A/N: Hope you don't mind the flood of new chapters.. - Please excuse the unimportant bulls*** as I attempt to make sense of events that happened 200+ years ago in order to push the plot forward. I went and make up a whole backstory so I could leave clues for our heroes.. not that it really matters. Not all of it, anyway. (I put waaay to much thought into fanfiction.) - Random fact, this really is where we get the term 'landlord' from.
~A History Lesson~
They walked in silence, the centicore trotting behind like a happy -albeit oversized- puppy.
Beyond the walls now, they crossed over vines covering stonework and grass taking over the dirt roads, even passing the odd tree sticking up from the roof of a cottage or two.
"What is this place?" She asked, shivering, crossing her arms to keep her hands warm, keeping herself from rubbing them up and down her arms. Weather-wise, it was a typical summer day, with typical summer heat, though it wasn't nearly as suffocatingly hot out as the day they met. That didn't stop the place from tingling her nerves in just the right way that made her feel cold both inside and out as soon as she had stepped over the crumbling wall.
"This is a much older castle than you're used to." He murmured. "We're in the village."
She looked up at him, confused. "Inside the castle walls?"
"Aye. The King ruled over the people who lived here, as well as the Lords of the land who controlled the farms in his name."
"Where were the farms?" She was curious now.
"Mainly close, like you're used to. Just outside the walls, usually, though they could be anywhere the King owned land. I'm sure you know this-"
"Lords are normal men who somehow win favor and title from their king, being granted land of his to take care of, finding employees to do the actual farming which provided the castle and village with food, cotton, grains for bread or beer, and so on."
He turned his head to grin at her. "Aye."
"Where were his soldiers? His army?"
"If I were to guess? Likely living in the castle, in barracks made specifically for them. They were likely forced into the job by age if they didn't volunteer."
"No wonder his reign didn't last."
"Actually, this was fairly common before the first ogre wars. But this king would have been the worst you could imagine, even in that time. Possibly having young, pretty maidens from the village join him in his boudoir late at night, any refusal was punishable. But that was only rumor. Scholars know for a fact that he was a portly man, from an over abundance of food and beverage, even during the harsher harvests for his people. He overtaxed his people, as well, but wouldn't allow them to leave. And neighboring castles would fear him for his use of excessive force."
She shuddered at a thought. "Did he ever marry?" She never would have wanted to dance with him at her own ball if he were eligible.
"You'd think that would be a known fact. But it's unclear. This region used a language no longer spoken. Scholars, back when they cared about this history, had trouble deciphering most of the documents. If there were any survivors of this miserable place, they left after the king's death and never looked back. Any wife he may have had likely died with him."
She halted at what appeared to be a crossroad, causing him to stop and turn toward her. She knew her face must show the shocked understanding she felt. "You mean they would have killed her, too." He nodded, patient as ever. "Why kill the queen?"
"Back then, women weren't known for much other than being the link to a man's children. My guess, she'd have been killed on the off chance she carried his seed. An heir could not be tolerated."
She cocked her head, suddenly feeling shy at her next question. "Were you… alive back then?"
He smirked. "Technically, I might have been. It's difficult to tell. I don't come from this realm. My childhood isn't comparable to this realm's history in the slightest, so it's a bit tricky to compare timelines to discern my real age."
She managed to learn something new about him. He wasn't from here. "So, where do we find this supposed magickal thing?"
"You did make an excellent point earlier." He said, nodding up to the castle further up, on a hill overlooking the village. "Why would they bury a much hated king?"
-x-x-x-
All her training could not have prepared her for the trek they made just to reach the actual castle doors. The hill had gotten much steeper than she had anticipated, and she was nearly out of breath when they breached the castle walls.
Time was not on their side. They immediately started moving, room by room and floor by floor, searching the rotting castle for clues.
She groaned when they opened the doors to a grand ballroom.
He chucked at her. "Seen enough ballrooms of late?"
"I'm just not sure we're making any progress here. Daylight is wasting, and I do not want to sleep here."
"Emma." She turned to him in surprise. He rarely used her name, and she knew it was his way of getting her attention. "Just getting here, we've surpassed obstacles. The loss of our horses, evading strange soldiers, fighting famine… all a feat in itself."
"I don't feel very accomplished."
He grinned. "You're alive, aren't you?"
She raised an eyebrow and turned her eyes back to the room.
"Yeah, but I might not be if we have to search this room."
Thank you for reading!
