The Shadow Of The Ice Kingdom
Part 2: The Black Horse
The father left his family behind as he wandered around the forest. He approached another small village a few miles from the one he had left. The sign read, “Quark Village.” The man opened a door, walked to a counter, then sat down at the bar. The bartender said with an accent, “Hi, Sam. It’s been a while since you last came here. Do you want the usual?” Sam replied, “Yes. I have had a lot of fun lately and need to relieve some of the stress on my shoulders.” Sam had a few drinks. A young lady approached him. “Hi, handsome. My name is Beth. I see that you are not from around here. So, what brings a strong, handsome man like you to our bar?” Sam smiled. “You are very beautiful, but unfortunately, I have sold my soul to another woman. Though, even if I were not married or attached to my wonderful woman, I would definitely fall for a beauty like yourself.” She walked away with a wide grin. The bartender smiled. “That was very smooth of you. It seems you haven’t lost your charm. How is your family doing?” He replied, “They are fine. We just had a few unexpected incidents that I won’t talk about here. Let’s just say that things are going in a much more exciting manner.” The bartender walked around to the back, and the two of them headed into the back room. He locked the door behind them.Down the street, a royal soldier and an entourage rode to the gates of a castle. The wealthy elite lived within the castle walls. The village sparkled with the glee on the people’s faces. Fine clothes hung on the market racks, while gold, silver, pearls, and gems were sold by the shop vendors. The soldiers marched into the throne room. The king spoke up. “What is it, Wallace? What brings Queen Marianne’s personal bodyguard to my kingdom?” Sir Wallace responded, “Your Majesty, my queen Marianne’s husband, the king, has been murdered. Someone escaped from one of our surrounding villages and might be hiding in one of your kingdom’s surrounding villages. We are asking around among the many other kingdoms throughout the entire continent. The wanted man is Sam, the village hunter and skilled former cavalry knight.” The king replied, “Robert the Third has been slain? He was a great friend of mine! This is not good news. I grew up with him. We were best friends from the age of twelve. We went to church together. He was a very strong warrior and general. Sam? Sam killed him? Wasn’t Sam the knight who fought to save the king’s life on multiple occasions? Why would Sam, who had directly stood side by side with the king, suddenly decide to murder him?” The royal bodyguard stuttered. “Umm... well, I am new to this, and I had no idea what Sam was like during his time in service to the king. He served briefly during my first three years. I do, however, believe that people change, and people, even if they stand or fight beside you for your life, might be doing it for a personal agenda. I have known people who were like that.” The king said, “I believe that you must be right. I will have my soldiers patrol the villages for Sam’s whereabouts.” The bodyguard said, “Thank you, King Henry. We will be on our way now.” The royal bodyguard and his soldiers left the kingdom.
King Henry walked upstairs, entered his personal bathroom, stripped down, stepped into his hot tub, sat, and thought to himself, “I don’t know if I can believe what Wallace said. I ordered my soldiers to search for Sam and his family.” A knife slit King Henry’s throat. The water turned dark red. A dark figure bolted out of the room, ran to the nearest window, jumped out, landed on a black horse, and disappeared into the wilderness. The dark figure arrived at a small inn located far on the outskirts, next to a road used by traveling merchants, wealthy elites, and wanderers. The dark figure walked up to the counter. The clerk slid an envelope to the person in a black hooded cloak. The person looked inside the envelope and smiled, took the keys out, then walked toward the door in the back. They walked down a flight of stairs. The horse turned into black smoke outside and then disappeared into thin air. A few days passed. Wallace and his soldiers rode their horses back to Queen Marianne’s castle.
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