Walls Of Tyranny

Prologue

"Where are we heading to father?" asked Laurence. The horses marched along the Cliffen Road; the road that connected the village of Lourne in Eastern Bermieun to the capital -  Iosbraun. The hooves clip-clopped as they walked the dirt road towards the border.

"It's time for you to know the truth," said Jonathan whilst looking at the path, slowly transitioning to a rainy night. He was a man in his early forties, though his physical appearance showed different, looking much younger than what he should be. Laurence looked at his father in silence, leading their horse-drawn carriage to their destination, holding a rope in his hand.

"Why are we heading there in the dead of night?" Laurence asked softly. "Wouldn't it be hard to see in this darkness?"

"I know where to go Vic, now just hide inside the carriage and keep silent," said Jonathan with the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

A lantern was on Jonathan's other hand while holding the rope on another, it was their only source of light in that dark forest. Under such low illumination, there was hardly anything to be seen but the road in front of them, a distance farther and there was nothing but darkness unless they pass through it. In a not too far place from where they were, echoed the sounds of wolves howling from a distance.

"Father, was that?..." slowly asked Laurence. " a wolf?"

"Just hide in there lad, and don't make another noise for the gods' sake!" silently shouted Jonathan, the horses seemed to have caught up with the news, as they quickly ran for their lives as a reaction. Laurence breathed heavily in fear that the wolves might catch up with them soon enough, Jonathan kept calm and hid his uneasiness from within to keep the tensions from increasing that could affect Laurence as well.

Twigs from branches cracked as the horses' hooves stomped onto them, increasing the noise that made them much easier to follow, that could even give away their location to the Suran wall guards - the soldiers which guard the east side of the wall, equipped with the best there was. Jonathan would usually go to nearby the wall to get some ingredients in the forest for their dinner in the middle of the afternoon, but this night was different - it was as if someone had released a pack of wolves on purpose to chase after them. For some reasons, Jonathan had a hunch that they were being followed since earlier and was probably spotted by a group of wall guards on their way there.

Jonathan was the head of their family - the house of Aguillian, a noble family in the old Bermieun Kingdom under the reign of King Lein the Terrible. They were forgotten right after the end of the War of Three Kingdoms that was fought between kingdoms Altion, Sura and Bermieun and during the construction of the Iosbraun wall that divided the whole kingdom into two regions and everything weren't the same again after that. He wore a black leather suit, a leather cape, leather boots. His appearance still appeared noble despite their already deteriorated reputation. Many of their family members, especially those who supported King Lein in his conquests were executed in the reign of terror that was implemented by the Suran Kingdom. Though, despite all the problems that they were facing through - their son, Laurence was still given birth to in the midst of war and revolution that slowly destroyed the country at that time.

Even now, the country that was known as Bermieun exists as nothing more than just a puppet state of two kingdoms that were cruel to them, especially those people who've suffered through the dark ages of Aila.

"Father, I think this is a bad idea," said Laurence in a silent voice, enough sound to be heard by Jonathan in that little distance that the two were between.

"I know, it's bad for me but it's good for you..." said Jonathan giving another faint smile towards Laurence, obviously showing signs that he might not get through what they're about to do. Jonathan was a warrior, in the past - a general leading the king's forces in the conquests of the northern nations of Bolm and Oncluss. It was a quick victory as if their armies just walked through the territories of both the nations and were quickly taken over as part of Bermieun.