Chapter 46 - Remmaline's Mission

Remma stood atop the scaffolding inside the village walls. She stared out over the walls, dumbfounded at the scene that was about to unfold. Her father, King Maximilian, was turning over the battle to Andres! She was sure they’d crush the enemy if her dad was leading the way. But Andres? How could her father ask someone who was so young to do something so important? Remma couldn’t stop trembling as she continued to look out. Then the thought occurred to her: Dad is sending Andres to a certain death! She just couldn’t bear the thought. Oh, Andres was a terrible tease to her, and more than once in her life she’d had to slap his face to keep him in line. But he was her brother, and...well, if he was going to die, then she ought to as well.

So Remmaline reached down, grabbed the bow and quiver that Andres had been using before he took off, and jumped down from the scaffolding. She was determined to go join Andres in battle. Andres hadn’t left any arrows, but there were all kinds of arrows lying around on the ground from the enemy’s many volleys. Within minutes, she had a quiver full of them. Remma then started to run toward the village gate. Before she got there, she started to look for a mount. She figured that she’d have a hard time keeping up with the other soldiers on foot. It didn’t take her too long to find a nice, brown horse tied to a fencepost. She untied the horse, mounted it, and resumed her flight to the gate.

As she approached the gate, she saw that it was closed. That was odd; just moments before, she was sure that it had been wide open. She dismounted from the horse and pushed on the gate. It wouldn’t budge. She looked for some kind of handle or knob or something that would open the gate. But she couldn’t find anything. She was infuriated. Her brother was out there, and he was about to die, and she was powerless to do anything to help! She took a couple of steps back, lowered her shoulder, and ran and the gate, hoping the force of her lunge would push it open. Once again, the gate remained unmoved. Remmaline grabbed her painful shoulder in despair, slid to the ground, and started to cry.

Moments later--she wasn’t sure exactly how much later, though it seemed like a long time--she heard Andres’ voice pierce the night air. “Charge!” he cried out. Then Remmaline heard the roar of men, the beating of hooves, and the clash of steel. The battle had begun. And here she sat. She continued to sit and cry, paralyzed by frustration and helplessness. Finally, in a fit of despair, she cried out, “Help!”

“What can I help you do?” came a voice from the darkness.

Remma was startled by the voice. She abruptly stood up, grabbed her bow, and looked around. To her astonishment, no more than ten feet away from her stood a man. She couldn’t make out his face in the dim moonlight, but she was sure he was friendly enough. Frantically trying to wipe away her tears, and with a slight feeling of embarrassment, she asked, “Have you been here the whole time?”

“Yes, of course I have,” replied the voice.

Remma was surprised by the answer. “Well, why didn’t you do anything?” she asked.

“I didn’t do anything, because you didn’t ask me to do anything,” was the reply.

Remma was somewhat indignant. If a man sees a little girl crying, then Remmaline figured that he ought to ask why she is crying. But Remma didn’t feel like pointing that out to the stranger. So she asked, “Were you the one who closed the gate? I’m pretty sure that it was open just a few minutes ago.”

“It was I,” replied the voice.

“Why did you close it?” asked Remma.

“Because the field of battle is no place for a beautiful young lady like yourself.”

Something about the man’s statement made Remmaline shake inside. The horrible memory of Mitch cutting her hair came flooding back to her mind. Tears again started streaming down her face. She felt ugly and ashamed. “I’m not beautiful at all,” she said. “I look like a boy.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” replied the voice. “Look at you! You love your brother so much, you want to go out and fight with him. You would lay down your life for him! That kind of beauty can’t be hidden by a haircut, young lady. Your beauty comes from who you are, not from what you look like.”

Remma looked up toward the face of the shadowy figure. She was mystified by this man. She tried to open her mouth and speak, but nothing would come out.

Before she could utter another word, the man said, “Besides, I don’t think you look like a boy at all. I rather like your short hair! It looks cute, and if I had a daughter as courageous and as pretty as you, I’d be the proudest father in the world.”

“Who are you?” Remmaline asked.

“Someone who has been waiting a long time to see you again,” replied the voice.

And now Remmaline knew who it was. She ran over to the man and hugged him and melted in her arms. She couldn’t believe it had taken her so long to recognize her own father. Perhaps, she thought, it was because she just hadn’t been looking for him.

She clung to her father and kept squeezing him until she was convinced that it really was him. At last she released him and said, “Oh Daddy, what can I do to help? I’m afraid that Andres is in trouble, and there is nothing I can do!”

“Oh Remmaline,” her father replied, “your brother surely needs your help. But the brother that needs your help is not Andres, but Cable.” With those words, Maximilian opened the village gate. The sounds of battle came flooding inside the walls, and Remmaline cringed when she heard them. But Maximilian grabbed her shoulders and made her look him in the eye. “Don’t worry about the battle, Remmaline,” he said. “I will take care of Andres. You are needed elsewhere.”

Maximilian then turned and pointed off in the distance. “Do you see that tall pine tree in the distance, the one that towers about the woodline?” he asked. Remma followed his finger, found the tree, and nodded. He then continued, “Hop on your horse and ride straight for that tree. To its right, you will find a path. It won’t be obvious, and you may need to trudge through some bushes. But it’s there--trust me. Follow that path to Cable. He’s wounded and needs you.”

Remma quickly mounted the horse and found the tree in the distance. Before she left, her father pulled off a satchel that had been draped over his shoulder. He handed it up to her and said, “This satchel contains a little bit of food, a waterskin, and some bandages. Fill the waterskin as soon as you reach water. You will need it to drink, and you’ll need it to take care of Cable’s wounds. You’ve had lots of practice here in the village, taking care of people that are hurt. You’ll know just what to do when you see Cable.”

Remmaline took the satchel and draped it over her shoulder. She was about to spur the horse onward when her father reached up and grabbed her leg. “One more thing,” he said. He then reached inside of cloak and grabbed something from his breast pocket. It was a small bag. Handing it to Remmaline, he said, “Please put this in your satchel as well. The bag is small, but it has a very important message in it. You see, I’m afraid that an old friend of mine is in grave danger. If you see him along the way, please do whatever you can to help him. And then give him the bag with the message. He will need that if he is to have any hope of surviving. Do you understand?”

Remmaline nodded. She didn’t say a word. She was afraid that if she uttered even one syllable, she’d break down into tears. She dreaded the idea of leaving her father and riding off into the dark woods. But for some reason, the thought of refusing his request never even entered her head. After all, Cable needed her help. And though part of her just wanted to be safe and secure, most of her wanted to do anything she could to help.

And with that last thought, Remmaline blew a kiss to her father and galloped off into the night.