ch.15 Budding Young Hero

It was nearing dawn, Elric and Blaze were getting close to the border of the Ash Kingdom. On the way the two of them had killed sixteen bandits along the way. While Blaze could run for days without rest, Elric could only go so long without sleep. So the two of them stopped to rest under a large elm tree. It was not long before Elric had fallen asleep in the shade of the tree. Blaze laid down beside him and wrapped her tail around his body acting like a blanket of sorts.

Elric was able to get a few hours of sleep before being awoken by the sound of a woman crying for help off in the distance. The cries were coming from the direction of the road leading towards the center of Ash Kingdom. Even though he would normally go out of his way to save someone, especially a woman, but he was already on his way to save Princess Aalis. But he was heading that direction anyway, so it was going to be this woman's lucky day.

He rode Blaze towards the sounds of the woman crying for help as fast as she could run. The two of them did not want to arrive to late. If the two of them were going to save her they needed to get there fast. Once they got close, Elric could see that is was an old woman being attacked by a group of thugs. Elric leaped off the back of Blaze drawing his sword mid-air, he slashed at the neck of the closest thug. Before the thug's head could hit the ground Elric was on his way to deal with one of ones that were still alive. Blaze came from the other side of the old woman biting the head off the thug the was still trying to rob the old woman, and smacking another into a tree with her tail causing the thug to splatter upon impact. Elric stabbed the the last of the thugs in the chest piercing his heart, killing the thug instantly. With all the thugs now dead and destan for the belly of Blaze, Elric walked over to the old woman to check to see if she was ok.

The old lady was dazed and a little bruised from the thugs attack. Elric reached out for her to help her up from the side of the road asking, "Are you ok ol woman?" "Yes, thanks to you young hero." She said. The old woman reached into her basket and pulled out two apples. After she did this, the old lady said, "I want to reward you for saving me from those robbers, but all I have are a few apples i was taking to market. So young hero please take these two apples, and tell me your name so that I can pray for your good fortune."

"My Name Is Elric Vellen. I am the Protector of the Crown Princess of Foust. If you knew why I was coming to the Ash Kingdom; you would possibly ask the thugs that were robbing you to protect you from me instead."

"Ah Yes I have heard of that name. I thought that you would have been older. Let me guess, that good for nothing third prince of ours did something stupid. He is truly a waste, if he offended your princess I hope you teach him and His crazy father the king a lesson. If he was dumb enough to do something to bring about the wrath of Foust Kingdom, I can only pray that young hero can spare the good hardworking people of the kingdom. Most of us despise the royal family,and live in fear." the old woman said.

"Your words have touched my heart old woman, what is the name of your village, I am willing to spare it regardless of what the royal family has done or will do. I will also give you a ride to the market as it is on the way."

"I am from Liem Village, it is on the other side of this forest."

"Ok, I will help you up." Elric said after hopping onto Blaze. He was sure she would not mind giving a lift to such a kind old lady who was just attacked. reaching out his hand Elric Helped the old woman onto Blaze's back behind himself. After she was seated Elric said, "Let us be off Blaze. Along the way to the market the old lady told Elric that her name was Ethel.

By the time the two of them dropped her off at the market, Ethel had told Elric everything she knew of Ash Kingdom. I was not much as she did never traveled far from Liem Village her entire life. But she did talk to lots of people from all over the kingdom that came to buy the apples grown in her village. Elric was able to learn that anyone outside of the nobles and residence of the capital city were treated like cattle by the royal family, along with a general lay of the land. Ethel was able to mark out the location of a few villages she had gone to over the years. All of them were close to the market area set up. It acted as a center point to the small villages allowing them access to goods not found in the remote places most of villagers lived.

Elric and Blaze made sure that Ethel would be ok on her own before setting off towards the capital city. With the time spent napping and saving Ethel around half the day had gone by. At this rate it would be close to nightfall when they got to the capital city of Ash Kingdom. Not wanting to waste time stopping to eat Elric ate the two apples he was given as a reward. He offered Blaze a bite and some dry meat from one of the saddle bags, but she shook her head rejecting it as she was still full from eating the thugs earlier. On the road he passed by a few people, all of whom spat when he asked what they thought of the third prince, confirming what old woman Ethel told him.

It was two hours before sun down as Elric walked up to the gates of the capital city. He had dismounted Blaze and covered her in a cloth and placed his packs on top of it along her back. This way she would be able to hide her draconic features and look like a common pack animal. He had to pay the guards at the gate a entry fee of three silver. This showed that the Ash Kingdom did not want common folk to easily enter the city, three silver would he hard for lower class farmers and workers to make even in a month's time, but would be only pocket change to a wealthy landlord or noble.

Elric placed Blaze in a public stables apologizing to her for doing so,but it had to be done or their cover might be blow. After paying for the stall an feed she would be given to a stable hand Elric walked to a nearby inn. He was going to use this place as a cover and actually camp out with Blaze in a wooded area that was still within the city's wall. This way he could still keep an eye on the inn in case something happened, or a message was left for him there. He checked in under his real name but listed Envoy as his occupation instead of usein his real title as protector of the crown princess.

He went to the dining hall provided to the guest of the in and ordered a expensive cut of meat making sure that he would be noticed. He ate go small portion of it hiding the rest in a pouch. He would use it to make up to Blaze later. Once he was done eating he approached the front desk he checked in at. After getting the lazy girl that worked behind it to pay attention to him, he asked if she knew of anyone willing to make easy money doing something that might carry some risk to their life, but was a simple and easy task. He told her if she found someone willing he would give her a gold coin. This got her attention quick. That was more money than she could make in a year working at the inn.

I took her around an hour to find the right "victim" for the job, thinking it would likely be a death sentence doing the job considering she was going to be given a gold coin just for finding someone to do the job. This was going to cost him close to a weeks pay but Elric did not care. That pay was given to him for the job of protecting the princess, so spending some of it to try the easy way of saving her only seemed right. That was the disparity between ones pay as a knight or protector on Foust Kingdom vs. a mear desk girl in Ash Kingdom. He made three times what she did in a year, each week.

The poor sap she found was in need of money in a bad way. His wife was sick and the medicine needed to keep her alive was hard to get and expensive even though they lived in a capital city of a smaller kingdom. He was willing to do anything for the money as it would keep her alive, even if it cost him a limb or his life. The job was as easy as it gets. All he had to do was deliver a letter from Elric to the guards of the castle, making sure it was taken to either the third prince or king of Ash Kingdom tonight and wait for a reply. Once the reply was given to him, he was to deliver it to the girl behind the desk. Elric would then pick it up in the morning.

After Elric gave the letter to the guy along with the first half of the payment for the job, the other half would be given after the delivered the reply, the guy left to take the letter, while Elric went up to his room. Elric did not stay in the room however. He climbed out the window and jumped to the ground. He then left and got Blaze for the stable. He knocked the poor stable hand out on his way in so that no one could see him leave with Blaze. The two of them headed for the spot in the woods Elric had found earlier. it was a tree covered hilltop on the edge of the city. Elric climbed a tree so that he could see the inn he had booked a room in, and sent the letter from.

The guy he sent to deliver the letter had just made it to the castle when he got to the tree branch he was going to sit on. The guards promptly stopped his message carrying desperate fool. Doing as he was told, he informed the guard that the sender of the letter Was Elric Vellen an envoy Of Foust Kingdom and that he was staying at an inn here in the capital city. He guard quickly left to deliver it to the king hearing who it is from while another guard told the messenger to stay put so he could take any response back.

The Guard that brought the letter to the king left the throne room right after handing it over to an advisor that would read it to the king. He guard feared if it was bad news that he might be punished or even killed. The advisor broke the wax seal of the letter and began to read the letter to the king of Ash Kingdom.

It said: Ville King and worthless third prince of Ash Kingdom,

I am Elric Vellen the Royal Protector of the Crown Princess Aalis Foust and DRAGON Master of Foust Kingdom. I demand that the two of you send My Crown Princess unharmed to my room at the inn along with the head of the third prince on a silver platter by sundown tonight. If you do not I will rain down dragon fire on this city at sun rise. By the time it sets nothing will be left but a pile of Ash. Don't think to a second that you can hide behind your tiny joke of an army. The best weapon in your kingdom can not even leave a scratch on my mighty dragon, while I am more than capable of beating your kingdom's champion in single combat blindfolded. Should harm befall my lovely Princess Aalis Not a living soul will be left in the entire kingdom of Ash save for any of your daughters I fancy to warm my bed as slaves.

By the time the advisor had finished reading the letter he was sweating blood out of pure fear. Half was of Elric and his dragon the other half was that his own king would kill him on the spot. As far as the King of Ash Kingdom He was torn as to kill his son the third prince himself, or to try and kill this Elric Vellen in his sleep or do nothing. Sadly for the guy that brought the letter it looked as if he was never to receive the 2nd coin. It was fortunate for his wife that Elric made arrangements making sure she would be taken care of should he not make it back after he felt bad for sending someone he did not know on a fool's errand.

That night shortly after sundown Elric could spot flames coming from the inn he had booked a room in. He had his reply, not only did the king not do as he was told in the letter, the king tried to kill him by burning down the inn. Seeing this he and Blaze who was eating the chunk of meat he saved her from the inn had made up their minds. They would spare no one in this damned city beyond the princess they came to save and wife of the letter carrier, unless one or some of kingdom's princess caught his eye. If so they would be enslaved and given as gifts to a few of the knights he was fond of back in Foust.