WILLOCK 25

Setting up a fire is one of the craziest things one would ever do. After a period of trial and error, we finally manage to do it, and Ezron sends me to a place by the lake to buy fish. I'm not quite familiar with the area, so I ask for directions until I finally arrive. The fish are well-kept, big, and I believe they will be delicious too. I had never cooked in my entire life. Maybe that's one of the many differences between nobles and peasants. I had never cooked honestly; it was always a matter of being told when dinner is ready, when lunch is served, or during my adventures, I was used to having most of my meals in the great hotels around the area.

I hadn't taken a deep thought about finding Armstrong.The Part near my eye, where I was beaten up the previous day was still oozing, and I could feel it was some scar left. People around, of course, were eyeing me, maybe wondering what had happened to me and possibly trying to figure out who I was. It seemed as if the people in this area knew each and every person, as if they were not accustomed to new faces. Even the doctor had been quite skeptical about seeing me.

"Nice," Ezron stated as I arrived with the big fishes.

"It's quite a distance; I should have known," I said, trying to complain about my troubles, but Ezron just laughed at that.

"What are you, anyway?" he asked, his laughter fading.

"Why? Do you think I'm here to cause trouble?"

"No, not that. Armstrong's men barely rob a nobody," Ezron stated, now looking at me seriously as he set the fish down, perhaps to tend to the scales, though I wasn't sure.

"I don't know what sort of answer you want."

"Are you rich?" Ezron asked, his eyes filled with anticipation and clear curiosity.

"No, barely one,."

"How do you know about doctor things?" he questioned.

"I happened to be a traveler. I've traveled all over the world, so I happen to have familiarity with ways to keep myself fit."

"Oh, and with all those adventures, you couldn't fight those men? Such a coward," he laughed as he teased. I felt nothing when he said those words; he was just a teasing kind of person, such a waste.

"Okay then, I..." I started to speak, but I suddenly pointed out men wearing black and white uniforms with caps – the police. God, they seemed to be carrying something when they shot their eyes in our direction. I turned around, and they faced my back. I suddenly wanted to hide badly; this was not a good sign. I started walking towards the tree that hung around near the place the elderly lady sold her fisheries and roasted meat when I heard them say,

"Hello, young man!"

"Am I in trouble? We've paid all our taxes, sir," Ezron stuttered like an idiot, while I remained hidden behind a tree.

"No, we are looking for someone."

"Oh, I would love to help. My investigative and memory skills are the best in this town, trust me," Ezron bluffed.

Oh dear, they were really looking for someone, and their faces were not ready for a laughing session; it was as serious as that.

"We are looking for a slightly tall guy, more than average I may say but not a little more. He's just sort of medium-tall, but can still fit in the tall range. He has brown, thick hair, wearing clothing like a noble with a tight white cardigan, black trousers, and leather boots. His face is slim, and he happens to have no mustache and only a few beards that cannot be seen from far," the police described.

"Who are they describing?" I questioned myself as I eavesdropped.

"Here's a sketch of him. A million gold coins shall be offered if you see him. Bring him to our courts alive." Ezron nodded without checking the sketch, as I was sure he was waiting for them to leave.

As they departed, and Ezron began to examine the sketch, I approached him, and suddenly, his eyes met mine.

"What?" I asked when he showed me the sketch.

"It's you, come on... it's you. Wait. I'm gonna tell them, man," he started to exclaim wildly, but I grabbed him, and we both fell down to the ground, just as the officers looked back in our direction.

"No, you can't tell them, man. I will explain everything, I promise... please just don't. Let's wait until evening, and then I'll leave."

"It's a million gold coins, a fortune for you," he stated, sounding like he couldn't believe his own words.

"I know, and I will offer more than that one day in the future. But if you expose me now, I'll be killed. You have to understand."

"Why do they want to kill you? Are you a thief? You have to be a thief. Oh God, we actually welcomed a thief into our home, and I always tell Ma that being kind sometimes is bad."

"Hey, I'm not a thief. I'm just... it's complicated. I am something else, I can't explain it to you like this, you have to understand."

"What are you two doing?" Ezron's mother questioned as she coughed continuously, holding her back.

"Ma, you should be resting," Ezron said, appearing concerned.

"I just saw the police and was wondering why they are here...ee," she added, coughing between words.

Ezron looked at me; he had already stood up but I remained in the same spot where we had been, not wanting the villagers to spot me. The police were offering a lot of money in exchange for me. Was the King really this desperate to capture me? I just shook my head, silently telling Ezron not to tell her anything of sort about my indulgence in the police statements and wants.

"They just wanted to remind us of the taxes," Ezron stated.

"They always want taxes, this government," Ezron's mother said as she started walking back to her house.

"So now what?" Ezron asked as he began to deal with the fish again. He continued, "You'll stay with us until night? Then where will you go?"

"I will look for Armstrong."

"What?... No... no. You cannot be serious," he said in a rather bad and rejecting tone.

"Why?"

"He will sell you as a slave, man. To deal with his crazy businesses of drug trafficking in other countries, man. Don't be that stupid," Ezron warned.

"Is there another way out?" I asked.

"I have always wanted to travel. How about we set off on our journey together and leave for this crazy world? Just you and me," Ezron suggested, which made me chuckle a bit.

"No, you can't be serious. Who will take care of your mother?"

"I have some gold coins hidden next to my father's grave that she doesn't know about. They are worth about a million or five hundred thousand. I'll leave her with a few hundred thousand, and we'll leave with the rest," he explained.

"I don't know how to fight and survive, man."

"Life is more than just surviving, but letting you leave to find Armstrong... no, that's a bad toss of the coin. Why are they looking for you anyway?"

"I'll tell you. But about the traveling, let me think about it. For now, let me hide under here before I face some wrath."

With that, I buried myself underneath the table, hidden from view, even from the customers busy buying fish. I was actually contemplating what Ezron had suggested, the adventures and everything. I was well familiar with maps and reading them. I suddenly remembered that I was strictly told to find Armstrong, who would aid me. What if I went to find Armstrong, and if I realized he intended to involve me in his drug dealing business, I would run away and start a new life as a farmer, as I had thought when we were at the lake during our journey.

Ezron, on the other hand, was stating that he was ready to leave his sick mother to travel with me all around the world. I wondered if this was my chance to start a new path in life, away from being a noble. I was never a great fighter; I knew that. I was skilled with a blade, and my sharpshooting style was quite good, but I hadn't practiced in a while. The question was, if I left today, would I return to being a noble, or would I still be considered a threat to the kingdom? All of this had been set in motion by the princess. Sometimes the crown seems very far away, but a man's desire for a woman can lead him to make the most irrational of decisions. I was already contemplating leaving with Ezron and seeing where life would take us. I knew this journey I was about to embark on would not be easy – hunting antelopes for food, finding fish to eat, and dealing with other things,-mistaken identities.