The Excalibur

"Richard Greenwood, what the hell are you doing in London?"

I turned around, it was Siegfried. He was a middle-aged low wage worker in the docks. He had black hair, long neck and straight posture. I was half his height, every time we spoke I had difficulty looking upwards all the time. We met on a merchant trading boat, he had a queer personality. You'd think he's lost his mind the first time you met him but he grows on you with time.

We were standing in a crowd from the church demanding the king to sacrifice guards to please God.

"Bloody hell, the smell is unbearable, lose these old bums and let us go somewhere else and talk"

"Right behind you Siegfried"

We followed him down two alleys twisting and tip-toeing trying not to step on any bodies. We finally reached a small shack on the edge of a cliff, inside was an old man with a long grey beard reading the bible.

"David, pass me the rum mate"

The old man threw a bottle at him.

"So, tell me what are you doing here Richard and who are these?"

"They are my brothers and sisters, they are the only family I have left, and you of course"

"Im ... very sorry... Robert too?"

"Yes"

"Oh god, that's horrible"

"So what are you doing here?"

"I've come to flee Britain, to somewhere safer."

"Well, I hate to break it to you but it's spread outside of Great Britain all the way out to the moors from what I've heard"

"What is it?"

"It's a disease, just like a runny nose, except you die once you get it, unlike you know... you don't die when you get a runny nose" Siegfried said as he wiped his nose.

"So it's not witchcraft?"

"Don't believe those old bastards in the church mate they just want a reason to get their panties in a bunch"

"How do we escape it?"

"Your best bet's off to the Kingdom of Poland, very much further inland away from harbours and trade routes"

"Can you get us there?"

"Normally I would charge a fee, but anything for my old friend, David here will take you to the Excalibur, then you will sail to Stralsund then you can make journey on foot or on horseback the next 100 kilometres"

"100?"

"I told you, it's very far inland, that's why it's safe"

"Ok, take us there"

The old man took us to a beat up sail boat, "Isn't she a beauty?"

"A beauty is hardly how I would describe her but she'll have to make do, now come on kids get in there don't be shy"

"What about you?"

"Oh Richie, there's plenty of money to be made here"

Typical Siegfried, always chasing the gold and the women, evidently even if hell broke out on earth.

"Farewell Siegfried"

I said waving as I set off on a dauntless task of finding a safe haven in the middle of this chaos.