Isle of the Damned

Travelling

We'd ate and slept at the castle but it was now time to move on. We didn't have the time to stay any longer. Sadness took over me as I realised I wouldn't see Helena for a long time. She was what I remembered and more. She was kind and strong and regal and everything I wanted to be as a ruler. 

"Goodbye, Queen Arabella. Please be careful on your journey," Helena said as we stood at the door, ready to leave. It was amazing that she was willing to help us like this. King Seth was not a person to be trifled with by any means. 

"Goodbye, I hope to see you again soon," I said wrapping my arms around her for a quick hug. 

"Thank you for having us, your highness," James said, bowing slightly whilst doing so. 

"Thank you," came a symphony of gratefulness from the rest of my group. Helena smiled warmly in response.

"Remember that the places I'm sending you too may still be dangerous, even my words and... blackmail may not be enough to protect you," she sadly said. Helena had explained at dinner that she would have to blackmail some of the other kingdoms so that the chance of them hearing us out would be greater. I hoped she had enough leverage that it would work.  

"We're aware. Don't worry, we know of the risks. Thank you for everything," I said with a reassuring smile.

"You're welcome, don't be a stranger." 

We waved goodbye as we walked away. I knew that I'd miss this place. Although as I looked up and saw the dark grey clouds rolling in it must be said that the castle certainly looked more ominous and threatening than when we arrived. I hoped it wasn't foreshadowing what was to come.

Reaching the stables I took a deep breath. These next days were not going to be easy. 

"Where are we going first?" Evander questioned, still noticeably banged up from the fight he was in last night. 

"Queen Helena said that Braelynn and Teo's kingdom, Zemaris, is the place to go to first. It's just over the border and she reckons they might be the most accommodating to us. Apparently, from the information she gave us, they have questioned Seth's sanity before and they owe her a favour. However, she also mentioned that their daughter, Princess Analia may be a bit hostile," I explained as we all got onto the horses, placing our belongings on their backs. 

"Right, well there's nothing we can do but go. Sadly, we can't avoid everyone," Ava said before deeply sighing. 

We rode off, leaving the safest place we were likely to find on the mainland. At least we now had clothes that would make us harder to find. Myla had a simple light green dress that hugged her in all the right places. Ava wore a red dress which highlighted her long wavy blond hair that reached all the way to the bottom of her back. I wore a dark purple dress which fitted like a glove and accentuated just how dark my hair really was. The boys all had loose shirts with a v-neckline tucked into simple and plain trousers. It was the closest thing they could find to the style from home without having to wear more formal clothes that wouldn't be suitable for a journey such as ours. I believed it was enough to hide our presence for now. Though for how long I would not know.

We travelled for a few hours, making it into the forest in which the border lay. The forest was filled with tall trees that had a variety of coloured leaves. Wildlife surrounded us, birds chirped and mice ran past. The land was dry making it easy for us to travel through. Unfortunately, the dark clouds had followed us and so we'd stopped to quickly assemble a shelter.

"I feel uneasy staying out here," Ava said as she helped me to tie up the horses. 

"Me too, If King Seth's men are heading to Brilanthi then it's very likely they'd travel through this land," I said, voicing my fears. 

"If it wasn't for the mountainous range blocking a more direct route to Brilanthi then they wouldn't have to go through here," she complained. 

"But without it, they'd be more likely to catch us," I gently reminded her. The mountainous range that acted as a border would take a while to circle round. Helena's land wasn't very wide but it was certainly long and hopefully, it meant we could cross this border without bumping into anyone.

"You're right, you're right. I just always think about how unfair it is that we have such little power or luck," she groaned. 

"I know but these struggles will only make us stronger and despite everything you've turned into an amazing advisor. You've become a good friend and without you, I wouldn't have been able to make some of the decisions I have. That's why I chose you to come with me."

"I didn't know I was that important," She said in disbelief. 

"Of course you are Ava, now lets head into the shelter before it pours," I said with a smile. She looked significantly brighter as we headed into the shelter. 

Waterproof materials had been thrown over sticks and branches they'd found. Warm clothing/blankets had been used to soften the floor. I was impressed by how'd they put it together in such a small amount of time. It would certainly act as a suitable shelter until it was good enough weather to travel again. 

As we all sat down we heard the first few drops fall and we were all glad that we stopped. I had a feeling it was going to be heavy. The shelter, from the looks of it, was sturdy and so would be able to withstand the weather. 

"I'm hungry," Myla whined once we all sat down.

"Already?" Alvaro asked with laughter.

"You ate like three plates of food at breakfast," James commented with surprise.

"Hey, leave her alone, she trains hard. You guys are just jealous she eats well with no weight gain," Ava said in defence of Myla.

"Well, of course, we're jealous. We need to maintain our tiny waists and fabulous figures," Evander joked. 

I laughed wholeheartedly, it was nice to be this at ease with everyone. It felt like home, except I felt like we were all even closer now.

Just as we were relaxing and starting to enjoy ourselves we heard loud and rough voices outside. I could feel my stomach sink, this wasn't going to be good. I, along with the others, grabbed our weapons. If I was right about who was out there, there was going to be a fight, whether we liked it or not. 

"James, Ava stay behind us. You only have minimal training," I whispered as I stood up to head outside. Evander, Alvaro and Myla directly followed me. 

 Heading out, I saw about fifteen men on horseback circling around us. Given what they were wearing I knew instantly who they were. We'd been found by some of King Seth's men. This wasn't going to be good.