Once Upon A Story | Fits & Starts: From the Beginning
Chapter 3

"Come ON, Joy! We’ve got to go!"

"Oh, please, Lisy, just let’s stay for a few more dances. Pleeeease."

"No! Joy, we’ve already stayed a few more dances, if we don’t go now, we’ll never get out. Now come on!"

"Oh, all right, I’m coming." "Spoil sport," she muttered under her breath.

"I heard that!"

Joy glared at her defiantly, but followed her out. When she saw the men who were to be their ride, she trained her big hazel eyes on them and said in a sweet soft voice, "You men are so kind to escort us home, you are truly gentlemen."

"Not t’all, me lady," one man slurred, "Tis an honor ta ‘scort you ‘home."

Just then the carriage drew up. "Allow me ta ‘elp yo’up," the other so-called ‘gentleman’ said in such a drunken slur that Alysian had trouble hiding her laughter.

Once all were in the carriage, they set off along the empty roads. Presently, Alysian nudged Josi in the ribs. Josi shot her an annoyed, I-know look.

"Tis a lovely night, is it not, sirs?"

"Yup," came the drunken reply. They hit a large bump and both men groaned and clutched their heads.

"I’ve a marvelous idea," Lin took her cue, "Let’s stop the carriage for a bit and watch the stars. The fresh air will do us all good."

"Fresh air, good idea," one muttered while the other called for the carriage to be stopped.

The two men quickly exited and the girls followed, except Alysian, who slipped away and grabbed a sizable stick. Tip-toeing back, she heard them murmuring and saw the large shapes of the men. Sneaking up behind one, she swung the stick with all her might and knocked him unconscious.

"Wha-!" the other man turned, but before he could do anything, he too, was knocked unconscious.

"Whot’s goin’ on ‘ere?!" the driver came around, catching Alysian by surprise. "Blyme! Why you little-!" he suddenly uttered a strangled groan and fell to the ground to reveal Joy, with a giant branch in her hand. Alysian burst out laughing.

"What’s so funny?" Joy asked, pouting.

"You..." Alysian choked on her laughter, "You walloped him right on the head!"

Alysian shook her head, still laughing. "We’d better get going."

Quickly, the girls set to work, Alysian and Joy putting on boys clothing.

"I still don’t see why I have to wear these," Joy complained.

"Because," Josi gently reminded her, "They only fit you."

"Besides," Alysian tucked her shirt into her breeches, "They’re really very comfortable!"

The girls unhitched the horses and lead them to the small lake close by to get some water before they started off.

"But what are we to do about the carriage and the men?" Lin asked.

Josi suddenly got a mischievous glint in her eye, "I have an idea," she rubbed her hands together with glee.

Beth watched with amazement and confusion from her hiding place as the four girls who had made her awaken from her sleep began to push the carriage they’d arrived in into the lake. Then they began to do something to the prone forms Beth hadn’t noticed. She narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what they were doing.

One stood up and Beth began to giggle, for she’d realized what they’d been doing. The slim one with long blond hair gathered all the clothes they’d removed and flung them into the lake. Then she quickly mounted the horse being held for her and the four girls galloped off into the night.

With a shrug Beth walked back to where Tchimney waited. "Some people are just odd, aren’t they Tchim?"

Tchimney nickered softly, then nudged her as if to ask, "What now?"

"Well, I’m all awake now, Tchim darling. What do you say? You up to a midnight ride?"

She gathered her meager belongings together and saddled Tchimney up. Throwing her cloak around her shoulders, she mounted, and with a little nudge, she trotted off.

While his friend Clayton waited at the door, Tim, who considered himself the greatest practical joker ever, tip-toed up behind his brother, Troy, and carefully, ever so carefully, dropped the melting shard of ice in his hand down the back of Troy’s neck.

With a yowl, Troy jumped out of his chair, wildly trying to get the frigid ice that was inching its way down his back out of his shirt.

Clayton, who was still by the door, was laughing, a full rich laugh, at Troy as he danced wildly about, finally untucking his shirt so the ice fell to the floor.

Suddenly, Allen, Troy’s closest friend, hurried past him. "What’s wrong ?! What’s happening?!"

Tim couldn’t contain his glee, he was in stitches, howling with laughter, laughing so hard he was crying.

Troy glared at him, then brightened as his eyes fell on the ice cube. He picked it up and quickly thrust it down Tim’s shirt.

Tim yelped in protest, trying to get it out.

Clayton was roaring with laughter now!

Tim finally succeeded in removing the ice, then looked at his brother, "What’d you do that for?"

"Me?" Troy said incredulously, "You stuck it down my neck first!"

"Yeah," Tim retorted, "But you needed it!"

"What do you mean I need it?!"

"You’ve been mooning around since you met that girl at the ball. If you didn’t snap out of it soon, we’d never get away from here."

"Get away?! You make it sound like we’d be trapped here," Troy said, annoyed.

"We might!" Tim grumbled, "The Witch is getting awfully possessive about you."

"Oh, come on, Tim..."

Allen interrupted, "He may be right, Troy. I overheard some things that imply a bad fate for you."

"See, I told you. The Witch’s planning to abduct you!"

"Tim!" Both Allen and Troy said in exasperated unison.

"Say," Clayton spoke up, "I’ve an idea. As long as you’re so crazy about that girl, why don’t we go visit her family for a while."

"Good idea," Troy said, "Except one thing, I don’t know where she lives."

"Well... I’ve got it, ask the Witch, say it’s for me or something, she bound to recognize the name, it was her ball," Tim offered.

"I don’t know her family’s name, either."

Tim looked at him, "Do you know anything about her?!" Tim asked incredulously.

"Just her given name... Josephine," he said staring into the distance dreamily.

"There’s got to be something we can do," Tim began to pace, then he stepped on what was left of the melting ice cube and slid wildly for a second, then fell.

"You’re sure this girl is real?" Clayton asked teasingly.

"Yeah," Tim scrambled up off the floor, "Maybe she’s an escaping servant girl!"

"At a ball?!" Troy laughed along with the others, "Come on, Tim!"

"We can search the country side," Allen said, "Ask about, some one’s bound to know who she is, and we will no longer be here."

"Good idea, old man," Troy said, yawning, "We’ll start tomorrow, right now we need to get some rest before starting out.

Alysian stretched, yawned, and got up from her bed of pine needles.

"It’s about time you got up," Josi scolded, "We weren’t sure if you were ever going to wake up!"

"I’m hungry," Joy complained.

"Here," Lin said, giving her a handful of the rich, dark red berries she had in her apron, "Eat some of these."

Alysian glanced up absently, then yelled, "Wait!" just as Joy put one up to her mouth. She ran over so quickly she bumped into Joy and her handful of berries scattered on the ground.

"Hey," Joy said angrily, "Those were mine."

"Believe me, you don’t want them, they’re poisonous."

Lin gasped in surprise, and immediately let go of the corners of her apron, the berries spilling all over the ground, leaving pink stains on the formerly crisp, white apron.

"How do you know?" Josi asked curiously.

"A nice older couple taught me last winter," Alysian responded.

"Why?"

"I helped with their farm work and they taught me all kinds of things, like what herbs can be used as medicines, and what types of things you can eat, and other things like that."

"Does that mean you can find something for breakfast?" Joy asked hopefully.

"Sure," Alysian bent over, then handed some dandelion leaves to Josi, "These make a wonderful salad....

Beth stood in the kitchen of the tavern where she was washing dishes in exchange for food, lodging and some meager pay, thinking. "Only a few more days of this and Tchim and I can be off again, we can go for months this time, no one to bother us, and NO more dishes to wash," she thought, glaring at the dish she was drying.

From the large room adjoining the kitchen she could hear the men of the town, talking and telling ridiculous tales. One could be heard, talking in a loud voice talking of some crazy gentlemen he’d met. "These boys was plum crazy, I tell ya, crazy! Says they was lookin’ for some servant gel, then ‘e says, she might be wearin’ a fancy ball dress, it’s the honest truth, I tell ya, ‘at’s whot ‘e said!

Beth listened curiously, hoping to hear more, but all she heard was the man requesting a beer .

Once breakfast was over the tavern cleared out and Beth was mostly left to herself to finish washing and drying the dishes. Just as she was finishing, she heard a commotion outside. Tossing her rag on the counter, she walked out to see what was happening.

Standing on the porch she watched as three men came riding up to the Inn that was a part of the tavern. They were dusty and had apparently traveled quite some way. They were obviously noblemen, from their clothes and the fact that everyone in their path quickly moved out of it, bowing respectfully. They continued to stare until one man gave them a look that sent them scurrying on their ways.

The men dismounted and tied their horses to the post, next to where Beth had tied Tchimney that morning and began talking quietly among themselves. Just as Beth had decided nothing interesting was happening, two boys came up to the men and seemed to ask something, motioning toward the local stables. One of them nodded and the boys called two girls standing near-by who came and took the bridles of one horse each, the younger boy grabbed a horse and the older took Tchimney’s bridle.

"Wait!" Beth called, "That’s my horse."

The boy looked up in surprise then yelled, "Let’s go!" slightly panicked. All four swung up into the saddles and took off at a gallop.

"Hey!" Beth cried at the top of her lungs, "Get back here. That’s my horse!!"

Then another man rode up next to the slightly confused men who were watching their horses being stolen in bewilderment. "What’s wrong?" he asked, dismounting. He was startled when Beth grabbed the reins out of his hands, flung herself on the horse and took off after the horse thieves.

Allen, the best under fire, jumped into action, running off toward the stables. Minutes later he emerged, leading four horses. "Come on!" he yelled.

With that, all the men snapped out of it and ran to grab a horse and pursue the horse thieves and Beth.

Far ahead of them, Beth rode like the wind, trying to catch up to the thieves.

Suddenly, the horse reared up, almost tossing Beth off its back. Hooves pawing at the air, it came back down and took off in a dead run, right through the middle of the forest!

Beth clung tenaciously to its back and mane and prayed it would calm down soon. Instead, a little reddish fox seemed to come from nowhere and snapped viciously at the horse’s legs. Spooked, the horse reared again, and this time Beth couldn’t hold on and was flung into the air. Everything seemed to slow, and spin ridiculously round and round in circles, then she saw the rocky, unforgiving ground coming toward her and she screamed. And then, pain. Blackness closed in around her.