Admittedly, I didn’t sleep much… I was too worried about everything that has happened. I never thought things could change so quickly. Just yesterday morning I was upset there is not enough adventure in my life, and now I have a headache from thinking about how best to save my town.
I met up with the boys again and we went back to speak to the rangers. The sick one, Amdir, was looking worse for wear and his friend, the man called ‘Strider’ would not leave him. He asked us to fetch some kingsfoil, apparently it has healing skills… and here we go getting rid of it as some weed. Anyway, he suggested that we make one last attempt at winning over the Captain my doing some tasks for him also. Neither of us were up for it really, but the plan made sense. The Captain wanted us to help out his most trusted man, Calder Cob.
I don’t really know Calder Cob, but it seems both Toby and Blake are familiar with him, and neither seemed particularly fond of him. He did send us out to kill some wolves that have been plaguing the area, and this made me feel scared and excited at the same time… a chance to prove myself, show the boys that I can shoot more than just rabbits. Though the thought of ending as wolf food isn’t all that appealing, but I have Toby and Blake by my side, they’ll look after me for sure. Toby can sure throw that spear fast and hard, I do not want to be one to stand in his way!
We managed to shoot our way through more than a few wolves and we found the kingsfoil we were looking for. But as we made our way to the top of Bronwe’s Folly we saw an odd banner blowing in the wind at the platform. We looked closer to find it dripping with blood, it looked… disgusting. I asked Toby to pull it down and just as he did a man approached the platforms and started threatening us. I didn’t quite catch what was going on at first, but Blake is so clever and immediately shouted a warning, so I backed away. Just like that, the fight started, Toby charged the man and instinctively I shot my bow. We killed him, we killed that man! I was shaking. All I could think about was to get away from there, in case more bad men showed up.
It was clear to both Blake and Toby that we had been set up, it was an ambush… Calder Cob was behind this, and we rushed back to confront him. Well, I rushed back to try and stop the boys from doing something stupid, and I nearly had to pull Toby off Cob when we got there, so angry he was. I was terrified, thinking it might be Toby in the Archet prison soon enough if we didn’t get away from there. I was furious myself, because Cob all but confirmed that he had in fact set up an ambush for us. What a despicable man! However, we have no proof, and would be at great risk if we attacked the Captain’s most trusted man. So all we could do was to head back to town and see if we would be believed.
The next many hours are pretty blurry and I have no real wish to think much about them if I must be honest. At the nick of time Brackenbrook finally realised his folly, but then fell apart in hopeless misery. Instead the boys and I engaged the help of the hunters led by Brackenbrook’s son Jon. We managed to gather some information and we did prepare for the attack, but it came sooner than I could have imagined and now I mostly remember the fire, the heat and the screaming. Archet was on fire. I killed more men, but I had no choice, they were bandits. Many people died and they never deserved it, not even Captain Brackenbrook who had been so useless. It was an evil deed, I shall never forget the sight of the dead bodies scattered around the town, dead bodies that were once live people I knew and cared for.
Toby and Blake were both so brave. They fought so well and never hesitated for a second. They saved my life when one ugly bandit got so close he could grab my bow. I may have learnt to shoot a bow, but I know now I have never learnt to fight! They managed to drag him off me, but I shall not soon forget the terror I felt when he held a knife inches from my face…
We won the battle and beat the attackers, but the loses were grave. Praise Eru that Toby’s parents were both alive and well.
I have not stopped crying since the battle ended. No matter how much I try the tears keep coming, there seems to be so much grieving to do that my body will not let me rest.
We are staying at the Blackthorns’ farm, I can’t think about going back into the town just yet, I must find some rest first. Jon Brackenbrook has taken control over the town and he will put arrangements in place, I know that for sure, he is a great leader and nothing like his father. However, I must get word to my parents. Our house stands, but that’s about all I know. They will be devastated.
I must try and rest now, get the images of fire and flame out of my head. I cannot be like this, I cannot have the boys see me like this in the morning. I must stop the tears and become stronger, make them see that I am not just a wailing little girl they always have to protect, but that I am brave and hard like them…
…and maybe one day I will save their lives!
