As we stand in somewhat of a stand-off with a sword in one of my hands, I briefly glance towards the girl behind me hoping she can clear things up. But she just looks at me sorrowfully, and then away.
I look back at the knight in front of me and he appears to be maybe more agitated. Awaiting a response.
"Look, sir, I did not do anything wrong. Even though this all looks like crime-"
"Silence! You surrender, or we take you by force!" he says and the knights behind him begin to get into a defensive stance.
No reasoning with them...
[You can take them though, just take them out like these 2.]
I can't, these guys are bodyguards of this girl. If I flee I will be a fugitive. My best course of action for not is to cooperate
[Ugh...]
I get on both knees with the sword thrown behind me. I place both hands on my knees and surrender
"Fine, cuff me. Not like I did anything wrong to fight back. Even though I can easily"
"Cuff him!" the knight with the cape yells
Two knights run around him and tackle me unnecessarily to the ground with my chest in the ground and they hold me down. One gets some clanking objects out of my view and I feel a cold metallic ring go around my wrists. I look over to the girl who just looks at me sadly.
*Sigh*
*18 minutes later*
I have been walked through the city in cuffs with dirt all over me. with a rope tied around my cuffs as they've been dragging me somewhere.
[You can just-]
Can it, not going to take your advice. Not about to be a fugitive...
As the knights in front of me stop, I also, only for one behind me to shove me forward. I instinctively bring my left leg up and kick him hard enough sending the knight in full body armor flying 8 feet away.
"Why you-" one says before stopping.
"Enough! He will be jailed for the time being. And you kid, you're in major trouble. Touching a royal in of itself can get someone in jail or a cell for weeks. What you did is executable."
*Sigh* "I didn't do anything but we shall see until then."
As I finish my sentence, I see about 6 more knights open a door from steps up a building. They approach us with their left hand on the handles of their weapons.
"So this is the one huh?" a man wearing a red Cape walks down the steps with no helmet. He had Blond hair but is short cut, and had a slight scar through his right eyebrow.
"Yes, this is the one," he says pulling my cuffs forward.
They are pushing the lines. But I have handled bullying most of my youth. This will simply be another day back in the day.
"This kid looks more like a farmboy not a hired thug...Not some kind of hired thug..."
"Sir, please don't let this person fool you, he took down 2 Lion Guardsmen all on his own. With a minor injury on the head. the blue-capped knight states.
"So that's his blood, not a Guardsmen's blood?" the red-caped one asks
"Yes sir!"
*Sigh* "This is already getting interesting, hand him over, we will investigate this matter," he says gesturing to one of his own.
The blue-caped knight tugs me forward and then shoves me down the stairs. I catch myself, then with both legs crunch them close to my body, and with my arms to hold me, then extend them abruptly back into the knight sending him flying down the steps.
With the sounds of his armor clacking and clanking from impact, he grunts every step-down.
[You enjoyed that didn't you...]
Oh of course, back then I couldn't do anything for myself, but now I can. I'll be damn if someone mistreats me and thinks I won't do anything.
"Hah!" I suppose I misjudged this 'farmboy'" the red-capped knight exclaims, "Now, would you like to see if your kick can work on me kid?" he asks.
"Nah, just didn't like the physical contact he gave me. Gave him the exact equivalent needed to show them. That is all." I say standing up with my hands lowered.
"Well then, 'farmboy', let's have a chat in my office."
*49 minutes later*
I am sitting in a cell that is fully made up of stone, with a single 5-inch by 5-inch opening about 20 feet above me that has thick bars in place. My only source of light at the moment.
They decided to chain up my ankles together limiting the distance I can take steps, and also lock my hands to my hips. I am very much bored...
[That's what doing good deeds does to you. No recognition so why bother.]
Not really about recognition, it is just the fact that I didn't like the thought that I allowed something to happen and it lingers in the back of my head.
Besides, we will see how well their justice system is anyways while we're here.
As I sit leaning against the wall chatting in my head with Seila, I hear locks at the door and I see a small slider open with someone looking in. The door swings open and 3 guards walk in, with the fourth one being the red-capped man from before.
"So kid, you're already making the news in Jarleum," he says pulling out a flier with a very well-drawn image of me. Except without the blood somehow. How did they get a good drawing of me that fast? And mass printed?"
[Magic likely]
He walks up to me and grabs a wooden chair from the other side of the room and sits on it with a loud creaking.
"So, who are you 'farmboy', spy from another neighboring nation? You look like an Easterling, so I am guessing some kind of high espionage from the East. Clan Eshin perhaps? I know they love themselves sabotage and assassinations.
Clan Eshin...That sounds familiar. Seila any ideas?
[Yes actually for once. Clan Eshin is associated with murder, assassinations, and espionage. Except they are not real. They are a Warhammer Fantasy faction of Skaven rats.]
Yeah, I don't know anything about Clan Eshin or this version he is talking about.
"Yeah, I came from a rural village in the East mountains. Barely anyone was there. I only got here about 2 months ago." I say calmly
"Uhuh...The way you kicked the lieutenant didn't look very rural. It takes skill and training to kick a trained Lion Guard knight down while cuffed."
"Yeah, well when living alone in the mountains you need to be able to fight wildlife."
"Even so, it was way too effective. Your story of being from somewhere East is likely, but your story about being from some rural mountain and a nobody, while also being at the scene of royalty being assaulted and 2 of my men unconscious is very suspicious," he says leaning forward interlocking his fingers and observing me.
"Yeah well, your people failed at your job. I was walking by when I saw that royal surrounded by civilians and the escort she had was numbered around ten. You had 10 guards escorting her, and not a single one noticed her being taken away by two others into an isolated area. Where I happened to find. I heard what they said. You have corruption in your Order it seems. I heard them. They were paid off to go after her and humiliate her. Who knows what they were going to do other than strip her clothes? You could guess if you're so 'noble'. Let's see if you follow Iomea..." I say finishing off.
"How...How do you know what kind of god I worship?" he asks
"The way the and the order acts so far is very easy to tell. Likely Iomea, goddess of justice and order. Law and all that shit. Let me ask you, how could I have ripped up her clothes if I was fighting 2 guardsmen, and why would I just knock them out instead of killing them? Too many missing pieces to say I am the culprit. I would also highly suggest No...I am telling you to investigate each of the guards that were escorting her today."
"Hmm...You're observant. But I am no-"
*BAM!*
The door is kicked open by a metal boot and everyone in the cell room gets startled including myself. I look past the red-capped knight and see 10 knights in different armor designs walk in with swords ready to be drawn. But they are not wearing Lion insignia, but have red highlights and more rounded edges to them instead.
"What is the meaning of this?" he asks
A hand is raised by a knight with a cape that is striped black and red and he gestures to the door. Which a familiar face appears.
"Men, I lady Julia Heisen, princess of the Heisen family, and daughter of active general of the Cardinal Order. Stand down, this man is my savior.
Sweet, justice better be served
[Tch...Freaking cliche kind of ending...]
"Ma'am, I am sorry, but you must be traumatized to not see the culprit in front of you. So just let us dea-"
"No, the order I gave my trust into has failed and I called upon my father's personal guard, the Cardinals to escort me now. But I will not let the blame be shifted from your over-prideful Lion Guard and put it onto him. He, a man with no name fought as a knight without the support of an Order with him. Did more than your order did for me. As such, I am dealing with this myself." she turns around without saying anything and gestures to what might be the highest command of the Cardinal group with keys to unlock me.
*Ch-chink*
The locks are all opened up but one turn of the key and I am now standing straight up and stretching a bit.
"I suggest not waiting too long kid, royals aren't known for patience," he says to me
"Right"
I follow the rest of the Cardinals from behind and see other Lion Guardsmen watching with confusion, astonishment, and anger.
As I walk outside I see an even larger number of dark-armored knights with the Cardinal insignia. Numbering in I think maybe 20. With many carts and single carriages. High security I suppose.
"Follow the mistress, but try anything and you lose your head..." one says behind me.
"Damn, such a violent people" I comment following the mistress a safe distance of 6 feet away.
She is assisted into the cart by a well-dressed man with white hair and a beard. As I get to the card I present my hand for him to help me up the cart. He just looks at me with confusion.
"What, you can't help me get in the card?"
[What the hell are you doing just get in the damn thinfg]
Shut up I am trying to have fun.
I hope in the cart she has 2 other well-dressed men inside one with red hair, wearing slimmer more form-fitting armor. fair face and red eyes and a ponytail. The other is a red-haired man with shortly cut hair with red eyes as well, but he has a knick on his upper lip.
"We are off!" Julia states to the driver out of the carriage.
Outside, he nods and gets onto the cart and I hear the clacking of hooves as we begin moving. I look outside and see the Lionguard outside just eyeing me through the window. I wonder how many are corrupted, and some are just unaware.