Cocker sat in the run-down, dusty tavern, waiting. He hated to wait but the man promised him gold and lots of it. Taking another swig of elixir and a shadowy, skeletal man put his hand over the goblet.
“Business first,” he said.
Cocker nodded and put down his drink. The man produced a satchel of gold and silver and handed it to Cocker. “To get the rest,” the man began, “you must kill Princess Arnesta.”
Not being the type of man who asked questions because he wasn’t any of his business. Cocker listened to the rest of the instructions. “I know when she’s dead. I’ll meet you back here. You’ll find her at Cassaya. Do we have a deal?” The man finished extending his hand. Cocker took it and sealed the deal. The man disappeared into the crowd; Cocker finished his drink and went out into the brewing dust storm. He untied Stellar, his dragon and started for Cassaya.
A full day passed and he found himself in a lush meadowland. Protesting any further movements, Stellar stopped moving. Cocker patted the dragon’s head and dismounted. In the distance he heard something melodic coming through the woods. He followed the song until he found her. She sat in the center of a flower field.
Cocker moved closer, hearing his footsteps she turned and looked at him. She took his sense of logic away. The mystery woman rose to her feet, her deep crimson hair waved in the breeze, and seemed to glide over to him. Cocker never felt this engaged with a woman before. Sure, he had women and lots of them but this woman was different.
“Hello, I’m Tarabella and you are?” she hummed.
“Cocker,” he replied.
Tarabella smiled and his world melted away, “well it’s a pleasure. Are you a traveling man or looking for settlement?”
Her questions made him uncomfortable since no one asked anything about himself. No one cared to. “Heading to Cassaya,” he answered.
“Cassaya? What for?”
“I’m looking for work.”
“It’s a horrible place. I just left there. Too much unrest between the royalties,” Tarabella said and turned away from him. He didn’t want her to go.
“Wait, miss, maybe you could show me how to get there since I am new.”
She turned and their eyes locked hers a sapphire blue and his muddy, “I don’t see why I couldn’t help you out.”
He led her to Stellar. Excited about riding on a dragon, Tarabella hopped right on. Cocker followed. He enjoyed her company and her unearthly beauty. No, this woman was nothing like other women. Tarabella talked and even made him laugh. When they stopped to rest, she cooked and told great stories about Cassaya.
Over the crackling fire, Cocker asked, “if you loved Cassaya so much, why did you leave?”
“It’s complicated, Cocker. Cassaya is all I known. It is my home. Where do you call home?”
“Everywhere I suppose.”
They traveled through the day and he knew that he belonged with her. That night before they went to sleep, she kissed him.
The next morning, he awoke and she was gone. He waited until the second sun rose but she never returned; figuring that Tarabella didn’t want him and took off. He packed camp and continued to Cassaya.
Cocker arrived in Cassaya by nightfall. Cocker was a man who got the job done and never got caught, deft, clever, and charming when he had to. He came and went to each town with a whisper.
Soon Cocker eased himself into Cassaya town life. He wondered what happened to Tarabella. Cocker lived in Cassaya a month and didn’t see her. Missing her, Cocker cursed her in his dreams. He felt that the time has come to do the job.
He readied Stellar for when he finished the job, he can get paid. Slowly creeping into the castle, he ascended the staircase. He knew Princess Arnesta lived in the first chamber after the first staircase.
He opened the door, almost dropping his sword when he saw Princess Arnesta. She had her deep crimson hair wrapped on top of her head with pearls strewn in it Looking like a cloud on a clear winter’s she wore a billowy snow white dress.
“Cocker, you found me,” she said running to him. He shut the door.
“Tarabella?” he asked, “you’re Princess Arnesta?”
She put her hands to his head and lightly touched his lips with hers, “yes, why do you ask?”
He pulled away from her. She noticed the sword, “Cocker you came here looking for Princess Arnesta and you found me. Are you here to kill me?”
Cocker said nothing.
Placing her hand on the hand wielded the sword; Tarabella looked into his eyes and said, “I knew my husband ordered to have me killed. That’s why I ran away and changed my name but the last night we were together, I went for a walk and the captured me. Life is horrible. Cocker, I would rather die by your hand then live as his slave.”
Cocker didn’t want to kill her. He thought they could run away together because he believed he loved her.
“Cocker, will you please finish your job. I wish things could be different but they are not,” she breathed in his ear.
Bending down and kissing her, he unsheathed his dagger and cut her throat. Ruby droplets sprayed on the dress and him. She held onto the kiss until she died in Cocker’s arms.
He carried her body to the bed and covered her up. Then walking down the stairs, no one paid any attention to him. Mounting Stellar, they started onwards away from Cassaya and the dirty tavern. Cocker thought of Tarabella and a tear fell from his eye.
A special thanks to Brigid at Paralleling Normal for help with this story!
This is a picture at Acadia National Park. This place is really awesome with jagged cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. You can see the evergreens break up the rocky cliff and the thick forest. This park inspired the setting of Seaspring Briar and being Halloween not a bad day t read a scary story, don’t you think?
