Every eye focused on the darkness because who know what would happen to them, even though it was just a small walk to Ellia's bar but now they couldn't take it easy anymore. Only a few houses already woke up in sector two, because most of them were trying to catch the fish or hunt something to fill their stomach or sell something in the morning market. Johnathan knew there wouldn't be any attack in sector two like Ellia's bar because there would be witnesses and the sun almost rise so they couldn't launch a surprise attack anymore.
'Here should be fine, too many civilians to fight here. And if they still sneak over us, they won't do any noise and outstanding moves here,' said John trying to calm his own thought. But turned out John was right. They arrived at Ellia's bar with a couple of people staring at them because it wasn't a normal scene where three horsemen rushed in the morning with snow pouring down. Even the people there knew that it wasn't good news.
"Ellia!!" Johnathan opened the door and was stunned when she raised her bow and aimed toward him. "W-what are you trying to do?" Johnathan was stunned and raised his arm slowly, while Max and Kenric watched them while also raising their arm.
Ellia sighed, "I thought you were our enemy," She put down her bow.
"What the fuck was that!?" Kenric shouted while they walked in and shut the door. "Don't ever raise your bow towards me again!!"
"That was preventive action and if you keep bitching about it, I'll send one of my arrows to your head," She sighed again. "Arthur hasn't back yet..." she suddenly lowered her voice and poured a drink into her glass.
Max locked the door while John sat in the bar and Kenric watch around over the window, "How long has he been out?" Max asked.
"3 hours," She replied shortly.
Four of them also didn't know where did he go. Now they kept telling themselves that everything was alright but had no idea what should they do. Meanwhile, Arthur still out there trying to answer his own thought and the riddle that remain unclear.
***
When he arrived, he looked carefully and there was a blood stain on the wall down. The blood stain ended right away under his foot and Arthur looked around him there was no more blood there. There's nobody and nothing except snow and bushes, 'What's this? There's nothing here… someone must've moved the body or that person walked alive.' But Arthur didn't think that someone could possibly be alive after falling from 26 feet tall and losing that much blood. 'Whoever that person only God can help,' He was stunned because there was nothing down there and he couldn't find anything but his curiousness. He also couldn't find more than there because the snow came so much more than before and there was a sign of a storm that day. He could only find out tomorrow. 'Now, at least I'll know if someone missing from the troops here.' He walked to ask the people who guard Maria's wall.
Right after he checked up on the blood stain, Arthur had already asked his guard to gather all the guards in the Maria wall. He wanted the list and checked who was there, he really knew something strange happened there. 'I'll see the red line if there's the weird situation here,'
The previous guard came to Arthur, "Here's the list of the guard my lord, and I have commanded all the guards here to line up." All of the made a line and Arthur was really sad to see how this small amount of people should guard this wall. Just one attack was needed to make the chaos in the Reverie.
He looked at all of them, and he could see they were confused and didn't even know what happened because their prince and the head of Reverie's army gathered in the middle of the winter. He spelled the name one by one and there was nothing strange.
"Edmund?" Arthur walked and called the name.
"Y-yes, my lord." One young soldier answered and Arthur stood right in front of him. He looked into his eyes, this young soldier looks so terrified of something. He also didn't answer with a straight voice.
"Are you okay kid?" Arthur wanted to make sure he was okay.
He just nodded, "Y-yes my lord. I-I'm fine."
'He's young, does he afraid of me?' Arthur felt something wrong there, but in his head, there was still a lot of probability. 'Ahh, maybe he was just exhausted to guard this wall. It must be his first year.' Arthur walked again and no one missing from the list. Everyone was in their place with their job. 'What the hell? Again, if there's no one missing, so how come there's blood in the wall? Fuck, this comes out for nothing!!!'
"Now, everyone back to your job! Dismiss!" Arthur didn't get everywhere. He couldn't get anything right in the past few hours. Midnight was over and the morning breeze came with cold and freezing wind. It was really depressing for him, he slowly started to the wall and in the corner of the building over there. He's hoping to find something new in there, an answer to his question.
Nothing, for him that night. So, Arthur walked back to Ellia's bar. Put his sword back on his back and put on the coat because it really freezing out there. The road was so quiet but all of the houses were already up to throw another log pile to make the fire still and warm in their house. Suddenly, when he was in his own thought someone called his name from behind.
"My lord!!" one soldier shouted but his weak voice could barely hear. Arthur heard it but still couldn't recognize who it was. He could only see someone run from the darkness of the wall and shouted his name, "Lord Arthur!!,"
He came closer and there was the young soldier, he was panting just to catch Arthur before he left the Maria wall area.
"What happens kid?" He tried to remember the name, "Edmund isn't it?"
"Yes, my lord." He still tried to breathe, "I-I'm here to tell you something,"
"Easy, easy. Take your time, there's no need to rush." Arthur tried to calm this young kid. "Now, tell me what happens?"
This young soldier stared Arthur, straight in the eyes. "Sir, I have important information." He paused for a moment and there was a short silence between them. "My friend was guarding the wall with me, but he has been killed."
Arthur was shocked when he heard it. He couldn't believe what he just heard. The word "killed" really struck him in his heart. Arthur was really speechless, he also didn't know what reaction should he give. He just knew that it would lead to something.
This young soldier's eyes were dark and hopeless. "Edmund, what is your friend's name? I need you to tell me the detail."
"I will my lord but I can't tell this right now. Not right here," He whispered all of the sudden and his eyes scanned all over the place. It was really dark and he couldn't feel safe there. "I was too afraid my lord," His voice became slow and teardrops dripped down his eyes.
"These people killed him, I know for sure but I can't say it here," again he repeated what he said.
Arthur nodded because he understands the situation, "Come, follow me! I'll take you to the safe place, then you tell me what happened."
Both of them walked out from the Maria wall and Arthur was fully guarded to make this kid alive. Not only because he has some important information but also because the sadness came out from his eyes and Arthur knew what he felt. He knew how it feels to lose someone that he love and friends he really wanted to protect.
'Just calm down, kid. I'll protect you because what happened to you is something big. It will explain what happens inside this kingdom. I sense something bad, it's really bad until it blurred my vision. I can't really see what will be going on in this kingdom. I just pray that God will protect Reverie from evil hands.' Arthur said it to himself while both of them moved faster through the snow that poured down faster than usual. It was only a few hours before sunrise and they wouldn't afraid in the darkness.