As You Wish
Chapter Seven
"THEY WHAT?"
"They captured the girl sir, but I do believe they picked the wrong one. She fit the description to a tee, but she was traveling alone, and...."
"STOP!"
The man shouted as he began to pace the room in boiling anger.
"I paid those men well in gold to kidnap the Princess and instead you are telling me they picked up some peasant girl whom has no meaning of existence? Your men are incompetent and I want them hung."
"But sir..."
"NO. I will hear no more. The Princess will arrive at suns light and YOU will pick her up yourself, not your so called vikings. Is that understood?"
"But sir...."
"The Princess or your death young squire. The choice is yours."
"And the young girl?"
The boy stood in breathless silence waiting as the large man paced the room rubbing at his chin thinking over the predicament he had now been placed in before turning back to the teenage boy with a simple shrug of his shoulders and his reply.
"Kill her."
"Yes sir."
The boy muttered, turning to exit the chambers, and made his way down the stairs to the court yard where the other members of the clan stood awaiting him.
"I am to capture Princess Alise and deliver her to the place as instructed before."
"And the girl?"
The boy stood in silence letting his eyes drift to the young maiden gagged and tied to the back of the wooden wagon, his stomach churning at the orders instructed him by their hire.
"Kill her."
The silence that once hung in the air turned to loud shouts of excitement from the group of brute men as the young lad hung his head making his way to his horse to mount her.
"Jon."
The young lad turned his head looking back to the oldest Lark trying to hide the shame and disgust he knew was clearly written on his face, and stood his slouching frame straight, waiting on his next orders.
"This was your first mission and you have made a mess of it. Lucky for you no one was killed. If you can not handle the responsibility of becoming a Lark, then get out now while you still can, or risk being killed by the hand of one of your own."
With a quick glance back to the young girl he swallowed the lump that began to rise in his throat and returned his eyes back to the man forcing the words he was about to utter deep from within him.
"I asked to join the viking world and I will be true to my word and fulfill my missions sir. With your blessing I wish to remain as one of your men."
The man, whose features were rough and dirty from age and the crime filled life he had chosen, smiled a toothless grin to the young lad and with a quick nod turned back to the group of men still reeling in excitement behind him, holding his hands into the air to silence them.
"Young Jon wishes to become a full member of the Larks."
The group roared with a yell of agreement as the man cast his eyes over his shoulder to glance back at the nervous boy before continuing on with his speech.
"This is his first mission and true test of becoming one of us. With our help he shall capture Princess Alise.....but by his hand will that girl die."
The man announced, pointing his finger toward Yvette where she struggled against the ropes that held her immobile.
"We must make our way but a short distance from the gates of the palace and prepare our attack. The girls death shall wait till our mission is completed."
With a loud yell the men mounted their horses and rode away into the night, Jon lagging far at the back of the group planning his scheme of attack.
@2005HarmonyProduction/Lancesharmony
