The trial, Chapter 61

Slowly the light reached from the darkened cracks, William woke up slowly surrounded by his friends. Their faces were full of worry although he had no bandaged to cover him, for there was not a single physical wound

Talking amongst each other Isabel said

“We can’t just leave him here, without someone to watch over him” facing John

“But is going to do so, you heard the orders” replied John

“Leave who?” asked William as they looked his way

Slowly Isabel’s shocked eyes widened as she stared his way, as she came his way making him think of it as a hug, a hit to the stomach made him roll sideways on his bed

“This for not taking care of your health,” said Isabel

“Good strike” said Thomas “Sadly not the full score for he did not go back to sleep”

“Anyways we should call upon the Butler and inform him,” said John “This way we will know what to do next”

“What exactly happened while I was out?” asked William staring back and forth at them

“The next trial is about to begin” said Henry “That is what the butler told us yesterday”

“And what is the trial?” asked William removing the blanket and sitting by the side of the bed

“This… we do not know,” said John “Nor do we know when and where it will be”

“And what exactly do you know for you to await me?” asked William in disbelief of how uninformed they are, his eye brows reaching for one another as they stretched up his forehead

“That the butler we tell us the full mission when we decide wither you are alive or not,” said Henry

“Decide? What do you mean by that,” said William

“Ok, just be calm and listen to me—” John who was about to explain had been silenced for another one spoke up

“You were in a coma for the last 3 days” said Isabel cutting through the conversation “I had to force feed you bread soup!”

“Why would you make it into soup…?” said Wiiliam squeezing his eyes, for he was dumbfounded by the source of her anger

“You were basically starving to death!” said Isabel “You couldn’t possibly chew food!!” she poured her worry as a deformed anger twisting in his direction

“But… why bread?” asked William with confusion colouring his face

“Well, ahh, it is” Isabel was searching for an escape staring at the others who stood beside her, but they as well were awaiting an answer so she found a way out saying

“Don’t you dare stretch away from the important parts! You need to take care of your health,”

Patting Isabel on the shoulder calming her, Sara said to William “You fell cold on the ground, blood came from your face like a river as you gasped for air, twitching as it was death that reached for you”

“I don’t blame Isabel,” said Thomas “That sight was horrifying somehow, even I felt weird about it”

“Weird? Well, that is one way to put it” said William “Anyways, when will we go meet the Butler?” asked William giving this conversation an end

“We? We?!! Did you just say We?!!!” Isabel stood up from her chair staring him down as she leaned “There is no we!... you, need, rest”

“… okay” replied William as she stared down his soul

“We can’t do it like this Isabel,” said Henry

“Huh??” Isabel looking back with an angry look

John to stop a conflict decide to be the one speaking so he said “You know that we need to know about the trail in advance, and without everyone present we won’t be allowed such a thing”

“Well, yeh I know, but another day won’t hurt” said Isabel trying to find a way out of pulling William with them

“Every moment of time matter” said Sara “I know how worried you ae, but what, you must remember how many died from this recklessness in the past”

“I got enough rest in the past 3 days,” said William “Do not worry about me, all I need is some edibles and my strength will come back fully in no time”

Isabel kept looking back and forth trying to push any words out to support her opinion, but the majority was against her, and there she sighed giving up

“It is barley past dawn now, we will give you some time until it fully shines, so we can dress up and get ready,” said Sara

“Come on, lets go now” said Thomas taking Isabel alongside him

William sat down staring the window, he stared the shadows of the objects in the room, as he began to notice something Isabel came running

She placed a piece of bread on the table beside him and said pointing at him

“Eat it” with a sharp gaze walking ack towards Thomas who held the door open

As the door shut down, William was left in there alone he stared his hands, for a moment he remembered how he held the book, searching through his clothes with desperation like an addict, they were empty

Rushing from the bed he fell down as his feet got caught in the blanket, he hit his head and rolled holding it with both hands, just to find the book underneath the bed

“Are… you alive?” asked William holding it u staring the ill formed pupil centring the cover, his eyes locked sight with it, but no response

“I guess it was just, a dream” said William with one hand the book was flat on the ground as the other supported his weight staring the ceiling

-

-

-

With their new clothes, not of nobles, but one of warriors, high quality leather with sheathes for blades and knifes. Sara asked Thomas as she made the finishing touches in her hair

“What do you think?”

“You mean your style? Bad, none of us is used to you acting so… elegant, if that is the right word” replied Thomas staring her in disgust, one of a provoker

“I mean what happened to ‘him’! and how he is unharmed after all the spilled blood” said Isabel with both hand behind her, flat on the mirror’s table

“Ohhh, you mean William, I don’t know, you just need to be thankful for him coming back as thus,” said Thomas

“No like, no stress or fatigue can result in such a thing” said Isabel “It all seems so weird. This never happened before, he is used to staying up late reading it must be the book’s fault”

“It is weird” said Thomas “But the book was nowhere to be seen so this theory is mostly false”

“That is supporting my idea!” replied Isabel “He never left that book behind since that day, but suddenly it was no where to be seen when he was carried to bed, inspected by the doctors”

“You might have a point there” said Thomas deep in thought

“Right!?” said Isabel

The door opened as the rest entered the room wearing their clothes as well

“Did you seek the butler?” asked Thomas

“The knights told us to meet him inside his office” replied John

“Of course, the butler has an office, him of all people” said Thomas walking out with Isabel” Such a smart way to hide himself”

“He must have a crown too,” said Isabel

“Yeh, and a robe that follows him, covered in red with lining of white ending it” replied Thomas

By the end of the hallway, William stood ready same as them

“When and where did you get these?” asked Thomas

“A servant brought them to me when he saw me walking around,” said William

A guard stood in front of them the moment they wished to commence their walk

“I will guide you from here” he said before turning his back to them

Isabel staring him from behind whispered to her brother Thomas “These guards seem so… weird”

“What do you mean?” asked Thomas

“They just feel, empty, they don’t talk on free time, they don’t seem to be using the training grounds, I never saw them laugh, cry, or get angry,” said Isabel

“You need to expect such a thing from guards of the king’s castle,” replied Thomas

“Yeh but not to the extent of no humanity left” replied Isabel with a low pitch voice pointing with both hands in the guard’s direction

“That is called discipline sister, unlike women, men have and is able to learn it” said Thomas giving her the side eye as she felt disgusted of his words

The guard stopped in place, he turned to the side and backed the wall

“We reached the destination,” said the guard

“See!” said Isabel as Thomas walked with a smile

Opening the door, they found the butler in his office, room empty of any life source except for his

“At last! You Made me wait long enough but it did not hurt” said the butler as they stood in line saluting him

“No, NO, no don’t do that” said the butler standing up “You don’t have to feel so threatened and nervous, just, be at ease, as if talking to a parent—ahhh… a friend or something of that source”

They stared each other in confusion asking themselves what to do, their hands wanted to fall flat but their bodies were hesitant

“Come, sit down I prepared some chairs for you,” said the butler

They did as he asked, some desert was brought forth to them

“Eat” said the butler “You don’t think of me as someone who’d use poison?”

And so, they did, tasting it to find out how good it was

“See? I told you “Said the butler with a friendly voice “So, how is your health, William? I heard you over did yourself in the library”

“… Nothing much” replied William after swallowing “I am used to it”

“Used to it?” said the butler “Is it because of…” he leaned forward while seated, his voice went low as he spoke “That man? You know… the masked”

“Not really, he never had a hand in this” replied William “it is just something I like doing”

“Oh, so you like books, nice” said the butler “That is why the both of you were at that part of the library” pointing at William and Isabel

“Do not worry about it though” said the butler stopping any nervousness from clawing its way through “If you want to in your free time, just call me, there are other parts of it you don’t know of”

“Free time?” asked John

“Oh yeh, i almost forgot about the main reason you were called here” said the butler as tension grew once more

“Sadly I am not able to help you much, for these words, are ‘his’ orders” said the butler

“Wish are?” asked John

“You will be split into 2 teams, one of John’s, and the other lead by Henry,” said the butler “You will be given a location to stand by as well as some guards and knights”

“What will we do with them?” asked Henry

"he bone rotted" said the butler "Or what you and public might know as, plagued"