𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕘'𝕤 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣

Ch.4

The wall scones light the dark hall. You were now standing in the middle of the hall without the help of the guards or knights and with your head slightly down looking at the marble floor. There's a grand chair in the hall room, a few steps of stairs slightly higher than the floor. You are anxious but you kept it to yourself. It seems you were to meet someone important... It might be the Lord of the castle himself.

You then could hear the doors being opened, not through the one you walked in before but through a different door on the left that led straight to the chair. The man is seated and you lean slightly forward to lower yourself, you bowed. He then gives you a gesture to be at ease. You realised there is also another face in the room, a young man on his side.

The knight on your left then came forward and handed the count the black-covered item you bring before. It was opened. And says something to the Count in french. He seems surprised. So does the young man on his side. The Count then looks at you.

"You speak Latin and not French?" he asks in Latin.

"Just... a few words in French, Your Grace." You reply.

He then grabbed the seal that was presented before him. He then looks at you. He seems to have a lot of questions but he asks the most important one, it seems he knows why you were here.

"Where is the position of the caravan? And how long has it been?"

"Near... the border at the south and a day's ride, Your Grace." You could feel your legs shaking, tired from the ride. But you have to hold it, y/n. You can't mess this up. 

The count then seems restless. Clearly, the caravan getting attacked when none of his knights there is might not be good. He might plan to capture the raiders. And how his knights would be the witnesses of the raids. You remembered how Khalid talks about politics in Jerusalem. Politics are always complicated, you think. 

"I receive no messengers for the past week, why hasn't Abu Barsiyya sent one?" the Count asked. 

A week? Does no messengers come to the count for a week?

"Forgive me, Your Grace," you say, "I believe the messengers is..." you continue, "exterminated..." You clench your fist.

"I don't know the exact details Your Grace but, someone told me that he didn't know where the messengers went," you continue, "That someone might... meddle with the messengers." You recall one of your last conversations with Khalid.

You didn't like this. There's something really wrong here. You then try to connect the dots. That perhaps... there is some insider from the caravan that sells them out. There is no way you could come here to the county unharmed on the way. And no bandits too. You remember Ridwan says that bandits would not attack from the way Damascus to Jerusalem because they fear they might come across the Templars. Also... when you escaped with Ridwan a day ago both of you were followed. Maybe that person or someone saw that and... But you were lucky. Maybe they didn't realize at the time there was the two of you. It's so dark after all.

You could see from the Count's face that he didn't like to hear about this at all. It was silent for a moment until he talk to the knight who present the seal earlier. He might be the head of the knights. You realize his attire is slightly different than the other knights and you remember how the other knights bowed to him when they passed him earlier before. 

The Count then was talking to the young man on his side, and the three of them were in a conversation. They looked serious and worries on their faces. You could see the Count was furious and talking about something. You know your french is not good but you could get some gits of it.