The Broken Kingdom

Chapter 8

Connor's legs felt numb under all his weight. He felt they would fail and he'd come crashing down at any second. But he pushed himself, getting off the medical bed. Connor's legs buckled, he sat back down on the medical bed, and physically prepared himself to try again. The doctor watched Connor carefully, deciding when he should let Connor go back into the city. Connor stood again, he felt a bit stronger now, though his legs still burned. He took a step towards the doctor, than another, than another. He reached the doctor, and turned around. His legs were getting weak, he was unsure if he could make it back to his bed. Connor made it, without a fall, a new record for him. The doctor smiled put a tube of sap beside him.

"Good job, you're still weak but keep this up and maybe a week or two. Saying that it's mostly on you, so if you don't walk and try and stuff it's gonna take longer. Anyways see ya son, I've got other patients to check on," he said.

Connor stared at the roof, wondering when he's be allowed out. A week or two was too long, he wanted to be out as soon as possible. Mostly because the guards had gotten all the bandits loot and if Connor didn't get his things back it'd go to the kingdom. Connor heard the doctor's footsteps veer away from his last patient, and fade away. Connor sat up, and put his feet on the floor. He stood up, and jumped. He almost fell, but was able to sustain himself. Connor jumped again, he fell back onto his medical bed. Connor sighed and sat up, wishing time would go faster.

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The doctor, who Connor now referred to as Laurence, kicked the ball to Connor. Connor kicked it back, Laurence caught the ball in his feet, and kicked it to Connor's right. Connor had to rush over, and kick the ball back. Laurence caught the ball and stopped.

"Alright son, I'd say you're as good as ever, better get your stuff before the guards take it away. Nice working with you," Laurence smiled.

Connor grinned the widest he thought he'd ever. He walked to where the guards had all the bandit's belongings. A guard walked up to him.

"Alright my boy, to mark sure you're not thieving, who did the bandits kill first?"the guard sighed.

"A young girl," Connor answered eagerly.

"Alright go in, take what's yours and no more okay!" The guard said.

Connor walked in side the small room, it held many items. Connor dug through it, he found his dagger first. Spotless and clean, than Freddy's bedroll, that now belonged to him. He eventually discovered his pack, still full of what he owned. Connor smiled and strapped his dagger to his side, packed his bedroll, and walked out of the room. He walked outside to where Laurence and he'd been passing the ball. A light sheet of snow covered the field, heavier as he got farther into town. He stopped by the local inn, Kepel's Ale N' Rum. It was packed full, even for day the bar still looked crowded. Connor paid for a cheap room, and set his belongings down. He set his coin pouch into his pocket and locked his room. He walked down the stairs and left the crowded bar. The market stalls were brimming with people, selling all sorts of things. Connor walked to a poor farmer and bought a tender piece of raw steak, along with a pack of spices. Connor yawned, the sun was beginning to set along the horizon. He stepped back into the bar and sat at a stool, he handed the steak and spices to the bartender to cook. A drunk man sat down beside him and asked for a cup of beer.

"I heard there's some sightings of a new beast around here. Some say he's skinny as a man who's not been fed in years, with rib bones and that poking out! And then down have grey hair, you know like us, only few though. They've got huge ears, like a mean Elf ears! Anyway they're like bony naked men, but they wear a little cloth to cover that up, and they're a pale pink, mostly just peach though. I even heard one poor lad got so close he could make out their eyes, dark Amber, but hidden by the blackness. Haha well that's all folk lore hey? Want to have a beer kid! I love beer it's almost as good as my mothers old honey..." Connor stopped listening to the drunken idiot after he'd stopped talking of the monsters.

He didn't believe it for a second, after all a drunken fool had given him the information whilst chugging a mug of beer. Still, Connor vowed to be a little more organized and careful. It could be werewolves, and those beasts from the depths of hell wouldn't hold back when they saw a child in the woods. Connor hadn't ever seen a werewolf himself, only heard tales and stories. Though most who crossed paths with a werewolf were said not to come back unscratched. Connor's steak came, with spices poured on top, and down burned into the meat. He basically drooled as the man places the plate in front of him. He handed a steak knife and a form to Connor, before leaving to do other business. Connor ripped at the juicy steak and devoured it in what felt like seconds. He wiped the grease from his face, and handed the plate back to the man. He felt like partying tonight, having a good night for his first out in awhile. Connor walked to where the market stalls would be, now they were make shift bars, serving shots and mugs of all sorts of alcohol. Connor ordered a mug of ale and danced until his legs felt numb. He collapsed on one of the benches and finished his first mug of ale. He grabbed a bottle of Northbound mead and chugged half. Waves were forming in his vision now, he didn't care, just kept dancing and following the crowd. One again, his legs gave out, and he sat on a bench. This time a young lady, around a year younger than he was, had sat beside him.

"Hello sir, quite the partier are we?" She smiled.

"Haha you could say, this is the first in a long time though. So what's a pretty lady like you doing out in the middle of the night, drinking and dancing?" Connor asked.

"Oh you know, getting wasted, and probably getting fu-" She was cut off by the bench tipping over.

A guard had tipped Connor and the young girl onto the ground. He smirked and pushed the bench back up. The stalls were closing now, and the night was running to an end. Others like him were getting shoved off the bench, the guards' way of telling them to get their drunken asses back home. The girl mischievously smirked at him, than closed the gap between their lips. Connor fell back onto the ground. In his drunken state he had little to no idea what was happening. A guard had caught his eye, and angrily marched over.

"Scram you drunken shit bags! Go to the woods if you want to fucking press you dirty lips together! Jesus my little brother could have see that! This is a public area not a damned bed room!" He yelled.

Connor hopped onto his feet, and was about to turn to the inn and head home when he felt a tug on his shirt. The girl was still smiling, and pulling him slightly towards the dark woods.

"If that dumb guard didn't cut me off, I would have said probably getting fucked! And I meant it, so come here you drunken bag of shit! We're going to the forest," she smirked.

"Hey... Hey I don't think that's a good idea cause' there's monsterssss spooky and scary! I don't want to get eaten," Connor giggled.

The girl shook her head, dismissing him, and pulled him farther towards the lonely woods. She pulled him far away from town, and pressed his back against a tree. Connor felt his eyes beginning to droop, the warmth and fun from his drink was beginning to fade, and now he just felt exhausted and tired. But the girl wouldn't give up. A shifting figure in the woods crawled closer, and closer. Connor's drink was speaking, he was beginning to gain consciousness, and realize he'd attracted a whore. Connor thought his mind had been playing tricks with him, as the figure stalked closer.