Chapter 5
Topher had been pacing back and forth. It had been hours since his queen had been escorted out of their prison cell. He was not sure what to think of the promise from the dwarf administrator that had taken her away. At first, it had made him feel like she would be safe but as time went on, he became more and more worried. He assumed that the promise of a dwarf was something of honor. If he were wrong, then his queen could be in trouble. He did not like how this day was starting out. There were making such great progress on the map and the resources they would need to escape that he had found himself feeling hopeful. That, however, was fading as the hours ticked on, and his queen did not return.
Several times he just wanted to order his men to charge out the door, overpower the guards and then rescue her. It was what he should do as a general, assuming she was in trouble. His biggest problem was that he just was not sure. If she were not in danger, then any action he took could cause their planning for an escape to be set back.
Back and forth he walked, thinking and sometimes mumbling. He was so intent that he did not see the looks on the squad's faces. They too were getting worried, and the general's pacing was not helping them. Still, back and forth he walked, always thinking 'I will give them just 15 more minutes.'
Finally, he could not wait anymore. She had been gone all morning. The noon meal would soon arrive, and he wanted to act before then. He turned to face the squad.
"Alright, listen up, Queen Bellfourth is obviously in trouble, and we are going to attempt to rescue her." He barked out. However, before he could continue, the door opened, and Queen Bellfourth entered.
Topher quickly walked over to her as she closed the door. "Your Majesty, we feared something bad had befallen you and were just getting ready to rescue you," He said with concern in his voice.
Sara looked at her general with respect. "Thank you but that will not be necessary. As you can see, I am unharmed."
"Yes, I see," Topher said. "Did you learn what the Dwarf King's plans are?" It was then that he realized that when she came in, she was not escorted by a dwarf. "And what happened to the dwarf that escorted you back to the prison?" He found it odd that the dwarves would not have an armed escort bring a prisoner back to a prison cell.
Sara took a deep breath before speaking. "About that, I have some good news and some not so good news."
Topher had a look of concern on his face.
Sara continued. "The good news is that I found an armory. If you look on our map, that area we thought was a square is a practice field, and there is an armory there."
Topher said, "Well that is great news. We are one step closer to our escape. So what is the not so good news?"
Sara gave him a funny look. "We do not need the map, never did."
Topher was completely confused now.
She continued, "It seems we were prisoners only in our minds. This is not a prison, and we were always free to come and go as we please."
"But what about the guards?"
"They were there to protect us, not to keep us inside." She went on to explain what King Rolland had said about Valtori and how killing a queen would mean her entire kingdom would be her Valtor or revenge. She went on to explain how the king was going to have them all killed when they stood before him but when he found out she was a Queen; it changed everything.
When she was done, Topher said, "So when the Woodsman told him you were a queen, he was not betraying us, he was saving our lives?"
Sara smiled. "Yes, he was."
"But why have we not seen him these last four days?"
"Because we locked ourselves up in this building. Remember, he lived among these people before. He made friends with the King's son and has been spending time with them. In fact, he will be in a tournament this afternoon at the practice field. We are all invited to come watch."
"So they want us to believe that we are just free to walk right out that door?"
Sara nodded. "Yes, in fact, if you look, you will see the guards are gone. They were there just until King Rolland could put out a decree about us. If anyone harms us, he will be our Valtor."
Topher was thinking this over and was just getting ready to order someone to look out the door when a knocking interrupted his chain of thought. Everyone looked at Topher and Sara. Topher indicated that Mohana, who was closest to the door, should answer it.
When he opened the door, they all saw a dwarf with a load of weapons in his arms. The dwarf entered the room and was followed by two more, also carrying weapons. These dwarves walked over to the table and reaching up, placed the weapons on the table. They then said something dwarvish and turned and walked out.
Topher stood there for a moment. He recognized the weapons. They were their weapons, the ones they had turned over to the dwarves when they first met the patrol.
As Topher turned to look at his queen, he found her looking at him with a smile. She said, "I am not saying I fully trust the dwarves yet, but so far, he has made good on his word. He suggested that I walk back from the palace on my own so I can get a feel for the city. I used it to test my supposed freedom. I took several turns and back allies and never once was I followed. I am starting to think that we are not prisoners at all."
"Well, what about the mission?"
"He has agreed to help us and give us safe passage. It appears that they see Queen Hellicus as a threat too. He told me that some dwarves can see visions and one of the visions are that if Queen Hellicus is not stopped, then she will kill all life on Anon." Sara left off the part about how the vision said Queen Hellicus was to be defeated.
Topher now had a happy, surprised look on his face. "Well, that is good news."
"Yes, it is. So I say, for now, let us get these weapons sorted out then get something to eat. Our administrator friend suggested that instead of having a meal delivered to us that we should wander the city and try some of the local fair. Then we can meet up at the tournament."
That sounded like a good way to test their new found freedom as any he could think of so he ordered everyone to start handing out their weapons and putting them in their gear. He also told them to take their dagger and hide it under their shirt, just in case they were not as free as he thought.
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