The Journey, Chapter 38 = previous chapter
Chapter 39. Knightmares
The room was loud, and bustling with chatty people, musicians playing soft melodies, the sounds of wooden clogs tapping on the floors as servants hurried around refilling cups and goblets, and offering food. He sat at the head of the table with his wife on his left, the bairns Olivia and Christopher in her arms, sleeping peacefully.The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, for the first time in a long while he felt… at peace.
Suddenly the mood shifted, the light darkened, he was standing alone, in a dark room, eyes all around him, flowing and staring, unblinking. He tried to shout, to scream out but it felt like his mouth was sewn shut. He ran panicking but the glowing eyes followed him everywhere.
The light shifted once again and he was standing in the doorway of the bairns room, their cots empty, his wife screaming next to him, distraught. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, he looked and screamed and as he saw two green yellow bellied snakes with orangey red eyes slithering out of his stomach, they dropped to the floor, looked back and hissed at him before disappearing into red and black mist.
The room darkened once again, pitch black. The glowing eyes following him. He collapsed into a heap on the floor, tucking his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around them, taking up a fetal position…
He felt someone shaking him by the shoulder, he jumped and sat up bolt right, drenched in sweat, and noticed Rubian’s lifeless white-grey eyes staring at him devoid of any expression. “My liege, are you ok?”
Thomaz shoved Rubian away from him, “Get out of my face!”
Thomaz stood up, walking over to the wash bowl he splashed the freezing cold water on his face, he shivered.
“What is it, Rubian?” He asked indifferently
“My liege, a group of Elves have been seen riding towards the Dwarven mountains, maybe they are trying to rekindle relations with them?”
“You’ve had bad dreams, Sire!” A croaky voice said from outside his room. “Elves can do that you know, through the mind… put wicked thoughts in them, they can, clever very adept they are!” She croaked with a wicked crooked smile.
“For crying out loud! Be quiet, woman!” Rubian hissed. “We’re talking about something important here!”
The hag reached up, grabbed Rubian by his ear and pulled him down, towards her, “You’d be careful if I were you, talking to the woman who raised you like that!” She croaked venomously, “Don’t I have to remind you of the punishment for disrespecting me?”
An image of him being forced to lay in a closed locked coffin full of cockroaches flashed in his mind, his whole body shuddered, for the first time a hint of fear showing in the corner of his eyes. “No, no you don’t…”
Thomaz watched curiously, a very faint smirk reaching the corners of his lips “The hag… she’s your mother?”
Rubian sighed standing up straight, “She adopted me, yes, when I was a baby.” Rubian’s body shuddered again as he said ‘baby’.
The smirk now more obvious on Thomaz’s face, “You’ve raised a deviously fine man!” The old hag looked at him with a curious wonder, but curtsied showing the king some respect.
“I don’t know anything about the Elves, nor do I really wish to. Though they are still formidable opponents, are our spies still following them?”
Rubian nodded at Thomaz, “Yes my liege, there is also something happening in the marshes, there’s lots of rumours, but no clear answers. Just something about a squadron of soldiers from King Olsen’s reign.”
Thomaz looked straight at him with his eyebrow raised, “King Olsen? My grandfather’s squadron? Why would anyone mention him, he’s not been around for ages and ages.” He grabbed his goblet and poured some wine, drinking it slowly, savouring the taste. “Dismiss those rumours, they're not important… I want daily reports from the spies.”
Rubian nodded, turning on his heels he walked out of the room
“And you, old hag…” Thomaz paused, then waited as she stepped into the doorway of his chambers, “What’s your name?”
The hag looked at him, with her usual crooked smile, “Agatha Patricia… my lord.” She replied with a hint of disgust in her croaky voice
The king looked at her, then felt creeped out by her, so he waved her away dismissively… “Leave me!”
He heard the soft patter of Agatha’s feet walking down the corridors. “Cockroaches… of all things, he’s scared of fucking roaches! Ha! I love it!”
Chapter 39. Knightmares
The room was loud, and bustling with chatty people, musicians playing soft melodies, the sounds of wooden clogs tapping on the floors as servants hurried around refilling cups and goblets, and offering food. He sat at the head of the table with his wife on his left, the bairns Olivia and Christopher in her arms, sleeping peacefully.The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, for the first time in a long while he felt… at peace.
Suddenly the mood shifted, the light darkened, he was standing alone, in a dark room, eyes all around him, flowing and staring, unblinking. He tried to shout, to scream out but it felt like his mouth was sewn shut. He ran panicking but the glowing eyes followed him everywhere.
The light shifted once again and he was standing in the doorway of the bairns room, their cots empty, his wife screaming next to him, distraught. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, he looked and screamed and as he saw two green yellow bellied snakes with orangey red eyes slithering out of his stomach, they dropped to the floor, looked back and hissed at him before disappearing into red and black mist.
The room darkened once again, pitch black. The glowing eyes following him. He collapsed into a heap on the floor, tucking his knees into his chest, wrapping his arms around them, taking up a fetal position…
He felt someone shaking him by the shoulder, he jumped and sat up bolt right, drenched in sweat, and noticed Rubian’s lifeless white-grey eyes staring at him devoid of any expression. “My liege, are you ok?”
Thomaz shoved Rubian away from him, “Get out of my face!”
Thomaz stood up, walking over to the wash bowl he splashed the freezing cold water on his face, he shivered.
“What is it, Rubian?” He asked indifferently
“My liege, a group of Elves have been seen riding towards the Dwarven mountains, maybe they are trying to rekindle relations with them?”
“You’ve had bad dreams, Sire!” A croaky voice said from outside his room. “Elves can do that you know, through the mind… put wicked thoughts in them, they can, clever very adept they are!” She croaked with a wicked crooked smile.
“For crying out loud! Be quiet, woman!” Rubian hissed. “We’re talking about something important here!”
The hag reached up, grabbed Rubian by his ear and pulled him down, towards her, “You’d be careful if I were you, talking to the woman who raised you like that!” She croaked venomously, “Don’t I have to remind you of the punishment for disrespecting me?”
An image of him being forced to lay in a closed locked coffin full of cockroaches flashed in his mind, his whole body shuddered, for the first time a hint of fear showing in the corner of his eyes. “No, no you don’t…”
Thomaz watched curiously, a very faint smirk reaching the corners of his lips “The hag… she’s your mother?”
Rubian sighed standing up straight, “She adopted me, yes, when I was a baby.” Rubian’s body shuddered again as he said ‘baby’.
The smirk now more obvious on Thomaz’s face, “You’ve raised a deviously fine man!” The old hag looked at him with a curious wonder, but curtsied showing the king some respect.
“I don’t know anything about the Elves, nor do I really wish to. Though they are still formidable opponents, are our spies still following them?”
Rubian nodded at Thomaz, “Yes my liege, there is also something happening in the marshes, there’s lots of rumours, but no clear answers. Just something about a squadron of soldiers from King Olsen’s reign.”
Thomaz looked straight at him with his eyebrow raised, “King Olsen? My grandfather’s squadron? Why would anyone mention him, he’s not been around for ages and ages.” He grabbed his goblet and poured some wine, drinking it slowly, savouring the taste. “Dismiss those rumours, they're not important… I want daily reports from the spies.”
Rubian nodded, turning on his heels he walked out of the room
“And you, old hag…” Thomaz paused, then waited as she stepped into the doorway of his chambers, “What’s your name?”
The hag looked at him, with her usual crooked smile, “Agatha Patricia… my lord.” She replied with a hint of disgust in her croaky voice
The king looked at her, then felt creeped out by her, so he waved her away dismissively… “Leave me!”
He heard the soft patter of Agatha’s feet walking down the corridors. “Cockroaches… of all things, he’s scared of fucking roaches! Ha! I love it!”
The Journey, Chap 40
Chapter 40; Trouble The ground started to get mushy, a heavy dampness in the air, as they came to the marshes. Neko looked at Loki who was sitting on Kimbo’s head with his own tucked under his wings. The wolves looked around, with eager anticipation, wanting to explore. “Is this the right...
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