The Village of Amyen, near Couronne (85 years ago)
Chill wind blew over nearby hills and merciless rain beat the ground with its constant onslaught. The light of day had already lost its eventual battle to the night and was retreating rapidly. It almost seemed that colors had started to vanish from the world altogether. The nature was slowly kneeling before the winter and soon everything would be covered on snow. It almost seemed that the huts and cottages surrounding the fabled Castle of Couronne had some way of knowing all this as they seemed to be hugging each other tightly before the cold of the world.
This was of course a lie, because the rural residents of the capital region of Bretonnia had a good reason to remain close together and within short distance from their knightly master's fortress. Taxes would be collected and the paymasters work is much easier on tightly packed villages. Like sheep the peasants would be herded to the village square and asked to pay their yearly portions. Those whose wares now seemed slim would most likely see the less civil side of their protector, the King. Abandoned shacks here and there spoke for themselves; not all of the farmers would be seeing the next summer, that was for sure… but butchered like the sheep they were.
If any of the poor farmers from a small village of Amyen would have endured on the rainy and cold night and remained outside they would have been amazed at the sight of a small stranger that was slowly but steadily wandering through their muddy roads. The small thing had covered it´s features with a traveler´s cloak and thus only it´s nose tip toughed the cold and wet evening air. The wanderer was steadily progressing among the cottages and seemed to be content of not being seen. It ploughed between shacks and stables until it finally reached the middle of the village and its square.
Suddenly the stranger sighed loudly and grinned inside it´s garments as it spotted a certain sign of a peacock on a nearby shack.
"Phew, finally some shelter!" It said and stepped inside the small cottage.
Warmth of burning timber, crude singing and the smell of food mixed with beer filled the little creature´s mind. Soon rows of tables filled with drinking farmers came into view. A large fireplace was welcoming all the inns customers and shed its light at the center of the small and shoddy main room and around it stood tables full of drunken customers. On the far corner at the left one could spot a simple table which acted as a counter for the innkeeper.
The counter and the whole inn was one of the poorest that the stranger had ever seen: Only one large barrel of beer stood before the innkeeper´s table and some odd wine bottles were present on the other side of the old oaken table. The interior was lacking in all senses; only a couple of shelves stood behind the poor counter which held the mugs that were used for drinking. Next to the counter there was an open door where all the odours of food were originating. It smelled of roasted pork and forced the stranger to pull pack some saliva which appeared into his lips. On the far wall there was an ugly painting of a bird which indicated the Inn`s name: A Running Peacock.
A group of customers were smacking each other's at one corner and the poor lone serving girl was being molested equally at all the tables that she passed. All in all, it was probably the lousiest shack that pretended to be an inn that there was. Malformed peasants drank their few pennies, although these men represented the wealthier kind of Bretonnia´s not-noble citizens. Most of the farmers could never visit such a place, or indeed, buy anything.
Still, somehow the little wanderer felt himself at home when once more surrounded by lots of people. The company of drunken men helped to forget that it had travelled all the way from his beloved land of the Empire to this miserable shack. Now he would need a beer and something to eat… that juicy pork perhaps! For this purpose the small figure moved towards the counter...
"Oy, You´re too young to drink, little fella!" A nearby man shouted at him as he passed. He didn´t mind and continued his journey to the mugs, but didn´t get far before the same man grasped him from the shoulder and continued his drunken rabble:
"Ey you, I said dat go see yer mommy!" The man insisted and laughed as he pulled the wet cloak from protecting the strangers face. Soon the little one was the center of attention as the other customers saw his features: A young grinning face and boyish features, but on a grown small man. The old drunkard had made a grave mistake for calling Tidblit the Merciless a mere boy… and the Halfling mercenary was already in action when the drunkard started to realize that it had not been such a great idea after all.
Tidblit reached for his pistol and soon the drunken fool's nose filled the barrel of his beloved tool of trade. It barely reached its quarry, but somehow the cold metal managed to meet the quivering flesh that reminded more of a potato than nose. The Halfling tucked back the firing mechanism with such swiftness that it was evident that he had shot with this pistol a few times before the current incident.
"I just want one beer, human, and a chat with some friends, ok?" The mercenary asked almost politely. The inhumanly childish tone rang among the structures of the inn as all the other noises had somehow vanished. For a moment all people in the inn simply stared at the odd duo.
It took some time for the farmers to realize what Tidblit was holding against their friends face, but soon their amazed expressions indicated that at least some of them had seen a pistol before. Black powder weapons were rare in Bretonnia as the nobility had declared them not fitting for any knight. The nobility also were most eager to keep them out from the peasants because they knew what force they held… and therefore they had been condemned as weapons of sorcery.
Despite all these warnings, and common reason, the small pistolier noticed that some farmers were slowly reaching for their shepherding sticks that were resting near the door… and acted accordingly by raising another pistol on their direction.
"Please, make my day!" He threatened the bunch.
For a moment all were silent and the drunk who had started the fight was forced to pay very close attention on the features of his threatener: The halflings one eye was missing and had been replaced with an eye patch. Pistols were hanging all over the tiny man and he seemed to have an eternal grin surrounded by stubble that dominated his rough facial features. Somewhat tanned skin had been covered with tattoos. Some odd inscriptions cowered the left side of the halflings neck and looked more like pictures than text. All signs on the small mercenary indicated that the halfling killed for money, of that the old Pierre was sure. The poor man gulped as he started to realize that he would most likely be dead soon if the Halfling so decided. He was shaking out of fear and was not able to say anything for his protection.
The innkeeper however had seen enough and slowly poured one mug full of beer. He slammed the cup on the counter and stated: "Here´s yer drink, little one. Don´t mind of old Pierre. He´s a nuisance an´ all but pays his bills… come on, have yer drink. On the house for ye!"
"I want some food too, dear sir!" the mercenary replied almost mockingly and tried not to produce saliva as the roasted pork once again filled its small nose.
"Fine, I´ll bring ye a piece… this shall be a gift from old Pierre, I reckon…?"
The drunkard nodded repeatedly and mumbled something about always paying his depths.
"See, he´s a good bloke an all… ye take it easy, lad!" The innkeeper said as he waited the halflings decision.
For a moment the staring contest between the regular customers and the newcomer continued, but finally the Halfling lowered his weapons and walked to the counter. He sipped the beer with one swing and the innkeeper filled another mug as he passed the steaming meat. Next the little stranger was guided to a table near the counter by the serving girl. There he sat and waited patiently for his friends as he gulped the meat. The rest of the Peacocks customers left the mercenary alone as they saw that he was at ease.
A couple of drinks and a meal of roasted pork later the door to the Inn opened and a couple of poor farmers entered. Tidblit watched them closely and inspected them thorough. The slightly bigger man had to be Fraz as he fit into the vague description that his contact named "Hugo" had said: A tall, simple looking man. That Fraz indeed seemed to be as he was staring like an idiot at all the customers at the inn and tried to spot someone... which was probably him, even though the halfling had never met the man before nor mentioned of his appearance. Yup, this one had to be Fraz.
The other man beside the gazing brute seemed to be a little cleverer fellow as he talked to the brute and commanded him to stop gazing. His name had to be Skinny, which fit to the man precisely. Lithe, small body and large head with owl's eyes seemed to fit "Hugos" earlier description nicely. Both had very little facial hair and Tidblit thought to himself that the men had not probably eaten enough for them to grow… poor creatures. Both were wearing simple grey rags which indicated them to be the poorest of the poor.
These two had to be people from the almost abandoned shacks that he saw earlier and he, a killer, was their last hope to stay alive… yet he didn´t really care. He simply couldn´t feel pity anymore, as old Tidblit had seen enough to know how the world worked. Death was for the weak and fortunes for the men who didn´t care… and he wanted to be the latter most eagerly.
Tidblits gazed once again at the pair. The smaller man had most likely commanded the brute for some time now, as Fraz stopped almost immediately when Skinny barked. Alas, this also caught the attention of the Peacock´s customers and the harm had been done already.
Tidblit cursed a little as he spotted that several drunkards were now staring at the two men near the door, who had not even walked properly inside the inn yet. The mercenary quickly indicated for them to join his table and grinned as the duo spotted him. It seemed that they were scared of him and that was good. All should be scared of Tidblit the Merciless… ouh, yes.
The peasants sat at Tidblit´s table and were nervously looking upon the halflings rows of pistols. Tidblits enjoyed their terror for a moment before he allowed them to hear his childish tone.
"Good evening, gentlemen" he stated and continued: "I believe we all know the man named Hugo somehow?"
"Err… yes?" Skinny replied as he surveyed the scraps of meat that the mercenary had left to his plate. Fraz was salivating openly and drool was dripping from the corners of the simpleton's mouth to his pants, yet the brute seemed not to notice that.
"And you are Fraz and Skinny?" The mercenary verified.
"Aye, its uss" Fraz mumbled and slowly reached for the meat.
Tidblit quickly grasped the man's hand before it reached the leftovers of his dinner. He put pressure on it and the big man yelped a little.
"Auts! Dat hurts!" he protested, but the little mercenary had a firm grip.
"Not yet! I have to check few things first" The one eyed killer stated before he continued:
"My name is Tilly and I´ll be your boss for now, ok? You´ll do just as I say, ok?" The halfling asked and looked at them coldly one at a time in order to indicate that there would not be an argument on the matter.
"Yes, Tilly… err, Boss, I mean…" Skinny answered and desperately avoided the halflings murderous gaze. Fraz simply bit his lip and nodded repeatedly as his hand started to turn red on the halflings hard grip.
"And…do you have all the stuff, as promised?" Tidblit asked from Skinny.
"Um, yes boss!" the lithe man said as he continued: "A cart full o´ apples, some rope and a shuffle of sorts…"
"SSSH! We don´t want all to hear, do we?!" the mercenary said irritated. He still let go of the bigger man's arm and both Fraz and Skinny started to strip the meat from the few bones that were left of his late dinner.
Skinny had still touched a soft spot on Tidblit´s ego by calling him a boss and the mercenary looked fascinated at the duo as they battled over his late meal before him. Finally he would be a leader of some sorts and this would be his very first gang. With almost fatherly pride the mercenary ordered them to stop their battle and soon the odd group left the inn and wandered to the night. They had a lot to do tonight and also a lot to gain…
Castle Couronne (85 years ago)
The Castle of Couronne was one of the wonders of Bretonnian engineering and a stunning sight to anyone who managed to set one´s gaze upon it. The walls of this triumphant castle were several meters high and its high towers seemed to challenge the heavens themselves. The white rock of the castle walls seemed to glow in the dark, as if the the garrison was of ethereal origin… and according to some it actually was.
It had been once prophesized that nobody can conquer the castle´s mighty walls. This prediction was not hard to believe, as the castle had been built atop ancient elven ruins which resided atop a steep hill. It was almost impossible to move entire armies near it and even if one could, the steep hill would slow any charge into almost stand-still. The castles durability had indeed become a legend in itself as no-one had managed to invade it after Bretonnian kings first built and occupied it. To make matters worse for the invaders, some even say that below the ground there´s even more floors than above the ground…
In this mighty castle´s nightly shadow a lone cart was approaching its main gate. The night was calming down and even the raining had stopped as if in honor to the castle. The calm weather enhanced the eerie glow effect of the walls on the three passengers and they simply gazed at the incredible structure in awe. Everything was silent in the night before it was broken by an ugly sound:
"It glowz like dose nightflys" Fraz commented.
"Silent now, stupid!" Tidblit replied and also smacked the brute in the head to indicate that he meant it.
"Oww…" the big man wailed but seemed to get the message as he quickly covered his mouth with his big hands and stayed silent.
Tidblit and his crew were slowly but surely moving towards the main castle of the Bretonnia and even the mercenary had to admit to himself that it was a frightening sight… especially for men like him. There were always people who would view the cities and castles as some kind of safe locations and indeed the Halfling could imagine that many of the poor peasants would do anything in order to live within the safety of the huge stone walls… but he didn´t like their false comfort. If Tidblit had learned anything from his journeys then one of them had to be the fear of comfort. Cities had their ways of appearing civilized and orderly but the reality was always something else. If one started to forget the dangers of the world within some walls… then he would be dead quickly. No, Tidblit had always enjoyed the wilderness more. That was one of the reasons why he had agreed to take this job in the first place. He enjoyed the journey, not the stops. And he also hate the idea of being trapped within a closed courtyard with hundreds of man-at-arms and entire batteries of stone throwers closing their way out… no, he definitely was more of an outdoor person!
The two men and a halfling reached the main gate and after some waiting in a line with other carts that also wanted to enter the castle, they were led through the gates. Tidblit wore his cloak once again to hide his features and Skinny introduced him as his son who was visiting the castle for the first time. The guards didn´t care too much about the strangers as they bribed them with a couple of apples, which they had in their cart as a cargo. It seemed that even the king's guards were not immune to bribery and Tidblit liked that fact a lot. It certainly made their job a little easier.
Couronne has always been important node within the trading routes of Bretonnia and thus it´s castle was basically open to messengers and food bringing farmers through the night after heavy inspections. To Tidblit this seemed strange, as even the City of Altdorf closed its gates by night. It almost seemed that the king had forgotten what living in a castle meant. Perhaps he might once more pay here a visit and do some "sightseeing". Tidblit asked about it from Skinny, who had delivered apples before to the king´s kitchen.
"Aye, the gates are always open… no one would be stupid enough to rob from here, boss."
"Why, dear Skinny? Too many guards?"
Skinny moved closer to Tidblit and very briefly pointed his finger to the top of the walls before he stated:
"Guards? No, its dem…" he said with frightened tone.
"Stone throwers? Surely one could pass them?"
"No! The Paladins of Virtue!" Skinny insisted.
Now Tidblit raised his gaze to the top the walls and noticed a strange figure. A knight was walking along the edges of the battlements. This however didn´t seem as an ordinary knight. The figure was almost glowing and it´s visor was illuminated with some sort of inner light! As if noticing him, the knight turned and gazed at Tidblit who quickly forgot his plans about robbing the castle…
"Lets hurry, shall we?" Tidblit asked and Skinny eagerly sped up their trusty mules so that they finally reached the kitchen.
After carrying their cargo to the castle´s kitchen the three "men" were guided to receive their payment at the nearby lodgings of the paymaster. There were two guards standing beside the fat, pig-like man, who sat behind huge table and was playing with copper bits as they entered. Several heads of hunted animals circled the small room which was filled with shelves full of parchment and a few books as well.
"Good evening… I mean… night, sire!" Skinny greeted the paymaster who took a swig of vine as if to sign that he had to work again.
"It´s as good as any if ye ask for me…" the paymaster answered as he lowered his mug and continued: "And do speak out, peasant, what you brought for us this time and how much?"
"Two crates of apples, sire" Skinny flattered and that seemed to do the trick. The paymaster loosened a little and opened some sort of book upon his desk. Soon his fingers were moving along the ancient looking tomes pages.
"Let us see… apples… there they are! Two copper bits a bunch, so it makes four for ye…" he muttered and moved four small pieces of a former copper coin towards the trio.
Tidblit stood behind Fraz and Skinny on purpose as he didn´t want to be seen properly. As Skinny moved towards the copper the halfling acted by stating:
"Thanks for the copper, sir. We are Hugo´s friends all. You had something else for us in return?"
The paymaster went pale and the two guards behind the piggy man awakened from their dumb slumber as they heard the odd childish voice. Suddenly all were silent except for Fraz who broke the wind out of excitement.
For some moment the paymaster simply stared and tried to spy on Tidblits face but he didn´t remove his cloak a bit in order for him to see anything of his features. He knew he didn´t need to. Indeed, the paymaster sent the two guards away soon enough. The guards looked puzzled after been asked to leave, but soon they stumbled to the chilly night and closed the door to the paymaster's room behind them. After a small moment of silence the paymaster himself rose and let the trio inside the castle itself.
They were left on a small and empty guard room and asked to wait. Rows of halberds and tabards on the kings blue colors surrounded the trio and patiently they waited for something to appear. Fraz started to sing some song about working in the fields and therefore a loud smack pierced the silent room as Tidblit expressed his opinion on Fraz´s song. Soon everything went silent again.
After some time two guards entered the room and carried between them a small, wriggling figure which fought desperately against its captors. Behind them came a man who also wore cloak to hide his features. It seemed that the paymaster had returned to his station via some other route as he was nowhere to be seen. The cloaked man nodded to the trio of mercenaries and simply said: "You know what to do."
"Yes, my lord" Tidblit answered as no words were needed for their task. All was agreed on before by their mutual contact named simply as Hugo. Even Fraz and Skinny seemed to know what they needed to do.
Fraz took the bundle from the guards and lifted the struggling blanket to his shoulders easily. Skinny opened an empty apple box that was waiting for them inside the room and they put the wriggling bundle inside. After this they put the lid on. Then Skinny and Fraz lifted the crate and started to head back towards the cart. Tidblit followed them closely but didn´t remove his sight from the cloaked figure which had come to see their proceedings. The man could have been Hugo himself, but Tidblit didn´t care. They still had work to do and they would see it done. Silently the mercenaries slipped back to the courtyard and vanished into the night.
The Lyon forest near the Castle of Couronne (85 years ago)
It was still dark when the three bandits reached the border of Lyon forest with their quarry. Sun would be rising soon, but for now, the darkness kept its secrets hidden ahead. Eerie looking forest welcomed them almost too eagerly. Dark branches curved over the small muddy road which soon swallowed the incoming travellers.
This ancient forest had been sitting nearby the village of Amyen for centuries and even though it wasn´t as massive as the legendary forest of Arden, it still dominated the surroundings. Tidblit, Fraz and Skinny slowly continued their travel further into the forest through an unoccupied track and they silently moved for several miles inside the woodland before they finally stopped.
Tilly sighed loudly out of relief as he realised that the most dangerous part of their little task had ended. The guards had not noticed a thing as they had travelled through the castle gates with their little box on the cart. All had been arranged as promised by the mysterious "Hugo". Now only small work was needed and they would all be rich… well, perhaps not all of them.
Tidblit quickly checked his pistols so that his tools would be ready after their work. Poor Fraz and Skinny would not get their share, even though they had been helpful in a way. For him it was no wonder that Hugo had asked for his services as the man clearly couldn´t trust the peasants to do mens work. Tidblit still had to admit to himself that the guard's wouldn´t probably have believed him to be an apple-seller. That´s why it was good to use Skinny and Fraz as cover. He would certainly miss them dearly after all this… yeah right!
Tidblit had been careful and chosen to move as far into the forest as he could before the morning would rise. He had told his partners of crime that they would kill their victim and bury him deep. His assistants wouldn´t have a clue to whom that pit would be actually dug for… After their burial Tidblits would escort their captive to the mysterious Hugo and receive tremendous payment, as was planned. Sometimes he just had to admit to himself that he was a clever little Halfling. After he was assured of his criminal brilliance, Tidblits jumped off the cart and ordered Skinny and Fraz to work:
"Hurry on! Let´s move further inside the forest and finish our task, shall we?" He beckoned and disappeared between the surrounding massive trees which reminded him of some dark temple poles. Huge trees erupted from both sides of the muddy road and it didn´t take too long for him to vanish from sight of his men. Tidblit smiled a little as he realised that a dark temple pole was a good comparison… soon blood would indeed spill within!
After a while the mercenary stopped into an opening which would suffice as graveyard for his purposes. Skinny had said that he knew a good spot in the forest for burying bodies and Tidblit was glad that he had… nobody would ever find their bodies from here; that was sure.
Behind him the halfling listened as his henchmen started to pile their tools for digging. Soon all this would be over and with a smile the mercenary lit his old dwarven pipe as he waited for his henchmen to arrive. Soon powerful blend of the mountain folks finest filled his lungs and he savoured the taste that was playing within his mouth.
Tidblits euphoria didn´t last for long however, as suddenly a loud, booming voice echoed on the road: "Morning, gentlemen!"
Tidblit stopped immediately his enjoyment of the tobacco and stiffened for a while. The sound seemed to come from inside his own head… was he becoming mad?
"I know what you have with you… and its mine now!"
All hell broke loose and Tidblit could hear something charging through the forest towards their cart! Skinny and Fraz appeared to give up quickly:
"Boss, help uss!" Skinny screamed and seemed to start running.
Tidblit cursed and started to run back to the cart as he understood that the haunting voice was in fact very real. Soon he could hear Fraz screaming out of horror:
"NO NO NO, I wanna go home! "
"Go away ye! Please, no!" Skinny begged from someone. Tidblit wondered that who on earth could have managed to track them… had Hugo perhaps betrayed them? That seemed to be the only solution. Tidblit unhooked his pistols as he run, but soon stumbled on a tree stump and fell over the muddy ground.
After that there came a sound of slashing metal and poor Fraz screamed in agony like a bear before the final thrust of a spear. His agony was reverberating from tree to tree and seemed to continue forever. The simple brute kept on screaming as Tidblit finally entered the road again and saw what was among them.
It seemed that a lone knight had decided to take their captive from them. And not just any knight, it seemed. This knight was covered on black armour alone. No heraldry, no emblems… just a gigantic man riding a midnight dark horse, who had somehow heard of their little task.
Fraz had been split through the midsection by the charging knight's sword and the upper half of him desperately plead for help from his leader. Tidblit knew that a bullet to the head would be the only solution to Fraz miseries, but that would have to wait for now…
The Halfling ignored his bleeding partner and turned to face their attacker, who had decided to charge down on poor Skinny next. A gigantic hunting spear produced out of Skinny´s chest as the knight's charge carried him to his fleeing victim. The owl-like eyes glinted for the last time and Skinny went down without a sound. The monstrous knight rode beside the small body and jerked the spear off, even as he turned back towards the Halfling.
Calmly Tilly raised one of his pistols and fired. The first shot missed its mark, but the Halfling had six pistols in total and the second bullet finally burrowed inside the knights chest with a clang. The mercenary was anticipating that the knight would fall of his horse quite soon. To Tidblits horror he however noticed something:
The knight kept on coming… against all reasons!
Tilly shot again and yet another bullet found its mark on the chest of the black knight. Now it would have to be dead, right?
Still the knight kept on coming and the bloody hunting spear once again lowered towards its target.
Tidblit would only have time for one more shot…. and he knew what to aim next. Rising the pistol he fired towards the riders head… and managed a direct hit!
The knight however didn´t slow his speed but instead tried to skewer the mercenary. Luckily Tidblit was tiny and managed to surge out of the harm's way on time.
Quickly the small mercenary rose up and was faced by an enormous knight who had decided to leave his steed behind and was now slowly walking towards the Halfling. The knight didn´t even draw his sword but walked casually towards him!
Tidblit had only two shots left and he fired simultaneously out of frustration towards his attacker. One of the bullets hit on the knights chest yet again and another missed… yet the black knight kept on walking.
The mercenary wanted to flee but somehow he knew it was for nought… this was a foe that even the mighty Tidblit could not defeat and he would take his life. He felt complete anger and frustration as he now saw the reddish eyes within black helmet, which were getting closer all the time.
"What are you?! Why can´t you just die?!" Tidblit screamed to the imposing figure.
The knight said nothing but stopped in front of him. Tidblits felt frustrated as he addressed the black figure again:
"Tell me even why! Why do you have to? What is there for you to gain? Glory? Money?!"
"EVERYTHING" The giant replied and grapped the halflings head into one of his fists. The knight lifted the screaming figure above the ground easily. Tidblit instinctively hold onto the knight's arm and did his best in order to pull himself free of his torment. He tried to kick his attacker but was too far away and small legs kept hitting the air only.
Silently the knight kept on adding pressure on Tidblit´s head, which started to burst from the powerful grip. The knight´s booming laughter echoed in the forest alongside the screams of the small mercenary. After some torturous moments the knight finally was satisfied of his work as Tidblit´s tiny head was brutally crushed within his metallic grip and the remaining body fell to the muddy ground.
The knight walked towards the cart and opened the small box. A sack that had wriggled stopped as he lifted it to the ground. Raising a massive sword, the knight cut the sack open to reveal its contents to the world.
A small boy with vibrant blue eyes watched at his rescuer with frightened eyes. His mouth had been tied shut and almost carefully the knight removed the cloth from the boy's face, who coughed as the cold morning air filled his lungs. Silently and carefully the boy asked from the knight:
"Did my father send you? Are you here to save me?"
The knight sheathed his sword and rose to full height before the boy, who now noticed that his hands and feet were still bound by ropes. Somehow the small boy knew the answer even before the knight delivered it to him:
"No, I´m not here to save you. But I`ll teach you…"
The boy started to tremble as the knight took a step closer to him. Without saying a word the knight started to remove his helmet. Now his new captive started to cry and yelled:
"No… I know you! Don´t kill me! Please!"
The boy seemed to have heard the tale of the Black Knight before and knew what the removal of helmet meant. Soon he would see the face of death himself and desperately tried to free his arms from the ropes but in vain.
"Why are you afraid, boy? As I said I´m here to teach you something… and it´s rude that you don´t listen!" The knight intimidated the boy and watched as his battle over the ropes intensified a thousand fold as he slowly moved closer…
The knight's helmet lift off and the boy quickly shut his eyes so that he wouldn´t have to see. The knight lifted the boy up and soon the poor thing could feel the dark presence of something radiating on his young face. Desperately the boy tried to plead for mercy:
"Please, sir… no! Don´t kill me!"
"Your father killed you long before I came in, Joaquis…" The knight replied.
The boy stupidly opened his eyes as he heard his name spoken and realised with horror that he now faced the knight…
Booming laughter and the screams of the child intermingled into an echo that night which pierced the heavens and sent all the ravens away from the Lyon forest.