Retrieve the Kingdom

Phoebe of Mires

“Phoebe!” Called a woman with her green faded dress, blonde hair covered in a white handkerchief. Phoebe attends to her quickly, “Yes mom?” The lady was carrying a whole basin of fishes. “Help me sort some fishes here! Your dad and his company got so many catches today!” She ran to her as they lift some weights of basins full of fishes. A triumph laugh can be heard behind them, “The god Alvis has answered our prayers! We will have so much food and money today!” Phoebe looks at her father as he keeps laughing in triumph. “Phoebe, help your mother today! You got a lot of fishes to sort today!” He pulled her in a hug and cuddles her as he kisses her cheek. “I will dad.” He ruffles her glossy black hair, “That’s my good girl.” She giggled as her father left them with their job. Phoebe sits on a log as her mom brought extra basins and starts to sort the fishes the fishermen got. Her brother, Bastien, approaches them as he helps to transport the basins of fishes. “The great councilors will be pleased with this week’s results.” He said as he places a basin beside Phoebe. “Well, I guess we are blessed, it’s been a week or so since this happened.” Phoebe tosses fishes here and there, shooting them into their proper basins. Later, she will remove their guts so they can sell them to the market and spare some for their dinner. While she was sorting the fishes, something sparkled on the bottom of the basin, covered by the big fishes. She immediately grabbed it and looks at it.

“Mom! Look at this!” She extended her hand to the lady beside her, showing the precious sea stone, well, pearl, to be exact. Her mom gasped as she takes it and checks it. She squeals that interrupting others, she looked at them and apologizes, and said it was nothing. “Phoebe… Please say this isn’t a dream.” “It isn’t mom.” She smiled as her mother hugged her. “We are gonna be rich…” She ran to their house as Phoebe giggles. “I never knew the gods are in this much favor of me.” She looked at the sky as she looks back at the ground. “I was just planning to graduate from that school and start everything I planned. Thank you, my lord.” She looks up at the sky again as she smiles.  “Hey, what was that, Pheebs?” Her brother asked as he came back to them. “Why mother is so happy?” Phoebe looks up to him, “Well…” She whispers to him, “I found a lost pearl.” Her brother’s eyes widen, “Really?” She nods and her brother cheers up. “Thank you heavens!” He puts his clenched fist up as he went to their house too, checking on their mom. Phoebe smiles as she continues removing the gut of the fishes.

“Phoebe! Go inside now! The guards will be here anytime soon!” Her father called as she glimpses one more sight of the sunset as she runs to their house. Nathan, her father, and Bastien, her brother start to set aside the fishes and go back to their house as soon as they are finished putting them in the small village storage. The family is now inside the house, nice, cozy, and away from the threat outside. The guards arrived and started to wander around the area. Phoebe was in her usual spot in her cozy little room, in the windows where her study table is. She was writing under the light of the moon, along with a candle to make it brighter.  It was a peaceful and tranquil night until a scream on the outside shattered her ears. She looked at the scenery and saw a woman got punched by the guards. The woman was lying unconscious on the ground with blood on her cheek. Her family ran outside and cries. “Next time, don’t get so brave. I can tear your cheeks off if you guys challenged me next time. Do you understand!?” 

The guard with the big body yells at the poor family. The father carried his wife away as he tries to pull his children. His son however seems pissed, “You monster!” He said that made the guard look at him. He chuckles, “Call me a monster, what can you do, huh?” The father is pulling him to stop him from arguing with the guard. His son takes off his father’s grip and suddenly punches his face. Without his helmet, the teenage boy was able to knock him back. His companion quickly stabs him on the stomach, which made the others who are watching gasped. “Elias, no!” His father sobbed as the guard draws back his sword stained with an innocent boy’s blood. Elias fell to the ground, lifeless, as his father goes to him and cries. “Elias… Elias!!!” 

It was a painful scene, Phoebe’s eyes teared up as she watches the guards help their leader. “You deserve it, you have such a disrespectful family. Go! Get away from my sight!” He said as the father carries two of his two loved ones and went home. Phoebe’s fist clenched. ‘Is this what my people getting? Is this it!?’ She stands and almost shouted as someone from behind stopped her. “Phoebe, don’t,” Her father said as he pulls her in a hug. In Phoebe’s face, it was all just anger. She wanted to stop the guard or even get revenge on him. Nathan comforts her as she buries her face on her father. She cried on him, sobbing all of her regrets. “Shh… Phoebe… It’s all right… It’s all right…” He saw the guards’ attention went to them as he closes the window fast. But a skinny guard stops it and they all went to them, their leader goes forward and stares at them like he was gonna kill them. “Don’t ever say this to anyone, understand!?” His father nods quickly as Phoebe looks at them, with anger on her face. “I don’t like the way you look at me, missy.” She clenched her fist as she tries to calm herself down. “I don’t want any blood in our swords. One is enough. Unless…” 

They kept feeding her anger, she was breathing heavily and slower than before. The guards laugh as they left them. She was released from her father’s embrace. “You heartless monsters!” Suddenly, a sharp-pointed blade points at her throat. The leader looks at her, giving her a death stare. “Are you challenging me?” Phoebe thinks of her next move, if she dies this time, she doesn’t think she will get reborn again. That’s too much favor from her lord. If she got reborn again, anyway, she will wait for years again. Justice and her citizens can’t wait anymore. Every day is worse than the other day. She chose to not say anything anymore and let them win this time. “Very good. I am glad you know who is the boss here. I was afraid that we will return to the barracks with two bloody swords. I mean, it’s not a problem with the officials, but cleaning it will be awful.” He draws back his sword and looks away, they patrolled the other places in this village. Her father went to her and hugs her tightly. “I thought I would’ve lost you.” He kissed her forehead, a tear falls on her clothes. Her father is crying. “Phoebe… Don’t do that again… You scared me…” Her mother and brother went into the room. They hugged her and asks her if she’s okay. They were crying. One of the things on her list is to protect the family that cared for her to take her steps to her goal. She is looking at their precious faces, she would never let anybody just hurt them. 

She woke up early as she prepares for her school. She wears her uniform, it was a white puffed long-sleeved dress with long skirts. She combed her hair and put it on a bun. It was her everyday routine on weekdays, since its the schooldays. She grabbed her shoulder bag with her things on it and goes out of their house.  “Bastien can’t accompany you on your way to school today.” Her mom said as she cleaned the fish’s gut. Phoebe nods, “It’s okay, I can handle it.” Maya smiles as she continues what she is doing. “And, mom?” She looked at her, “Yes?” Phoebe was a bit nervous, “Can I go with you later when you exchange the pearl for money?” Her mother was confused but she just smiled at it, “Well, I guess you can. Go now, you might be late for school.” Phoebe nods as she went to the cart bus stop and went her way to her school. After a day in school, she went home quickly. When she went to her house, her mother is preparing to go to the capital of the town. The Oliver City is the capital of Mottram, where all the things a town need is there. It’s also the trading center of Mottram since it’s nearer the city of Enoch. “Oh, here you are. Change your attire so we can go.” Phoebe nods as she went to her room and changed her dress to her usual ones. After that, they went to the cart bus but this time, they will be going to Oliver, which will gonna take an hour to travel. 

About an hour later, Phoebe woke up her mother and they went off the cart bus they are riding. They are now in Oliver Urban. There are so many people, here and there, transporting goods and some people just went by to shop. The two ladies immediately look for the pawnshop. They entered the small bricked store and went to the counter. “How may I help you?” A rough voice asked them, it was the shop owner. Her mother smiles and shows the pearl, the shop owner’s eyes sparkles. “I would like to sell this pearl.” He observes the pearl and rubs his teeth on it. “It’s a true pearl, name your prize.”

“10,000 aurel.” He looks at them and laughs. “Do you think I am that rich? 3,500 aurel.” Her mother was pissed off, “It’s nowhere near the prize I offered! That is big enough for that estimation and pearls are rare nowadays!” Phoebe keeps an eye on the man, preparing for anything he can do. “Shut up and take the offer.” He slowly slid his hand to a dagger, “I am not afraid to use this.”  Phoebe was not happy about this. “Hey! That’s not fair, we are just making things clear!” Phoebe shouts, “We will call the guards on you!” She said as the man laughs, “Money can take those guards out, I don’t have the problem with the money.” Phoebe looks at the pearl and grabs it as the big hands of the man squished hers. “What do you think are you doing?” Phoebe prevents herself from squealing in pain, “I am taking what’s ours!” The man laughs again, it makes her want to punch his face. “It’s on my table, it’s mine. Who do you think you are anyway?” 

“I am Phoebe of Mires, and I am taking what we own.”