Fiery Lands and Stormy Seas (Pokemon Watty Award Winner 2014)

Chapter 14

SARAH

            “I’m telling you, for the escape we need more men,” Princess Sarah Spark said to Chief Apollo Love.  The Commander of Slateport’s armies had stayed in Mauville while the rest of Slateport’s men made the long journey home, not a single life lost.  It seemed as though Apollo wanted to make sure Chris woke up before he went to face his sister.

            Sarah, Apollo, and her father were finalizing their plans for a mission that hopefully would free Swampert.  It had taken all the convincing she could muster, as well as Chief Love’s acknowledgement of her skill with a bow that had finally swayed King Marcus’s mind to let her daughter take part in the mission.  Chief Love had insisted she come.    

            The plan itself isn’t half-bad, she thought.  Her father and mother would be sending out wedding invitations to Rustboro, Verdanturf, Mauville, and all the territories of Slateport.  The word was to be put out that the wedding between Chris Marsh and Sarah Spark was to commence within the week.  Tomorrow, a small party between five and fifteen (they were still deciding on the exact number) was going to set out for Lavaridge.  Hopefully, the rumor of the marriage was to spread all the way to Carlos Brightflame’s ears.  Then again, the plan isn’t half good, either.

            Why should King Carlos Brightflame do anything just because a marriage was about to commence? How did that reduce the readiness of whatever prison it was that Swampert had been condemned to?  A plan, however thin it may be, was better than no plan at all. 

            “Fifteen men is what I say,” agreed King Marcus.  “My daughter is right, you need men to help set traps and cover for the escape.  Too few of you, and you won’t succeed, too many, and Brightflame is likely to meet you head on in a battle.”

            She bowed to her father and met Chief Love’s eye as her future uncle-in-law nodded to her in agreement.  She had to check on Chris, she did so every day. 

            The King of Slateport was peacefully asleep today in the hard healing bed, as he had been yesterday.  It was better than the sweat-drenched fever sleep her betrothed had been experiencing most of the time.  However, he had still yet to wake. 

            She stared at him.  The bandages were freshly changed every day, and Chris had grown thinner from lack of food.  The nurses had done a good job of making sure his lips were watered with a few drops every now and then.  Any other man, royal or no, would have succumbed to that infection, she knew.  The head healers had been surprised the infection went away so fast, even with Gallade’s help.  By all accounts, such a wound should have spawned countless diseases into the body.  No, this young man is a fighter and he will be so until the day he leaves this world in old age. 

            Sarah often thought about noble warriors, kings, and princes.  She knew about her own abilities with her bow and arrows, so many times she doubted how impressive of fighters they really could be.  However, Chris Marsh exuded the aura of a fighter even in his sleep.  She respected him for that.  It was one of the reasons she agreed to marry this young King.  Since the infection didn’t claim Chris’s life, Sarah was convinced no living man could. 

            Surely when he woke to find her and his uncle gone, he would worry.  Though their wedding wasn’t actually being planned for the very week, Sarah knew that soon enough her mother would begin frantically preparing for the royal ceremonies.  Sarah’s thoughts paused for a second.  I agreed to marry him… but did he ever agree to marry me as well?  He must have; he cares for his people, he said, and mine.  Why else would he so rashly call his men to arms to assist my father?  She didn’t know why the thought of rejection scared her.  Sarah had told herself on the way down to visit Slateport before this whole ordeal started that she wouldn’t care what the then Prince had to say. 

            Chris stirred in his sleep.  Sarah was convinced he was about to wake, but the King of Slateport just sunk back down into his sheets muttering in his sleep:  “No… cage… metal… so hot… no more… Boy… please… boy… help…”

            I need to see a nurse about that.  By all accounts Chris Marsh shouldn’t be dreaming.  The healing herbs must be wearing off.  That was good, though, if the effects were fading and her fiancé was not in pain. 

            That night she took her old spot on top of the north wall of Mauville with Manectric, looking out to the north.  The dark shape of Mt. Chimney, the great volcano itself, loomed in the distance.  When she turned to her left she could see the builders working tirelessly to repair the place where the wall had come down.  She felt a swell of pride as she meticulously made more arrows to replace the ones she lost.  The city itself held out well enough. 

            Manectric lifted its head at a nearby sound.  She peered through the moonlight at the figure walking towards her on the wall, a dark shape flapping at its side.  

            “I’m sorry to disturb you, my lady,” said Hector.  Wingull glided down and perched on top of Manectric’s head.   “I… I have something to say. I mean, I came to apologize.” The fisherman’s son hung his head.

            “You don’t need to apologize,” Sarah said, not even taking a break from her fletching.  She was able to get the smiths to mold her some copper arrowheads.  The conductivity with Manectric’s lightning might even be enough to bring down a Flygon, or hopefully, Meteor Falls Chief Miguel Starfall’s Salamence.  “Not all of us are bred for fighting.”

            Hector sniffed again.  He must still be feeling the loss of his other friend.  “I should have gone at once to find him when I saw Swampert and him get hit after that exploding egg.  I was just-”

            “No need,” Sarah said again, putting down her arrow to pat Hector on the back.  “It all worked out.”  She almost told him how Chris had neglected to join his men in Rustboro for fear Hector would follow him and become frozen with fear in the heat of battle.  Nobody could have predicted that the battle would work out the way it did.

            “Tell me about your friend.  Ryan, right?”

            She saw the moonlight glimmer in his tear.  “He was strong,” was the first thing Hector was able to sniffle out.  “Ryan was the only one I ever saw that was able to disarm Chris.  King Chris, I mean. He was a great friend.”  The tears began to fall more rapidly. 

            Sarah remembered the report of the gored Marrill that was his Spirit Pokémon.  He must have seen it firsthand… “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

            Hector interrupted her.  “No, no, it’s ok.  This is how he would have wanted to be remembered.  He and Marrill were always ready to live fast and free.  You’re right, not all of us are fit to fight.  But Ryan… He went out the way he was destined to, I suppose.”

            Manectric whined a little bit at the heroism.  Wingull flew from the perch on Sarah’s spirit Pokémon’s head to Hectors shoulder.  “He was protecting me, you know.  He could have easily run back to the palace, with you and Chris.  We were making our way when a chunk of rock came down near us when the wall broke.  I lost it then… I stopped… I couldn’t move, I was so scared. And Ryan-”

            “Made sure you survived,” Sarah said slowly.  For all her frustration with the guard-to-be and his alleged womanizing ways, sometimes she wished herself that she had a friend like Hector and Chris had with Ryan.  “You’re right, though.  About the way he would want to be remembered.  Not everyone gets to go out heroically.  When I’m Queen, I’ll make sure to always remember his sacrifice.” She was being sincere now, as their eyes met and she gripped his shoulder as a friend would do.  “I’ll make sure he has the noblest statue than can be crafted.”

            “No need, Princess,” said Hector as he smiled and wiped a tear from his eye.  “Just remember his name, that’s all he ever really wanted.”