Chapter Sixteen ~ In and Out

The knights arrived at the castle as planned. They were guided to the queen, to whom they all bowed. “Welcome, knights of Whitmore Castle. How may I help you?” Queen Irma greeted. “Your majesty. We wish passage through your kingdom.” Hazel responded. Before the queen could answer, a guard came rushing into the room. “My queen!” he exclaimed, sweat running down his face and breathing heavily. “What is it?” she asked, worry blossoming on her face. “The sacred document… It’s gone!” The color drained from her face. “Just in the nick of time… What would we do if there was no side quest for every single kingdom?” Kylie muttered bitterly. “What makes this document sacred?” Eva inquired. “It’s the original document declaring this land to be a kingdom. It was signed by my great grandfather…” “If there’s anything we can do to help…” Hazel offered. “No, no. It’s fine. You may pass through. All I ask is if you see the thief, make sure the relic is returned here.” she replied. “We will. Thank you your majesty.” They bowed, and left the castle.

“Well, that was rather anticlimactic.” Emily commented. “What do you mean?” Hazel asked, although she expected the answer. They complained long enough and loud enough for it to be crystal clear. “We didn’t do anything.” Jack stated. “No extra task, no conflict to be solved, no-” Bruno elaborated before Hazel interrupted, “I get the point. We are on a very fast pace. In fact, we’ll arrive at Dragonspire Keep within the week.” “No harm in getting there faster. I mean, we should do that. Get back to the safety of our kingdom as soon as possible!” Eva rattled, speaking faster with each word said. “What happens when a time of war comes?” Hazel asked out of the blue. “We seek the help of our neighboring kingdoms, and they turn us away. This way, they will remember and fight alongside us. While the castle may seem like a very safe place, this quest is just one example of its flaws. How protective will our walls be when the enemy can teleport right past them? How useful are our soldiers when the enemy can destroy them in mass numbers? How powerful are we when up against one with magic?” Her questions left the party in silence, all reflecting on the provided situation. There. That’ll keep them quiet… for fifteen minutes, thirty if I’m lucky. She sighed. Aren’t road trips fun?

Back at the castle, most of the knights were out in the training grounds. Tyrell, Panda, and Brittney were firing at targets, Tyrell and Panda with crossbows and Brittney with her bow and arrow. Pharmarque, James, and Vanessa sat nearby. While Pharmarque and James were holding a random conversation, Vanessa quietly read a few feet away. “Hey… Does anybody else find it suspicious that Robyn and Bree haven’t been talking about the “secret” lately?” Tyrell said to no one in particular. “A little. Why? Do you think they found something?” James replied, turning his attention to his fellow knight. “That’s the thing. Normally, Robyn would be all over the place sharing her latest knowledge, but now she seems so… quiet.” Tyrell commented. Brittney exclaimed, “I know what you mean! One time, she found out about my secret pastry hiding spot, and now-”  “It’s not a secret anymore!” Pharmarque interrupted, pushing down the visible end of a biscuit into her bag. “Do you think they actually found anything?” Vanessa said, closing her book. The conversation had gotten the better of her. “Well, she wouldn’t shut up about finding out what it was, and then she just stopped talking about it entirely.” Panda commented. “I’m sure they found something.” James frowned. Tyrell then asked the question that was on all their minds: “Then what was it?”

The knights rode down the path, a couple miles from the edge of the kingdom. “Nice! A single day journey!” Eva exclaimed. She continued, “Maybe this is the start of a new trend! Maybe for the rest we’ll just blaze right through-” A man ran right in front of the convoy, causing Hazel’s horse to rear up in surprise. “Hey!” she shouted, eyeing the intruder. She narrowed her eyes and looked at what he was holding. A scroll. “Oh Eva, looks like you spoke too soon…”