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 Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:16 am
The journey took the rest of the day, with a few food and rest stops at small villages scattered along the terrain they crossed. In the morning, Atticus continued pressing on with Arron on his back, and it took only half of the second day to finally reach the next stop. But what they came across was not a fairy-tale place. Old and discarded weapons littered the field they walked through, with war-torn soil and patch-work grass. There were no bodies, but it was clear that many people had died in that area. Atticus was careful to avoid the broken weapons as he walked on, un-phased by them all.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:19 am
Looking around with an involuntary shudder, Arron mumbled, "Wh-What is this place..?" The silence & the remnants of the battle unnerved Arron greatly. He only wished to be gone from the place.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:27 am
As they travelled onward, an enormous golden tower came into view, followed by the structure it was attached to, a castle. Everything was pristine, white and golden, and it was as if the place was straight from a medieval history book. Atticus walked to the gate, which was protected by two men in armour that stood atop watch-towers. The mighty lion let out a ferocious roar to alert them of his presence.
The two men talked to one another, then one leaned a little over the watch-tower window."State your business." he said in a low, gruff voice.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:44 am
Arron stared at the castle in awe. He felt like he had just been thrown into a storybook. "St-Stars..." he said looking around. The lion's roar made him jump. He looked up at the watchmen & called "Uh... We-We're we-weary tr-travelers..." The young man was nervous, because he was afraid that they would not be let in.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 1:51 am
"That's one of our lions. Why are you really here?" the man asked again, more sternly the second time. The other guard prepared an arrow on a cross-bow, ready to fire if needed. They were serious about knowing Arron's true intentions.Atticus growled, but didn't roar again, and just waited for Arron to explain for them.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:04 am
The statement before the question took the young man off guard. "...I... uh... It-It's a-a REALLY l-long st-story..." he said fidgeting & hoping that the guards would believe him, "I-I looking in-into a-a friend's p-past & his l-lion br-brought me here." By then, Arron had slid off of the beast's back. He did not wish to have Atticus shot with an arrow.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:07 am
The older of the two men looked at the other and whispered something, which could be lip-read as "do you think he means...?" to which the other man shrugged. He looked back down at Arron once more, a frown creasing his chin and forehead."What is the name of this friend of yours?" he asked finally as the other lowered the cross-bow.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:15 am
"T-Talbot... I-I don't know his l-last n-name..." he replied. He was relieved that the weapon was lowered. He had had enough near death experiences to last him a lifetime.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:22 am
Hearing that name cause the men to both become visibly shocked, and the eldest motioned for the other to lift the gate."Be prepared to explain yourself further inside. If you mean Talbot Nesdin... the king will want to speak with you directly." the man said. Slowly, the gate was raised, opening the way into a glorious golden town beneath the castle, filled with bustling citizens in white and golden clothes.Atticus began to walk inside without being prompted to. This was his home, after all.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:25 am
He stood in awe at the gate, staring inside. It was when he was starting to lose sight of Atticus that he hurried in the castle. His blue vest & black slacks stood out against the white & gold. Arron placed a hand on Atticus so he would not get lost in the bustling town.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 2:30 am
People regarded Arron with confused, sometimes paranoid glances, but once they seemed to make eye contact with him, they would look away. Something stood out though, and it was truly odd. Though Atticus had taken them there, none of the people resembled Talbot. The citizens all had light skin and light-coloured hair. None of them shared the dark hair and skin that the young slave had. Once they'd made it a distance inside, the older guard from before approached them. Closer up, he had a scar-covered face, with slashed poking out from his light grey and white beard. His eyes were a warm honey colour."Follow me. I will see about getting you an audience with the king." he spoke, then began walking down the middle of the pathway between market stalls.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 10:30 am
The Lythcol mechanic made note of the racial difference. He figured that the kingdom may have been Talbot's home, but not his birthplace. He nodded as the guard came to him. Arron trotted after the older man, still in awe & worried now that he was suddenly meeting the king. "St-Stars... Th-This place is-is beautiful..." he mumbled.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 10:44 am
"You'd better be ready to explain yourself if the king will see you, boy," the man stated sternly as he continued to lead on, "if you really have information on Talbot Nesdin, a lot of things are going to be affected by it." The castle came into view, with a group of people dressed in golden armour exiting its doors. A meeting had likely just ended, and the man talked to someone at the door before ushering Arron and Atticus inside. The castle was just as impressive inside as it was outside, with fine detailing on the walls, paintings of incredible battles on the ceilings, and sparkling white marble floors.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 10:58 am
He frowned slightly at being called a boy, but did not reply. He merely nodded, following older man. "My-My name is Arron.... Arron Straight." he said quietly. Once they were inside, he was awestruck once again. Arron felt like ht had walked into a storybook.
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Posted: Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:05 am
"Wait here, Arron Straight." the man said as he stopped leading in a long hallway. He disappeared through a door, closing it loudly behind him, echoes of the sound flying through the hallway.Atticus sat down, sniffing the area and being on high alert. He looked at Arron, then back at the door the man left through.Several minutes passed until the man finally came back through the door. He regarded the two, then nodded."You have an audience with the king immediately. Go through those doors, and watch your tongue." he said, pointing to a large set of double doors at the very end of the hall with two men guarding it.
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