Rosewood Kingdom

The Cloak

1328

"Hmm...we sentence you to...death! Take him away guards!"

A large, rowdy crowd gathered outside of the prison tower. Yelling and screaming commenced outside. York sat in his cell and thought. And thought some more...

I have to get out of here, he thought. The day of his beheading was coming fast. He had to come up with a plan expeditiously.

"Psst." A guard gathered his attention. "I don't think you killed your wife, King."

"I guess that's good to know." He mumbled helplessly. "You wouldn't know how to get out of here would you?"

"Of course, but these walls can talk." The guard alludes to the man about ten feet. "So I wouldn't ask just anybody that." The guard slips in the guarded room quickly. "I said sit you swine!" he yells loudly. "Just to throw them off."

True to his word, the listening guard tips by. "Thank you." York is confused for a moment but apparently there was a method to man's madness.

"Your beheading is tomorrow. Are you serious about escaping? Because my life on the line too."

"Why would you help me?"

"Innocent lives are taken every day. My brother, specifically." He sighs for a moment. "But they're taking it too far now. I don't have long. So, you're gonna need a horse and maybe a day's worth of food. After that, I can't help you."

"Where would I go?" the two are looking out of a window.

"That's for you to figure out. Just remember all the kingdoms' alliances you've made over the years. They'll help the Council find you. Get and stay in the company of the forests. Wade in the rivers and ponds, they will take your scent so the bloodhounds will lose your scent." The guard points at the patches of land to illustrate his point. "They provide food and shelter for a while."

"You know far too much to be a guard."

"I wasn't always a guard. I served in the Great War and came home to this...job."

"I see."

"Let me go. We're losing time." the guard steps away from the window. "I'll be back around midnight."

"I still don't think you're being completely honest."

"Remember, my King. It's my head on the blade if I'm caught too." and those were his parting words. York attempted to sleep a little. Tomorrow he may die, even if his plan does work.

Precisely midnight, the guard returned. York opened his eyes immediately. He doesn't sleep a wink. The guard takes a moment to look outside, he held a burlap sack of something in his hand. "Let's go. It's shift change." He whispered.

The two slip out the back stairs. There's a black horse waiting at the doorstep. "Here's the horse I promised. There's a bag with food like I said. When you get to the forest, the second bag holds changing clothes. In the meantime, wear this black cloak."

"Thank you." York is appreciative of the help. The guard slaps the horse on the ass, and it takes off in the black of night.

Ten minutes after the guard returns to the tower to ring the alarm. Because York is his prisoner, he has to make it look like he doesn't know where the man had disappeared. "Prisoner escaped!"

The word spreads quickly, while York is halfway outside of the city itself. Each minute puts him closer to the forest.

There he changes clothes. A simple white shirt and brown pants. His shoes are simple as well. He mounts the horse again. He hears horses and dogs rushing past the forest. His horse blends in with the blackness of the night.

Meanwhile, the Council meets in the secrecy of the castle. "King York has escaped." The head nobleman announced.

"That murderer had a plan all along. Who helped him?" another one slams his fist.

"You placed him in the weakest cell in the tower, Sir." the guard reminds him. "When I returned from my break, he was gone."

The men sighed and thought. "We will search this kingdom, high and low until we find him. Dead or alive."

York's horse galloped across the plain to the East. Most of his alliances were in the west. Finally, after walking, riding, and galloping across the plains, they came to another patch of forest as the sun rose. Remembering the guard's words, they hid out and ate some of the food that was packed. He packs it back neatly in the bag on the horse. They were traveling light.

Then, York leaves his horse to wade in the river behind the forest. His copper skin soaked the sun as much as it could before he went back in hiding. The morning temperature was a little warmer than the night. The cloak was definitely a lifesaver. He makes two fires. One for the horse, and one for himself. To warm his body and dry his wet clothes.

York stands to put his clothes back on and leave the forest as the sun sets. He makes sure to also put out his fires with the water from the river. He mounts his horse and slowly comes out of the forest, checking to see if he sees any knights or guards.

With the coast clear, he takes off further east. Now in blackness, the guards trailing him can no longer see him. They find evidence of the fires. "He's not too far off..." the leader concluded. "Let's keep heading east!" he ordered.

An hour later, York takes a rest for his horse. Off in the distance, he sees fire. "There he is!" he heard a voice yell. Suddenly, the crowd of horses and yelling men take off toward him. York mounts the horse and takes off as fast as he could. A chase ensues.

Meanwhile, Helia of Eastmont retired to her small cottage for the night. She slid her scarf off her head and sat by the fire. A beautiful young woman pulled her yarn and needles out to calm herself and wind down.

A hard bang scared her. She grabbed a small dagger and looked out a window. The intruder bangs on her door again.

"Who's there?" she yells.

"I just need a place to stay. Please!" York yells back.

"Why should I?"

"Because...I need it." the humbleness burned her ears.

She opened the door quickly. "Fine, come in." she cracks the door open. The tall man, about 6'4, swallowed up her one room cottage. The smaller woman blinked at him in curiosity. His grey eyes flickered in the fire given light. She takes in his black cloak.

"Thank you, my lady." He stares intensely at the woman.

She settles him in the lone chair. Suddenly her door banged again... she looks to York again. "Answer it."

Helia does quickly. "Who's there?"

The man barges in. "Looking for a prisoner. Have you seen anyone here, wench!"

She looks back and the man has disappeared. "Answer!"

"No. Only I reside in this cottage. Alone."

"Keep an eye out. He's a wanted man."

Helia doesn't respond while closing the door.

"Thank you." York speaks once the door is closed and locked again.