Prompt #331 Wander - "Samuel" - Original

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Title: Samuel
Prompt: Prompt #331 Wander
Fandom: Trinity Kingdom (Original)
Character(s): Michael, Reia, Nicholas, Ella May & Samuel
Genre(s): Action & Drama
Rating: PG
Word Count: 4,673
Summary: Travelling as traitors, the trio encounter a dangerous enemy threatening someone of importance to Michael

Samuel

As the late morning fog continued to linger on the hilly plains of the western border, Reia and her entourage tread calmly in a seemingly uncharted portion of the countryside. Nicholas' sharp eyes were of great use and importance in this hour, but Michael's sixth sense, as it were, was their primary compass to presumably nowhere. They had no charted course in mind, nor was their a grand trail to follow to lands unclaimed - only a will to meander until the truth covering up Reia's shadowy past would be found.

At the point with a steady hand resting near Angelus, Michael led the way through a somewhat familiar valley, but he couldn't be certain on account of the still rather heavy fog. He had felt the earth for familiar rumbles, perhaps suggesting that there were animals nearby in a herd - something that would easily spark his memory. But he received no such confirmation and pressed on.

"It's almost noon already, and still this fog does not yield itself to travelers..." Reia said, her step somewhat heavier as she leaned against her lance slightly. "Are you sure you've been to this place, Michael? It seems far too desolate to be of any importance."

Michael's stride continued, but it did slow a little. "No, I'm certain I have been here, but this fog was never part of my memory. And if it were, it would've dissipated hours ago."

Nicholas brushed an anxious finger over the feathers of one of his arrows, growing restless with the stillness. "Then this is clearly of a witch's making. We must be on our guard."

Slightly startled by his words, Reia solemnly agreed. "Indeed, we must tread softly. Even I'm beginning to grow worried."

So the three continued forward in a direction not so easy to determine, for the sun's rays were covered and barely able to penetrate the thick blanket that shrouded the valley so well. Michael led them quietly, not uttering a word, for fear of disrupting his internal compass. His silence was somewhat troubling to the other two, but in circumstances such as these, they knew it was required if they expected to reach any point of safety.

When something snapped, the group froze, eyes scanning all around them for any trace of what was prowling about. Was it a predator, or could it potentially be prey?

"Hello strangers!" A young voice came from within the fog.

Instinctively, Nicholas drew an arrow and readied his bow to strike, but Reia and Michael were considerably less defensive, slowly turning about to see who their visitor was.

The voice laughed. "Sillies, I'm over here!"

Turning around quickly, they beheld the petite form of a little girl clad in a simple dress (associated with that of a farmer's), her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. Hardly a threat at all.

Feeling the need to step forward herself and see to this matter, Reia claimed the opportunity for her own. "Well hello there, little one. And just who might you be?"

As if in defiance, the little girl put her hands on her hips and stood proudly in front of them, declaring her name with no care for what could still be around. "My name's Ella May, and I'm not little! My Papa says I'm a big girl!"

"Oh, and is it because you're a big girl that you're out here in this fog by yourself?" Reia asked, letting her sweetness shine through as always. She did seem to have quite a way with children, defiant or not.

"Sort of." Ella May replied. "I'm out huntin'. Papa says we gotta get some meat for now until this fog clears and our crops can get more sunlight."

Obviously surprised to hear the word "hunting" (or something akin to it) come from such a small girl's mouth, Reia raised an eyebrow, letting the thought dance around for a moment before responding. "Ella May... how old are you?"

"Right now I'm six, but in..." She stopped to count her fingers. "Three days, I'm gonna be seven, and Papa says he'll take me to the village to celebrate! He also said he might even get me a new dress, since this is the same one he bought me last year."

This little Ella May continued to astound the trio of wanderers, hearing such surprising words and tones come from her lips. Michael was familiar with the accent she used, as it was one used often by the south western villages that were few and far between. The type that didn't want much to do with the inner circles of villages and matters concerning the monarchy. They were practically a province of their own.

"Well then, Ella May, I do wish you-" Reia was halted suddenly by a shriek from the girl and a large shadow overtook the group swiftly. Immediately they took up their weapons and readied themselves for a fight of any kind, seeing only the silhouette of this creature through the fog, but it looked forboding and frightening to the eyes with horns atop its head and a loud breathing sound shook the ground.

"Behemoth! It's the Behemoth! Papa, I'm sorry!" Ella May wailed, running up to Michael to cling to his leg for protection.

Even though he was fond of children, Michael was not too keen on them when they interefered with his fighting stance, for Ella May was practically strangling his left leg, cutting off circulation she clung so tightly. Pushing back his angered stare, he leaned down just enough to be eye level with her and spoke, "We will protect you from whatever that is, but if you want me to be able to do anything of help, I suggest you stand a distance away from us in the fight. We will find you when it's over, I promise."

Taking him at his word in a heartbeat, Ella May released her hold and ran off into the fog, hopefully lingering nearby to keep an eye on the fight to come. Relieved that she was a safe distance away, Michael tossed Angelus from his left hand to his right and took on his favored stance. "Now, if this beast will come out of hiding, we can finish it in a matter of seconds. Nicholas, be ready to strike the head when you have a clear shot."

Nicholas nodded, keeping a firm eye on the shifting shadow just beyond the white wall separating predator from prey, and when the disctinctive roar came, it sounded more like a shriek than anything. It could've made one's ears bleed, but there was no time to concern oneself with such as the Behemoth rushed at them, its massive body horned and nearly five times the size of a grown man.

Without needing a cue, Nicholas launched one, now two arrows at the roaring beast, Michael and Reia meanwhile occupying it with them so that Nicholas could continue his barrage. While Michael directed it slightly south, Reia took her chance and swiped her lance on the back of its right leg, sending another shockwave of disturbing music through the valley. The Behemoth instantly whipped its head to the side to ram into Reia's frailer frame, but Michael's swiftness and excellent use of timing prompted him to strike one blade at the monster's chest now that it was vulnerable to attack.

Another string of screeches and roars echoed around them as the trio enjoyed the upperhand for the time being. However, the Behemoth was more cunning than they had presumed and stood adamantly in front of them, as if to display his pride in his well armored body. Truth be told, he was an amazing sight, clearly of legendary story-telling material, and his yellow eyes were like a siren blazing without sound to warn various wanderers that this predator showed no mercy.

Then it focused on Nicholas, noticing his prized bow and arrows ready to strike again, and angered, the Behemoth began to scrape his front left hoof against the ground. He breathed harder, almost as if he were about to throw fire from his jaws. Showing no fear, however, Nicholas launched an arrow straight at the beast's forehead, but its prominent horn merely knocked it out of the way when it swung its head reflexively.

Another arrow was knocked away and Nicholas began to back up in his defense, the creature steadily marching towards him to finish him off first. Then came the voice of the Archangel, "Behemoth - pet of the Devil!" Michael called out, halting the beast's advance. Almost as if flames were a part of his flesh and eyes, Michael seemed to grin at the Behemoth, taunting it to draw near him.

"You seek to breathe the fire which your master resembles," he continued, steadily bringing it closer to him. "But this cold that lingers around you has you trapped in a cage from which you cannot escape. Let us liberate you so that the spirit you were born in can return to the clouds!"

In a blur unlike anything Nicholas and Reia had ever seen, Michael surged forward and swiped one of his blades across the monster's chest again, the Behemoth emitting a powerful roar that shook the ground until the others had fallen to their knees. But determined to not stay down for long, Reia jumped back to her feet and rejoined Michael in a head-on clash with what he referred to as "the Devil's pet". Her trinity of blades singed and scraped, but not enough to bring the creature down, and Nicholas' arrows were not causing enough damage either.

But then Reia saw a look in Michael's eye, a look that promised their victory, and with his wordless assurances, she drove her lance into the calf of the front left leg. This caused the Behemoth to rise to its full height on its hind legs, thus exposing its weakest area once more. Michael and Nicholas wasted no time in seizing the opportunity and struck the beast at the same time, Nicholas with an arrow to the head, and Michael severely wounded it in the chest yet again.

Giving the creature a few moments to take in what had just occurred, it stumbled around for a bit until with a defeated groan, it crumbled to the ground and died before its conquerers. Relieved in that a good day's work had been done, and a good deal of meat had been procured by their efforts, the trio were about to inform Ella May that the crisis was over, but yet another voice penetrated their short moment of quiet.

"Ella May!" A deep and gruff sounding voice came from the near distance, clearly that of an man older than any of them. Michael, however, seemed to tense suddenly, as if he recognized the voice.

Parting the fog was a tall, lean figure, a man with a wide brimmed hat and mustache to curve around his mouth. His eyes were squinted, but sharp like knives to pierce through the thickness of the clouds hovering over the ground still. At his side, he carried a weapon of some sort, but it was unrecognizable to the troupe as he called out again for their new friend in Ella May.

"I'm here, Papa Sam!" Ella May announced as she came dashing towards him from an angle opposite of the others.

Relieved to see the tiny girl safe and unharmed, the elderly man took her in a hug and held her tightly as he mumbled prayers over and over again. "Now Ella May, what did I tell you about comin' out here by yourself, and then wanderin' out this far, too? For all you know that big monster coulda come out and ate ya!"

"Oh we don't have to worry about the monster no more, Papa Sam. These nice folks took care of it." Ella May replied, gesturing to the three rather interesting individuals standing behind her, weapons still drawn from the fight that ended merely seconds ago.

The old man looked at the trio with slight distaste at first, but his expression quickly softened into that of one studying carefully the mannerisms of his guests. The woman didn't seem too familiar, nor did the boy for that matter, but the man... yes, he looked like someone he knew. The blue eyes of one man couldn't tell a lie, and he knew these blue eyes were once his.

"Michael... Michael is that you, my dear boy?"

Michael only swallowed and managed a short reply, "Yes Father. It's me."

Overjoyed to hear such words, the father also took his son in an embrace, Michael hesitant to show the same sense of thrill as his father. He couldn't find as much comfort in these arms as before, because time had separated him, among a great many other things in life.

"Oh Michael, my boy, you sure have grown. And who're your friends here? Surely they can't be your own children." The man asked, looking to Michael's companions.

Though not exactly eager to introduce two people so unwelcomed by those in the central plains, Michael recalled that his father lived in these parts of the province, and was likely not up to date with all of the latest monarchial news. "Father, this is Reia, and my other friend here is Nicholas. We're just simple travelers looking to find answers."

"Well them answers can wait until after supper can't they?" He replied with a grin, stretching out a hand to shake with Michael's friends. "Nice to meet the two of ya, though I wish it coulda been under better circumstances. My name's Samuel, but you can call me Sam like little Ella May does here."

Apt to defend herself, Ella May stomped her foot to the ground. "How many times do I have to say I'm not little!?"

Sam laughed and took Ella May by the hand. "Right right, darlin' - you're a growing girl, and one of these days you're gonna be a mighty pretty lady like Reia there." When Sam smiled her way, Reia couldn't help but smile back, happy to finally have some cheer again on this journey to nowhere.

"All right, since we've got meat now to feast on with our new friends and our old family, I say we should all get together down at my place and we'll eat until the sun goes down." Sam told his entourage, receiving nods from the others as they all went to pitch in on carving out the meat they wanted most for their soon to be meal.

~*~

"Sam, why is there so much fog outside still?" Reia asked as she finished drying off her hands from doing the dishes out of courtesy of being fed so well by a practical stranger. "It's well past midday and I have yet to see the sun truly break through the clouds."

Setting down his mug of water onto the wooden table, Sam replied with his eyes focused on the open window, deep grey iris' sharp again like razors. "It's been like that in these parts nearly ten days now. My best guess is a witch of some sort is just stirring up trouble to get a soul or two sold to the Devil. But this fog is terrible, because as you can see, it's blocking out the sun pretty good, so our crops aren't doing too well now. If it doesn't stop soon, Ella May and I will have to leave this place and find higher ground."

"But you do live by yourself, so you can easily find shelter with other villagers." Nicholas commented from the doorway, not much of one for table conversation.

Sam shook his head. "Nah, I made a promise to keep Ella May far away from places like that the day I met her."

Reia smiled. "And how did your paths cross?"

With a small quirk of a smile, Sam took Ella May up on his knee and replied, "Almost four years ago, there was a raid in the South village - biggest one in these parts, and Ella May's family lived there. Well, I was just on my way there to pick up some goods when I found the place nearly burned down to the ground. I heard from a couple of survivors that a man named Reiko did it. Apparently he's been tryin' to rally men to his cause, whatever that is, and a lot of people in the South village refused..."

"So he killed them all." Michael concluded, looking his father in the eye.

Sam returned the strange look and spoke again, "Not all of them. He left Ella May alive. How that happened, I don't know, except that God intervened. You knew one of His angels was there to protect ya, didn't ya Ella May?"

The little girl nodded with a smile. "Yep, and I felt his wings, too! They were real soft like goose feather pillows."

"So when you got there, you found Ella May by herself?" Reia asked, setting aside a few more dishes in the nearby cupboard.

Sam chuckled. "Quite the contrary. Ella May found me."

Reia's grin sparkled. "Is that so? Well, Ella May, you've got a sharp eye to find a good man like Sam to look out for you."

"Yeah, well after that, I decided to take Ella May in and raise her as best I could, but I promised I'd do that away from the villages, because I had a feeling that Reiko would come again for more soldiers to his cause. I ain't about to risk that sort of life for a young girl not yet even seen the sparkle of Ethias' crown." Sam went on, stroking away a few locks of hair from Ella May's rosy cheek.

"I heard a rumor..." Nicholas spoke up, to the surprise once again of his company. "That this Reiko hides himself with a cloak and won't show his face to anyone, but this is what someone in the last village told me. Whether or not that's true, I couldn't bet my life on it."

"Then your gut feelin's right, kid." Sam announced, standing up to urge Ella May off of his knee and to go to her room. "When people speak of him, they say he's practically the Devil's servant, and I don't know about you, but I don't picture a man of Satan to look as though he would scare a grown man. He looks as pure and innocent as he does evil and sinister. You can trust no man anymore, because you will never know if it's him."

Michael kept his focus on the table, not desiring to look his father in the eye anymore, because he could sense the tension building between them. Sam could tell that his son knew something he wasn't willing to share. "Reia, would you be a darling and go play with Ella May for a while? I think she'd like a woman's company better than mine tonight."

"I thought you would never ask, Sam." Reia said, all too happy to abide by his wishes. Nicholas, meanwhile, had caught the hint and went outside to keep watch, letting father and son be alone for the first time in what was likely years.

Several moments of quiet settled between them, neither finding appropriate words to speak until Michael's finger twitched on the table. "Where is Mother? Was she killed in a raid?"

Sam shook his head sadly. "I guess you never got my letter, but that's to be expected since you became some secretive soldier for the crown, so of course we wouldn't be able to deliver it properly." He paused and stared his own son down, almost the same as beating him over the head with a club. "Your mother got sick about eight years after you left, and two years later, she finally died with a letter written to you clutched in her hand. I never sent that one either, because I had no address to send it to."

Guilt overwhelming him, but not breaking his fortress around his emotions, Michael spoke, "I never wanted to go. They came for me themselves - you saw them."

Leaning in over the table to show his frustration hidden well under a calm, but very sad man's mask, Sam prodded further, "But you never said where you were goin' or what you were gonna do. What have you been doin' all this time, Michael?"

"Father, I wasn't the only one-"

"Just tell me, Michael. Your mother died not knowing if you were even alive." Sam pleaded.

"It's never been my choice to keep the truth from you or anybody, and if I could tell you, Father, I would, but it binds me to damnation if I say what my true purpose is." Michael said, almost tearfully, not able to withstand his father's failing wall of stone to keep his dam from bursting.

Feeling a rush of anger in his veins, Sam glared daggers at the Archangel and spoke in his most ruthless of tones, "So am I to believe that my son was taken from me when he was just eight years old, only to be subjected to secrecy and lies for the sake of some king on his throne? I'll not have it, boy. I didn't give up my only child for such a life."

Struggling to maintain himself and his oath to another, Michael bit his lip and replied, "But I had to give up mine if my purpose was to ever come to fruition. I was urged to never remember my family, for it would slow my progress and hinder my concentration. But Father... I never forgot. I never could forget."

Sam's grip loosened considerably on the wooden table, his eyes fighting to not let the tears come out. "Just tell me, son... tell me what God has done for you."

In the brief moments of silence between the two grown men, they heard the giggles and chatter from the nearby room where Ella May played happily with her new friend in Reia. In her hand, Reia let a down filled doll dance around Ella May's, and Michael smiled for the first time in days at the scene.

"It should please you to know, Father, that God has blessed me beyond compare. He gave me the reponsibility to honor and protect an orphan, just as you are doing now." Michael told him proudly, eyes still focused on the two girls.

Much softer now than before, Sam's voice returned to its fairly normal state. "What do you mean? Sh... She can't be..."

"Yes, Father, she is the daughter of Ethian and Reisha - former King and Queen over this province." Michael replied, his smile still in place as Sam rose from his seat at the table, Michael following after him.

Sam looked upon the girls for a moment, amazed to see his adopted daughter playing dolls with a princess, and not any princess - one of direct descent to their original savior. "Then if she really is the princess, then why is she...?"

"The three of us were exiled, Father, without viable argument for that matter, but this is why we travel - to find proof of Reia's innocence so that she can reclaim her father's throne." Michael concluded. "She is a noble woman, Father, one that can easily win the heart of any one person she wishes, she just needs the chance."

"A noble woman..." Sam seemed to repeat as he walked towards Ella May's room in something like a daze, Michael following in step. He stopped and looked down upon Reia's smiling face, the former princess whipping her hair out of her eye to gaze up at him angelically. "She is a virtuous woman and many a man praises her at the city gates. It's as it was foretold many years ago when your father became King, Reia."

Though flattered by such words, Reia was uncertain of their meaning and took the hand offered to her so that she could stand to her full height. "I am honored by your words, Sam, but how do you know this?"

"Beggin' your pardon for not being perfectly honest when we met, Reia, but I'm actually one of the Judges of this age, and I was the one who annointed your father's head when he took the crown. I'm not one for secrets, but I've never had reason to tell anybody that for quite some time." Sam informed her, stroking a rough and calloused finger down the side of her face to show his love for one so pure as her. "You've got a beauty in you unlike any other woman on this Earth, Reia, and it's not just on the outside, but in your heart. Your desire to return home with proof of your innocence against whatever was said wrong of you is merely a spark to remind everyone of whose blood is in your body."

Reia was overwhelmed and chuckled a bit, her eyelashes casting perfect shadows on her face as she tried to hide her tearful gaze. But when she was finally able to look back up, Sam was crying in her stead and wept for joy that the hope of generations was standing in front of him. "Oh Samuel, don't cry." Reia urged, wiping away a stray tear on his cheek.

Sam could only smile. "I'm crying tears of joy because this is a happy day. Not only am I happy because Ethias' heir stands under my roof, nor am I not just happy because I have my son as well. But I am happy because my son has been serving the Lord well in taking care of you. It brings me great relief to know that his purpose is being fulfilled in a mighty way."

Reia smiled, more than glad to esteem her adoptive father, too. “A mighty way indeed, Sam.”

“Then that settles it.” Sam said with jubilance, as if he were ready to throw a party of an elaborate sort. “Tomorrow morning, if the fog isn’t too thick, we’re taking a trip. We’ll get a jumpstart on headin’ to the village, but first, I’m gonna take you to meet someone pretty special.”

Michael chuckled, already knowing what his father was planning, and it wasn’t much of a surprise for him anymore. “Deborah?” He mused aloud, spoiling his father’s fun.

“Ohh, you smart one! Stop bein’ such a party spoiler!” Sam threw a miniature fit, but quickly calmed down to continue with his mild parade through the house, gathering things together for the morning venture.

Inquisitive and rightly curious, Reia desired to know more and continued the conversation, “Sam… who is Deborah? Is she a sister or perhaps a relative of yours?”

“No, no, just a very dear friend, but she’s practically family.” Sam went on, flitting from one thing to the next to pack in his rucksack. “Michael was always fond of her and she of him. Boy, I bet she won’t even recognize you!”

“I find it hard to believe she’d still be alive by now, let alone recognize me. Won’t she be nearly one hundred this year, Father?” Michael asked, returning to the table to sit down. His feet still hurt so much from all this traveling and he was grateful to have a place to rest, even if it was only for the night.

Sam laughed, “tee-hee-ing” as he continued packing. “Ohh, much older than that, my dear boy. Much older than that…”

Reia was amazed. “Older?! It’s a feat for anyone to reach one hundred, much less exceed it. How could she…?”

Michael merely smiled again. “Don’t worry, Reia, she’s just lived a very healthy life, that’s all. Why don’t you go rest? If my memory serves me correctly, Deborah’s home is a good half a day’s walk from here. Like Father, she chose a hermit’s existence, too…”

“Blast it all, boy, I ain’t no hermit!”