Chapter 7

Every time they stop, Sorbo starts doing exercises. From pushups, to pull-ups, to setups he is going to get himself back into fighting shape. Dakota, ever the helpful girl, lays on top of him when he is doing push ups and hangs from his legs when he is doing pull ups. Thanks to muscle memory, the leagues that start to fly by, and the little sweetheart of a girl that is unselfishly cheering him on, Sorbo starts to feel like a man again.

“Sorbo?”

“Yes.”

“How long do you think it will take for us to reach the border of The Free and Wild Lands of the Goddess Andromeda?”

“Walking, it is going to take us weeks to reach the boundaries and to get to where we are going is going to take us months.”

“Months?”

“Uh huh!” he says, with the same trepidation that she is expressing.

“Sorbo?”

“Yeah.”

“I really do not want to walk for months.”

“I to the abyss hear that, little lady.”

“Sorbo, such language.”

“Oh, sorry princess.”

“Sorbo?”

“Yes.”

“But I know what you mean.” she says, looking up at him wrinkling her cute little nose.

“Oh, you do huh!” He says and then attacks her with tickles.

She squeals in delight and runs off with her knight chasing her. Sorbo just catches her and is tickling her again and she is yelling, “Stop, stop let me go.” When a group of riders come out of the tree line and surround them.

“Damn it!” says Sorbo, drawing his sword.

“Unhand the Princess you kidnapper and murderer,” says a brown-haired brown-eyed, six-foot-one, soldier, with a big mustache, wearing the almost same uniform Sorbo used to wear, on top of a big black stallion. With swords and spears ready they advance on Sorbo.

“Oh, they are my Royal Guard. Hi, Ledger,” says Dakota.

“Princess Dakota, stand aside and we will deal with your kidnapper and the man who killed your family.”

“NO!” says the petite little princess, stepping in front of Sorbo. “He is not my kidnapper. The goddess Andromeda saved me and took me to him for my protection.”

“Oh no! Captain Ledger, he has brain washed our princess. Let me kill this swine.” As he is saying that the slight balding man starts getting off his horse.

Dakota stands defiant. “He is my protector, not my kidnapper. You will lower your weapons. That is a command!”

“Princess, when we rode up we heard you yelling for him to stop and let you go. How do you explain that, Princess? And you expect us to believe that Andromeda herself came to your aid and not that of your family’s?”

“He was tickling me and I was about to pee my ... Well never you mind. He was just tickling me. He is my protector so put down your weapons.”

“Sorry, princess, you are our princess, but you are also only a little girl. We will take you both back to the capitol city of Glimmer. The people will rejoice to see you are safe and he will go before the judges and then no doubt to the gallows. Move aside, princess.” As he says that last part, the last of the twenty Royal Guardsmen dismount their horses.

“No!” says Dakota, crossing her arms and standing in front of Sorbo.

“If you take her back to Glimmer without finding the culprits first, you are endangering her life. I cannot, I will not, let that happen.”

“And you are going to stop twenty of the best knights in Pralene?”

“If you force me to, yes!”

“He is a great knight of Pralene himself. His name is Sorbo Harper!” says Dakota.

“Sorbo Harper? Sorbo Harper? Never heard of you.”

“I’m not surprised. I’ve been a little busy the last twenty years.”

“In prison, no doubt, you scoundrel!”

“Something, like that.”

Dakota looks at him frustrated and says, “You are not helping. He wasn’t in prison he was just feeling sorry for himself.”

“Hey!”

“Well!” she says, trying to get a handle on the situation.

Just then the Captain of the Guard, known as Ledger, reaches over to pull Dakota out of the way as he is yelling, “Kill him!”

“No!” screams Dakota, in a piercing voice that makes grown men cringe.

In that moment of hesitation Sorbo parries a sword thrust from a soldier and then spins towards Dakota and while grabbing her he uses his shoulder to push Ledger off balance. The soldiers become enraged and start to charge. Just then there is a bright flash of light and then moments later when everybody can see again the soldiers are kneeling before the goddess Andromeda in all her glorious white radiance.

“Mistress of Light, have you come to help us retrieve our Princess from this kidnapper and murderer?”

“The Princess speaks the truth. Put your weapons away, soldiers of Pralene.”

“But!” Ledger looks into her radiating pink eyes of love, tenderness and strength and acquiesces. “Put them away. I don’t understand, goddess, what is happening here?”

“Dakota spoke the truth. I rescued her and brought her to this knight for protection.”

“Why didn’t you save the rest of the Royal Family?”

“Because I cannot take a direct hand in human affairs. I can only assist the Prophecy of the White Sorceress.”

“The Prophecy of the White Sorceress, what does that have to do with this?”

Dakota smiles and waves at him while saying, “It’s me, Ledger.”

“Princess, you are the destined White Sorceress?”

“Yes she is! Only her survival matters!” speaks the goddess Andromeda.

“Then who killed the Royal Family?”

“It was a religious zealot group that believes religion should rule, not royalty or anything else. They are called the Children of Method, Prophecy and Design. But you already knew that.”

“That’s a stupid ass name isn’t it?” The goddess Andromeda turns to Dakota and gives her a shocked look.

Sorbo brushes up against Dakota and says, “You’re not helping.” But he is trying to hide his smile. Andromeda looks at him through squinted eyes so Sorbo says to her, “Don’t blame me if she becomes crazy from hanging around me. I seem to have that effect on princesses. I warned you.”

“Uh huh!” Andromeda says, giving him another stern look. Dakota is smiling. “Anyway, this religious group will still be out to find and kill Dakota before she can fulfill her destiny and save the world from the growing darkness that Loki is unleashing.”