The Hope Collection

Freedom and Captivity(unedited)

King Johnathon looked like he was about to burst into tears when he finished his sad tale. I knew I should believe him, for no king would cry in front of anyone lower than them. Esspecially a spy from another kingdom. I was told he was a cruel ruler, but no one in his kingdom's villages and city had looked upset, his high wizard was kind enough and saved my life, and the king had listened to his high wizard of whom I now realized was the king's best friend. The king of the dreaded Baskilisks, creatures who were so ugly to look at you would die, was none other than a sibling grieving for his missing little sister.

"I hope that you believe me, but I see in your eyes you are torn between believing me and accusing me of being a lier," King Johnathon gave me a soft look.

"I believe you, your majesty. No king would shed tears in front of their enemy if they were feeding them lies," I smiled a little at him, I didn't like seeing the strong king's eyes full of tears.

"Thank you, young spy, and about you living here, you don't have to. That was just Rylin's standards, it seems he's taken a liking to you," King Johnathon whispered the last part into my ear and Rylin's cheeks grew bright red.

"You're welcome, your majesty," I could feel my cheeks burning, too.

"When you go back to your lands please do not tell your king what I have told you. It is better my weakness stays a secret, I wouldn't want the information to get into an assassin's hands and send them to the Elven City," the king nodded towards me.

"Of course, I understand your majesty," I nodded back to him and stood up from the velvet loveseat.

"Good, now go back to your king and tell him only that you were caught before you gained any knowledge of what our meeting was about, and escaped from my dungeons unharmed," King Johnathon laughed.

"Oh course," I smiled back and walked out of the room.

I could hear King Johnathon and Rylin speaking as I left. Rylin's voice sounded urgent and aware while the king's was slow and steady. The two of them were definitely the kind of friends who would stay together for years to come. And from the story that King Johnathon has told me, he most definitely needed someone like Rylin around him to keep him on his toes.

None of the guards outside seemed to even realize I was from their enemy's kingdom. Or the king had so graciously told them all not to arrest me a second time. One of the guards, a young man about twenty, stopped me as I was about to leave the castle. He told me that they had found my horse, Haven, and had put her in the stables. I had forgotten all about Haven between everything that happened these last few days.

Haven's piercing loud neighs could have been heard from the other side of the city with how loud she was when I entered the stables. She looked at me cheerfully and whinnied a welcome. I strided over to her and brought her outside so I could jump up onto her back. Once on her back I asked her to trot out of town. I'd explain what had happened to her in vague detail when we got out of town. If I were to tell her everything that has happened, it would take days. It wasn't a long ride out of the city, it wasn't as crowded and the roads weren't as cracked as the roads back home.

Once out of town I explained to Haven about finding the meeting room . Being caught and thrown in a cell. How I was starved for days and the fear of my looming death. Even what Rylin and king told me because I trusted Haven not to tell anyone, not even the other horses in the stables. If she told the other horses another animal speaker could possibly listen in on what the animals were saying, and that would be reported to the king and it would all be traced back to me and what I didn't tell my king about my mission. I would be in huge trouble and probably be punished for my disloyalty.