What was meant to be
Chapter 13
The sun spilled into the dark cellar through the cracks of the door and made its way onto the bodies of the team who had a task to complete, starting today. Serafino was already up and going about getting prepared. The young man was fiddling with his hair while checking the supplies that he had in possession. This ranged from his healing potions and first aid supplies, all the way to his magical items. The young red-head gave smirked and gave a confident snort. "Yep, I am good and ready…I guess, now I should wake up the others." he said to himself. Serafino turned around to find that his king was already awake and rubbing his eyes. Serafino made is way over to Albert and sat next to him. "How are you feeling today, Your Majesty?" the knight questions. Albert began running his fingers through his long hair before taking a deep breath and sighing. "I'm fine, thank you for asking." he responds in a low voice. Serafino stands up and moves over to Dart who was sleeping comfortably against the wall and taps him on the shoulder. At first the red cladded man didn't stir, but as Serafino continued to tap more and more Dart began to respond with movement and odd groaning noises. In no time, the young man opened his eyes and found himself looking at the knight. "Good morning…" Dart greeted sleepily. Serafino nodded before turning his attention to the rest of the party.
In a matter of fifteen minutes, the party was awake and rearing to go. Albert takes a deep breath before curling his lips into a smirk. "Well, this is it…." he began. "the one trip that may finally end the Serdian war. Our act will more than likely unify Serdio, once and for all. Let's make this happen!" Even though, Albert was excited about finally ending the war between Northern and Southern Serdio, deep inside, he felt uneasy. He was aware of what he would have to do, in order to achieve peace between the two halves of the kingdom. The king slowly made his way up the stairs, trying to make his way out of the cellar. His back was still in excruciating pain. Each time he moved, it felt a if he was reliving the experience of being whipped over and over again. It brought up the question in his mind as to how bad his back actually looked, to hurt this bad. As Albert made his way up the stairs, the rest of the team followed suit and Serafino, being the last one to start climbing the stairs, could do nothing but look at Albert in great concern. Seeing how pained, his King was made him cringe.
"Are you sure that was should be dragging him along. It looks as if the king could break down and collapse any second now." Rose stated as she watched the injured king climb the stairs. "We don't need anyone tagging along who is going to be nothing but a burden." Rose's statement struck a nerve in Albert . Of course, he didn't have much of a retort because it was true, he was in so much pain that he could collapse at any second. The man needed professional treatment, Serafino's work can only go so far. The man was a knight, not a doctor. "Mind you, regardless of these wounds, I can still hold my own in battle…Though it may not be exactly wise for me to do so. I am a lot tougher than I look." He stated as he made his way out of the cellar and into the open. As the rest of the team exited the room, Rose replied with, "We'll see. I'll be watching you." Shana jumped in before anything escalated further. "Take it easy on him, Rose. He isn't exactly in tip-top shape. He's in need of a doctor and the most we can do is make sure that we get him to one once we arrive in Kazas." Serafino began shaking his head. "As much as that sounds like a grand idea, " he began "Do we really want to risk him being seen in the enemy town?" Once everyone was out of the cellar they turned their attention directly to Serafino. Haschel leans backward and begins to stretch, upon returning to his original position, he crosses his arms in front of his chest and says, "He may have a point there." Serafino begins moving towards the town's exit.
"I understand that the King's- err….I mean, Albert's health is important, but we can't go around just exposing him to random people." Serafino continues. "If he is seen then we'll have a fiasco on our hands." Everyone beings to follow after the knight and began questioning, what they should do. Albert gives a slight smile and chimed in with, "How about, just not worrying about me?" 'The other knights have taught him well….I was right in allowing him to stay within Indels Castle' Thought Albert. The king moved around to the front and placed a hand on Serafino's shoulder. "Good job." Albert said before leaving the town. Dart takes a deep breath and begins to scratch his head.
Even though Dart's demeanor was calm at the moment, in the back of his head thoughts of Lavitz's head ran rampant. To lose a best friend, not to mention a potential lover, dealt a serious blow to Dart's psyche. The late knight's death… It was a tough pill to swallow, but like all painful events one can do nothing more but to push forward and grow stronger. The team, more so Dart and Albert, weren't left with much of a choice BUT to do that. This is a wound that only time could heal.
The journey was long and challenging. The group ventured through the forest and through dangerous territories, but within time, they arrived at Kazas. Kazas was a dark, dingy town. Everything looked bleak and depressing. Even though there were copious amounts of sunlight beaming down upon the city, due to the smoke and the general drab atmosphere, no justice was given. Looking at the streets, which were filthy, Kazas was on some sort of lockdown, which was to be expected, seeing how there was a major war going on within the country. Sandoran soldiers marched around the streets, keeping the town within a state of martial law. Everyone within the group knew for a fact that there was going to be no way in hell that they could move freely, like they could in Bale. This also drew up the fact that they needed to keep Albert well hidden, but how? "Albert, use your cape as a disguise!" Shana suggested. Serafino smiled at Shana's suggestion and gave a nod of approval. The king took his cape off and draped it in such a way that his hair was covered and his face was obscured by shadows. "We just need to make our way to our target destination…." Dart muttered. Albert simply nodded and the group proceeded through the town. They made sure to not make any contact with the soldiers that were guarding the town. Rose observed her surroundings, making sure that everything remained clear and that there were no apparent threats that could get in their way. Serafino, looked at the town and it's condition. He was appalled at how terrible everything looked. Out his left ear he could hear a couple of people talking.
"Please! Stay here for the night! We need customers!"
" I'm sorry, but I am not interested."
"But! The price per night is very low. Only Twenty-Five gold!"
"No. No. I'm highly sorry, but I have somewhere to be."
Serafino could draw from the conversation that plenty of the businesses within town were hurting for help and that inn was one of them. One could guess that earning money is extremely difficult. The knight directed his attention down at the ground as the group made their way around the corner. Then there it was, Black Castle. They were standing before the bridge that lead right to the front door. "We could charge right in!" Serafino muttered in excitement. "No…" Albert responded. "It's to direct. We'd get decimated before we could even make the slightest impact. Let's keep searching." The group continued further into town. The road brought them to an even darker side of the dingy town. "What in the hell?!" Serafino exclaimed. "It looks like a fort!" One of the townspeople overheard the knight and educated him on what they were standing on. "Yes, this is exactly what it is." the man spoke. "This is the epitome of poverty within Kazas. We fight to make a living. A lot of us are lucky to be alive the next day. This used to be a fort for the army until they abandoned it and those of us who could barely afford to live in the better parts of town moved in. It's what we call home. Emperor Doel's reign hasn't made anything better. If only we could go back to the days of King Carlo…I heard the times were a lot better during those days." Albert shifted uncomfortably and began to shake his head slowly. It pained him to see his citizens, well Doel's at the moment, suffer so greatly. If only he could end the war, if only he could make things better right this minute. While, he cannot change things instantly, he knows that when it came down to their purpose of being here, he could bring peace to this land as well. "We're managing, though….We do the best that we can do in this situation. We've even formed a little group called the New Serdio Party. If you're interested, just keep going further into the structure and find Popo. He'll get you started." Dart nods and looks at the rest of the group who nods in return. They made their way into the fort and maneuvered their way through the inner workings of the complex structure.
"I can't." Albert muttered. "I need…." The king fell to his knees and began breathing heavily. The pain was too great for him to bear. He thought that Serafino's help would have sufficed, but in actuality it didn't. Serafino rushed to his leader's side and kneeled down. "Your wounds…You need a clinician." The young knight helped carry his king to the first of a group of beds that happened to be lined up. "Let me see…." Serafino stated. The knight aided in the removal of Albert's clothing to expose his back. Even with the treatment that the red-head provided, the injuries managed to become infected. The young man groaned in annoyance and began searching for someone. Dart and the others could do no more but to stand back and observe. It wouldn't make anything better with everyone becoming panicky. In a matter of time, Serafino returned with a man in long, dark brown robes. He leaned over the king and observed his back. The older man's expression instantly became horrified at the sight. "What happened?! Were you attacked by Bale's forces?!" the man questioned. Serafino and Albert snapped their attention to the man who was making an examination. "What?!" Serafino shouted. "What is this blasphemy that you speak of?!"
"Rumor has it that Bale has been on the offensive lately… They've went from being peaceful to attacking anyone who could be suspected of being a part of Imperial Sandora."
Serafino's temper began to get out of hand slightly.
"Lies! The kingdom of Bale would never do such a thing! They're peaceful people! They're all about protecting and serving the people!"
"Like I have said, they're nothing but mere rumors. Fortunately, I am not one of those types who will believe rumors so easily. Now let's get to treating these wounds, they've become infected….I'll be right back. I need to gather my tools and medicines."
Serafino took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself down. "You might want to check that temper of yours, Serafino. What if that clinician was against Serdio? It could've potentially cost us." Haschel states. "It would be very wise for you to make sure that you remember to not allude people into figuring out your identity. I highly doubt that we can afford to be attacked at our current state. We're in the enemy's territory now…We have to be exceptionally careful." Shana takes a seat on the bed next to Albert and looks at the King. Albert was breathing slightly heavier than usual. "I would have to become sick at the right time. We can't stay in one place forever. We have to move…We have to help my country…" The king began to shift uncomfortably, but Serafino placed a single hand, gently on his shoulder to signify that he needed to remain still, so that his injuries wouldn't worsen. "Don't move…" he ordered. "But I understand!" His focus was back on Haschel. " I'll keep that in mind…We can't afford to screw this up. We have to restore Serdio to its former glory." The clinician came back with a variety of tools and tinctures. The group moved out of the way and gave the clinician his space for him to work. The group could hear Albert give a pained grunt as the professional began working on his wounds. Cleaning, sterilizing, sewing, applying medicine…The clinician did his handy work upon the king's back. "My word, what happened to you?! It's as if you have been beaten mercilessly! Is that what happened? You have dirt, dust, and all kinds of debris in your wounds!" he said while taking a pair of tweezers and removing a foreign object from a deep cut. "I could've sworn that you were some sort of prisoner in Hellena." The air became thick with tension. "I've seen plenty of prisoners come back with all kinds of wounds similar to this. Not saying that you're prisoners or anything. Just making an observation…Now stay still, I need to finish sewing up your wounds." The doctor began to carefully sew the king's wounds shut. Albert gripped the sheets of the bed as he endured the pain from the sewing. The doctor didn't even realize that he didn't apply any anesthetic!
"This has slowed us down a bit, but…No matter, we'll play catch up in a little bit." Serfino states while flopping down in a chair. The knight looked towards the back of the fort and observed the various children and women walking about. The entire structure looked like a complete hazard, though it was amazing how the people in Kazas made something like this work so well. Serafino takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. "Hey doc! Do we have guests?!" said a young voice. The doctor gives a sigh and continues with his task. "As a matter of fact, we do, Popo!" Dart and Shana raised an eyebrow as they turned around to find the source of the young voice. Out of the darkness walked a young boy with short black hair and fair skin. He wore a blue shirt and khaki pants.
"Who are you?" Shana questioned while making her way towards the young boy.
"I am-" he begin but was cut off by the doctor who decided to finish what Popo began.
"His name is Popo, he is the leader of the New Serdio party." the doctor starts working on the last gash on Albert's back. "You sir are going to require medicine. You have an infection. Even though whoever dressed your wounds did a good job, you were bound to contract some type of disease due to the embedded debris that I fished out. Filthy, filthy…."
Albert's interests were suddenly piqued. "New…AH! New Serdio party?" Albert questioned. "What is….OW! That, if you don't mind me asking." Popo's eyes lit up. He rushed over to Albert's side and looked him directly into his eyes as he spoke. "New Serdio party is a group that destined to liberate Kazas. We are tired of the war and want to be under the rule of His Majesty Albert! Emperor Doel's rule has basically sentenced the whole town into a state of poverty and despair, even the middle class citizens are struggling with living from day to day. We're lucky to even find suitable things to eat without having to go outside of the town to gather foods and want change! We want a new ruler. We deserve peace. Unification is our goal." Albert gives a gentle smile and the doctor finishes up.
"Sit up…" The doctor commands.
The King, who was not used to being given commands sat up and moved his ponytail out of the way as the doctor applied medication and began wrapping his wounds. "You have a great plan there. I like that and wish to join you, Popo. Your cause is very admirable. I would love to see these plans being put forth." The young boy gives Albert's face a closer look and began to tilt his head from side to side. "You…look very familiar. Do I know you?" Popo questioned. Albert chuckled a little and shook his head. Out the corner of his eye, he could see Serafino sitting at the edge of his seat. He could tell that the red head didn't want Albert revealing his identity, but the young king didn't see any harm in telling one or two people who seemed trustworthy. " No, you don't know me, but you may know my face. I am King Albert of Bale." Albert responds. Popo's eyes lit up and he gives a loud gasp of surprise.
"You're kidding me!"
"Nope, King Albert, in the flesh."
"But the last time I heard about you, you were imprisoned in Hellena!"
"I was, but thanks to my friends, those you see around me, I managed to escape. "
"Oh….my…."
Albert then found the young boy flipping through the area. Serafino's eyes widened as he watched Popo run cheering, flipping, and jumping for joy. "Finally!" Popo began, "Finally we'll be liberated! King Albert's coming is a sign that we'll finally be free!" The dark haired boy couldn't contain his excitement, he had to express it in some sort of way. Shana gives a small giggle and Dart takes a step forward. "Popo, can we join the New Serdio party?" Dart requests. Popo stopped abruptly and gives the armor cladded man a look. "Hmmmmmm….Why should I?" Dart gives a puzzled look. After all of that about King Albert and him being a sign, Popo questioned them about joining. "Ahahaha. Seriously, you're going to be joyous about the king being in your presence and then you're going to wonder why you should let us into your little group?" Haschel questioned. " Serafino gives a smirk and then adds, "It should be obvious that we mean well. We want to unify Serdio and bring an end to this war. We're trying to find a way into Black Castle so we can help you all. It is our mission. It's what we must do. If we don't, King Albert's life may be in danger, as well as the other citizens of this country. Do you understand. . .It's imperative that we get as much help as possible." Popo gives Serafino a stern look and begins to think for a minute. "Fine…You can join. Under one condition…."
"And what would that be?" Serafion questions.
"That you all make it back alive."
"Yes. You can rely on us to do that. Everyone will come back alive."
"And as the first method of help, I will lead you to the secret path into Black Castle."
"What?!"
"Remember, this is a fort, so this has some connection with Emperor Doel's castle. They forgot that there were tunnels that lead underneath the castle from here. So they would've never suspected anyone to simply creep through the tunnels and make their way into the palace."
Dart gave a small fist pump in excitement. "Yes! Now we can find that bastard Lloyd and make him pay for what he has done." Albert gives a small wave, alerting Serafino to move over to him. The young knight didn't take any time to make is way over to his king. Serafino leaned over and listened carefully. "We cannot go just yet…" Albert began. "I'm not well and I need a little while to recover some of my strength. Not to mention, this medicine needs to work its magic on this infection. Serafino nods and then relays the message to the rest of the group. Rose gives a small snort and says, "Now we have to cater to the King's needs? I figured that he was going to slow us down." Serafino, shot Rose a nasty look. "Watch your mouth, woman." Serafino said in a low threatening voice. "I will not stand by and listen to you disrespect my king….Do you understand me?!" Rose paid Serafino no mind and made her way over to the king. Albert looked up and into Rose's cold, dark eyes. "If it will make you happy…I will move forth in my current condition." Albert says as he begins to stand up. "Since it seems a person such as yourself seems to completely disregard the fact that I am injured. I'm not sure if you're trying to test me or simply single me out, out of sheer spite…but i'll play your game. Let's go." The dark clad woman gives a small chuckle and begins to make her way towards Popo. Serafino's eyes widened and he extended a single arm. "Are you sure?! You're not in-" Albert turns around and responds with, "I'm sure. I can move forth. It's not a problem at all. I'll be fine." Serafino's expression changed from surprised to concerned in a matter of seconds as he now watched the group gather around the Serdian Party leader.
"Are you ready folks?" Popo began, "Now it's time to begin a new chapter in our story. Today shall be the day that the struggles of the citizens of Serdio come to an end!"
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