Part 3
"Father what's happening", William demanded. "We saw Jonathan's horse on the courtyard."
"Has this man news for us of Jonathan's whereabouts", Gregory asked with hope shining in his eyes.
"My sons", King Jeremiah said and sighed. "This man is a hunter and he tells me that your brother is missing and assumed… fallen."
"What", Arthur said in a low voice and the smile and hope on Gregory's face died away.
"I saw your brother tumble down a cliff", the man said and turned to the four princes. "I am really sorry your majesty", he turned to Jeremiah. "He was hunted by Howard's men and they shot him in the shoulder and he fell off the horse. He tumbled down the cliff and down into the river below. When I got down to the river all I found was this pendant."
"No", Gregory said and shook his head. "No father, Jonathan is not dead!"
"For the moment it looks like it…" Jeremiah sighed heavily. "I'm sorry my sons. We have to prepare for the battle that will be here in three months."
"But without help we will lose", Scott yelled, feeling devastated for the loss of a brother who wasn't his brother for real or was he?
"We have three months to find help", William said. "I'll talk to Benedict, the scientist. Maybe he has a clue to how we save our kingdom."
"I will search by and over the seas", Gregory said and straitened. "If the attack comes from there we will be ready for it."
"I'll ride out again; I shall search the mountains and the woods", Scott said. "The help is out there somewhere and I shall search for it." He noticed how the old man looked at him with a sly smile and the man also had a strange glow in his eyes that was almost amused. Suddenly the old man blurred and Scott saw… something. It was a very unclear shape and he couldn't make out who it was at all or if it was even a human. He tried to focus his eyes even more but that only made the vision worse.
"Father", Arthur said softly and woke Scott from his daze. "Maybe we should try to find help in magic."
"Absolutely not", Jeremiah roared and rose from his throne. "Magic is dangerous and we don't know anyone who can perform it." The old man looked at the king with an odd cold look and Scott also saw a trace of sadness on the old man's face.
"Arthur is right father, maybe we should search for a magician", he said never letting his eyes leave the man. "Howard is a warlock, maybe a powerful sorcerer is what we need."
"Arthur, you shall stay here", Jeremiah said and turned to the window. "Kent and Tina both have the power to look into the future I want you to stay around them and tell me about everything they say; anything of it may be use for us."
"Yes father, I shall do that."
Out on the courtyard Scott looked at his three brothers and sighed.
"So our paths will yet again lead us away from each other", he said softly.
"We will see each other again", William assured the others. "You shall see."
"Be careful brothers", Gregory said and hung with his head. "Please don't end like Jonathan."
"He is not dead Gregory", Arthur said and glared at all of them. "Someday he will ride in through our gates again, you'll see. He will return with his head held high and the thing we will need to defeat Howard. You shall see, Jonathan will return!"
"Arthur your faith in Jonathan is incredible", William said sadly. "But this time the one who always return will-" He was interrupted by a high noise. It was a horse screaming in sorrow. "What in the name of God is going on", Gregory roared when he saw two boys trying to hold Jonathan's black horse.
"This horse is mad by grief my lords", one of the boys said. "We don't know what to do."
"Let him go", Scott said and felt his heart go out to the poor creature. "Let him run free now when his master cannot ride him any longer."
"Yes my lord", the boy said and they cut the ropes and the horse took off before anyone could stop it.
"Poor horse", Gregory said. "He always knows where to find Jonathan but now he doesn't now and that must make him crazy."
Scott looked after the galloping horse and felt the longing to follow the animal, maybe the animal could bring him to Jonathan. But he startled when he saw that old man again looking after the horse as it passed by. Then the man looked at Scott and was suddenly young again.
"We need you", the man said in a familiar voice but Scott couldn't put his finger on who it was. Scott blinked and when his eyes opened again the old man was gone.
"It's time for us to leave", William said with a sigh and brought the attention of Scott again. "We meet here again after a month."
"Ride careful my brothers and please find help", Arthur said and waved goodbye to them as they rode out.
Scott was really beginning to wonder if he really was Samuel, he had been in this fantasy world for almost a month. While he was searching he realized that maybe Howard would try to kill him like he did to Jonathan. So he had traded his clothes for old rags and worn boots. He didn't look like the prince he was. Many times he could swear he had seen the old man from the castle but it couldn't be… could it? And sometimes he saw that blurry vision of another man or woman or animal… whatever it was. Suddenly he left the woods behind him he found a small hill with an old frail cabin. Outside the cabin was a horse that Scott recognized right away. It was Jonathan's horse! Scott galloped over and jumped off his horse. He ran up to the cabin and slammed the door open.
"Jonathan", he called into the darkness. "Jonathan are you in here?"
"Well met my friend", a calm voice said and Scott saw an old man in rags and with white hair and a big white beard. "Are you searching for someone?"
"I'm sorry", Scott said and felt how he blushed. "I thought that I in this house would find... someone else."
"And why my friend would you think that?"
"The horse outside your cabin it is the horse of someone I know."
"A very wise animal", the old man said and smiled. "He knew you would follow him and look after your brother here. Then I have glad news for you. I am the help you are seeking."
"What?"
"I can help you defeat Howard because I know his weakness."
"You do", Scott yelled and walked further into the cabin and his looked at the old man. Even though he was an old man, that looked ancient even, he stood very tall and strong.
"Yes I know everything your highness."
"What did you call me?"
"Nothing my friend, I'm just an old man talking rubbish. Isn't that what you told your brother when he listened to his teacher?"
"Please you told me you can help me… come with me to the castle."
"No", the man turned to the cauldron over the fire and stirred in it with a wooden spoon.
"What?"
"I can't help you if you are not complete."
"What do you mean? I am complete!"
"You are missing something, something you love more than anything."
"You filthy…"
"Go now and don't return until you are complete again!" The old man pointed at the doorway with his spoon. Scott felt a chill go up his spine when he locked eyes with the old man. He then realized that this was the same man that was in the castle telling of Jonathan's death and… had he talked about Scott searching for his brother? He never mentioned that to the old man.
"Now wait just a minute-"
"Go", the old man roared and Scott felt how his feet left the ground and he flew out the door and landed on his backside. The cabin door shut with a bang and Scott sat up on his horse again. He put his heals to its side and galloped away. He thought he heard a whisper in the trees:
"Find me Samuel, save me and don't give up on me… Please Samuel don't give up on me."
"Jonathan", Scott murmured under his breath and felt tears prick at his eyes.
Prince Arthur walked down the hallways; he had had some really disturbing dreams the past nights. He had always been in a glade surrounded by dark trees and he had been enveloped in mist. He had tried to move but his feet would not listen. Then he had seen a shadow and a voice he recognized had called for him. It had called:
"Help me Arthur, you must find me, you are my only hope, please don't give up on me Arthur, please, find me I can help us. I've find a way please save me. I know the way Arthur but I cannot walk it alone. Please Arthur… help me."
He had realized it was Jonathan calling for him and that made him even more determent that his brothers was alive. The only thing that worried him was the pleading and devastated tone in his brother's voice. The last sentence was worst because when Jonathan said that he had reached out to Arthur. Arthur had stretched out for Jonathan but the ground underneath Jonathan's feet had started to crack. When he said help me, Jonathan fell through a crack and Arthur had been too slow to save him. Arthur walked around a corner and collided with his brother Gregory.
"Gregory when did you get back", he asked and smiled softly.
"I just came back", Gregory's eyes were filled with pain and sorrow. "I couldn't find anything at all. I think my heart has started to give up hope. All I know is that the seaway to our kingdom is safe from anything Howard can throw at us. At least that is keeping me from not give in to despair."
"I've had a strange dream Gregory", Arthur said as they started to walk down the hallway together. "In it Jonathan is calling for me, telling me to save him and not give up hope on him."
"Just like Samuel told us Jonathan did to him?"
"Yes", Arthur sighed. "Do you think he is still alive?"
"I don't know, but I dare not hope so."
They looked out at the courtyard and saw that William was riding in with a man behind him on his big grey horse.
"Who is the man William has brought home", Arthur asked both of them ran through the corridors and down the stairs to meet them.
They caught up with William outside the throne room.
"William it is good to see you back home again", Arthur said and felt his older brother put his arm around him.
"It is good to be home and I brought the scientist Benedict with me. He says that he may have found a way to defend our kingdom and defeat Howard."
They entered the throne room and King Jeremiah smiled at his sons. They all reported and then every head turned to Benedict. The small scientist held out a painting in front of the king and his sons.
"This is a ballista my lords", he said and took out another. "And this is a catapult. Howard is using magic to make sure that the projectiles never miss their goal and that their damage is a hundred times stronger than normal. We must build catapults of our own that can destroy his."
"But what if Howard uses his magic to destroy them", Arthur asked. "Do you know a way to make them safe from magic?"
"No my lord I don't… but I thought…"
"Well you thought wrong Benedict", Jeremiah rose from his throne. "So there is nothing you can do to-"
He was interrupted when the doors flew open and Scott stormed in, he had changed into his normal clothes again. Scott looked at the small scientist he recognized as Benedict, though the man looked an awful lot like Brains, the small scientist from his dreams about the Tracys. But this man did not stutter like Brains did.
"Samuel what in the name of God is wrong?" Jeremiah asked, fear gripping his heart.
"I've think I've found a man that can help us", Scott said between breaths. "He said he knows Howard's weakness."
"You have", Jeremiah smiled wide. "Good, good where is he?"
"He didn't want to come here father; he said something that he wouldn't help me if I wasn't complete."
"What", Jeremiah roared. "Who is this man?"
"He lives alone in a cabin in the northern woods", Scott explained. "I think… I think he is a sorcerer a-and that he is the same man that informed us of Jonathan's fate."
"A sorcerer… Samuel we cannot trust them!"
"Why not? We already know that William's scientist is to no help, we also know that Gregory's fleet isn't for any use because Howard will not come by sea and we know that no matter how long Arthur will watch them, Kent and Tina will never see the future!"
Jeremiah stalked out of the room.
"Stay away from that magician Samuel", he said in the doorway. "Stay away from him!"
Scott kicked the wall angrily.
"This man can help us and all father say is that we can't trust him", he yelled.
"Well do you trust him", William asked softly. "I mean he said he didn't want to come here until you were complete."
"I trust him because Jonathan's horse does."
"What does his horse have to do with anything?" Gregory asked.
"It was calmly eating outside the cabin… The man might know where Jonathan is."
"So you don't think he has fallen then", Arthur asked his eyes litting up with hope.
"I don't know what to think. But now I know what he meant with complete…" Scott walked up to the throne and took Jonathan's pendant and hung it around his neck. "You three will come with me to the cabin."
"Why", William asked and narrowed his eyes. "What difference would that make Samuel?"
"Brothers please hear me out… The old man told me that I was missing something, something I love more than anything. I love my brothers more than anything. Without you I am not complete. Put on farmer clothes and let's go!"
He stormed out the door and the others looked at each other. They shrugged and followed their oldest brother.
TBC Thanks for reviews