Other Plans

"So anything else I should know about the Marians?" Alaric said after he took a sip of his wine. "Well they are responsible for the population decrease we have been having in Baron Fall for quite some time now. They have these smugglers that the send to all parts of the world to smuggle people to the North" Sebastian said. "Oh really, then they must be very rich? How much do people pay to go to the North Anyways?" Alaric asked. "The smugglers do not collect money; they don't collect anything at all, they just carry who ever want to go. Our sources tell us they carry at least 10 people a day" Sebastian said. "But the rate at which people leave Baron Fall has gone down ever since I made a declaration that if anyone is caught leaving the city, death sentence to him and his entire family. I have place guards at ever edge of the city and they stay there from morning to night." William said with a smile. "Oh really, if I may asked, how many people and smugglers have you caught so far?" Alaric asked and the whole room fell silent with Sebastian and William looking down at the table, this made Eleanor to smile a little. "So, is the reason you haven't been able to catch anybody because ever since you made that decree, no one dares to defy you or is it because people are still able to migrate to the North because instead of focusing on their duty and standing at the post, your guard are out there having the time of their lives with the harlots of Baron Fall?" Alaric said with a vexed voice. Eleanor had act as if she was cleaning her to hide the fact that she was seriously laughing due to the way no one was able to answer Alaric and how silent the room was. After a very short while Henry finally spoke. "Alaric, it is quite rude of you to think that a beautiful and well organized place city like Baron Fall would have whores, a menace to this kingdom, rumoring around the streets" Henry said. "On my way here I heard few guard arguing about whether or not they should leave their post tonight due to the fact that I'm here, that they are bringing new girls to the brothel tonight, believe me when I say this I was very disappointed. I sure your people are leaving in poverty and hunger, especially hunger when you have someone like him on the king's court" Alaric said as he pointed to Henry. "Well I know you're the king" Alaric said as he pointed to William. "You are in good shape and that amour you are wearing isn't just for show" Alaric said pointing to Aemon. "I am a knight" Aemon responded quickly before Alaric could finish his words". "Well that is very good, I will be training with you after this meeting, I feel being imprisoned in that stone for many years has made my movement stiff but not that stiff so I advise you wear your strongest amour sir, sorry what is your name?" Alaric said referring to Aemon. "Lord Aemon Gilead" Aemon answered. "Well I do have more to say, much more, but I am very tired so I will just get to the point. Thank you so much for breaking me free, I know it might have been a little bit of an inconvenience for you and I want you to know that I am truly grateful. I may not know now why you set me free in the first place and I know you have plans but before I do anything for you I first must carry out my own plans. I shall take a little rest first, pardon me for that, Sir Aemon, that Training I wanted to have with you will be for tomorrow" Alaric said as he stood up from his chair and walked towards the door with Jabot tailing after him, he was able to catch up with Alaric at the door where Eleanor was standing. "Alaric, I am sorry I didn't have much to say during the meeting so let me use this chance to introduce myself. Jabot Graham is the name" Jabot said as he stretched out his hand towards Alaric for a hand shake. "You're a healer aren't you" Alaric said and he seemed a little happy too. "Yes I am and I was wondering if I could carry some tests on you" Jabot said. "I was wondering the same thing too, I don't really have any idea if that spell has done anything to me, I am in need of checking" Alaric said. "Well them we must go to my place of work, oh but before we do, I need to check up on that guard, let's whether he could tell us anything useful" Jabot said. "What guard? I saw a lot on the floor almost bleeding to death. Are they not all dead?" Alaric asked. 'No they are not dead, they have only suffered some fractures and cuts and scratches but once I fix them up, they will be all fine and the one we are going to talk to is the one who suffered the least damage from the fight. He is the only one who witnessed everything that happened and can still speak. Lord Aemon, these are your men, I will need you to assist me" Jabot said as he turned to face Aemon who nodded his head in responds and then he and Alaric left the room. William, Aemon, Sebastian, Henry and Eleanor where the only ones left in the meeting room and it was completely silent until Henry finally broke the silence. "Your highness, I don't very much like that Alaric of a man" Henry said. "Patience Henry, I just need him to get rid of all the monsters for me" William. "What about his own plans, he said they will come first before anything, what exactly are his plans" Aemon asked. "Good question, he seems to have a liking towards Jabot. When you get to Jabot's work place ask him to ask Alaric about his plans" The king said and then he stood up from his chair and left with Henry following him. Eleanor saw this and turned toward the door to leave but Aemon stopped her when he said "You stop right there" Eleanor froze and turned around and answered "Yes my lord". "I have a very sharp eye just so you know, I know every maid and guard in this castle, and I have never seen you before" Aemon asked. "My lord you see I am new, I just came in today" Eleanor said with a smile. Aemon kept looking at her with a suspicious eye until he finally left the room.

Alaric, Jabot and Aemon were in a big building that was well illuminated because of the big windows that were at the top of the building. They were in a room with lots of beds with the guards who were injured at the castle lying on them and men were attending to them. The noise of wailing was all over the building. "Sir Jabot, Sir Jabot!" a young man wearing a white trouser and shirt came running towards Jabot. "Yes, what is it my Reiner" Jabot said. "That guard you wanted to talk to has been treated and is now ready to speak, come I shall take you to him" Reiner said and immediately Jabot Aemon and Alaric followed him. The all came to a side of the room in the building where the guard who grabbed William's leg when he came to the room where Alaric was still in the stone, was sitting on a bed with bandages rapped his head, his chest and his arms and leg. Aemon saw him and immediately recognized him and ran towards him. "James, James what happened" Aemon asked. "You know this man Aemon?" Jabot asked. "I know the name of all my men. James was one of the best guards I've every trained" Aemon said. "No wonder he is still alive" Alaric said coming closer to James. "Tell me James, what happened" Aemon said as he held onto James gently. "We were already standing at our post, waiting for the Prince to call us" James said with a shaky voice. "Then we heard him shout for us so we came running to where he was. When we came to the door of the room, we saw more than twelve guards lying on the floor, we saw a man with a big sword in front of them so we assumed that he was the one that stroke them do we didn't hesitate to draw our swords and start fighting. We didn't go in with full power because we were like thirty and they were still more inside the and more on their way so we didn't really put too much energy when we went because they were only six of them and only four had weapons, we didn't notice the wolves. Just as I was about to land the first strike, one of the wolves jumped on me, it was very heavy so it somehow crushed my ribs a little" James said and this time he started to tremble a little. "It had these very sharp claws that sunk straight into my amour. It was about to finish off but it saw a guard coming its way and it left me jumped on the other guard. I don't really know how deep does claws went but I couldn't move, every time I tried I felt this sharp pain in my chest and I couldn't see well due to the fact that I was on the floor but I do know it was three men, a woman and the wolves were the ones that were fighting us. So I was on the floor for a while, I was being stepped on for a while until I was able to sit up be the amount of guards fighting had reduced and I was able to see better. When I sat up I saw the people whom were fighting us gather around a girl, they all seemed really said, then a boy and a girl with an old man came from behind with two more wolves, on stepped on my chest and I passed out."