The Broken Kingdom

Chapter 2

Neris, carrying Damon, and Kaelor silently weaves through the trees. After a few minutes of running, they exit the forest and end up in the plains. They look up to the sky.

"Nighttime is approaching," starts Kaelor, "We should find a place to rest for the night,"

"That would be a good idea," replies Neris, "Should we camp out in the woods, or find a place in the plains?"

"The woods would allow us to hide," responds Kaelor, "I think it is a good idea to camp out there, even if there are wild animals."

"Okay, but if we get found or attacked, it is on you," says Neris.

"That is expected," responds Kaelor, "I will take the blame if that happens."

"Good. We will need to find an appropriate spot to do this. Preferably one near enough to water so we can procure some," Neris replies.

"That is smart. We will have to be far enough away so that we don't get caught by any animals going to get a drink, though," Kaelor says.

"Agreed. We should head out and find a water source," starts Neris, "After that, we need to find a suitable shelter around there to sleep through the night. Tomorrow morning we will set out."

"Good Idea. We should have one of us awake during the night so that if we are found out, we can wake the others up and start moving," responds Kaelor.

"I propose we do that in shifts. I will stay awake for around half of the night, and then wake you up to keep guard. That way, we won't have someone be too exhausted," states Neris.

"That will work," replies Kaelor. They then travel back into the forest. They stay close enough to the edge so they can find their way out if need be. After a half hour of searching, they find a river. They look around the river to see if they can find any shelter. They find a cave. They then meet up in the cave as the sky turns dark.

"This will have to do," starts Kaelor.

"Yes, it will," replies Neris, "Let us just hope that Lord Damon does not wake up throughout the night."

"It is best for him to rest through the night. He went through a lot today, especially for someone as young as him," Kaelor says.

Neris nods. "You should get some rest. I will wake you up when your shift starts," Neris states.

"You have my thanks. Goodnight," Kaelor responds. Kaelor lies on the ground, a bit off from Damon, and falls asleep. After Kaelor falls asleep, Neris walks to the entrance of the cave. He sighs.

"I wish you were here, Lord Wilhelm," Neris starts, "You would know what to do. Leading like this is not my expertise. I am a servant. I follow orders, not give them. If you were here, you could quickly think of a solution to the problem." He then shakes his head, trying to get these thoughts out. "No, I can't think like that. Not here, not now. I have to be a leader right now. I have no choice. I cannot let Lord Damon die. It would disgrace Lord Wilhelm. I know he would want his son to live well. I can not let Lord Damon die," proclaims Neris, "I will be the leader until Lord Damon can. I will hold the position until Lord Damon can claim control. I know he will be great, just like his father."

After talking to himself, Neris quietly keeps watch for the rest of his shift. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. The only noises that were heard were animals moving in the distance. Neris had enough training in hiding to hide his position. As he looks up into the night sky, he notices that the moon has passed the halfway mark.

"I should probably get some sleep," he starts, "I wouldn't want to pass out on the journey."

Neris then heads back to the cave to wake Kaelor up. He reaches the cave entrance and walks in. When he reaches Kaelor, he lightly shakes him awake. Kaelor slowly wakes up. When Kaelor is fully awake, Neris tells him it is his turn for patrol. Kaelor nods and tells Neris to get some sleep. As Kaelor walks out of the cave to patrol, Neris swiftly falls asleep.