Fable: The Return Chapter 23

The voyage of the Drakemouth continues towards the port in Witchwood.
==Chapter 23==
The nights are cold, the days are boiling hot with the sun shining down on them without a cloud in sight. Sometimes the waves rise up and fall on the deck, sometimes they are calm and even let you see the life forms swimming beneath them. Just as the king had hoped, the wind was with them. He felt that this was Theresa using some of her powers to guide him swiftly on his way. But he knows there is no stopping the desires of Reaver, they must stop in Witchwood. Three days have passed by with little to no activity on board, The Execution has manned the helm, Reaver has entertained himself in his quarters with wine and pistols, and the king has been walking the deck and looking off into the horizon, waiting for even a speck of land to make itself known.
On the dawn of the fourth day at sea, the king awakes and puts on another pair of clothes that Reaver has provided. His normal royal exploration gear, but with Reaver's new crimson dye rather than the traditional purple. Oddly enough, his purple clothes that were covered in mud have mysteriously gone missing while on the ship, he expects nothing less than fowl play. Wearing a fresh pair of clothes, he steps out of his quarters and onto the deck. The sun rises over his shoulder, filling the sky with its orange glow of the morning. He walks to the front of the ship slowly and sees large, looming trees off in the distance. The forest in front of them is dark and tall, with trees reaching high into the sky.
"Welcome, your majesty, to Witchwood. My home." The voice of The Executioner bellows from far behind him. The king turns to see the hooded figure manning the helm as he always does, a youthful pick up in his voice.
"Witchwood is your home?"
"Well, it's the only place I call home, you could say that. The greatest place in the world. The freest place also, considering that you don't consider it a part of Albion."
"That was not my doing. That was Lord Lucien when he was under the impression that all civilized life had left."
"But that's the best part, all civilized life did leave. It left room for actual men to be born."
"Were you one of those men?"
"I am now." The Executioner steers hard and gets the ship in line for its final surge towards the island.
"I see, when will we be making port?"
"I'd give about an hour until you can plant your feet on the ground. So, you've never been here have you?"
"I try my best to not set foot on ships unless I'm going to Aurora for diplomatic reasons. I gave up on adventuring a long time ago."
"Yes, yes I know that. The Hero of Brightwall and the King of Albion hung up his boots long ago. Something about a girl, I heard."
"It's a long story…"
"Will it take an hour?"
The king thinks for a moment on how he does not want to tell the story, but he is caught in a corner. Reluctantly, he joins the Executioner at the helm and leans on a bannister. After a minute of collecting his thoughts, the king begins.
"Well, a few years after I became king I met a girl. I imagine that is how most of these stories start…without the inclusion of becoming king that is. Her name was…Gabrielle. When we had first met, I expressed that I wasn't much interested in a true relationship after what my brother had me do while he was still king. If you do not know…he forced me to choose to either have a group of rebels killed, or to have my girlfriend Elise killed. I will never forget Elise looking me in the eyes…telling me to choose her…so I did. I couldn't let my selfish desires outweigh the lives of so many people."
"Did you get to have sex with her at least? Before she got the bullet?"
"What? N…no, no of course not. That would have been horrible!"
"Different lifestyles I suppose."
"Anyway…Gabrielle understood my hesitance and she respected my wishes. We would spend nights together at the Cow and Corset in the Marketplace…and soon enough she had shown me that I wasn't afraid of a relationship after all. We's spend our days at the beaches at Driftwood, lying in the sun and relaxing in the calm waters. It did not take long for me to fall madly in love with her, and not long after that for me to propose. Of course, my brother Logan thought it wrong of me to marry a woman of middle class…but I didn't listen to him. Gabrielle and I were married on the great steps of the Castle, in front of all the citizens of Bowerstone. And that night we made our son…"
"And where is he?"
"My son? I…I don't know. He ran away when Gabrielle…died."
"Ah, it's a sad story then."
"Yes…yes it is. Our boy grew up in the castle under both of our care. We would only leave for family occasions and for dates. When we went out on a date we would leave our little boy with several babysitters. While he grew up, we would tell him stories of his father, and my father…and of the heroes that lived long ago during the time of the Guild. We raised him…telling him that one day he would be a Hero like his father…and he would go on his own adventures. Well…the day came when Gabrielle finally convinced me to take our boy on his first adventure. We gave him a sword and a gun…and his own pair of Hero's clothing, he was only thirteen. I took him into the mountains that belonged to the Dwellers. We were there for three days, fending off wolves, delving into caves to find jewels, even competing in the shooting range. When we arrived back in Bowerstone…everyone was wearing black, they all had sad…weeping faces. Our return to the castle was greeted with the news that Gabrielle had developed a sickness in the night. It took her quickly and…well my son blamed me for everything. He blamed me for not being there for his mother, for taking him on a stupid adventure that he'd regret for the rest of his life, he thought that leaving the castle is what killed her…and that it was all my fault. He ran away that night, I sent hundreds of guards after him but they never found him. I gave up on adventuring after that day, I gave up on ever leaving the castle again. People started to forgot what I looked like, some even forgot that they had a king. It wasn't until Reaver called for me to come to Industrial some nights ago with information on my father and where his powers first came to be. And look what became of that adventure. My first real quest in so many years and I have doomed all of my people, I may have doomed the entire world. The only thing stopping me from falling into regret is the fire in my heart to save my people. The fire in my soul to…to find my boy."
"You really miss the boy don't you?"
"Yes, yes I do." Throughout the conversation, several tears have eased their way out of the king's eyes.
"I didn't know kings had tears,I'd always been told that a king was too strong to have tears."
"Let me teach you something, Executioner." The king begins. "No matter how strong you may be, love has the power to drive any man to tears."
The ship passes into a river within a deep crack between the island. Dark trees tower over them and the smells of the forest fill the air. Insects soar around the masts, singing their loud songs together in a grand forest choir. The trees that reach into the sky hand over the river, blocking virtually all sunlight from piercing through. Soon enough, the king spots torches along the sides of the water, slowly leading them to whatever docks are ahead of them.
The river leads them to a small bay that lies deep within the forest island of Witchwood. Docks stretch around the circular bay, and wooden cottages surround that. When he looks closely, the king can see shirtless figures covered in multicolored tattoos walking the the docks and winding through the cottages beyond. The ship docks and drops its anchor in the bay. The king prepares to depart the ship to stretch his legs just as Reaver comes out of his quarters, sniffing the air.
"Ah yes, the familiar smell of wood and piss. Welcome home boy." He tips his hat to The Executioner and strolls off the ship. The king follows soon after and sets his feet on the creaking docks.