Helen walked in and reacted in shock when she saw Xender.
"What are you doing here?", Helen asked, "that's all my business", Xender replied as she walked out, "I am telling dad!", Helen said, "and how did you find me in here?", Xender asked and Helen remained speechless.
"Don't tell dad and I won't! Deal?", Helen tried to strike a deal, Xender said nothing and walked away.
Helen shut the door and turned to me, "what was she doing here?", She asked, I gave no replies as I continued eating my food.
"You're eating! That's good, I brought wine from the main chambers", she said handing me a water bottle, "thank you! But I have had enough of it", I replied, "you sure about that! This wine was freshly made from fresh grapes!", She insisted, "I know, Xender gave me some", I replied.
"Xender?", She said somewhat furiously, "what's with her! She's been cold to everyone, now a new boy comes and she's acting all caring!", Helen added as I watched her act out.
"Why don't you like Xender?", I asked, "I don't hate her!", She rebuked immediately, "why then are you always saying ill things about her?", I asked and she kept quiet.
"The truth is, there was a time I actually wanted to be close to Xender, but she gave me no room for that. She was always busy with her bows, shooting at trees and being unavailable", she explained walking around the room.
"Was that before or after you called her evil?", I asked, "....well...dad had always warned me about Xender being no good", she replied, "don't you think that, that made your approach to her a little soar?", I asked and she kept quiet.
"You probably approached expecting an evil witch, so everything she did, reflected the picture you had painted", I further explained and she remained quiet.
"So why are you here?", I asked not feeling comfortable with the silence, "....I...I...Did you ask Xender same?", she replied with a question, "yes i did!", I replied, "and what reply did she give?", she asked, "Helen! Why are you here?", I asked again, this time with a change in my expression and vocal tonality.
"If you don't want me here! I'll go!", she said and walked towards the door.
"Helen!", I called and she stopped immediately, "Can I make a request?", I asked, "and what's that?", she asked sounding quite p_ssed.
"When Medusa gets better, could you have her transfered to this place?", I requested, she stopped for a while, turned around, and walked to where I was.
"Do you really want that favour granted?", she asked, "yes", I replied, "then stay away from Xender!", Helen gave me a condition.
"I'll not only get you Medusa, I'll get you out of here and set you up among us", she replied, "and what would you gain if I stay away from Xender?", I asked. "You have till tomorrow to make your decision", she ignored my question, said and walked away.
I wonder what's wrong with these people, they are all acting strange! There I was thinking aunt Vera and Uncle Zack were unbearable, these guys are just annoying.
Wait a sec! Did she lock the door?
I thought as I walked towards the door, "it's open!", I said excited as I opened it.
Finally I can get out of this mad house!
"Medusa!", I uttered as I thought.
April and Mrs Claire can be taken care of by this fort, but I am certain Medusa won't be, she'll be ill treated, and there's no way I can sneak her out of the fort unnoticed. I'll have to stay!
I shut the door and walked back in for Medusa's sake.
After a while of total silence, I heard the footsteps of someone, seemingly running, "sub commanders!", I heard the guard call, "sub commanders!", he called again, waited a while and then opened the door.
"Phew! They are gone!", he exhaled, shut and locked the door.
"What's going on?", I asked, "shhhh! The commander is coming!", he said with fear clearly heard in his voice.
Some minutes later, "Harrison!", I heard another voice call, it has to be the commander!
"Sir!", the guard replied, "why did you let my daughter in?", he asked, "me?", the guard replied as though he knew not what the commander was saying, "Don't you dare lie to me! I was told that my daughter was here!", he added aloud, "Which sir?", the guard asked back.
The sound of a slap was heard, "do you mean to tell me that you don't know which of my daughters came here? Why were you here then?", The commander asked, "I...I...", the guard stammered.
"Open this door!", the commander commanded, and the door was opened.
"Derick!", he called as he stepped in, "which of my daughters came here?", the commander asked and I gave no reply.
"Are you deaf?", one of his accomplice bellowed and I said nothing still; same guy came closer to me throwing his hand to my face in motion of a slap.
I caught his hand and looked at him in the eye, "Don't you ever raise your hand on me! Didn't it occur to you that I gave no reply because I didn't want to?", I said p_ssed.
"Let go of his arm!", the commander commanded as his accomplice screeched in pain, and I did.
"Ever since you came here, you've been nothing but trouble! You've even found a way to influence my daughters! You leave tonight!", He said, "Gladly, but not without Medusa!", I replied.
"No! Not without telling me who came here!", he said, "if that's your requirement for me to leave, please shut the door behind you!", I said and sat down on the ground, in an attempt to hide the water bottle and plate under the haystack.
"What is that?", the commander asked and I said nothing, he walked closer and picked up the plate, "who gave you this?", he asked and I said nothing, "this plate does not belong to the main chambers, it must be from the troops or normal settlers! Meaning you had a settler here as well!", he said and I remained speechless.
"So that's how you want to do it! Go get some more soldiers! Have them carry their weapons, this young man wants it rough", he commanded, and in a moment some others with guns and other weapons arrived.
"Take him to the main chambers!", he commanded, "don't you dare!", I said with a stern look to the guy about to hold me, and he immediately became scared to carry out the commanders request.
"Are you scared of him?", the commander asked furiously, and I stood up and walked ahead of them, "let's go", I said and they accompanied me with guns pointed, and we walked till we got to the main chambers.
When we got there, the commander ordered for all the troops and settlers to stand in front of the main chambers, and had me tied up shirtless before them. He had them set up a podium, where I would stand on still tied up, and he would stand as well, so we would all be seen. He had his soldiers make a space around the podium, about 10 fts from itself. And so the settlers stood 10 fts away from the podium.
It was still night, so lights were set up around, to aid proper visibility.
"One of you took food to this offender! Who was it?", he asked and there was a moment of murmuring amongst them.
"That's enough!", he said abruptly and the camp became quiet. "Helen!", he called, "sir!", Helen replied immediately and walked forward. "Xender!", He called, and Xender walked forward without uttering a word.
"Which of you went to see Derick?", he asked and they both remained quiet. "Helen!", the commander called aloud looking at Helen, "sir!", she replied looking at him with fear in her eyes.
"Xender!", he called now turning to Xender, who looked at him with a blank stare.
From plain observation, one could easily crown Helen guilty, but the commander seemed unconvinced, and seemingly needed proof.
"Since none of you want to buldge either, I guess I have to find the settlers who snuck food to him, that person should be able to identify the stupid daughter of mine that went to see this offender.
"Where are the new settlers?", he asked and the place became quiet.
"I mean those who came with Derick", he added and in a moment, April, June and Mrs Claire found their way to the front.
"Which of you gave Derick food from this plate?", he asked raising up the plate, and they looked at themselves, talking amongst one another.
"Who ever did must really care about him; I know just want to do to fetch them out!", he said and looked at the soldier behind me.
"5!", he said and suddenly, I was flogged 5 times, with a flexible stick.
I screamed in pain, "stop!", April said aloud.
"Were you the one?", the commander asked, and before April could say a word, "it was me!", Mrs Claire interrupted.
And silenced soared once again, "you!", he said looking at Mrs Claire, "how did you get passed the guard?", he asked. "I...", Mrs Claire uttered looking in the direction of Helen and Xender, and before she could complete her sentence, "My daughter clearly helped you!", The commander interrupted and turned to his daughter.
"Which of them?", he asked pointing at his daughters and once again the silence soared.
"I f_cking hate this silence! Derick make some noise!", he said and turned to the guard doing the flogging. "10!", he commanded!", and immediately, I was flogged 10 times, screaming and holding the chains.
"I did!", "we did!", Xender and Helen chorused respectively, "I always knew you were the one!", the commander said as he jumped down from the podium, ignoring Helen who said the truth and was walking towards Xender.
"So you like defiling your father, going against his wishes", he said softly as he walked closer to Xender, "why? Why are you doing this to your people?", he asked, "I did no wrong!", she replied and was slapped immediately.
"Can you listen to yourself?", he asked, and turned to me, "5!", he commanded, and I was flogged 5 more times.
"Stop! I already told you I did it!", Xender yelled looking at him furiously.
"You haven't answered my question!", he said and turned back to her as she sternly looked at him. "Why did you go there?", he asked again.
"I said why did you go there?", he asked again this time raising his hand about to slap her, "she was helping locate him!", Mrs Claire said aloud.
He looked at Mrs Claire and then turned to Xender, "you are lucky!", he said about to turn around when we heard a voice saying, "that's a lie!".
The crowd gave way as the guy from before with the over pampered hair walked forward, "this is Xender's water bottle! I found it in the barn", he added raising the water bottle up.
to be continued.....
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