CANSTVER 10TH YEAR 548 ASMERIAN CALENDAR.
Connor pulled Jackson inside, and Ruby followed closely as Veronica held the door open. Connor sat Jackson down next to Alice on the couch. "Jack, what happened?" She asked.
"A lot Alice, is Ruby inside?" He asked, unaware that Ruby was standing behind him.
"Yes, now, start from the beginning, son," Connor said as he lit another candle. "If this isn't good, then your ass will be a nice shade of red for the next few days."
"Well, Mister Miller was a spy for Gregoria, and he was given up by one of his men to the Asmerian's."
"Wait a moment; he was sold to the Asmerian's?" Connor interrupted.
"Yes, father."
"Where is he now, son?" Connor said as he jumped forwards and grabbed Jackson's arms. "Come on now, boy, tell me where he is!"
"He's running to the north of horseback!"
"If he makes it back to Gregoria, then we should be fine," Connor said as he let go of Jackson.
"What do you mean by that father?"
"Nothing, we must pack out things and leave with haste. Veronica, head to the children's room and gather a week's worth of clothes for Jackson and Alice; actually, Ruby, you're coming with us too, so pack two weeks worth of Alice's clothes."
"I will, are you packing our clothes, Connor?"
"Yes, now son, you take Ruby and head to the back of the store. I need you to hitch the cart to Gran and bring the cart here." Connor said as he headed upstairs. Jackson stood there for a moment, completely confused as he looked around. Alice's face was that of shock and confusion, neither Jackson nor Alice had ever seen their father in such a panic. He came to his senses and grabbed Ruby by the hand and led her outside.
"What's happening?" She asked as they stopped at the stairs leading down to the gate. "Jack, I don't know what's going on."
"I don't know Ruby, all that I know is what I've been told." He replied with a relaxed tone of voice. "I'm taking you to hitch up our cart to the horse, now let's go."
He led her down the street and through the back allies and passages. It was pitch black as the moons were covered by clouds, and the stars gave signs of existence. The alleys were filled with shit and waste, an odor that would repulse even the beggars from sleeping there. They made it to back of the Scottkey's storehouse and, in the small stable, was Gran, a beautiful brown horse with a white diamond that went from the base of his muzzle to in between his ears.
"Hey there, Gran, it's been a few days hasn't it," Jackson said as he patted Gran's cheek. "Hey, are you ready to pull the cart?"
He opened the stall and let Gran out. Ruby was taken aback by the size of Gran for even among horses; he was enormous. Gran towered over her as he walked past her. She reached out her hand and touched his side as he passed. "He's huge." She muttered.
"What was that?" He asked as he lined Gran up with the cart.
"Oh, I said that he was huge," Ruby said as she walked over to the cart next to the storehouse.
"Oh, yeah, I suppose. The war horses in the capital are even bigger, and the Zander Horses can mount ten men easily." Jackson said as he hitched the cart to Gran.
"Really? Can we go see one?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"Sure, but we need to do as father says, for now, then we can talk about going to see the Zander Horses."
"Yay, can I ride on the bench with you? I've never sat atop a wagon before."
"Sure, there's no reason why you couldn't," Jackson said as he held out his hand and pulled her up.
They quickly returned to his house, where Connor was carrying a large sack of clothing outside to the gate. Connor looked up and saw them riding on the cart and gave a brief wave of his hand before turning back and heading inside. They got off of the cart and tied Gran to the gate and followed Connor inside.
Jackson entered his home and saw a small box of papers on the table. He glimpsed into the box and read the top page.
It Read-
To Mister Connor Scottkey
I hope this letter reaches you in good time as I am writing this on Bretver 34th. I know it has been far too many years since our last meeting for which I am still indebted to you; however, it has come to my attention that the king has illegally overthrown the senate. As I am the lord of the Setden Territory now, I ask you for yet another deed.
The king has gone mad with his newfound power over the land. He and his father have the full support of the army and our fleet. Any lord who dares oppose the king is disappearing and cannot be found. My friend, I would like to look over my findings, given to me by your brother, James Scottkey, in the safety of Gregoria. Wherein I could spend my time trying to revert the king's misdeed. I know that I can trust you as you are a Scottkey, and your family and mine have spent many years in each other's company.
From Vicker Saiter, Former Head Judge of the second district of Asmeria and friend.
He set the letter back in the box, and the situation became clear. Connor came down the stairs and saw him standing at the table, looking at the box of papers. "Son, stay away from those and go help your mother." Jackson, however, did not move, nor did he take his eyes off of the letter. "Jackson, go help your mother."
"Why?" Jackson asked as he picked the box up. A sudden burst of anger came over him. "I do not love the king, but I wouldn't betray Asmeria because of it or use it as a profit." He snapped as he threw the box across the room.
"You best calm down, boy. You know as well as I that the king betrayed this country long before I did. So what if I profited off of it. I still helped the true supporters of our country to safety. So before you dare try to lecture me, boy, think about where your loyalties lie." Connor barked. "You also knew that Miller was a spy, and I didn't see you reporting him to the guard. Now, can you say that you're not a traitor as well? I'm proud of my decision. This country deserves better than a mad King who slaughtered the senate and overthrew the people."
Jackson said nothing more and headed outside. Ruby followed him out, where Veronica was loading the cart with supplies. Food, ale, and clothes were all loaded onto the cart. "Jackson, could you load those sacks of food up here and make sure that they're out of the way."
"Did you know that father was working with Mister Miller, mother?"
"Yes, I did know, and I'm proud of him for it, and that's all I'll say." She said as she headed back inside.
He loaded four sacks of food into the cart, and as the sun crested over the horizon, He, Ruby, and Alice were all in the back of the wagon. Connor took a seat next to Veronica on the bench and took the reins. The cart jolted forwards and woke Jackson and Ruby, Alice was still fast asleep. "Where are we going to go, father?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.
"We'll make for Concord, then Clearwater. That's where we'll stay until the king is brought to justice, or we can maintain ourselves in Gregoria. Though I would like to send word to James."
"Where is uncle James at father?"
"I don't know, last I've heard of him was when I gave you my father's sword, and he was in Lexington at that time." Connor yawned as he had been awake all night long. They came to the northern gatehouse, and a guardsman stopped them. Gran towered over the shorter guardsman as he made his way to the side of the cart.
"Good morning sir, where are you heading at such an early hour?" The guard asked as he peered into the cart.
"My name is Connor Scottkey, and I'm heading to a very profitable business deal in the north," Connor said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a business stamp. Business stamps were small pieces of paper with a particular type of ink and wax on them that glowed in the dark. "May we pass, sir?" Connor asked as he held out the stamp.
"Of course, Mister Scottkey, I apologize. Would you happen to be heading to the castle?"
"No, we're heading to a tradesman up north who has built castles in the past."
"I understand Mister Scottkey; have a good day and long live the King." The guard proudly exclaimed, the majority of Asmerian citizens thought the king was a hero and gave him praise for saving the country.
Connor snapped the reins, and Gran started pulling the cart down the road. Ruby fell back asleep as gentle bumps of the cart rolling down the road made her drowsy. She rested her head against Jackson's shoulder, and as they traveled further down the road, he too dozed off into a deep slumber. Connor turned back and saw all three children asleep and cuddled together, and as he turned back to watch the road, he saw that Veronica had also fallen asleep. He pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, Connor." She whispered without opening her eyes.
"I love you too, dear." He said as he kissed her forehead.
Several hours passed, and Connor, still at the reins, stopped the cart on the side of the road. The children woke up as the cart stopped, and Connor jumped off of the bench. "Where are we, father?" Alice asked as she rubbed her eyes. "We're at the Danver Forest; if we go any further today, we might run into thieves and bandits at night. So, it's safest to stop here and pass through during the day, when the road is watched by the Asmerian army." Connor said as he unhitched Gran and led him over to a tree next to the road.
Jackson hopped down from the cart and helped both Ruby and Alice down. Veronica walked over and carried Alice over to where Connor was setting up camp. As she set Alice down, an Asmerian Courrier raced past. As he passed, he slowed down as he glared at the Scottkey's setting up for the night. Connor waved, but the courier didn't acknowledge him. Connor turned back to the tent he was setting up and tied it down to the cart.
As the night came, Jackson went to gather firewood and found several Dern Flowers, which were a bright red flower that was well known for being a valuable spice. He returned with a bundle of wood and a pocket full of Dern Flowers. Connor had already prepared a fireplace, making a circle out of large stones on the ground and clearing out the area around the rocks. They slept through the night as the fire cracked and popped throughout the night.