The old woman didn’t move from her rocker.
Reginald stared at Ajatar and said, “Why the look old grandmother? Do what I told you. Or has the devil, your son, been to see you again, and he has news for me?” Grinning evilly, he waited.
The old woman smirked back at the giant. He couldn’t get to her no matter what was said, and he knew it. If you only knew, boy. Split-foot wouldn’t come see me for the likes of you. “No, we have another visitor.” She looked behind her at the sleeping boy by the hearth.
Reginald and the others crowded close and peered at the sleeping boy. Then he snorted derisively and started to laugh. The four others doing the same.
“Well, I guess I better get the rope. I haven’t seen anyone swing in a week. This boy will do fine.”
The old woman said, “What good will it do to hang this boy, Reg? He is innocent, he hasn’t done anything to you.”
The big thief looked at the old woman, then the boy, and said, “No one can know where we are, for one. And for another, Kharon has too many eyes and ears for my liking. No one will miss a mere boy. Plus, I’ve never seen a boy his age that could keep his mouth shut.” He grinned at the rocking woman. “I was young myself, you know.”
The other four thieves agreed readily. Buckgnaw went as far as to say, “True. And young boys always speak of secrets to girls they are trying to impress.”
“Kharon has sent the boy,” the old woman spat out. “You cannot kill him.”
This shocked and stunned the big thief. “What do you mean? Kharon, the dog, would have nothing to do with this scrap of a youngster.”
“He carries with him a message for the queen. Kharon sent it with the boy to deliver.”
Reginald wasn’t convinced. “That is nonsense old grandmother. Kharon knows nothing.”
“See for yourself. The boy holds the message in his pouch. You cannot kill this boy without it going unnoticed by the very king you despise.” Ajatar grinned as evil a grin at the huge man as he had her.
Reginald, the once proud owner of a fleet of barges, now outlaw to the crown for his impertinence of non payment of taxes on the goods he carried, shook his head in denial once again. “You lie!” He growled dangerously. “It cannot be.”
Ajatar, the old grandmother to Split-foot himself, said nothing.
Reginald knew he couldn’t take the chance the old woman wasn’t telling the truth about the boy and the message he carried for the devil’s own spawn Kharon.
Part 4
Pity On An Innocent Boy
The next morning, Pax woke up to see five burly men sitting around a le piled high with food stuffs. Each was slowly packing away more food than he’d ever seen at one time.
Pax stood from the fire and watched the men eat, his mouth watering. The smells coming from the food was almost too much for him to handle. He’d only eaten a slice of bread the whole day yesterday. The one in which the old woman had given him. He was very hungry. But he didn’t want to disturb these very large men. Pax waited.
Reginald was the first to see the boy standing behind the le watching them eat. He motioned to the boy to come closer. “Don’t stand behind us boy. We care not for someone watching what we do. Even in our own place.”
Pax nodded and took a few steps closer. Just then the old woman from last night came out from behind a hanging blanket at the other side of the room. As she approached the le with the help of a long wooden stick or staff, she carried with her in her other hand a small but serviceable plate piled high with food. Pax figured it was for herself.
The old woman shuffled over to the le and placed her burden down. Looking at Pax she motioned him to take the seat at the le where she’d placed it. Pax was surprised but not ungrateful. Hurriedly he sat down and began gulping food. There were eggs, meat, ham, beans, and a generous slab of bread. Chewing quietly but quickly he ate everything on the plate and sopped the juices with the bread. Afterwards he belched thunderously.
Throughout the whole meal no one said anything. This seemed unusual to Pax, but he didn’t say anything either. He’d been too busy trying to fill his stomach.
Looking to the old woman again he thanked her. “Thank you for your help. If you could point me in the right direction I’ll be on my way. I need to get to the palace as soon as I can.”
The burly men at the le said nothing.
Reginald pointed over his shoulder negligently and said, “Just head in that direction, when you come to a road, about three miles in the forest, turn to your right. The palace is about fifteen miles farther. You won’t miss it.”
No one said anything else. Each of the men kept quiet and kept eating. It was strange to Pax, but he figured it was simply their custom. He was grateful for any help. Getting up from the chair, he stepped to the door. When he opened it he looked back at the old woman and said, “If there is anything I can ever do for you, if you see me again, please let me know.”
The old grandmother simply nodded.
Pax walked out into the forest and was gone.
Part 5
The Real Message
When the boy left the small wooden cabin, Reginald snorted. “The king will get a surprise when he returns won’t he?”
Ajatar snorted herself. “You may look like a bear Reggie, but you have the heart of a lion. You could have killed the boy, but you chose not to.”
Reggie snorted again. “Anything I can do to mess up a plan of the king’s is fine by me. That message he carried was a death sentence. And I wouldn’t have thought it possible for Kharon to sink any lower. I felt pity for the lad. That is all.”
Ajatar smiled at the burly man. She knew this outlaw for what he really was, a murderer and thief. If for any reason the boy would have shown resistance, he would have died on the spot. But, after slipping the letter out of the sleeping boys hand, he read the missive from the king:
Eliza,
You are to hang the bearer of this message with all possible haste. I could not do it myself because of unforeseen circumstances. This boy, who looks as innocent as a newborn poses a terrible threat to our kingdom, and especially our daughter who must be protected at all costs. After you hang him, bury him in an unmarked grave deep in the ghost forest so no one will ever find him. When I return I will explain in more detail. Do not fear my queen, just do as I command and all will be well.
Kharon
Reginald, the burly thief, then wrote quite a different one to thwart Kharon at his own game. Then the thief let the boy sleep through the night, and in the morning let him go.
The others at the le said and did nothing, but kept eating. They knew better than to go against the once owner of the barge fleet. Reginald’s gruff appearance wasn’t the only thing he’d show if one of his kind went against his words.
Chapter 4
Part 1
Pax and the Princess
Pax left the cabin and the five thieves, along with the old woman, and headed in the direction the burly man told him to go. The woods were the same as last night, the sounds the same, but somehow he felt better about walking through them. Maybe it’s because I’m full up with breakfast and know which way to go? I hope that’s it. I’m glad that old woman was wrong when she said the thieves would kill me. It’s just too nice a day to be swinging at the end of a rope. Pax smiled and kept walking.
Pax found the road the big thief had told him about less than an hour after leaving the cabin. It stretched to the right and the left of him as far as he could see. Just a road out in nowhere, winding its way through a forest. But looking upon it, he really couldn’t call it a road, it was just tracks and ruts in the dirt, in the middle grew weeds and grass. It looked as if it didn’t see much traffic of any kind, unused and unknown. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to the right on the trail or track or road, or whatever it was, and put one foot in front of the other.
One foot and all that. Whistling a merry tune under his breath, he walked on.
Part 2
Another Messa
ge
Eliza,
I am sending this young boy to our kingdom with one very important task: He is to immediately be married to our daughter. His family is the best I have encountered in all the kingdom. For helping me in a time of need, and for sheltering me when I truly needed the help I have pledged our daughters hand to this boy. In time, I feel he will make an excellent addition to our family and an exceptional Prince Regent when I am gone from this world.
Kharon
The wedding of the young princess and the mill boy was one of the grandest affairs the kingdom of Tyre had seen in thirty years. The last giant gathering of nobles and noble personages in Tyre had been the coronation of Kharon himself; even the wedding to his queen, Eliza, having no comparison. After the ceremony, and a short time to acclimate to his new surroundings, it was time for Pax to settle down and find his place with his new life, and new wife. Pax knew because he was married to the princess he would be expected to help run the kingdom. He didn’t know what those duties would be, he couldn’t figure out why he would be needed, but it was a custom of gentry and noble society for the princesses husband to perform the duties that are required. He of course would not be king, but he would be Prince Regent, consort and husband to the eventual ruler of Tyre, Queen Europa, after the death of the king. I hope I can do a good job. I never imagined being married to the princess. I got the distinct impression from the short time I met Kharon, he didn’t care for me. I wonder what changed his mind? But whatever the reason, Pax owed the king a great debt of gratitude, for he was happy and content to be with such a beautiful and wise woman as Europa.
Part 3
The King’s Outrage
Kharon returned to his kingdom in Tyre and the palace three months after his daughters wedding, expecting his orders to be carried out to the letter. His queen, Eliza, had never disappointed him in the twenty four years of their marriage, so he wasn’t expecting the eventual shock when he came face to face with the once cauled boy.
The announcement of the king’s homecoming was a thrill for his queen and his daughter. The queen, because she was just as cruel as he; an observation Pax discovered not long after his marriage to the princess; and to Europa because she was naive about her parents cruelties and very seldom got to see her father. Often times, through the years of her childhood, Kharon was gone, disappearing on one of his walkabouts for months even years at a time. No one, even the queen knew when or if he would return. He’d told his daughter on these occasional visits home, the kingdom he had to oversee was the most important thing, not the day to day running of one small hamlet where the palace sat. Anything important enough for his own judgment could wait for his return. Everything else could be done by her mother.
But the thrill of the king’s return was one sided; Kharon cared for nothing but his kingdom and his absolute rule over everything in it. He had to know what was happening in its vast reaches; a kingdom which spanned for nearly a thousand leagues in every direction.
Europa, seeing her father, flung herself into his arms. “Father! I’m happy to see you home.”
Kharon hugged his daughter. “I too, am glad to see you. Where is your mother?”
Europa smiled and said, “She’s with Pax. They went to check on a problem in the stables. Pax needed her advice on how to handle it.”
Kharon cocked his head. Pax?
Moments later, before he could ask anything else of this, Pax and Queen Eliza walked into the throne room, accompanied by three guards who had been hand picked by Kharon himself many years before. Kharon walked to them and embraced his wife. “Eliza.”
“My husband.”
Kharon stared at Pax without saying anything. Why is this boy still here? What is going on? Then, without warning, Europa walked to Pax and lightly kissed him on the cheek. “My husband. Did everything go well for you and mother?”
Pax blushed slightly and nodded. “Yes.”
Europa giggled softly. “Good.” She held on to his arm, watching her father.
Kharon’s jaw tightened at the sight of Europa with this boy. Grabbing his wife’s arm he steered her away from them and said, “We must talk.” Taking his wife to a nearby ante-chamber, spinning her forcefully around to face him, he asked with gritted teeth, “Why is that boy not dead?”
Eliza gulped with fear. “What boy? What are you talking about?”
With a snarl Kharon growled, “The boy with Europa. Why is he not dead and buried? Why is he instead married to our daughter?” His face was a mask of anger.
Eliza was shocked. “I did what you told me to do. He’s married to Europa because you ordered it.”
That stopped Kharon for a moment. “I made no command of that nature. I would especially not marry our daughter to a peasant.” The king’s anger turned to rage thinking of the prophecy made by the witch of Gartha.
Watching her husbands face darken even further, she moved to a small le by a window and opened one of the drawers. Inside, she found and pulled out a parchment he could see had once been sealed with a wax crest. She handed it to him. “This is what he brought to me. By your order.”
Kharon snatched the message from her hand. He looked it over carefully. This is my seal all right. Looks like the same one I sent with the boy. Unfolding it he read what was written. But this is not what I wrote. Kharon crumpled the message and threw it to the floor in anger.
Eliza backed away from her husband and waited. “What’s wrong? I did what I was ordered to do. You have made a good choice for our daughter. They are very happy together.”
Kharon snarled. “Happy or not, this is not what I wanted. I wanted the boy dead. You were to have him hung when he showed up.”
Part 4
The Three Hairs
Guards of the watch surrounded Pax with swords drawn.
“Father!” Screamed Europa. “What is going on?”
Pax said nothing. He knew better. He simply smiled at the king. Then he turned to his lovely wife and gave her a reassuring smile. “This is what I was telling you Europa, your father doesn’t care for me much.”
Kharon snarled at the boy. “Shut up! You do not speak until spoken to. What did you do with the message I gave you to deliver to my queen?”
“I delivered it,” answered Pax, his mouth in a slight smirk.
Kharon turned to his daughter. “This boy has committed a crime, my child. He deliberately switched messages I wanted sent to your mother.” He turned back to Pax. “What did you do with the original message for my queen?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sire. I delivered the message as you ordered.”
“No!” Roared Kharon. “You must have switched it along the way.”
Pax stared at the irate king. Then his face cleared in remembering the small cabin in the woods he stopped at on the second night of his journey, and the old woman, and the nest of thieves.
Kharon caught the look. In an almost passionate fit he screamed, “Do you remember now what you did with the original message? Do you remember you changed it?” The king’s face was going red with anger and hatred.
The guards took a step closer to Pax, anticipating their king’s order to end this miserable boy’s life.
Europa rushed to her father. “Father, no. He is innocent. He didn’t do whatever it is you accuse him of. I love him. Please, father.”
Eliza, the queen mother stepped forward and grabbed her daughter’s arm and dragged her out of harms way. If her husband decided this young man should die, he wouldn’t hesitate to order the death of his daughter if she tried to stop it.
Kharon held his hand up to stop his guards. He looked to his daughter and saw the fear in her eyes and had pity on her. He didn’t care at all about the boy, he’d tried to have him killed once already - he thought he’d done it himself after all - but he didn’t want his own daughter to be afraid of him. He did care for her, if not love, close enough, and the enmity his wife would show him could prove bothersome in the future, so he needed to comprom
ise somehow. Then he said, with a greedy look on his face, “You shall not have everything your way, young Pax. I do not believe you about the missive I had you bring here.” He indicated the throne room and the kingdom in general with his gesture. “But I will spare your life, if you complete one task for me.”
Pax cocked his head at the king.
Kharon smiled at the boy, knowing for sure he would have done with him at last with this task. “Whosoever marries my daughter must fetch from Hell three golden hairs from the head of the Devil.”
Pax smiled a wicked grin at the king and nearly laughed. “Three hairs from the Devil. It is a bargain. I am not afraid of the Devil. Old split foot will gladly welcome my company and my treaty.”
Kharon snarled, “Bring them to me and I’ll allow you to keep my daughter. Otherwise, never return. And if you do, you will surely die.”
Part 5
The Journey
Pax began his journey to Hell. Although he wasn’t afraid for himself, albeit his bravado with the king, he did worry about ever seeing his beloved wife again. In the short time he’d been married, his feelings for Europa had manifested tenfold. He couldn’t picture his life without her, happy and content. Prince Regent meant nothing to him, compared to simply being husband to Europa.
After saying goodbye to his wife, and leaving the castle, Pax began what he knew would be a long and arduous journey. The entrance to Hell was said to be at the end of the Dark Forest, across a vast river of stagnant water, a place of evil, inhabited by ghosts of the dead, and ghouls who ate the living souls from passers by.
Pax knew of course where the Dark Forest began, he’d lived by it all his life. He’d heard many tales of strange occurrences happening and tales of travelers never heard from again who happened to be too close to the woods. And he had heard of the witch of the woods, the only person to have the courage to live there. He supposed the best place to start would be to find this witch, and ask for specific directions. He had to retrieve these golden hairs. He didn’t want to fail in this. His wife and his life depended on it.