The Kingdom

Chapter 3

The knife whistled through the air, sticking firmly in the centre of the target. Another Bullseye. Will vaguely remembered a time when getting a Bullseye brought him joy, a sense of accomplishment, but now he simply expected it from himself. His mentor, though, was forever proud.

"Brilliant Will, you really have a knack for knife throwing, don't you?" His mentor, Jonathan Adair, beamed at him.
Jonathan was like a father figure to Will. He had taken him in shortly after he had been exiled from the Kingdom and had taught Will all there was to know about surviving outside the Kingdom. Jonathan taught him knife throwing, sword combat, how to shoot bows, animal hunting, fishing, climbing, swimming, how to walk so quietly nobody could hear you coming, how to kill a man in more than 50 different ways and more. Sometimes, it felt like Will had trained to become an assassin, but he wasn't anything that spectacular. No, Will was just a bitter outlaw, who despite everything still desperately missed the Kingdom he used to call home.

Will retrieved the knife from the Bullseye and gave his mentor a half-hearted smile. "I learned from the best, didn't I?"

This made Jonathan laugh. Jonathan wasn't an outlaw like him. He just lived like one. He was a retired soldier who took an early retirement after being shot by one too many arrows in the leg. He was still agile and fit, but thought it was best to benefit from an early retirement, and he decided to build a small wooden cabin outside of the Kingdom grounds and spend his retirement there in peace. Unfortunately, he only got one year of peace before Will showed up, 18 years old and desperate for somewhere to stay, and there began their unlikely friendship, a now 25 year old outlaw, and a 50 something retired soldier.

"I'm afraid you have more than surpassed my skill level, Will." Jonathan grinned. This brought the shadow of a genuine smile to Will's lips. Even now, it still gave him a sense of pride whenever his mentor complimented his skills. It was something Will assumed he would never grow out of.

"Nonsense, I'll forever look up to you, my dear friend." Will countered, with a cheeky grin. It was on days like this, Will was almost glad he was banished from the Kingdom. If he hadn't been banished 7 years ago, he would never have had the pleasure of meeting Jonathan, whom he regarded with utmost respect and loyalty. Will's parents had passed away when he was very young due to illness, and he was left homeless and alone, having to fend for himself despite being but a small child, working at the castle as a servant just like his parents did before they passed. It was in the days of the late King Alexander, who couldn't care less about the fate of his people. An orphaned child was of no importance to King Alexander.

Will tried not to let the past get to him, but it did all the same. The fear he had once felt had slowly stewed and turned into a deep rage and hatred to the royal family. Every day, Will buried this hatred deep inside himself, but the bitterness and resentment never fully left him be.

Will knew little of the current Ruler, Queen Alexandrea, but he knew enough to know that she was kind and a good monarch for the Kingdom. Orphaned children wouldn't be left to fend for themselves now, Will knew this. But it still didn't change how he felt.

Queen Alexandrea had even tried to reach out to him, years and years ago, wishing to bring him home. 2 years into his banishment. But he ignored all communications from her. He did not wish to return to the Kingdom. His pride would not let him simply come crawling back. He had more self-respect than that. Or maybe he was just too stubborn for his own good.

Jonathan's voice cut through his wandering thoughts. "Right, that's more than enough training for today. How does some venison stew sound for supper?" Jonathan smiled, dusting his hands off on his leather trousers.

Will murmured his enthusiasm in response, collected a basin, and took it to the gentle stream that flowed past Jonathan's cabin to wash off in. The stream was nerve numbingly cold, but it rinsed the grime of the day away, and that's all that mattered. Will hadn't had the simple luxuries of a warm bath since he was a young boy, so he was more than used to washing with cold water.