"The Princess and the Birdman" (closed)

[PollyWannaCracker]

"The Princess
And
The Birdman"
(closed)
​

Annalisa Rosaline Sophia De Morna, more commonly known to her friends and family as Anna, sat on the floor in a location unfamiliar to her, listening to the mayhem in the streets beyond the windows. Four armed men sat across the room from her near the only door. They'd been instructed earlier by a fifth man, "Keep an eye on her. Don't talk to her. Don't touch her. Unless she attempts to flee, in which case, you are to put a sword through her belly."

She hadn't tried to flee. She hadn't tried to talk to the men. She'd simply sat their listening to the madness as her father's kingdom was overrun.

Anna didn't fully understand what was happening beyond the windows. She knew that there had been talk of a rebellion. She knew that some of the powerful Nobles had wanted even more power, had wanted to pay less taxes, had wanted even to replace Anna's father with someone knew.

Suddenly, that fifth man came bursting into the room and directly at Anna. He carried a black hood in one hand and a knife in the other. He held the former out in one hand, demanding, "Put it on. It's time for you to go."

Twenty-six days later:

The captain came down into the sailing vessel's hold, unlocked the steel barred cell, and held out yet another black hood. He demanded, "Put this on."

"Where are we?" Anna asked. "Please, tell me. Where have you taken me?"

It had been nearly a Moon since she had been taken from the capital of her father's kingdom. She'd been hooded and put aboard this boat and sailed away without explanation. The hood had only been removed once she'd been locked in the cell in the hold. With no portholes, Anna could neither see where they were, which direction they were heading, not how much time had lapsed.

No one had talked to her. No one had explained anything to her. No one had told her of her fate. They'd only brought her food and water and taken away her poop bucket when necessary.

She begged yet again, "Please! Tell me what's happening."

"Put this on!" the Captain stressed. "It would be a shame to kill you after all the effort and expense of getting you here."

"Where?" she begged. "Where am I? And what's to become of me?"

She got no answers. Only the hood. The Captain helped her from the cell to the deck, then to a dock, then to a small cart. A short ride up a steep incline ended with another walk, this one over stone paths and steps. Ultimately, Anna arrived to a room high in some structure where the hood finally came off. Her eyes adjusted, and she found herself in a relatively well-appointed bedroom.

The Captain was gone by this point, replaced by an older, hard-looking woman. "My name is Delores. I am here to serve you, Princess."

Anna simply stared at the woman for a long moment before finally asking, "Where am I? What is this place?"

"This is where you will live the rest of your life, Princess," Delores answered with a hard tone. She said nothing more before turning to depart.

"Wait. Wait!" Anna begged, moving toward the woman quickly. She stopped suddenly as the other woman pulled a small dagger and held it between them. Anna begged, "Please, do not hurt me. Just, please, tell me what is happening. Please!"

Anna backed away, and Delores returned the dagger to the sheath up her sleeve before leaving without another word.

She looked about herself, finding a barred window. She hurried to it, looking outward. All there was to see was the vast ocean at the bottom of a tall cliff.

Anna surveyed the room. Some of her possessions were here: some clothes, her jewelry box (missing most of its more valuable contents), and her journal and ink set. On a table was food, wine, and water. A fire was built in the fireplace, but it wasn't yet burning.

She found an unmade bed and bedding and fell upon it, sobbing...



Six days later:

Each morning, Delores entered with a platter of food, fresh water, and a small amount of wine. She did this twice more during the day, each time also taking away Anna's chamber, replacing it with a clean one.

And each time, Anna begged for more information about what was happening to her. Each time, she got the silent treatment.

Two days ago, Anna had finally been allowed out of the room. She'd been taken by Delores and a big, scary looking man down three flights of stone steps and through various, otherwise abandoned hallways to a door that led out into a garden.

The garden hadn't seen care or tending for years. There were a handful of still living trees, but they were scraggly and needed annual pruning. Most of the rest of the plants had died long ago.

There was never anyone else in the garden or in any of the halls or stairwells on the way here or back. Anna sometimes heard voices beyond doors or down halls or beyond the walls when she was in the garden. But she never saw anyone other than Delores and the big man, whose name she'd learned was Bruce.

Then today, annoyed with Anna's persistent inquiries and sobs, Delores opened Anna's door for the daily walk and said, "Go."

Anna didn't move initially. She couldn't get her feet to step forward toward the unknown. Delores said sharply, "If you think you want to see what's out there, go. I won't stop you."

Anna moved slowly toward Delores, then past her. She stopped at the open door to check the hallway. It was poorly lit by just a handful of candles. She looked to Delores, asking, "What will I find out there?"

"Worse than you have found in here," she answered, adding with a snide tone, "Princess."

Anna stepped out into the hall, looked about, then started walking. She descended a flight of stairs to a junction, surveyed, turned, walked, descended, surveyed, walked. She'd begun with the familiar course, but soon Anna was in new, unfamiliar parts of the structure that might be a keep, a castle, a prison; she couldn't yet know.

She came to the largest set of doors yet, doors that she knew exited to the outdoors. Delores and Bruce had been following Anna at a distance, and now the former told the latter, "Please let the Princess out, thank you "

Bruce unlatched the large doors and pushed one open. For the first time since arriving on the island, Anna saw people other than Delores and Bruce. Men, women, even children. Little by little, all eyes settled upon Anna. There was little kindness in those eyes for reasons she couldn't understand. Her title of Princess was grumbled with carrying tones of disrespect it anger.

Anna gasped in surprise as an apple core bounced across the stone walk before her, thrown by an unseen assailant. A second projectile came at her, followed by a third. Bruce hollered something in a language she didn't recognize and the assault ceased.

"Why do these people not like me," Anna mused to Delores as the older woman stepped closer.

"You get three meals a day, good wine, fresh water ... a servant," Delores told her. "You have a soft bed with fresh linens in a room you do not share with any other soul.

Anna saw where this was going but couldn't help but ask, "And they get...?"

"Not that," Delores said.

The scene was beginning to get ugly, with some of the others rising to their feet and moving slowly Anna's direction. She turned to Bruce, who she hoped was here to protect her, and begged, "Take me back, please. Please! Take me back to my room."

The trio returned the way they'd come, with the others taunting Anna as she went. In her room, she again fell to her bed and sobbed. She asked herself, What did I do to deserve this? I did nothing.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Earlier in the day:

Anna had emerged into the more public area of the castle grounds, being received in a fashion that had been anything but friendly. People from all directions had looked to her, glared at her. Everyone knew who she was, of course. The Princess. She was the highest ranked person, Noble or Royal, to have ever been exiled to the island. At least, as far as anyone knew. The island held many secrets.

No one on the island knew Anna personally. But nearly every one of them despised her. Or, at least, what she represented. Life on the island was hard for the common people, but it wouldn't be for her. Oh, it would be harder than what she was used to. But it would still be luxurious for her in comparison to the lives of the others.

Two of the island's residents who felt that way were commonly called The Sisters, even though they weren't siblings at all. The older, darker haired one was called Rita, even though it wasn't her true birth name. That name contained far more letters in it than four and was difficult to properly pronounce by most on the island. She'd been sent to the island as a child, relocated here with her mother, who had died long ago. Rita worked in the castle's scullery and laundry. She'd just recently turned 19.

The younger, fairer haired girl was named Beau. That moniker carried an interesting story about which she did not often speak. It, too, involved a mother who'd died some time ago. She worked alongside Rita in the scullery but also spent time caring for one of the island's oldest and most fragile residents.

Each of the sisters glared hatefully at Anna for what they considered good reasons. They'd heard that she'd arrived with trunks full of clothes and jewelry and other valuables. This wasn't true, of course. Yes, Anna had been accompanied by a trunk. And yes, it contained some of her old clothes, jewelry, and other accoutrements. But that trunk's contents represented a mere fraction of what had been hers before this.

Plus, there was the whole she's a Princess issue. Rita and Beau both believed that Anna would be treated far better than either of them had been or would be in the future. Because she was a Princess. Or had been?

This was true, of course. Anna's exile had come with stipulations: she was to be protected at all times from any form of physical harm. This meant physical abuse and, particularly, sexual assault. She was to have sufficient nutrition to keep her healthy. She was to have the comforts of clean, warm, dry compartments. Oh, sure, maybe what she'd seen thus far hadn't been as good as she'd had back home in her father's castle. But they were still better than what Rita, Beau, or most of the island's residents had.

They watched the fruit waste bouncing across the plaza near Anna's feet before the Princess turned and fled. The sisters looked to each other, and a moment later giggled happily.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

(OOC: Last of my three introduction posts. My writing partner's turn. )

The next morning:

Anna heard a knock at the door, which surprised her. Typically (and rather rudely), Delores simply walked inside with the breakfast platter after Bruce opened the door without a heads up. Anna hesitated, then reverted to her days as a member of the Royal family and called out, "Enter." Then, remembering where she was and how things were now, she added with a more polite tone, "Please. Please enter."

The door was opened by the big lug Bruce as normal, but this time two women entered: the Sisters, Rita and Beau. The first girl carried a large pitcher of water, while the second carried a platter of food. They each set their offerings down upon a table, then stepped back and waited. Rita stared harshly at Anna, her jaws grinding. Beau, meanwhile, shyly looked all about the room at all the beautiful things, clothing and such that neither she nor her sister had had or would likely ever have.

"Thank you," Anna said as she stood and neared the two. "This is very kind of you..." She trailed off, hoping for the additional offering of names.

"Beau," the younger of the two said softly before blushing. As an afterthought, she performed as good as a curtsey as she could manage, considering that she'd never performed one before.

"We're here because we were told to be," the older girl reminded the younger one harshly. Rita didn't curtsey or even offer her name.

Anna studied the older one, then said with a friendly tone and a smile, "Thank you for your service then."

"We aren't your servants," Rita snapped.

Beau reached a hand to Rita's arm, trying to calm her. She looked to Anna after her effect seemed to have succeeded. "Her name is Rita. We were asked to show you around the island, Princess Anna."

Rita growled low and softly, "She's not a Princess anymore, you twit."

Beau smiled, though, saying, "She'll always be a Princess."

Anna smiled back to the girl. "Thank you ... Beau?" The girl nodded and blushed. Anna continued, "Thank you, Beau. Is that spelled b-e-a-u?" The girl nodded again. Anna informed her, "Where I come from, that means beautiful."

"It means boy where I'm from," Rita snapped before suddenly turning and leaving the room. As she did, she looked up into the face of the much taller Bruce and hissed like a snake.

Beau watched Rita leave, then turned back to Anna and explained, "My mother died shortly after I was born. She was very ill and couldn't speak. My father asked her what they should name me. She was ... what does it mean if you can read and write?"

"Literate," Anna answered.

Beau smiled again. "Yes. She asked for a quill pen and paper and was trying to write but only got a few letters--"

Rita was out of view in the hallway listening and hollered, "That's bullocks. She wasn't trying to write beautiful. She was trying to write boy. Your father wanted a boy, and she was apologizing for--"

That was all they heard from Rita as Anna had been walking toward the door and now slammed it shut. She turned back to Beau, smiled, and said, "I love you name. It suits you as you are very beautiful."

The younger woman giggled and blushed yet again. "I'm not beautiful. You're beautiful."

From the hallway, they heard Rita holler, "Let's go!"

"We are supposed to show you the island," Beau reminded Anna.

"I would love that, but first," Anna responded. She had the girl help her move the small table close to a window box that served as a sitting place. Beau didn't understand what they were doing until Anna pointed out, "I only have one chair. This gives us three seats, for breakfast."

Beau was shocked. "You want us to eat with you?"

"Yes, of course," Anna said as she brought the sole chair to the relocated table. She gestured Beau to sit next to her in the window seat. "Why don't you retrieve your friend."

Beau rushed to retrieve Rita and dragged her inside, explaining that they were sitting together to eat. Rita was as confused as her sister had been amazed. Anna told them both, "Sit, please. There's plenty for all three of us.

Rita hesitated, then began, "We're really not supposed to--"

"Says who?" Anna interrupted. "It's my food. Eat."

Beau was already picking at the delicious morsels, but Rita hesitated. Anna told her, "If you don't eat, I won't eat. Will that make whoever sent you happy or not so much so?"



The three of them finished off the platter in no time at all. The meal had been more than Anna herself had needed but didn't go far enough for all three of them. As they ate, Anna asked questions of the girls. Beau was always ready to provide an answer while Rita was always ready to provide a clarification or correction.

Anna learned a lot about the Island and the population living upon it in those few minutes...

There were about 150 residents living here at the moment. The vast majority of them, (110, of which 75 were male and 35 were female, a mix of adults and their respective children) had been exiled here.

There were also 25 children who'd been born on the Island over the years. Of them, 12 were now of adult age while the remaining 13 ranged between age 16 all the way down to newborns.

There were 25 castaways and voluntary residents, too. Some had washed up onto the island after their ships had gone down elsewhere. Others had been on boats that had crashed upon the Island's reefs. Still others had simply been sailing by and guided their boats into port. They included men, women, and children.

With the food done, they went on their walk. Anna saw more of the castle before they ventured outside again. The two girls knew a great deal about the castle, the island, and the people. This time, seeing her with the sisters, the latter were a bit more polite to Anna.

The Island sat in the middle of the vast ocean with nothing to see in any direction but open water. It was about 1 mile long by 1/2-mile wide and tear drop shaped. It was 150 feet high at the most, not counting the castle's height, which was 60-foot at its highest point.

The terrain was entirely rocky. There was virtually no arable land with the exception of a 1/2 acre sized grove of nut trees farther down the slope.

Their two hour long walk took them entirely around the Island. She saw that cliffs dropped straight to the sea and its deep water on the north, west, and south sides. (OOC: the image again.) To the southeast, the sea was shallower, a small harbor.

Off the shore, there was a shallow coral reef of a couple of acres in size. The girls told Anna that oysters, mollusks, clams, fish, and more were collected there. This food supplemented the food replenishments that came to the Island each full moon from some distant location.

"The waters are infested with sharks," Beau told Anna. "There are a few places where it is safe to fish, in boats or swimming with spears. But no one goes into the deeper waters, not even in a boat. The sharks will attack a boat. We've lost friends this way."

"Where's land?" Anna asked, looking out over the sea. "I mean, the mainland."

Rita shrugged. "Who knows? The boats that bring people and food here arrive from or leave in any and every direction sometimes. They disappear over the horizon and don't come back until the next full moon."

"So, food comes from the mainland," Anna repeated.

"Never enough," Rita complained. "If it weren't for the fish and shellfish and the shorebird eggs collected during breeding season--"

"And rabbits," Beau interrupted. She pointed excitedly to one as it hopped nearby. "And goats. They both run feral over the island. We catch them and eat them sometimes. Rabbits you can eat about as many as you can catch. They never run out. The goats, though--"

"Don't kill a goat," Rita warned. "It's against the law."

"The Law?" Anna asked. "So, there is Law. Someone in Authority?"

Neither of the girls wanted to speak of that for some reason. Rita only finished about the goats, "We milk many of them, and sometimes we kill one for food. But, like I said, there are laws about that, so..."

"We keep some rabbits in cages, too," Beau said. "And guinea pigs."

"Guinea pig?" Anna asked. "What's that?"

"It's kind of like a rabbit," Beau said, "but without ears and the long legs. They're delicious, though, like the rabbits. And you can eat as many as you can catch."

"Cattle?" Anna asked. "Swine?"

"Nope," Beau said simply.

That didn't surprise Anna. Cows and hogs took a lot of food and land.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Barris had known that Rita and Beau were out on a walk with the island's newest resident, Princess Annalisa Rosaline Sophia De Morna, the beautiful young woman everyone would call Anna. Barris had known because if something was worth knowing on the island, he knew.

When Rita and Beau almost simultaneously spotted him, Barris curled an inviting finger to them. They directed Anna that direction. When she caught sight of him, he smiled to her and nodded his head respectfully. Then she arrived, he bowed even deeper, saying, "Greetings, Princess Anna. My name is Barris."

After she'd greeted him in whatever manner she preferred, Barris looked to the other two females. "Don't the two of you have things you should be doing?"

The two women scurried off without another word, saying something about his position of power, importance, influence, or some combination therein. Barris again smiled to Anna, saying, "They're good girls."

He invited Anna to follow him, saying at he gestured toward an open door, "I live just there. We can sit and talk and have some lunch. If you are concerned about being alone with a man you only just met, do not worry. My family is there as well."

He led her through the door into the first-floor residence of a two-floor stone building. His family was there, indeed, but they likely weren't who Anna might have expected. Spread all about this main room and the connected ones were more than a dozen children ranging from age 6 to 16. Many of them were engaged in some sort of chore, from kitchen to darning to peeling. Some of them, mostly the youngest, hurried to Barris for a quick hug and a kiss, Most returned to their tasks, but some stayed close to him to stare at the newcomer.

"This is my family," Barris told Anna, clarifying, "My children, in a sense."

He had tea and some dried dates fetched, offered Anna a seat by a small fire in the hearth, and asked, "So, what can I tell you, Princess, that you haven't already been told?"

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Anna was in fact a bit nervous when Barris invited her into what might have been his home or might have been a slavers' brothel. She hesitated at his door, but seeing all of the children reassured her. Many of them were working or performing chores, but it didn't seem to Anna that they were doing so as slaves. And some of them were simply playing, laughing and having fun as they did.

"This is my family," Barris told Anna, clarifying, "My children, in a sense."

"Are they orphans?" she asked. She could see by the multitude of skin and hair colors that these children were not all siblings. "Have you adopted them all?"

He answered to Anna's satisfaction, even though it brought up more questions she wished so ask.

"So, what can I tell you, Princess? Barris asked, clarifying, "that you haven't already been told?"

"Who exactly are you?' she asked. "I heard Beau and Rita as I was approaching call you the bird man. Do you raise birds...? Catch them?"

Barris answered as he wished.

She asked him, "Do you know what's happened to me? What's happening to me, right now? Where am I, and who's doing this to me? The last thing I know was true is that there was some sort of uprising in my father's kingdom. And then I was taken."

 

[KingOfNowhere]

"Are they orphans?" Anna asked, seeing all the variously colored, sized, and aged children.

They obviously didn't come from the same woman's garden or even the same man's seed. The number of them so closely in age would have put into question any thought of them coming from one couple even if they'd all had the same general appearance. She asked, "Have you adopted them all?"

"I'm a sense," Barris answered. "Life is hard here. Parents die. They get hurt. They become unable to support their children ... physically, financially, emotionally. I step in. Few others can. Few others will."

Once they sat for tea, Anna asked, "Who exactly are you? I heard Beau and Rita as I was approaching call you the Bird Man. Do you raise birds...? Catch them?"

Barris laughed. He told her, "It is a nickname. Have you heard of Little Birdies... as in informants."

She had. Anna asked Barris, "Do you know what's happened to me? What's happening to me, right now? Where am I, and who's doing this to me? The last thing I know was true is that there was some sort of uprising in my father's kingdom. And then I was taken."

Barris hesitated before answering. His avocation, skill, expertise, or whatever you wanted to call it was in collecting information and disseminating it to the right people at the right time for the right reason ... for the right compensation.

The perpetual question had always been and would always continue to be who decided what right was? As far as Barris was concerned, that person was him. Always had been, always would be.

He told her with a solemn, sorrowful tone, "Your father has lost his crown, Princess Annalisa ... and, I fear saying, his life. Forces aligned against his rule unseated him, took his throne ... took his life--"

Barris could have said took his head but choose to be less graphic about what had happened to the King. He continued, knowing she would ask, "I am sorry to say that I do not know everything about what had happened to your other family members."

That was a lie, of course. He knew what had happened to each and everyone of her family members, either generally so or specifically. Barris simply wasn't ready to tell Anna all of it.

"I will continue to listen for my Little Birdies, though," he said with just a bit of a proud smirk. "I will find what you want to know.

"In the meantime, is there anything else I can tell you?" he asked, adding, "Or show you ... about the island. The Island of Exiles is far more than it would seem at first sight. You simply have to know where to look..."

He smiled proudly, finishing, "...or know someone who knows where to look." He meant himself, obviously.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Barris explained to Anna about her father's death and the fall of his kingdom. She'd already suspected such and managed to prevent herself from tearing up or sobbing.

Still, Anna felt the loss deep in her heart. She'd never get past losing her father. There was no question about that. She wanted to know more about her family and about her future.

"I will find what you want to know," Barris promised. "In the meantime, is there anything else I can tell you? Or show you ... about the island."

"So much," Anna said with a touch of humor in her voice.



The two of them wandered about the castle, the city, and the island as a whole for almost six hours. Most of the Island's residents initially reacted to her poorly. She was still privileged compared to them.

But Anna had always been able to win people over with her charm, kindness, and empathy. And she did so today, too.

They came across Fran, the Washer Woman, who earned her keep by washer the clothes of others. Anna helped Fran hang dozens of washed articles of clothing to dry in the sea air.

Anna next helped Gilly chop vegetables for a stew that would feed not only her family but also a dozen others who spent their time performing jobs for the community.

She helped Wilma skin and gut a pair of still-warm rabbit for her family's meal. Anna had watched such a thing done while on her father's hunts, but she'd never partaken before.

She didn't honestly think she'd helped much, but Wilma had still shown her appreciation the same way Gilly, Fran, and the others had it would, by showing her politeness and understanding.

Anna finally tuckered out, lasting longer than she'd really expected. She asked Barris if he would escort her back into the castle. She didn't want people to talk, so once inside the castle, she told him he need not get her all the way home.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Barris found Anna far different than he'd expected once they began their little tour around the island. She interacted with the residents -- Commoners, one and all -- in a way he hadn't expected from a Royal, defrocked or not.

He himself mostly just stood back and watched. Oh, it wasn't because this work was beneath him; at various times in his life, Barris had worked as a trapper, a fisherman, a Smith's apprentice, a Page, and more. But this was Anna's moment to interact, and he wasn't going to steal her thunder.

Anna eventually told Barris she needed to return to her room. He walked her to the castle but stopped inside the foyer. "You seemed to have enjoyed your day, Princess."

He had waved down a girl earlier, slipped her a coin, and sent her to prepare a meal and hot bath for Anna. It would all be ready for her when she got back to her room.

He reminded her, "I will continue to seek information regarding your exile here, Princess, as well as information about your family. Is there anything else I can help you with ... offer you in the meantime."

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

(OOC: I need to interrupt your previous reply with the question below.)

Barris observed, "You seemed to have enjoyed your day, Princess."

Anna smiled to her escort. "I did. Very much so."

The Princess had enjoyed meeting and befriending her fellow Islanders and assisting them with their work. The irony was that she begun all of this simply to get a few of them to believe she was more like them now, a Commoner, an exile without social standing.

"Thank you for guiding me..." She paused with a questioning expression. "I'm sorry, but I do not know how to address you. I sense that you were once a High Born before coming to this island. Am I wrong? Should I be calling you Lord."

 

[KingOfNowhere]

"Thank you for guiding me..." Anna began, pausing to explain that she didn't know how to address Barris. "I sense that you were once a High Born before coming to this island. Am I wrong?"

Initially, he only smirked a bit, as if he had a secret he may or may not be willing to tell.

Anna asked, "Should I be calling you Lord."

"You should not, Princess Anna," he said. He considered his response a moment; he'd told others what he was about to tell her, but he'd never told it to a person of Royal blood. "My father was a Lord, yes, and I was his eldest son, which means that I would have been a Lord upon his death. But, as you have learned yourself, things happen. I ended up here ... for reasons that I would rather not discuss at this moment in time, with all due respect."

They arrived at the foyer of the castle, and with a slight but respectful bow, Barris asked, "Could we put my story aside for now, Princess?"

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Anna asked Barris, "Should I be calling you Lord."

"You should not, Princess Anna," he said without hesitation. He explained his Noble heritage but only barely touched on his reason for not wanting Anna to address him with a title. He asked, "Could we put my story aside for now, Princess?"

"Of course, Mister Barris," she answered using the generic title used to show respect to any man who had no honorific title.

Barris told her that he would continue to seek information regarding her exile and family.

"I would greatly appreciate that, sir," she responded.

"Is there anything else I can help you with ... offer you in the meantime?" Barris asked.

If he had let his eyes drop to her body while asking such a question inside what was now essentially her home, Anna might have thought that Barris was making an inappropriate, sexual suggestion. Men of all societal ranks had been eyeballing Anna's body since she'd first begun developing her dramatic curves.

And those bold ones of higher social status had even gently made suggestions of what they would like to do to, with, and for that body if given the chance. She'd gotten used to it and learned to dismiss it as Just the way men were.

Anna was actually quite impressed that Barris's eyes remained on her own and, to be honest, a bit disappointed. The former Lord was a very handsome man, and his treatment of her today had been very friendly and polite, comforting and kind.

With the exception of her father and his father before him, Anna had never experienced such wonderful treatment from a male. Hell, she had uncles and cousins who had eyeballed her hungrily as much and as often as Commoners on the streets or Nobles visiting her father's castle.

"If you see Beau and Rita about, could you tell them that I requested to see them," Mister Barris. With a soft tone she continued, "When it was convenient for them, I mean. This is not a command."

They exchanged farewells and went their separate ways. An hour passed before the two Commoners arrived. Beau was obviously tickled to be hailed by the Princess, even though that was not how Anna had meant the invitation to seem.

Anna sat them down near the roaring fireplace where a large platter of food and a pitcher of  Commoner wine waited, supplied by Bruce via Delores's efforts. Anna explained that she wanted to spend more time with the pair, stipulating, "But you would not be my servants. You would be my friends."

Beau again looked giddy, while Rita looked suspicious. Anna explained with a sincere time, "I have only ever had two,  true friends in my life. I miss them and will likely never see them ever again. Will you be my friends? Please?"

"Of course!" Beau said quickly.

Rita only started at Anna, still suspicious and doubtful about the Princess's motives. Anna thought that maybe a bribe was in order and informed them, "I might be able to get the two of you a room here in the castle, close to me. We could have meals together--"

That caused Rita to look quickly to the generous spread before her. Anna had expected that, of course. She knew that she ate much better than the Sisters and many if not most of the others.

They talked while they ate, and by the time the sun had fallen outside beyond Anna's balcony, even Rita had opened up and begun laughing and enjoying herself.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Three days later:

Barris caught sight of the Sisters, which had always included Rita and Beau but now also included Anna. He met them outside the castle, giving the trio of them the respectful nod of a Noble meeting a Royal. "It is wonderful to see the three of you looking so beautiful and alive this morning."

He asked about their living conditions, hoping to learn that all was well. The castle was administered by a man named Hans, a man who had tastes and desires that Barris helped him fulfill at times. Because of these favors he did for Hans, Barris was able to easily secure living quarters in the castle for Rita and Beau, directly across the hall from Anna.

He looked to Anna, asking, "May I speak to you in private, Princess?"

Once they were alone together, Barris informed her, "The New Moon is tomorrow night. The replenishment boat will come then or possibly the next night. My Little Birdies will have more information for me at that time. I hope to tell you more soon."

They spoke a bit, and -- as always -- he finished with, "Is there anything more I can help you with, Princess?"

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Anna had been enjoying the past three days far more than she'd expected. She'd initially asked Barris to send Rita and Beau to her for purposes other than creating friendships. She'd planned on using her charisma and intelligence to coopt the two young women into her service, despite having initially told them the opposite. She'd learned almost immediately, though, that she liked the two girls, not as servants but as actual friends.

Rita and Beau had each been given small chambers across the hall from Anna. They'd brought all their possessions from their little hut to their new, private rooms. And then they'd relocated all of Beau's things into Rita's room. They'd been sisters living together under the same roof far too long to suddenly be living in separate quarters, even if they were much nicer.

Rita and Beau had descended to the kitchen each morning to help the castle staff make breakfast for the castle staff. Anna's breakfast was cooked and otherwise created by a specific cook assigned it. Rita and Beau had been assigned with delivering that breakfast, taking Delores's duty.

Reaching Anna's room, though, they didn't simply leave the breakfast and depart. The Princess had insisted that the two share her breakfast with her. And her lunch. And her dinner. And any treats Anna came upon during the day.

She'd also insisted on partaking of the daily tasks the two were tasked with. They'd fought this -- or, at least, Beau had, while Rita had initially been just fine with the Princess getting her hands dirty.

Three days of this had begun having a great effect on the population of the Island. The residents saw Princess Anna carrying buckets of water to masons working on the walls. She caught, butchered, skinned, gutted, and roasted rabbits that she then took down to the fishermen at the harbor. She scrubbed clothes, packed firewood, played with the children, and tended to the various personal needs of some of the community's oldest and most vulnerable residents.

The feelings the people of the Island toward Anna had changed greatly. One could see it simply by following her through the community. Residents greeted her with smiles, polite words, and even respectful bows. Most called her M'Grace or Princess, despite what had happened to her.

Barris greeted the three who he'd come call the Sisters and some called the Sisters Three, "It is wonderful to see the three of you looking so beautiful and alive this morning."

"Thank you, Mister Barris," Anna responded. He asked about their living conditions. Beau led the pledges of gratitude, with Rita thanking him also, though less enthusiastically. Rita wasn't as quick to give praise as most people, particularly her best friend, Beau. "Please thank your friend, Hans, Mister Barris."

"May I speak to you in private, Princess?" Barris asked. Anna asked the two girls to give them a moment. Barris told her about the replenishment boat and spoke of his quest for information about her exile. "I hope to tell you more soon."

They walked through the castle grounds and out into the city, talking about this and that. Barris noted how the people seemed to like her more than they had before. "They are beginning to learn who I am, Mister Barris. Most people who meet me come to like me." She giggled, saying, "I intend to meet each and every person on this island -- man, woman, and child -- and ensure that each and every one of them comes to like me."

They spoke more until Barris said he had things to do, asking her respectfully, "Is there anything more I can help you with, Princess?"

"Yes, there is, Mister Barris, please," she answered. She looked for eavesdroppers and found none. "You say your Little Birdies bring you information from others, yes?" He responded the way she'd expected. She continued, "Do they deliver information to others as well?"

She hoped his answer was yes, but even if it wasn't, she told him, "I need to let certain people know that I am still alive. I do not know whether or not these people are still alive, Mister Barris. I am hoping that you can find out whether or not they are, then get my messages to them. Can you do this for me?"

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Barris was intrigued with Anna's desire to befriend the residents of the island. When he'd heard of her arrival here, he'd expected that she would live out her life in quiet solitude in her castle tower; ultimately, she would waste away, dying of depression, maybe even throwing herself out her window to the rocks below. It wasn't a far-fetched thought as it had happened many times before.

She asked Barris if his communications with his Little Birdies was two way. "Yes, Princess. Why do you ask?"

She explained her inquiry, then asked, "Can you do this for me?"

"I can, Princess," Barris answered with a bit of hesitance. "I must warn you, however, that it could take quite some time to do what you ask. We are quite far from your father's kingdom. It could take many moons to discover whether or not these people with whom you wish to communicate are still alive, followed by additional moons of two way communication."

Something occurred to Barris, and he asked, "My Grace ... do you know where you are? Where this island is?"

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

(OOC: For transparency's sake, the map linked below was not created by me. I once wrote in a roleplay in which the hostess used it, and from what I've been told, she found it on the internet someplace.)

"I must warn you, however," Barris began explaining to Anna with obvious hesitance, "that it could take quite some time to do what you ask. We are quite far from your father's kingdom."

This didn't surprise Anna, of course. She'd been kept in a cell in the windowless hold of a dank, dark sailing vessel for 26 days just to get to the Island of Exiles. She thought they'd made port or dropped anchor perhaps six or seven times. It had been hard sometimes to know. As far as she knew, they could be on the other side of the Known World.

Barris explained that it could take many months to do as she'd asked. Then he inquired, "My Grace ... do you know where you are? Where this island is?"



An hour later in Anna's quarters:

(OOC: I do a little bit of "god moding" of Barris per my writing partner's permission, fyi. And yes, we are using the metric system in our fantasy world.)

Anna stood over the table in her quarters on which Barris had spread his own personal copy of the map of the Known World. She asked with amazement, "Where did you get this? It is incredible. I've only ever seen one such map in my life, in my father's library. And it wasn't even his. It belonged to the Great Master of the Temple of Un. He'd come to Lux, the capital city of my father's kingdom, on his Pilgrimage. I was allowed to look at it, and I remember thinking that the world couldn't be so big, so much bigger than I'd ever imagined."

She pressed her finger to the green dot indicating the City of Lux. "That's where they took me. Where are we now? Where is this Island, Mister Barris?"

Anna suddenly realized that her heart was pounding anxiously. Barris stepped closer to the table and pressed his finger to a spot near the uppermost right corner of the map. "About here, Princess."

She looked to where Barris was pointing. Leaning over to look closer, she said, "There's nothing there?"

Barris explained that the Island of Exiles wasn't on any map. Anna looked closer. The nearest thing to where the man had pointed was the letter "Y" at the end of Risky Bay. Anna's voice easily revealed her dismay as she said, "It's the far side of the world! From my home! We couldn't be farther from Lux than here!"

Anna sat on a stool next to the table and used her parted index and middle finger to measure distances. "It's over 2,000 kilometers from Lux to the Risky Bay. As the raven flies! The world is only 2500 kilometers across the Golden Isles to Smoke Island. They couldn't have taken me farther away!"

She stood suddenly and stomped away, out the open doors onto her balcony. The view from here was to the west, the general direction of her very distant homeland and home itself. Anna had been harboring hope that someday, somehow, she could get back to her father's kingdom again, even if her father himself was no longer alive there. Now, though, that dream seemed to have no hope at all.

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Barris wasn't surprised by Anna's shock at learning where she was or how far she'd been transported for her exile. He himself had been sent here from the City of Tut, which -- while less than a quarter the distance away as was Lux -- was still far enough that he'd always believed he would never see it again.

The map of the Known World that he presented to Anna was the most valuable tangible object Barris owned. Of course, he valued his network of Little Birdies almost as much, possibly more. He could have explained that the map had been stolen from the Temple of Un years earlier but chose not to do so.

"There's nothing there?" Anna said when Barris pointed to the approximate position of the Island of Exiles.

"That's not true, of course," he responded with a bit of humor in his voice. "We are there, in this castle, on this island. You must understand, Princess, that the people who pay very good money to have people such as yourself exiled are not eager to have those who support such people knowing how to find you. They might be tempted to attempt a rescue of you. That would not be good for them. As it is, it would not be good for you either. If exile didn't work to keep you away, death would be the next choice."

Barris watched Anna stomp her way out onto the balcony. He rolled the valuable map up and slipped it back into its protective tube. Standing it in a corner, he joined her on the balcony but did not speak; he only stood off to the side so that she would know that he was there for her without forcing himself upon her during her moment of reflection.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Barris explained to Anna the reason for the Island of Exiles being hidden from the rest of the world. It made sense, of course, even if it was terribly disappointing to her.

"That would not be good for them," Barris said about the people who'd exiled Anna to the Island and the possibility that she be found and freed. "As it is, it would not be good for you either. If exile didn't work to keep you away, death would be the next choice."

Anna looked out over the sea for a long moment, thinking of her situation. She turned to face the man who knew so much about so much. She firmly told him, "I refuse to remain here in exile, Mister Barris? I refuse to let these bastards who overthrew my father, refuse to let them keep me here, refuse to let them get away with what they've done."

She stepped closer to Barris, looking him in the eyes with a serious expression. "Can you help me do this, Mister Barris? You and your Little Birdies? Your intelligence. My desires. Desire to be back with my family. To be back in my homeland. My desire for vengeance against those who did this to my family."

 

[KingOfNowhere]

"I refuse to remain here in exile, Mister Barris," Anna said. She clarified what she refused to accept, then asked, "Can you help me do this, Mister Barris? You and your Little Birdies?"

She talked about his intel and her desires and how well they could work together to get her what she wanted. Barris was, obviously, very tempted to help Anna. She was a person of Royal lineage, of course, despite now exiled with mostly commoners on a remote island.

Barris knew things that Anna didn't know, many things, that applied directly to what she was asking of him. He wasn't sure which of those things he should share with her at that moment, so he decided not to share any of them. Instead, he explained, "I can help you, Princess. But it will be dangerous, for both of us. We won't have very many allies to assist us, and those we will have won't be of great help to us against the forces that stand before you."

After her response, if she had one, Barris told her, "This will cost me, Princess. It will cost me favors, many of which I have held for years, even decades. If I do this for you, I will need something from you, something that I am not prepared to explain to you at this moment. But if you vow to fulfill my request, I will do anything and everything to get you home to the City of Lux where you can settle some scores and, perhaps, regain your life as it was."

He paused a moment to study Anna, then asked, "Do you accept my terms, My Grace?"

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

"This will cost me, Princess," Barris said. "It will cost me favors, many of which I have held for years, even decades."

"I understand that, Mister Barris, I do," Anna responded, continuing, "and if we succeed, I will ensure that you are well compensated for all that you have done."

"I can help you, Princess," he went on, his tone serious. He spoke of the danger that would be plentiful and the allies who not be. Then, he told her, "If I do this for you, I will need something from you, something that I am not prepared to explain to you at this moment."

Anna immediately assumed that Barris meant he would need her, either as a lover, a spouse, or both. She'd understood from an early age that one day her father would marry her off to some Noble or Royal from whom he himself wanted: gold, land, troops, a military alliance, or a combination therein. Just because her father wasn't here to arrange such a union didn't mean that one might not still be in the mix.

Was that what Barris was hinting at, a union between the two of them? Making it even harder for Anna to figure out was the fact that still to this day, Barris had not once ogled her fine, young, petite female body. Men went all googly eyes over her constantly. All men. All men except for Barris. Had she simply not caught him taking in the view? Was he very good at hiding his lustful feelings upon seeing her? Or was he simply not interested in her in that way? Maybe he likes boys? Plenty of men, particularly Nobles which I know you are, Mister Barris ... plenty of them do prefer sword to the sheath.

"But if you vow to fulfill my request," he continued with a serious but respectful tone, "I will do anything and everything to get you home to the City of Lux where you can settle some scores and, perhaps, regain your life as it was."

Settling scores, Anna thought to herself. I'd like that. She still didn't know what had happened to her father and her siblings. If they'd been killed or harmed in any way, she was going to kill those responsible. Her first priority, though, was simply getting home.

Barris asked, "Do you accept my terms, My Grace?"

"I do," Anna answered without hesitation. She smiled a bit, asking, "Where do we start?"

 

[KingOfNowhere]

Barris asked, "Do you accept my terms, My Grace?"

"I do," Anna responded. "Where do we start?"

Barris smiled, gestured her politely back into her room from the balcony, and answered, "With a review of what we have ahead of us ... and a cup of tea."

They actually had several cups over tea over several hours of conversation. Rita and Beau brought them lunch when the time came, and Delores brought them dinner a few hours after that. Bruce got in on the planning as well, fetching other conspirators when Barris thought their input was wise.

They took short breaks for personal reasons when necessary -- pee breaks and the like -- but other than that, they worked on their plan without interrupting for almost 9 hours.

When they believed that they had that plan in place, Barris rose to make his farewells.

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

Anna found herself becoming more and more impressed, even amazed, with Barris was their discussion progressed. His knowledge of the known world, what he called Intelligence or Intel, was expansive.

Anna herself had been well educated about many things, but Barris's knowledge of people, places, history, and relations between the World's many Royal and Noble Houses was simply incredible.

"I know that this Intel of yours, I know that much of it comes to you as secrets, from your Little Birdies," Anna said, "but can you tell me just something, anything about how you do this. What you know, how you know it, Mister Barris, is simply mind blowing."

 

[KingOfNowhere]

"What you know, how you know it, Mister Barris," Anna said with an appreciative tone, "is simply mind blowing."

Barris smiled, lifted his wine glass as if to toast her compliment, and said, "It is my life's work, Princess."

He looked to the map of the known world spread out before them on the table. He mused, "The first time I ever saw this map, or a version of it anyway, I was just a boy, maybe six or seven years old. I knew the moment that I laid eyes upon it that I wanted to know everything there was to know about it."

He looked to Anna and smiled. "You asked me once if I was of Noble birth, Princess. I am. Or ... I was." He leaned forward and pressed a fingertip to the map near a purple star and read the name of the city, "Yalla. My father was a High Lord in the Republic. I had a very privileged childhood: the best tutors, the best food, the best of everything.

"My father was an Advisor to the High Consul," Barris continued. "The High Consul liked me--"

He could have told Anna that the leader of the Republic of Yalla liked Barris more when they were together will little or no clothes on, but he kept that to himself. He felt no need to speak of how he'd been molested for several years as a youth.

He continued, "--and when my father would attend meetings or accompany the High Consul on diplomatic missions, I was often permitted to accompany him, too. I learned to listen to what people were saying without looking like I was listening. I learned to watch what people were doing without looking like I was watching. I learned how to identify and befriend those people who knew what was worth knowing, from the lowest of peasants to the highest of Lords.

"Later, when I was perhaps 12 or 13 years of age," Barris continued, "there was a falling out between my father and the High Consul. The latter assembled the bare minimum of Senators needed to form a quorum and held a vote to deprive my father of his lands and titles. He fought it, of course, but failed."

He sipped at his wine yet again as he looked off out the open balcony doors toward the sea and finished, "He killed himself. He couldn't bear being a nobody ... a poor nobody. Without his titles and lands, his wealth quickly vanished. One night, he walked to the top of the tower of our Keep and simply stepped off.

"I went out into the world on my own with all that I'd learned in my youth and did well for myself," he said, looking back to Anna with a happy smile. "I collected my Little Birdies, and I traded what I learned for them for everything I needed to survive: food, shelter, coinage ... sex."

For the first time, Barris allowed his gaze to drop to the Princess's body. Oh, it wasn't a hungry, lurid ogle; it was just a quick glance that she surely noticed. He looked back up again, smiled, sipped from his glass, and continued, "I moved about the world, expanding my network, sharing what I'd learned, and seeing new wonderful places.

"Then--" He playfully grimaced and chuckled softly, continuing, "--as I made my way through the Frenkish Empire, I told someone something about someone else that I should have kept to myself. My life was in danger. I had to flee. But I knew that wherever I went, I would be pursued. So, I made a deal with those who felt that I'd wronged them. I would come here--"

Barris held his hands out as if to indicate he was speaking of the island. "--and I would keep what I knew to myself and be of no bother to anyone ever again." He sipped his wine a last time, finishing the glass, smirked devilishly to Anna, and told her, "Ever again ... that's a very long time."

 

[PollyWannaCracker]

"It is my life's work, Princess," Barris told Anna when she complimented his intelligence gathering network. He spoke of the first time he'd ever seen the map of the known world. He'd been just six or seven, saying, "I knew the moment that I laid eyes upon it that I wanted to know everything there was to know about it."

Anna couldn't help but chuckle softly. She told Barris, "As a child, I had no ambitions to see any more of the world than the grounds of my father's castle. I had everything I wanted there. Now, apparently, it's all gone."

Barris told Anna about his Noble upbringing as the son of a High Lord in the city of Tut. He spoke of his father's place in the Court of that city's High Consul and of how he learned to listen and see without appearing to be doing either.

He spoke of the falling out between his father and the High Consul and the family's subsequent financial collapse. Anna never sensed what Barris was hiding, that that falling out had had something to do with the High Consul's molestation of Barris. About his father, Barris said, "He killed himself. He couldn't bear being a nobody ... a poor nobody. I went out into the world on my own..."

As he continued, Anna was enthralled with all Barris was saying. He'd lived such an interesting life, and she envied him for it. "I collected my Little Birdies, and I traded what I learned for them for everything I needed to survive: food, shelter, coinage ... sex."

For the first time, he looked at Anna's body in a sexually suggestive way. She instantly blushed and diverted her eyes, not knowing whether he was thinking about having her or about sex with others out there in the world. He continued talking about his travels, but Anna's mind was on that ogle. She couldn't get past it. Actually, she couldn't get past simply wondering what he'd been thinking. Or about whether she'd wanted him to think about her in that way.

Anna's innocence was complete and thorough. With the exception of having spied some soldiers bathing naked in the river and coming upon a couple fucking once, and her own masturbation, of course, her experience with anything sexual or even sensual was nil. Hell, she didn't even know enough about sex to know what she didn't know.

She had barely heard what Barris said about what had brought him to the Island of Exiles when he finished with emphasis, "Ever again ... that's a very long time."

Anna's consciousness slowly received what her subconscious had heard, that Barris had sworn to remain here on the Island away from his previous life but was now apparently reconsidering that vow. Rather selfishly, she asked hopefully, "Then you will use what you know and hear to help me? Help me get back home to my father, to my family?"