Chapter 2 - An unexpected visitor

It was the next morning, I was still pondering about all that after a restless night, when I heard a commotion in the corridor. That was strange usually the guard post down the corridor was really quiet since people only went there to sleep or to take a quite brake. The commotion got louder and closer, but I still couldn't make out words. It sounded like multiple voices talking.

"In here?" A firm low feminine voice asked. "Yes milady" Maria answered softly. She didn't sound scared rather exited so it most likely wasn't another hangman trying to earn a quick bug. The ringing of keys was heard then the door opened revealing a tall proud figure dressed in the mixture of white and gold uniform of the royal guards.

She eyed the room then steeped inside towards me her gaze was full of furry for some reason, but it didn't appear to be target at me because as soon as she noticed my worried expression her furry evaporated. Suddenly she knelt Infront of me like I was a high Lady or something. She was a middle-aged woman who was of a slender build but had enough muscles to rival a tribesman. And she clearly had the confidence of an established fighter.

"Milady, I am Captain Elaina Al Halabi of the Royal Guards, I was sent in the name of the king to investigate the claim that one of your kind was holed up in here. We looked through the record and none of your kind should be in here so finding you here means that all the other claims are most likely true as well. I am here to protect you from anybody that may wish you harm until the King relieves me of this duty." She took a deep breath letting this sink in. A Royal Captain send to protect me? From what?

"Please allow us to gather your possession and let us know if anybody or anything that might be able to shed light on your imprisonment. But I am allowed to tell you already that you are free since there was never a official charge against you. And anybody who tries to hold you against your will is committing a great crime."

"So you may freely go where ever you please. However the King kindly invites you to his palace as well as the ambassador of the tribes requests to see you there so if possible I would love to guide you to these two." She remained silent again. Outside I could see a smiling and crying Marie as well as two more guards of the royal regiment that seemed to protect the door.

"T..the king invites me?" I ask with quite voice. "What would happened if I wanted to just walk out of this city back into the mountains I longed for all this years?" without a second of hesitation she said. "Then I would accompany you to protect you until the king send words to do something else, or you would die of old age. And I am certain the king would be sad to have missed your company Milady, but nobody would be allowed to stop you nor would anybody from this country allowed to pursue you. And I would use all my might to ensure that."

I nodded more out of reflex at this point. "But I still urge you, to leave this place quickly because the Warden, while already being charged with this crime, is still lose and might pose a threat to you. If you are dead, it would be a lot harder to prove the extend of this to the king and the court." Johanna steeped into view at the outside the room and looked curious to me without attempting to pass the two guards.

I took in a deep breath got the very few possessions I owned here. I gathered my Journal and my ink then I looked to my two friends. "If I had friends who could vouch for that I was here all along, could they accompany me?" Both of them looked surprised Marie a bit speechless and Johanna gained her telltale smirk that showed that she liked an idea, then both did a small nod showing that they are being willing to go. The captain smiled. "Of course milady." I took a deep breath. "Please guide us out of here Madam." I said towards the still kneeling Guardswoman.

She bowed a bit then raised and went ahead to the door. The door that for the last eight years was the border of my universe. Everything beyond there was just faint memory of when I was brought in. I took another deep breath and walked through it not wanting to ruin my first chance of freedom. I didnt look back into this tiny room that was my forced home for so long. But I could feel a weight lifted from my heart after all those years.

There were a lot more royal guardsmen and woman outside the cell all standing to attention when the Captain passed. They all wore a similar Uniform as the Captain. They were armed with Sword and Shield as well as three throwing spears each. Like a well-trained machine they fell in line when we passed following either behind the Captain or behind me.

Directly next to me where Johanna and Marie both looking as overwhelmed as I was. We went like this till we reached the first Guard rooms and the Captain gave us cloaks of the garrison that were used when they were on century duty during rainy or cold days. Not that this place had many cold days. "This might only temporally protect your identity but should be enough to get us out of here." I nodded.

She looked to Johanna. Do you have any Family that needs to be protected? She asked in brisk fashion. No Milady Captain. My sister is stationed at the boarder region. She then looked to Marie who just shook her head and nodded then open the door. Outside where the regular Guards curiously about what was going on. Elaine raised an eyebrow and ordered them to move aside with just her Hand motion. All three hastily moved to a side corridor still gawking. Two Royal Guardsmen blocked their way with their shields and let us pass before joining in back behind us.

We marched like this quickly down the large tower. My cell was in the far back and high up so it took us a while to get through the maze of endless corridors. I knew that the actual distance was shorter, but it was designed to be a maze internally so that even if you escaped out of your cell you would need to get quite a far distance to get to the outside. Unless you manage to escape to the outside where you were presented with a more or less smooth wall and a second external wall to overcome.

It was that second external wall that posed the next problem when we just left the main Tower. I was amazed for the first time in 8 years I was not surrounded by thick stone walls and only one gate stood between me and Freedom but it was locked. Infront of it were two scared looking jailer who knew exactly what stopping the royal guard would mean

The guards surrounded me in formation side while they marched confident to the closed gate. Their shields were in their left hand and the other not far from the throwing spears. "OPEN UP IN THE NAME OF THE KING!" the Captain Elaine bellowed confidently. I tensed up. If the warden knew what was going on and had commanded his troops fast enough, then I was never in a bigger danger then right now. Two additional prison guards came out of the side of the gate and only barely bowed towards us. "Greetings Madam Captain what can" One of them started in a tone that hardly did hide the dislike towards the Royal guards. She pulled out a silver emblem and pointed it towards him. "I am here on Business of the King let us pass or die for Treason."

My eyes got big. I was Kings business and blocking our way was treason? The rude guard got pale and bowed deeply this time. He took some long gasps to gather himself. It took a long moment that I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. If he declared us to be fake or decided to delay, there would be trouble but then. "Open the gate!" he yelled while going out of the way still deeply bowed and after long drawn out moments I heard the sweetest sound of my life when the massive gates opened showing more and more of the busy roads beyond which were full of innocent life. A life that I will return too soon. I hope.

The captain waved to us to move on and we walked through the heavy gate on to the busy street. A change happened once people noticed us. They made way for the royal guard without ever bumping into them. Once we were outside, I noticed how the guardsmen around me relaxed a bit apparently the danger wasnt only in my head.

My eyes danced around taking in this bright lid place and the smells of the street. Turgal where we were, was a quite modern place so the streets where clean and the air fresh for a city. Suddenly the guards stopped on a small hand sign of the Captain. "So where do you want to go to Milady?" I smiled her words where sincere If I wanted, I really could just walk back to the mountains.

But that would leave the elders in a bad position and since the king was so kind to finally release me I might as well go there. "Please show me the way to your King, since he was so kind to get me out of there I might as well take him up on his invitation." I said with true happiness. I was out. Was guarded and not threaten. Even though I didnt know what the king wanted. The present of the delegation meant that I was really fee. Not a prisoner anymore.

She smiled and nodded then turned abruptly and guided us through the masses. While we marched in a closed group many tuned their heads towards us, towards me mostly since I was clearly the one being protected by this group. But nobody dared to try and stop us or even dared to try and look to close to what might be under the hood. Apparently, the royal guards were really respected or feared in some way.

It was hard for me to keep walking not because I was tired but because there was so much interesting to see. When I first arrived in this place the only thing, I saw was the horse market and the Prison both dont exactly convey the feeling of this beautiful city. It was between two big rivers the converged and did flow towards the distant ocean. So, it was surrounded by green. But it was built on top of small hill so the stone roads where still dry and not full of mud or water.

Then I remembered something. "How did you knew where to find me?" I asked Captain Elaina. She smirked. "Two of delegation requested to be allowed to visually inspect the prison yesterday. They told about how they watched it for good 20 minutes or so before turning back. But one did a last glance back and noticed your banner. He said that it looked close enough to account for desperation and that it came from the upper right corner of the prison." She shook her head a bit.

"From there we consulted the plan and he could point pretty precisely where you should be the rest wasnt that hard. There are regular prison transports from the judgment chambers to the Prison so one criminal got a well bit heavier escort to not raise to much suspicions and once we were inside it was just a matter of being aggressive enough. Most jailer would not dare to piss of the royal guard. Well apart from people like the one at the gate."

We walked a short distance away from the Prison while she explained that where another small group of Royal Guards did wait with a considerable amount of horses with them. However even with my slow pace none of the guards complained or rushed me. It was clear that while they were guiding me, they really were paying attention to me. Just as we were almost at that other group a young child did rush in between the guards chasing after a thin brown object.

Other guards would have hit the child or yelled at her but these acted differently. Two of them steeped between her and me gently keeping me a bit away. Four did move to block the other side if anything would come from there. While a tall big one did kneel down in front of the small child. Holding the brow leather ball she had chased towards her. None of them did draw their weapons nor acted in any shape or form hostile. He did speak to her in a soft gentle voice. Surprising for a man of his size then did send her off with a smile, to the mother who had steeped out of a nearby store before the guards as a whole did continue their way. All without a single command from the captain who did watch it with a pleased smile.