Kingdom of Creatures [Discontinued]

Chapter 4: Forbidden

Ze stood stiffly at his position by the entrance to Zyrille, drumming his armored fingertips against the flat edge of his axe nervously. James shot him a look, exchanging worry between the two. They both knew that if somebody had seen them run out of their stations after those two strange men like they did, they'd be fired for sure.

"James." Ze huffed, letting his palm wrap tightly around his weapon. "Why d-"

"Look, Steven." James retorted, using his name to give him the hint that he was being dead serious. "I'm not losing my rank just because I saw some shady guy. Just relax. Nobody saw it, and I don't think we left long enough for any thieves or other guys to slip in. So just leave it alone."

Ze swallowed, frightened by his outburst and decided to keep his mouth shut. He had thought about saying something else, slightly parting his lips, but when James grunted loudly, he shut them immediately.

Ze didn't want to lose his job as a knight. He loved it, and he knew James didn't want to lose it just as much at this point. But if anyone knew they'd left their spots without an actual obvious threat, they'd get kicked out in a heartbeat.

"You two." A husky voice demanded from behind them. They swiveled around, finding an angry wizard in front of their eyes. "Come with me. The king needs to speak to you."

"But what abou..." Ze started to ask about their stations, until two more guards had turned the corner and took their places without a word.

"What does he want?" James asked, a twinge of worry sparking up in the back of his mind.

"Now." Seamus beckoned to them as he started towards the steep steps up to the castle, without an answer, where an enraged king waited impatiently for their arrival.

-

"I brought them, as requested." Seamus said, stepping to the side as the doors swung shut. Ze stared in awe at his surroundings since he had never been in the castle. The light trims of gold sparkled on the walls, giving it a magical feel. Paintings lined the walls up to Jordan's throne, with a red carpet and statues of felines paving the way. The king sat there, restlessly examining his sword, edge to edge. When Seamus spoke, his eyes shot up.

"Go on, you two." Seamus growled, using his magic to thrust them forward. A purple aura wavered around them, suddenly forcing them forward. Their feet skidded across the floor as they were propelled right up to Jordan's feet, stopping abruptly.

Jordan glared down at them, not saying a word. Ze gulped, hoping that the worst would not be expected.

"You two... I've been hearing you chased after two random civilians earlier." He began, sighing calmly, his fingers brushing lightly over the cold face of his sword. His eyes pierced straight into Ze's, making him want to cringe. "Do you have anything to say about that..?"

"They didn't look very trustworthy." James claimed sternly, holding his decisions to be right.

"Just because someone may look a bit... strange, doesn't mean you can chase them down."

"I'm just trying to keep things safe around here."

"Safe does not require you to go after two people, who may be innocent, and leave your positions unguarded for actual criminals to sneak in while you're gone."

"But that didn't happen-"

"That does not mean I will take the chance." Jordan's voice was slowly becoming more demanding as he rose out of his seat. "You two are to follow orders and what we tell you not to do."

"We are supposed to protect the gates, right?" Ze broke in, attempting to stay calm and not bring the argument further. "...and, if we had seen the two as a threat, wouldn't that be an obvious reason to go i-"

"Quiet." The king's voice yapped agressively to shut him out. "You could have put us in greater danger."

"Nothing happened!" James argued, his jaw twitching faintly as he gulped with a hint of displeasure.

"Don't give me that shit." James looked startled at the king, never hearing even a hint of a swear word from him. He backed down, keeping quiet with a tense look. Ze's eyes flew from one face to the next, not knowing what to make of this situation.

"You two are not to participate in the upcoming ceremony. I forbid you too even show your faces anywhere near it. I have enough to worry about at this time without you two running about." Jordan's eyes slowly closed as his head dropped to look into his lap.

Seamus' expression had a sudden shift as he heard those words, but was hidden once again. James grit his teeth as he looked at the wizard, not wanting to give him satisfaction from what he had to suffer for.

"But..." Ze murmured, his voice fading out slowly. He didn't want to spark any more arguments, but didn't want to face the news that shot him straight through the heart. All his hard work and excitement put to rest in a matter of seconds.

"Now, I want you two out of my sight." Jordan waved his hand languidly, his eyes never meeting theirs. Seamus' smirk bore into the back up James' head as he turned to walk away.

"We can't do anything about it..." Ze said to James, who only stormed off without a word. The doors slammed shut with a purple sparkle around them as Ze stood on the front steps of the castle, his faced dazed.

Well, shit. That just happened.

-

"Now what will you do?" Seamus turned his head to look up at the king, his pleasure still visible on his face no matter how hard he had tried to hide it.

"...There are many other knights to choose from. Besides, I don't have to give any of them the 'big honor' this year. It's a rare thing. Maybe it'll never happen." Jordan hesitated, knowing he still wanted those two at the ceremony. The edges of Seamus' mouth slowly dropped as he looked forward.

"There's always something to do. And you'll know what's right."

"What happened..?"

"What do you mean?" Seamus returned his gaze to Jordan.

"One day, you want nothing to do with my decisions, saying I know nothing. The next, I get rid of the two best knights because of you, and you claim to think that I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Maybe I've just seen the error of my ways." Seamus crossed his arms behind his back contently. "Maybe I had forgotten what a wise king you are in the moment and have been reminded."

"I will never know what is going on in that mischievous head of yours, and I am slightly afraid to know, but I still trust you and your decisions."

"And I'm happy you decided to follow my advice and get rid of those two."

"And if I regret it?"

"I'm all you need, Jordan. Whether it's a thief, a troll, or another dragon, I'll be the one taking it down. I'm the 'right hand man', remember?"

"I guess." Jordan shrugged and examined his sword once again. "This better not take a turn for the worse."

"Trust me."

Seamus walked off, leaving Jordan with mysterious thoughts. Whatever that man was up to, and why he was watching Ze and James in the first place. How was he so persuasive in making him decide to get rid of them? And what was his motive?

He didn't know. And the thought had frightened him. It was better to just let things act out and not ask questions. He sighed and threw his head back, rubbing his eyes tiredly.