Soul Cursed Protector

Gawain and Micha found themselves in front of an old hut just outside the castle walls, the roof looked as though it could cave in at any moment, and the outside wall was beginning to crumble. “Why have you brought me here?” Gawain inquired.

“This is where William lives.” Micha shrugged. “Why else would we be here?” “Isn’t the king’s adviser suppose to live inside the castle?”

“William is of a different sort.” Micha sighed.

“I see.” Gawain replied. “Well since you know the man, it’s only fitting that you knock on his door instead of me.”

Micha nodded in agreement, and began knocking on the door before him. “William, are you in there?” there was no answer so Micha knocked a second time. “William, it’s me Micha. I just need a word with you.” again no answer. Gawain was getting impatient and pushed Micha out of the way. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Giving myself permission to enter his home.” with that, Gawain kicked the door in.

Micha intervened by placing himself in between Gawain and the open door into William’s home, “You heard King Peregrine’s words, you Sir Gawain are disobeying direct orders. I cannot allow this to transpire any further.”

Gawain had the look of dis-pleasure on his face, “William needs to be questioned, friend or not.

So you can either help me, or I shall move you out of my way with force.” he said.

Micha frowned and stepped to the side allowing Gawain to enter, “There has been enough senseless bloodshed, I do not wish to be the cause of more.” he sighed. “Just go easy on William, for he has many years upon him.”

“I cannot make such promises.” Gawain mumbled, walking past Micha into William’s hut.

The hut was small, only enough room inside for William himself and no other. There wasn’t that many places for William to hide from the two men. They searched the place high and low but could find no signs of him or the blueprints ever being there in the first place. “Where could he have gone?

And with his shield and spear to boot. ” Micha muttered.

Gawain kicked over one of the small tables in the room out of frustration, “He must have over heard us talking with King Peregrine and fled.”

“William would never do that.” Micha argued.

“Look around you.” Gawain waved his arms in the air. “If he’s not here then where? Why has he armed himself if not in fear of us finding him then?”

Walter would never flee in such a manner but the facts before me tell no lies. “Shall we go and tell King

Peregrine?” Micha said.

“No.” Gawain’s eyes narrowed. “We shall find William ourselves and get the truth from his own

lips.”

“What of your students?” Micha asked. “Not only that, King Peregrine has asked us to be back by days end.”

“They can take care of themselves.” Gawain answered. “As far as the King goes, I shall deal with that upon our return.”

“You are braver than I.”

“It has nothing to do with bravery.”

It was getting late into the evening and the sun was starting to set behind the mountains, all while Gawain and Micha were on the hunt for William. They happened upon a small wooded area no bigger than a few acres. “We are losing light by each passing second.” Micha said. “Not only that we are crossing into some dangerous terrain. If we do not have a source of light, then we shall end up being a fancy feast for the ferocious beasts that dwell here.”

“Then we shall make our own light source.” Gawain smiled. “Whatever do you mean, we have no torches nor flints with us.”

“Fire isn’t the only thing that can aid you at night.” Gawain raised his hand whispering words that he did not wish for Micha to hear. To Micha’s astonishment a bright blue orb appeared out of thin air.

“You’re a magic user.” Micha gasped.

“Is this the first time you’ve witnessed such a feat before?”

“It is.” Micha looked on in amazement. “The kingdom of Wespington forbids the use of magic, and anyone breaking that law is either exiled or thrown in the dungeons. That be the reason I’ve never seen magic used before now.” it was a harsh truth. Magic users are mostly considered freaks of nature

or bringers of evil. Kings and Queens alike are afraid of such power being used to overthrow them and take what is theirs.

“King Peregrine fears magic users?” Gawain said. “That is concerning to me.” “Why is that?” Micha asked. “I shall not tell the King of what you have done.”

“It is not you that concerns me.” Gawain replied. “Let us find William and get back to the castle before trouble finds its way to us. We can speak of this matter another time.”

After scouring the wooded area outside of Wespington, Gawain and Micha made the decision to call off the search and return to the castle. On the way out of the woodlands they stumbled upon a campfire just ahead of them. “Do you see what I see?” Micha whispered.

“I do.” Gawain quietly answered. “It has to be William.” “Then lets go confront him.”

“No, we will use the element of surprise to our advantage. That way he cannot flee for a second time.” Gawain said, crushing the orb in his hand surrounding them with darkness, except for the light off the campfire. He took the lead and was carefully sneaking his way towards where he guessed Willaim would be waiting. Micha was right behind him, trying his best not to make any unnecessary movements that would cause unwanted noises, alerting William of their presence. What Gawain and Micha didn’t expect, was that William was already aware of their presence and following close behind. Gawain stopped and took a good look around but William was nowhere in sight.

“Where is he?.” Gawain whispered.

“Do you think he heard us making our way towards him?” Micha whispered to Gawain. Right then he felt something sharp and cold touch the back of his neck. “Gawain.” he dryly swallowed.

“Stand up slowly.” William demanded. “If you make any sudden movements I shall have no choice but to act swiftly.” Both Gawain and Micha cautiously stood up with their hands raised high in the air, making sure not to do anything that would spook the man. “Make your way towards the

campfire. Again if you try anything funny, I will drop you where you stand.” William stayed close behind them and lead Gawain and Micha towards the campfire. “Turn around.......Slowly.”

Micha turned to see William standing there with a spear pointed at his throat, “William?” “Micha.” William replied, lowering the spear. “What in the hell are you doing out here?” “We could ask you the same, William.” Micha said.

“I always come out here at night.” William smirked. “So you didn’t flee?” Micha muttered.

“Flee?” William was confused. “What reason would I have to flee?” “Then what are you doing out here?” Micha repeated himself.

“Like I said before, I always come out here at night. Perfect time for hunting.”

“It seems odd that a man your age is out in the middle of the night hunting.” Micha said.

“Old yes, but I’m not dead.” William smirked. “Remember I do not live inside the castle walls, I do have to fend for myself, do I not?”

“William we need to know what you have done with the blueprints.” Gawain interrupted. “How does he know of the blueprints, Micha?” William angrily hissed.

“King Adan has built his own version of the Reaper Cannon and used it against us and his own men on the battlefield.” Micha grumbled.

“That’s not possible.” William said nonchalantly. “The blueprints are with me at all times, not a soul could have gotten to them, unless I allow it.”

“Show them to me then.” Micha said. “We must know for sure.”

William took his spear in both hands, lifted it high above his head, then brought it down across his knee breaking the spear shaft in half. He took one half of the broken spear and shook it until a rolled up piece of parchment fell to the ground. William reached down to retrieve the paper and handed it over to Micha. “I believe this is what you came here for.”

Micha took the parchment paper from William and handed it over to Gawain, “Look this over, I have no idea how to read blueprints. I’m a warrior not a scholar.”

Gawain took the paper from Micha, “Being a warrior is more than just fighting an enemy, Micha.” he said, unrolling the parchment paper. Gawain walked over to the campfire and knelt down to use the flames as his source of light. He studied the paper for several minutes before standing back up.

“Is that truly the blueprints in question?” Micha inquired.

Gawain rolled the paper back up before placing it in the pouch on the side of his belt. “Yes, those were truly the blueprints.”

“But you do not look pleased.” Micha said. “I’m not pleased at all.” Gawain sighed.

“Why not?” Micha asked. “You have the blueprints, and this proves that William is not the traitor.”

“True.” Gawain answered. “But none of this adds up.”

“I think I might be able to help you understand the situation.” William interrupted. “Go on.” Gawain said.

William tugged at his graying beard as he stared straight ahead with his stern eyes, “King Peregrine forgets that there were two others involved. His late father Cedric the King before him, along with the blacksmith Hinz, and myself.”

“I do not know of a man named Hinz.” Micha said.

“That is because this was before you were born, even Peregrine himself was very young in age.” William answered.

“Did my father know of this?” Micha asked.

“Yes, but that was after the weapon had been disposed of.” William said.

“So that is why my father refused to listen to us.” Mich sighed. “He must have thought for sure

the weapon was truly destroyed.”

William gave a faint smile, “Angmar was always the stubborn one.”

“My father did things his way, and his way only.” Micha swallowed back his true emotions. “Sorry to interrupt such a touching moment.” Gawain said. “We do have to get back and let

King Peregrine know that the blueprints are still in your care.”

Micha had completely forgotten that the King was expecting them back at days end. “Yes, that is true. We need to hurry back to Wespington.”

“Then lets not keep the good King waiting.” William smiled, but for some reason his words sounded cold and bitter.

Back at the castle King Peregrine was getting ready to send out his knights in search of Gawain and Micha, and also William. “Listen to me, my loyal knights. As you may know, Micha and Sir Gawain are on the hunt for William, and have yet to return. The lands surrounding Wespington are filled with hidden dangers as many of you know. I need a few of my knights to go out and search the-” before King Peregrine could finish his sentence, Gawain, Micha, and William came walking inside the room. Peregrine clapped his hands out of joy, “Thank the gods that you have returned.”

“Don’t thank the gods just yet.” Gawain said. “We may have William and the blueprints, but there is still a traitor among your ranks.”

“Give me a minute to clear the room so we can talk in private.” King Peregrine said before turning to walk away. When the King returned it was all business from that point on. “William, please explain yourself.”

“Forgive me King Peregrine, I haven’t the slightest idea of what you are talking about.” William replied.

“Tell me why you fled the city with the blueprints.” King Peregrine hissed.

“I did not flee your majesty.” William said. “I was merely hunting, and wherever I go so do the

blueprints.”

“I can accept that.” King Peregrine replied. “But why did you not destroy the blueprints like I had asked of you so many years ago.” he stared impatiently waiting for a response from William. “Well?”

William tugged at his beard nervously when he talked, it was a way of keeping his himself calm, “Do you not realize that those blueprints tell of a way to make the weapon useless?”

“That knowledge had eluded me.” King Peregrine said. “But that does not explain why you had kept them for all these years.”

William took in a breath, “I knew these blueprints would one day be the key to our survival. But unless we weed out the traitor, another weapon will just be built over and over again.”

“What do you suggest then, William?” King Peregrine questioned. “If you have not betrayed us then you must know who did.”

“Your father has long sense passed, and I am loyal to you and the people of Wespington.” William explained. “There is only one person it could be.”

“Tell me who and I will have him thrown in the dungeons for treason against the crown.” King Peregrine fumed.

“It won’t be as simple as that.” William informed. “Blacksmith Hinz disappeared ages ago, there is no knowledge to his whereabouts.”

“Who is Hinz?” you could see the look of concern on King Peregrine’s face. “If I may speak.” Gawain interrupted.

“You may.” nodded Peregrine.

Gawain pulled out his pipe and filled it with tobacco, “I know someone who can find this Hinz person if he truly exists.” he placed the bit of the pipe between his lips, using a flint this time to lite the chamber. “If you demand this done King Peregrine, then so shall it be.” Gawain said, blowing smoke

from his mouth.

“I demand this done right away.” King Peregrine commanded.

“This will cost of course.” Gawain said, again blowing smoke from his mouth. “This person is very thorough and expects compensation for ones efforts.”

“Of course.” King Peregrine nodded. “Nothing in this world is free, tell your friend they shall have whatever they wish if they succeed in their task.”

“Good.” Gawain returned the smile. “That will surely make things go smother for us. Now if you will excuse me, I shall take my leave.” he emptied the pipe and put it back in his pouch before leaving the throne room.

“Is this such a good idea your majesty?” William nervously asked, as if a dark secret would be brought to light.

“I’ve known Sir Gawain for many years William. The man has many demons to deal with, but I trust him with my life, and the life of my people, that at this very moment are depending on my protection.”

“I also trust in Sir Gawain.” Micha said. “If not for him I wouldn’t be standing before you.” “I truly hope you both are right in placing all your trust in that man.” William muttered.