Here is the new chappie. Hope you like it.

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Chapter 03:   The red riders

Tiuri got up and stared at the dead knight. After some moments of hesitation he turned around and ran towards his horse. He had a task to do and a mission to fulfil. He had to bring this letter to King Jonathan of Tortall, a country far away in the west. Tiuri wondered how he should go on now. He couldn't go back. It would take too much time and he would have to face questions he could not answer. His mission had to be kept a secret. But he had to send a message to his parents. Otherwise they would start to worry and search for him. And the knight had to get a funeral. He just couldn't leave him here. People had to know that he had been murdered. 'It is the best to ride back to the inn. It's not far away and I can tell the host what happened. He will be able to send a message to my parents.' A moment later he was on his way and felt much older than he had just moments ago.

After a while he heard the branches being broken and saw a man on a horse riding towards him. He was clothed in armour, with a helmet, a coat of mail and a sword; he was prepared for a fight. His shield was red like blood.

'A red rider! One of the riders I saw tonight! One of the men who killed …' Tiuri noticed that he wasn't carrying any weapons with him. But he tried to keep his face even and pretend that everything was fine.

The red moved to the side to let Tiuri pass by. Tiuri rode towards him, his heart beating fast, but before he passed him the rider spoke up: "Hey, friend! What are you doing in the forest so early? Where do you come from and where do you go?"

"That's my business. Good morning." Tiuri rode on and expected to be stabbed in the back at every minute. But nothing happened. Tiuri breathed a sigh of relief, but he didn't dare to turn or to ride faster. Then he heard the rider call again, but he didn't understand what he had said. Now he turned around and saw that a second rider had arrived. Both looked after him. One of them called again and Tiuri could hear that he got an answer from far away. Tiuri became worried and let his horse run faster. Soon he noticed that the riders followed him. He urged his tired horse to go faster, the inn couldn't be far away.

Suddenly there was another red rider on his right side who told him harshly to stop. Before Tiuri was able to answer he noticed another rider on his left; he could hardly escape. Now he really was on the run. And suddenly the whole forest seemed to be full of red riders who hunted him. They rode after him and demanded him to stop, which he of course refused. He let his horse turn to the side in a desperate try to get away from his persecutors.

He didn't know how long he fled, he only knew that he didn't want to be killed like the knight with the white shield. After a while he noticed that he had put some more distance between himself and his pursuers. But he knew he couldn't go on like that much longer. The horse was tired and he faced a superior number of enemies. Fighting was out of the question, he wouldn't even stand a chance with a sword, not to speak of fighting unarmed. Suddenly an idea came to his mind. He jumped off of his horse, slapped its backside and let it run away alone. He climbed on a tree and hid behind the leaves, waiting to see what would happen now. Some riders passed under his tree, but they didn't notice him.

After a while he heard them shout from far away. Now he could move again. He climbed down and strode carefully through the forest. After a while he found, to his own surprise, his horse grazing calmly. "Good boy. Come with me to the inn. There you'll get something to eat." He mounted the horse and rode on to the inn, this time without having to face the riders.

"Oh great gods, what happened?" The host cried out. He had been busy cleaning his inn when Tiuri entered.

To say that Tiuri looked untidy would have been an understatement. His former white shirt was torn and dirty. His dark brown hair was tousled and he had several scratches all over his body. Two guests were eating at one of the tables and looked as surprised as the host.

"Did you find the knight?" The host asked.

"I found him." Tiuri answered seriously.

The host watched Tiuri closely and frowned when he noticed the ring on his hand. "Isn't that ring ….."

"The knight with the white shield is dead."

"What do you say? Dead? Did the other knight win the duel?"

"It wasn't a duel. He has been murdered."

"Murdered!"

"Please, listen to me. I don't have much time and what I have to say is of great importance."

The two men had stopped eating and listened as well. One of them asked: "Has something happened to the knight who arrived here yesterday?"

Before Tiuri could answer the door was thrown open and a hash voice shouted: "Who is the owner of the horse out there?"

"This young man."

"That's right. It's my horse … no, it isn't …" He shut up. He knew that voice … the true owner of the horse! It was the voice who had called after him when he had taken the horse, not knowing that it wasn't property of the old man.

"NO, IT IS MY HORSE! AND YOU ARE THE THIEF WHO STOLE IT LAST NIGHT!" The huge man came towards him and grabbed his arm.

"No, I didn't steal it. I only borrowed it. Please let me explain …"

The man was far too angry to listen to him. "Now I have you, you thief. I followed you the whole night. I just wanted to leave when I saw MY horse in front of this inn. But now I have the thief as well."

Tiuri broke free of his grasp and shouted: "I am no thief! I wanted to give it back to you. Listen to me and I will explain."

"I don't believe you. Explain yourself in front of the judge. Now you'll come with me to the town."

The town? He couldn't go back to the town. He would loose too much time. And he couldn't explain anything. He had sworn to keep it a secret. "I will not go with you to the town. Please, listen. I had an important message to deliver …"

"Nonsense. You could have asked me to lend it to you. Now shut up and follow me."

"No, wait a minute." The host called out. "He has to tell me something. What about the knight with the white shield?"

"The knight is dead. I ask you to take care his mortal remains. The red riders murdered him. It had been a trap."

"Why does this interest me? He is a thief and I want him to be punished!" The owner of the horse shouted.

"But we talk about murder!" The host exclaimed.

"He can tell this to the judge as well."

"But the knight …"

Tiuri didn't wait for them to ask more. He broke free again and ran away, into the forest. They could think that he was a thief if they wanted, but he wouldn't let them bring him back.

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He was on the road again. He had been able to get rid of his pursuers by hiding in a tree again. He was starting to love trees. Then he had remembered the knight's horse and went back to get it. He had met a boy in the forest and had given him his belt, which had been a present from his mother, as a message to his family. Now he could be on his way without feeling too guilty because of his parents.

The horse was black, beautiful and fast, but he had difficulties mastering it. After he had put enough distance between himself and the inn, he stopped and tried to figure out which direction to take. He decided to follow the broad way west, that would surely be the best. He found some bread in the saddlebags and the horse led him to a small spring, so both could drink. "You are a very clever horse. I thank you for leading me to the water."
The horse snorted in response. Tiuri was surprised that the horse acted as if it understood what he had said to him. He had never met such an intelligent animal in his life. 'This will be an interesting journey. How much can happen in one day. If nothing had happened, I would be knight by now ….. if I had passed the Chamber. And now they think I'm a thief. Fate works in strange ways from time to time. A man died because of this letter. I wonder what could be so important to be worth the death of a man.' Tiuri stared at the way in front of him. 'I have the feeling that if I go on, if I really deliver this letter, nothing will ever be like it has been before. Things have already changed today. I have changed. What will be after this journey? Who will I be?'

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