The night was dark, the cold winds were singing on the walls of the castle, a peaceful beautiful song of whispers, William woke up seeing that everybody in their beds sleeping, except for John, he removed the books from his bed putting them in the shelf, and took a candle walking up the stairs, when he reached the roof the cold winds struck his skin, he found John sitting on the side of the castle's walls, watching the dark green flat grounds going as far as the eye can see, the night was still long but the moon's time was reaching its end, hinting that dawn's about rapture out of the ground
He walked up to John who has already noticed him but did not turn back,
"Do you like the view here?" asked William trying to start a conversation
John stood silent his eyes focused on what's in front of him
"Are you perhaps angry about something?" continued William pushing forward
Still no answer from John's side, William sighed and looked at the fields silently for a moment before turning back, just before he put any step going back John talked
"Are we complying to orders because we believe in their truths, or because of the fear of the consequences if we don't "with sad and defeated eyes he said leaving William confused for a moment before replying
"I guess that night of the sla-, Ahem the night where the cleaning protocol was done, we've done this multiple times you should have gotten used to- "John cut him in the middle saying with an angry voice, not angry on William, but on himself saying
"No, we shouldn't get used to such things, and on top of that it's the first time we murder children, just like us or younger"
William did not have anything to replay with, he understood anything he said would not justify their actions
"I try to justify it at night" said John "I say to myself I am doing this because of complying to orders, or for the good of us, or that I had no choice" John said
"But it true" said William as he got back watching from the wall, as John stared at him waiting for him to continue "we have no choice, what can we possibly do, many died already from us because they thought they could change the world"
"No!" said John "we do have a choice"
"What choice huh! Tell me what choices we have, do you think you can get the masked man, even in his sleep you can't possibly scratch him" William said, before turning towards John and continuing "You remember the training, he gave us all weapon back when we had more numbers, and ordered us to charge at him while he had nothing, we stayed in bed for 3 days"
"So, we should give u and do as he say, what difference is between us and the slaves we SLAUGHTER every now and then "John said
From behind them a voice said "he is not pushing you to give up, he is trying to make you understand reality" as they ran back they saw it was Henry "We can't possibly fight back the kingdom from the outside"
"The kingdom?" said John "what does the kingdom have to do with this"
"It is obvious that this is a deep political action from the king's side, he is behind this, I don't know what other hands to the masked man have in this, but the kingdom's is the investment" said Henry as he got closer to the wall to watch the grass
"So that makes it" said William "We have even less chance now don't we"
John looked back at Henry and said "You didn't come here saying this just to break our morals right"
Henry put on little smile and said "If we can't break it from the outside lets try the inside"
They both looked confused as John asked him "What do you mean?"
Henry removed his smile and looked back at him "We need to first know what the king wants from us" as John closed Henry's mouth and said "Shhhhh, you know that's a forbidden topic, talking about the kingdom is okay a bit, but the king, that's going over the line you are going to get killed this way"
Henry removed John's hand and said "don't you worry, I checked all the stairs up to here, there is no one, and if we are too afraid of... Uhm him, we will never get what we wish"
Henry continued "You don't think the Kingdom is raising us just to be skilled warriors? If it's about battle experience why take all of these steps in hiding us from the world"
John and William started thinking about it for a bit before Henry stopped them "Don't try, there is a bigger game going on and we don't know the rules of it, its not just a military secret"
"And perhaps what is your theory?" asked William
"Theories? I don't like that word, they give false hops" said Henry as he got away from the wall and started walking back while the orange dawn colour broke the skies apart "We should be going back to be ready the knights are coming any second to check if we did our beds or not"
Back at the room when they reached it, they saw everybody has already woken up getting ready
"Did you guys get some midnight snacks or something" said Thomas as he was wearing his battle clothes
"What are you wearing that for?" asked William
"Oh, you guys were not here when the knights came, we are getting some training with the guards of the castle before going to the capital" said Sara as she already gotten ready
"Why aren't we going directly towards the Capital today?" asked John
"Oh, we are but we are going to join an important trader to give him a safe travel towards the capital" said Isabel as she too has gotten ready
Just the they heard the metal doors get dragged up as the wooden bridge fell down, the ones who were ready have gotten fast to the field bellow watching the big trading envoy enter, while the others came after them by a bit
From the biggest carriage walked out an old and a bit of a fat man with a cheerful adorable face the man's legs had a bit of a function issue for he had a boy with blue eyes and bland hair walk him out by a side, and another who was wearing a white rob and had black eyes and black hair helped him on the other side before the man's Guards came to help
The commander of the castle came to welcome the guests while the masked man came down stairs slowly
"Oh, if it is not my old friend, how are your frail legs going on" said the commander of the castle
"Not better then a fish out the water you can say" replied the trader as they shared a laugh while he was setting down a moving chair
The trader's guards started moving the carriages to the other side so the horses can have some rest
"Why don't you set the night, I sure have some stories that you would like" said the commander of the castle as he pushed the man around
"Oh, I would like to but I would not want to delay our great commander another day here, and I have already gotten someone to read me a story"
"You mean the one with a white rob? Nice You got yourself a reader nice, is he a slave or a paid man," said the commander
"No, he just wanted us to get him to the capital, he says his wish is to read they're to the people" replied the old man
"If not for your poor sight he would have not found a way I guess" said the commander of the castle while they both laughed it off "and who is that blue eyed boy beside him"
"You mean Bairen? He is such a talented kid, I trust him with every paper work, I tested him before hand of course to check if I should dispose of him like the others," said the old man
As they stooped in the middle of the field setting on a table the commander of the castle continued saying "I guess you found your heir to the business"
"It's about time I do, for age is already caught up to me" said the commander just to get up and continue "I see two of the masked man team coming to escort you, I shall leave now to put some orders on those slaking guards of mine"
The commander walked away while 2 knight came taking him to the side to let him set by his carriages as they were being filled
Beside him were the kids of the masked man, only 2 though, Sara and Isabel, he pointed to them and asked them to come here with a bright smile on his face, as they came to him, he gave them some candy and said, "I heard other children around here, please give them some"
"I thought you were blind how did you see us?" said Isabel
"Isabel!! You are being rude," said Sara
"Haha it is okay child," said the old man
"We are very thankful for you Mr," said Sara
"Don't be, I am just trying to leave a good image of me around before leaving this world, people think bad stuff of me because I like children, but the truth is I can't have them at all, I guess that is god's test for me" said the old man with sad eyes
"Don't worry sir, we will spread the good side as wide as we go" said Sara before Bairen the blue-eyed boy came towards them with a perfume
"My ladies, don't you want to try some of our finest deals out before the rest of the capital?" said the blue-eyed boy Bairen
"Oh no I'm sorry I have matter to attend to" said Sara as she picked up the candy
"Well, I am free , if you don't mind showing me" said Isabel as he walked her towards the goods leaving the old man alone
The field in the middle was almost empty as Sara walked it, but from the other side a carriage started making striking sounds, the guards from outside of looked confused, and in a moment its door was struck down and a bull came from it raging around, it gored and kicked who ever came in its path
Suddenly the bull locked eyes with the old man defenceless on the chair, the old man could only see a little but he knew what came towards him
The bull charged towards him, Sara who was walking and saw that threw her candy and the sheet of her sword at the bull attracting its attention
The bull came charging at her after noticing her, she got her sword into a stab mod and stood her grounds
From the side and up some stairs John noticed what was happening and yelled
"Don't, you need to move out the way" with scared eyes and trembling voice, he tried to jump down but William pulled him back for the stairs were too far from the ground
Her sword went throw the bull's skull and broke apart afterwards after she went flying, John ran towards her checking her, he was relived she did not get injured
"Stop it you big baby" Sara said
From behind them the bull started standing up again weird worms falling out of his skull wound, his eyes were doubled in numbers as he charged again
They had no weapon to defend themselves, the masked man appeared and with one hand at the front of the bulls neck and another in the back he caught him and raised him up to strike him to the ground again, his strength was amusing and scary, he took a pocket knife and slit the bull's neck revealing he got infected up to the brain, a sword was brought to him as he struck down the bulls head from the body
Some wood was brought as they let the bull's body on fire, from the side came running Bairen in his hands the bull's cage lock, it was Brocken by someone
With angry eyes and voice Bairen said "This is attempted murder" the place went silent for a bit, before the masked man ordered everyone to get ready to move
"What?!" said Bairen "Are we not going to investigate"
"Calm down boy, this is no big deal" said the old man before the boy cut him saying "No, no it is you could've died"
"Talking about it is only going to lose us time" said the masked man with sharp and cold voice "We are moving towards the capital, now"
The boy went back as everyone boarded the carriages and went towards the capital, the boy with the rob was ordered by the masked man to get into the same carriage as the children and everything started moving leaving the sitting sun behind