The arruval

Sir Grey peered into the deep darkness of the night, they have ridden almost all night

to arrive before the drawbridge that was drawn up, The cold was in the air it threatened to

chill the blood in their very bones as they rode there. The road was barren of life. The full

moon lite the skyline with its brilliant light showing every detail in its light. The escort watched

the road as they rode down. They expecting to see some life on it. The quiet tore away at

their nerves as they expected to see life. The quiet gnawed away at their neurons. They were

afraid.


“It’s so quiet. The silence is making me nervous,” a guard said as he flicked his

reins, the horse moved, turning its head to look at him.


“I know what you are saying,” another rider said.


“Easy boys. Remember what time it is?”


“Nothing should be moving every being would be a sleep at an hour such as this.”


“I know, but I still am scared.”


The other guards turn their eyes to the deep expanse of the woods, to their right the

woods thinned out as they climbed up the side of the mountain. The brush is deep and dank.

They hearing nothing, but dead silence met their ears. There is no movement. It spoke of no

life there. They knew that these woods are teaming with life. They felt that they are being

watched by something they did not know.

From what they knew, the kingdom was near the brink of ending itself. The vice

regent was busy harassing the church. The soldiers have attacked the priests as they

walked the sidewalks and streets. Sir Grey knew of this happening thanks to the notes that

they have sent to the king, they hadn’t heard anything from the royal family. But they knew he

would object to this having happened. They priest knew he would send someone to quell the

problem that existed without question.


The guards worried as the escort and the coach arrived. The guard that intended the

escort would arrive the next day. He was frightened with their arrival, he did not know why

they are here. He knew that the guards attacked the priests presently by order of the vice

regent . His king would object for this to have happened.


The bishop sent a message by using an eagle to fly the information to the king. The

eagle arrived in the morning. The king read the scroll. He ground his teeth. He closes his

hand imagining that his hand was about the vice regent’s neck. He waves Sir Grey over to

him.

They were at the moment trying to gain more ground in this combat situation. The

enemy has been busy trying to stop them moving forward. They were deep in the woods the

brush is able to conceal their soldiers from the enemy.The woods were quiet, what the

soldiers faced undead beings. They were unable to be truly killed. They cut off an arm and

the foe did not seem aware of this.


The soldiers scared of what they faced here. The beings could be without a head and

they still attacked. They did not know what they could do to stop the undead from attacking

them, There was a suggestion that they couldn’t die.


The walls were a hundred feet tall.The stones were at least two feet wide. The castle

took up the side of the mountain topped with snow caps Hundreds of feet wide. The chasm

was a good hundred feet wide, jagged rocks were where the bridge would fall to allow safe

passage to the castle. If the bridge didn’t fall you would be dead.. The castle looked dark as if

nothing lived there. It looked desolate, The soldiers knew that this was not the case.Their

troops numbered in the thousands inside the castle, they would be there at a moments

notice. The castle was huge.


The escort knew that the castle’s occupants would be asleep at a time such as this.

There should be guards at the hut before the drawbridge to tell the guards to lower the bridge

if necessary. The guards would not be impressed at the time of their arrival. That was the

reason he was here so, late. He wanted to see the false queen as soon as they arrived.


There were priest holes littered through out the wall. The escort aware of the castle’s

design it was massive, its power was exerted to the waters edge and the deep woodlands.

It was quiet as a grave. There had been a hut where a guard was station there to watch the

road where the knight and the honor guard were. It is a guard house with soldiers in it

watching the road or should be.


The escort was of a eighteen cavalry officers, they knew that they could afford to

allow anything to happen to the coach. The coachman had a blunderbuss in his possession.

His eyes darted here and there never resting on one thing or another. At the moment he

waited for Sir Grey to summon them to move again.


With a coach was big enough to carry the people in it in the greatest off comfort.

Having inside the coach Queen Marissa was waiting to arrive in the castle, along with reining

aids, they are dressed in their royal attire. They were here to speak with the woman acting as

the Queen thanks to the viceroy suggesting that there is a plot to kill the Queen. So, the KIng

made her leave the kingdom and her sister took over in the kingdom in her absence.


There was a flag that suggested that this was carrying some type of royalty. SIr Grey

scanned the woods in search of anything that would prey upon his charge. The true queen

was inside the carriage along with her retainers, and aids. She was dressed in a silk gown

her lips were crimson. In her hands lay a scepter. She was worried about what the woman

who was currently occupying the throne. She knew that they would have a fight on their

hands to acquire the throne.


Not knowing what he would encounter here. His hands clutched the reins so tightly

that his knuckles were white. The tension held his chest and back as if they were in corset.

He bit his lip. He slowed his horse as he raised his arm.


The escort saw this happen. They tugged on their reins the horses slowed, the bridge

was no to far away. They had to move slowly toward it. There was a steep drop before the

bridge on the right. The road narrowed a mite. Berry saw a hawk fly toward them, it swooped

toward them talons drawn.


Berry pulled back on his reins of his horse, The horse turned to face him, her hooves

fell on the ground, as she told him of her displeasure doing this. He patted his horse’s mane

to ease her nerves as well as his own.


Sir Grey turned to Berry, he said,”Are you worried?” Berry’s face hid in shadows from

the huge evergreens that grew here, Berry remembered his girl awaited his arrival. She

would be surprised when he arrives at her doorstep.


“He’s a scared of his shadow you know this don’t you?” Byre said facing Berry wipe

his mouth with his gloved hand..


“He is as you were?” Sir Grey said as he laughed.

“What do you mean? I was never frightened. Surely you know this,” Berry said, he

straightened up in his saddle.


The woods were dark, their eyes became accustomed to it, the deciduous trees grew

in great numbers. The edge of where the trees were not as numerous, was where there grew

few trees as there was clift on this side of the mountain, They saw a guard’s hut.


Sir Grey knew, that there was a man here to order the drawbridge to be lowered even

at a time such as this. The man would be in the guard house heard the horses hooves fall on

the gravel road. They could be heard for miles away.


Sir Grey stopped his horse as he upon the guard house. Grey said, “Lower your

bridge.”


‘Who goes there?” the guard said peering into the vast darkness, he saw a shadow

on the back of war steed in the inky darkness that looked vaguely like a knight on horse

back. He was sure he saw this person, he thought he .recognised the rider as being a good

friend of his when he was a lot younger than he was now. He said,”Are you Sir Grey?” There

was a hint of laughter on his voice.


“That I am, Victor. I thought I recognized you.” Grey said, as he peers into the inky darkness where the voice had come. There was a smile began to appear on his face.


“Open the gate,” Victor said.

“No one is allowed passed, until the sun has risen,” the guard on the other side said.


“By order of the King lower the bridge,” Grey said.


“The King’s not here.” the guard said as he faced the hut.


“You dare to question the King’s guard,” Grey said.


“What do you mean the King’s guard?” the guard said.


“Look at the scroll I will hand you. I believe that will tell you who I am? Won’t it?” Grey

said as he drew out a scroll from a bag on his steed.
.

The guard accept the scroll. He taking out a dagger he broke the seal of the scroll.

He lit the lantern to read the scroll, his hand trembled as he read the scroll, he stepped out of

the hut to scream across the deep chasm to be heard by the guards on the other side, over

the surging water which ran bellow the castle. “He is here, by the order of the King, He is Sir

Grey. Lower the bridge. Do you not understand the words I am saying to you?”


“What do you mean lower the bridge? It beyond night fall. It is forbidden to open the

bridge at this time of night.” the guard on the other side of the bridge said.


“There is the honor guard of the King here wanting to get in,” the guard said.


“I don’t care! Tell him to come back in the morrow,” the guard said.


“Would you care to tell the Queen this? If you would then your head would be on the

execution’s block. When I send the scroll back to him, It will be of no difficulty for me to do

this. Do you understand me,” Grey screamed over the water that fell.


“I don’t care. The Viceroy said, No one’s to enter upon night fall.”


“Who rules here? The King or this Viceroy. You say said this? Who?” Grey said as

he turned to his soldiers. He whispered,”Benny can you hit the gates man there, I don’t want

you to kill him, just put an arrow a few inches away from his face.”


“I can try Grey, but i can’t be certain I can do exactly what you ask,” Benny lifted an

arrow from his quiver, to put it on the bow string. The arrow hit the wood exactly where Grey

told him to shot. The guard freezes, he whirls about to look at the hut


“How dare you do this?” he looked at the hut, “Archers grab your bows.”


“The next arrow will be in your adam’s apple,” Grey screamed still facing Ben.


“The guard said, “You fool. It is Sir Grey here. Do you hear me? Sir Grey, I tell

you,” “What do you mean? Sir Grey. I thought he was dead.” the guard said.


“You will be as dead as he is alive,” the guard said.


“What is the meaning of this?” the guard said.


“Come on lower the bridge,” Grey said.


The bridge came down. The guards inside the castle readied their weapons to attack

them, if need be. The guards recognized the king’s marking on the coach. They lowered their

weapons.


The escort rode inside the castle. The guard at the gate where the archer had shot

came down to see these guards. He said, “What do you think you are doing? You bastard.

You could have killed me!”


His hand still resting on his pommel of his sword, a portion of it was lifted from

his scabbard. Eyes narrowed to the size of pinpricks. His eyes rested on the knight on his

horse whom the other guard was talking to. He glared at the knight, He swung his fist toward

the knight, the knight smile and laugh.


“I didn’t did I? I will take this to the king. To speak to him of this happening, and your

belligerent behaviour,” Grey said as he bit his lip drawing blood.


“What do you mean. I am doing as the viceroy has said doing this.”

“Do you think that the KIng will care what the viceroy says,” Grey said as he rode

inside.


“Where do you think you are going?” the guard said as he watched them ride inside

the castle.


The streets were dark with the shadow to nightfall having fallen. The gas lanterns

were dark, they rose every thirty feet. The streets were vacant. The buildings lined the

streets, there was an open area where a market would preside come sun rise. The streets

were wide enough for four horses could ride side by side.


The denizens of the night would walk here as they conducted their business in the

twilight. They knew better than to challenge the people through out the day. They were the

city’s underbelly. These people were afraid of what the populace would say if they were seen

by the people who occupied the streets in daylight.


The escort rode in silence through the streets, they saw shadows shift away from the

streets they were upon. The riders slowed their horses, as they moved. Sir Grey wanted to

get to the royal house, before the occupants could be alerted to their arrival.


The carriage would stop before the church’s doors. The guards would be there

watching the arrival. The debutant did not know it they would be aware of the arrival of this

Coach.


The guards turned to face the sound of the horses hooves striking the ground, they

draw back upon seeing the huge coach arrive. The coach had lanterns on the front beside

where the coachman’s position on his right and left rising two feet in the air above the coach.

The coach was ornate, the guards recognised it. It had the royal cypher on it just behind the

Coachman and is large enough to be seen a great deal of a ways a way.. The coach stopped

the guards approached the coach.


A guard asked,”Why are you here?”


“To speak with the Bishop, in regards to a message he sent to the King. Jarata,” the

coach man said as he looked into the face of the guard dressed in shadow. The coach man

recognised the priest, he grins..