King's Quest

CHAPTER 2: THE LAND OF DAVENTRY

Graham's spirits are high as he proceeds south. But he soon finds the path was darken and he can feel something watching him even as he enters under its shadow. Suddenly, he sees what he fears, an ogre!

The lumbering brute's jaws is slick with saliva as it hobbles forward in search of something to fill its enormous belly. The industrious knight is aware that ogres have very poor eyesight and so he has not yet been seen by the simpering giant. Quickly, he moves away, toward the west where he can see a small cabin and perhaps safety.

The cabin however is no place to seek protection as it's badly battered and full of holes. Still, Graham rounds the corner to the front of the entrance watching the ogre carefully to see where it is headed.

It seems that he had been the reason for its sudden emergence as the ogre proceeds to the place where its would-be victim had been, but finding nothing there lumbers back into the shadows.

Graham sighs with relief before turning to his surroundings. Not far off there is a rusted water pump and a little ways from that an old ax wedged deeply into a tree stump.

He thinks to take the ax, but the poverty he sees before him checks his hand. Instead, he turns toward the door, though a door it barely is, as the large piece of wood holds just barely to the hinge. Still Graham does the polite thing and knocks gently upon it.

"Come in," he hears a deep voice reply from within.

Carefully, Graham opens the door and lets himself in. The sight he beholds nearly breaks his heart. The shabby furnishings of the one room hovel are in bad shape and upon the single bed lays a weak woman. She breathes shallowly as a man, whom Graham assumes to be her husband, is seated upon the bed, holding her hand.

The perched man looks to his guest, his swollen, red eyes issuing a greeting as best they can. "Good day sir knight," he speaks.

Graham nods. "Good day to you woodsman and how do you fair?" he replies.

The man's eyes lower. "Not well, I'm afraid," he responds in a somber tone. "My wife and I have had barely anything to eat in such a long time and now she grows weak and can no longer raise herself."

Graham lowers his head. It's a sight all to common in Daventry as of late, with the failed harvests and little gold to pay for food. The kingdom is starving.

He feels pangs of guilt remembering the bread he'd eaten only earlier that morning. But there's nothing left to be said and so, he turns about and exits the home, noticing the fiddle untouched upon the table a sign of the merry days they once held.

Once outside Graham berates himself for even thinking of asking anything of the poor couple without having something to give in return. He vows there and then that Daventry would not languish in ruin, but would become prosperous once again and overflow with food. He feels this strongly in his heart and puts his body to the accomplishment of the goal.

His feet carry him forward as his mind is lost in contemplation. When he comes to, he finds himself on the edge of a river.

"Thankfully my autopilot has the good sense of keeping me out of harms way." he muses while stepping back, away from the edge. He takes his bearings.

Graham's standing just below an old stone bridge. Gazing toward the north he sees nothing that interests him, so he decides to avoid the bridge and travel south. And as he travels in this direction he notices a narrow land bridge to a small island of sorts and upon the island, he can see a cave. He stops at once.

"That must be where the dwarf is hiding!" he exclaims as he pounds his fist in his hand before proceeding forward.

No sooner has he taken a step then a large, nasty looking troll bounds upon the bridge, effectively blocking any progress. Graham stands still a moment as he surveys this looming character. It is definitely not something you would want to meet in the dark.