Caravel

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 4

Awaking to the darkness, it took a while for his eyes to adjust to the light from the flames. He saw two shadows pass hurriedly across the compound, Diego crawled to the foot of the door to see who it was.Two men were peering mischievous into the girl's hut,their clothes were different from the ones he normally saw around in the village. They were holding something in their hand in a way that made him resolve that it was a weapon. They whispered for a moment and sneaked in,soon he could hear muffled screams from the hut.Diego crawled back quickly,he made for his bag and searched it franticly ,it was the first time his hands held it since he discovered it lying on the floor of the hut the moment his eyes opened . He could not remember how he got to the hut or why he had his bag with him,afraid of what he might find,he never got close to it. Diego hoped he would find what he was looking for, soon his hands touched it, his crossbow. Taking hold of his walking stick lying on the wall, he dashed out, it took only two pull on the trigger and two simultaneous thuds were heard.

The girl was frightening and bruised, he made to help her but a loud noise came from the other hut, it sounded like a struggle and so Diego left quickly. There was a third intruder and he was locked in a fight with the girl‘s father, for fear of hurting him Diego would not shoot instead he knocked the intruder out with the crossbow. Panting heavily from the struggle, the old man leaned on the wall exhausted. Diego noticed blood on his abdomen, the man had been badly injured. In a moment knew the girl was the only one who could help, one swift motion and he had placed the old man‘s arms over his shoulder and helped him out of the hut. The girl was standing in front of it perplexed, at the sight of her father she fell on her knees and wept.

From several directions ,loud screams rose bearing with it the sound of a thousand footsteps .Her head rose with the sound and her eyes caught his gaze, the intense look in her eyes and at once he understood what she needed him to do. He picked up his crossbow and dashed out of the compound. They were everywhere he turned so his fingers never left the trigger even for a moment. Cutting swiftly through the air, it logged within the neck of the assailant and he came crashing to the ground.

Diego turned sharply at the sound of footsteps approaching, his fingers ready to send the arrow flying through the air, luckily patience was a virtue he had come to learn as the faces that emerged from the darkness were men of the village who he had seen before. The trail of dead men Diego had left behind made the men wear surprised looks on their faces. How did he do it? he could barely walk? Diego knew would be the question on their lips if he could understand the language they spoke.

Soon morning came and the wailing of the women drowned the sun rise .The bodies of dead loved ones laid in the open and the people mourned .Dike, leader of the warriors rose angrily from where he had been seated, Diego thought he looked like a wounded lion and indeed he was.He tortured the only intruder caught alive who was kept as a prisoner. Screams so terrifying they resounded in Diego's ears several days later quietened the mourners.Dike emerged covered entirely with blood dripping from his hands and over his chest, he let his weapon fall to the ground

''The village eastward beyond the seven foot paths"

Was all he said and he walked away . Diego wished he could understand the language, he knew the warrior had gotten the answer he sort and he wanted so desperately to know what it was. Guts scattered on the ground and in the midst of it both eyes and a head lying in front of the lifeless corpse was a dreadful scene that made one thing clear in Diego's mind, toture was a concept these people had full grasp of.

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''I'm sorry ma'am but you have no inheirtance here since you are neither of royal blood nor did you bear an heir for the late prince"

The curious old man spoke adjusting his large glasses over his nose.He looked straight at the duchess and the quietness that washed over her was something he had become accustomed to on the Job.Very often, the wealthy husband dies after making a bad business decisions and running in debt only to leave his poor widow with nothing. Although,this circumstances was different,the result would be the same,a widow left with nothing.These women who will no longer be able to manage their luxurious lifestyle in addition to the stigma of falling from high class in the society takes a toll on them and they never truly recover

''Will you be okay?"

She managed to nodd a quiet response. Her face was pale and her bloodshoot eyes stared blankly into nothingness.

''I should be on my way, I advice you find somewhere else to stay and quickly too, good day ma'am"

He said fitting his cap on his head, he picked up his walking stick and headed for the door. Outside, his carriage was waiting, he had two more of such stops to make before he could finally go home.He hated moments like this when he had to be the bearer of bad news but he was a lawyer after all and he had no choice.

''Poor woman!"

He whispered under his breath and rode off.

Victoria thought it was a only a bad dream that she would soon wake up

'' This cannot be happening to me, there have to be a mistake somewhere, somehow but this cannot be true it just cannot be"

She mumbled over and over again whilst placing across the broad hallway . Her mumbling grew louder and louder then suddenly dropped to the floor screaming. The servants came running in but she would have no one touch out

''Get out! Get out all of you! Leave my house right this moment!!!"

They knew better than to disobey her and so they left bearing their belongings. They all gave the castle one last look and parted their separate ways.

Victoria laid there for days unend without no one else left in the house but her.The windows flew open on a stormy night and something about the droplets of rain falling on her back made her rise.She ran through the doors and knelt in the rain and as it touched her skin,it seemed to wash all the pain away.

The rains pouring heavily accompanied by thunderstorms, reminded her of how she felt when prince Albert dared his family and the consequences to take her, an ordinary serving girl, as his wife.It felt like he washed of all the dirt in her life away and now he was died and she had no right to inheirt anything. Anger grow inside of her and she decided that she would not be pushed back into the streets no matter what, she would never be poor ever again.

The lakeside castle was filled with guest, dignitaries from all around the world who had gathered for the burial of Prince Albert,came to extend condolences to his grieving widow. One after the other they came before Victoria who wore her hair up and dressed entirely in black, as she sat quitely.

''I'm sorry for your loss, I remember your husband so well because he insisted that I make the most exquisite neckpiece ever made for his beautiful wife and indeed he was right"

Francis said wearing a bright smile and Victoria smiled back

''Those are really kind words sir, He would indeed be happy that you are here.You are the only who has tried to make me smile all day.Everyone else seems to be here only because they have to and not that they care so much about Albert or even I. You are different, you honestly care"

Francis smile widened that her words and even more as she continued

'' I have heard so much about you and your work and indeed I must say the curiosity weigh me down like a plague, and I must know.Maybe we could meet a better circumstance over tea and have you unburden me of the numerous questions I have piled up over the years"

''I would be most delighted to sit witn you answer all of your questions"

''You're so kind sir, do enjoy the rest of your day"

'' I would try though there's nothing to enjoy really after all it is still a burial"

For the rest of the evening, that one conversation remained the most significant.Knowing that she had only to till the end of the mourning period to stay at lakeside castle, she knew what she must do if she did not want be poor again, disgraced and ashamed . The large portrait of Albert hanging on the wall brought back the emptiness she had tried so hard to fight but it was not the same without him, nothing was.Lakeside did not feel like home anymore but like a strange place, the beautiful colours washed away never again to be seen.

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'' I have had enough of this. I thought your time away with your grandparents would help you but no you bring a slave into my house and you expect me not only to pay for him but also to treat him as a son.What is wrong you?"

''Father I promised him that no one would treat him as a slave not anymore"

''He is a slave !You do not make promises to a slave. You will send him back to wherever you got him from"

''If you let him stay, I will do all your wishes whatever it is.He would live the life I wanted for myself he will be a cartographer and I will take over your business and your place in court.He will be my version of me and I will be your version of me"

He knew it was all his father had longed to for.He knew he had offered to be his father's slave in order to buy Diego his freedom. He looked at his father and saw clearly the grin at the side of his lips, finally he had won.

''Finally you learn how to get what you want by making deals but sadly you haven't learnt how to make a deal that favour you and you alone"

The walk back to his room was the longest and hardest in his entire life. His only consolation was that he had fulfilled his promise though the price was costly. Diego was given a room and new clothes,he also got a tutor.Pedro watched as the pain in his eyes slowly and eventually disappeared but there was one thing though that was difficult to get rid off.

Morning after his conversation with his father, Pedro hurried to Diego's room but there was no one there.

''No!!! It can't be!"

Pedro dashed off to confront his father, his thoughts ran towards one conclusion that his father had pulled Diego from his bed at night and send him back to his masters.

''He tricked me! He tricked me!"

As he ran past the large window in the living room, he saw a figure lying behind the stairs, he came closer. It was Diego

''What are you doing here?"

he asked aloud but Diego was still fast asleep and so did not respond.When he finally woke up, he could not remember what had happened and it continued day after day. Every morning, Diego would be found lying somewhere different and each time he did things he could not remember doing neither could he remember how he got there. It continued for a while but suddenly it stopped and Diego woke up on his bed for the first.

Pedro remembered as they made their way through the forest. They had been searching for so long but the rains had washed of the trail and could only hope to find something, anything that could point them to the right direction. The terrain was wicked, mosquitoes had a feast off them and it was very difficult walking when it rained. It had been truly difficult, the entire search.

There something under his feet, he could feel it, he had stepped on something hard.Pedro bent down to pick it up and it was a compass, he knew it so well.Diego never let's it out of his sight no matter what.He opened it to be sure although he knew he was right, it pointed south, indeed it belonged to Diego.

''I found something!"

The men hurried immediately to see what it was, they soon got to know it was a compass that belonged to Diego.It was the best news they had heard in a long time.

''We must be close''

Pedro said

''I found footprints!" One of the men sounded

''We must hurry before it rains again"

Diligently they followed the trail, careful enough not to lose it.Soon they came to a point where six footpaths met. Pedro was glad the trail did not end there but went further. Wherever the trail would end he knew he Diego would be found but one thing made him worried, a question he could not dare ask himself for fear of what the answer might me.

''Did Diego start the fire ?

''Could he have done it in his sleep ?"

''What would happen if it was true?"

''How would he defend Diego"

''Would anyone believe him".