"Reunited..." - Chapter Thirty-Four

Reunited...

Chapter Thirty-Four

By Douglas E. Gogerty

Prince William had to travel several miles before he found a communication station. During the water wars, communication was the first thing that the opposing sides would disrupt. Hence, in some regions, the communication lines were quite thin. This was particularly the case in unimportant regions of kingdoms. The Princess's new kingdom was one such place.

The Prince felt the travel was well worth the effort, as he was anxious to prove Princess Angelina wrong. He would then have her hand in marriage. He was sure his father was still in Lakeland. After all, why would King Thorbjorn leave? The transfer of sovereignty always required some preparation. The King would need to handle much of those items. Therefore, the King would need to be available to sign things, etc.

The Prince entered in the code for the Lakeland castle complex, and waited for the connection.

"Hello," stated the voice on the other end of the line.

"It is Prince William calling for King Thorbjorn," replied the Prince.

"Oh! thank goodness you called."

"What -- what has happened?"

"Your father has been kidnapped by some pirates."

"Kidnapped? Pirates? Where?"

"He was on a secret mission to the Pirate Peninsula, and someone there grabbed him."

The Prince let out a big sigh, and then continued.

"So, what is being done about it?" he asked in a disappointed tone.

"Nothing."

"Nothing -- why?"

"Naturally, none of the heirs wish to risk anything to get him back."

"Naturally."

"The group that have him are asking for a small ransom to get him back."

"... but no one wants to raise the money."

"That is right."

"Typical."

"The King was hoping that you would come get him."

"Me?"

"He said you were rather close. Are you?"

"Me and him close? Hardly."

"Close geographically."

"Oh! I suppose that is true."

"He also told me to mention that he would make it well worth your while."

"I am guessing he did not give you any specifics..."

"None."

"How much is the ransom?"

"5000 gold pieces."

"5000? I would have to come there to raise such a sum."

"The King says that the funds can be obtained there if you just come right away."

"I see," the Prince stated with suspicion. "He stashed some money before they grabbed him."

"That is probably true."

"So, where is he?"

"He is being held somewhere in the Capitol of the peninsula."

"If the King calls, tell him I am on my way."

"Will do!"

The Prince terminated the communication and headed back to the Princess. She was preparing for some sort of expedition of her own when he returned.

"You won," stated the Prince with a downtrodden expression on his face.

"Won what?" asked the Princess.

"Our bet. The King is in the Pirate Peninsula as we speak."

"He is quite transparent."

"Apparently to you he is."

"In any event, I hope you live up to the conditions of our wager."

"I will. I will leave at first light."

"No interference."

"No interference," replied the Prince with a sigh.

"Very good -- and have a pleasant journey."

"Thanks."

The Prince was not as important as the King was. Thus, he could easily travel alone. He was not an heir to the throne, so he had no ransom value. He was unlikely ever to gain a kingdom, so he had little power to wield. Thus, he could travel just about anywhere alone.

He thought about hiring a boat to take him to the Capitol, but the water route was fraught with danger. Not only was there danger from pirates and raiders, but also storms could arise suddenly. Thus, he decided to take his suncar. It would probably take at least a day longer depending upon the weather, but it was well worth it.

Furthermore, unlike his father, he could travel the main roads. If there were any news flowing in the peninsula, the citizenry would be looking for someone bringing the ransom. Hence, the Prince would not be in much danger. There was the threat of ambush, but he did not actually have the ransom on him. Therefore, if someone stopped him, that individual would not get anything. Hence, he would be mostly safe to do his work.

The Prince gathered all his belongings and drove away from the Princess's castle complex at first light. He did not anticipate that he would ever return. In fact, he did not think he would ever see Princess Angelina again. He was saddened by this, but she had won the wager. He wanted to be a man of his word. Thus, he planned on living up to his part of the bet.

The Prince drove for most of the day, but it was clear that a storm was brewing. His suncar was not capable of full power. In fact, towards the end of the day, but still far from dusk, it got quite dark. He went as far as he could and set up camp. He found a concrete building near the road to use if it got really bad.

It was a good thing too, because the next morning was worse. It was as if the sun had not even arose. The Prince felt vindicated on his choice of driving. At sea, the ship would be taking a beating from the storm. It might not have even made it to its final destination. At least here, he had protection from the storm. He felt very grateful for the concrete structure in which he found himself.

With the storm raging, it was going to take a few extra days to get to his father. However, citizens in this part of Morica were used to the delays. This was particularly true during the stormy season. The storms grew quite ferocious in this area.

The storm blew hard for the one day, but as it pushed north it lost steam. On the second day, it was just rain. There was enough light to give the suncar some power. Thus, the Prince pushed on towards his father.

Once he reached the Capitol, he would have to find his father. Once that was accomplished, he would need to find the stash of money. The ransom would be paid, and then they could hopefully all leave together. It was going to be a busy time for the next few days.