Retrieve the Kingdom

Questionable Help

“What do you mean?” 

The king asked, clearing what just the messenger said. He took a deep breath and look at his king. “They caught one of the carriages that have some of the slaves and some person that can help us capturing the mistress.” King Dougal smiled, which would probably be categorized as a smirk, but that smile was the rare one, the one he only saves in the happiest of situations. 

“Where have they stationed them?” He asked as he stands up, preparing to go out of the throne room. “In Knoller sir, they found them heading in Mottram. They are waiting for your official command, in the meantime, they stored them at the nearby station in Knoller and imprisoned them. They are already questioning the rescuer, as part of the routine.” 

“Tell them to juice the information out of the person, don’t kill it yet. Also question the slaves about it. Squeeze them until they can’t say anything anymore. Don’t do anything other than those, wait for my further commands.” The messenger nods and bows before he left the throne room. 

Andrei walks away, acting normally as he let the messenger passed by who is in a hurry. He decided to follow the messenger quietly. He grabbed a robe which is just hanging on a hat stand and continued following him. He was stopped by the guards. “Why are you leaving the castle, Prince Andrei.” He groaned. 

“I am just gonna wander around first, let me out or I’ll say it to my father.” With those words, the guards suddenly made him pass. They were already afraid to be shouted at again and worst, be fired on their jobs. The prince walks around as if he is while the guards are looking at him. As they cater another person who wants to enter the castle, he made his move to the bushes and suits up on the robe. 

Because the messenger’s small carriage was black, he blended in as he boards on the small horizontally placed board. He made sure to hold on and be covered a lot. The messenger prepared as a cloth was draped in front of him. He was confused at first, but it will be his advantage. 

The carriage starts to move, faster than his carriage could have. He grips tightly at the bulky designs of the carriage. There were a couple of bumps and hard turns that shaped the cloth to his figure, but gladly it was night and few people are in the streets at that time. 

It was a fast journey since Knoller is near Driessen, the travel just went for 15 minutes and with the messenger’s fast cart, they arrived earlier than personal carriages and even cart bus. They are at a checkpoint, the guards let the messenger pass as the carriage moves again. Finally, they arrived at their final destination, the Knoller Barracks. 

The carriage was parked inside the grounds of the camp. As the messenger leaves his vehicle, Andrei looked around and slowly makes his way on a pile of boxes of weaponry. In the darkness, his eyes follow the messenger making his way into the building. 

He traveled the narrow path that was made by the boxes as he was still blending in the darkness. With the help of the trees, he successfully sneaked through the doorway. 

The halls were empty since most of the guards were either outside or inside of the rooms, especially where the captured people are. He easily navigated to the last floor of the building, at the end of the hall, the messenger is talking to the general in charge. 

Since the halls were well lit up, he can’t go in the room or even go near it. He went into an unknown room and hid inside the cabinet, which is full of clothes. It was near the door, so he can hear the footsteps of the messenger. 

He was already nervous and ask himself why he even ended up here. Since the king knows that he may be in the archduke’s home, he wouldn’t find him for the night and even suspect where he is. The guards who saw him will be already taking their last hour and go home and will be replaced by the night guards. 

The thing that bothers him is how will he rescue the people who were captured. Or even if he retreats, how can he possibly go out here? He decided not to retreat and just do the best he can. There’s no point of return this time, and as a prince, he will do this for his citizens. 

A series of fast footsteps was heard, it was the messenger, but some other people follow, which he can hear them talking. “Let the general deal with the situation first, he is the calmest than most of us.”

Loud laughs emerged. “If I was him, I could have beaten his head on the wall, at least he will remember vividly who is that veiled lady.” They laughed again, which pissed the prince. The second most annoying thing about them aside from their intentions leading in number one is their laughs and how they love doing what they can do. 

The voices and footsteps fade as the army men went downstairs. As Andrei saw everything was clear, he decided to go out of the closet and go closer to the room. It was two regular barracks room wide and has two doors. Andrei decided to sneak at the door far away from the two people in the room. 

“Who do you work for?” A deep male voice asked, it was stern and firm, a voice that speaks in serious and you don’t want to get a problem with it. “I will not say anything.” Another male voice said, as stern and firm as the questioner’s voice. 

Another voice emerges from the room, meaning that the general the others are talking about is not alone. “Come on, tell us, you don’t want it hard.” A swish of a dagger was heard and the shine of it can be seen. Andrei will not like what will happen.

“Kill me or not, I will not say anything.” The man resisted, he was determined with his principle. “Tell us why did you do this.” One asked, changing the topic. “Because I need to, this is my destiny!” 

The one who threatened him spoke again, “Your soon-to-be destiny will be this dagger on your face if you don’t say anything about your mastermind!” The slim and tall man stopped him and calmed him down. “How did you say so?” 

“Because I need to save the ones you are tormenting, punishing for no reason! And this is what you get from cheating on our deal!” The man who was tied on the chair was gritting his teeth in anger and his eyes were swollen. 

“Oh yes, you are the leader of the guild we are having our supplies on.” The slim man nods, “What’s your name?” He calmly asked. “I am not saying anything!” Suddenly he roared in pain and screech in absolute torment as the companion of the calm general suddenly slashes the dagger on his face, making a big diagonal scar on it.

He screams in pain as the general confiscated the dagger. “Did I said anything to do that?” It was not a shout of domination or anything that generals usually do. It was just at a normal volume but it made his companion froze. His words were terrifying, even he is calm and composed. 

He puts the dragger on one of his pockets. “Your dagger is now confiscated. I can do anything I can for your disobedience, but you are lucky I am not that type of person, get out of this room!” 

He pointed at the door near them, he was furious. His companion nods as he went out of the room. Inrush, Andrei suddenly went in and hide behind a table. The general was distracted so much that he didn’t hear any of the noise made by him.

The man was bleeding, half of his face was covered in blood. He was still screaming, even his other eye was shut since it was cut also by the blade. The general grabbed some cloth soaked in water and wiped the blood on his face. “You will not experience just that, you will experience more agony, so don’t whimper like a pup.”

He said as the cloth was covered in blood, that’s how much he bled. “Even I die, I will not say anything. The good,” he coughed, “will not be discovered. Even you made the last hour of my life miserable. At least I did something good while I was alive. Unlike you, heartless monsters!” He said as he pants. 

Andrei pity the man, it was the poorest situation one could get, at the hands of his father’s army. He wished he can do something right now, but he can’t, he will just wait until the general is gone. 

Minutes of waiting, the general decided to call it a day and left the room. Andrei slowly approached him, “Be quiet, I’ll save you.” He said as he gets a blade on the floor he saw earlier. He cut the rob that tied the man in his place. “Don’t bother, kid… I will die sooner, I am happy that I am one of the people who saved the slaves… Even though I brought harm on the other 5.”

Andrei looks at the imprisoned people. All of them were women, 3 are young adults and 2 are in their adulthood. They were looking at the ground, there was no hope in their eyes. 

“No, I will get you out of here.” He said as he freed the man. He froze as he heard the door opened. He saw the general standing. In a minute, he didn’t do anything, seized him nor call the other men of his own. “I see the prince is being the hero.”

He was just frozen, he raised his hand surrendering. “Why are you raising your hands? Go on, save them.” He looked at the general, he was confused. “Aren’t you supposed to capture me or something? Tell my dad about it? Anything?”

The general just smiled, “Go on. There’s a gate at the back, you can go there and take some carriage there. None of you have any problems with their legs so you’ll be safe.” He opened the window and he grabbed a rope. He tied it to a pole and let it down. “You can take this rope.” 

Even though Andrei was confused, he assisted the man and let him go out of the room by sliding on the rope. The general unlocked the prison cells and assisted the ladies out of there. They all went down the room as Andrei was the last one to go. 

“Please, go out of here alive. Don’t waste the chance to get out of here. I hope you have a place to hide them. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Andrei looks at him, “Why are you doing this?”

The general smiles, “Let’s just say I am one of the soldiers of the good.” A simple answer but it didn’t satisfy Andrei. He was about to ask again but time was running. “I’ll… See you soon, I guess.” He slides down the rope as the man already took a carriage to be their vehicle. 

“I’ll drive.” The man said as Andrei lend him his robe. “You’ll need this.” He accepted it and equipped it. The man whips the horse as they went on to their way, away from the nightmare they are from.

The next day, the king was excited to go to the barracks to get a close look at the prisoners. He wants to ask them face-to-face and even vent his anger at them. In a surprise, the messenger came again, but the king was expecting another good news.

“Good morning, what you have for me today?” He cheerfully said, but the looks of the messenger were the opposite. “The prisoners escaped, my king!”

“What!?”