"Pretty much and yes, you can't say no because that's the only way you're gonna get this show on the road," the governor said, with his voice sounding like merchant bargaining beneath someone else's halls.
"That's too unfair. Why are we even doing this?" Roland protested.
"Well honey, the world is unfair and also, it's because… you have done nothing so far but to clean the tables while the other knights are out there leading squads and inspiring kids to become fine warriors that wants to protect our country." He replied with a slow sweet tone like that of a father explaining something to his dumb child.
'But that's my job, you told me to clean… so I did it… as a knight…" Roland looked away and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath like he was about to cry and whispered, "I just wanted you to be proud dad…"
The cacophony of whispers and complaints that filled the sunlit hall faded into silence but it didn't take long until their peace was yet again broken by another shout.
"Yo, get your daddy issues out of here just like how your mom wanted him out of your lives!"
"Yeah! Your dad left you to follow his dreams and besides, our governor doesn't even have a wife!" One of the women shouted in the background, rousing the others around her.
With his enthusiasm and dreams shattered by the harsh reality hammering his head and heart out of nowhere, the governor stood up smiling as he did his best to hold back his tears. "Okay, okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves here and just-"
"He's getting old and he still doesn't have an heir!"
"Pardon sir, but I must beg for your-" Charles bit his tongue to a halt as soon as he saw him raising his brow. He sighed, he retracted his head and with a calm tone, he followed, "But I want to ask, why the fuck are you asking a knight and a high cleric to send a fucking letter to the vanguard?"
"Sir Charles!" One of the guards shouted in an attempt to stop him.
"Shut the fuck up Jerry and guard the fucking door." He shouted back and after taking a deep breath through his nose, he faced the governor once more. "I am very sorry for my words right now… but I can't quite see... the point of sending me... and this idiot over there for a mission that a farm boy could even do. Don't tell me all of our mailmen are busy doing PR work for the Heyamkris company?"
"No…" The governor lowered his head as he retreated back to his throne. He took a moment of silence and when he raised his head, all they saw was dread. "A great darkness looms over the horizon. Our lands seem to have lost its will along with the lives of the beasts that roam around it. The hawks that I've sent still hasn't come back. It truly felt that like this time, the world outside our walls had become truly unknown…"
The bright halls around them suddenly lost its golden color. Everyone was forced to push back their tongues into their throats as they waited for his words. All that they were able to hear at that moment was their own slow heartbeat and the wind singing them a slow requiem that froze their skin.
"...yeah, all of our mailmen are busy doing PR work, sorry."
"What the hell?" Roland shouted at the same time everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, I guess that's fair." Charles' tone stepped down as he resumed his dignified demeanor.
"You're accepting it?!"
"Yes. In fact, now that the subject has been given light. I think that we must go right now." Charles patted the dust off of his clothes and bowed. "Thank you, my lord, for giving me the opportunity to work with you. I've now understood the graveness of our situation and I shall take upon this glorious task to deliver your letter."
Both of them then looked at Roland.
"Yes." A moment of silence then came and both of their looks were intensified. "Hey don't look at me like that. I don't want to get jailed. Roy's over there taking notes and in fact, both of you should be jailed right now!"
"Roy." the governor said, "L-"
"You're…" Roland's lips began to curl into a smile. "Both of you guys are enjoying it and you sir, you're a fanboy too aren't you?"
"Yeah… Roy, erase my previous words and lift my decree..." He slowly looked away from Roland's gaze as he waited for Roy to finish his task and when he did, his frown curved into a twisted grin. He jumped from his seat and stomped his feet on the ground with a sound so loud that it even shook the hearts of those around him. "Charles here just declared his allegiance to the cause of this mission but what about you? What say you? Sir Roland, what say you? Tell me! Tell me your Answer!"
Roland mimicked his expression as if there was nothing else that he could do. With the feeling of blood rushing through his veins, he straightened out his body with a salute and he gave his puffed out chest a loud knock while declaring, "Yes! My name is Roland, son of Reginald. A proud knight of the walled city of Tinora and I too swear my allegiance to the cause of this mission. I shall be the sword that would protect Sir Charles from his foes as well as the blade that would cull the monsters that would dare go before him. I shall not treat it simply as a petty squabble but I shall move as if it were a grand quest to save the world!"
"Bravo! Bravo!"
"Was that a Bo-jo Reference?"
"Okay, this is epic."
"I got it! I got it! He did a Bo-jo Reference!"
"He did it, this legend just did a Bo-jo Reference!"
"Gotta admit, that was a good one!"
The people inside the hall laughed and cheered but among them was Jerry who did not even crack a smile. He stood there by the door without a word, only to return everyone's gaze with his own with a self-conceited grin beneath his face's skin. "People and their bad taste."