Return of a Queen

December- 10 years later Ben’s POV

A loud knock came at the door and interrupted my short sleep.

“Who is it?” I mumbled, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“General Huckabee requests your presence sir.” I heard Tucker say. Tucker was one of the soldiers in the King’s army that typically worked under my command when I wasn’t out scouting. He was a good kid and I had taken him under my wing. His parents had recently died and he had joined the army having no where else to go.

“Alright, I’m up. I’ll be there in a few min.” I replied. Ugh. All I wanted was to close my eyes and go back to sleep. General Huckabee had recently sent me on a scouting mission to the northwest territory, at the base of the mountains, because of a rumor there were Loyalists hiding there. Ten years ago the King of Edenburgh was overthrow by rogue invaders and their leader, James Theobald, had declared himself the new king. There were individuals, however, who wanted to restore a ruler from the old kings lineage and were fighting back. They were getting stronger and King James was growing more nervous thus having his army on the run trying to find the Loyalists and squash their rebellion. My scouting mission had been uneventful and there had been no Loyalist activity even though I searched for days with little sleep. I had just returned tonight at sunset and given my report to General Huckabee, so I began to wonder what he could possibly want.

I threw back the covers and shivered at the chill in the air. My breath making little clouds in the cold. I quickly pulled on my uniform and coat over my long john’s, thankful for the extra warmth, and ducked out the door. I jogged over to the General’s quarters and announced myself as I entered.

“Lieutenant Adley, please come in” the general stated.

I walked in to see the General and Commander Becker seated at the General’s desk. A warm fire was glowing in the fireplace and it warmed my body and stopped the chills.

“Lieutenant, I believe you know Commander Becker. He has come to bring word that a small band of Loyalists are gathering in the North Woods and are planning an attack. I need to you leave quickly and go to the North Woods and see what additional information you can procure. If they are planning something, I want you to go to General Addison’s post and report. We shall be pulling out of this post in the morning to head back to the castle” the General commanded.

“Yes, sir. I shall get my things and leave promptly” I said and then turned back out to the cold December air. I groaned when I was away from the generals quarters. My body was still exhausted from my last scouting trip. However, everyone knew I was a good scout due to my background with the people. After the attack on the kingdom, my father (the late King John’s General) disappeared and I was taken prisoner. I worked hard as a servant in the castle and stables for a few years, and formed a good bond with many of the soldiers and officers. When I was sixteen I requested to join the king’s army, pledging my allegiance to him. Unbeknownst to everyone else though, I joined the army for a different purpose. One year prior to joining the army I learned through some other servants at the castle that my father was alive and leading the Loyalist army. I decided due to my closeness with so many of the soldiers and officers that I would join them and then relay important information to my father if I could get into contact with him. That started my job as a spy for the Loyalist army. It was hard, leading this double life, but I believed in the Loyalist mission, and I hoped that somewhere out there, that the princess had survived and that the kingdom could be avenged and restored.

I reached the stables quickly and got my horse, Bessie, ready to go. Poor girl was probably exhausted too. I readied my supplies and weapons and mounted my horse. The North Woods was approximately a two to three hour ride west of here. I should arrive there shortly before sunrise. I nudged Bessie into a canter.

The ride went fairly smooth delisted the snow and I reached the woods sooner than I had planned. I decided to take a small break and rest Bessie before continuing. I found a place a couple miles into the woods, out of the wind, and managed to find enough wood to make a small fire. I ate a few bites of fruitcake I had packed, and leaned my head back against a tree. My eyelids struggling to stay open. The sun would be up soon, I would just rest my eyes for a few minutes.

My eyes bolted open at bone-chilling howl that ripped through the air. Bessie nervously looked side to side and whinnied. Wolves. I hated the bloody creatures. I quickly stomped out my fire and swung up onto Bessie readying my musket. I urged Bessie on, not wanting to go too fast due to the rugged nature of the woods and unfamiliarity of the area. However I didn’t want to go too slow and run into the wolves. I kept my ears and eyes peeled as I heard more howls, this time growing closer. Bessie began to pick up the pace all on her own and I let her lead. I startled when I heard a low growl to my left and I turned to see a wolf crouching in the brush. Before I could react the wolf leapt towards the two of us and Bessie bolted towards nearly throwing me off. I turned to see the wolf and two others chasing us.

I shouldn’t have looked away. All of a sudden the path disappears into a sharp hill. As Bessie went over and fell, I threw myself from off her to avoid being crushed and rolled down the hill. I could feel the sharp rocks and underbrush ripping my clothes and skin but the hill was too steep to stop myself. I continued tumbling, head over heels, all the way to the bottom where my leg got caught in a branch and my head slammed into a large rock. Pain ripped through my body as I felt my leg twist and crack and my vision blurred momentarily from the blow to the side of my head. I felt the sticky wetness of blood dripping down the side of my face.

I managed to struggle to a sitting position only to see one of the wolves approaching me. His teeth bared, glistening with saliva, a low growl snarled from him. He was ready to tear me apart. My musket lost in the fall, I looked around for anything to use as a weapon but found nothing. Everything was still spinning and blurring and I felt myself losing consciousness. The last thing I heard was a loud bang resonate through the air and I saw the wolf fall near me as everything spun and went black.