Segments from Sio: Freedom
 

“Me an Garrow, were hired, seeing as we was already nicking something from the king, an got caught.”

“What were you stealing?” I asked, just out of interest.

“We'd been in Coll for a standard collection fing, an after a few drinks we fourt it'd be a great idea to steal one of them kings banners from the walls.”

“You tried to nick a banner?” I asked looking at him. “They're rucking massive.”

“Yep,” he smiled. “Damn difficult to take too, specially with them guards around everywhere, bloody stupid it was too.”

“Why did you do it then?” Cerys asked.

“Well we ad been drinking,” he sniffed. “Seemed like a good idea at the time, on later finking it probly would have been better if I'd been wearing trousers.”

​

Suri gasped. “Really?” She asked. “You’ve been to our homeland?”

“Yes and it’s somewhere I’d like to get back to very soon,” I said. “You could come too, even you Miss Rosetinted knickers.”

She smiled at me, it wasn’t a real smile, it was the kind that I use on people to take the piss. “Oh I’m sorry, I can’t, as I’m chained to a wall, and it appears that you are too, so you can’t be leaving here on this imaginary journey to freedom you’ve been talking about for hours.”

I heard the click and smiled. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” I said as I heard the door open and swing inward behind me. I glanced back…just in case it wasn’t her and some guard had just come to off me, I wasn’t disappointed though. “Heya Cerys.”

“Sio,” she said. “Hey,” she said to everyone else. “Sorry I’m late, lots of doors to get through.”

“I’d have had no chance then,” I said.

She sighed seeing me still chained. “You could at least have tried to get the chains off.”

“Why should I do that when I knew you were coming and could do it far quicker.”

“My bloody fingers are hurting Sio here.”

“Boo bloody hoo Princess were you chained like us?”

She sighed. “Fine.”

I knew I was being stared at, the others were looking pretty stunned, not Clarn though he had already knew. “What the hell’s going on?” Suri asked.

I slipped the chains that Cerys had unlocked off and placed them on the floor. “This is Cerys, formerly Princess of Kenfig retired now, on account of not wanting to be a puppet.”

“Sio,” she hissed. “You're not supposed to tell anyone that!”

“Unless the truth is useful to us,” I said smiling. “Would you have been queen if I hadn't rescued you?” She glanced at the other occupants of the room. “It's ok, they're...sort of with us.”

“Fine, yes I am the former Princess of Kenfig, but that was a long time ago and I'm far happier with my life now.”

“But you still got taken to the nobles bit,” I said. “Was it easier to escape?”

She nodded. “They barely looked at me, just left me in there,” she widened her eyes at me. “It's not even locked up there, the nobles could just walk out into the other floors if they wanted.”

“Could they walk straight out?” I asked.

Cerys shook her head. “No, only onto other floors and onto the balcony, which will make our plans a little easier.”

“What precisely is going on here?” Kalvin asked.

“Oh, sorry,” I said as if I had only just noticed the others. “I’m Sio, and in case you hadn't figured it out at all, I’m not a slave,” I turned to Cerys. “Unlock the others.”

Cerys looked at me. “Seriously?”

“We’re not leaving them here,” I was adamant about this.

“Right,” she said pulling a face. “Do you have a plan?”

“I’m working on one.”

“Good…” she nodded slowly. “Right,” she saw my expression. “Ok,” she said, but then did begin to unlock everyone.

“You’re not a slave?” Suri asked.

I shook my head. “No, born and raised in Syltare, so before you go there know that it is tough there, not an easy life, but it is freedom,” I said. “Gotta be better than your old lives, or,” I gestured to the cell. “This shit.”
 

“Rucking hell,” said Clovis. “She’s nuts.”

“Yes,” I said as flames swam over the building again with us inside hiding behind pillars inside.

“So what do we do now?” Suri asked.

“Rush her?” Kalvin suggested.

“We do that she’ll cover us all in fire,” said Cerys.

“Surround her?” Was Kalvin’s next suggestion.

“Bad idea,” I said. “I’ve seen her spin on the spot spouting flames like fountains, we’d also be set on fire.”
“Lure her in here, surprise her and tie her up?” Clovis suggested.

“She’d set fire to the bonds and then us,” said Cerys.

“So there’s nothing we can do? We’re just gonna sit here until she sets everything on fire?” Kalvin asked.

“I’m working on it,” I said.

“Heya Sio!” Trixie called from outside. “Getting warm in there?” She followed that question by flaming the building again, good job it was stone, carved from the mountain itself.

“It’s a little toastie!” I shouted back at her.
“I don’t want to hurt you Sio!” She called.

“Glad to hear it!” I called back. “I’m not fond of being barbequed!”
“Yeah, it’d be horrible to have you be burned before you’re hung!” She called back.

“Thanks Trixie,” I rolled my eyes. “I really appreciate you not setting me on fire so that I can be horribly hung in front of a mob seeking justice for a crime I didn't commit.”

​

Clovis rode to the front and then drew his sword. “We see you, show yourselves and let us pass or we’ll be forced to hurt you,” he was an honourable paladin then.

“Ok, ok,” came a voice from behind rocks ahead. “You got us,” I heard a snigger and looked behind us, two men had ridden up from around the hills blocking our exit.

The rest of this bandit bunch came out from behind their hiding places, there were ten of them in total, twelve if Clovis and Gurcic were included. “Drop your sword,” the leader demanded standing up behind a rock.

“And you too Fatman,” said one of the riders behind us, turned out these two really were with me, a little surprise there, they actually were what they claimed to be.

Neither of them did drop their weapons, Clovis actually inflated himself with righteousness…wow, honourable idiots did exist, this was news to me, but then I suppose I only spend my time with criminals, there’s a certain kind of honour among thieves, it’s called selfishness, honour only to close friends…up to a point…at least you know where you stand though…often alone, be resourceful or die. Clovis though, what a surprise that was. “What do you want little bandit? Hiding behind rocks to rob innocent girls of what little they have on them, aren’t you ashamed?”

The lead bandit rubbed his stubbly chin, producing a sound like rock on sandpaper. “You know, funnily enough I’m not,” he grinned, I knew that grin. “And seeing as this little girl is far from Syltare and travelling with two guardsmen she must be some kind of rich, or else why would she be here?”

“She only just hired us,” said Clovis. “She was alone, just a seamstress.”

The bandit leader was staring at me though, unfortunately I saw his eyes light up…yep he’d seen through the disguise. “Seamstress eh? Is that what she told you? Cos even with black hair I’d know that face anywhere,” he beamed at me. “Hello Sio, it’s been a long time.”
No point in hiding was there? “Hello Jekson, it has been a long time, and nowhere near long enough unfortunately,” this was another of the wastes of space calling themselves ‘soldiers of fortune’ or ‘bandits who prey on weak targets’.

Gurcic was looking at me. “What’s going on?” He asked. “You know him? Is this you luring us here?” He actually asked me that, thinking I might be with these clowns?

“No,” I said. “I know him, but I’m definitely not with them.”

“And your name isn’t Hilde?”
“No,” I hissed. “These guys prey on weak travellers.”

“Hey Sio,” Jekson began before anything else could be said. “I heard that there’s a price on your head, a big fat one, for pinching the Coll Ruby.”
“Do you really think I would be so stupid as to actually steal that thing?” I said, I had had to work with him a couple of times, sometimes you didn’t get to choose who you worked with, he was a shit, but at least he knew what I was like. “Seriously Jekson? I’m being framed for it, even you must have considered that.”

“Whether or not you had anything to do with it doesn’t matter to me, I’m more interested in the thousand smacker reward,”