In Shining Armour

Taking Thy Leave

   Chilled and brisk was the night as Jethanson, Verrona, and Mertyn trekked through the towers of the High Keep, looking over the tall, stone walls, watching the clear night cover the grass-surrounded roads of dirt emerging from the entrance of the kingdom and extending to the Trees-Know-Where, and came a sigh from the human lord. 

   "Those roads were dug to travel upon, and instead of doing so, I'm stuck here in this dull Hell with my suck-ass of a brother.", he mumbled and grunted under his breath. He then paused and turned to his two guests, who, up until this point, had remained mostly quiet. "What's it like? Out there, I mean; beyond your kingdoms." 

   While Verrona had searched for descriptive words, Mertyn chipped in with a slight, shy stutter. "W-Well, for me, at least, I'm not allowed too far beyond -- Master Azhaur says I need to learn to control my sorcery. He fears that I'd be a danger to the outside world until then."

   "That's ballocks!", Jethanson protested. "You haven't harmed a babe thus far. My father, on the other hand, protects me from the dangers of the outside world. Hmph. Look at us. A danger and someone in danger, and how much damage has been done? None." The lord slammed his fist on the concrete sill. 

   Joining in on the outrage, although rather meekly, Verrona added her own situation. "I enjoy leaving the restrictions of my own home, but I get reprimanded for it greatly. Father believes I should behave less free-like and more like a proper lady. It gets quite tedious, in honesty." 

   "That solves it, then. We're leaving. Tonight.", Jethanson smirked and continued on the walk.

   "I'm not sure that's a good idea, and besides that, how would you go about executing the leave? You're the king's firstborn son, you're next in line for the crown. You can't just frolic off away from your future people." The familiar voice of the king's trophy echoed through the halls as he, along with two large Guardsmen approached the group. "I expect this out of my brother Jethanson, but dear Verrona? You're better than this and you know it. As for the wizard-", the lord turned to face a shying-away Mertyn with an almost-scoff, "...the apprentice, I know nothing of you that would give me any sort of stance on your matter." Ranulphus had used a bit of emphasis on Mertyn's title in a rather judgemental tone. 

   "What do you want, you cocky prick?", Jethanson cussed with a scowl, to the shock of the other two. 

   "Watch that foul tongue of yours, for there is a lady present. To answer your rather indecently-proposed question: our father, his majesty, has requested that I and his two finest Guardsmen check up on you three, and now that I have learned of your intentions to run away, he will be informed of your mutinous plans and will punish you as such. Guardsmen, fetch the two men. I'll escort the lady myself." With that, the two large Guardsmen swiftly confronted the two men, grabbing them forcefully by the arms, and practically dragging them down the hall. Ranulphus held out his curled arm, and a hesitant elf linked her arm in between his, accompanying the lord, who was following his guards.

   Struggles and swears were prominent with the less-fortunate lord, however. Mertyn certainly wasn't enjoying the walk back either, but he held himself together better than Jethanson, who only calmed down to look down the Guardsmen-watched pillars to the outside of the kingdom walls they were being taken across. "Oi, wizard, do you think one could make it if they jumped down from here?", the rebellious boy asked, now out of curiosity.

   Mertyn was shy, but he was never considered unintelligent, slowly hinting onto the idea. "Erm... I suppose so. Why?", he questioned out of validity. 

   His answer was only received via a small smirk and a nod from the man. Verrona, in the back, was keeping up with their plan, albeit quietly. "Shut the fuck up!", her escort shouted at the top of his lungs. 

   Mertyn silently counted down to himself, praying to the Trees and their blessings that their idea would execute as planned. As he finished his worrisome thoughts, his eyes began to glow purple, a signature occurrence of any conjurer when performing their magical abilities, and, just as if out of nowhere, a loud forcing noise blared across the hall, and as the sound appeared, the Guardsmen, the lord, and the three they were guiding had all flung in every which way; fortunately for the mage and his companions, however, the appearance-less blast had affected the other three more than themselves. Jethanson, with no hesitation, had scrambled up and sprinted to the open windows of the pillar, with the mage and the elf closely behind him.

   No less than 4 guards hustled to guard the opening, but this hadn't stopped the trio any; rather than halting their actions, the guards found themselves hurdling out of the opening, clinging onto the three as they all plummeted to the grass below them. As if it were a competition to see who could arise the fastest, each person stood up; all for different reasons, however --- Jethanson, Mertyn, and Verrona, not knowing where they were headed or even which direction in, had scampered forwards to the faraway forest as fast as their bodies had allowed them, and the guards ever so on their asses. 

  After what seemed to be a lifetime of running, the guards eventually gave up, their armor weighing them down too much to carry on, and made their way back to the castle to deliver the reports of the missing lady, apprentice, and lord.