Magic and Monsters

The Castle

Before Charles knew it he was on his own horse, a handsome dark brown stallion with a leather saddle. Luckily he had ridden ponies when he was younger and somewhat knew what he was doing.

The knight in golden armour introduced himself as Sir Wilson whilst they rode. He was captain of Lady Beatrice's personal elite guard. They left the market square and followed the main cobbled road. A line of soldiers marched behind Sir Wilson, Lady Beatrice and Charles himself.

"So, Lady Beatrice do you live in that castle there?" asked Charles as a beautiful fairy-tale castle loomed over a hill into sight. The castle looked more like a fortified manor than a castle, and it had no outer walls or moat.

Sir Wilson looked shocked. "What? Are you trying to insult -" he was cut off by Beatrice, who giggled and shook her head.

"Well, I am stopping here in Abbotsford for a while. So for the next few days, I'll be living here. The main castle is in the capital." she replied.

"I have another question, this one is a little darker," said Charles.

"Ask away," replied Beatrice.

"That creature earlier today... what was it?"

Sir Wilson seemed to stiffen in his saddle. "The walkers? You definitely aren't from around here are you? I don't know which world you are from, but when a person dies, if they are not given a proper burial within seven days they begin turning into walkers." he began.

Charles nodded and listened on. He felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought.

"Walkers want nothing but human flesh. Their minds are no more, instead replaced by an insatiable hunger. And those who are bitten by one, also begin to turn slowly into one themselves." finished Sir Wilson with a dark tone.

"So there just happened to be a body lying on the streets for seven days?" asked Charles.

"Or someone was bitten but tried to hide it. We ensure proper burials are performed in just about every town," explained Sir Wilson.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, with Charles lost in thought. His new life was already hectic one day in. Should he try to go back to his old life? Would that even be possible? 

His old life as an accountant sucked. It was boring and monotone. Over here, there were knights, princesses and monsters to slay. He wondered why the entity chose him. Charles wasn't special, he was just an ordinary man with an ordinary job. At least he didn't leave anyone behind in his old life.

"Welcome to Castle Abbotsford!" exclaimed Beatrice, snapping him out of his thoughts. She was the first to jump off her horse.

The castle was massive, possibly three or four stories tall and was made of white walls. Three spiral towers at the top each had a large red flag fluttering high in the sky, bearing the mark of a helmet.

The soldiers led the horses away, probably to a stable outside the massive castle. A ring of well-tended hedges lined the castle, with an impressive garden filled with exotic flowers and plants.

Two guards at the entrance nodded to Sir Wilson and pulled opened the wide oak doors. Charles swallowed down his nervousness and stepped through after Lady Beatrice and Sir Wilson. He felt like a massive fraud, what was he even doing here?

The inside was even grander. Two staircases spiralled up to the second level, with a massive crystal chandelier hanging from the high white ceiling. The white marble floors were polished well enough for Charles to see his own reflection.

Then his fears melted away when Beatrice smiled at him.

"Castle Abbotsford belongs to Baron Burns and his son," explained Beatrice. "This is the furthest castle to the east of the country. I bet an adventuring traveller like yourself would already know it all."