I could scold my brothers twenty times a day, and they’d still forget the most basic manners. Just like what Lancelot kindly demonstrated. I really wanted Galahad turn the floor into the real thing and have Lancelot discover his worst fears all over again.
Also, I apologize beforehand if I don’t live up to your expectations of the perfect guy. I’m nothing close to perfect. I still don’t know why Lance likes to describe me like that.
The king just chuckled at Lancelot. I shot him another glare before resuming an expressionless face. I turned to the king and asked, “May I ask what our quest shall be?”
“Of course, of course. You, tell them about their quest,” the king ordered a page who was standing in the corner.
He straightened up and pulled out a scroll. He read, “Knights of the Eternal Fountain, your quest shall be one to the edge of the Darklands directly west from the capital. There, you will find the Witch of the North Northwest. She has started to lay plague on this land. Crops are starting to fail, rivers are starting to dry, and the animals are dying. Her minions bewitch the people and take them away to her fortress. If you can rid the land of her and her minions, your reward shall be as follows.”
The page took in a deep breath. I knew it must have been difficult to say so much in one breath. Father used to make me do that to practice my speaking skills.
He continued, “Ten thousand gold liras for each knight, including redemption from taxes for five years. Each knight will receive a gold medal of recognition from his Majesties, and a choice of armor and jewels from the treasury.”
My mind went blank. Ten thousand liras was a huge amount of money, probably enough for us to live lavishly for twenty years. The fact that we could each get that much and not have to pay any taxes for the first five was overwhelming.
Galahad was probably attracted to the offer of armor from the royal treasury just as Lance was to the jewels. They all had their own crazy hobbies. I understood Galahad’s need to feel protected, but one day, some robbers would come and steal every single treasure that Lance had. He probably had enough to fill a whole trunk. I still had absolutely no idea where he hid those precious jewels he collected.
The king seemed to take our reaction very seriously. He motioned for the page to continue. The boy glanced at the script and said, “Also, as a reward, the Knights of Eternal Fountain shall be allowed to serve the royal court.”
I froze.
“Excuse me, your Majesty?” I asked, hardly believing my ears. The page repeated his sentence.
If there’s one word I hate, it’s “serve”. We were a free group, dispatching the troubles of all people, no matter their status. Serving under people would be like selling our freedom.
“I’m sorry, your Majesty, but we are a symbol of freedom,” I said, trying to keep calm. “We serve no one but ourselves and our beliefs, so I’m afraid we must turn down your offer of service.”
“But you do not know the privileges of serving us. Not only would you have food and shelter, your every need will be tended to. Everyone would know your name and sing in your honor for years to come. Instead of ten thousand lira just for this quest, you could double the salary each year,” the queen stated.
I exchanged a look with my brothers. They had the same stony expression on their face as if daring me to go on. I raised my eyebrows just slightly to show them what I thought before turning to the seated king and queen.
I took a deep breath and said, “Thank you, your Majesties, for all your offers. We will go on this quest to rid your land of plague, but, with all due respect, please, keep the reward. We do not serve to live in pleasure. Our mission is to ensure the safety of the people, and we’ll not live in comfort while others suffer. Honor is not important, and neither is wealth. Your country shall be restored to its peaceful state, but we shall not return if your only wish is to bribe us.”
With that, I turned and left. No soldiers stood in my way. I felt a bit uneasy walking out on the king and queen like that, but I really hated it when people tried to buy us like we were property, or like we were slaves.
I clenched my teeth and stormed into the stable. Hans was waiting patiently, nibbling on a carrot that some random person had so thoughtfully put there. I pressed my forehead to his, trying to calm down.
Galahad and Lancelot bustled into the stable after a moment or two. Galahad cheerfully said, “That was so cool, Arthur! You were like one of those heroes who protect their beliefs and stuff!”
“But couldn’t you have accepted some reward? I mean, thirty thousand liras! I was almost going to be the richest peasant alive!” Lancelot said.
“No, taking their reward would only mean we would have to accept their offer as well. We can earn our living by other means,” I firmly replied.
We saddled up and rode out of the capital. The people must have heard that we would rid the land of the witch, for we received many presents. I tried to return them all, but when you have two brothers beside you, happily accepting everything, you sorta give up the attempt.
We went out of the capital from the north side. I thought that was the most reasonable exit, since the witch lived in that direction.
Something kept nagging at me in the back of my head. I felt like I had overlooked something really important. Father would’ve scolded me dearly for a mistake like that. Always be attentive and alert of your enemies’ every move. That’s what Father thought the key of success was. In truth, it did save me tons of times, so I didn’t blame him.
The gate silently closed behind us. Immediately, the hubbub of the capital disappeared, as if the gate itself was a door to another dimension. The atmosphere outside was eerily quiet, occasionally disturbed by a shrill cry from a bird. The land was desolate unlike the east side from where we came from. The trees were old and weary, slowly crumbling away into dust. The grass was yellow and dead, the earth parched and cracked. A small path stretched out in front of us, barren and deserted.
“Do you think this is the witch’s doing?” Galahad asked.
I shrugged. “Maybe, or maybe it’s just some natural disaster.”
“Hey! Look at this!” Lancelot shouted, waving us over to a large ancient tree. He was staring at a crude carving on the trunk. The three of us crowded around it, trying to think of what it meant.
It was a five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Strange markings lined the inside of the circle. Galahad traced the markings with his hand and said, “They look a lot like magic spells.”
“Magic? Are you sure?” I asked, studying the carvings. They did seem to look familiar, but I didn’t recall seeing Galahad using them before.
“Yeah, all you have to do is trace it with your finger. See?” Galahad leaned forward and moved his finger along with the lines of the image. The marking emitted a gold shower of sparkles before vanishing.
“What’s the spell for?” Lance asked.
Galahad scratched his head and replied, “I’m not sure. I think it was a summoning spell. You can summon people and stuff if there’s another symbol close by, and all you have to do is draw the thing. You wouldn’t even need a magician.”
I felt dizzy. The world was spinning around me, gold sparkles twirling everywhere. Memories were rushing by, dashed by specks of gold. I struggled to keep my breath under control.
Gold. What did that remind me of? The gold liras that we were offered. The golden crowns. The golden thrones. And then…
Without thinking, I leapt onto Hans and shouted at my brothers to follow suit. They might have sensed my alarm because they followed quickly without a word. I took the lead, urging Hans to race faster down the path. Galahad caught up with me and shouted through the wind, “What’s wrong?”
“The spell. It’s a trap,” I shouted back, focusing on the land ahead.
“What’d you mean it’s a trap?” Lancelot asked from my left.
“Remember that white door we passed? It had a tiny golden symbol on it. It looked exactly like the one you traced, Galahad.”
He paled. “You’re saying I summoned whatever was behind that door?”
I nodded and replied, “The symbol on the tree was a trap for knights. They would probably act just like we did and draw the symbol. Then whatever’s behind the door would be summoned, and it would destroy the person.”
“But how’d you know the thing behind the door was dangerous? Couldn’t it be some person who was supposed to help us?” Lance asked.
I shook my head. “I just remembered. I heard a—”
A long howl sounded from behind us. It sent shivers down my spine. We turned and saw something huge floating towards us.
I gulped and finished my sentence. I said, “I heard the howl of Jack, the giant killer.”
I knew I should have realized that the king and queen had had a smirk on their faces when we’d left.
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