern dives for Lady Rhoslyn. Its claws extended, and its maw dripped with saliva.

The young lady raises her staff and lets whatever magic she has left flow—a burst of light flares brightly. The Wyvern swerves out of its dive and crashes into a tree. It lets out a screech, shakes its head and gets back up.

Lady Alys turns in her saddle and, with her bow, shoots the Wyvern, pestering her sister through the eye. The younger sister barely has time to notch another arrow before she has to shoot another wyvern out of the sky. This arrow hits its intended target. It's not enough for the Wyvern to be felled. So Lady Alys notches another arrow.

This arrow hits its mark with ease. The Wyvern falls from the sky-crushing cave dwellers as it crashes to the ground.

"Their gaining!" Galahad yells, glancing back at the cave dwellers. The dwellers that use magic to run have begun to gain on the company. The dwellers who ride giant rodents that resemble rats or mice fall behind slightly.

An ear-piercing screech deafens the company. This was louder than any wyvern they'd heard over the past few days. The company of knights, ladies and squires pause fighting. Slowly they turn their gazes to the sky.

Above the canopy of knarled trees, a great shadow flies overhead. Vast wings beat the air keeping the Wyvern above the canopy.

Several of the company swears.

"Faster," Sir Bedivere roars, urging his horse into a gallop. He begins to pull away from the company and the cave dwellers. The rest of his company follows his lead. Their horses easily achieve a gallop and catch up to the grand master.

With the light seeping through the trees, more and more the company begins to hope. Then an enormous wyvern lands in the company's path with an earth-shaking boom. The Wyvern is three times the size of any they've fended off or killed. Resembling the size of a dragon than its kin. Its horns are longer than the young ladies are tall. 

"Holy fuck," Lady Alys swears, pulling up on the reins. Her horse slides to a stop beside Sir Bedivere's.

The company cranes their necks at an awkward angle to see the massive beast. Galahad, "I'm not going to correct you,"

Behind the company, the cave dwellers linger, blocking the knights, ladies and squires in. The knights glance behind them and swear again. A damned situation for a damned quest. What else could the universe throw at them?

"You might want this," Gaheris states, offering Lady Rhoslyn a long knife he keeps attached to his saddle. The squire's knife is part of a set of six. One for Sir Gawain, one for Gaheris, one for Gareth, one for Sir Agravain and one for King Lot. The last has yet to be given.

Gaheris assumes his brother, upon marrying Lady Alys, would give the sixth to her.

"Just because I am not my sister does not mean I can't defend myself with a blade." Lady Rhoslyn states, summoning a short sword from a pocket in time. The lady looks at the blade, surprised. She thought it would be more challenging, with her magic being screwy. It seems the closer she is to Rheged, the better connection she is able to establish.

Sir Bedivere spotting her expression, looks between Rheged, the Wyvern and the cave dwellers. He turns to the lady. "Lady Rhoslyn, get to Rheged."

Lady Rhoslyn nods.

She urges her horse to go around. But the brave steed won't budge. Lady Rhoslyn kicks her horse hard, but he still won't move. Grumbling a curse or two, the young sorceress summons her magic and teleports herself and her horse over the border to Rheged.

Back over the border, the enormous Wyvern sniffs the air and narrows its eyes. Slowly it turns to Lady Alys. The young lady's eyes widen, and begins backing her horse away. It lunges for Lady Alys. Seconds away from being ensnared in its maw Lady Alys pulls her horse out of harm's way.

Sir Bedivere shouts for Galahad and Gaheris to fend off any cave dwellers that decide to get too close.

"Rhoslyn! Hurry up!" Galahad hollers, dodging the massive Wyvern's tail and shooting a cave dweller with his crossbow. Unlike his master, his skills with a crossbow are unparalleled.

Sir Percival and Sir Gawain begin their assault on the Wyvern. They work as a team like they've trained to. Their assault doesn't do much, but it keeps its attention off the young ladies. Arrows are fired from their bow and crossbow, respectively, and when they run out of arrows, they aim to cut the wings.

Anything they can do to help defend their friend from being hunted and eaten.

The young sorceress yells, "I'm going as fast as possible!"

Lady Rhoslyn's staff glows brightly as it charges. When the light reaches its precipice of power, the young sorceress lets the magic shoot from the staff. The enormous Wyvern doesn't even flinch. Two scales turn to stone, but the spell spreads no farther. The Wyvern shakes off the scales.

The spell she used was the same one she used earlier to turn a smaller wyvern into stone.

Lady Rhoslyn swears. She thinks swiftly. Then she tries another spell. If this Wyvern doesn't explode, then the sorceress is fresh out of heavy hitter spells. Lady Rhoslyn takes a deep breath and begins chanting.

A deep red glow emits from the lady's staff. It flares brightly then Lady Rhoslyn thrusts it toward the enormous Wyvern. The spell shoots toward the Wyvern. It hits the winged beast in the back. For a second time, the Wyvern absorbs the spell, but then something strange happens.

The spell bubbles and twists inside the Wyvern. Molten fire squelched inside the beast's belly, turning and burning. The enormous wyvern skids to a stop and turns to Lady Rhoslyn on the overside of the border. It lunges for Lady Rhoslyn but falls short before it hits the barrier.

In a brilliant explosion of blood, guts, scales and magic, the enormous Wyvern ceases to exist. Its body becomes thousands of little chunks scattered around from the force of the explosion.

Behind Galahad and Gaheris, the cave dwellers stare at Lady Rhoslyn. One of them yells grab the girl.

Hearing the cave dwellers yell for her, Lady Alys urges her horse over the border of Rheged. She makes it in time to see a cave dweller smack into a barrier or, rather hears the cave dweller smash into the barrier.

Lady Alys turns back to see the cave dweller seething but unable to cross into Rheged. A bloody good thing. No sooner does the young lady let out a sigh of relief than her breath is nearly stolen from what she sees.

Lady Alys and Lady Rhoslyn watch as a small wyvern sneaks up behind the knights and squires. So the ladies do what they can. Lady Alys yells, "RUN!"

And Lady Rhoslyn casts a protection spell on the male population of the company.

The knights immediately spring into action. Horses strain against the reigns itching and asking for more. Their riders give it to them.

Lady Alys notches an arrow and fires. With the help of her sister Lady Alys's arrow bursts into flames and sinks into the small wyverns maw. It plummets to the ground and slams into a tree.