The Beth Anneid

by Laura Jean Giunta

Book 1: “Beth Ann Smith and the Ship that Crashed”

On the golden white shores of the prosperous Kingdom Alchemy

Emerged a scrawny thing of a girl from the depths of the sea.

Distraught, red hair entangled in a thin scruffy braid

And with rusted armor that’s luster had finished to fade,

She gasped for air, coughing up the stinging salt water

Then let out an anguishing sob at all she had suffered.

With her glasses still on and her miniscule crew right behind

(There were only four left; the others had died),

The fallen knight and beaten captain fell to her knees

Onto the golden white sand and began to speak

In a shrill, wretched voice used only when all hope is gone -

A lamenting, painful voice as she started to sob:

“Oh, why have I been cursed, thrown upon these unknown shores

Without ship, without hope, without the brave man I adore?

Now he is lost to me, stolen away to Avarita and me, with no way

To travel there and rescue him, for my vessel has begun to decay

Sunken far beneath the ocean with most of my men,

Sails torn apart and wood splintered to pieces, never to sail again.

Oh, alas, I have suffered so much strife and torment,

Yet none can compare to the pain of my dear Brian Torrent,

The most valiant, the most beautiful, the most god-like of all Idiopian knights

And of all knights of the world, whether buried, yet born, or breathing with life.

How could I have expected to pry him from the clutches of those villains,

From the heartless Avaritian generals who have viciously imprisoned him,

When I am only a pathetic, wretched, cowardly thing in comparison

To you, my Brian Torrent, my sun in the sky, my shine in the sun,

The earth I walk, the air I breathe

My every waking moment – and I am nothing to thee?

But, alack, I must! I cannot fail you now, leave you to die,

Or worse, in that God-forsaken Avarita, so ruthless and vile.

Despite my own wretchedness and my own wretched state,

I cannot forget my dear Brian Torrent’s pain and his crueler fate

If I do not rescue him soon, his suffering surely far worse than mine,

And so undeserved, for he is the most pure and most divine

Of all living creatures that have ever walked upon this earth

Or will ever walk, and even of some angels, my Brian Torrent, glorious from birth.

But although I know what I must do, the question is how –

Lost and lacking a vessel or men, what can I possibly do now

But pray to dear God that my precious Brian Torrent will be saved?

How will this harsh world survive without him, he who is so virtuous and brave?”

These were the words of Beth Ann Smith, spoken quick and true,

The knight of the conquered Idiopia, shipwrecked with her small crew

On the shores of the great Alchemy, although none of them were aware

That this was indeed the golden kingdom, Alchemy, no other nation as fair,

And an ally of the defeated Idiopia, the capital burned to the ground

With only three survivors, Beth Ann, and her Brian Torrent, if ever to be found,

And the timid knight William McKay, who had stayed by her side

As an ally and friend, through these terrible times,

And stood by her now, despite the misfortune that had befallen her,

With a frown, wet red hair, muddy glasses, and rusted armor,

Along with a map in his hand, so drenched it would soon fall apart.

Yet McKay continued to study it, in hopes to discover they were not too far

From Avarita, their destination, in order to place justice upon

The Generals, Xavier Miller and Ulysses Stellar, who ransacked their Kingdom

And rescue the Idiopian knight, the heroic Brian Torrent

Who Beth Ann had inferred had been unrightfully taken

During the onslaught that occurred only a short time ago

But how she was certain, McKay did not know

Nor did the rest of the crew, who were bitter and vexed

At the Idiopian Knight who had led them into such a predicament,

Who had sunk their ship and stranded them on foreign shores;

Every decision she had made they had begun to deplore

With vile animosity and now thought of her words, though truth, as merely myth.

Thus was the poor state of the battered knight Beth Ann Smith.

Now one of her men, after he caught his breath,

Enraged and mournful about the loss of his ship and the death

Of his comrades, glared at Beth Ann with a look of daggers

And, infuriated, spoke these callous words to her:

“I have heard enough talk of your Brian Torrent;

You speak of his suffering, but what of our torment,

The crew that you shattered, scattering the pieces out to sea

Save for you, McKay, and us desolate three?

Now stop your words, for they are only idle –

Never will you rescue Torrent from the vile

Avarita, nor do I care if you ever do.”

This was spoken from Yoshi, the most embittered of the crew.

The other, Carter was in despair, as was the third, Keith;

All three were members of the Gang of Thieves.

Carter, their leader, had formed an alliance with Beth Ann

For she was in need of a crew and he and his band

Of thieves had a grudge against the dastardly Avaritian nation

For no soul could see such staggering devastation

That Avarita had caused not only to Idiopia but to so many others

And not harbor a rancor towards those dishonorable warriors.

Beth Ann Smith raised her head, still on her knees,

Glaring at Yoshi in her own animosity.

“How dare you defile my dear Brian Torrent with insults so base?”

She questioned in outrage, fierce fury burning in her face.

“Do you not recall that I am the Captain, Yoshi?

And I will not tolerate such shameful blasphemy.”

To this, Yoshi sneered, “You cannot be a Captain

Without a ship, and your ship now belongs to the ocean.”

Beth Ann let out a wail, knowing what Yoshi said to be true.

She bowed her head and her body withdrew

Into itself as she began to cry.

Then she raised her arms toward the afternoon sky:

“Oh, my beloved Brian Torrent, where are you now?

And here now I lie, not knowing how

To rescue you. And, oh, how I suffer upon these unknown shores,

Not that my suffering could ever compare to yours -

My sweet dear Brian Torrent - oh, how I have failed you!

And yet, still, I wonder what was I to do?

How could someone as insignificant as I

Save someone as wonderful as you, my

Auspicious and glorious Brian Torrent?”

With a heaving heart and wet eyes she wept

Her loss, but she somehow continued on to speak her words to him:

“He, who is the water I drink and the flesh on my skin?

He, who makes up the earth, the heavens, the universe?

He, who if he did not exist, would curse

The world - cause it to plummet into a chaotic frenzy

Of despair and anarchy that would leave

The earth inevitably doomed to the fiery destruction of everything

Upon this sphere, for it is he that keeps the sun shining and the world turning?

He, who without, we would all be lost for he is the life and soul of all mankind?

How could I ever think that I could save someone as god-like and divine

As my dear Brian Torrent, the brave Idiopian knight of the utmost virtue?

And, yet, who else is there to save him? Who? Who?”

Thus, Beth Ann ranted in despair at the thought of what would become

Of her dear Brian Torrent, the valiant knight that she loved

While Carter, Keith, and Yoshi shook their heads as if she were only a foolish girl.

Meanwhile, McKay, seeing the distress that had already unfurled

Within Beth Ann Smith, took sympathy on his poor fellow knight

But, although feeling her sorrow, realized that there was more strife

That laid ahead if they did not discover where they had been shipwrecked.

McKay, after all, was a sensible man, his reason deeply respected

Back home in Idiopia, even if he wasn’t the most brave, the most strong, or the most bold

Of men. So, with a few short steps, he reached the side of Beth Ann and took hold

Of her shoulder with a gentle hand and said, “I fear, Beth Ann, the men might be right;

It is not safe to be wandering the shores of a foreign land that could be allied

With our enemy, Avarita. Perhaps we should concern ourselves with our safety and then,

After learning our location, we can start to search for Brian Torrent again.”

Yet her friend’s words drew no comfort from the downtrodden Beth Ann Smith

And she hastily yanked her shoulder from his hand and turned with a hiss.

“Silence!” she commanded and McKay shrunk back, fidgeting nervously

As Beth Ann brushed off her tarnished armor and jumped to her feet.

“You know not what you speak of! I still am the leader

And I will not stand down although I may have fallen here

Onto these unknown shores, having lost to the sea and sunk our ship;

But never will I forget my mission, even when it is masked behind hardship

Like it is now. I will continue my course to rescue my dear Brian Torrent

And it will remain my first priority, never to be usurped by harsh currents,

Great fires, violent tempests, savage earthquakes, doubt, or any other man,

Nor surpassed by a dead ship buried deep in the sea or fear of foreign lands.”

Beth Ann Smith stood resolutely, as if fused to her convictions

While McKay looked to the map in hopes to discover their location.

Upon setting her eyes on the dripping map, ink starting to run,

Beth Ann snatched it from McKay, her green eyes like the sun.

“Yes, a map! Perhaps this will lead me to Avarita,” she declared,

“And thus to you, my beloved Brian Torrent, so lovely and fair!”

However, as she looked the map over, doubt soon overcame her

For she found herself trapped, unable to decipher

What shore they had crawled onto. Her whole body sobbed, and, crying,

She said, “Yet how am I, an innocent girl, supposed to know anything

About maps?” before tossing the map back to McKay.

She fell to her knees once more, began weeping, wishing the day

Would fall as well so a new one could come; one that would be better

And more promising of her beloved Brian Torrent being near her.

Yet the day was still today, and so Beth Ann confessed,

“It is hopeless now! Completely and utterly hopeless!

Even if we were to somehow discover on what shores we stand

We still cannot sail from these shores without a ship in our hands.

And since we are without ship, all hope of sailing to my dear Brian Torrent has withered away

Into nothing but sorrow and despair. Oh, what an unhappy day!”

It was then that from over the hill that merged the plains

With the beach two knights on horseback came,

One male the other female. Upon noticing Beth Ann

And her crew, they galloped toward them, across the golden sand.

In fear of the two foreigners, Beth Ann crawled backwards with trembling skin.

When they reached the weather-beaten crew, the first to speak was the woman.

“You seem to be stranded,” she said as the man took a swig of his whiskey.

“Yes, our ship was wrecked,” McKay responded warily.

Now Beth Ann drew her sword, although still on the ground and hands shaking with fright,

And shrilly she shouted, “Stay back, fiends!” afraid of the new plight

That may have now befallen them. The woman looked down at her

With little fear, as McKay scolded, “Beth Ann!” in a nervous whisper.

The woman then raised a curious eyebrow at the strange child;

“What land do you come from?” she inquired.

With little choice, both foreigners on horse and he and his men in such a poor state,

McKay answered, “Idiopia,” and then awaited his and his comrades fates.

“No, say nothing!” cried Beth Ann frantically as she stood,

Shielding herself with McKay and continued, “She could

Be the enemy!” But the male stranger now spoke, taking a second gulp of his whiskey,

“Fortune has found you good people, for you have landed in Alchemy,

Enemy of Avarita and ally of Idiopia

And ruled by the noble Queen Catalina.”

“Oh, thank gracious God,” declared Beth Ann as she sheathed her sword

And pushed McKay aside, nearly knocking him forward.

Then, before the two Alchemy knights she fell to her knees

And, with no shame, began to beg, “Please, oh, please!

You must take me to Avarita! I must rescue my dear Brian Torrent, so good and handsome,

From the villainous clutches of that despicable barbarian kingdom!”

To this, McKay sheepishly added, “And we would also like to avenge, if possible,

Our own kingdom, Idiopia, for Avarita attacked us just recently and killed

Many innocent citizens of our nation. We two are the only survivors of the fire

That burned down the capital of Idiopia, and a possible third may still be alive.”

Beth Ann muttered in agreement, although her heart was still set

On the “possible third” McKay spoke of; her beloved Brian Torrent.

“Unfortunately, we cannot take you across the sea to Avarita like you request,”

Answered the woman with a frown, to Beth Ann’s distress.

“However, we can bring you to our Queen, Queen Catalina;

She will surely devise some way to help you on your journey to Avarita.

Now, I shall introduce myself and my comrade. You may call me Irene Taylor

And this is Daniel Drake. We are both knights of Queen Catalina, and both of distinction and valor;

Our exploits are renowned across the world as is our Queen’s honor and fame.

We shall take you to meet her as soon as your leader graces us with his title and name.”

“I am the leader of these four,” now spoke Beth Ann as she rose up from the sand,

Standing as erect as she could while behind her slumped her pathetic band.

“Call me Beth Ann Smith. I am an Idiopian Knight.

One of three left, the last of my kind.”

Drake took a third drink from his whiskey as he eyed the scrawny girl with mocking doubt.

“What kind of knight are you?” he questioned and Beth Ann gave a scowl,

But neither made a comment more on the matter

And thus Beth Ann Smith continued to introduce the others.

“This is William McKay; he is also an Idiopian knight, dejected and fallen,

And the rest-Carter, Keith, and Yoshi-are my crew of men

Who were spared by the sea. We five have joined together and are on a quest

To rescue the greatest knight in all of Idiopia, the fair Brian Torrent.”

“I understand,” Taylor replied, “Let us be on our way;

We shall arrive at the castle before the end of the day.”

So, with rekindled faith, Beth Ann and her crew

Took to their feet and followed the two

All the way to the magnificent palace of the great Queen Catalina

With hope that she would help them in their fight against Avarita.