A Helping Hand
BRETVER 31ST YEAR 552 ASMERIAN CALENDAR.
Jackson watched as the guards scoured the land and searched every home in the area to protest of everyone with any sense in their head. They were like ravenous dogs, hunting him down and shouting his name at the top of their lungs. As they passed through the town near the castle he looked up towards the gate and noticed Asmerian soldiers now controlled the gate flying their banners and marching in formation.
Jackson was considerably warier of the soldiers than the king's guard. The soldiers went through months and months of training in many areas concerning land navigation and fighting. He knew he could take on multiple guardsmen at a time, but soldiers were different. Most had basic or even advanced training in swordsmanship, and many were spearmen who would easily best him in an engagement. Nevertheless, they continued to Greendale, the road was backed up with merchants, all of the way to Miller's old home. Ruby stood at the gate to the property, she looked and the remains of the house, only the chimney stood from the pile of ash that once was a magnificent home. More importantly, her first home. Jackson rubbed her back as he stepped closer to her.
"It's alright Ruby, I doubt there was anything of value ever there." He said as he looked out to the barn. They used to play there while he watched Ruby for Miller when he was away. It was surrounded by the fields they ran through to escape when he killed Fritz Barker who tried to kill him. Now they were untended and barren of any life.
Carter watched as several horsemen rode down towards them from the town. They were all knights, seven in total. The knight in the rear flew a banner that symbolized the Order of Asmeria. Jackson stepped off of the road and watched closely as the knights passed. Each of the knights of the Order had their own individual insignia. He only noticed one insignia, that was for Sir Hammers whose insignia was a hammer if it wasn't obvious enough.
Jackson flipped up his hood and walked towards town, pulling Ruby to his side. "If anyone asks, you're my wife and we're heading south to meet your mother. Carter, you're new name is Louis Martin and you're my uncle."
"I understand… nephew." Carter laughed.
"Oh, dear uncle, my legs are growing so very weak, why don't you carry me to town?" He quipped back laughing hysterically.
They approached the gate of Greendale; it was faster to travel through the town than walking around the massive wall. The guards were collecting tax from everyone who entered the gate, so Jackson readied some coins and handed an Asmerian Silver to both Carter and Ruby. They slowly made their way to the guards. The merchants were raising hell and shouting at the guards standing at the gate for denying them entry. Carter approached the guardsman who took the taxes from everyone who entered.
"Good afternoon sir," Carter said politely.
"Good afternoon, state your business in Greendale and where you are heading." The man was only a little shorter than Carter and he had a rather amusing mustache.
"I'm simply passing through; we are going to my sister's house in Lexington."
"Who's we? How many are there passing through?"
"Three of us, my nephew and his wife are accompanying me to Lexington for the same reasons."
"Very well, the total tax is one Asmerian Silver, but if you all pay separately then it's four Asmerian Coppers."
"Nephew, do you want me to pay it and you can return the payment later?" Carter asked.
Jackson checked the purse and nodded his head. "I'll repay you in Lexington Louis."
"Very well then, here you go sir, you said one silver correct?"
"Yes, you may pass, just know you'll have to pay the same fine at any gate you choose to exit." The guard said as he walked past Carter to the next person. They all calmly walked through the gate, several Soldiers were patrolling around the town, and to Jackson's horror, there were bodies hanging from any perch that could bear the weight of a human being. Most of them had signs hanging from the ropes that killed them. One was a robber, another was an adulterer, one was labeled a traitor, and many were hanged for minor offenses, like speaking poorly of the king or the lord. It was gruesome and incredibly hard to look at. They moved deeper into the town to the old knight's fountain where Jackson first met Miller and it only got worse. Lord Daniels erected several whipping posts so that slaves could be publicly whipped for entertainment.
Ruby clung tight to him while they passed two Varin's being whipped nearly to death. It had always been bad for Varin's but they were treated even worse now. The racism was profound and the humans who owned the Varin's were no longer held back by common morality or decency. Jackson noticed one man who seemed familiar, it was the sergeant who had said he lived in his old home. He was sitting outside of Black's Tavern and enjoying a young girl no more than seventeen. She was a slave and it was obvious she was forced to do things most free women wouldn't do for their husbands.
"Carter, take Ruby to the southern gate and wait for me, there's something I want to do."
"Are you sure you want to do that? If he goes missing the guards will know you're here or they'll execute that girl who's with him for murder." Carter said he also noticed the sergeant at Black's Tavern.
"I don't care about the girl; I care about the scum." He muttered. "If I'm not at the gate by sundown, leave without me and find my uncle in Lexington."
"I already know you won't get caught doing something stupid, just make sure you do it somewhere quiet and I'll be waiting for you. Trust me, I'd do it myself if given the option master."
Jackson started walking away when Ruby grabbed his hand. "Be careful Jack, you don't have to do this."
"Oh? After he invaded my home and what he did to you. He deserves everything that happened to Daniels and his wife as well. So, go with Carter, I'll be with you soon."
They parted ways and Jackson took a seat on the fountain, his hood concealed his identity and the cloak covered the short sword at his hip. He watched for about thirty minutes and he was disgusted by the man's behavior. He was a womanizer that would put any pimp to shame. Even the prostitutes avoided his perverted gaze.
Jackson waited for him to leave his seat; the sergeant dragged the slave girl to an alley behind Black's Tavern. Jackson followed, keeping enough distance so as not to be spotted. They moved behind two stacked barrels and he noticed clothing being tossed aside. He moved into the alley and next to the barrel. He heard the girl pleading with the man, but it was pointless. Jackson quickly drew the short-sword and rounded the barrels. The sergeant turned to see the steel blade but nothing else as the sword went through his skull. He fell limp instantly and the body thumped against the cobblestone alley floor.
The girl gathered her clothes as fast as she could and got dressed, Jackson noticed that she was human and not a Varin as he thought previously. It was normally safe to assume that most slaves in Asmeria were Varin. Asmerian's weren't as fond of human slaves as they were Varin's. Jackson turned away from the girls as she got dressed. He looked down and noticed that he was standing on top of her blouse. He bent down and grabbed it. It looked like two different bed sheets were sewn together and it was discolored and poorly made and the sleeves were a light brown color.
"Here ya go," Jackson said as he handed the shirt to her.
"Thanks." She said shyly, she took the shirt and threw it over her head and pulled it down over her. "Why?" She asked as she looked towards the ground, she was obviously embarrassed.
"Well, I owed this scumbag an untimely death, so I simply saw an opportunity to kill him and you just so happened to be here."
"I- I see, well… well then, I guess I'll have to go fetch a guard and report it."
"Nah, just come with me, I can get you out of the town and from there you'll be on your own. If you report it, who are they going to accuse? I figure they will accuse the girl who was being raped did it and they'd hang you before nightfall. Just push the body to the side where no one will see it for a minute, and we'll be on our way." Jackson put the short sword back in its scabbard and helped the girl push the sergeant's corpse next to the barrel. He pulled the sergeants cap down over the wound, so it would seem like he was just a drunk who passed out from too much alcohol.
Jackson led her down several alleys until they came to the southern gate where Ruby and Carter were patiently waiting. "That was quick, well, as quick as I assume it would take to do it intelligently," Carter said as he embraced Jackson. "So, I assume you did the deed?"
"Yeah, I'll pay for the girl's tax, but she'll be on her own once we pass through the gate." He said as he tilted his head towards the girl.
"I knew you just wanted to help her." Carter laughed. Ruby however rushed forwards and hugged him tightly. "She was worried sick; we better get out of here before she kills you."
"I agree, come on, you'll be following us until we're clear of town," Jackson said.
They exited Greendale without issue and passed through the outskirts without running into any guards or soldiers. Ruby held Jackson's hand the whole time and she didn't say a word. They finally got far enough down the road for Jackson to stop and turn to the girl. "So, uh, what's your name?" He asked awkwardly.
"Natalie, my name's Natalie mister." She said, her voice was hoarse, and it looked like she was in pain when she spoke.
"Natalie, nice to have met you. Now, we're not the kind of people that you want to be around if you couldn't tell, so this is where we'll part ways. If you're wanting to go to Vern, simply follow that road across the field there and I'll give you a few Asmerian Silver coins to make the journey." He said as he reached into his pack.
"No, wait," Natalie blurt out without knowing what to say afterward. "I, well I'd like to stay with you if I can. I promise I'll be a hard worker and I won't say anything about what happened. Please, please let me stay with you." She begged.
"Are you sure about that? We are criminals, murderers, and thieves, not to mention runaway slaves. If you get caught with us, then you'll hang with us."
"I was already caught for something far worse than everything you mentioned, I was born in the Western Isle and I was raised by the Western Ubiytsa."
"The Ubiytsa?"
"Yes, our word for an assassin."
"Oh? I assume you were under the age of eighteen, right?" Jackson asked.
"Yes, I was, I was spared while my father was executed, I was going to be killed on my eighteenth birthday anyways, I want to help you!"
"Natalie, I don't know if you can help me."
"She could help me," Carter said. "It's hard on Ruby and I to cook and prepare camp all by ourselves while you hunt. We could use a helping hand with that, or she could even hunt with you. I hear Western girls are great hunters."
"You're really twisting my arm here Carter. Are you sure about this, we barely know her?"
"Well we know she was a slave just like you two and you said she was about to be raped so if she did betray us then it would be a low blow."
"I swear, I would never betray you, mister, please, let me stay with you!" She started to cry, "I just want to stay with you for now. As soon as I find a way home, I'll leave, I promise!"
"Where is your home?" Ruby asked.
"Port Surmanthia, in the cove of the main island."
"The main island?" Jackson and Ruby asked.
"Yes, the Western Isle is made up of six islands that stretch to the west. Port Surmanthia is the capital of the Western Isle."
"Fine, you may come with us, but as soon as you find a ship westward, you're going home."
"Really? You mean it?" She responded joyfully.
"Yeah, you know how to cook right? Hopefully, the Western Isle has some actual good food. I've grown to hate potato and Grear stew."
"I know how to cook mister; I'll make you all sorts of western food."
"Alright then, let's get going. Lexington is still a few days away." Jackson said while he took a deep breath.
They continued down the Zander Road passing through two towns on the outskirts of Greendale. They were both small and insignificant. Jackson crested the top of a small hill he saw the largest city in Northern Asmeria, Rosaria. It was amazing and even larger since Jackson last passed through it on his way to Greendale with his family.
"We're halfway to Lexington, come on, we can find an inn to stay the night in, and remember, we're all one big happy family." He turned his attention to Natalie. "If you ever desired a new identity now would be the time."
"I loved my father, he is my identity and my name is his."
"Very well, Natalie."