Chapter 3: Unbarring Octave

I arrive at Prontera castle to be greeted by the same barren castle. I would have thought the King would call upon the legion of knights at his disposal to guard the palace but it was not so. I entered and made my way back to the King's hall. There King Tristam the thirteenth and several knights awaited me.

"My Lord, why have you not increased the security for the castle?" I inquired.

"There is no need. I do not want to begin a panic in the town. I will bring this up at the meeting tomorrow. Beatrix and yourself will be all the security I will require. By the way sir Aki, there is something of greater concern." The King replied.

"What is the matter?" I responded, eager to learn what could be of greater threat than an attempt on the King's life.

"Something you should witness with your own eyes. I will let you draw your own conclusions. Visit Maxell and begin interrogation of the assassin. Alone." The King looked very disturbed indeed. "Do not tell anyone what you learn, for it could cause insurmountable diplomatic problems for us."

"Yes your Majesty, I leave now. I will guard this hall and leave your inner chambers in the hands of knight Beatrix." I made a glance at the female knight who stood by King Tristam the thirteenth. She had an eyepatch, but her insight in battle was unmatched, as were her swordsmanship skills. She was one of the fastest agility knights, quicker than even assassins, wielding both a Muramasa and a Masamune. She was a laid back yet very well mannered knight, and I had enjoyed undertaking several assignments with her over the years, although we were usually separated in order to keep teams balanced. I kneeled and left for the jail cells. So many thoughts flew through my mind that I had to concentrate on just getting there.

"Who goes there?" Shouted Maxell, with great authority. Maxell was a strength knight, wielding a large zweihander in his hands, and a katzbalger on his back. He was dressed in a legion plate and seemed very tense. "Oh, sir Aki. My apologies, some of us are very on edge. You must be looking towards a promotion after saving the King's life."

"That is not really on my mind at the moment Maxell. Things just fell apart tonight and I am lucky enough to have been there. The King has ordered me to interrogate the prisoner alone. Can you let me in?" I asked.

"Sure thing. Of course in this case, I'll let you enter with your weapons and just holler if you need any help, or when you're done." He jiggled his ring of a thousand keys, and let me into the jail area. "Down eight cells to the right."

I hopped into the jail area, a place that was not as dank and poorly kept, as people would think. It was a well-lit area and did not reek of any smell. The prisoners here were well behaved – they were not the raving barbaric criminals that are stereotyped. Most of these people were most likely caught botting or kill stealing. I neared the cell that held the assassin and my fists clenched. I wanted to get a clear look at this character and make sure he knew that if I had my way he would be sleeping with the phens. I put on an intimidating face and let myself into the cell. The cells near the back area had their own doors and were used as interrogation rooms as well, so that neighboring inmates could not eavesdrop.

The first thing that happened was that I fell down onto one knee. I could not tear my gaze away from the head that hung low on that chained body. Despite not having the face revealed by that light blue hair, how could I not recognize the villain in front of me as the person I had taken into my home and became friends with. All that could escape my lips was "why?"

"I'm sorry, it wasn't supposed to happen this way Aki. Go home." She did not lift her head even to look at me.

"What do you mean? How was it supposed to happen? Were you supposed to kill my King and then have the meeting called off and have me escort you back to Morroc? Or were you planning to hit and run?" I was glad she had her head lay low because I could feel my eyes watering. "Or were you supposed to die by the sword. I noticed that the only equipment you had on were agility boosting ones. Not even a neutral headgear to protect you from a stun. A kamikaze assassin."

"Just. . .go home Aki." Riyu whispered croakily. I could not believe her insensitivity. Not even a decent explanation. "Please Aki." This time she looked up and I could see her red eyes begging me to comply. I said nothing and got out, slamming the door behind me.

"Maxell!" I shouted angrily, "Get me out of this death trap."

I returned shaken to the King's hall and spoke with Beatrix, explaining what had just taken place. She advised me to remember my duty to the Knighthood and to not attempt any kind of request for leniency on behalf of Riyu. She was right, how would it look if one of the King's trusted knights asked him to have mercy on someone who tried to murder him in cold blood? There should be no mercy for Riyu, she knew what she was getting into, and she obviously chose to follow her orders and kill the king and me if necessary. The choice was obvious, coerce Riyu into revealing any hidden or complex plans and if resistance is met, torture should be left open as an option given the dire circumstances.

"Beatrix, when will a proper interrogation take place?" I asked, pacing along the marbled floor of the King's hall, my eyes lost in the sea of green as I looked past my own reflection, searching for answers to questions seeping into my head.

"Tomorrow as soon as sun breaks, before the guild meeting. Hopefully results can be extracted without hardship and shared with the guilds in order to decide upon a course of action. In the worst case scenario, we will have to root out some traitors within the guild alliance and deal with them as soon as possible." Beatrix replied, a steadfast resolve in her voice. She was very decisive, brought up to believe in absolutes and to abide by the law word for word. She had no mercy on her enemies, and no compassion for offenders.

"Should I attend the interrogation?" I asked, stopping in my tracks to look at Beatrix expectantly. I had predetermined her answer to be distressing yet I had to ask still, but instead her reply held no interest.

"If you choose to do so, then it is entirely up to you. I am not one to judge your emotional bias, although I would advise against it. You are a squadron captain and you have every right to be there on the other hand." She shrugged and began to talk away, her heavy embossed plate bouncing with her stalwart stride.

" I see. Thank you Beatrix." I rested my left gauntlet upon the engraved hilt of my Excalibur, and made my rounds.