The Heroes of Armagh

6: Getting collected

Chrim:

Chrim woke up when the door to his room was ripped open and a few soldiers came in. He recognized them immediately as royal soldiers and he was considering fighting, but he also knew that they were not alone and that it would be futile.

"Dress and follow". One of the soldiers said and Chrim did as he was told, while he wondered what this was all about.

He had heard stories about the former king gathering people with special skills and using them for strange experiments. But he wasn't sure if it was the truth and the old King had been dead for almost 20 years.

The current king was an uncertain and timid man, who didn't do much else than sitting in his castle, getting fatter and fatter while his people starved.

"You can not take my main attraction. What will a poor man do? Am I going to starve." Abram followed them complaining as they lead Chrim out to a waiting closed wagon.

One of the soldiers pulled a leather purse from his belt and threw it on the ground before Abram. It sounded heavy with coins and the arena owner threw himself greedily at it.

Chrim was pushed into the van. He had thought it was a prison wagon, but inside it had soft padded seats and he sat down in surprise. Then he turned his head toward the soldier who had to shove him in. "Where are we going ?"

But he got no other answer than a shake of the head and then the door was closed. Shortly after the coach set in motion.

Levi:

This time it hadn't been such a terribly long time, when the cell door again flew open and someone came in and grabbed him. Levi blinked in the dim light of the basement, when two people pulled him out of the cell.

"I wonder what the King wants with a thief ?" He heard one of the guards say to the other. The king? He looked around confused and saw that it was two royal soldiers dragging him along.

It wasn't customary to send royal soldiers to execute an ordinary thief like him, or alright maybe not quite ordinary, but still just a thief.

As they dragged him out into the yard, he had to close his eyes, even against the gentle late afternoon light. It was too long since he had seen daylight.

"What do you want with him? He's just a common thief". One of the castle's soldiers asked, but he only got a grunt back. Levi would actually have liked to hear what this was about too.

He opened his eyes to see a large enclosed carriage. It could have been a prison wagon, but then he was pushed into it and tripped, almost falling down on a soft seat.

"Uhh welcome". A voice sounded and he looked up confused. There was a man sitting on the other seat. He was tall and muscular and seemed to be about his own age, with bright blue eyes and long blond hair tied back with a leather cord. He looked like a warrior in top condition.

Levi managed to sit up right. There was plenty of room in the wagon and even his long legs could fit without problems. "Eh thanks, any idea what's going on ?"

"No I'm afraid not". Chrim replied and looked at the man who had just been thrown into the van with him. He was tall and lanky looking, probably because of his lightly emaciated state. He looked like someone who had not eaten properly for a long time.

The hazel eyes, with the suspicious edge looked intently at him. He was dirty and his hair hung in thick dark curls halfway covering his face. Chrim kindly extended his hand. "I am Chrim, by the way."

"Leviathan, just call me Levi". He replied and shook the other man's hand before he moved into the corner and pulled his legs up to his chest, as if to protect himself.

Chrim had noticed the star that was burned into Levi's wrist. A wound that still hadn't healed completely. So a thief, he thought, wondering what this is all about.

Gaia:

It was late evening when she heard the sound of a wagon and a herd of horses approaching.

Her father, who had been looking for firewood came rushing through the door. "Gaia you must flee now, it's the kings soldiers".

"What do they want here ?" She ran over to the window and looked out. There actually was a bunch of royal soldiers riding into the yard.

Her father had started putting food and a few other different things in a bag and was now pushing her towards the back door. "I love you darling. Get going. Hide in the woods".

"I love you too dad." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and opened the back door to escape, but ran directly into a large wide soldier who grabbed her.

Her father tried to pry her loose. "Release my daughter. She hasn't done anything, she's just an innocent girl".

But her father was just pushed to the side and the soldier pulled her toward the wagon. She saw that her father came running and she cried. "No, Dad, don't do anything stupid".

"Do not worry, we will not harm your father." Said the soldier, who seemed to be in charge of the me. and Gaia breathed a momentarily sigh of relief. Then the door to the wagon was opened and she was thrown inside.

Levi did just manage to seize the young woman, when the soldier threw her into the wagon. "Hey, that's no way to treat a lady".

Gaia felt a pair of long arms grab her and hold her, so she wouldn't fall to the floor. She looked up confused, into a pair of warm hazel eyes. "T..thank you".

"No problem Miss". He released her and she settled herself on the seat. There were two men in the wagon. The man who had caught her was dark and rather dirty. The other was light and looked strong.

"Gaia, just call me Gaia". She said.

He nodded and pulled the long legs up to his chest, retiring into the corner. "Levi".

"Hello I'm Chrim". Said the other man with a big friendly smile, and held out his hand to her. She shook it and sent him a smile back.

The wagon set in motion and she withdrew into the opposite corner of where Levi sat. "Do you know what this is about ?"

"No idea". Chrim said and Levi shook his head.

She looked around, the wagon was comfortable and did not look as a prison, but she did feel kind of like a prisoner.

They sat in silence for a while and she watched her companions. Chrim sat with legs slightly apart and forearms resting on the knees. He looked attentively around sometimes, but seemed to be deep in thought most of the time.

Levi was sitting in the corner. The long legs curled up against his chest. At first he seemed absent minded, but something told her that he was more than usually aware of all the sounds from the outside and most likely tried to figure out where they were going.