"We surrender" somehow I was able to send a word to Arlo,return as fast as you can.
The guard took us to the town prison. We were there for almost an hour, still the mayor didn't show off. Anna was getting impatience,she hates waiting. I am kind of worried about the mayor not showing off today, if he doesn't then I am sure Anna is going to make her move to teach him a lesson.
Now it was on to me to escalate this situation because the stake is too high to be simply ignore.
"when is this mouse coming?"Anna asks the guard.
The guard stands still without any motion as if he heard nothing.
The prison is not quite big just enough for two of us to stay, it is also smelly. I see anger taking over Anna. She frequently stands up and punches the prison wall to ease her mood.
She hasn't spoken to me since today morning, perhaps she is angry with me too.
I should do something to chill her mood.
"Anna sits down here please,"I said softly.
"No cap, this mouse is making me impatience. I swear if I get any chance then I will kill this bastard with my bare hand. I will make him pay for this."Anna says punching the wall.
Anna usually says many things when she is angry but this time her tone is different, she hates prison.
"Just sit down here Anna,"I said looking at her.
Then after punching the wall for a couple of time finally she sits down. At least she still listens to me.
"Look Anna sorry for putting you in trouble"
"Don't worry captain I believe you have something going in your mind."
"I have, just follow me and you will know it later. Don't do anything stupid just do what I say"
Actually, I don't have any plan at all. I just hope the guard that we surrender to is the lord guard. If the mayor decides to punish us in accordance to trial then I can bribe a way out of it.But the stupid mayor is no where to be found, perhaps now it is time for me to use it.
****Meanwhile in the castle.****
"What you want me to just leave those fools?"
A small man wearing a white and blue robe speak.
"Yes, that's what I said you to do," Another man wearing golden-white robe says
"Why? why do want them set free?they brutally beat the city guard.I will make sure they suffer their part for doing so."
The lord sigh"Mayor,you haven't heard about the mercenary isn't it?"
"No my lord,is there anything about them? I know they are a mercenary,swords seller."
"The mercenary you have now is this kingdom finest warrior. I have heard that their captain possess strength of Hercules and his fellow mercenary are well trained in tactical combat as well as strategic war.That is how they were able to knock the city guard with a single punch. There is also some rumour that the captain is a spellcaster,I wonder how much it is true ."
Mayor starts to rub his chin."No I think the rumour is false or they might have spread it themself to have upper edge on other mercenaries."
"I also think that way.Yesterday the meeting was held in the capital and the after it the king has decided to raise city tax to 40%.(sighs) It is not only a single problem we would be facing,the bandit is a huge threat for us now. Today incident will spread like fire and sooner the bandit will find about the city guard being knocked just with single punch and town budget cut in half. Since the guard are not well trained they will be more motivated to seigh the town,Beside will be unable to hire more well trained guards inorder to protect the city."
"40℅ this is ridiculous,why they had to raise the tax so high from 20%?. We can't pay them that much."
"From which I have heard that the capital is planning for big. There is a possibility that they might increase the tax upto 45% in coming future.In order to save our fund and to protect the town it is best for us set those mercenary free but on one condition"
"No..no…no…no...we are not ready for war.(sweats drops from his face,after thinking for a brief period he says),And what the condition are we talking about my lord"
"Yes,so we need to better prepare for it. I have heard that the mercenary is planning to build a small castle somewhere in midking. We will offer them to build a medium size castle here."
"Offer them??Why would we offer them? We need city fund more now than ever helping them will dry our fund out. If we don't use fund wisely then the town will suffer from feminine.We won't have enough fund to pay our guard neither the farmer nor the merchant."
"Look, since the city fund is cut in half we won't have enough money to pay guards,we are compiled to free some of them because we won't have enough to be able to guard the route of the merchant from the bandit and protect the town at the same time. Seeing us weak the bandit will try to raid in our city so if we let the mercenary stay then at the time of raid we could hire them,and the merchant can also hire mercenary to protect their goods.Besides there are not many mercenaries in midking. Most of the mercenary company are in the capital so if we convince them to stay it would be good for the town."
"Then how will it help us in long run?"
"If we help them build castle here then they will surely hire some guard to protect the castle which in one hand help the city by employing the guard we let go. And if the bandit tries to raid the town then to protect the castle they will surely counter attack the bandit."
"What if they don't?"
"They must cause if the town falls in the hand of the bandit then it will affect their business. And also if all went wrong and they didn't counter-attack the bandit then at least we could pay them to let some of the town folks inside the castle."
"If the bandit raids the city then won't capital do anything about it?"
"Well, if the capital finds about the town being raided and capture by the bandit then the first thing they would do is replace the lord and the mayor cause they need tax desperately to feed the growing army and to make weapons for war."
"Dame it!!!I was planning to teach this mercenary a lesson but now it turned out we will be helping them."
"Don't worry it is not only bandit they will protect us from"
The mayor looks the lord in a haze.
"This is a nice time for our enemy to strike. Every lord nearby want this town so this will be a nice time for them to attack."
"No my lord they won't risk attacking us and go against the king ."
"No,the capital is busy preparing for the war, besides they won't care about one lord sabotaging the other the only thing they care about now is tax either we give him or another lord the amount will be same."
"This war will bring too much blood in the kingdom."
"It surely will, do as I say and we survive. Now go and free the mercenary and tell them we will help them build a castle here in the town at midking. And also arrange some feast for them I want to meet them."
"Yes my lord"
***At the prison***
Anna is now sleeping on the floor, And I am constantly looking at the door for the mayor arrival. The mayor can't lock us up here forever if he wants us to be punished then he will present us for trial.
How could Anna sleeps in this stinky place.No…no…no…this is my first sign of being impatience, i am losing grip on my self I need to control my inner self.
I hear knock in the main door, the guard near us walk near the door and then opens the door.
After the door opens I see a small height man walking toward us. He is wearing white and blue robs appears. The mayor didn't put us in the dark dungeon but simple prison.
He walks toward me, and stands right at the cell facing me. He stands still from few second and finally says "You my friends are lucky."
I didn't even move any muscles of my body, just stare him like some hunter looking on prey.
"Ahhh!!!You are angry with me aren't you? I am extremely sorry for troubling you."
What!!!!an apology. Why such an arrogant person with high ego is apologising,even though we kick his guard up. There must be something I must find it.
"It looks like you are in no mood of accepting my apology."
"How could I accept it.We are still inside the prison. And you want us to accept your apology."
Laughing he tells the guard to open the cell.
The guard grabs the key and opens the door.
Looking at Anna I start to think.I don't want to wake her,cause if she wakes up then the first thing she sees is the mayor which will piss her off. This is the last thing I want.
"Don't you wanna wake your friend up?"
"I will but it's not an appropriate time."
"Ok then, listen up the lord has arranged a feast for you tomorrow night so please attend it."
I was in haze why would the Lord want us to attain his feast. Why is this?there must be some reason, I need to find it out.
"Okey we will attain it."
After saying that the mayor goes out followed by the guard.
I was in haze, after thinking for all the reason why the lord is doing it I was unable to understand why. I start to think intensely for a few minutes then I concluded that the city defence is weak and he wants us to guard it. This most be the logical reasons. I will bribe some of the mayor maids and find it out.
Then I woke Anna and said her everything that went on while she was asleep. She was angry that the mayor disrespected us by showing late. But after a few minutes, her anger cools off and we went back to our castle.