Chapter 15

On the same day that the King of Vinoli, along with his second son, were laid to rest in the family crypt, Risha opened her eyes. Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself in a sparsely furnished room. How she had ended up there, she did not know. The last thing she remembered was holding on for dear life while the waves tossed the lifeboat around, like children playing catch. Whatever place this was, Risha highly doubted that it was the after-life, which meant that she had survived the storm and if so, perhaps the others had too?
Risha jumped out of the bed she had been lying in and was immediately confronted with her own reflection, staring back at her from a mirror which hung on the wall.

Upon studying herself, the first thing Risha noticed was the bandage around her head. Puzzled, she reached up and touched it lightly. A decision she immediately regret as the gesture caused her to wince in pain. The second thing which caught her attention, was the fact that she was not wearing her ordinary clothes. Instead, she was dressed only in a pink nightshirt, which ended at the waist. This discovery caused the lynx to frown; it wasn't that she wanted to appear ungrateful to her rescuer, whoever that was, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy over the fact that someone had apparently undressed her while she was unconscious.

Looking around the room, Risha noticed a chair on which someone had placed a green dress. She picked the dress up and studied it.

This must have been left here for me, she thought to herself.  Its quite pretty. Hopefully, its the right size.

Having dressed, Risha decided that it was time to meet her mysterious rescuer and hopefully, get some answers. She was just about to leave the room, when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The next moment, the door opened and a small female otter, wearing a blue dress, appeared in the doorway.
The two girls stared at each other, surprise stamped across both their faces. The otter-girl was the first one to speak:

"You are awake", she said.

Risha was not sure what to say. Thankfully, she did not have to, as the newcomer repeated her statement, albeit much louder this time around.

"You! Are Awake!" This was followed by a torrent of words pouring out of her mouth:

"ThisissogreatJustwaittilluncleseesthishesaidyou'dneedatleastadaymoreorso..."She paused to catch her breath.

"Come with me", she urged, eagerly grabbing Risha's sleeve.

"Wait a minute", the lynx said, having finally regained the ability to speak. "Who are you and what is this place?"

"Oh, my name is Amelia and this is my uncle's house. He's the one who fixed you up. Well, I helped a little. For example,  I bought you that dress. Well, not with my own money. Do you like it? Your old clothes were completely ruined."

"Its lovely", Risha said and meant every word. "Thank you, so much."

"So, will you come and meet my uncle now?"

"Of course."

"Then let's go!"

Amelia led Risha to a glass door, which opened up to a terrace, from which a stairway made out of stone, led down into a lush, well-kept garden. Not too far away, a figure, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and gardening gloves, was busy trimming a rosebush. The girls stopped on the lowest step and Amelia called out:

"Uncle! Yohoo!"

Upon hearing this sound, the figure turned around and called back.

"What is it, Amelia?"

"Come and see who's with me!"

The Uncle's features were obscured by his head-wear and so, Risha had not been able to make them out, until she was face to face with him. She was surprised to discover that he was not an otter, but a platypus. He seemed to be the same age as her father, give or take a few years and on the tip of his flat beak sat a pair of glasses, which he now removed and proceeded to polish with a piece of cloth, produced from his pocket.Having done so, he put them back on and gave a satisfied nod.

"That's better", he said and turned to Risha. "So, our convalescent is up and about? How are you feeling?"

"Mostly confused. The last thing I can recall was being in a lifeboat. Who are you and what is this place?

"Oh?" The platypus said, raising an eyebrow. "Hasn't Amelia told you?"

"Well, she sort of did, but it all went by really fast.."

"I understand. You must excuse her, she gets excited easily. Although, in this case, I can't say I blame her, we did not expect you to be on your feet for at least another day. To answer your questions, Risha; my name is Dr. Hieronymus and this place is known as Calopeia Island. Some of the local children found you washed up on the beach, they alerted me and, with the help of some of the adults, I brought you to my house. There, I took care of your head-wound and applied a healing salve to the bruises on your body, that's really all I can tell."

"So, that's what happened. Thank you, Doctor, for saving my life. If there's anything I can do..."
Hieronymus held up a webbed-hand.

"Let me stop you right there, Risha. It is my calling to save lives, you owe me nothing."

"Nonetheless..." Risha began and stopped. She had just realized something: "My name", she said."You said my name before. How could you know? I never told it to you."

"No, you didn't", said the doctor and paused for dramatic effect. "But your brother did", he finished.

The doctor's revelation was met with stunned silence. Risha felt a wave of relief, bigger than any of those that had brought her to this island, wash over her. Spontaneously, she wrapped her arms around the doctor's neck and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"He's alive", she said. "Oh, thank you, Doctor. Nothing could have made me happier." She looked around, half-expecting Leorin to pop out of a bush, like a jack-in-the-box. "Where is he?" She asked.
"I must go to him."

"The others are alive too", Amelia revealed. "Come, I'll take you them."

*****

In another part of the garden, Merees and Leorin was entertaining themselves by playing a game of badminton, while Luke acted as the referee. Currently, Leorin had the lead and it was his turn to serve:

"Prepared for another defeat?" He asked jokingly, while tossing the ball in his right paw. "Here it comes..."

It never did. Instead, Leorin found himself staring wide-eyed at a spot a few steps behind his fellow player, the racket slipped out of his grip, but he paid it no attention. Instead, all he could do was stare, while a joyous grin spread across his face.

"Risha! You're awake!" He called out, running towards his sister. Seconds later, the two siblings embraced each other and were soon joined by Merees and Luke and although not a single tear was dry, the tears that were shed were not tears of sorrow, but of relief and happiness.

Goodbye 2016

On a personal level, I don't really have any  real complaints regarding 2016. On a more general scale though? Yeah, this has not been a great year, has it? Thankfully, its almost over and with that in mind, I'd like to wish all my readers the very best for the coming year. So, from all of me to all of you:

Happy New Year

Christmas With the Plantagenets

With the yuletide season upon us, I thought it appropriate to write a little something about one of my favorite Christmas movies. However, before we get to heart of the matter, there's something I want to make clear:
The way I see it a Christmas movie can usually be slot into one of two categories. In the first category, we have movies that incorporate the themes and meanings of the Holiday. You know, "goodwill to all men" and all that jazz. The second category consists of movies which simply happens to take place during the Holiday. The movie which is the subject of this post, belong in the later category (there's very little, if any, goodwill to be found in it) and if you happen to look at the title of the post and immediately guessed The Lion In Winter, then congratulations; you were right.

For those of you not familiar with it, The Lion In Winter is a 1968 movie  based on a play by James Goldman (brother of William, author of The Marathon Man), directed by Anthony Harvey and featuring such actors as Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Antony Hopkins (in his film debut) and Timothy Dalton, among others.

So, what's the film about? Well, its 1183 and Henry II has summoned the rest of England's royal family; his scheming wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three surviving sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, to his residence in Chinon, Anjou. Also present are Henry's lover, Alais and her brother Philip II, king of France.
Ten years earlier, Henry's and Eleanor's oldest son, also named Henry had, with the help of Richard and Geoffrey rebelled against his father. Eleanor was the brains behind the rebellion and as punishment, Henry II has kept her in house arrest, only letting her out on certain special occasions, such as Christmas. With the younger Henry having passed away, England is left without an heir. Henry favors John, the youngest who did not take part in the rebellion, but Eleanor is determined to have her favorite Richard, inherit the throne.

That's the basic gist of it. I should point out that while the characters and their relationships with one another are (somewhat) historically accurate, the plot is entirely fictional. Not that it matters; The Lion in Winter isn't really a history lesson, but rather a family drama and at that, it excels. The plot of the movie is gripping with its many schemes and betrayals carried out by its fascinatingly wicked characters, all of whom are wonderfully brought to life by the cast of highly talented actors, with O'Toole and Hepburn being the obvious stand-outs. In addition, The Lion in Winter also features some of the best dialogue I've ever heard in a movie,  with lines ranging from hilariously wicked and snarky to genuinely moving. I can safely say that this is among the most quotable movies I've ever had the pleasure to watch.

Chapter 14

For the time being, we shall leave Risha, Merees, Leorin and Luke lying on that foreign beach, all four of them seemingly dead to the world and instead return to the nation which the princess and the two siblings had left behind. During the course of this chapter, your humble narrator, will attempt to shed some light on the events which transpired from the moment the trio met with Samuel, to when they, alongside their new companion, escaped from captain Cerewan's ship.

It did not take long for Argath to understand how her sister had duped the guard and manage to leave the palace. The knowledge that Merees had managed to escape her clutches, troubled the older Princess and she gave voice to her vexation by picking up a paperweight which stood on what previously had been her late father's desk and throw it at the wall. Having gotten that out of her system, Argath calmed down and began to ponder the situation: For the moment, Merees was not an immediate threat, being a refugee with no power-base and no support. The important thing was to figure out where she had gone and deal with her before she acquired either of these things. In the meantime, more pressing matters demanded her attention.

The guests, many of which had already been displeased by their confinement had begun to voice their dissent more loudly. Realizing, that she could not keep them in the palace any longer, Argath agreed to open up the gates and let everyone return to their respective homes and so they did, each of them wondering what the future would have in store.

After embracing wife, wishing her good luck and telling her to be careful, Jeraddin too set out for the journey back home, in order to inform Albert about the new circumstances regarding the family. At first, Jeraddin had considered only sending a messenger, but he eventually decided that the old servant deserved to hear the sad news from him personally.

I wonder how he's going to take it, the lynx thought as he walked the path up to his estate. Well, I guess I'll soon find out.

As he entered the foyer, Jeraddin found Albert waiting for him, as usual.

"Welcome home, sir" the goat said, taking Jeraddin's coat and hanging it on the rack. "Lady Nasari and the children are not with you?" He asked, surprised by their absence.

Jeraddin shook his head sadly.

"No, they are not with me. Come with me, Albert. There's something I have to tell you."

Albert followed his master into the living room. There, Jeraddin bid him sit down and poured him a drink. Albert made as if to decline, but Jeraddin insisted.

"Trust me", he said. "You are going to want this."

Puzzled,  Albert accepted the drink. Once he had done that, Jeraddin sat down next to him and revealed everything that happened while they were in the capital.

"There you have it", Jeraddin said, once he had finished.

Albert  did not answer, for some time he had only been staring wide-eyed at the General, hearing the latter's words as if they had spoken from a distance. With an unsteady hand, he raised the glass to his lips and downed it in one gulp. Then, he sat silent, staring down at the floor.

"Terrible", he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. "Simply terrible."

You can say that again, Jeraddin thought.

He stood up and Albert followed his example.

"I'll be in the garden", he said.

"Very good, sir".

Albert's voice betrayed no emotion.

As he walked through the garden, Jeraddin found himself overwhelmed by memories of the past; a past which seemed as if it had occurred both recently and in the distant past at the same time: Here was the apple-tree which had his and Nasari's name carved in its trunk, the same tree in which their children had practiced climbing in and, on occasion, fallen out off. There was the small pond which he had once been pushed into by his better half, as the result of a heated argument between the two of them. The reason for their argument had long since slipped from Jeraddin's mind. What he did remember, however, was how it had ended, with the two of them both sopping wet, lying next to each other in the grass and laughing, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes

In the shade of a tree stood a bench, Jeraddin sat down on it and looked out at the garden.

I had hoped that one day, when I am with my ancestors, one of my children would stay here and fill this place with children of their own. Now those days will never come and I have sold my soul to the person responsible for it, but at least I can take comfort in the thought that my children are safe.

The thought of his son and daughter, still alive but gone forever, proved too much for Jeraddin. He threw his head back and from his throat rose a mournful, wailing sound.

*****

Deep in the palace dungeons, in a dark and cramped cell, Bureno languished. On the floor the bowl of gruel which one of the guards had brought him sat, untouched. Ever since the guards had searched his room and found the money and the letter hidden away, objects which to them proved without any shadow of a doubt that Bureno was guilty of poisoning the king, the former master of the kitchen had felt as if he was trapped in a nightmare, which he couldn't wake up from. 

The sound of keys turning caused Bureno to look up, as he did he saw the door to his cell open and seconds later, he found himself looking up at Lorenzo, who was accompanied by two guards.

"Get up, traitor", the fox commanded.

Bureno obliged, though Lorenzo's insult stung at the very core of his being.

"I'm innocent!" He protested. "I swear it, someone planted those things in my...."

The Boar was not able to finish the sentence, a hard smack on the mouth, courtesy of Lorenzo, shut him up.

"Tell it to the judge."

"T-the judge?" Bureno stammered. "You don't mean?"

"That's right, we're taking you to court. Personally, I think its a waste of time, but do you know what Her Royal Highness, our soon to be Queen said when I told her that?"

Bureno shook his head.

"She said that anyone had the right to a fair trial, including a regicide. After all, its what the old King would have wanted."

These words stirred something inside Bureno. If the Princess was willing to listen then maybe there was hope for him after all? It was a slim chance, but he held onto it, like a drowning man to a piece of driftwood. After all, it was the only thing he had.
Led outside, his hands shackled behind his back, Bureno winced and blinked a few times in the strong sunlight. Once his eyes had adjusted, the first thing he saw was a large crowd that stared with him with hatred in its eyes.

"There he is!" Someone shouted. "There's the killer!"

"Murderer!" A female voice shrieked.

"Give him to us!" A third voice demanded. "There's no need for a trial!"

Although several armed guards stood between him and the mob, Bureno still found himself shaking with fear. He knew that in that mass of people there were a thousand claws and a thousand teeth that would tear him to pieces if given the opportunity. Suddenly, a sharp pain in his shoulder caused Bureno to wince. Then he felt Lorenzo's hot breath on his face.

"Well, Master-Chef" the fox whispered, pronouncing the title in a mocking, sarcastic tone. "What do you think? Shall we oblige these good people and give them what they want?"

He wouldn't, Bureno thought, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. The Princess wants me to stand trial and he would never defy her orders. He's just toying with me, that's all. 

"Ah, get a move on!" Lorenzo barked, giving Bureno a hard shove, which caused him to loose his balance and land face-first in a puddle, two of the guards dragged him to his feet. With that the march towards the courthouse was continued. However, the mob, feeling that slinging verbal abuse towards the accused was no longer enough had decided to switch to a more physical approach. Some individual had taken the initiative to bring a few rotten tomatoes with them and soon, the unfortunate Bureno found himself assaulted by an endless bombardment of the horrible fruit.

Eventually, tired, bruised and with his clothes covered in tomato-juice and mud-stains, Bureno and his escort reached the courthouse building. He was just about to begin the climb up the stairs which led to the entrance when a shot went out. The next moment, Bureno was lying on his back, his brains splattered all over the white stairs.

As the years went by, two popular theories surfaced in regards to Bureno's assassination. The first theory meant that the assassin had been one of the boar's co-conspirators, who had silenced him before he could divulge any important information to the court. The Second theory instead, proposed the idea that the assassination had been carrying out by a misguided patriot. There was also a third theory, but it never gained much traction. Mostly because in the years that followed, those who subscribed that theory learned to keep it to themselves.

Despite the police combing the city, under Lorenzo's supervision, the mysterious assassin was never found.

Chapter 13

As the night slowly but surely continued its inevitable metamorphosis into day, Merees continued to row the boat across the endless ocean. Both Leorin and Luke had fallen asleep and now lied snoring close together, having covered themselves with a tarp. Risha looked at the two sleepers and then turned to her friend.

"I can take over, if you want to rest", she said.

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary. I'll tell you when I get tired."

"You do that."

With that, the conversation came to halt. Merees continued to row, while Risha looked down into the dark depths of the ocean. The lynx-girl began to wonder what sort of creatures could be swimming underneath their boat, right at this very moment. Back home, she had owned a book about rare and legendary beings of the sea, which she had received as a birthday gift. It had been an illustrated book and one illustration in particular had made a huge impression on Risha's younger self, when she had first turned the page and gazed upon it:
The picture in question depicted a ship being attacked by something which the caption identified as a 'kraken'. Rising up from below, one of the monster's tentacles were wrapped around the ship's mast, snapping it in two, while another had snatched an unfortunate crewman by the ankle and was dangling him upside down. According the author, the picture had been based on an actual eye-witness account, from the sole surviving member of a kraken-attack.

Why did I have to remember such a thing at a moment like this? Risha wondered. With a shudder, she turned away from the water. That picture was probably a load of bunk anyway, she told herself in order to calm her nerves. Most likely, the ship just sank and the sailor made up the whole story. Or maybe it was the author who made it up. What was the name of the ship again?

Risha was just about to remember the name of the ship when her thoughts were interrupted by Merees addressing her.

"Hey, Risha."

"Yes?" She said, shaking her head like a person who, up until that point, had been in trance.

"Come to think of it, I could actually use a little break", Merees said, while massaging her stiff shoulders. "Could you take the oars for a bit, while I get some rest?"

"Of course, you can count on me."

With that, they switched places. Risha took the oars, while Merees laid down in the front of the boat, using the sack of provisions as a pillow. Eventually, the Princess joined the two boys in the land of dreams and Risha found herself the only person still awake, at least in the immediate vicinity. She soon discovered that the oars were a lot heavier than they had seemed to be when Merees had been using them and after spending what felt like an eternity on the exhausting and monotonous task of rowing the boat ever closer to its intended destination, the lynx-girl decided that she could use a little break. Thus, she let the boat drift, while occasionally keeping an eye on the compass, to make sure they didn't get off course.

Suddenly, something bumped against the boat, causing it to rock ever so slightly. Risha felt her heart doing cartwheels in her chest. Could it be the kraken, or some other sea-monster? It was true that she had dismissed that old picture as a lot of nonsense, but now her conviction in this matter was beginning to falter.
Nervously, Risha peered down over the side of the boat and could just make out a vague silver-colored shape, swimming away with great speed. Risha relaxed, whatever sort of sea-creature that thing had been, it clearly did not pose a threat.

Feeling sufficiently rested, Risha continued to row the boat, while from time to time, she looked at the three sleepers. It soon became clear that while both Leorin and Luke were sleeping soundly, the same could not be said for Merees; the princess tossed and turned in her sleep, causing the boat to rock slightly. Once in awhile, a pained groan escaped her mouth.
Feeling bad for her friend, Risha was just about to wake Merees up, when she suddenly sat up straight and, with her eyes still closed, let out a miserable, wailing sound.
Risha looked at the two boys to see if the sound had disturbed them, but the only one who seemed bothered was Luke, who muttered drowsily in his sleep and rolled over on his side. Having made sure of that, she reached out and gently shook Merees' shoulder.

"Hey, hey", she called out, trying to get the dragon's attention.

The attempt was successful, Merees slowly opened her eyes and, noticing where she was, relaxed and then brought a clawed hand up to her brow.

"That was horrible", she muttered.

"Was it that nightmare again?" Risha asked.

"Yes, but this time, it was even worse than before. I didn't bother anyone, did I?"

"Don't worry about it. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, everyone has nightmares. Although, this one is more vivid than any I've had before."

"Would you like to talk about it? Maybe it will help. In any case, I'm all ears."

"Very well", Merees said and with that, she began:

"My dream begins with me standing in a field of flowers. The sky is blue and the sun is shining, the sweet fragrance of the flowers fill my nostrils. Suddenly, I hear the voice of my father calling my name. Unable to see him, I look around until I see his silhouette in the distance. With my heart pounding because of excitement, I begin to run towards my father, but before I can reach him, I find that my feet are stuck in the ground.
As I struggle to get free, I only sink deeper and deeper. Meanwhile, my father is still calling me, though his voice is growing fainter and fainter. Then, as I'm almost completely swallowed up by the ground, it starts to rain. The black raindrops land on the flowers, causing them to wither and die. Then, the sound of my... of Argath laughing fills the air. I try to cover my ears, but they're stuck and so I'm forced to listen to it. Its not a malevolent-sounding laughter; in fact, its a very joyful laugh, the kind that would come out of the mouth of someone who had just been told a particularly funny joke, but to me, it was the most horrible sound in the entire world."

Merees paused and, with a smile, grabbed hold of one of Risha's paws.

"Fortunately, at that point, I noticed someone touching my shoulder and heard your voice calling my name, which woke me up. Thank you."

"Aww", the lynx-girl said, blushing. "It was nothing, really."

By now, the sun was beginning to rise and as it shone its light down at the boat, the two sleepers began to wake up: Leorin and Luke rubbed their eyes, stretched their limbs and looked around. They were greeted by the two girls wishing them good-morning.

"What's for breakfast?" Leorin yawned.

"Let's take a look", Risha said.

She opened up the sack of provisions and began rummaging through it, taking out a cheese, some fruit and a few pieces of dried fish.

"There's quite a lot of food in here", she said and turned to Luke. "Did you clean out the pantry or something?"

The Squirrel shook his head.

"No, but I should have. I'd rather the captain and his crew starved than us"

"He must have been furious when he noticed that we were gone", Leorin said with a chuckle.

"That's probably true", Luke agreed, smiling broadly.


"Do you think he will come after us?" Merees asked.

Luke shrugged.

"Maybe, but I don't think we need to worry about it for now. He will most likely stop somewhere and stock up on provisions first."

"Let's hope you're right."

"Speaking of provisions", Leorin said. "Can we eat already? I'm starving."

The others thought this was a good idea and so, they sat down and enjoyed their breakfast. After they had finished eating, Merees took the oars again and their journey across the ocean continued. For a long time, the hours crawled by, not containing anything that would be of interest to this narrative, except for Leorin spotting the fin of a shark at one point. Then, sometime past noon, a sound above their heads caught the small crew's attention. Looking up they saw a flock of sea-gulls, circling above.
Realizing that they were close to land, the quartet joyfully embraced each other and then began to excitedly look for land. It was Leorin who discovered it:

"There!" He said, pointing at the distance."

"Got it", Merees said and began rowing the boat even faster towards their destination.

As they drew closer and the mass of land became bigger and bigger, the sun was abruptly concealed behind a veil of dark clouds. Then, the storm came and in the blink of an eye, the calm ocean became an aquatic inferno, with the small vessel tossed around by the waves.


"Hold on for your lives!" Risha shouted over the noise. She buried her claws into the deck, before seeing the sack of provisions getting swept away.

"We're almost there", Merees grunted through clenched teeth. "Just a bit longer."

The Princess was fighting against the elements with all the strength she could muster, smoke coming out of her nostrils and tiny drops of blood running down the corner of her mouth. However, it was an uneven battle, for what can one person, even a dragon do in the face of such overwhelming power?

****

Fortunately, the rage of the Ocean-God does not last forever. Eventually, the ocean returned to its previous calm state, with the sun shining over it. However, on the nearby beach, close to the remains of a lifeboat, four figures lied unconscious in the sand.

Hail Caesar!

To those of my readers who took a quick glance at the title of this post expecting it to be about the latest oeuvre from the Cohen Brothers; I'm afraid I must disappoint you. Seeing as how I have not yet seen the movie, Hail Caesar, it follows that I can't write about it. My apologies for the deception. That said, the title is appropriate, you see, I recently begun another re-watch of one of my favorite shows: I, Claudius.
For those of you unfamiliar with it, I, Claudius is a British mini-series from the 1970's, created by Jack Pullman and based on the two novels, I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves. The novels and the series tells the story of the Roman Emperor Claudius, who because of his stutter and twitching, was dismissed and treated as a fool by most of his family. Something which allowed the sharp-witted Claudius to survive the rules of three emperors: Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula, while most of his relatives ended up murdering each other.
I was introduced to the mini-series as a child in the 90's. when it was shown on re-runs on Television. I was immediately hooked by this show, which was unlike anything I had seen on TV at that point (I'm almost 100% certain that I, Claudius was the first TV-series meant for a mature audience that I ever watched). Years later, I bought the DVD box-set. Needless to say, I, Claudius has had a permanent place among my all-time favorites ever since and I re-watch it regularly.

It should be acknowledged that if a modern viewer decided to watch I, Claudius for the first time, they're likely to find certain elements of the series dated. It should be remembered that this is a low-budget British mini-series made in the 1970's, which means that its going to resemble a play more than anything else and that most of the plot will be conveyed via dialogue. Certainly, there are plenty of modern TV-dramas that are far more impressive on the visual front, with more striking cinematography and convincing special-effects.
However, at the end of the day, none of that truly matters. Why? Because I, Claudius demonstrates that the two things that truly serves to make a show great are acting and writing and this show really shines in these two areas; particularly in the latter, with Derek Jacobi, Sîan Philips, John Hurt and Brian Blessed among others, delivering some of their best work here.

Jacobi's Claudius is a great protagonist, one who is really easy to sympathize with as we see the way that he's treated by pretty much everyone around here. However, the show never makes Claudius just a figure of pity, showing us his cleverness and how good he is at adapting to various situations and reading people. Claudius is certainly no fool, but he's very good at playing the fool in order to survive. Hurt does an excellent job portraying one of history's most infamous tyrants, his Caligula being very entertaining to watch, but also unpredictable and utterly terrifying. The episodes that focuses on his rule are some of the most intense this series has to offer. Brian Blessed's Augustus is as entertainingly hammy as one would come to expect from the actor. However, Blessed also shows that he can be subdued when the situation calls for it. Augustus' death-scene must surely go down as one of the best seen on television.
That said, at the end of the day, my favorite performance in I, Claudius must be that of Philips, whose Livia is the definite example of the evil matriarch type of character. A smart and ruthless woman who gets some of the show's best lines (which is saying a lot), Livia is best described by Tiberius, who sums up his mother with the following words:
"They say a snake bit her once and died."

I, Claudius is, to put it simply, a master-piece. For years now, it has been the benchmark by which I judge not just other mini-series, but other book-to-TV adaptations as well and while I have come across shows in either or both categories that I find to be outstanding, it remains my favorite.
Long live the emperor.

Chapter 12

It is now the second day of our sea-voyage. The weather continues to be fine, with the breeze blowing and the sun shining, warming the ship's deck. Were it not for the terrible circumstances which has put us on this vessel, one could almost be tempted to treat this as a pleasant cruise. Our cabin contains a bed, large enough so that two persons can sleep in it, if they squeeze together and a hammock. As soon as we entered the cabin, Leorin immediately pounced upon the hammock, declaring it his sleeping-place, so now, I'm sharing a bed with Merees. Speaking of, last night, I was awakened by her tossing and turning in bed and at one point, she let out a small cry.

Not that my own sleep is much better. No matter how much I try, I can't help but think of my parents. The Princess promised that we would return to Vinoli one day, but the chances of that ever happening seems slim. I'm not going to share my opinion with Leorin, though; he's still a kid and could use all the hope he can get. Besides, as the older sibling, its my responsibility to protect him.

That is not the only reason my sleep is troubled, though. Lying so close to Merees, feeling her breath on my neck is driving me crazy. Since our first meeting I have wanted us to be more than friends. Oh, I can't continue like this, I have to tell her how I feel. Oh, but what if she doesn't feel the same way? Could we still continue to be friends like we are now?

Anyway, in the cabin I happened to find this notebook, perhaps forgotten there by a previous passenger. Curious, I opened it to discover what secrets it might hold. However, I was disappointed to find that notebook contained only a few sketches of the crew on the first few pages, the rest being empty. Well, since the original owner is unlikely to reclaim it, I've decided to make use of this notebook, In order to have something to do during our voyage. Luckily, the previous owner of the notebook have also left behind a pencil. so now I sit here on deck, while trying to put my thoughts on paper.

I haven't had any real contact with the sailors, not wanting to disturb them in their work. My brother, on the other hand, has no such qualms: At one point, I heard him call out my name and looked up to see him waving to me from the rigging. Immediately, my head was filled with terrible visions, images of my brother being swallowed up by the ocean or lying on deck, his body twisted like a pretzel. With my heart pounding in my chest, I was about to tell Leorin to get down from there at once, when I remembered that his inborn agility and sense of balance would prevent any accidents from happening. Realizing that I had no cause for fear, I returned his wave and went back to doing my own thing.

The Captain, whose name I've since learned is Cerewan, invited us to his table last evening. During the dinner, he regaled us with stories of his many voyages on the high-seas. He also told us that we'll be arriving at the island of Kabula the day after tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it, it will be nice to have solid ground under my feet again, if only for a short while. 

*****

Here, Risha paused for a moment, to think about what her next sentence should be. As she pondered this, she chewed on the top of the pencil. Having reached a decision, she was just about to start writing again, when she found her concentration being chased away by the sound of a loud, angry voice.

"Apologize, now."

Risha looked up and saw one of the crew, the squirrel involved in an argument with a large alligator.

"But, you're the one who bumped into me", the squirrel protested.

"Are you talking back to me?" The gator growled, grabbing hold of the squirrel's collar. "I'll teach you some manners", he added, raising a leathery hand over his head.

Before the blow could land, however, a voice called out:

"Don't!"

The gator and the squirrel both turned as one and saw an angry lynx glaring at them.

"Stay out of this, girlie", the gator growled, his eyes narrowing menacingly. "This doesn't concern you."

Risha felt her body trembling, but she stood her ground, she would not be intimidated by this bully. Was she not the daughter of one Vinoli's heroes? She knew that her father would never have tolerated a person picking on someone weaker than themselves in his proximity and neither would she.

"Let. Him.Go." She said, clenching her teeth. "Let him go, or else the Captain will hear about this."

The alligator snorted mockingly, but then let the squirrel go and stomped away, muttering angrily.

"Why did you help me?" The squirrel asked, as he stood up and dusted off his tattered pants.

Risha was somewhat taken aback by this question, she had expected a "thank you" or something in a similar vein.

"Well, um, because it was the right thing to do."

The squirrel stared at her in surprise, then he lowered his eyes.

"S-sorry", he stuttered. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful, its just that no-one's done that before. By the way, my name is Luke."

"I'm Risha. Tell me, Luke, do these sort of things happen to you often?"

"From time to time, I am the smallest and youngest member of the crew and someone has to be at the bottom of the pecking order.

"That's awful!" Risha cried out indignantly. "Why don't you tell the captain about this? I'm sure if he knew, he wouldn't allow the rest of the crew to treat you this way."
The squirrel let out a dismissive sound.

"What makes you think he don't know?" He wondered. "By the way, there's something you should know about old Cerewan."

"What's that?"

Luke looked around, darting his head from left to right like a cornered animal. Suddenly, he froze up, his bushy tail standing on end.

"I can't talk now. Listen, I'm having the first watch this evening, meet me here then and bring your friends. For now, I can only tell you one thing."

"Oh, and what is that?"

"Don't trust the Captain, that's all."

Having said that, the squirrel quickly scampered away, leaving Risha alone. The lynx-girl looked after Luke for awhile, wondering what could have made him so nervous. She got her answer as she turned around and saw that Captain Cerewan was standing on the bridge. The Captain was standing with his arms behind his back while staring at the horizon. He then turned his gaze towards the deck and upon seeing Risha, he raised his right paw in a greeting. With the squirrel's warning fresh in her mind, the lynx-girl first considered ignoring the gesture.
Hold on, she thought to herself. If I treat the Captain coldly, he might be suspicious.
Thus, she waved back, while flashing the Captain the most charming smile she could muster.

*****

Later that evening, as the crescent moon bathed the ship in its pale light, Luke was alone on deck, waiting for Risha and her friends to show up. It was a rather chilly evening and the squirrel couldn't prevent himself from sneezing.

"Bless you", a voice said.

Nervously, Luke turned to the direction the voice had come from. He breathed a sigh of relief, when he realized that it was the three people he had decided to meet.

"At last", he said. "I was starting to get worried."

"Why don't we introduce ourselves", Risha suggested. "You already know my name and these two are my brother, Leorin and Merees. Guys, this is Luke."

"Pleased to meet you", Leorin said cheerfully.

"You had something to tell us", Merees asked, cutting right to the chase. "What is it?"

Before he could answer, Luke let out another sneeze. He noticed that his nose was running and was just about to wipe it on the back of his sleeve, when he saw that Merees was holding out a handkerchief to him. Grateful, he took the object and used it as intended, before stuffing it in his pocket.

"Thanks. Now, before I begin I should tell you that this is only my third voyage aboard this ship. On my first, we had two passengers, a man and a woman who wanted to get out of Vinoli. I think they were lovers and planned to elope before the woman's husband discovered their affair. Or maybe it was the man who was married? Anyway, its not important. What's important is this; just like it will do tomorrow, the ship laid anchor at Kabula and the couple went on shore, accompanied by the Captain and a few sailors. However, by nightfall, the Captain and the sailors returned, alone.

"Maybe the couple stayed behind?" Leorin suggested.

"That's just it! They were supposed to continue their journey, so I thought it was strange that they didn't come back. Also, when he returned, I noticed that the Captain was carrying this purse, which looked pretty heavy. Later, the Captain had a keg of beer carried out on deck and opened up. I remember that part, because we all drank from it, but I couldn't help but wonder what became of our passengers."

"I think I can guess", Risha muttered.

"We need to get off this ship as soon as possible", Merees said. She went over to one of the lifeboats, which hung by the ship's side. "We'll take one of these, but first, we need a compass, not to mention food and water."

"There's a spare compass in the Captain's cabin", said Luke. "He never locks his door because he knows that no-one among the crew would dare steal from him."

"I'll go get it", Leorin said. "I can be very quiet when I need to be."

Risha was just about to protest, stating that as the older sibling, she should take the risk, but before she could say something, Leorin had already disappeared in the direction of the captain's cabin. Merees, Luke and Risha watched as he opened the door slightly and slipped inside.

"I'll go get the other things we need", Luke said and headed for the galley.

As the two girls stood there all by themselves, Merees turned to Risha.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, what are friends for?"

"I....", the dragon hesitated, as if she was suddenly unsure whether this was something she wanted to share with anyone else. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, she felt something. Opening her eyes, she saw that Risha was holding her hand.

"Its OK", the lynx said in a soothing voice. "Take your time."

Merees smiled.

"You know, I'm the oldest of us and yet, you're the one comforting me."

"Well, I've had experience. When he was much younger Leorin would sometimes come to me when he was feeling sad and our mother wasn't available. Besides, I'm sure there will be times when I'll need someone to take my hand."

"I'll be more than happy to be that someone."

"I know that. So, feeling ready to tell me what was on your mind?"

"Let's just stand like this for awhile. It was nothing important anyway, just a silly nightmare, nothing more."
And so, the two of them stood there, looking out at the ocean which was spread out endlessly in front of them. Deciding that now was the time, Risha turned to Merees.

"Princess" she began. "There is something I wish to tell you."

She didn't get the opportunity though, because the next moment a familiar voice could be heard behind both their backs.

"Hi, I'm back.!

Risha and Merees turned around and saw Leorin standing there, looking up at them.

"Leo, why did you sneak up on us like that?" Risha whispered, annoyed with the interruption.

The small cat looked at his sister, his face the very picture of innocence.

"I've got the compass" he said and reaching down his shirt, he produced a small leather pouch, attached to a cord hanging around his neck.

Neither Risha nor Merees had noticed it at first. Leorin   proceeded to open the pouch and take out the compass.

"Good work", Merees congratulated him. "Was it hard to find?"

Leorin shook his head.

"Not at all, it was lying on top of the Captain's desk. All I had to do was take it."

"Let's hope that Luke had the same luck", Risha said. "He left at the same time as you, but he hasn't returned yet."

Shortly after she had uttered those words, the squirrel showed up, with a bag slung over his shoulder and carrying a rolling-pin in one of his paws.

"What's that for?" Leorin asked, pointing at the blunt object.

Luke held up the rolling-pin and looked at it, as if he hadn't noticed that he was carrying it.

"This? Oh, the cook was about to wake up, so I had to help him back to sleep, that's all. Anyway, I took as much from the pantry as I could, there's food and water in here to last us for days."

"Good", Risha said. "Now, let's leave this place before we're discovered.

They all got into one of the lifeboat and slowly and carefully, lowered it into the water. Merees, being the strongest of the four, took the oars. Soon the ship became smaller and smaller as the distant between it and the lifeboat grew wider.