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Legend of the Maņana, Chapter 14 |
| Written by Jonathan | |
| Sunday, 10 August 2008 | |
 Where Legacy Meets Legend
After several hours the sun is covered by dark clouds which fits the mood all too well. Scarlet sits in the sand staring out to sea her eyes dead without feeling. Sally and Chives are arguing about the event and while the rest of the crew sit around a poorly made fire. "Any idea where we are Yasac?" Revloc said exasperated and annoyed at the melancholy silence. "Well my best guess is southern France I don't think that forest beyond this shore will grow anywhere else but France, but I could be wrong." Yasac answered "You been to France much Yasac?" Jane asked as optimistic as possible. "A few times, England pays a good price for certain French goods when the two are at war, which is quite often." Ayafre yawned and looked over at Scarlet sitting in the sand. "Would you look at the captain? I don't think she has moved from that spot in the sand since we arrived. I mean we can still find the Mañana right?" Yasac sighed. Ayafre looked at him coldly still holding her grudge. Yasac briefly noticed her discontent and became agitated. "First Jortunde and now the ship? This all your fault Yasac," Ayafre said maliciously. Jane quickly intervened, "Don't talk like that! We can still find the ship it can't be that far." "Far? It doesn't matter how far! We don't even know who took it or what way they went or who they work for! In fact it's possible that the Mañana is at the bottom of the sea!" Yasac roared. Ayafre looked up startled by Yasac's rage. Yasac stood up and began walking toward the forest muttering something while the whole crew watched. Even Scarlet took her eyes off the sea to see Yasac trudge away. Scarlet clamored to her feet and stomped in Yasac's direction. "Navigator Yasac! Are you abandoning your crew!" Scarlet yelled out. Yasac stopped and turned to face her "With all due respect miss, do you even have a ship?" Yasac mocked coldly. Scarlet was taken aback recalling memories that seemed long ago. The rest of the crew exchanged glances with each other unsure of what to do. Scarlet then spoke up. "Well...he's the navigator and I'm the captain and I say the navigator has a better idea where he's going then us, so come along now."
After about three hours of walking through the forest in the rain the crew came across a clearing. In the clearing they see a large crowd gathered in the rain around a horse pen lacking horses. The crew pushed their way into the crowd to see the goings on. They found two men fighting in the middle of the pen with a handful of soldiers watching. One was a large knight fully armored in steel, helmet too toe, wielding a large French battle sword which was decorated with gold trim to match his armor which also bore the gold trim. While his opponent was a huge extremely muscular man who bore nothing but a simple iron shield and no weapon. The man was dressed only in leather armor with an open vest that showed off his well sculpted body. The knight beat down upon his unarmed enemy, as the man defended with his shield. The man was extremely fast compared to his armored foe, even though they were about the same size. The man easily blocked and dodged the knight's every strike with ease. However the man couldn't help but look helpless as the knight attacked him with his large sword. Suddenly the man parries with his shield instead of blocking, and immediately punches the knight on the side of his helmet with his bare hand. The knight stumbles sideways into the fence and roars from under his helmet which had amazingly been dented by the man's bare fist. The knight snapped his finger and pointed to his helmet. One of the soldiers ran up to the knight and helped him remove the damaged helmet and then proceeded to fetch a spare helmet. "I could have made a hole in your helmet and smashed the broken steel into your head if I wanted to, what do you want with me?" The man spoke boldly. "That's quite the threat but I would only believe it because it was you saying it. I heard the great Legacy was banished from England, and then he dares trudge across my lands? How could I pass up the chance to defeat the great but now hated Legacy.
The man strode over knowing the dual is not finished. A servant handed the rich knight a new helm almost identical to his first. The knight turned back around with his new helmet in place. The knight charged and the man did the same. When the two collided the slippery mud caused the man to slip and fall backwards onto ground. The knight chopped the man's shield and then kicked the man in the face. The knight then laid his sword at the man's neck and laughed aloud. The knight removed his helmet and walks off laughing and mocking the defeated man.
Yasac, quite eager to release his rage on something that deserved it more, jumped the fence and picked up a small rock. Yasac threw the rock at the back of the knight's neck. The knight gasped in pain and spun around incensed. The knight lowered his tall gaze to fully see Yasac, who bore a fearsome scowl on his face and drenched in rain water. The muscular knight towered over Yasac in his armor. "Did you throw that rock little man? Apologize now and I won't have to kill you." The knight threatened. Yasac stood unmoved and spat on the knight's armor. The knight wrathfully lunged towards Yasac and reached for his neck. Yasac ducked under the knight's reach and burst up to punch the knight square in the teeth sending the knight backwards and onto the ground. Almost immediately, some of the soldiers watching, charge at Yasac weapons drawn. Yasac turned to them and grasps the hilt of his katana at his back under his soaked cloak. In one motion of unsheathing and swing, Yasac swung into the mud causing a wave of mud to fly at the oncoming solders binding and completely covering them in mud. The insulted knight then also charged at Yasac, bearing down on him with his large sword. Yasac spun to the side in the slippery mud, allowing the large sword to fly into the ground instead of into his head. Yasac continued his spin till the butt of his sword struck the back of the knight's neck forcing the knight to stumble forward. Yasac then precisely chopped down at the knight's back slicing open his armor. The armor fell off the knight's chest and he quickly spun around in fear of his life. Just in time for Yasac's boot to smash into the knight's face, knocking him out. The soldiers then hastily dragged their lord to his horse and fled.
The crowd begins to dissipate and the fallen man who bore a shield approached Yasac who was now among the rest of the crew. "Excuse me victor, I would like to thank you for defeating that knight whatever your reasons. He is not among the only who would challenge me to a dual." The man said gratefully with a deep voice. Yasac turned to him and eyes him over. The knight was fair of face but very large and with short black hair with arms that could straiten roads. He wore a large gray linen coat with no shirt, mud stained pants and simple leather boots. "Who are you and who was that knight?" Yasac asked a bit taken aback by the man's thankfulness. "Oh forgive me Battousai I am known as the Legacy and as for that knight I do not even know. Some French lord who seeks to make himself seem great. You see I was banished from England" "Did you say battousai?" Yasac inquired. "Yes...I saw your katana you are from Japan no? As you may know battousai means man-slayer as I saw the deadliness in your eyes," Yasac nodded slowly with an almost frightened look on his face. Suddenly Sally interrupts them "Wait you're the Legacy? The greatest warrior in the underground arena? Is that how you got banished?" "Ahh yes that would be me, unfortunately it was winning that got me banished. I challenged the prideful Prince Justice of England who thought because of his royalty he should be considered the champion dualist. But after I easily defeated him, the prince demanded that I surrender. But when I threatened to make known his dealings in the underground arena he had me banished. Not only that, but I was stripped of my belongings save these worthless trappings that hang about me, but what really hurt was when the prince confiscated my beloved sword! My Zanbato six feet of deadly sharp steel with a hilt of three feet only a few of this caliber were ever made and even fewer are able to wield them. For no other knight could best my claymore the Zanbato!" Legacy answered. "Good sir how is it that you ended up way out here then?" Scarlet inquired Legacy wiped his head with his hand and sighed "Well after my banishment was made official, I was given only a few hours to leave the country so I hurried to the docks and met with some unsavory folk, pirates really, who were willing to give me passage to Spain. I was a bit too desperate and believed them and well, turns out they were in the service of the prince and were hired to make a mockery of me. They knocked me out and took all my belongings and left me for dead on the French coast. So after that I have been traveling to Italy. I just feel so foolish though I never really realized they were pirates, with their captain being a woman! Now there's a rare sight."
Scarlet makes a very stern face trying to hide nagging irony of what the knight just implied while the crew awaited her to explode upon the man. Legacy gave Scarlet a questioning look as he did not expect the complete and utter silence from the crew. "Wait...pirates?" Yasac questioned. "Yeah I know, pretty hard to find these days huh? Their captain was quite an egotistical wench. She continued to mutter on about some rival ship she had been ordered to destroy. The whole time I was on board she could never shut up about the hysterical six man crew that she was forced to illuminate, she thought it was below her."
Scarlet held her hands up in surprise and interrupted him "Wait six man crew? Did she happen to say what they were called?"
Legacy was taken aback by Scarlet's tenacity "Um sure I think it was the...hmm oh yes she spoke of it right before I was knocked out, her men found out where it was heading, the uh Manana I think. No Spanish like, Mañana it was called." Scarlet's eyes nearly tear up as they grew so wide. The rest of the crew also become excited. "Sir do ye have any idea where these pirates would be now!" Scarlet squealed. "Uh I think there were going to return to England after they completed some business in the Mediterranean...what's all the commotion about?" "Mr. Legacy I just so happen to be the very successful woman captain of the very dependable crew of six of the very special ship named the Mañana. If you can help me get my ship back that those pirates who stole from me, I shall help you get your sword back!" Legacy was quite astonished at this, but agreed without question.
The crew started on their way with Legacy taking the lead as he told Scarlet about his plan to traverse France. Jane and Ayafre stayed back at a slower pace. "You haven't said much, still mad at Yasac?" Jane inquired. "Oh...uh no..." Ayafre said dreamily. Jane cocked her head not sure what Ayafre was thinking. "Then what's got you in a more cheerful mood?" "Nothing...I'm always cheerful," Ayafre said with a smile and quickly turned her head forward. Jane narrowed her eyes and observed what had caught Ayafre's attention. Jane noticed Ayafre was staring at Legacy. "Oh Ayafre you shallow wench!" "What! Jane what's wrong with you!" "Oh...very well I won't ruin your new happy mood," Jane said as she ran up ahead of Ayafre. Ayafre let out a deep breath and began to blush.
"Come! Just a bit further!" Legacy called out to the crew following behind him, as they cantered threw a small corn field as the sun had just set. "Any idea where we are goin Captain?" Jane moaned "To England of course!" Scarlet gleefully shouted "We are running to England?! Excuse me I am no geographer but didn't land on the complete opposite side of France!" Jane remarked "Well Legacy said a bit further." Revloc stated "Are you trying to tell me we ran from the bloody Mediterranean to English Channel in say five hours, you're a bloomin idiot!" Jane shouted "Stop!" Legacy said quietly as he lowered himself to his haunches as the crew does the same. Revloc stared up over the stalks of corn to see a large French mansion tower over the land. "Now just keep quiet and follow me with hast, we are going to run for it." Legacy instructed quietly. Legacy briefly popped his head out of the field searching for guards. He saw the giant mansion which faced the opposite direction and straight in front of them, across a road was the stables. Legacy saw for a moment the knight who previously dueled him, in the window on what appeared to be the 3rd floor. He also noted two guards holding lanterns chatting away at the main doors to the stables. Legacy looked back to the crew "Ready?" Legacy whispered. Scarlet nodded and in turn so did the lot of them. Suddenly Legacy burst out of the field sprinting to the side of the stables opposite the mansion with the crew right behind him. All the sudden Sally tripped and fell hard on the gravel making a bit of ruckus that alerted the guards who jogged over with the lanterns. Legacy ushered the crew into the back door of the stables Revloc heard Sally's fall and ran to her and helped her up as the guards approached. The two quickly ducked around the corner of the Stables as the guards near. Legacy saw the lantern glow and quickly went inside and shut the door with Revloc and Sally tight against the brick wall outside. Revloc and Sally look at each other in fear as the guards started to investigate the area. Revloc and Sally hold their breath and as quietly as possible slowly inch their way to the door while hugging the wall. But to their horror, the two see lantern glow coming from around the other corner of the stables. Revloc and Sally were trapped with guards on either corner searching the area. They hold each other to keep as stealthy as possible. Sally looked up at Revloc's face and was surprised to see that Revloc was smiling, and Sally then realized Revloc's apparent pleasure with what should have been grim situation. Sally squeezed her fist keeping her rage at Revloc chained, to avoid detection. But when Revloc looked down at Sally his smile grew. Then without thinking Sally head butted Revloc in the face and stomped his toe causing Revloc to scream aloud. The guards on each end round the corner. But Sally grabbed Revloc by the shirt and threw him into the two guards by the street; she then leapt over them all as sprinted back to the corn field leaving Revloc with the guards. The guards shouted as they wrestle Revloc, soon the whole mansion is alerted but Sally has almost made it to the corn field. Suddenly a horse drawn carriage burst out of the stables with the Legacy as coach and Ayafre, Jane and Scarlet inside. Yasac and Chives were horseback following. The carriage skidded onto the road, and rushed away as Yasac charges his horse past Sally who has stopped her sprint into the field. Yasac scooped Sally up onto the back of his horse and rode after the carriage. While Chives trampled one of the guards who was trying to suppress Revloc. Chives abruptly stopped his horse to kick a guard off of Revloc. Revloc freed himself and hopped onto the back of Chives' horse.
After getting a few miles away from the disgruntled mansion. The riders slow their horses as they travel north along the road. "Say where exactly are we headed?" Ayafre asked Legacy from within the carriage. "Paris, we should be able to make it there by mid day tomorrow with theses fine horses." Legacy answered. "Well I think that could have gone worse" Ayafre said aloud. Copyright 2008 Jonathan |
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