The Princess's Secret [completed]

53: A New Day.

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Jamaal.

He made his way silently through the cobblestone halls of the barracks. It was midday already, and he had seen nothing of Hiram. Isidro was still in the physician’s building, waiting for his wounds to be checked again, then he would likely return to the castle.

Jamaal reached the door to a private room. Private rooms were given only to a select few, such as the King’s right hand men. Without knocking, he pushed the door open, slipping inside. He waited for his eyes to adjust a moment. Hiram was passed out on the bed.

He glanced around, making note of the objects in the room. Checking that Hiram was still asleep, he went about rearranging the room.

It took a while, as moving silently was a slow process, but eventually every piece of furniture, minus the one Hiram slept upon, had been moved. Considering that this room was his friend’s perminant headquarters, that was quite a lot of change.

He stepped back to study his work. The table was above the bed, chairs all around it, with maps covering it once again. The benches were now stacked in front of the small window, for no apparent purpose, and the armour rack had been placed in the center of the room.

The armour was strewn about, some hanging from the ceiling, and some hidden among the piles of clothing from chests he had emptied out.

He had also left several new items in the room, including a horse tooth, a woman’s apron, several child’s toys, and even a cat. Satisfied, he slipped out of the room and back out to the castle grounds. He paused and glanced around. Now what?

Luckily for him (or more likely for his next victim), the gates opened and several riders entered the grounds. One of the horses pulled a small wagon. Jamaal hurried over, recognizing the Black Knights which had accompanied Hiram to Thaddias’s hideout. 

He reached them as two soldiers unloaded someone from the back of the wagon. As he neared he recognized Herschel. The young warrior was unconscious, pale, and littered with bruises. “Get him to the physician!” He ordered the men carrying him.

He turned to the knights, scanning them. There appeared to be no injuries, only exhaustion. “Go to your barracks, get some rest. Others will take care of the animals.” Jamaal instructed, taking the reigns from their hands. The warriors bowed and left.

He led the animals to the stables, handing them off to several apprentaces. He turned and headed for the castle…

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Hiram.

He wasn’t sure if it was the sunlight filtering through the dark curtains, or if it was the heavy footsteps passing his room, all he knew was that he was suddenly wide awake. He stared at the underside of his table, which was about an inch from his nose.

He moved to rest on his elbows, peering at the top of the table. It was covered in maps, just as before. He sighed and rolled out of bed, crawling out from under the table. If not for how valuable the maps were, he would’ve just thrown it out of the way. Jamaal probably did it like that on purpose. 

Glancing around, Hiram decided not to bother finding all his armour at the moment, as it was strewn about.

He glanced down at himself. He was wearing trousers and baggy shirt. It would have to do. He opened the door and headed out.

Once outside, he felt underdressed without his armour, as he rarely went without it, but he ignored the feeling and headed towards the castle.

Last night's events slowly began returning to him, and he began to realize that it was over. Thaddias and Damon were dead, and the barbarians were sure to disban over the next several days. If not, he and his men would drive them out.