Stray Turn

Outside the Palace. I CHÓRA TOU VULCAN.

"Welcome, grateful Warriors and of course, leaders."

Athena started, standing before the troop of warriors. Vulcan was standing beside her and few of the guards were behind both the queen and the king.

"Who shall I address in person. I can see here, Prium, a sorcerer, the commander of the warriors of Aiowa, Hava and Ivan."

As still as her tone was her face. She didn't seem disturbed, neither bedazzled. She only picked each of those she had mentioned in her gaze occasionally. You can tell by the widening of Vulcan's eyes that he had no faintest idea what she was doing.

And everyone whose name she had mentioned were plunged into their own worries, pondering on how she had figured out their names.

"We have come to destroy your kingdom, witch!"

The commander spewed, ogling Athena. Athena chuckled and took few steps forward as Vulcan hurried to catch up with her.

"Do you all agree that I am witch?"

She asked, not specific of who she had addressed that to in person. She had looked away from the troop before her to the villagers scattered around her.

"What is there not to believe, surrogate? Tell me."

Prium snapped at once. She kept on the pace,

"What other proofs do we need that we don't already have? Is it the bewitching of my father and turning him into a faker skin, a temporary guise? Or how you had spelled our land and made several disturbing creatures grow out of nothing!"

She paused for a while as the silence was deafening enough. She continued, facing the commander who was beside her; the rest of the group were behind the both of them. They were at the forefront.

"I can't believe that you would allow yourselves to be fooled by her petty words. Why do you have to have a conversation with her. Our purpose is already defined. Let's begin what we've come here for."

"You shall not speak to my love in such manner."

Vulcan stepped forward. His face stern and and his eyes twitched by the swelling rage,

"And you should even be grateful to her. If it's not because of her, you all would had been crawling under my feet because you would had been ambushed in the woods. But the fact that she had been generous to let you break words with us wouldn't be taken advantage of, or you shall have your tongue cut out."

Prium climbed off her horse and stepped forward, covering the space between her father's end and hers.

"Father. I know too well that you've been bewitched by her and that is why you would keep defending her."

She turned her back to Vulcan, Athena and their group and faced her group and some of the villagers loitering. She called out loud,

"We can all see how far this witch had gone in her spell. How she had bewitched the heart of my father and had played her dark tricks on him. Which she had done on you all. It's very simple, we have only come here for her, to destroy her that we all might be saved from her spell. If you all will cooperate and hand her over to us, you shall not share the ill fate which is about to befall this whole place."

She quit talking, turning about to catch the reaction of the people. Suddenly, one man from the villagers said,

"I agree."

Many more villagers began to join in as some were rather reluctant. Prium came on again,

"You can all feel it in your guts that her ways are not well defined. You can all feel it within you. Some of you have the will to speak up to her face and tell her that she is a witch and had usurped the throne but you are scared."

She pointed in the direction of the princess,

"You all know her. The child she carries is a rightful heir to the throne of this land. Why then would you because of fear let the witch keep living and dining and wining amongst you? Isn't it a slap on your faces? Isn't it a shame on you all?"

Vulcan was going to react when Athena held unto one of his arms. He grunted in displeasure, his eyes shooting rage.

Suddenly, the man who had gone to the palace the previous day and had argued with an old man over a piece of land stepped forward and exclaimed,

"I always knew she was evil. Her judgements are unjust. And even the king is her puppet. Burn the witch. Burn the witch. Burn the witch."

"Burn the witch."

The people began to join in. Gradually the place was beginning to be wrapped in terror and the atmosphere was already being heightened.

The agitation had wrapped up the sense of the people's judgement and at any time from that moment, none could say what or what not the fellow would or wouldn't do.

But suddenly, in the midst of the hue and cry, Aynea, who the presence had been holding unto fought her hand free and stepped into the limelight. The Princess was shocked.

As she stepped out, the noise began to dwindle and the cry to subside. The people then went from BURN THE WITCH to

"A monster."

That was the murmur pacing the agora. Aynea walked to stand beside Prium who looked confused but kept the stern and indifferent face.

The noise was gobbled by a quirky silence. Then Aynea raised her hairy arms up. Suddenly, she turned away from the lot she was facing to both Athena and Vulcan.

"What are you doing?"

Prium's jumpiness couldn't tame her words anymore. She almost made up to touch Aynea.

In the sight of all the souls present at that spot, Aynea walked to stand before Athena precisely. She went down on both her goat's knees and knelt before her in a humble bow.

The murmur which had been wrapped up began to unwrap, as the atmosphere puked the gobbled.

"Long live Athena."

Aynea called as soon as she raised her head up. Athena touched her head and a current coursed through Athena's fingers like a lace of lightening. The light disappeared into Aynea's hair as she stood up.

She turned from Athena to the lot and called out loud,

"This is Athena. And here's is the proof, that I can speak plainly again! Long live Athena."

She called and kept saying it till the indecisive villagers joined in the new trend.

"Stop this. Don't be fooled. "

Prium was dancing about in rage trying to make the singers stop their hymns and chants.

But then, the troop of warriors turned their back as well as their sorcerer and headed back towards the forest.

"Where are you all going?!! I paid for this service with my bo--"

She didn't finish up the words as she turned to catch the sight of her father. Vulcan shook his head at her and held unto his wife. He led her back into the palace.

Prium kept on the pace of the drama, but pity, she couldn't take out none of them in a single combat.

"Retard."

Ivan called at her and the rage which had inflated to its peak bursted. She had found a culprit.

She hurried to him, cussing like a cornered animal.