Section 3: A Wedding and a Promise

They expressed gratitude for the owner's hospitality and attended the wedding together, eagerly waiting for the arrival of the groom. Jack brought his drawing equipment, and Arthur sat nearby. To Arthur's astonishment, when the groom entered the ceremony, he turned and saw that it was Soundous, the merchant's daughter.

She was the bride, and the big man who had invited them to the ceremony was the groom himself.

Arthur was taken aback and unsure of what to do. He observed the joyful celebration and the dancing around the couple.

As he glanced at Soundous, he noticed tears in her eyes, which filled him with great sorrow. The painter Jack noticed his distress and inquired about the reason for his sadness. Arthur proceeded to share the story, revealing that he had vowed to repay the kindness Soundous had shown him.

Jack assured him that they would find a solution and would not allow her to be forced into an unwanted marriage.

Feeling overwhelmed, Arthur stood up and quietly left the wedding. Soundous noticed his departure and smiled, recognizing that he had come for her.

Arthur found a place to sit and gather his thoughts while Jack approached him. In the meantime, a gang wearing black, their faces concealed by red scarves, appeared.

When the old groom, Frank, spotted them, he recognized the danger and ordered his guards to attack and stop them.

The gang had come to kill him due to the embezzled trade money.

When people realized that a battle was imminent, they fled, causing chaos and screams to fill the area.

The guards confronted the gang members, managing to kill some of them. Old Frank sought refuge inside a building, pursued by the gang.

Arthur ran with the painter Jack behind him towards the party, while Soundous tried to escape among the panicked crowd.

She stopped when she saw Arthur running towards her, calling out to her amidst the loud noise.

However, she couldn't understand his words due to the commotion. He gestured for her to move away from the path of the horses.

The guards hurried to Soundous, and as the first horse passed in front of her, she turned back in fear, moving aimlessly. Subsequently, the other horses approached, trampling over the area.

Arthur stood in shock at the turn of events, while the painter Jack rushed to Soundous, urging Arthur to help him carry her.

They lifted her and brought her to the chief physician, who began to treat her.

Arthur stood at a distance, and Soundous remained unconscious.

Sleeping near her bed was a dark-haired girl, struggling to breathe.

Arthur approached the girl and observed her, realizing that she had contracted the same disease as the townspeople.

The doctor explained that she needed the desert grass, but it was difficult to obtain due to the presence of numerous gangs in the mountains.

He mentioned that he had sent medical students there to fetch the herb, but none of them had returned.

Arthur informed the doctor that he would go the next day to gather the desert grass. The doctor provided him with a small scrap of paper containing a drawing depicting the shape, color, and location of the plant.

He requested Arthur to bring him a piece of the plant for making medicine to treat the patients in the facility. Arthur agreed, but he had to take care of Soundous, the merchant's daughter, until their return.

The old chief physician assured Arthur not to worry and expressed his belief that Soundous would recover.

Arthur and the painter Jack bid farewell to them and departed.

As Soundous regained consciousness, she looked around and saw Arthur leaving.

Overwhelmed with emotions, she assumed he had abandoned her and burst into tears. At that moment, a wounded person entered the place.

Arthur and the painter Jack encountered him and entrusted them with a message for the city commander, Noah, emphasizing the need to deliver it before sunrise.

Arthur and the painter Jack went to meet the city commander, Noah.

He agreed to see them and welcomed them into his presence.

They handed him the entrusted message, and the city leader opened the box. Inside, he found a letter revealing that his brother, Ethan,

had formed an alliance with the mountain gangs and planned to invade the city in the morning.

The city commander instructed the head of the guard to prepare the army to repel the impending attack. He thanked Arthur and Jack for bringing this information, offered them positions in the city, and invited them to be close to him.

Arthur informed the city commander about the dire state of their disease-stricken city and their quest to find a cure.

He expressed his desire to improve the coal plant and ensure it no longer polluted the air, thereby preventing the spread of diseases in the village. The city commander instructed the chief engineer to work on an invention to develop the coal plant and create an additional source of income for the villagers, aiming to improve their living conditions.

Meanwhile, the soldiers gathered around Ethan's tent as he emerged, declaring that his brother had taken power from him and that he needed to reclaim it. He began to deceive and entice the soldiers with promises of wealth.

The gangs cheered in anticipation of the impending battle. Ethan's assistant approached him, revealing that he had identified the traitor among their ranks.

From a distance, a man was dragged by two guards, and Ethan approached him, stabbing him in the chest, causing his blood to flow among the soldiers.

The act served as a warning to the traitors, instilling fear and encouraging them to reconsider their disloyalty.

And with the inevitability of tomorrow's battle, Ethan dispatched spies and undercover soldiers to infiltrate Commander Noah's city and gather information. The undercover soldiers were tasked with poisoning Noah's army reserves of food to weaken their forces before the battle.

Upon their arrival in Commander Noah's city, the infiltrators eliminated the guards protecting the reserves and contaminated the food and water supplies for the army.

One man witnessed their actions from a distance, and the thieves spotted him. Filled with fear, the man hid from them. As they moved to another room, he hurried to rescue the horses by pouring out the poisoned water and replacing it with fresh water.

He then made his escape through a window and positioned himself in the corridor to observe from afar.

Suddenly, they vanished from his sight, but as he turned around, he found them standing right in front of him.

In a moment of confrontation, he was stabbed and fell to the ground. Commander Noah's soldiers witnessed the incident, prompting Ethan's soldiers to flee once they realized they had been discovered.

A pursuit ensued, leading them to the city walls. During the chase, one of Ethan's soldiers sustained an injury and fell off his horse, while the others managed to escape after crossing the town walls.

Recognizing the treacherous river below, Commander Noah's soldiers halted their pursuit, knowing the enemy soldiers would meet their demise in its fast current.

Ethan's soldiers, caught off guard, were swept away by the forceful river, with some horses and soldiers colliding against rocks, staining the water red.

Commander Noah's soldiers deduced the fate of their adversaries after witnessing the bloody scene, and they returned to Commander Noah to report what had occurred.

A meeting was convened to uncover the reason behind Ethan's soldiers' presence in the town. The truth only became clear when one of the soldiers succumbed to the poison the following morning.

Realizing that the food had been poisoned, they urgently informed the soldiers to cease eating. They discovered that one of the tents had already consumed the contaminated food.

The news quickly spread throughout the town, resulting in the deaths of a few soldiers, while others were rescued. Commander Noah issued orders to seal off the entrances to the town, allowing no one to approach until after the war had concluded.

The soldiers gathered in preparation for the impending battle.

Meanwhile, the painter Jack rose from his bed and ventured outside to behold the moonlight. He noticed a group of men scaling the walls. At the same time, Soundous remained alone in the hospital, her gaze fixed upon the partially illuminated door. She reminisced about Arthur and, as she looked out the window, caught sight of the moon.

Arthur, standing in a dark street illuminated solely by the moonlight, observed the hospital's illuminated window.

Soundous, feeling tired, made her way to the window. Before reaching it, she noticed a shadow pass by the room's door. Approaching the door, she discovered that thieves had infiltrated the hospital due to the soldiers' preoccupation with preparations for war.

In an attempt to evade capture, she closed the door and sought refuge under the bed. However, realizing that she would be found there, she opted to hide in the closet, her fear intensifying as the thieves drew closer.

The thieves noticed a table with water and medicine, indicating that someone was present in the room.

They forcefully opened the cupboard, prompting Soundous to flee to the corner of the room.

Observing her wearing a valuable necklace, the thieves approached her, demanding that she surrender it.

Trembling with fear, she began to remove the necklace, recalling her mother who had given it to her.

And Soundous reluctantly handed over the necklace to the thieves, who then informed her that she must die and instructed her to jump out of the window since she had seen their faces.

Overwhelmed with fear, she began crying and pleaded with them not to harm her.

With their swords drawn, the thieves encircled her as she ascended to the balcony, closing her eyes in anticipation. However, just as they were about to push her off, they sensed someone behind them. They turned around to find Arthur launching an attack, causing one of them to fall while the other lunged at Arthur with his sword.

Arthur, using a wooden chair as a shield, defended himself against the assailant's strikes. He managed to strike the thief's foot, causing him to stumble, and then dealt a blow with the chair, rendering him unconscious.

The second thief, who had regained consciousness, approached Arthur from behind with the intention of stabbing him.

However, Soundous intervened by striking the thief on the head, causing him to collapse near the door. He drew his second sword, intending to attack them, but Arthur stepped back while shielding Soundous. Before he could strike, the painter Jack landed a blow to his head.

They were all surprised and delighted by the painter Jack's arrival. Arthur asked him how he knew about the situation, and the painter Jack explained that he had followed the thieves after witnessing them jumping over the fence.

Arthur descended to the ground to retrieve Soundous' necklace, and he returned it to her. Soundous smiled at him and expressed her gratitude for saving her life.

Arthur reciprocated the sentiment, stating that he was glad she was safe. The painter Jack joined in the laughter, remarking, "Hello, I'm here."

Meanwhile, Commander Ethan's soldiers returned to their camp and informed him of what had transpired. In response, Ethan ordered their imprisonment as punishment. He also announced that the army would march towards the city in the morning to invade it and reclaim the kingdom from the traitorous Noah.

Ethan attributed his father's death to Noah's quest for power, while Noah gazed at his father's portrait hanging in their old house. Noah apologized to his father, explaining that he would defend the town and its people from Ethan.

He then departed the scene, and Commander Ethan's armies began their preparations to traverse the mountains and head towards the town.

Ethan, riding his horse, smiled with satisfaction, as he believed that he would finally have his revenge on his brother Noah.

In the morning, Soundous recovered and stood up, glancing out the window to find Arthur waiting for her.

Upon seeing him, she smiled and rushed towards him. Arthur was overjoyed to see that she was in good health and feeling better. He proposed that they leave together since she had no one left for her in the town.

He assured her that he would reunite her with her family and promised to prevent her forced marriage to someone she did not love.

Soundous rejoiced at Arthur's words, and they strolled together in the town market.

As Soundous gazed at Arthur, she felt love for the first time. She wanted to confess her love for him, but she felt too ashamed to do so. Unbeknownst to her, Arthur also loved her deeply but struggled to express his feelings.

He assured her that he would do whatever it takes to make her happy.

They joined a lively party in the town market, enjoying themselves amidst the crowd and laughing at the circus performances in the street.

From a distance, Arthur spotted Frank, the old man who sought to marry Soundous, returning to search for her with his soldiers.

He quickly informed Soundous, and they hastily fled.

Frank caught sight of them and commanded his soldiers to pursue them.

Arthur and Soundous managed to blend into the party, disappearing among the people.

However, Frank's soldiers persisted in their pursuit, running through the narrow lanes of the streets until they cornered Arthur and Soundous.