Links to the original post and the story so far (in order) can be found in the Tale of Two Pizza's Archive Post
"Sir, we have received word that the Port Baron's town is safe for us to dock. The first ship has docked and our troops have disembarked. Dutch was surprised to see them but grateful for our support- he has been struggling with rebellion and bandits in the area as you suspected! He has Laketown secure but says he cannot guarantee anything outside the towns limits." The captain was speaking quickly through his enormous greying beard. He was a wiry, weatherbeaten man- one of Manzanilla's most trusted, and had made the transatlantic journey many times over his years of service. He had been pleasantly surprised to hear that Dutch, who he had known as the old Portmaster had risen to become the Port Baron.
"Good, we should have no trouble bringing our delivery to shore then. We will consult with the Port Baron once everyone is ashore and begin to make plans. I hope we can get word to my brother that we have arrived with help!" Manzanilla pointedly referred to Dutch as the Port Baron, gently reminding the captain of propriety. "Bring us in to shore, Captain! It will be good to have firm ground underfoot again after these long weeks at sea!" With that Manzanilla dismissed the captain, who began shouting orders to his crew and returned to the bridge.
"Ladies, we must prepare to disembark, we should be docked in an hour or so. Perhaps Dutch will be able to tell us more about your young daughter Tolcetta!"
"I hope he can, and I am looking forward to seeing Laketown again. Even though we return in a difficult time I admit I am excited." She turned to Picholine, "I should check on my wine stores before we dock, Baroness, but I would like to talk more with you about my daughter."
"Come find me in the cabin once you have finished with the wine, Tolcetta, I know this will be difficult for you but the Baron and I are with you in this." Picholine said graciously. With that Tolcetta took her leave and headed below to the hold and the Baron and Baroness made their way to the bridge to watch the approach to Laketown.
Henry watched warily as the stranger shook leaves from his hair and clothes. What was he doing in there? Was he watching us? With that thought Henry made a point of pulling himself together, he sat straighter on Amber and smoothed his face. Delilah had left him the lantern and he raised it to expand the circle of light around him and get a better view of this stranger as he approached.
"Who are you? Why are you scrabbling around the woods outside the Pizza Barons estate?" Henry's attempt at bravado sounded forced even as he spoke, still the stranger pulled up short just inside the little circle of lanternlight. He seemed rather pale and blinked owlishly in the light. He was carrying a heavy bag on his shoulders- there were still leaves and twigs stuck to it from his push through the thicket. The man looked back over his shoulder towards the thicket, and as he did Henry noticed a bald patch on the side of his head, just above and behind his right ear, with a stitched wound perhaps two inches long in the middle of it. It didn't look new- but it certainly wasn't a very old injury either. The man turned back to Henry and finally spoke.
"I was a prisoner in the town over there." He said, gesturing back to where he had appeared from the thicket. "I... I don't remember very much. I woke up in a bed with this" He reached up to touch his wound, "I was locked in that room for weeks and weeks. I'm just trying to get away!" He approached Henry slowly as he spoke with somewhat wild eyes.
Henry urged Amber to step back, keeping a wary distance from the stranger. "What is your name stranger. I am no friend of the Pizza Baron but I'm no fool either. Why shouldn't I leave you here on the road?" Even as he said it Henry realized he couldn't just leave him there, Delilah had only rode on moments before... What if the man caught up with her? No... I will have to lead him away he thought.
"Answer me!" Henry demanded.
"I truly don't remember," he whispered almost inaudibly, "I woke with a note and a scar and no memory of anything." His voice grew louder and filled with conviction "I must find the Solar Barons Estate. That much is clear... I will leave you be if you can direct me there." He met Henry's eyes, and saw them widen when he mentioned the Solar Barons Estate.
"What business do you have there?" Henry asked, more suspicious than ever now but if the man wanted to go to the Solar Barons Estate he would at least be going the opposite direction to Delilah. Better to just take him than risk it "I suppose I can take you...." he said hurriedly without waiting for the man to reply.
Henry turned Amber and let the horse carry him back along the roadway into the night, leaving the shocked and somewhat confused man to decide whether he would follow.
The rules for this week remain the same as previous weeks!
I'd like to continue building on the story of the Pizza Baron and his post apocalyptic world. Each week I'll pick a winner that becomes the next piece of the story and wins 20 $PIZZA and a 2 SBI sponsorship from me. I may award additional prizes if I feel multiple entries expand the story well.
Each week I'll write a post announcing the winner and then I will write another chunk of the story and open it up again for the next weeks competition. I'll compile the winning entry for each week. If we reach a conclusion of the epic tale of the Pizza Baron I'll divide another TBD amount of PIZZA among all the winning entries throughout the whole story and publish the finished story here on Hive with all the contributors as beneficiaries. If this goes well we might have the first open source blockchain novella on our hands! 😂
The first weeks contest established a secondary storyline that may be tied back into the main plot if you so wish!
Bear in mind this is an experiment as well as a competition so we will see how many entries I get and how well it goes!
Rules:
Entries must be more than 200 words.
Entries must use the hivepizza tag
Entries must comment on this post with the link to their entry
Entries must fit in the world/scenario that has developed from the previous weeks contest(s). You are free to develop characters, introduce new ones, invite aliens to the feast, I don't care as long it makes some kind of sense in the context! The Pizza Baron should remain relevant to the plot!
(I've named it a Tale of TWO Pizza's for a reason HINT HINT)