The Hellknight's Savior

Chapter Two: The Murder

“What are you doing!”, the King exclaimed. “No guest of mine will sleep outside the city!”, he said with indignation.

“I will not leave my horse,” she stated. “You said yourself that animals are not allowed in your city.”

“I said no such thing. Now stop with this nonsense and follow me.” The King waited patiently for Talia to repack.

Talia hastily repacked and untied her horse. She was quite relieved to be staying in the city. The woods here were unknown to her and she knew that soon enough, she’d be on her own in unknown territory. In all of her life she had never been so scared. Not just for herself, but for those her task would affect. And according to the King it would affect quite a few people.

The King led her through the city slowly, so she could appreciate her surroundings. She was amazed by the houses. They were magnificent, made from wood that was polished until one could see one’s own reflection. The windows were just holes with curtains and the doors were solid oak. Each house had a strange emblem on the door. There was a sparkling fountain in the middle of the city, with water so clear it looked invisible. The walkways, Talia noticed glancing down for the first time, were cobbled and a variety of flowers were planted along side of them.

When they reached the King’s residence, Talia gasped. The castle reminded her of her father’s and she felt tears well up behind her green eyes. The King looked at her with great concern and asked, “Is everything alright? I can feel a great sadness emanating from you.”

“Everything is fine. It just reminded me a bit of home, that’s all.” Talia blinked rapidly to try and dry her eyes and keep the tears from falling.

The King smiled knowingly. “It’s always hard to leave the family for the first time. I did so an exceptionally long time ago and cried like a baby,” he said softly and chuckled.

As they entered the castle, Talia felt more and more at home. When they would come around a corner, she kept expecting to see one of her brothers, the similarities were so great. She almost forgot about her task, until she came to a painting depicting a horrible battle.

There were goblins, trolls, giants, and witches all on one side being led by a knight wearing black armor with sharp points jutting out. The horrible creatures were fighting humans, elves, and dwarves who seemed to be losing. Dragons could be seen circling in the sky; along with other scavengers, just waiting for the battle to end so they could eat and take items of value from the dead carcasses.

It’s a sign she thought in despair. Its foretelling what is to happen. She then became determined and thought, I can’t let that happen to the ones I love. There must be a way to defeat the Hellknight.

The determination must have shown on her face, because the King said, “Now that’s the spirit. So long as you believe he can be defeated, then he can. But never lose hope, because that will be your downfall,” he warned.

The King and Talia climbed to the second floor of the castle. “I will show you to your chambers. I hope you will be satisfied. We haven't had guests in years. I’m afraid people cannot be trusted like before.” He paused outside of the seventh door on the right and opened it. Sweeping his arm around the room he said, “These will be your chambers while you stay here.”

Talia began to cry from homesickness. The chamber was exactly like her own room at home. The bed was large enough for her to roll around in without having to worry about falling off one of the sides. The sheets were a deep red silk and the pillows black. A dragon, Talia’s spirit protector, adorned the blanket.

A table sat by the window which she could look out of when she was writing or bored. And a painting of her family hung above the bed. Her seven brothers smiled down on her. But her father’s smile never reached his eyes. Instead, they were filled with sadness and worry.

Don’t worry Father. I’ll save you from the Hellknight and return to you as soon as I can. She sighed wearily. The picture seemed to change. Her father seemed less worried and happier than before. That can’t be!, she thought. Pictures do not change. She stared for a moment longer at the picture then simply dismissed it as a trick of her eyes. She turned towards the King. He was nowhere to be seen. In his place, two elves stood.

“Is everything to your satisfaction?”, the first elf asked.

“If not,” the second elf added, “then we will try to make it so. The King said you are to be as comfortable as a baby nestled in downy.”

Talia laughed. The King certainly had a way with words. He seemed to know exactly how to cheer her up. “Everything is fine,” she replied with a smile.

The first elf walked to the bathing area and started a hot bath. “The King says you are to bathe and dress in fresh clothes, then join him for dinner.”

The second elf moved towards Talia to help remove her clothes, causing Talia to tense. The elf stopped and looked worried. “I’m sorry. Did I do something to upset you, My Lady?”

Talia forced herself to relax. “No, no. It’s just my nerves. I’ve been traveling for a long time and have met danger at unexpected times. I’m just wound too tight is all.” She gave the elf a weak smile and allowed herself to be undressed.

As she was being prepared for dinner she asked the elves many questions. She learned that the first elf was named Lornia and the second was Bannie. They were twins and had been in the King’s service since they were girls, joining right after their parents had died. They loved working in the castle and enjoyed the garden a lot. They both agreed to show Talia around when she asked.

“You’ll love the statue found in the center!”, Bannie exclaimed.

“No, she’ll enjoy the river that runs through the garden,” Lornia said.

“No, she won’t. You can see a river any old day. But this statue, it’s unique. You’ll never see another like it,” Bannie argued.

“She’ll never see another river like the one that runs through the garden either. Especially if the humans keep dumping waste in the rivers,” Lornia retorted.

What Lornia said was true. Up north, folks were running out of good, clean water at the towns nearest Tamgona. No one was sure what exactly was going on up there, but the water was making people sick. Quite a few people claimed to have seen dead bodies floating in the rivers that ran near Tamgona.

People also said that Tamgona was the home of the Hellknight and that's why there were so many dead bodies, but that wasn't true. The Hellknight lived in Craona, four months travel from Zarkolla to the west, her father’s kingdom.

Whatever was up north was something else. And if the rumors are true she thought than its much worse than the Hellknight. At least the Hellknight orders the dead to be buried.

Talia’s head snapped up when she heard her name. “Talia, which do you think is more splendid? A statue or a river?”, Lornia asked.

Talia laughed “Well, I wouldn’t know until I see them. But everything is beautiful in its own way.”

Both seemed pleased with the response and helped her out of the bath so that they could dry her. When they were finished, they dressed her in a white gown that hugged her figure. The dress was simple, but with gold roses sewn unto the collar and wrists of the sleeves. The dress was made of a silk that seemed to caress her skin gently. She had never worn a dress this lovely before and felt like a queen. When Lornia and Bannie were done dressing her, they brushed her long red hair leaving it flowing down her back.

“You’re gorgeous,” Lornia said, smiling.

“And now, if you will follow us,” Bannie said, beaming. “We will take you to the dining hall.” Lornia opened the door and screamed. Bralec was standing there with a sword and thrust it through Lornia’s chest. Bannie screamed and rushed at him, managing to knock him back a few paces as he was freeing his sword.

Talia took that moment to grab her dagger. Please, Dragon, let this dagger find its mark. Quickly saying a prayer, she threw the dagger at Bralec.

Bralec had started to rush into the room again, after knocking Bannie into the wall using the hilt of his sword. She slumped down, a trickle of blood running down the side of her head. The dagger took Bralec by surprise, hitting its mark and his eyes opened wide as did his mouth. He fell to the floor, while blood oozed from his chest. Weakly, he removed the dagger and raised his head to look at Talia.

Inch by inch, he crawled towards her. Talia waited until he was near enough for her to stomp on his wrist, breaking it. His face twisted in pain. She reached down and snatched her dagger up, put her knee in his back and jerked his head back by his hair. As he moaned in pain she whispered in his ear, “This is for Lornia.” Then she slit his throat slowly.

Done with her task, she stood and wiped the blood off on her gown. Realizing what she had done, she stared in disbelief at the stain and started to cry. She cried for her family, for all that had happened to her since she’d started her quest, for Lornia, and the dress she had just ruined.

She sat on the edge of the bed, then jumped back up. “Bannie!” How could I have been so selfish she berated herself. I should have checked on her first. She ran to Bannie’s side and knelt down. After checking for a heartbeat and finding one, she inspected the wound. There was a small cut on the right side of her head. The bleeding had stopped already, but the wound had started to swell.

Talia picked Bannie up and carried her to the bed. Gently, she set her down and used pillows to prop her up. Placing a basin of water next to the bed, Talia searched in her pack for some supplies. Using a bandage, she cleaned Bannie’s head. Next, she took another bandage and smeared some healing gauze on it, placing it on the wound.

A moan escaped Bannie’s lips and her eyes fluttered open. As she looked around the room her eyes stopped on Talia. Her eyes widened in horror and she opened her mouth to scream. Talia quickly placed her hand over Bannie’s mouth. “Shush. Shush...shush. It’s only me. You’re alright now. You’re safe.”

When Talia was sure Bannie wouldn't try to scream again, she removed her hand. “Wh..who are you?” Bannie stammered. Her eyes told Talia that she was still terrified.

Talia wasn’t sure what to do. She had never dealt with someone losing their memory before. “Well, I am Talia. Do you know your name?”

Bannie’s brow wrinkled with concentration. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

“Can you stay in this bed for me?” Bannie nodded. “Good. I’ll be back soon. I’m going to go find some help,” Talia said, standing up.

Talia left the room and began walking towards the stairs. The King and two guards were already running towards her. “King Ibrinkal!” she shouted. “I need your help. It’s Bannie! She seems to have lost her memory.”

“How did this happen?”, the King asked. They had reached the door now and entered the room. The King walked straight to the bed.

“Well, Your Majesty,” Talia started, “Bralec managed somehow to escape from wherever you had him. He killed Lornia and Bannie became upset. She flung herself at him and he knocked her into the wall. After that I killed him.”

“I can see that.” The King turned to one of the guards. “Get this cleaned up.” He turned to the other. “Find out who let him escape.”

Both guards left quickly. The King turned to look at Bannie. “I see you bandaged her head. That was good. Was it swelling?”

“Yes. I put some ointment on her wound to help it heal without scarring.”

“That was very kind of you.” He sat on the bed next to Bannie and asked her, “Do you know your name?”

Bannie’s face was puzzled. “Well, I guess its Bannie from what I can make of your conversation. But Sir, I still don’t know where I am.”

The King answered, “You are in a room in the castle of King Ibrinkal. In his own city, Freykonia.”

Bannie’s eyes widened in alarm. “The King’s castle! How did I come here? I’m not to be the King’s wife, am I?”

King Ibrinkal chuckled, “No dear, you’re not to be my wife. You work here as one of my loyal servants.”

Bannie blushed. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I meant no insult.”

He gently patted Bannie’s hand. “I know you didn’t, dear. We’re going to try and help you. It may take some time for your memory to return and then again it might never come back. Only time will tell.” He looked at her sternly, “Now, I want you to take it easy for the rest of the night and tomorrow. I will be back in the morning to check on you.”

Bannie lowered her eyes bashfully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

King Ibrinkal smiled again. “Now, if you will excuse us, Talia and I have some important business to attend to.”

Bannie nodded and closed her eyes while the King led Talia to the door. “We shall go to my study to discuss things. It will be quieter there and no one will be able to overhear our discussion.”