GOLD

I'm looking for gold.

Barefoot and hungry I wandered through the forest.

My hands brushed roughly against tree trunks and shrubs as I leaned against them for support. I was tired, it's been two days.

But I'd made a promise, I wouldn't leave without my gold.

I could feel goosebumps rising up my body as the cold air clung jealously to my skin.

'I've lost him,' I thought looking back.

Good.

No one was going to share in my gold.

Gold was all I needed in this world.

I heard shuffling in the bushes nearby.

I gasped turning around, arms and legs battle ready.

"Who's there?" I silently cursed myself for sounding so shaky.

There was no response.

I tensed up.

'My gold,' I thought, 'my precious gold.'

As I took a step towards the overgrown bushes, my lungs in my throat, out of nowhere an arrow flew right past me, missing my head by a few inches.

I gasped, eyes wide. I turned around and made a run for it.

"Bloody hunter," I cursed under my breath as I ran blindly through the thick already darkening forest, no doubt the hunter following a few paces behind.

I winced in pain as the thorns from overgrown branches cut through my fragile skin. But I paid it no mind.

What mattered was the gold.

'My gold...'

My adrenaline rushed up, the speed I placed on my heels was unbelievable. A second arrow came, I swiftly ducked low. Again, I missed it. I heard his footsteps behind me but I dared not look back.

He was running fast, really fast. Then I saw a tunnel, the tunnel was dark. I immediately ran inside and felt safe.

 "My gold." It rang repeatedly in my mind.

I looked at my map—still far from the Mountain of The Stones. The tunnel stunk of blood and death. I reached for my water and closed my eyes while I had a gulp.

Suddenly, I felt a presence, it was sharp and scary. I stood up and looked around. My heart pace increased— it was behind me...

A sudden move was made, something hard banged against my head. I let a loud wail and fell...my eyes became blurry, then closed.

My gold..

*Pov switch*

The tiny thing curled up, out cold.

"What's a roggart doing in the outlands?"

The band of men came to a stop around Sir Flannel.  He shifted the  Bludgeon's weight to his right hand. The creature still clutched its Clump in its fist. Flannel reached in, plucking the gold from the gnarled fingers.

He stood up, making to swing at the skull once again.

"I ask that you stay your hand Sir Flannel."

Rodmund's voice carried from behind the men.

"The king has declared the vermin free to roam the outlands,  there are laws regarding how they are to be treated, you risk his majesty's anger."

The second in command was no upstart. He knew his place and limits. A single word out of turn could end the poor things life. With men like Flannel, a single word was all they asked

Flannel turned to face his subordinate.

"Aye, but the blasted thing stole from the village did it not? It deserves nothing less than what's coming."

Rodmund, standing nearly a foot taller, kept his distance to show respect.

"You would kill the creature for its ignorance? It knows nothing of our laws. The beasts of magic answer only to their own. Why not take the gold and leave? We have what we came for."

Flannel slowly closed the gap, unimpressed by the sheer size of the second.

"Careful sprite, one would think you were protecting your own."

"I mean no disrespect sire," Rodmund said, eyes straight at his first in command. "But the King..."

"Fuck the king and his laws." Flannel countered, the skin of his face turning a bright pink.

"He's but a pompous bastard with a donkey brain in his head."

A low murmur spread across the band of men as they shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

Rodmund remain unmoved but he balled his fist and rested his right hand on the sword that hung from his belt.

"Take back your words sire."

His words rang cold stopping the murmuring from his compatriots.

Sir Flannel stared at him for a few seconds then burst out laughing.

"I always knew you've been waiting for the opportunity to stab me in the back since the very first day that blasted king made you my second in command," He turned to the rest of his men. "You all can bear me witness that Sir Rodmund here struck the first blow."

And as quickly as he could, he swung the bludgeon behind him directing the heavy stick at the head of the young Knight. But the weight of the stick proved to be his downfall, as Sir Rodmund dived out of the way, drawing his sword and driving the length of it into the belly of his by former Commander.

As Sir Flannel fell, the gold fell out of his hand and landed at the feet of the trembling creature.

Flannel was stunned. He couldn't believe that this was the end of it and he didn't even get to keep the gold.

"My gold." he thought.

"My precious gold."

And that was the last thing that plagued his mind before he succumbed to the darkness, his eyes never to be opened again.

Rodmund panted and looked down at the body of his dead commander and felt a rush of déjà vu.

"What have I done?" He thought.

Just as he was sulking, the rest of his fellow men burst into a chant and began to rejoice.

Rodmund had finally killed the corrupt old bastard. Finally they would be free.

Felix, one of the men Flannel once commanded tapped Rodmund and embraced him.

"Well done, Rod. The king would be very pleased to here this."

Rodmund shouted in panic. "What do you mean pleased? He'll have my head for this, we all know he trusted Flannel more than his own bloody sons."

"Not recently he hasn't." Felix smirked

"Care to explain?"

Felix started." Flannel has been planning to overthrow the king for a while now. He wanted to kill him and his family so that he'd become ruler of the land. When I found out I told the king immediately and the king asked that I watch Flannel and he gave me the order to do what was necessary if Flannel ever dared to as much as plan it in my presence. But you've done well my boy, you've rid the earth of this scum and now our king and kingdom is free from him. So once again I say to you the king will be thankful."

Even after Felix had finished talking to him and gotten back to the men Rodmund still stood in shock,

Still trying to comprehend what on earth he had just done.

He was a kind soul and while everyone else was rejoicing at the death of the commander his heart was in turmoil.

The men were in a gleeful mood, a good thing they kept their carriage close and filled with wine, all it took now was the strength to hike back whence they came.

Rodmund's emotions were in disarray, he didn't know what to feel, yes he didny approve of Sir Flannel's brutality and greed but he nevertheless was still his commander.

The men dragged him back to awareness with their questions.

"What should we do with this one?", one said while pointing to the creature knocked out on the ground.

Should he leave it here where it would die? Or should he carry it to the camp at least. After a few seconds deciding he ordered his men to carry it to his cart, he'd treat the creature, yes it was a beast but it still had a mind of its own. He could let it go but first he needed to treat it.

She woke up weak and dizzy, her head had the greatest ache she had ever felt in eons. But when she felt for the gash, it was surprising covered up. It was also surprising that she was warm, dressed in cleaner clothes and in a cart.

In a flash, she sprung up.

"Where is it? Where is my gold?"

She frantically searched where she lay before a voice called out to her from outside.

"It's right here", the stranger said while dangling the gold his hands.

“Wait a sec, why must I trust you?” She asked as she stared at the stranger who was hooded, a deadly glint in his eyes.

 "The true question is, why wouldn’t you?” He asked as he stood enshrouded in the shadows.

 “I want my gold, give it to me.” She spoke vehemently, anger sparkling in her eyes like two pieces of burning coal.

 It was a wonder as to what it was, that demanded of the gold from him. Even after the death of Sir Flannel, he couldn’t just rejoice and make merry like the men, a human was dead no matter which way he looked at it. But staring at her in the face, he felt as though he was infringing on privacy, looking in on something sacred.

 She stared at the gold that dangled in his hands hypnotically, not even sparing him a look. The gold was all that mattered to her, all she fought for.

 “You know, you could have been left to die and all you care about is gold?” Rodmund asked, unable to comprehend what exactly was wrong with her.

 At first she was taken for a creature, one that meant nothing to anybody. But staring at her, he realized that she was more human than anyone of them was, him included.

 “That gold, is everything to me. Some would call it thievery and other names but that gold is all that stops me from death. I’ve been hungry for so long, I don’t know what milk tastes like anymore. I stare at my hands and they’re like glorified bones. You think I want to live this life? I’ve tried, tried to understand why everything is so messed up when it comes to me. Truly, I have no idea. But this gold is what stands between my death and my life. If you want to kill me, I don’t mind as it is. But let me die knowing that I didn’t suffer in vain, I didn’t go through all those pain in vain. I don’t know you and I’m not sure I want to. At this point, just give me the gold and I’ll be on my way.”

 Rodmund couldn’t believe the fire left in the little thing, the roggart whom he once took for a beast of no repute. She was fighting for her life and the rules of the jungle were the same rules of life; survive at all costs.

  “In the morning, I’ll let you out without notifying my men. I’ll give you the gold to take along with you and maybe make life all the better for yourself. Use this opportunity wisely, it only comes once.” He told her point blank and she could only stare in abysmal shock.

  “Why are you being nice to me?” She asked him as soon as he could get his voice. In truth, he had no idea why he was doing what he was, he just wanted to make it up to her somehow.

  “You ask me a question I have no answer to. I don’t know.” He replied after mulling it over for a while.

 After that there were no words said as the night faded into the dawn.

 Rodmund woke up to find the place eerily silent, even the men that were usually raucous with laughter were dead silent. He wondered for a while before he ventured out to check on what happened to them. The roggart was nowhere to be found and the gold in his possession was gone too.

  Stepping out of the cart, the stared in shock at the massacre before him.

 All his troops were dead, a look of abject shock on their faces. Scrawled in blood was the one word; _GOLD_

 Then the reality hit him and who she really was hit him like a brick.

 _For she’ll to anything to keep it,_

_Breaking barriers to hold on to it,_

_Even in abject poverty she won’t trade it,_

_For she’s the gold collector and that’s all that matters to her._

  She killed every single person; save him.

 She was no thief, she was a murderer.

 Turns out the tiny thing wasn’t so tiny after all.

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Written by eight of us in total. We're part of a writing group called 'The Art of Writing', eager to change the world.

Written by: Idowu Kehinde⁩ (Oracle), Bryan (The Eleventh Gentleman)⁩, Marvin Anene (Margic Pen⁩), Monijesu⁩ (Phaserprime), Darren Peters (Phantaminium), Victor Mairo (Word god)⁩, Praise Kenneth (LTPC), Idowu Taiwo (Taiwolilly).

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