"You know," said Hassan, "I can't help but feel that I've met you before."
"We met at the tower," I said as we crossed a bridge over the river.
"No, like we've met before then."
"Ever been to Shiena?"
"Yeah," he said. "There's a bazaar there."
"Maybe we ran into each other there before." As I glanced at Hassan, I noticed that he certainly looked familiar. It is possible that I had visted previous bazaars in Shiena, except I could not remember ever setting foot in that town before yesterday. I kept pondering where I had seen this young man before.
"Here we are," he said.
I looked around and before us was a clearing in the woods, while behind us was dense forest. A crude hand-painted sign read
Caution- Wild Horse
"So where's the horse?" asked Hassan.
I looked around. I then saw a flash of white.
"Over there," I said. I approached the horse, who had white fur and a fiery red mane. The horse suddenly ran away. I kept coming after the horse, but the horse just kept getting away.
"I have an idea," said Hassan. "If we keep chasing after it, it might run off into the deep woods. But if we can trap it on both sides."
"Good idea," I said.
I went one way, while Hassan went the other way. I could see the horse.
The horse saw me and run in one direction. Then I saw it running in the other direction. We tried to surround the horse, but then the animal managed to slip away.
For a while we thought we lost the horse, but then the horse had run into a dead end, surrounding by steep slopes that it could not climb.
"Okay," said Hassan. "We won't hurt ya."
The horse approached Hassan and extended its snout. Hassan walked around the horse.
"It's domesticated," he said. "Notice the reins."
"Yeah," I said, seeing the reins on the horse. I had been to busy trying to catch it to notice there were reins. This horse must have been domesticated, and got lost or something.
"I think he likes us."
"So you're checking him out, eh?"
"Haha," said Hassan. "We should name him though. How about Falshion."
"Falshion?" I asked. "That's an awesome name." I looked and notice the sun was setting. "Let's get back to the castle before dark."
"Shall we go, Falshion?" asked Hassan. We both led Flashion east towards Reidock Castle.
It was dusk by the time we reached the front gate of the castle.
"Where are you going with that thing?" asked the guard at the front gate.
"We're bringing it to the courtyard," I said.
"You don't expect me to let you bring that animal into the castle?"
"We do," I said boldly.
"I'm going to look the other way," said the guard. "But if that thing soils the floor, we're all gonna share a cell in the dungeon."
"We're just taking it to the courtyard," said Hassan. "It's only a few feet from here."
And so we led Flashion through the front gate and into the courtyard in the center of the castle.
"is that a horse?" asked the old man.
"We found him in the woods to the west," said Hassan.
"Now this wagon could be put to good use."
"What are you two doing?" I heard.
We looked and saw General Soldi.
"Uh, well, sir," said Hassan, "he can explain."
"We noticed that the castle did not have a horse to pull the wagon," I said. "So Hassan and I went and found and tamed a wild horse in the forest. We worked together to catch him."
"I see you are one of the recruits from earlier today," said Soldi.
"Yes, sir, I am," replied Hassan.
"You two have shown that you can work together. Teamwork is very important in His Majesty's Army. Hassan, I am going to appoint you a soldier."
"Yes, sir," said Hassan. "It will be an honor to serve this kingdom."
"Very good. Get some rest you two. Tomorrow morning we will attend a briefing with the king."
"We're meeting the king tomorrow?" I asked.
"It's a very important matter so you'd better be there, or else you'll be spending your enlistment in the dungeon."
"I still have my leave, right, sir?"
"Be back by 0900 tomorrow."
"Okay."
oooooooooooooo
I made sure to purchase a copper sword and a suit of leather armor since I was now a soldier and needed better equipment than a club and wayfarer's clothes. Then using a Wing of Wyvern, I returned to Lifecod that evening.
"Brother," said Tania, greeting me outside the house. "How far have you gone?"
"I've enlisted in the Reidock Royal Army," I said.
"Wonderful."
We went into the house.
"Tomorrow I have to go meet with the king."
"That is such an honor," said Tania.
"Yes, it is. But that could mean I won't be seeing you for a long time. I could be away for weeks or even months."
"Do you think you'll be sent off to combat?"
"If the king himself is brieifing us, it's very important," I said.
"What if...?"
"We'll worry about it if it happens. I have to be back at the castle tomorrow morning."
"Be careful, brother."
oooooooooooo
I had another dream that evening. I was living in Lifecod, and Rand and I were not getting along together so well.
oooooooo
Using the Wing of Wyvern, I returned to Reidock Castle the next morning. Escorted by guards, I was led upstairs to the throne room.
It was a huge room with a single throne. To the left was a door leading to the royal chambers. As I looked around, the whole place looked very familiar. But how could I have been here? TYhere is no way any artist can paint a picutre that looks identical to the real thing, and yet I could feel that I have been here before.
"The king will be with us soon," said General Soldi.
Then some more people went inside. The one person who stood out was this blond-haried man wearing a crown and fancy clothes. He was certainly older than me, but not so old as to be considered old. We all kneeled before our lord and king.
"Arise," said the king, and we did.
"Your Majesty," said Soldi, "how may we serve you?"
"We know of a magical mirror called the Mirror of Ra," said the king. "It has the ability to reveal the truth. In our prior battles with Mudo, he has always managed to slip away when cornered. But if we acquire this Mirror of Ra, we can track him wherever he goes. I have sent a message to the northern border checkpoint to let you pass. Your orders are to search for and retrieve the Mirror of Ra and bring it back to the castle. Dismissed."
"Yes, my lord," we all said.
Soldi apporahced me and Hassan.
"You may use the horse and wagon," said the general. "You two hold great promise."
"We won't let you down, sir," said Hassan.
We went down to the courtyard where the wagon sat.
"The general told me about you two," said the old man.
Hassan and I attached the reins and the yoke to Falshion. We then both sat in the driver's seat, and the horse pulled the wagon out of the castle. Within a ferw minutes, we were out of the city, heading north. We saw a road sign.
Northern Border Crossing 10 Miles
An hour after leaving the castle, we reached the checkpoint on Reidock's northern border. There were some soldiers posted there.
"We got the message from Reidock Castle," said the soldier. "You may pass."
Falshion pulled our wagon through the checkpoint and we continued on, heading north and east.
ooooooooooooo
A few hours after leaving the northern checkpoint, we came across a wooden cabin. I noticed some construction materials next to the cabin.
"What a primitive place," I said. "Who would live in such a hovel in the middle of nowhere?"
"Maybe this fellow living here knows where the Mirror of Ra is located," said Hassan. "Wouldn't hurt to ask."
And so I went upo to the wooden door and knocked. This short man answered.
"Visitors," he said. "What do ye want?"
"Well, sir, we're looking for the Mirror of Ra. It's this magic mirror."
"Have you come to build the extension of the cabin?" he asked. "I've been taking the longest time to build it, what with having to hunt for food and all."
Hassan took a look and the construction materials next to the cabin.
"I can give you a lead if you can help build me cabin," said the man.
"I don't know anything about building things," I said.
"Let me take a look," said Hassan. He looked at all the boards and nails and hammers and stuff. "This is how it's done."
And so Hassan took a shovel and started digging. Hethen started typing logs together and nailing boards. I watched as he did his work.
It was less than two hours later that he managed to finish the structure, which was a shed.
"Woe," I said. "It would have taken two days for most construction crews to build something like that. Where did you learn the trade?"
"I...I don't know," replied Hassan.
"Well, thank you for your assistance," said the man.
"What can you tell us about the Mirror of Ra?" I asked.
"I know nothing about that," said the man.
"Then whaty did I build that shed for?" asked Hassan.
"Hold on," replied the cabin's owner. "To the east in a small sandy area is the entrance to a tunnel leading across the strait. On the other side is a road leading to the Dhama Shrine."
"Dhama Shrine?" I asked.
"A lot of pilgrims go to Dhama Shrine. Perhaps you can find information on this mirror that you are looking for."
"Thanks," I said.
"You're welcome."
So Hassan and I climbed aboard the wagon and Falshion pulled us east. It took only a few minutes before we reached this huge sandy area just about a mile from the coastline.
"So where is this tunnel?" asked Hassan. "I don't see it."
"We'd better take a closer look," I said, getting off the wagon. I walked around, my feet sinking into the sand. I ekpt looking with my eyes, and yet I could not find the entrance to the tunnel.
"Yeaargh!" yelled Hassan.
"Hassan!" I yelled. "Are you all right?"
"i'm down here!"
I looked and I saw that Hassan had fallen down into a pit.
"Looks like I found the tunnel," he said.
And so I went down there with him, leading Falshion with us. I lit a torch.
The tunnel looks like it has not been used, and we were attacked by monsters such as slimes and babbles and baby goyles. I had to cast Heal several times after we took one too many blows from the monsters. Other than that, there was not much to see or do in this tunnel and soon we saw the light.
He emerged onto a grassy plain. We could see the strait in one direction. In the opposite direction was a road, so we traveled eastbound. Soon we came across a wooden sign.
Dhama Shrine 10 Miles
It looked like this would mean that it would be another hour before we reached the Shrine.
"I'm thinking that we should get something to eat," said Hassan. "I wonder what they serve at the shrine."
"I'd eat anything at this point," I said. "I had a really light breakfast this morning. Still, you got to be a lot hungrier after building that shed, and you did a very good job at it."
"Yeah, I did."
Our journey was typical, with just a handful of monster attacks.
And then we came across something.
It was a huge hole in the ground.
"Did we take a wrong turn?" asked Hassan.
"I..I don't know," I said. I peered over the hole and I could see a landscape below. "I think I know that this is."
"What is it?"
And so I explained to hassan what happened when I went to pick up the Spirit Crown.
"That's crazy," he said.
"Well, we might as well jump in and find out."
"No way! You're crazy, man. BNo way I'm going down there."
"Well, there's soimething strange about the world below, but if there's a chance of finding the Mirror of Ra down there, I'm gonna take it! You can follow me or stay behind."
With that, I jumped down to the world below.