Samael suddenly falls down on his knees. Alarmed, I rush over with Sleipnir to help him. "What's wrong? Did something bad happen?"

Samael faces with with a dejected face. "No... Something much worse happened."

"... Well what is it?"

"Someone already finished the job." 

"Well that's not too bad. I mean the villagers aren't in any danger anymore right?"

"Fafnir. You don't understand the life of someone constricted to follow the whims of weaklings, making me do tedious things such as work for money, when instead I can just blow them to bits and take whatever they had on their person, but no. I have my reasons."

Samael begins to make a scene as he gets louder with each sentence. I hear a shout from inside the crowd of villagers. They make way. There emerges a woman who looks like she's in her mid 20s, but I'm not particularly sure as I haven't even asked her anything. She approaches us, wearing a white hooded cloak and a matching white tunic on the inside, velvet colored lips and long dark hair that runs along her back. 

She walks towards us slowly, and I can notice from a closer distance that she has quite a slim figure t get with her sharp gaze and brown eyes. She is armed with a long bow and some arrows.

She speaks quite coldly for someone you just met, facing Samael. "Were you the one making that annoying sound earlier?"

"Who are you maiden?" Samael asks nonchalantly, returning the cold greeting.

The atmosphere became a bit unsettling between the two of them so I choose to intervene. I get off of Sleipnir, rushing towards Samael. 

I put myself between them, and sure enough, you could feel a bad storm brewing just from them staring each other down. "Stop. What is all this about? Why the hostility all of a sudden?"

She looks at me for what feels like a long time. "Well this is quite a surprise. A pretty boy in the making. Are you with this obscene man?"

"Obscene? What of? I have not done anything of the sort." Samael remarks wholeheartedly. He does not feel any malice for this woman, but she seems to have taken that the wrong way. 

"Enough please, both of you. I don't understand why you two suddenly became enraged with one another but can't we talk this out instead?" I hope pleading works, because i feel that this will go down badly if it doesn't work.

"Very well. This is a small village, but the inn offers good food. We shall settle things there." She walks away angrily and the crowd that formed earlier dissipates, also uncomfortable with the terrible atmosphere between the two.

"I don't understand women at all." I sigh after this confrontation. 

"Trust me young Fafnir, women are mysteries created by the gods themselves, but sometimes I argue that the mysteries they keep are gifts from hell below." 

"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that Samael. That must mean that a bad omen's to come soon." I walk away. First on my agenda is finding a place for Sleipnir to be sheltered. 

I ask a around and the first one I see is a grown man. Fully bearded making him look more man like. He wears a blue overall carrying a lumber axe. 

"Excuse me, but would you happen to know where I could keep my horse here?" He gestures for me to follow him, he seems kind enough. And I have noticed that my conversing abilities have advanced a lot seeing as I have less difficulty in talking with people.

I ask the old man escorting me. "Do you know that woman from earlier? Could you tell me about her and why people were surrounding her?"

"Her? Aye, that beauty has a lot of hidden talents. At first glance I thought that she was just another pretty face, but it turns out that she's also a brute of a woman. Took down that lion that's been terrorizing the village. Thought that a giant lion would've never existed, but there really was one. Might it mean that gods exist too?"

"I don't really know for sure old man. She took down the lion huh?..."

"Old man? Do I really look that old? Maybe I'll cut my beard down a notch."

I talk with him a bit learning a little about the village, the lion and the mysterious woman. He shows me the local stable and we part ways. I leave it with a young man who looks very tidy from his looks all they way to the stable itself.

"You look very mature for your age. Where are your parents?" The stable master asks me a question.

mature? I don't look that grown up. I have a few cuts and bruises, does that mean I'm mature? I tried not to dwell on it too much as its not too important right now. I just say my thanks to the man and take my leave. 

On the way to the inn, I think about the things that the old man told me... 

We are currently in the borders of Vasantria, and a few leagues from here is their capital city of Zarakiol. The village we are currently at is named Alos, a rich countryside where farms and other livelihoods are focused on. 

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Recently they faced hard times such as increased taxes, unfair treatment of the villagers, the nobility taking advantage of the villagers, high ranking generals taking males 'of age' to join their ranks... It just goes on, the old man rambled on and on about their mistreatment, but in the end he said that they were treated fairly by their previous ruler.

I'll consult Samael about what we will have to do when we get to the capital city of Vasantria, but for now, I'll have to focus on the matter at hand. Samael and that mysterious woman. After that, comes what may come.

I close in on the place that the woman told us to meet in. Fairly well lit. Although you could see the damage and debris everywhere. I enter.

The woman wait for me as Samael is already there, by the looks of it is that he feels uncomfortable. I approach the table from where they are staying. 

She stops to look at us and fixes her posture. "Let me introduce myself then. I am Camille Alfein. And you two are?"

"My name is Fafnir, and this Samael. We are... Wandering adventurers."

After introductions, we cleared up the hostility as it was merely a misunderstanding. She took it quite nicely. For the entire time that I talked with her it felt like she were part of a nobility, but aside from that, everything has been cleared up.

She told us that she was the one responsible for taking down the lion going rampant along the village. She had great skill with a bow and arrow as she showed us by shooting down a flock of birds outside with ease. 

Camille faces us, talking with urgency. "It seems that our meeting will be short-lived as I have prior commitments that I must attend to. Farewell"

She exits the inn as a group of men wearing organized uniforms begin to emerge from out of nowhere. They seem to be familiar with her as they run off somewhere with their horses into the the night. 

We are left with no company as Samael and I try to figure out just what happened at this very moment. 

Samael sighs in relief. "She finally left. I thought that she'd stay here and it would be a drawn out conflict."

"She seemed rather busy, but now that what we came here for has passed, what should we do now?"

"Only one thing left I guess. We go to the capital city of Vasantria and do what we can there."

We rest for the night as we are tired from the journey... And the next day comes rester quickly.

Bright sun shines from above, and our journey once again begins. Sleipnir well fed and ready to go once again. 

The journey takes us from village to village, not really stopping for too long as our primary goal is to arrive in Zarakiol as early as possible. 

After days of traveling from town to village, we finally arrive to Zarakiol. Its walls lie in ruins, guard are positioned everywhere, the city seems dark and gloomy despite the sun shining brightly overhead. Samael notices something and speaks out loud. "Those banners, this city. It has changed throughout the years."

I chose not to ask Samael as I assume that he had been here before.

We approach the city gates and we are halted by well armed guards. "Stop! No one enters the city without being inspected."

We have no choice, not unless we want to turn this into a fight. We let them check our belongings. 

After a few minutes of checking, they suddenly stop and bring out the incandescent from the weapons holdings. "Arrest them! They carry weapons." 

We are bound in heavy chains, I look to Samael to stop him from drawing any more suspicion. The guards take us away somewhere, a place devoid of light nor clean air. A dungeon of some sort, and we are kept in separate cells. I couldn't see where they took Samael as it is dark here. The only thing I hear are the echoes of footsteps. 

~meanwhile~

King Lazarus arranges for a celebration once agin, but this once grander than the last. The citizens for Ardrasthrur, curious as to what it is all about. Rumors begin to spread about the return of King Arthur Kal-Ardonia's son. 

The rumors quickly spread as this is truly a momentous occasion. Cheering could be heard from everywhere as the parade of soldiers return from their journey, and with them is King Lazarus, the bringer of good news, and with him is someone oddly familiar.

They make their way quickly to the palace grounds where the queen Florence and their daughter Juliette, awaits lazarus's arrival. 

The king dismounts from his horse, and is followed by the rumored son of the deceased King Arthur. 

Juliette takes a glance at the child, who looks like the same age as her. She gasps in surprise and speaks. "Fafnir! Is that you?"

~to be continued.