Of the two officers, both are large and well fit. The largest wears the markings of a ranking officer and the other a subordinate. The ranking officer trots up to the knight on his horse, then speaks,
"I am Reginald, captain of the guard. I have been informed that you are Sir Anthony and that you are here to meet the king to ask his permission to slay the dragon. Is this correct?"
"That is correct," answers the knight.
"Then leave your horse, all weapons, and all your belongings with this stable boy. He will take good care of them until you return."
"Very well," the knight answers.
The knight does as he has been told and removes his dagger from its sheath and places it in a pouch next to his sword which is already strapped to his horse along with his shield and his other few possessions. The captain then gestures with his hand to come forward and says,
"Follow me and my aide."
They then enter through the huge metal gate and proceed to walk through many chambers, the captain leading with a torch, the knight following behind him, and the captain's aide, also with a torch following behind the knight. Echos of their footsteps resonate off the brick walls. Still more steps always leading down. Again, the knight thinks, perhaps a question can be answered. So he asks,
"Oh captain, and how long has this dragon terrorized this kingdom?"
"Save your questions for the king, Sir Knight," the captain answers.
Still, no answers, thinks the knight. Finally, they come to a smaller iron door with several guards posted on each side of it. The captain then looks at the knight and asks,
"Have you any type of weapon on your person? Even a small paring knife? Anything that could cause harm?"
The knight answers, " I have nothing of this sort."
The captain stares directly at him for a moment. He then slowly walks around the knight with his torch examining him carefully. When he is sure the knight has told the truth and has no weapons he then turns and gestures to the guards. Six of them then begin to pull a long chain, coming from the ceiling, which slowly raises the door. Even though the door is small, it is very thick. The knight wonders, why does this king need this much protection? Is the dragon this fierce? It seems the king is a prisoner in his own castle. With these last thoughts, the captain and the knight begin to enter the king's chamber.
Before entering, the captain is greeted at the door by several guards with arms drawn and the king's herald close behind. The herald meets the captain and whispers quietly to him as the knight waits behind the captain. Then the herald now turns and waves off the guards who then withdraw there arms as the captain, the knight, and the herald walk into the chamber. The king can now be seen seated on his throne in the center of his huge chamber surrounded by even more armed guards. His head is drooped forward as though he is asleep. Before entering too far the herald turns and tells the captain,
"Wait here." He then carefully approaches the king and speaks upon kneeling before him,
"My lord, your captain has brought a knight that seeks your council." Slowly the king lifts his head, looks at the herald, than looks at the knight for a moment, and nods his approval, then droops his head again. The herald bows and moves back to the captain and says,
"You may proceed".
"Stay here," says the captain to the knight as he turns and moves forward. He slowly walks up to the king, bows and carefully moves beside him. He then bends down and whispers gently into the king's ear. Several minutes pass during this communication and several times the king raises his eyes and stares at the knight. The captain finally backs away, bows, and returns to the knight and says,
YOU ARE READING
Don't Kill My Love
FantasyA man is deeply in love with a beautiful woman, but a jealous king won't allow their marriage because he wants her for himself. The king plots a devilish scheme to turn the man into a dragon and use him as his pet.
