The Tale of a Princess and Her Journey to Love

Chapter Twenty

Theo left the castle in a state of panic as he climbed upon a lone horse and raced to the docks, galloping as fast as his horse could carry him. The army was pelting along behind him as he urged his horse to go faster then the speed of light, sure that its legs were only a blur at this point. He was terrified that they would lose the Aubriemian's and Aurora would be a prisoner of war, perhaps lost to him forever. As he arrived at the docks, he could see a commotion happening up ahead, with five guards standing around arguing with two Aubriemian officers in front of the Royal ship.

As Theo rolled off the sleek black horse before it had even come to a halt, he shouted out to the guards, sprinting towards them and determined to get on that ship and bring Aurora to safety. He still felt a little woozy, but he pushed his needs down knowing he had to get to Aurora, and then he could rest. Unfortunately he drew the attention of ten guards on the top deck of the boat, who noticed him and the army proceeding behind him and started to shout, jumping into action. The small group of Alluvian guards heard Theo's cries and quickly realised what was happening.

"Stop! Pull that anchor back up!" Theo heard one of them shout with a gruff voice.

Nevertheless, before they could stop the boat from drifting away the two Aubriemian guards drew out their swords and savagely attacked them. Theo winced as he heard a gut wrenching cry, his boots slapping the cobbled street as one of the murderers turned to flee back onto the ship, which was beginning to move out of the dock. The other killer was tripped by one of the unwounded guards and made to kiss the dirt as a sword was dug into his cheek.

Theo passed the commotion and raced ahead, hoping that the two groaning, injured guards could be saved. He made the decision to push forward to the end of the dock (which was just ahead), bathed in darkness, and jump onto the ship, hoping with all his might he would make the crossing. He covered the uneven paving stones with a great lolloping gait that suggested his ankles were made of tightly coiled springs rather than the sinew and bone the rest of us have. With feet and heart pounding, Theo did not allow anxiety to penetrate and overrule his decision, and sprung from the dock, arms reaching wide and feet kicking at the air as he desperately reached out for the boat, which was quickly slipping away from the land. He landed with a bruising thud, clinging on to the golden bow which was the only thing keeping him from plunging into the murky depths below. The bow, which was in the shape of a formidable lion, creaked under his weight, and Theo squeezed his eyes shut as he imagined falling into the turbid, freezing black depths, which were sure to swallow him up forever.

Luckily it seemed to be just-about holding, so with the care of a mother and her new-born child, he started manoeuvring around to the wooden railings, hoping to pull himself onto the main deck. He battled with the wind as he tried to reach inconspicuously for safety, soon realising he was going to have to place his life in God's hands and swing himself over, as he could not quite reach - his fingernails barely scratching the surface. He could hear the hum of voices which was somewhat muffled by the howling wind and crash of waves against the boat, so he had to be extra cautious so that he did not attract any unwanted attention. With a determined sigh, he uncurled his legs from the bow so that he was only holding on by his hands, the spray of white spittle from the sea making his grip a little slippery. He swung a little to gain momentum before edging his hands closer, making his muscles strain with the effort. With a grunt, he then threw his body forward, thankfully landing on the edge of the boat. With relief in his heart, he then hoisted himself up, silently dropping onto the deck which was only lit by a scatter of stars hanging above.

There were two guards standing around, and with a quick observation, he noticed two standing by the captain's quarters and two more in the crows nest. Fortuitously none had seen him as he was bathed in shadows. He realised that the rest of the guards were probably keeping warm under decks, as it was an icy night. Hopefully Aurora was being kept warm too.