Fight for the Heir: Chapter One

(This story might not be suitable for Children under ten.)

“Why hast father been taken?” cried Latavia.
“I knowest not,” Janan sighed. “We hast better make our way home.”
The two girls ran down the hill, through the forest, and jumped across the stones in the stream. But when they came to the road, they stopped suddenly.
“Halt,” a voice called.
Latavia turned to her sister, wildly. “What art we to do?” she sobbed. “They will take us away.”
“We hast to face our fears,” said Janan, trying to encourage her sister, along with herself. She then looked at the approaching men on horse back.
The men wore habergeouns with a wide bawdrik. They had black gepouns fastened with a gold bird with a bone in its mouth, except for one man. He wore a bright red cloak with a gold skull fastening it. His face was cruel with two scar marks going across his eyes and cheek. They came upon the girls and the man in red questioned them.
“What art thou doing?” said the man, waving to his men to dismount. They encircled the girls.
“Ww-we were,” Janan began, but her voice broke, and tears filled her eyes.
“Frightened art thou? Well thou will be more frightened if we take thee into my castle and then thee will see thou’s sister killed and then thee will be after her.” He smiled with satisfaction. “Now answer, thee, my question!” His face was getting so red that it matched his cloak.
Janan felt her little sister’s hand squeeze hers. Janan always felt responsible for her sister, even though Latavia was two years younger, at the age twelve.
“We were on our way home, Lord,” she said, finally
“We have our ways to deal with brats like them,” He smiled to the guard next to him. The guard smiled, his teeth were broken and some were missing. Then the man in red, again, turned to the girls “Does thee not,” he began, but stopped short, when he saw men coming on the road.
“What art thou doing Qudir?” asked a man, coming out of the group and into the circle around the girls.
“We were just leaving,” said Qudir the man in red, spurring his horse, and his men quickly did the same.
Janan now looked at the new man. He, and his men, looked quite fair and not at all barbaric as Qudir, and Janan relaxed, a little.
“Art thou hurt?” the man asked.
“No,” she said shyly.
“Bibi, bring them some water.” The man called to a young man about the age fifteen, who wore a green cloak. His bawdrik had a circle in the center was engraved a hawk.
Neither of the two girls had seen him when the men came upon Qudir’s group. Bibi came and gave them water. “Here.”
“No, thank thee,” Janan answered coldly, pushing the water away from both of them. “We hast better be on our way home.”
“My name is Callah,” said the man. “If you are worried we will hurt thee, hast no fear. This is my son, Bibi. Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?”
“I am Janan, and this is my sister Latavia both sisters of the Knight Tariq,” Janan startled that the King of Sahara would even talk to them.
Callah’s eyes brightened at the names. “Thou art known to us. The day is ending and the night begins. It is not safe for young ones. We will see you safely home.”
Latavia smiled and then turned to Janan, but Janan only frowned.
“No, thank thee. We can make our way home alone for we must not bother thee,” Janan answered, taking her sister’s hand and walking away.
“Why did thou say that?” said Latavia as she looked back at Callah and his men riding away.
“I can’t invite the King to our home without Father!” Janan said, crossly.
“But they were very kind,” Latavia plead. “They even gave Qudir a fright away, they saved us!”
“Yes they saved us, but we can’t bring them home with us,” Janan said, stiffly. “Now let’s get home before anything else happens.”
Latavia did not say anything else. She just looked back at the dust cloud in the road. When they were almost home did Latavia speak again in a whisper. “I think something or someone is following us.”
“Why does thee say that?”
“I hear what sounds like a horse, but it also sounds as if there is something watching us from the woods,” she said, pointing to the woods on their left side.
“I wish thou said something to me be...”
“Shh. I think I saw something,” Latavia said. At that moment a man ran across the road to the woods on their right side. “There is some one following us!” Latavia cried. “We must get home. Run!” Janan screamed.
Both girls started to run. Janan, being faster, ran ahead and did not notice when Latavia felt a pull on her arm and a hand cover her mouth. Janan ran a little and then looked back and there was no one. Then she fell to her knees, put her hands on her face and began to weep.