Lee Verysdale returned home later that evening and looked at the three shillings in his hand that was given to him by the strange nun he had encountered. He also thought about the bodies of the three homeless he had to load into the carriage and despite thinking about where his son could possibly be, he fell into a deep sleep and would dream of the three homeless he had loaded into the carriage that had their eyes closed. When he looked at them under close inspection in the dream, they opened their eyes and startled him, terrified him to the core, which caused him to wake up in the middle of the afternoon. He went downstairs to try and find Kenji, but his son wasn’t home and this wasn’t anything unusual for him. So Lee decided to leave home and get on with his day. He made his way back to the Sinful Sanctuary and as he was about to climb the steps a woman passed by him that had her arms crossed, and he thought she was just a whore.

“Lee Verysdale?”, she called his name and simultaneously asked if this was his name, and the knight then turned to face her in confusion but he also noticed two clansmen on the opposite sides of the steps that were closely situated to her that he looked to before looking back to her.

“Yes?”, the knight replied and she then raised her right hand towards him. “I am Anna Safavi, the voice of the High Father.”, she introduced herself and the knight then shook her hand. “Mr. Curt is away on business today and he asked me to give you this.”, she passed an envelope to him that the knight took and closely examined while she stepped into the carriage.

One of the guards held the door opened and stared at the knight who looked at the open door before staring back to the guard. The guard then gestured with his head, implying to the knight to get inside and so he did. Once the knight stepped in, he sat to the opposite end of the woman that held a wine bottle she had just opened before she would pour it into a goblet.

“Care for a drink?”, she asked. “No, thank you.”, he replied and the carriage then began to move. “The envelope that you carry contains the locations of five specific orphanages that we want you to visit. You are to go to each and every single one where you will rendezvous with our brothers and sisters in the field. You will also meet up with our contacts there and enter into a trade. Once successful, you are to escort the cargo that you receive to the appropriate locations listed in the envelope.”, as Anna Safavi was explaining this, the knight observed the envelope and wondered what it is and by the time she got to the end of her explanation he was well informed.

“Are we clear?”, she asked and then he asked his own question in return. “What is it exactly that I am transporting?”, he asked and she looked at him. “Why the orphans, of course.”, this reply shocked the knight who considered this to be dishonorable. “Don’t worry, it’s for a good cause as you will see for yourself.”, the carriage then stopped and Anna gestured with her head.

The knight looked through the window and saw several other carriages waiting outside in front of an orphanage. He looked back to Anna one last time before the door opened by itself. Realizing that it was now or never, he stepped out of the carriage immediately and walked out to address the clansmen present there. He looked back to see the carriage leave and wondered who that woman truly was. He knew what she represented, but he was curious about who she was.

“Mr. Verysdale?”, it was then that the human turned to see a female elf, one in red uniform, and he recognized her immediately for he had dealings with her in the past. “Countess Bethory?”, he bowed to her immediately as she was royalty and out of respect for her husband’s death.

“There’s no need to bow, Sir Knight, or stand on ceremony in my presence.”, she said to the knight who then stood up as he recognized a curtal man step beside her. “I trust you are well familiar with Friar Gisbourne, yes?”, the knight bowed his head to the friar, something he never does, out of respect to the lady which caused the friar to bow his head back.

“These poor children have faced poverty for the longest time and they are living under abhorrent conditions that we of the Holy Order of Albion can no longer bear to watch.”, Lady Bethory pointed out the orphans in the distance while she spoke to the knight regarding their condition.

The orphans were exiting the orphanage they once lived within and were being loaded in numbers within many separate carriages that were each manned by Curt Cut’s Clansmen. There were guards situated at the entrances of the gates of the orphanages, many watching over the exchange from the rooftops with guns in hand and many more patrolling the streets. There were members of the clergy present that the knight had fond memories of as they often managed these orphanages in the name of the crown. They shook the hands of the clansmen with a smile.

“We have requested the aid of your clan for their safe transport and I specifically requested from Mr. Thomas to accompany you during this escort.”, this surprised the knight and then the lady surprised him further when she gestured towards a nearby carriage. “Shall we?”, the man would nod and agree to her terms before accompanying her, and they would step into the carriage.

The lady sat in her own seat and on the opposite end sat the friar who took most of the space on the other seat. The knight looked uncomfortably at him and then towards the lady. He did not wish to offend the friar’s obesity and therefore he sat himself close to the friar as he tried to truly ‘tuck’ himself in beside him. The carriage then proceeded to go on its way and it was silent for a while as the lady kept gazing through the window during the transport. The knight did the same but mainly to ensure that the roads were safe and he kept noticing clansmen walking along the transport route with rifles and their revolvers at the ready for any possible threat.

“Where are the orphans being taken to?”, asked Lee. “I am pretty sure it says in that envelope where they are being taken to, Mr. Verysdale.”, said Friar Gisbourne and Lee looked at him, giving him the look that was strongly implying for him to shut up. “They are being taken to the Cathedral of the Holy Light, Sir Knight, where our Holy Order will see to it that they are taken care of. We will provide them with a far better home compared to the previous ones that they have had. The Holy Order is always in need of more priests and priestesses as well as altar boys and altar girls for many of our establishments scattered throughout Albion. What better way to motivate these children than in reminding them of the values of family and good will to the world?”, the knight looked down to smile at the thought of what Lady Bethory had shared.

In that moment of time, he had felt sorry for many things that he had done but he felt a glimmer of pride for the children he and his clan were helping, thinking the good he witnessed here in some way redeemed him and his clan in some way and fashion.

“Depending on the children’s interest and dreams, we try and help them to follow them. For instance, there are children who want to be figurine crafters, carpenters, smiths…”, the friar would then continue to explain to which the knight replied. “Smiths?”, he questioned what the friar meant by that before the lady cut in. “Well, these goblets that we drink from don’t exactly craft themselves, do they?”, this caused the knight to smirk for she was obviously right.

“The children are often taken to the bell tower where some pursue the simplest of dreams of being caretakers and grow up to become teachers who instruct future generations. They are often our bell ringers and not to mention minstrels. You should see how some of those children can perform in an orchestra and not to mention with musical instruments. They are talented.”, the friar continued to explain what awaits the children that made the knight even happier.

“You do not need to worry, Mr. Verysdale. I assure you that the children will be properly taken care of, upon my honor.”, said Lady Bethory and the knight bowed his head as they then sat in silence while the carriages moved throughout the city only to eventually come to a stop.

It is in that moment that the friar disembarked from the carriage and Lee was about to join him until the lady grabbed his hand, and the knight then looked at her with confusion.

“I trust that the friar will be able to take care of the trade by himself, Sir Knight.”, said the lady and the friar then looked back as he bowed his head before doing as she implied.

Lee sat down on the opposite side of the countess. He noticed how she looked through the window of the carriage and observed everything that was going on, and so did the knight for a while but there was something gnawing at the back of his mind that he had to address.

“Milady, I need to ask you something…”, he said to her and she turned to face him with a smile. “Ask away.”, she replied kindly and he looked at her in thought, not knowing where to start.

Lady Eliza Elvira Bethory is a malfhi, a half-human and half-elf, and her blood is that of the Royal Family of Lionheart, the ruling house of Rottingham. Unlike her relatives, however, she dressed in full red attire consisting of red plating with golden lining. She had long blonde hair, red lips, and magical glowing red eyes. Her ears were long and slender just like that of any elf with the exception of the gorgons and she wore a large golden plated collar around her neck.

“It…”, the knight then decided to try. “It is about what my son did to your husband.”, said Lee.

“Oh.”, Lady Bethory replied and she looked surprised. “What about it?”, she asked and this confused the knight who was stunned by that response. “What about it?”, he replied back with the same question and she raised her eyebrows, giving him a confused look that added to his.

“I’ve waited for this moment for a long, long time in order to ask you for your forgiveness for myself and my family for what my son had done. We have never been the same since.”, Lee explained to the Countess that simply smiled back at him. “There is nothing to forgive, Lee.”, and for the first time she called him by his name rather than his title or his surname.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Lee, however, was stunned by such a response and looked at her waiting for an explanation to which the lady decided she would finally give him.

“Look, Mr. Verysdale, my brothers took you to court and they sought to take everything away from you, and all of it because of me. You need to understand that after my husband had passed away that I was mourning, in great sorrow more than you could possibly ever imagine...”, she started to open up to the knight and explain her situation. “I understand…”, he replied and then she cut him off. “No, you don’t!”, by raising her voice to which the knight went silent in response as the lady took a deep breath before turning her head to look to the outside.

“I lost a beloved husband and my brother, Richard, lost a very close friend. In my sorrow I didn’t think clearly in my time of pain and in his rage neither did Richard. He approached me several times and told me that he would bring the man responsible to justice, and that’s what my brother was doing at that time. All the while I did not take a step out of my room nor did I attend court regarding my husband’s murder. In fact, nobody knew where I was or what I was going through with the exception of my room maids. I was dead to the world; I was dead to the Kingdom of Albion itself. When I discovered later that it was you that helped fund your son and aid in his defense I began to wonder how could one possibly defend a monster…”, the lady kept speaking and the knight sat down without saying a word, taking pity and feeling sorrow himself for how she described the events that had transpired in the past.

“However, just like a mother’s love for her daughter knows no bounds…”, she stated before staring to the knight. “So does a father’s love to his son know no bounds, doesn’t it?”, she asked the knight who then nodded his head, hoping to not offend her with his response to which she leaned forth, raising her right claw and placed it over his legs in sympathy.

“My husband was a fool, Sir Knight, for his squire deliberately challenged your son to a joust and lost, and one that unfortunately lead to his demise. My husband could not bear it for he had loved his squire dearly and in a fit of rage challenged the boy to a duel to avenge the fallen squire’s honor, and your son bested him.”, she described before lifting her claw back.

“But he didn’t have to kill him, why did he kill him?”, Lee was poisoned by this question for so many years. “He already told you, Mr. Verysdale.”, she said to him and the knight looked at her.

“My husband didn’t relent and he didn’t try to hide his feelings. He was filled with anger, hatred, and hate and he wouldn’t have stopped in his blind fury no matter what. Those who bore witness to the tragedy testified in court and told the judges the truth under oath. The only reason that you do not know about this is because you couldn’t attend the first couple of sessions in court and the only reason I know what had transpired is because I have access to the court’s transcripts.”, the lady explained to him what had happened and the knight was shocked by this sudden revelation.

“It was my husband, Sir Knight, who was guilty of his crimes, not your son. The only action he took that day was by defending his own life and preserving his family’s honor. You should be proud of him as he is proud of his father.”, the lady then finished explaining what had happened and the knight began to tear up as he now knew the truth that always eluded him.

The carriage door then opened and the moment was interrupted by the curtal friar that stepped back into the carriage. The knight turned his head and scooted over in his seat to give room for the fat man to sit while he was trying to hide his tears, something to which the lady smiled and the friar looked at Lee before looking to the lady.

“Is everything alright?”, the friar asked and the lady nodded her head before the carriage would later on proceed to venture to the cathedral where the children would step out of their carriages.

By the watchful eye of the Curt Cut’s Clan, the children were escorted from their transports and into the cathedral as they climbed the steps that lead to its doors. The knight and the lady looked to each other one last time before they bowed their heads to each other in good will. The lady would then open her arms and claws for the many children of all races that ran over to her as she embraced them all. The knight was proud of the person he had encountered and felt she was a shiny beacon of hope in this darkened world before he heard a whistle only to turn and see the friar that waved his hand, gesturing for the knight to come to him.

“Have you got something for me?”, the friar asked and the knight then reached for a pouch of his thirty pounds that he handed over to the man that examined. “Good, good.”, said the friar that opened it and then looked inside as he felt the many coins he rattled with his hands.

“Alright, get in. It’s time for us to head out to our next destination.”, said the friar. “Our next destination?”, asked Lee. “For god sake, Lee, open the damned envelope already.”, Lee then looked aside and boarded the carriage with the friar, but this time sat alone while the friar sat in the spot where the once loving countess sat when she spoke to the good knight.

The carriages then began to move once more and not wishing to enter into a conversation with the friar he opened the envelope only to read about the next destination they were heading to but then it mentioned in the description that only Friar James Gisbourne would know where they are being transported to, and asked the knight to trust the clergyman’s instructions. The knight would do as his boss stated in the letter but he didn’t like it for he despised the friar with every fiber in his being and with everything in his good heart. When the carriage arrived to the next spot, the friar stepped out and Lee Verysdale followed him. They approached the orphanage where the carriage of Anna Safavi was in waiting and she stepped out to greet the friar that raised his hand to shake her own but the woman looked to the group of orphans being escorted to their carriages by the members of the clergy that managed the orphanage. The friar kept his hand risen with a smile and then Anna turned her head to look at him before she looked down to his hand only momentarily with her eyes, and the knight could feel that she didn’t like the friar at all. The friar’s joyful look then turned to that of a serious one and his smile faded as one of her guards stepped forth to hand him a pouch that the friar took gladly. The friar stepped back and bowed his head for their successful business transaction as only then the knight realized that the clergy had now sold the children to the clan for profit.

“Mr. Verysdale.”, Anna called for the knight that observed the friar leaving and that already began to open his bag to view the money he just got. “Mr. Verysdale?”, Anna called for the knight again but the knight’s point of view was solely focused on the friar who he now hated.

The knight watched as he couldn’t believe that a member of the Holy Order of Albion could possibly be that despicable, evil, ruthless and emotionless before Anna raised her voice.

“Sir Lee!”, she called him by his first name this time and his title that caused him to snap out of it for it reminded him of someone that used to call him like that in the past. “Get in the carriage.”, Anna ordered him. “You are with me now.”, the knight would sit in her carriage as she instructed.

The knight sat in silence and looked through the window as he was now disgusted by his order rather than proud of it. He looked outside and Anna observed he wasn’t happy, that he wasn’t pleased and when the carriages before them turned to cross underneath a large arch is when the knight saw that the children were being taken to a factory by which he was horrified.

“Why are they being taken to a factory?!”, Lee raised his voice and asked immediately. “Because the King Regent ordered us to do so.”, Anna replied to the knight that then turned his head only to realize how deep the King Regent’s corruption truly was.

“And what do the children do in those factories?”, the knight asked. “What anyone else does when they end up working at these factories whose conditions are bleak?”, Anna continued to be honest to those who asked her questions, even with a knight. “Crammed with machines, cranking out four severed fingers a week…”, she looked out of the window in thought to simply remind Lee of the answers that he already knows himself like anyone else.

“They control what employees think, eat, and drink…”, she paused yet again in her explanation as she tried to word it to him as clear as possible before turning her head to look deep into his eyes. “And later, when they grow up and learn what life is truly about, they will march for better wages only to get shot in the street.”, the knight listened to every word but he didn’t agree to it.

“This feels wrong…”, said Lee. “Yes, it does.”, replied Anna and Lee smirked with disbelief.

“Then why are we doing this to those poor children?”, asked Lee. “Do you want to stand up against the crown?”, she asked a very reasonable question and Lee then looked down. “Exactly.”, Anna stated. “In truth, what those factories produce are alienated working men that mostly consist of former crusaders like you. However, they were dumb enough to voice their protest quite publicly against the King Regent. Would you like to join them?”, it was in that moment that Lee realized that the factories not only served as the industrial heart for the King but that they also served as concentration camps for those he wished to silence and imprison.

Lee looked down without saying a word. He wasn’t happy and he wasn’t pleased by what he had discovered but he was left with no choice. He looked up to Anna and shook his head.

“Good.”, she said to him and as he was about to look through the window she would then add. “Your payment of fifty pounds is under your seat, Mr. Verysdale.”, she revealed and then she would jump directly to business yet again. “Now, there’s one more thing we need to discuss.”, she said to him and he just kept looking through the window, hopeless and in silence.

“Regarding your son.”, but this comment that she made caused every amount of emotion to course back into Lee and breathe back life into his body. “What about him?”, he immediately responded to what she said to inquire about his flesh and blood. “Your son, along with a few foresters and forest rangers, had discovered that Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men had traded with us openly in Merwood. They identified our entire family, namely me and your sweet adopted daughter, Marian, and informed the King Regent.”, this shocking revelation shook Lee to the core for he knew what this meant and he sat there without being able to say a word.

“Your son is a liability, Mr. Verysdale, one we can no longer afford. The King Regent told them that he would investigate their claims but in secret he has contacted us to deal with the issue.”, Anna revealed to him and Lee then followed up with a question of his own. “And how will the family deal with this issue of ours?”, to which Anna smiled and then replied.

“We already have.”, this shocked Lee who couldn’t believe what he heard. “How?”, he asked. “By disposing of every single one of them with the exception of your son.”, she replied and the knight sighed in relief. “However…”, she then continued. “A price had to be paid.”

“What kind of a price?”, Lee asked immediately. “You’ll have to go home and see for yourself.”, Anna replied and the knight then immediately reached for the handle of the door.

He pushed the door open, rushed out of the carriage and the guardsmen intended to stop him only for Anna to shout at the guards; “Let him go!”, and so they did.

There he was, running throughout the streets from one part of the city to the other, in order to get home as fast as possible. Never had a knight in armor run that fast before and all those who saw him wondered why while the Curt Cut Clansmen already knew what had happened. All they could do now is wait for what might happen and they waited expectantly…