The Forgotten

Chapter 10

"Arthur Tolbert, is he here?" Lynden asked the prison guard.

"I told you yesterday and I'll tell you today, we have many people here. They are all criminals and by law, no one is allowed to see them." The guard replied in a bored voice.

Lynden knew it was unlikely that he could gain entry to the prison. Instead, he was attempting to get a shift rotation and a count on the number of guards present.

It seemed that the same guard was always at the door, lazily leaning against the door wearing the black and red armour of the king's army. His sword was lent against the wall next to him. It seemed slightly rusted, not used or taken care of. Lynden was disgusted at the state of the troops. When he was General, not one man would be so careless with their gear or appearance. The man seemed to have put on a few pounds since the initial recruitment and training period. His hairy belly now hung under his breastplate which didn't seem to be covered by the tunic underneath. The guard's skin and hair were dirty like he hadn't washed in a week. The stench got worse with each of Lynden's visits.

"Do me a favour?" Lynden looked at the man, his nose crinkled, and the revulsion showed in his eyes.

"Before I get here tomorrow, have a bath. If you smell any worse it'll end up killing you."

"You dare insult a man of the king?" The guard bellowed in response.

The man grabbed his sword and pulled it from its sheath. Lynden's thought was indeed right. The blade had patches of rust up and down the edge, making it seem like it would fall into pieces from one swing.

Lynden looked at the sword then looked at the man with amusement on his face. He didn't even reach for his sword. Lynden turned and walked away slowly, the guard's anger palpable. He sheathed his sword in the scabbard once more and threw it to the ground.

The silver-plated warrior walked towards the keep. He needed to avoid the king. Lynden was a capable warrior, maybe one of the best. He could take on the armies of the kingdom alone, but had no desire to try today. He walked to the back of the keep and entered the kitchens, greeting the cooks as he walked through. They all knew who he was, no one said anything. He was a special guest, anyone else would get shouted out of the room before getting to the archway.

The kitchen was busy. It was nearly lunch with many people running around, the clanging of pans and chopping of vegetables and meat all around him. The room was alive with smells, fish being grilled with lemon on the stove, spiced herbs roasting with vegetables in the oven and a fresh batch of buns had just come out resting on the tabletop, being sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. He looked at the food for a moment, his mouth watering.

"Go on." Said an old woman wearing a white apron, covered in specs of blood from preparing food over the years. She gestured at the buns.

"You don't have to ask me twice."

Lynden took one of the freshly baked buns and took a bite. The taste of cinnamon immediately made him think of Christmas, he always thought it was a festive flavour. The sweetness of the sugar complemented the cake, giving him an immediate rush of happiness.

"Just as well, I'm not often near the kitchen. I'd probably put you out of business." He said to the old women, kissing her on the cheek before leaving the room and managing to polish off the cake in a few bites, hardly giving himself time to swallow after each mouthful.

He walked out of the kitchen, taking a right along a corridor that led towards the servants' quarters. It was a dark part of the castle with little light to speak of, only the arrow slits in the walls providing a slither.