On A Journey

Waking up in the warmth of a bed, yawning out all the stress away, could it be a dream?

Honestly, it felt like it, but genuinely understanding its reality, there's nothing to complain about right now. Immediately getting up, Zac looks around the house, getting ready to leave, but the cabin seems empty. Feeling a sense of desertion, Zac would run off to find the old man.

Running around and making his way outside, the first things to be heard were sounds of birds chirping, animals brushing up against the bushes, the wind hitting the trees, months of being lost in the vast forest would leave Zac emotionally and mentally affected, for he could only find no reason to keep moving on.

However, the sight before him was calming, soothing; it brought him consolation that even if the old man had left him, he could make use of the cabin and try to find a way out.

*Crunch*

*Snap*

Zac rushed his head towards the sounds of wood breaking underfoot.

Was it another wild animal?

Timid and curious, Zac stands still as he waits for whatever may come out; the sounds of moving transits closer, taking a position about to run, Zac still stands there until what was startling Zac finally comes out.

Zac, believing to be a wild animal, happened to be the old man coming out from another hunt; this time, it wasn't a boar but an elk getting dragged over.

"Hey, you almost scared me half to death! Where were you?" Zac would yell out

The distance was too far, and the old man had impaired hearing, so there was no response.

The old man continued to drag the elk until he reached close enough to Zac.

"Help me out here, you brat! You got working arms and legs, don't ya?" The old man would profusely say.

As Zac helped pull in the Elk, they ate it for breakfast right before they set off. The journey to Glaryplains was far and took many weeks; Zac would ask the old man to teach him hunting skills throughout the trip, as to be able to survive if he were to get lost again. Every morning, Zac would start with the basics of hunting and keep going through a routine.

He would learn how to set traps, learn the footprints of animals, know what bait to use for all kinds of different animals, and shoot a bow.

A week before returning, Zac finally had learned all the basics before finally making it to the entrance of Glairyplains.

"This is as far as I go, boy." The old man would say

"Thank you, Baudelaire."

As they both said their goodbyes, Zac would stand looking at the entrance, preparing himself to face the Lord and seek justice for both his mother and him.

When Zac roams the town, he sees wanted posters plastered on the walls of almost every building in sight, of him and the man that had set him free. Worrying about being caught, Zac makes his way to a shop and buys the cheapest cloak to cover his identity with the money Baudelaire had given him before leaving.

Luckily the shopkeeper had not recognized Zac's face, and he could now walk away safely inside the town.

With only 30 Solars on him, he would buy the cheapest food and sleep in a deserted alleyway, where not anyone would bother to look.

As the days go by, Zac steadily makes his plan to approach the Lord without any significant repercussions, which would allow him to speak freely.

Idea after idea would go by, but Zac expected only the worst outcomes; out of many ideas, the only safest way was to break into the lords' mansion or find him alone.

But it was a faint hope, as Zac did not possess any skills to break into a place, especially one that is huge and heavily guarded, and finding the Lord alone would be impossible because he is the highest figure that runs most of the lands and a noble, there is no way he would be unguarded.

Frustrated over all the unsuccessful ideas, he continues to wait for an opportune moment to get a conversation with the Lord.

"Wait a minute. What does the Lord even look like? How could I find a guy whose face is unknown?" The worst possible outcome was not coming up with an idea but having wasted many days trying to figure out a plan to talk to a guy whose identity was anonymous. Zac pondered over his thoughts, and the best solution was to speak with the beggars to get a description of what the Lord would look like.

1-hour-later*

It being common for almost everyone to know who the Lord is and what he would look like, Zac could get a description relatively quickly.

* Brown, Caramelized Hair

* Tanned Skin

* Emerald Eyes

* Ruby ring on the pinky finger

* And would always be guarded by one bodyguard covered in a white silverish uniform, whose skills are said to be unmatched.

"Now that I've got the description, what's bothering me is the bodyguard; how could I possibly get the Lord alone if he's always guarded?"

The problems seemed to be unending, as he could not find a solution to any problem, the issues kept rising.

Feeling helpless, Zac knew he would have to find a way to talk to the Lord without seeing him alone.

Mulling over his ideas, he gets distracted and bumps into a stranger wearing a black robe that would cover his face, and it looked more expensive than seen in the shops around.

"Sorry." Zac would quickly leave right after his insensitive apology.

The robed man would say nothing and leave as well, stopping mid-way looking back at Zac as they parted.

~

[SOMEWHERE IN A HOUSE]

"Do you understand the goal?"

"Yes, sir!"

"The task must get done by nightfall, don't dawdle around and screw up the mission as you have in the past."

"I understand, sir."

"Now leave!"

As the conversations of mysterious strangers ended, 2 out of 3 people remained in the house.

Covered in the same black robe that the man who bumped into Zac had worn, 2 of them would stand across from each other.

"Do you think he'll get the job done?" Robed man, one would ask with curiosity.

"Even though he looks and acts like a clumsy man, once he's serious about something, he'll do anything to get it finished." Robed man two would respond.

"It seems you put your trust in him quite a lot for a man who's so cautious of everyone, Lord Kieron."

The man said and looked to be the Lord of Glaryplains, appearing to be behind the robe.

"Don't get me wrong; trust is far from it. But instead, you could say he is a tool that I favor. What're your thoughts on him, Sir Knight. Victor Glenn?" Kieron would ask as he let a hint of animosity out.

"I dare not state an opinion, for I do not know anything about him, and I would like to keep it that way," Victor responds as he tries to hide his fear.

"Well, it does not matter; he'll soon be disposed of anyway. Oh, and one more thing, I saw a child that looked to be on the wanted poster; what was it, ah yes, the escapee."

"Should I have him captured?"

"Don't bother, although we know where his whereabouts are. Is it not right for us to leave it for the Knights to handle this matter? If they are not even capable of handling a child, I might have to replace every single Knight."

"I understand."

"Now, back to the important matters."

As the conversation went on, a black figure peeked from the window; it was Zac.

5-hours-ago*

After Zac had bumped into the man in the black robe(Kieron), he would look back, right after Kieron.

Catching his eye, Zac had seen a shine on the ground that was where Kieron had walked.

Curious about it, Zac would go to where he noticed the glimmer and found out it was a tiny yellow stone.

"What is it?" Having very little knowledge about riches, Zac could only see it as a gem of some kind.

"My lucky day! I could certainly sell this for a few Solars; I mean, it shines!" Thinking of stealing and selling, Zac would try to find a shop to sell the stone. The stone was unknown after going to a few places, so the shopman did not buy it. Feeling immense frustration, he had caught a glimpse of the robed man that bumped into him.

"If I can't sell it at a shop, surely the owner could reward me for finding it." Having the malicious idea, he would follow the robed man, leading to the conversation between the three robed men.

The conversation was hard to follow, but it was apparent that something terrible was going down, and finding out that he had been found shocked Zac.

But this could be the opportune moment where he could get his conversation with Kieron, but the hesitation was immense; his senses would tell him that it was a bad idea to enter that place.

Zac's reasoning was confusing, but he had reminded himself that even if he'd get thrown into prison, he would talk with Kieron.

Moments Later...

*Knock*

*Knock*

Shocked by the knocks, Victor would ready his sword hiding behind Kieron as Kieron proceeds to open the door.

"May I help you?" Kieron would say with confusion.

Since Zac was but a small child, Kieron was confused as he did not see anyone in front of him until he looked down.

As Kieron knew who the boy was, he pretended that he didn't and would continue to start a conversation.

"Child, do you know where you're at?" Letting his guard down, Kieron would start to talk to Zac.

Zac would instantly recognize the features of Kieron from remembering his description.

"Are you the Lord?"

Shocked at his question, he would pull Zac inside, and Victor would immediately hold his sword up to his throat.

"Child, why are you here?" With extreme anger, he asks while his hostile aura leaks out, flooding the room.

Struggling to speak with a sword against his neck, Zac would answer. "I simply wished to have a conversation with you."

"And why should I give you that leisure?"

I have something of yours and intended to return it, but for a reward."

"You're poking at the lion; you know that child? What could you possibly have of mine?" Although Kieron seems to be still angry, he speaks with interest.

Zac would then pull the yellow stone out of his cloak pocket. Once Kieron had seen the rock, he would stomp on Zac's stomach.

"Boy, you must give me a good reason as to why you have that!"

Getting the wind kicked out of him, Zac would take a moment to respond.

"You dropped it after bumping into me, remember? I wish to talk with you in return for the stone." Zac says as he still struggles to catch his breath from fear and the kick.

"hmm. Very well, start talking, then immediately hand that stone over."

"Of course."

After finally being given a chance, Zac would start talking about the Knight Captain and what he had done.

2-minutes-later*

"Is that all?"

"Y-Yes," Zac responds in hesitation.

After everything, all Kieron would do was start laughing.

"Dumb child, do you believe I would have one of my Knights thrown into jail over something so small? And to top it all off, you only gave me a title, but you don't even know the man that killed your Mom's name! Given that I answer your request, who would I punish?"

The laughter made Zac anxious as he could not believe that the man before him would laugh after everything.

"Child, I truly pity you, naught for your story, but that you would believe you will get out of here alive, making such an audacious and stupid request."

Once again, in despair, Zac had believed that all his effort was for nothing, such cruel people, not just the Knights, but everyone.

"H-How could you do such a thing? These are your people!"

"Having just another useless commoner dead is nothing I should worry about, and that includes you. Even though you will be dead, I should tell you that in your next life, learn to have the ability to negotiate because all you did was give me what was mine, and now you're going to die."

"ha, in the end, I could do nothing, not even avenge my mother." As Victor raises his sword to cut his head off, again, he would be saved by the stranger who had helped him escape prison, teleporting Zac out of town, not in a forest again, but in an unknown village.

Zac had been saved again, but he was not paying attention as he just knelt, despairing.

Looking up with his tearful eyes, he would finally notice the man who had saved him.

"Y-You are."

"So we meet again, kid, the names Ray, Ray Bryant. What's yours?"

Chapter End.