Celeste didn’t think as she pulled out the spear that had gone into the side of her body.

Blood came out straight away and Steven put a hand there, “Celeste!”

Letting out a groan, Celeste looked back at him, “It’s ok.”

It wasn’t her heart or anything, she should be ok…It didn’t even look like it went all that far in either…

Steven swallowed and finally started to think properly. “Bandages! Get me some bandages!”

“Nobody move…”

Steven hurriedly looked up, “Quick, bandages!”

A man ran in then and somehow made it through the masses of people towards Celeste, “Your Highness!”

Celeste smiled, “Little John.”

The man ripped his clothes without a thought and gave them to Steven, “Save her! You must save her!”

“I said nobody move!”

It was Calvin, bringing out a sword…

 

Steven tended to Celeste, holding the ripped clothing to her wound and pressing hard.

“That woman…”

The man known as ‘Little John’ stood then and just as he went to speak, someone else said, “Is that you, Little John?”

Little John looked at the crowd and raised his eyes, “Robin…”

Robin made her way to him and gave him a hug.

“I thought, I thought you were dead…” Little John stated.

Shaking her head, Robin looked away. It wasn’t like she was embarrassed to have been a pirate, it was more that she had not written to anyone…

Why didn’t she at least let them know that she was alive?

 

“You know each other?” Amil asked, now coming slightly more forward too.

Robin smiled at Amil, “We have known each other since young! He was the one I told you about.”

Amil widened his eyes to the man, “You are the one with thoughts of rebellion?”

“Rebellion?” The crowd now said something, but nothing was heard to Steven as he tried to look at the wound on Celeste.

The wound wasn’t that bad, wasn’t that deep but…There were signs of poison…

Who was that person!?

Steven looked through the window to see that person still there and now smirking at him.

He didn’t look familiar but…

“Get that person there, someone, go get him before he gets away!”

Steven knew that if there was poison involved, it would be so much easier if they could get to the know which poison it is and as quickly as possible!

Little John didn’t care for the conversation, as what Steven said seemed to be more important and instantly got up and ran through the half-broken window towards the man…

 

“Then how does Little John know you?” Robin asked Celeste.

Celeste opened her eyes and blinked to focus, “I…I wanted to use him…”

“Big mistake.” Robin stated, clutching her bow a bit tighter.

Celeste closed her eyes, simply because it seemed easier, and said, “I wanted him to use me in his rebellion.”

What?

First, she’s talking about using the man, now she’s talking about the man using her…She was speaking nonsense!

“Celeste? Please, just keep your strength.” Steven stated, already seeing a slight change to her lips.

“It’s ok…I’m sure I’m not hurt too badly.” Celeste stated, smiling but still had her eyes closed.

Steven cursed as he changed the bandages, wrapping them around her. The bleeding wasn’t too bad already, which was good but…She was most definitely poisoned!

 

Amil stared at the Princess, not showing much of what he was thinking about.

Bending down, he placed a hand over her forehead and stared at her.

Steven watched with piercing eyes, making sure he’d stop anything bad from happening to Celeste.

“She’s been poisoned.” Amil stated.

In a bit of shock to how quickly he knew, Steven nodded, “That’s why I wanted the other man…”

“Right.” Amil took a moment and brought out a small bottle. “Try this.”

Steven wasn’t sure if it’ll work, considering some poisons are different to others, but…The least you could do is try…Right?

Was there a chance that it could make her worse though?

Steven frowned, should he try it?

 

“Actually, I don’t feel very well…” Celeste said, squeezing her eyes shut and bringing her legs up to her chest.

“It could be venom.” Amil said, checking her forehead again, “Show me the weapon.”

Amil wasn’t all that knowledgeable about poison, but what he did know was that there were so many different ways to get poisoned that it was almost scary!

Steven passed the weapon to him and found sweat forming on Celeste’s neck, “She’s burning up.”

Amil smelt the tip of the weapon, then looked at it.

He didn’t really know what else to do, so he showed Robin, who also didn’t know.

 

“Got him.”

Little John threw the man down before the broken window, just outside of the tavern.

“What poison is it?” Steven asked him.

The man just laughed, “You might as well just kill me!”

Little John did some kind of move, that made the man squeal like a pig, and people widened their eyes to such little person making another make such a sound!

After the man stopped and was able to breath properly, he once again laughed.

“Tell me!” Steven uttered.

“Poison?” Celeste asked, her voice noticeably weaker. Even though they had talked in front of her about it, it was the first time that it made sense to her.

Amil frowned, then took the small bottle that he gave to Steven back, took the top off and went to attempt to give it to the Princess.

Lifting her head to his leg, he saw her open her eyes and a moment of silence passed over them as they stared at each other with the same-colored eyes…The same type of face…

 

A cough stopped their moment, and as Amil put in what he hoped was the antidote to the poison, people were also quiet at the man tending to the princess at that precise moment.

If that was indeed the Princess, and she looked exactly like that man…

Unable to face the obvious reality, people around the area just stayed quiet, most likely because no one said anything to begin with.

Perhaps if they were all to deny it?

If that man was indeed the long-lost Prince, and he saw them talking and acting like this to his sister…

As Celeste was with Amil, Steven got up and paced, only to stop pacing as he saw the fire.

There was yet another way to help with poison!

 

There was one person trying to get information from a person, on what poison Celeste had…And that would be the pig squealer and Little John that were outside of the Tavern.

There was what looked like a long-lost brother and sister that quietly sat there together. A person was making something else that would help with poison, charcoal at that, and the other people were just standing around…It was almost like it was a play of some kind and they were at a theater.

It hardly seemed real…

Little John came in, puffing and panting, making them believe that time had indeed gone by. “I got it!”

Stumbling over to them, Little John went to give it to Amil, but Steven took it instead, kneeling on the other side of the Princess.

Celeste reached out to him, and Steven took her into his arms.

 

They knew that this was a medical thing, where she had to drink some antidote but…It all looked so romantic…

Little John came to Robins side then, and said, “Are you here to stay?”

Robin nodded, “I’m here to shake the foundation of this country!”

The people that heard that were all stunned. They had already somewhat forgotten what Amil said before about the rebellion, but now it seems that too was indeed real!

So openly she had told everyone her intentions!

Even though Little John felt like Robin was a bit silly to admit to such a big act so freely, he went along with it too, considering Amil had stated something earlier anyway.

“Good! And that’s what the Princess was helping with!” Little John stated. Turning to the people around him, Little John smirked. “It seems we just gained a whole heap more people into the rebellion…”

“What nonsense! What rebellion!?” Calvin stated, still his sword was out.

Little John looked at him, up and down, and frowned, “I’m not sure if you’d be able to help with your puny strength though, Calvin.”

Calvin lifted his chin, “I’m strong!”

Raising his eyebrows, Little John scoffed, “Strong at being annoying…Can you even swing that blade of yours!?”

People moved without a second thought, but Calvin didn’t swing his sword. He still didn’t lower his chin, as he said, “I can swing as well as any other!”

 

Narrowing his eyes at Calvin, Little John walked to be the closest person to him.

It was an awkward area to have a fight, somewhat still in and out of the tavern but, Little John had to do something!

These people now knew things that they were better not knowing, but since they did…

It was better that they all join the rebellion, simply because Little John didn’t want to kill anyone…Well not civilians…If he’d have too, he might have to pay a few of them off to stay quiet but they really can’t afford to do that! He’d much rather give money to those in need of it and pay for food, rather then paying people to be quiet!

Calvin walked backwards in a bit of panic, bringing him outside of the tavern and he bowed, “I must apologize because I have more important matters to attend to.”

Little John watched for a moment and then openly scoffed, “Like I stated, puny strength.”

Seeing Calvin stop and turn angrily, Little John smirked. It was exactly what he had wanted to see!

 

 

As a scuffle outside went on, to show that Little John was someone not to be trifled with. An arrow stopped two people elsewhere from trying to discretely leave, as Robin tried to help contain the people.

Her skill really was astonishing! The people stopped and stared at her, almost apologetically.

But they weren’t fighters! They didn’t even want to hear the word ‘rebellion’ around them! The Queen had already made life so much harder for them! Nonetheless, no one was allowed to leave!

That knowledge though, about the Queen already making them hardly able to survive, was indeed a good thing to already bargain with these people. They had to tell them what the rebellion was for, and it was for the people and change! Of course, though, everyone is different and has different thoughts. They were brought up different as well, and perhaps surrounded by different people so…There was going to be one hell of a speech!

 

…Inside the tavern, Steven cuddled Celeste.

She was now asleep, but he did not want to move.

“I would like to speak with her when she wakes.” Amil stated, finally getting up.

Steven sighed, “So would I.”

“I think it would be more important if I were to speak with her first.” Amil stated, almost like he wanted to make sure that this man knew where he stood.

But, as usual, Steven didn’t really think much and looked at Amil, then frowned, “What could you possibly say?”

Amil looked at Celeste and wondered himself. He had initially meant speaking with her about the rebellion but now, what could he possibly say to her as her being his sister?

Was there something? And how?

Amil had absolutely no idea how to talk about what has happened to them, he had no idea on how she felt!

 

***

 

The small castle was searched a few days later, with rumors of the Princess having joined the rebellion. There was no one there, only just most of the vegetables and fruits missing…

Forsuremeet was then left with minimal people, who had not joined the rebellion, but they were taken prisoner and the Queen was looking at getting them tortured to find out more information…

They were told by Little John and Robin, that if they were to stay, that it would be dangerous! They were told of the possibilities that they would be harmed in serious measures but…The people did not take their words seriously! They had told them that they will forget whatever was included in the ‘rebellion’, and that there was no way that they could get them to leave!

Deaf ears had brought upon them unfavorable circumstances and so, those who stayed, only to be taken, regretted not joining the rebellion…They felt so stupid…

 

Getting news upon the rebellion had made things more difficult for the Queen. She had known that there’d be a number of people to go against her but…Now it was real, it was becoming something and that is just the start of it all!

Since the rebellion now was known, people started to come from other villages to search for this so-called rebellion…So that a change to their living and survival could take place…

That wasn’t the only change. A change happened to the leadership of the rebellion, and that was Robin and Amil.

They came to help Little John, entering into Nopecarnot Forest, and started to spread their own knowledge to help the people fight back!

Another small change was that the Princess did not go into the forest, she instead went directly into the capital, since she was being searched for around the whole country.

Was it not the safest place? Would it be a place that they were looking?

 

 

Not far from the palace, where the Queen would be, Celeste moved the curtain down, so that she could no longer see outside.

Steven kissed her neck as he put his hands around her.

After taking the antidote to the poison, it only took Celeste one day to be almost back to normal. Her wound didn’t hinder her very much, probably because Steven looked after it very well.

After talking to her brother, Celeste had practically run away with Steven and they got married under a strange, eccentric man named Brother Tuck, who was also a part of the rebellion.

Little John had Brother Tuck here in the capital of Melya for quite some time, not even meeting Amil and Robin yet…

 

On the other hand, Freddie was told to leave by Steven after quite a long chat.

Steven told him that he was disowned by father and so that he wasn’t able to ever return home, as much as Freddie thought otherwise.

Steven wanted to free Freddie from his father but wasn’t sure how. He was already in another mess as it was and he wasn’t going to leave Celeste, so…Freddie’s freedom from his father was going to have to wait.

Telling him that he had to look after himself and not hang out with the wrong people, like he had been when Steven ‘took his place’, Steven sent him away, to not return back. There was going to be a rebellion in this country, fighting, and Steven had no other choice to tell him to just return home and live quietly for now…

 

Nonetheless, Celeste was able to finally put statuses and names behind her. With every reason Steven had said, for them not to marry, she spouted something else back which only made them more destined to be together! That wasn’t the only thing either, Steven had previously muttered that he’d never let her go and she brought that up too!

She asked him if he’d regret it, regret leaving her…

As much as he fought, she did too and when there were no more ideas on Steve’s department, Celeste had said, “It’s what I want!”

It just broke down any last effort that he had left.

So, in the end, it wasn’t the Princess of Commorda that he had been engaged to first, that he married…It was instead the Princess of Melya that he married instead!

There was no way he could ever regret taking his brother’s place. Because the woman in his hold now taught him so much, even if she didn’t mean too!

And Celeste now wanted to live, taking this time off to be with her new husband but will also become a part of the rebellion…And because she was going to be a part of it, then so too was Steven!