20. Promise

Brooke believed in honor and believed in keeping her word. She has made her decision.

The servant woman threw up again. Brooke awoke from her heaving. Princess Meredith comforted the woman as she sobbed. A month had seemed to pass before that servant woman started getting sick. The other elves feared they were going to catch what she had, so they often quarantined themselves from her. Brooke thought that was mean and shallow, but she said nothing about it. The more Brooke observed the elves, the more they annoyed her with their condescending attitudes as if they were too good for anything bad to happen to them. The servant woman covered her mouth and then spat the last of her vomit out. “Lady Meredith, I think I am pregnant,” confessed the servant woman.

Brooke moved her head against the boarded floor. She heard another thump below the boat. Each thump came harder and formed a distinct pattern. Maybe it was dolphins, whales, or something. Brooke wasn’t familiar with the seas. She wished she’d traveled more. She wondered why her father didn’t travel, but then again he wasn’t an adventurous soul. She shared that trait with Mom and Mom only. Even when they had a car, Mom enjoyed walking everywhere, seeing everything. She even said she ventured to the Wilderness and the unexplored lands of Alagracia, but would never take Brooke due to the danger. Who knew if that was the truth, Brooke thought bitterly. She rolled over to face the princess and servant.  

The elves whispered amongst themselves, becoming louder, and soon too loud. The hooded man barged in, grunting with annoyance. He glared at the crouched princess, arching his brows. Meredith answered his questioning look. “She may be carrying a child.”

The hooded man glanced at the servant woman. “Isn’t that a shame?” his face turned malicious with a smirk. He grabbed the servant woman’s arm. “A pregnant woman cannot labor on the deck, can she?”

“What do you mean?” the servant woman cried her eyes turned fearful. “No, release me!’ The elves went silent, watching the dispute.

Princess Meredith gasped and reached for the sleeve of the hooded man’s cloak. He slapped her and a red print stained the light skin of her round cheeks as she stumbled backwards. She tripped on the hem of her dress and fell. A couple of servants rushed to her side calling her name, making sure she was okay. The princess rubbed her cheek, but her eyes did not sway from their determined appeal. She continued to object, her voice clear and loud as if she stood tall. “You cannot do this I beg of you!”

Brooke knew the following line well enough that she almost laughed. The hooded man turned to the door, dragging the woman with him. “Watch me.”

He slammed the door shut, and Princess Meredith began to weep. She looked most like her father this way, her knuckles reddening clawing against the wooden floorboards. “What a tragedy,” Brooke whispered, but it came out amongst a crowd too silent. It seemed as if everyone in the room heard her.

“Silence, you murderer!” shouted the princess.

Brooke frowned. She motioned herself to sit in a criss crossed position. “Don’t go taking any frustration out on me,” Brooke said, and the princess returned her words with a glare. “And I not a murderer.”

The elves rose against her throwing their accusations. “Liar!” one woman screamed.

“You killed our youngest princess!”

“Stabbed her open, tortured the poor girl, and-”

“Ate her remains, you fowl being!” finished another elf. Ate her remains? Gossip never did come out right with servants of the palace. Brooke couldn’t help, but chuckle.

“Of course humans were always envious of us elves.”

Brooke lifted her head, her eyes giving a sharp glare towards the elves. They all flinched and backed away, beginning their little whispers again. Brooke laughed. “I’ve lost my envy for you sad creatures.”

Princess Meredith didn’t seem fazed by the piercing glare. “You killed my sister!” screamed the princess. “My little, precious sister, my best friend, a treasure to the kingdom, and now she is gone!” Meredith trembled with rage and then she broke into a bawl. The elves sent their looks and Brooke looked away. Brooke felt uneasy seeing the princess cry like this, but Brooke also felt resentment, a rage. Brooke did not kill the girl and wished that she could prove that to Princess Meredith. Brooke felt angry that she was even accused of such a terrible thing.

The boat rocked. Brooke and the elves stumbled, swaying with the boat. “What is this?” they cried out. The elves ran to the corner of the boat, grabbing Princess Meredith’s hand, taking her with them.

Brooke watched the elves cower, afraid. Brooke remained in her position. She closed her eyes and felt the flow of the ocean erupt in stormy waves. It no longer murmured, but bellowed in an angry rush, slapping the boat’s sides.

The hold was restless, but Brooke found herself calm, unlike the elfin captives. Brooke surprised herself. Perhaps sitting still in the cell made her able to calm herself from all the times she retreated into a quiet numbness due to the noisy reactions of her body from the lashings. She had to stay tranquil or the lashings would have turned her mad. She thanked the birds also. When she needed something else to focus on other than her pain, she listened to them. Now, she listened to the ocean and the thrashing around of elfin thieves. They sounded hectic. The big creatures large feet thudded against the deck and frightened the elfin people.

An hour or two passed and the elfin people remained in the corner, scared, afraid to move anywhere else. Brooke saw the expressions on their faces and the expressions made her pity them. They were far from home, uncomfortable as Brooke had been in the cell. She empathized with them, though she wouldn’t admit it aloud.

A bashing sound came from the deck and the ceiling to the hold burst through. Little elfin thieves fell onto the middle of the hold’s floor. Green blood spread and the elfin women grimaced. Brooke looked through the hole in the hold ceiling. A snake like creature reared its head, its body green and slick skinned. It sent a roar that resonated through the sky that had lost its sun to a bed of dark clouds. She also noticed a sword fall from the cracks of the hole and land by a little elfin thief.

The little elfin thief arose and grabbed the sword. The serpent moved quickly, bending its head, and scooping the elfin thief in one bite. Brooke pouted. Where was the sword? She saw it fall from the creature’s teeth, its central ridge stabbing into the hold floor.

The hooded man opened the door, pushing the servant woman inside. “It’s a serpent!” screamed the servant woman. “It’s a serpent!” She attempted to run across the ruins of the ship to get to her people. The serpent spotted her, and Brooke knew it would attack her. She didn’t care for the woman; therefore she made no effort to hurry. Brooke stood from her position, walked over to the sword, and pulled it free. Brooke’s ears twitched when she saw that Princess Meredith had run to protect the servant. Brooke would commend the princess upon her bravery, but it was foolish. Brooke remembered Master Guardian Kirin’s final words to her, to protect the princess. Would she comply with the woman who believed in her and saved her life? She was dead now. It was dishonorable not to comply with someone she admired that died to save her. Brooke believed in honor, and she believed in keeping her word. She nodded in agreement to comply. Besides, Brooke didn’t want to die on this ship.

Brooke quickened her pace and ran, taking a deep breath before timing this move just right. It had to be precise, or what she had in store to do would not work. The serpent roared, curling its jaw to its chest, and then bent down. Brooke moved, catching its tongue with her sword, twisting it around the blade, and cutting it off. The serpent retracted, screeching in pain. Brooke spun the sword by the handle, stepping into familiar basic stance. The elfin princess and servant gave her dubious stares. Brooke will protect the princess. 

 

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

I wanted to show Brooke's integrity. I also want to place emphasis on my writing style in novels. I like to add a bunch of details and use them to my characters' advantage later. Brooke didn't suffer and not gain anything. She does become a better fighter and able to control herself more. She is pretty level-headed and tries to think through her moves more. Tell me if this chapter achieved such the purpose.

I chose that picture because it has multiple meanings for this chapter. The water could symbolize Brooke's new mental state, the setting, the depth of the connection between a promise and integrity.

Thank you for reading!

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless