Present
We have been riding on endless paths till the day was to turn to dusk. It been a long day and all us are tired of this pursuit to get onto the correct path so we can continue with our journey. My accompanied riders are of good stead and friends for many years. As we feared that we are camped out in the open dark forest, my squire Mathew points us to the shimmering aura that was in the near horizon. We took haste on our rides to reach the place which released such a shinning beacon in our lost trails today. Much to our surprise, we came upon a large mansion of Gothic design and spiral towers that reached to the skies. As dusk was upon us, we made no excuse not to asked for shelter from the occupants of the place. Mathew went forth to the high double doors to knock on the large mantle piece that resemble a door knock. His incessant knocking was soon answered by whoever dwell in the place. Its turned out to be a friar dressed in the brown flock with a rope as a girdle around his waist. He carries a small lamp with him despite the low light of the day. He is a man of his middle ages, and is of my height.
"Hello, Friar. My name is Sir Gerard of Lincoln. We are a group of four weary travelers who have lost our way in the forest. We avail ourselves to your good hospitality as we seek shelter from the cold night to come. May you be so kind to grant us that hospitality in the good name of the Lord." I have dismounted from my horse and walked towards Friar. When I have approached him. I was also the one who spoke to him as the leader of this group.
"Good day to you Sir Gerard. Its very rare for us to have guests in this deep forest and more so at this hour. My name is Friar Tuck and I am the guardian of the place. Please forgive my manners as I have said we rarely have guests here. Please do come in and have your Squire bring the horses to the side door where a servant of mine would lead him to the stables." The friar who spoke to us stepped aside We followed him into the mansion as the Squire took our horses to the side door as indicated by the Friar.
Its splendor with the grandeur of a palace if I would to describe the hallway which I have walked in. The place is well ornate with lovely upholstery and a twin curving staircase that meets the second level lies in front of us. Friar Tuck asked to relief ourselves of our traveling coats and arms to the cloak room at the side, but I declined on behalf of my fellow travelers to stack away our rapiers and pistols.
"I begged your forgiveness, Friar but we are men of war and these are our arms never to be far from us. We beg you permission to allowed us this and we duly promised that it would not be drawn on any man or woman in this house." I can see the Friar is irritated but he keep his composure well.
"So be it, gentlemen; I would allow it as per your request but please do not renegade on your words,dear Sir. Please follow me." The Friar led us into the a Hall on the right and it turns out to be a Dining Hall with the fireplace well stoked and burning warm for us. "Please be seated, gentleman and dinner would be served soon."
If dinner is to named, we would had called it a King's Feast. The layout soon to be filled on our dining table was very lavish for a group like us. We were shown dishes of succulent meats and stuffings that will bowled over even the King of England. We bear no reluctance as we indulged ourselves in the food. It was then I noticed my missing Squire who was send to tend to the horses and not yet returned from it.
"Sir Gerard, fear not for your Squire as he is having his own feast in the servant's quarters." I smiled at my host who sits on the same table but feed not on the food that was laid before him. "If you gentlemen are complete with your meal, please join me as we adjourn to the Library for a drink of wine."
The Library was equally lavish and well stocked with the rows of books. But what made our evening more complete was the array of wine bottles with the finest of wine that invigorate one's taste to a different level. Soon the three of us was sitting with our weary bodies snuggled into the warmth of the armchairs that faced the fire place.
"I trust all of you gentlemen are comfortable in our hospitality. Now I shall call upon the payment for my lodging and food." I turned to see before me the transformed Friar now is a Ogre that stand tall over me. He carries with him a large sword that can cleave a man in half with one swing. Just as he has completed his transformation, the library was soon filled with more of his kind that came in from the different entrances.
The trio of us stood up and drew our arms to defend ourselves.
"At last you have revealed yourselves to us. Gentlemen, I believed our work has just began. By heavens, I would say these Ogre are a smelly lot." I looked to my two other companions; Sir Micheal of Moor and Baron Helmut of Bavaria. We are the warriors sent by the Vatican to rid of abnormalities like these from the physical world. "I wonder how our squire has prevailed in our absence."
Just as I complete the sentence, the howls and cries of some Ogres can be heard in the far corridors. Soon we find the person whom we identified as the Squire has indeed transformed into a large creature of furry coating and long claws.
"Clawler', you amazed me with your survival skills. Surely by now we all assumed you would had been ingested into the bowels of these Ogres but you have reversed your eventual demise to that of survival." I was making a mock of my 'squire' as not many know of the lad's ability except the three of us. As for us, we bear no special powers but that of fighting skills and lots of luck in such conflicts.
"Kill them. They are only four and we are twelve." The one who was the Friar stomped his left feet and swung his large sword towards me. I sidestep and thrust my rapier into the advancing Ogre heart. I pulled it out in time before the creature fall with my arms in its chest. In my left hand I hold my match lock pistol, which I shoot with accuracy on another Ogre in between the eyes. My companion, Micheal of Moor had removed two of the Ogre with his double pistols that laid the musket ball in their heart. Baron Helmut who wields a broadsword that was once his grandfather made short works of three Ogre with his precise swings on the limbs of these creatures. The creatures now lies in pain holding onto their missing part of their limbs. The rest of the Ogre had enough and fled from the Library. Clawler wanted to give chase but I stopped him.
"Our work is done. We would now leave it to the Angels to remove this facade of evil so that none may fall to its charms again." The four of us made our way of the Library and out of the same doorway which we came in. By then Clawler had revert to his human self and the four of us stood before the forest edge to see the mansion once more. The Squire has retrieved our horses as the Angles descend from the skies. The Angels then laid their power invested to them by God to open a narrow shinning aura on the mansion. It looks like the Heavens has opened a lighted passage in the darkness which now covers the mansion. Just as the light covers the mansion, its slowly engulfed it in its grasps and the mansion slowly dissipate into the light. As the mansion dissipate, the Angels could be seen to raised themselves to leave for their rightful place.
"Well, Squire. Its your turn to build the fire tonight. Be quick as I can feel my flesh clinging onto my bones for warmth."
But unknown to us, the forest has more Ogre's to be removed. This one particular creature viewed us with disgust as we settled down to the newly built fire. Not many of us have the privilege of being watched by a Wendigo in the forest and still lived the night. But that is another tale for another night.
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