It was dawn. The royal castle of Ruritia was already resounding with many distinctive sounds of life. The constant and regular clanging of hammers in the forge, neighing and stomping of the horses in the stables, distant chatter of the castle's dwellers. Rays of the rising sun had already covered half of the keep and were starting to swallow the battlements of the highest watchtowers of the inner castle wall. The buildings of the lower bailey were yet to receive the gentle touch of the sun.
With a loud clanging of thick chains, a heavy wooden bridge that spanned the width of the moat slowly descended towards the opposite bank, granting the gathered peasants, merchants, and noble guests of the royal family a safe passage over the turbid waters of the deep ditch. As soon as the edge of the drawbridge touched the stone construction of the fixed bridge on the other side, the deep sound of a horn resounded from the gatehouse, signaling the people they can proceed to the checkpoint located under the arc of the castle's gate. From the top of the gatehouse, the constant stream of entering and leaving people seemed to have no end. Voices of the people combined with sounds made by various animals, hooves hitting the wooden construction of the bridge, and creaking of carriages or wagons were proof of the realm's prosperity. The guards at the checkpoint were fulfilling their duty by scrutinizing the entering peasants and merchants while bowing to the passing carriages of the lords and sending heated gazes in the direction of the barbican of the inner castle wall. Those who wanted to get to the upper bailey had to pass the inspection there. Not that many were allowed to witness the luxuries of the upper bailey and the keep, though. The carriages had to stop there and provide proof of their identity. Guards of the lower bailey knew that their colleagues stationed at the gatehouse of the inner courtain wall had much less work to do, the shifts were shorter while the wages were the same if not higher. They could also receive some tips from the nobles if they could butter them up well enough. Unfortunately, the brave guards of the lower bailey could only send envying gazes in that direction and unleash their frustration on those entering the castle gates on condition that they were of a lower status.
Cain glanced at a man dressed in rags leading two cows in the direction of a barn without any particular interest. Not finding anything eyecatching, he turned his attention back to the hilt of a dagger for which he found an innovative role of a chopstick. Those were probably the only cows the poorly dressed man had. Being as poor as he was, he brought them here to pay off his taxes. In his long time of service at the castle, he has seen many people. He sincerely doubted if there was anything that could shatter his inner peace. There was once a time when he had more compassion for fellow subjects of his majesty the king. When he was still young and had an unwavering faith in the king and his pretorians, no one could convince him otherwise. Not until he became a castle guard, that is to say.
"Well, I bet he cares more for the color of the piss he takes than for a lowly guardian spending years of his life serving on the curtain wall of his castle." Cain thought.
What about Nobles? Those arrogant pricks would flay him if they knew that he used to steal from their carriages when those were left behind the stables. Their blue-blooded owners had been "socializing" while immersing themselves in the luxuries of the king's dwellings. Now that he thought about it, those were some rather profitable and enjoyable endeavors. He wasn't alone either. There was that kid. Honestly, Cain never understood the young squire's motives. He was an heir of a noble family. At least that's what he heard from him on one of their escapades.
"Eh... I got a small fortune thanks to him."
The old guard heaved a sigh at his memories from six years ago. Despite his young age, that boy was his best comrade. Without a doubt, it was mainly a relationship between two accomplices. Consisting strictly of planning and executing some more or less daring thefts, but over the years of their cooperation, they started opening their hearts to each other, in the end, becoming friends who could openly talk to each other without any reserve. The kid was a quick learner, absorbing all the necessary skills. He could skillfully open the chests placed at the back of the carriages without attracting any unwanted attention. Cain used to leave "retrieving the loot" to the boy. He took upon himself the more difficult duties of finding the most promising of the carriages, assessing the gains, planning the whole operation, diverting the attention of the watchful servants of the nobles, and then fairly dividing the loot. Six years have passed since the last of their collaborative adventures. Yesterday the lad was knighted while Cain had become a captain of the castle guard last year. At least the poaches he was receiving as his wages got more chubby and heavy. Sighing once again, he got out from under the arc of the door leading to the guards' quarters and started walking briskly towards the four buildings that were "glued" to the inner part of the northern castle wall. His steps led him towards the kitchen used by the servants and people working at the lower bailey.
"Well, I sure hope there are some leftovers from yesterday's banquet. With a bit of luck, I could even find some smoked ham... "
He said while eying the passing carriage with duke Maritro's intricate crest on its door.
The rays of the dawning sun had already embraced all the buildings of the lower bailey. The new day that greeted those gathering in the safety of the castle walls was about to start like any other day. That was for everyone except one person. Somewhere in the safety of the stone structures of the inner bailey, there was a man whose life just got on an entirely different track...