Pelagios ( Princess Callidora)

She turn back anxiously as she run. She tried very hard to make little noise but the rustling sounds of the dry leaves in the forest make it difficult for her to be quiet as she want. Its as if the moon is against her, the night is unusually dark tonight. Crown princess Kallias can hardly see in the dark forest but she couldn't stop running. She can hear the barking of the dogs and the hooves of the horses faintly but she knows it wouldn't take long before they get close to her.

She has missed the part she is suppose to take, now she is lost and the only thing keeping her going is the child in her womb. "I can't get captured again. I have come too far to go back".

For weeks she have been planning her escape after she noticed an abandoned tunnel that was used to channel dirty water out of the castle. She knows no one will come to her rescue. No one will ever suspect that her captor will be him and even if they do, he has been clever enough not to bring her to his palace. She has no other choice but to plan her own escape. For the past weeks she has been pretending to be calm and receiving his affection so when she requested that she will love to take a walk outside the castle he was so happy to grant her, her wish because this is the first time the woman he loved has asked anything from him. When they got outside the castle, she requested to go outside the wall and that has raised his suspicion but when she explain that the wall is making her too difficult to breath but want to feel some fresh air by walking in the forest he then agreed. He wasn't bother because the place is well secured and what can an heavily pregnant woman do? As they walk she looked at her surrounding though not enough to fully make her plans solid but what choice does she have?. She notice a pathway that horses and foots must have frequented, she took note of it, when no one was watching, she quickly dropped her handkerchief there to mark it. Everything has been carefully planned. Today she has told her accompany servant that she has left her handkerchief inside the castle and she wants her to bring it. Immediately her servant left she ran to the tunnel and crawled inside. It wasn't easy with her pregnancy and how small the tunnel was but after some time she made it to the other side.

What she didn't know is that when the servant returned and didn't see her she thought she is in the orchards since she has taken a liken to that place. After carefully looking for her for 30minutes without any trace she alerted the gaurds. The guards went through the castle over and over again without any trace of her. Panic arose, some of them even went into the pond in the far east of the castle to check if she fell inside. It was in the midst of this commotion that Lord Origen came for his weekly visit to the castle and notice that his beloved is missing. It was one of the soldiers who came with Lord Origen that noticed the ear ring close to the tunnel. After investigation they knew the Princess crawled through the tunnel and escaped.

After running for an hour she couldn't find the path she has marked, and its getting dark already She will do anything to protect her child from him. And here she is running away from her captors. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach she look down and touch her big stomach " please just bear with me, after now you will be fine. Just a little while my child, you've been good, so please bear with your mother this once " she begged her child as she run. As if the baby heard her the pain subsided. She almost bumped into a tree if not for her outstretched arm that held her from colliding with the tree. " They are close " she panicked. The barking of the dogs are so close now. The touch that the soldiers are holding is no longer faint but very bright now. She ran faster, breathing heavily " No I can't get caught, I won't go back, I rather die". immediately She said this the sky roared and thunder strikes. "Oh! Not tonight please don't rain, pleassse." she begged. Then to worsened it, it started blowing heavily making it even more difficult to run. She came to a clearing. She began feeling the breeze even more. She heard it before seeing it. She is at the beach. She stepped into the sea and turn around breathing heavily and watch her captors draw nearer. One will think she is waiting for them to come and capture her. As she stood the only noise that can be heard is her heavy breathing. Its as though time stopped. She can see the riders and their horses now and can hear their shout. She took one more glance at them then she turn and threw herself into the water.

Lord Origen can't believe his eyes, all he wanted to do today was to spend a beautiful day with the woman he love. He quickly dismissed the court early today. As they were babbling on about the issue of taking down the iron nation who have prove to be a torn in their flesh, constantly terrorizing their travelling merchant on the way, Lord Origen's mind is on the beautiful godlike princess. He tried his best not to go to the castle as often as possible so that he won't raise suspicion.

He has placed his most trusted soldiers on guard in the castle and his soldiers know better than to blab about what they see and hear.

Everything seems to be going well as planned. She is gradually falling in love with him. All that is left is for her to give birth to that bastard in her womb and kill the child. Then impregnate her before bringing her to his palace. Then everything is now being threatened because she chose to escape. No way is he letting her go. She is his' to keep. Lord Origen couldn't stop his wandering mind. He rides faster than usual. He is one of the fastest rider but today was different. He was ridding more than he used to and he was exerting the beautiful black Stallion more than he could take but the horse did not relent. He could feel the restlessness of his rider and he tries to run as fast as he could.

" My Lord! We can see her now." one of his soldier shouted, bringing him to reality. " Then ride faster! 100 pieces of gold to anyone who gets to her first." Immediately he said it the soldiers all went crazy and started ridding faster. This is now more than just getting back the princess but a sport that will not only prove who is the best rider among them and the owner of 100 pieces of gold. The soldiers taking the lead saw that she was standing. And they mistake that for her waiting to be captured probably because she is tired and increase their pace. The next thing they saw is that she fell and there was no sight of her. Because of the speed they were ridding the were barely able to halt their horses when the came to the shore of the sea. Then they understood what just happened. Princess Kallias just entered the sea." Where is she?" Lord Origen asked, the obvious question, not wanting to believe what just happened. "My lord she entered the sea". " No, no no no, that can't be it." Lord Origen shook is head not wanting to believe it. He held is head in his hand covering his face and knelt down in the water in anguish. He let out an agonizing shout. The soldiers just stood looking at him helplessly. They have never seen their lord showing any emotions before. His commander try to hold him but hesitated. He just stood close to him looking at the water. Lord Origen stood up and the next thing he said shocked the troop to death.

Chapter Three: Any Hesitation Commander?

Lord Origen couldn't believed his eyes. He wished it to be a dream but he knows within himself that this is happening. How can she be here and the next thing she is gone? He wonder. He couldn't breath. He felt pains in his heart as he watched the sea in front of him. Then as one possessed by a dark force, he kept on shaking his head. "She can't get away from me, even death can not come between lovers. She is somewhere in this sea waiting for me to rescue her." He thought out loud. He then stood up abruptly and to his commander he said the most absurd thing ever. " send your soldiers into the sea and bring her back to me!" he was still in the middle of the sentence when the raging sky open his mouth and it began to rain heavily. The commander looked at the soldiers, from their expressions he knew they heard what he said. He turn to the violent sea. The sea alone is intimidating and now the storm is making things even worse. He truly feel sorry for the princess but no one can go inside Ambinoe in this night and survive it. Its difficult even when its calm and its considered a death sentence because of it's unpredictable weather not to talk about going into it when both the heavens and the sea are angry. He tried to reason with the king. "My Lord, its dangerous to enter Ambinoe at this time. Its dark we can't see anything and the wave is so violent now. Tomorrow morning we will come and search for her". " You dare disobey my oders?"." No my lord, I'm your servant I can't do that." The commander quickly knelt down on one knee with his head bent and amend his statement. "Then get inside the sea and bring her back. I don't believe in all this stupid superstition of a sea that you can't enter at night. I am Lord Origen and I don't bow to any man made ideas. Ambinoe is just a body of water." "Yes my Lord you are right but the soldiers will be going to their death just like he..." Before he could finish his statement Lord Origen removed his sword from its sheath and in one swift move he killed is commander. He look at the next in command and said " Congratulations! You have been promoted to commander. Any hesitation commander?" He tilted his hand and smirked "Nnno m... m... my lord". He stuttered. The commander looked at his subordinate, pointed randomly on seven soldiers and ordered them to get back the princess alive Though scared they obeyed. If they dare enter Ambinoe in this night with the raging waves they are dead, except they got fortunate and return which is unlikely. If they refuse the order and stay back they are dead. Whatever choice they make they are dead men. So they took their chances in sea where they can fight for their survival. Lord Origen kept on pacing back and front. He is so angry and scared he can't lose the woman he love again. He went to so much effort to get her captured, after waiting for good six months for an opportunity and sleepless night to capture her without a fight and now she is running away from him.

After waiting for a long time, there was no sign of the soldiers that was sent into the sea. Two soldiers has been sent to climb the rock close by to watch out for the soldiers and princess. The wind was so strong that one of the soldiers sent to watch out for the soldiers and princess lost his balance and fell down into the sea, hit is head on a rock and died immediately. The other soldiers was so scared that he hold on to the rock with his two hand kneeling down. Lord Origen was so restless after waiting for news but non has come."Why are they not back? They've been gone for a while now. Send in another soldiers. Be fast with it". He shouted with all the veins in his neck standing up. This send fear down the spine of the soldiers standing near by. They were soaked to their bones. And one thing is sure if they stay like this all through the night the storm will wash them into the sea. They knew the other soldiers are dead, now the king want to send more into the sea. As the commander is selecting the next seven to send into the sea. Some of them were wishing to be invincible. The commander quickly send another scared soldiers into the sea. The more Lord Origen wait for the soldiers to return and non did, the more lord Origen kept sending soldiers till it was dawn. He did not want to believe that she is dead. He still had hope that she will be returned to him alive

The rain has stopped so also is the wind. The sea is so calm as if all that happened all through the night was a dream. With the little ray of light that started to appear in the sky, the soldiers on top of the rock spotted a soldier swimming to shore. He alerted the other soldiers quickly "Look someone is swimming back". On seeing him and that he was dragging someone along with him they quickly ran into the water, swam and brought him on shore. Lord Origen walked towards them with high hope only to be disappointed. The person being dragged on shore was one of his men and the others were trying to revive him. He sustained an injury to his head probably from hitting a rock. " Where. Is. The. PRINCESS?!!" Lord Origen bellowed at his soldiers with anger clearly visible in his voice. "My lord". The tired soldiers tried to stand up but couldn't so he just kneel with his head bent to the ground he said " we looked for hours we couldn't find her neither did we see any body too my lord, it was so dar.." Shut your mouth! I ask you to bring the princess to me, you brought back this man? What's the use of keeping you alive" as he said this the man tried to plead for is life but it was too late. He was struck dead before he could say 'my lord'. He commanded them to throw the injured man into the river to die there. "Commander!" " Yes my lord". "You and your men should stay here and check the bredth and length of this sea and bring the princess to me ALIVE!. I dont care how you do it, just don't return to me without her". After saying this he entered his horse and galloped away.