Chapter List
I thought for a minute then sighed.
�I suppose we �ave no choice, lads. We �ave to take the little one along with us.� I told them. They both nodded in agreement. Damien reached down and carefully scooped up the raccoon in his arms. It squirmed and started crying from being held in strange arms. Damien leaned it against his shoulder and patted it lightly on the back.
�There, there young �un� everything will be fine. Shh�� I watched as Damien tried to calm the crying baby. We soon started off walking and after about eight minutes the child finally calmed itself down and held onto Damien for support.
* * * * * *
Four sets of footsteps are heard coming down a long stone corridor. The walls were lined with suits of armor, tapestries, and paintings. It was dark outside and torches lit up the long, narrow corridor.
Four men walked down it towards a larger room. Two of them had another held by the arms. One of them walked out in front of the three. He was about five feet tall, had thick brown hair, and was middle aged and well built. They entered a large room. Paintings, swords, and a large flag were hung throughout the room. There was a large table lined up horizontally in the back and two tables aligned vertically on either side of the room. Behind the horizontal table there were many chairs, the one in the center was the largest chair. Sat in the large chair was a tall man with soul piercing black eyes and jet-black hair. He wore all black and had a long sword sheath attached to his belt.
The four men approached the table, the one being held watching the man in the chair. The first man spoke up.
�Sir, we have found that this man has been hiding the escaped one�s in his house for the last two weeks.� The man in the chair raised his gaze to the man being held and looked him over. He stood from his chair and narrowed his eyes at the prisoner.
�Is this true?� he asked the man. The prisoner tried to think of an excuse to give the man but none came to him, so he started pleading.
�Oh please m�lord! I admit I have done wrongly and I beg of your forgiveness!� The man seemed to consider what the prisoner said. He nodded then slowly walked around the table towards them.
�You admit that you�re guilty of high treason to the empire. You know that the consequence for such an action is death. However�� the man stopped in front of the prisoner and rested a hand on his shoulder. ��You have been honest and took responsibility for you actions. Therefore, you shall not be executed in the square.� The prisoner looked up at him and smiled.
�Oh! Thank you sir!� he exclaimed joyfully. The man removed his hand from the prisoners shoulder and his expression turned serious.
�You shall instead be locked in the dungeon to starve until your demise. Take him away.� The two holding him pulled him along as the prisoner yelled the entire time. All the way down the hall, down the corridor, and down two flights of stairs the man�s yells for mercy could be heard.
The man turned to the one that had stayed.
�Where�s the royal in charge of that land, Richard?� he asked. Richard stood up strait as he was addressed.
�Still at �is kingdom, sir.� He said. The man nodded.
�Bring him here immediately.� Richard nodded and started off away from the man and down the hall.
Sir Richard IV was the top knight in the area. There was only one person he answered to. Everybody else answered to him or died on the spot. He was ruthless, as were all of the power-hungry knights. He was an expert in both short sword and long sword head-on combat and was a perfect shot in archery. He was feared throughout the lands and almost nobody matched his combat skills.
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