Girolduses Journey
Chapter: 10
"What?" Giroldus replied confused. Mildred sat on her knees, giving a short huff and replying,
"I said, who is Quelaria? You kept repeating her name in your sleep." She sounded hurt but angry at the same time.
"The strange thing is," Giroldus said looking at her "I actually know."
"Then who is she." Mildred's voice seeped venom, which caused Giroldus to pick his next words cautiously.
"She is an old friend that I used to work with. Nothing more." He did his best to sound normal, it hurt to lie to her, but what she didn't know couldn't hurt her.
"Oh, good." Mildred sounded relieved and as the two prepared for the day she seemed unusually happy. When they finished getting ready, the two started to head back to the chamber they had met Ornstein in. As they left the room and passed a silver knight, Giroldus was distracted by a phantom appearing out of the corner of his eye and going into a door behind them that appeared long closed.
"I have something to attend to, go on ahead, i'll be along shortly." Giroldus said to Mildred as he stopped them
"Okay." she said smiling, before she left she planted a kiss on his cheek causing him to blush like mad.
As he approached the door he was stopped by the silver knight who asked him for his reason to enter. After a brief chat with the knight about his reason of being and his affiliation with Ornstein, the knight apologized and opened the door. The room was an old map room, possibly a war room, but the phantom appeared once more and seemed to walk through the fireplace. As he followed the wall in front of him seemed to dissipate and it caused him to be even more curious.
The phantom now went down a set of stairs, pulling a switch which when pulled by Giroldus lit up the room.
The room was familiar and as Giroldus took it in he remembered what it was, this was the room of his first flashback. The planning board he had seen was situated in the back and as he approached he could see it sat next to two chests. As drew closer to the board he noticed that it had a blueprint of a large area simply labeled, Archives. As he pondered the meaning, he opened the chests and found the steel armor of his dreams and flashbacks. The sight of them brought upon another flashback.
In this flashback he sat at a desk and dipped his feather, writing some sort of illegible message, he then set the armor into the chests and the note into the second chest. The ending of this flashback didn't hurt like he assumed it would, and as he snapped back he noticed that he had only opened the first chest. Withdrawing the steel boots, leggings, and chestplate, he donned the armor and gained a weird sense of comfort. The second larger chest contained a steel shield and the gauntlets, along with a familiar note.
The note read:
"If you're reading this, then you have found my armor and shield, and I am most likely dead. I have committed an act of treason, which I can attest to. If you are a silver knight, tell the four knights and Quelaria, I'm sorry. If you are Ciaran, Quelaria, or Havel. I just want you to know, that this was my decision and I could not help it. If you are Havel just know that I only neglected to tell you due to my lack of a will to have you killed, and my knowledge that you would want to participate."
- Sincerely Giroldus
"What the hell?" Giroldus said dropping the note. Taking the shield and gauntlets he picked up the note, and as he concentrated on it, it lit on fire. Quickly putting it out he wondered how he could do that but put it out of mind and continued back to the long room where Ornstein and Mildred waited.
"Welcome back friend." Ornstein echoed, "Me and Mildred were just reminiscing over times long gone." As he said this the knight showed a hint of his age by the look of nostalgia and sadness that covered his face.
"Is that new armor?" Mildred asked, as she said this Ornstein looked to see
"Oh my goodness," Ornstein chuckled "My dear Mildred, that is your partner's old combat armor. I have not laid eyes on that in a long while."
"I found it in some old drawers." Giroldus said, literally lying through his smiled teeth.
"It fits you well." Mildred commented.
As giroldus sat down the room fell quiet, the group stared at different spots in the room, all encompassed in thought.
"Now let me ask Ornstein, what keeps you here?" Giroldus inquired
"The princess I suppose." he answered "Though I could just leave her in the care of the Sentinels and knights I would feel far too guilty."
"I would also ask, how is the executioner?" Giroldus asked. With that Ornstein chuckled, and beckoning for a silver knight he summoned the executioner to the chamber.
"What do you want?" the executioner said as he stomped into the room
"But my dear executioner, we are in the presence of a guest." Ornstein called to the obviously tired smough who finally to bother to look up
"Do my eyes deceive me? Is it not Ciaran's puppet Giroldus?" The executioner laughed as he sat down at the table across from Giroldus and next to Mildred
"I hope you are well executioner." Giroldus said regretting his asking about him.
"Oh I am now." Smough said as he eyed Mildred
"Put it out of your mind Smough." Ornstein said
"Do not tell me what to do Ornstein." Smough said nearing closer and closer to Mildred
"Are you one of gwyn's knights yet?" Giroldus said attempting to stop him, the question proving effective.
"No. Even with the lack of them, I am not." at that the executioner stood and began to walk back to his chambers
"Where are you running off to smough?" Ornstein called
"Back to bed." he replied simply
As the executioner stomped back and out of sight the group sat once more in an uncomfortable silence which none of them liked
"How are the remaining deities besides the princess?" Mildred asked
"Seath has not talked to me or anyone for that matter in a long time and gwyndolin is too busy with whatever spells he is practicing." Ornstein muttered
"May we go visit the little scoundrel?" Giroldus asked
"I don't see why not, though he is grounded due to his involvement in the riots and uprising." Ornstein replied
"Before we go," Mildred asked, "What was this uprising?"
When she asked, Giroldus looked to Ornstein, who looked back at him, them both knowing the answer.
"A time i'd rather not think of." The great knight replied
As they reached the elevator to visit Gwyndolin, Ornstein told them some rules.
"First rule," The knight began as they descended "Do not laugh at him, Second rule, no touching, he hates it, Third and most important, No and I mean NO staring at him."
"Okay." the two replied as the elevator came to a final stop. As they got out, they entered a large tomb area, which had the names of dozens of silver knights and their statues carved into the walls. All appeared to be casualties of the demon war he had had a flashback of. As they approached the door to the prince's chamber, a weird humming could be heard from inside, followed by a foreign language which gave them the chills.
"Master Gwyndolin, you have a visitor." Ornstein called as he knocked
At that the humming stopped and the door creaked open as they all entered the room. It was a long hallway that led to a large looking room in the back blocked by the prince.
"Hello sir Giroldus." the prince called "How have you been?"
"I am well prince, I came to check on you, I have not seen you since you were considerably younger." The knight responded
"You always were observant." Gwyndolin laughed
"Can I get one last handshake before I leave for good my prince, I would like to say goodbye to another friend properly." Giroldus called
"Of course." the prince said as he approached the group and extended his gloved hand
"You are still finicky with your touching my friend." Giroldus laughed as he went to shake his hand but as he went to step, his old boot slipped and he knocked into the prince, the catalyst he held in his opposite hand falling and shattering on the floor.
"OH LORD!" Gwyndolin yelled.
As he yelled a faint cry could be heard causing Ornstein to rush back to the main cathedral, leaving Giroldus and Mildred with the screaming prince
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?" the prince screamed, "YOU FOOLS!"
As Mildred and Giroldus backed away from the prince who lay crying on the ground, the sound of Ornstein dashing could be heard. As the elevator neared the floor Gwyndolin was on the prince suddenly stopped and looked towards the door, his crying stopping and his mask falling off, the tears now showing on his white face.
As Ornstein rushed in, his full armor was on and he ran towards Gwyndolin who tried to go into a chameleon mode, but was grabbed.
"YOU LYING SHIT!" The knight yelled as he grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. This startled Mildred and Giroldus who rushed over to Ornstein, attempting to get him to stop.
"HE HAS LIED, THE PRINCESS HAS BEEN GONE ALL THIS TIME!" Ornstein yelled as he slammed the choking prince again.
"Calm down friend, release him and inform us." Giroldus called to the angered knight
As he calmed down and released the blue-faced prince, Ornstein sat in an Indian style on the floor and began.
"My friend. The very reason I had stayed is a farce. The princess left long ago with Flam and I have been deceived into staying." At this the knight began to break down and cry "I have missed the funeral of a dear friend and the whereabouts of another all because of the brats stupid lies."
"I would have no protection if I allowed you to leave, you would have no home!" Gwyndolin called
At this the knight tensed and stopped his short cry.
"That's right, now you know you are nothing without me. You were nothing without my father either." Gwyndolin laughed, "Velka was right, you are a coward and a weakling."
The prince's sudden mood swing did not seem normal and as he went to question it, Giroldus saw something quite unusual.
As the prince laughed, Ornstein had turned and with his amazing speed, jammed his spear into the prince's gut.
"Listen to me, and listen well. I have killed dragons and many men more powerful than you, you arrogant bastard. You have taken much of my life away and now I shall take yours." As Ornstein finished, the prince screamed at the spear now piercing his stomach and as he went to speak again, Ornstein struck once more, as fast as lightning, and jammed the spear into his head.
This sudden and quick dispatch of such as high member of society had shocked both Giroldus and Mildred to the core leading them both to be speechless. As Ornstein walked back to the group, he beckoned for the two to follow him. They eventually reached the princesses old chamber and all sat down. For a while not a word was said, and the eerie silence that followed only made the next words said all the more awkward and oddly comical.
"Let me just say, and I think both Mildred and I are in agreement," With that Giroldus paused "What in the ever loving hell happened back there Ornstein?"