BRETVER 23RD YEAR 548 ASMERIAN CALENDAR
Miller, Ruby, and Audrey entered the stadium, and Ruby saw that long track in the center of the field. It consists of fine white sand that sparkled in the sunlight. She saw the horses walking around the track with their riders in tow. It was by far the largest building that she had ever set foot inside. Miller and Audrey had both been to the track once before, and their reaction was considerably less than that of Ruby's reaction.
They made their way to seats near a side entrance, which was just an alley between stands. Ruby was the last to be seated, and her attention was everywhere at the same time. Miller saw her excitement, and it put a slight smile on his face. Audrey was also excited to watch the horse race as it was a novelty in Asmeria.
They sat there for a while, watching as horses and their racers were introduced. The crowd was starting to fill the stands and balconies. There were almost two thousand people in the stadium, and it was the largest group Miller had seen of civilians in one place except for when the Prime Minister of Gregoria was elected.
There Ruby kept pointing out horses to Miller and trying to see everything that she could. It was at that time Miller recognized a horse out on the track. It was a beautiful mare that Alice had came to love. He looked around for Jackson and his family. To his dismay, he couldn't find them in the crowd. He knew that they had to be in the stands and not the balconies.
"Ruby, Audrey, keep an eye out for Jackson with a young girl in a wheelchair." He said as he kept watch on the entrance.
"Who's that, Mister Miller?" Ruby asked.
"The boy who met us at the gatehouse earlier this morning."
"Oh, the boy who said I looked awesome, right?"
"Yeah, that'd be the one lass."
"Okay, I'm sure that I'll be the first to see him."
"Is that so, Ruby?" Audrey asked. "We all know that I'm going to spot him first."
"Calm down, you two; it's not a challenge to see who sees who first girls," Miller said. "But we all know that I'm the Gregorian here and that Gregorians have the best eyesight out of anyone."
"Oh, it's on now, Mister Miller!" Ruby exclaimed.
"What does the winner get, Sir Miller?"
"How about one silver coin."
"Really?" Audrey said with excitement. "That silver is mine!"
They watched the entrances and the stands looking for Jackson and his sister. Miller spotted Jackson pushing Alice through the side entrance with difficulty as there were stairs in his way. He tapped Ruby on her shoulder as she turned to face him. Miller put a finger over his mouth to gesture to her to be quiet, and she noticed before saying anything. He then pointed to the side entrance where Jackson was carrying Alice up the stairs while she was still in the wheelchair.
"I found him!" She shouted. "He's over by the side entrance." Audrey turned to see that he was indeed at the side entrance, and Miller acted surprised at the discovery. "Fine, you won," Audrey said, defeated.
Miller stood up and started down the stairs towards the entrance. Ruby and Audrey were both quick to follow him and stay by his side. Jackson set the wheelchair down and took a large breath of air. He was exhausted from lifting Alice and having an awkward grip while doing so, which made it much harder than just carrying Alice.
Miller and the girls turned the corner to see Jackson panting as he sat leaning against the stone wall. "Ya alright, kid?" Miller asked. "Ya look like shite."
"Hello, Mister Miller," Jackson said as he caught his breath. "how are you doing?"
"Better than you by the looks of things," Miller said as he pulled Jackson to his feet.
"Thank you, Mister Miller."
"Don't mention it, kid, so what are you two doing? Ya know you can hurt yourself pretty badly if you had lost your grip, right?"
"Yeah, but the stupid attendant wouldn't help me out and told me that I had to do it by myself. Which I don't mind but still." Jackson said as he took his sword back from Alice. "Thanks, sis."
"You're welcome, Jack, so are we late to watch the races?" Alice asked.
"Nah, they've not started," Miller said. "you're welcome to join us kids."
"Really?"
"Aye, ya can join us, we're not sitting far from here."
"Thank you, Mister Miller, come on Alice," Jackson said as he started to push Alice into the stadium, but Miller stopped him. "I got your sister kid, go on ahead with the girls."
"Thank you, Mister Miller, I really am worn from carrying her." He said as he ran on ahead with Ruby and Audrey, who were already halfway back to their seats. "Thank you," Alice said. "Jack was exhausted from carrying me."
"No problem lass, I'm just doing what any friend worth their salt would do."
Miller pushed Alice's wheelchair to the bottom of the stands and picked her up and let her onto his back; he then grabbed the wheelchair and made his way to the seats. He set Alice down next to Jackson and set the wheelchair aside.
It was at that moment the horn just above them burst into a booming voice that echoed across the horse track.
"Hear hear, to all of the people who took the time to come to the Thompson stadium; I thank you. Before the races can run from start to finish, we must uphold our duty as citizens of Asmeria and take a special announcement from Head Judge Alex Daniels. This announcement will be about the governance of the country that we all are proud to call home. Please welcome, Head Judge Alex Daniels!" The voice said.
Miller pried his attention off of the children and focused on the horn above. "Citizens of the thirteenth district of Asmeria. What I am about to tell you concerns all of you and me equally from the free man down to the common slave. The senate of Asmeria has been found to be conspiring against you, the people of Asmeria. They had planned to take control of the entire government for themselves. Leaving the will of the ones who had elected them behind."
Miller stood up and clenched his fist tightly. His expression was that of disgust and fear. He was not expecting such an announcement to be made so soon. His thoughts turned to get Sir Otis and Conrad the Gregoria as quickly as possible. He could only hope that Barker had reached Sir Hughes and was returning with him.
"His majesty, the king, has foiled their plot to turn over large plots of land the Lucc Empire and the Verin Kingdom. As for the thirteenth district, you all would have been given to anyone who would ask. The king has stopped this horrid plot against our nation; however, to do so, he had to take back all powers that the crown once had. In doing so, he has informed me that there will be a return of nobility, and the republic of Asmeria will be changed back into the Kingdom of Asmeria. As a reward for my loyalty to the country and his majesty, I have been granted the lands from Rosaria, north to the Gregorian border, and east to the Zander mountain range."
Jackson fell silent from the announcement and ignored Audrey and Ruby's attempts to turn his attention to the horses out in the field. He couldn't bring himself to believe what he had heard. His parents had always taught him to distrust the crown along with his uncle. The Scottkey family was one of the main reasons that the crown fell out of power too begin with, and Jackson had heard countless stories about his grandfather's exploits and accomplishments against the tyrant king.
He then turned to Miller to see what his reaction was, and he saw his expression of disgust and knew that he was not for the king either. "You know Mister Miller, I've heard toddlers make up better stories than that load of lies."
"Haha, you're not wrong, kid, but there's something I need to do, and it needs to be done now."
"I understand Mister Miller, what would you have me do?"
"Stay here with the girls please, if I'm not back before the races are over, then take them back to my house outside the northern gate."
"Consider it done Mister Miller." He said with a smile.
"I will stay safe kid, it's about to get crazy fast," Miller said as he started down the stands. Jackson watched as Miller, who was still wearing his armor, rushed off and out exited the stadium. Ruby saw Miller leave and started running after him. "Wait, Ruby, stop!" Jackson barked.
"Why is Miller leaving? I have to follow him!" She cried as Jackson caught her by the arm.
"He's going to take care of something right now, so just calm down."
"No, I want to go with him!"
"Do you know where he's headed? I sure don't Ruby, so just calm down, if he's not back by the time the races are over I'm going to walk you back to his house." Jackson said as he loosened his grip.
"Why are you in charge of us, we don't even know you," Ruby said as she sat back down.
"Because I don't see any other men with a sword how's able to protect you, nor do any of them know Miller, so just calm down, and everything will be fine."
"Don't tell me what to do; you're younger than me too."
"Really, I couldn't tell by the way you were acting."
"I'm thirteen; there's no way I'd listen to someone who only knows how to swing a sword."
"I'm fourteen, so I am older than you, but that wouldn't matter anyway. The fact that I'm the only boy among you is enough for me to be in charge. As I said, he'll be okay, and I'm sure he's only going to be a short while until he returns."
"Come on, Ruby, it's not the end of the world without Mister Miller," Alice said. "We'll go to his home after the races and have a fun time."
"That's what you think, but it's never okay. How can you say that it'll be okay? How can you promise that Miller will be okay?"
"Yes, he will, there's no reason for all of this crying or worrying," Jackson said as he gave her a gentle hug.
"But what if he doesn't come back?" Ruby cried.
"If he can go five rounds with me in a fight, then I don't know anyone other than my uncle who could take him." Jackson jested. "There's no reason to be afraid Ruby, regardless of what happened in the past." Jackson let Ruby go from his embrace and took a seat next to his sister as the first race started. Ruby turned and watched as seven beautiful horses tore their way around the track.
She sat down and watched with excitement; she soon forgot about the fear of abandonment and was surrounded by friends who cheered with her as the horses finished. Her tears dried, and her heart soothed as the races concluded.
It was a fantastic day with all sorts of thrills and wonders. As the stadium came to a close, Jackson led all of the girls down the stands and out of the stadium. As they went to the gate to enter Greendale, Jackson noticed a new flag flying above the gatehouse. It took him only a moment to recognize the flag. It was the King's Flag and was only supposed to be used in the great halls of the capital.
"What's wrong, Jack?" Alice asked as Jackson stopped pushing her.
"The King did it, that bastard did it."
"What do you mean, Jack?"
"The King won Alice, the King now rules over the entire country." He said with fear trembling in his voice.
"What does that mean, Jackson?" Audrey asked.
"It means that the King has all of the power to do whatever he likes without needing to bend to the will of the people. My uncle taught me that the King should never be in power again after what the Tyrant King did to Asmeria."
"What did the Tyrant King do? I mean, he couldn't have been that bad, right?"
"He made taxes so high that not even the nobility could pay them. He also started a war with Gregoria and the Verin Kingdom, which took the lives of almost a million people. The only reason we even had a King was that many of the people still supported the idea of monarchy."
"I see."
"The last reason is because of me and Alice's great grandmother."
"What does she have to do with any of this?"
"The Scottkey's used to be noble's, and we were the few that stood against the King. The King was so outraged by this that he took our great grandmother when she was but five years old as a wife, she later died after he had tried courting her at such a young age. That caused the house of Scottkey to declare war against the crown and how we ended up with the republic." Jackson said as he watched the flag as it waved in the wind.
"That's horrible, why was the royal family allowed to continue after that?"
"The head of the Senate was a kind man and was quite smart. He made the proposition that the royal family should be allowed to continue so that the supporters of the crown would be sated. So, they executed the tyrant king but allowed his children to live. That is what my uncle feared, that they would exact revenge for their defeat, and they were given the entire army to take their vengeance."
"So, what does that mean for you, Jackson?" Audrey asked.
"Most likely nothing, but I assume that I'll have to be more careful now."
"Jack, you're scaring me," Alice said.
"Sorry, sis, we'll be fine, okay."
"I know, but let's not talk about it."
They continued back into the town and headed towards the Scottkey's shop, Scottkey General Merchandise, and dropped Alice off with Connor and Veronica. They then headed straight towards Miller's home outside the town walls. Jackson, Ruby, and Audrey made their way to the northern gatehouse. As they tried passing through, they were stopped by the guardsman operating the gate.
"Halt, state your names." The guardsman barked.
"I'm Jackson Scottkey, and to my left is Ruby Miller, to my right is Audrey Barker," Jackson stated.
"Are you residents of Greendale?"
"Yes, I live near the Black's Tavern, and these two live just outside of town."
"I see, is this Varin here yours?"
"No, sir, she's a free Varin."
"Is that so?" The man said as a grin of ill intent made his expression clear to Jackson. "Well then, you two may pass, but the Varin must pay the tax."
"Fine, here's one silver for her tax," Jackson said as he reached into his pants.
"No, I said that she must pay the tax!" The man barked. "I will not allow you to pay in her stead boy now get a move on before I have you arrested!"
"This is bullshit; you expect me to leave my friend here with you?"
"Yes, now you will either pass through the gate, or I will detain you two and arrest her for failure to pay a tax, which will mean she must pay the tax through her servitude."
"Just because she's a Varin? I ought to remove your head from your neck!" Jackson snapped as he drew his sword. At that moment, two more guards came rushing down the street; among them was an officer. "What's going on here?" The officer barked.
"This boy is threatening my life, sir!" The man said as he drew his sword.
"You scumbag, you're threatening to force my friend into slavery!" Jackson barked as he readied himself to fight the guards. The man stepped into range and swung his sword at Jackson, almost hitting Audrey with his blade. Jackson parried the strike and slashed at the guard's unarmored legs. The man fell to the ground with a yell and clasped his leg that had been cut open. The other guards drew their swords and charged at Jackson. "Halt you, men!" Boomed a voice that shook the air.
The guards froze in their tracks and turned to see an older man in a leather coat walking towards them. He had a badge pinned to his chest, and he had two armed men walking behind him. The man in the leather coat was a deputy for the sheriff, and he was accompanied by two Asmerian knights, one of which Jackson recognized from the day before. It was Sir Fjord and his Squire, and they had their weapons drawn. "Make way you kids!" The deputy barked. "Get to your feet, you scum!" The deputy said as he pulled the guardsman to his feet
Two of the three guardsmen walked over to the deputy. "What's going one here?" The first man asked.
"I'm Deputy Havelle, and I'm here acting on a warrant to arrest this man, Fred Derrick, on charges of kidnapping."
"What is he talking about, Fred?" The second guardsman asked in surprise.
"Like I'm supposed to know!"
"Well, Mister Derrick, one of the girls that you kidnapped was the daughter of Sir Fjord here. She has since revealed that you were the man behind her disappearance." Havelle said as he put Fred in shackles and started walking back to where he came from. The other guardsmen followed and helped the deputy escort, Fred Derrick, back to the jailhouse.
Jackson wondered what had happened and stood confused for a moment as the men left without a word. He turned and saw that Ruby was in tears and Audrey was consoling her as she curled up into a ball. "Are you okay Ruby?" He asked. "Did she get hurt?"
"No, she just got frightened," Audrey said.
"I hate to say this, but we need to get going now, get up Ruby." He said as he grabbed her arm. She reeled back and let out a whimper. "Come on Ruby, don't make me drag you to Miller's house. It's a rocky road, and you'll be pretty sore once we get there."
"I don't want to go back to being a slave, please, I don't want that anymore!" She cried.
"What made you think that I was going to let that happen?" He asked as he crouched down next to her. He gently placed his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close to comfort her and ease her mind. "I want to go to Miller's house, please, take me to Mister Miller." She cried.
"Hop on," he said as he turned around and outreached his arms behind him.
"Hop on what?"
"My back, I'll carry you to his house."
"But I can walk, you don't need to carry me."
"Just hop on Ruby, I wouldn't offer if I didn't think I had to." He said as gestured for her to get on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He stood up slowly to make sure that she didn't fall.
It was a short walk to Miller's house; it suddenly hit Jackson that he had never been to his house before now. It was a large log cabin with two floors and a beautiful front porch with a large Seri Tree in front. He saw the barn behind the house as he crossed through the gate. "Wow." He said silently.
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
"This is a nice house, and I could see myself living in a place like this someday." They stepped onto the porch, and the door was unlocked. "Go ahead and get down now before we go inside." Said Jackson as he crouched down.
"Thank you, Jackson, let's go in," Ruby said as she rushed through the door. "Mister Miller, we're back, and Jackson came with us!" She shouted but got no reply. "He's probably not home," Audrey said as she sat down on the sofa. "Go ahead and take a seat, Jackson, I'm sure he'll be back soon."
Jackson took a look at the armchair next to the fireplace, and he walked over to the chair and saw that it had an engraving of a battlefield spanning the entirety of the wooden top back rail. He wondered if it was a battle that Miller had played a role in. He sat down in the chair as Ruby started a fire in the fireplace. He quickly fell asleep as the fire roared next to him, and it's warm light bleed through his eyelids.
Ruby saw that Jackson had passed out and decided to sit down next to him and rest as well. She grew fond of Jackson and was happy to know that he was a friend. She had never had a friend before, and she felt at ease with him around just as she felt around Mister Miller. This warmth was something that no fire could compare to.