Legacy Part 1 of 1

*I have had requests to post the next part of my short story, Legacy. Well, here it is! For all who have not seen the giveaway yet, the giveaway ends Sunday, February 22nd, 2009. You have 4 days left to enter.*

Part #1:
“I got it, I caught the fish! Cogí un pez!” The dark haired little boy waved a fish in the air, which received applause from his sister. Isabella was braiding wildflowers into her long dark hair, but she smiled when her brother called her. Isa was ten years old, only seven years after the exile. She, along with her brother and foster mother, were re-located to Segovia after their father died, leaving their half brother, Henry the IV, as heir. Isabella was still saddened about her father’s death, but she tried not to show it. She knew Alfonso’s health was delicate and her foster mother worked from sun up to sun down to provide for them. Isabella couldn't’t count how many times she would wake up in the night and hear weeping. Madre is working so hard for us. All because Henry had to be such a odio egoista tonto! He was always a hateful selfish fool, but I never thought it would come to this. Isabella threw aside her daisy chain and lay back in the soft grass. The Spanish moss trees drooped overhead, and Isabella smiled. “Isa, Isa, you must come quickly! Madre says to hurry!” Alfonso shouted from across the stream, and Isa quickly leaped to her feet. Grabbing her cloak off a nearby bush, she followed her brother across a wheat field and into the small village where they lived. Smiling at their elderly neighbor, she dashed into their house; stopping short when she saw a knight of Castile. She quietly sat down on a mat and listened to what the man, who she recognized as her father’s most trusted knight, had to say.

“King Henry has summoned the young children, Isabella and Alfonso, to court. His summons cannot be denied. I have brought a royal carriage for them to travel in, and boarding has been taken care of.” Isabella quickly looked at her mother, who looked shocked and a mite dazed. “Of course, orders are orders. When do we leave?” Isa’s foster mother asked, rising to curtsy. “That is one problem. You are not to come. That was a stipulation that was clearly stated by the king himself.” Isa and Alfonso’s faces paled and their mother drew herself tall. “They will not move one step without their Madre. Surely the king can understand that.” The knight shook his head, gathered the children, and set them inside the carriage. “NO! Madre, a dejar decirle que! Tell him to stop, please!” Alfonso wept and pleaded with the guards. They are taking us away yet again. Taking us away from another mother. Will these tyrants stop at nothing? Isabella sunk into her seat, sobbing as the carriage pulled away from the village. Madre, weeping and shaking her head, went inside to cry in private. The elderly neighbor followed her inside, where she found her lying on the floor: she had fainted in her grief.

Three days went by, the hours seeming longer and longer for the children. No room to play, barely any to sleep, and the food was stale and moldy. Isabella and Alfonso read prayers to each other as their only comfort. “Lord, you are holy and mighty. You shall deliver us out of this venomous pit of doom. “ Isa spoke, Alfonso resting his head on her shoulder. They stayed in this position until their arrival at Castile. They were led out of the carriage and into the castle, where two maid servants were awaiting them. “Lucille, Cecelia: these are the two charges. Take good care of them, and do not let them wander out of your peripheral line of vision. Understood?” When the maids nodded, the guard marched down the corridor.