The Kingdom of Largo is about to fight a war within its own kingdom...Baldwin vs Samuel. Who will win?
Kingdom of Largo
Chapter 25
Baldwin vs Samuel
Baldwin continued to brainstorm his strategy upon returning to his own dwelling that afternoon. He had not even gone to meet his troops of warriors as he was not in shape to go anywhere. He knew he must find a way to defend himself. He paced back and forth in his bed-chamber, periodically stopping to lie on his bed with a sigh, staring up at the ceiling as though he could find some answers, but all there was, was only a blankness staring back at him.
He had been in this preoccupied state of mind for the whole day, not even breaking his concentration to consume anything. As the evening drew closer, he suddenly seemed to have found a solution. He got up from his bed, got a quill and parchment and immediately sat down at the table to write a note. After he finished writing, he put it in an envelope. He woke up early the following day and mounted his horse to his warriors' dwellings.
It was in the morning, and the warriors were just awakening to begin their tasks for the day. Gerald, who had just finished his breakfast, came out of his tent to stretch his arms and legs for some much-needed exercises. He waved at Baldwin as he saw him approaching.
“Good morning, Sir Baldwin,” he greeted.
“Good morning, Gerald! I need you to take this note down to the southern border where Miles is and give this note to him,” Baldwin said, “You must hand this note to him by yourself. He must receive this as soon as possible.”
“What is this? Has something happened? Why are we talking to Miles all of a sudden?” Gerald asked. He was confused at this sudden change of event.
“Something has gone very wrong yesterday morning,” Baldwin said, “We found Sir Wilkin and the other five soldiers dead!”
“What? How did that happen? How did they die? Did somebody kill them?”
“According to the royal doctor, they have all died from ingesting rat poison. Obviously, someone must have put the poison in their food. We must act fast. We need Miles' support. I am going to tell him that Sir Samuel had sent a group of warriors in black to have him killed while he was on his way to the southern border a few full moons ago. Unfortunately, all warriors in black were attacked by a non-human monster in the forest, and they were all killed. Tell him that because of this incident, Samuel is now training another group of young warriors in black for future attacks, and tell Miles that he must be careful on his way back to the palace,” Baldwin said.
“Gerald, you must collaborate with me on this and must repeat what I have said verbatim. You'll need to go there and hand this note to Miles personally. This note will explain everything. Tell him we are behind him to help him,” Baldwin continued to say.
“Oh! Okay, I will say that to him. But aren't we still holding those original testimonies that Wilkin and his men have confessed to and signed? We are still on top of the game. We can still submit those originals at any time.” Gerald said confidently.
“No, we don't anymore,” Baldwin said quietly, “we no longer have those testimonies. Somebody has stolen them from my house.”
“Scoundrels!” Gerald exclaimed loudly. His eyes bulged out. “That is bad! We need to make a new plan now!”
“This is what I'm coming up with,” said Baldwin, “Gerald, you must go there and hurry back. I am going to file a court case this morning and protest the murder of the six soldiers who we have captured. I shall demand an answer as to who is responsible for their deaths. We shall be protesting on the street, if necessary. I need you to come back fast to join us.”
“Okay, will do! Sir Baldwin! I promise! You can count on me! Those soldiers were our pride. We have captured them from our enemy, and they had confessed to us. We need to get to the bottom of this,” Gerald promised.
He mounted his horse and immediately got set on his way towards the southern border. If his horse goes fast, he could reach the southern border this evening and be back by tomorrow evening. He wished Baldwin good luck, and off he went with the envelope for Miles.
Baldwin stayed back and held a meeting with the rest of his warriors. He relayed to them what had happened to the six soldiers and the loss of their testimonies. He convinced them it may have been the works of Sir Samuel because he and King Aylard were the only ones who knew about the original collected testimonies. There was no doubt about it! He also reminded the warriors that they should gather together now and must work as a team to support him and each other, for if he fails, they, too, would fail. He told them they must let the word out in the villages that it was the work of Sir Samuel, who was the only one who would have the motive to murder the six innocent witnesses. He convinced them they must stand together to fight for justice! And if confronted by the palace guards and warriors, they are to fight for the truth with their lives.
“Together, we must fight! We must fight for the truth! We must fight for the deaths of the six innocent soldiers!” Baldwin told them.
“We must let the public know what kind of a man Sir Samuel is! A murderer who walks among us, working in the palace next to the king! While the king is withholding secrets from the civilians! This, by far, is MOST UNACCEPTABLE! We are NOT going to take this anymore! We ARE NOT going to be fooled anymore!” Baldwin continued to convince his troops.
“NO, WE ARE NOT! WE WILL FIGHT FOR THE TRUTH! THE TRUTH MUST BE KNOWN!” shouted his warriors in unison, waving their fists up in the air.
Baldwin's troops have now grown to 150 warriors. Baldwin knew he was now more powerful than before. He could recruit more if he needed to. He must fight to win this battle, If not, Sir Samuel would likely pin him as the murderer of the six soldiers. He knew he must act fast.
“Now, we must go before the court today to file a case and demand the truth be told! We must demand to know who had murdered our six soldiers. Sir Samuel has concocted some sort of secret mission, and someone needs to stop him! Baldwin continued to tell his troops.
“There should not be any secret missions in the palace! The citizens of the Kingdom of Largo must know everything. The King must not hold any secrets towards the citizens within his kingdom! Everything he does should be transparent to the public. Every citizen should have the right to know the truth!”
“WE WILL FIGHT FOR THE CITIZENS! WE WILL FIGHT FOR THE TRUTH!!!” Shouted the troops again.
Baldwin continued to speak to his troops until he was satisfied with their show of dedication and loyalty. Then he led them to the courthouse and demanded his case be heard.
All the while, on his way over, the troops can be heard shouting:
“WE DEMAND THE TRUTH BE TOLD!”
“IT'S OUR RIGHT TO KNOW!”
“NO MORE SECRETS!”
“LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN!”
And the citizens of the kingdom came out of their dwellings. Some were told by the troops what had happened, and they, in turn, told others, and this continued until all of the citizens were informed of Baldwin's message.
“YES! LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN!” They shouted and marched down the street with Baldwin's troops. Baldwin was now satisfied. He knew the king and Sir Samuel would never dare touch him now.
As they came in front of the courthouse Baldwin went in with about fifty of his warriors behind him.
“Your Royal Highness! I want to file a complaint about the deaths of the six soldiers that my team and I had captured from the southern border. Their deaths are untimely, and we must seek the truth about who the murderer is,” Sir Baldwin said in his opening lines, “Our soldiers were due to appear in court for a case against Sir Miles. They were not without any evidence, but now they are all gone and will not be able to testify. We seek justice for ourselves and our witnesses.”
“Very well, Sir Baldwin! Your complaint is acknowledged. A case shall be opened regarding this complaint, but please keep in mind that the investigation shall be ongoing, and we must not hurry to have a date in court unless we have gathered some concrete evidence first. I must also remind you and your team of warriors that any misconduct or defamation of anyone within the kingdom – I, myself included – shall be subjected to punishment by law. The palace will not tolerate the defamation of any individuals. We must seek to resolve matters of personal conflict peacefully,” warned King Aylard, as he assumed that Baldwin was still holding the original testimonies in his hands.
“I have the confessions of the six soldiers in my hands which you had submitted to me earlier, and if necessary, the court will set a date to rule. We can still hear the case according to the confessions that were received,” continued King Aylard, “then justice would still be served regardless of the presence - or lack thereof - of the aforementioned six soldiers in court .”
“Your Royal Highness! I am aware of the testimonies I had submitted, but now the case has new development because the six soldiers are dead,” Baldwin tried to bluff his way through the court's procedures. He tried to let on that he was still holding the original testimonies. As a detective, he knew how he could bluff through certain avenues without even holding a single piece of evidence, and sometimes he would even be able to collect some concrete evidence through bluffing.
“I seek to open an investigation into their deaths. The six soldiers were my captives from the Kingdom of Klaxaedia, and they were murdered while under my care. I need to know the truth about how they have died and who is responsible for their deaths,” Baldwin pressed on.
“Very well, then! We will not set the next court date yet until further evidence and development of the investigation is received,” King Aylard concluded.
Sir Samuel sat among the rest of the councillors on the side of the courtroom, peering out at Baldwin. He wondered what Baldwin had up his sleeve. He wanted to confront him directly, but he knew he must wait for the right moment. If the latest gossip around town was to be believed, Sir Samuel thought, then he was in for a rough time ahead.
If I was the one who was being accused of this crime, would King Aylard stand up to protect me? Sir Samuel wondered. All of a sudden, Samuel felt he was about to lose all his support. After all, who is to say that the king would not make a deal with Baldwin to keep his silence and shift the guilt to me?
Yes, it would be easier for both of them to shift the guilt to me, naming me the murderer because they would say I had the motive because I had already sent some warriors in black to kill Miles. That would be easier for anyone to assume that I might have killed the six soldiers as well. This Baldwin is such a scoundrel! He bites the hand that feeds him. He would do this without any remorse. Samuel thought, scolding Baldwin inside his head.
It was my mistake in grooming him to be the kingdom's top detective, and even helping him to get rich as well, and this is the thanks he is giving me! I was such a fool to have helped him! Now, I may need to find another detective to investigate Baldwin. But who will fit the category? Who would have an investigative skill that would supersede Baldwin's to investigate him? Baldwin, with his detective skill, may even know he is being investigated before the process begin. Baldwin is very cunning. Sir Samuel was now deep into his own thoughts.
“Your Royal Highness! Am I to assume that if I spoke the truth about someone, supported by facts and evidence, then what I have said could not be termed 'defamation'? Can you clarify the word 'defamation' to me, please?” Baldwin asked with caution.
“No! Of course not! If you spoke truthfully about someone, supported by facts and evidence, then it would not be termed as defamation,” King Aylard answered reluctantly. He knew full well what Baldwin was referring to.
“Thank you, Your Royal Highness! My team and I shall now await the news from the investigation. We hope to hear some new developments soon,” Baldwin said.
King Aylard concluded the preliminary hearing by ensuring Baldwin that they would contact him when there was a new development in the case.
The courthouse was then closed for the day.
XXXXX
Gerald and his horse sped through the forest, and around sunset, he finally reached the southern border. He met with Commander Sergio and asked about the whereabouts of Miles.
“Miles is down at the shorefront to fight off some pirates,” said Commander Sergio, “If you would go to the shorefront you might find him there.”
“Thank you, Commander Sergio! I shall do that!” Gerald responded. He mounted his horse and headed for the shorefront.
As he walked toward the waters, he espied in the densely packed forest adjacent to the shore a bunch of trainee warriors hiding in a dugout, their gazes fixed toward the shoreline.
When the troops saw Gerald there, they motioned for him to duck down like them as well. The warrior trainees learned that a group of pirates, masquerading as fishermen, were about to come ashore. They intend to stay around the shore to rob unsuspecting wanderers or seize any ships that may have the misfortune to have set sail on this day.
The trainees were there to catch those pretend fishermen.
“May I see Sir Miles, please? Anyone knows where I can find Sir Miles?” Gerald asked the group of trainee warriors.
“Hey, Miles!” Someone shouted to the group in a whispered tone, “Someone is here to see you!”
Gerald looked in the direction of the group to see walking toward him a well-built man with dark hair and bronzed skin. The man looked more like a well-built warrior than a magician.
“Yes?” The man looked at Gerald curiously, “ Are you looking for me?”
“Miles?”
“Yes! That's me!”
“I am sent to you by Sir Baldwin, and he has a note for you.”
“Sir Baldwin! Yes, I remember him! He was the one who wished to capture me in the forest,” Miles was amused now. He wondered what could be so important that Baldwin would send someone to look for him. He stretched out his hand to reach for the envelope.
“Can we find someplace to talk in private?” Gerald inquired.
“Sure!”
As they walked away from the group, they arrived at a spot behind a big tree.
“I suggest you read Sir Baldwin's message first, and I will explain further, if necessary,” said Gerald.
Miles opened the envelope and read the note inside. It read:
“Sir Miles:
This serves as a warning to you that Sir Samuel was the one who wanted to do you harm. When you were on your way to the southern border, you may have been aware that some warriors in black were following you. They were sent by Sir Samuel. Their purpose was to kill you. Fortunately, they have not succeeded. Rumor has it that they were all killed by a kind of non-human animal that suddenly appeared in the forest. Thus your life was safe.
As of this moment, Sir Samuel is once again training another group of warriors in black. He is determined to take you down once again. Please pay caution while returning to the palace since you will soon complete your training. I am sure Sir Samuel does not want you back here, and he may send out some warriors to harm you again.
My troops and I will be there to help you fight those warriors in black, should he ever send them out again to harm you. Just know that we are your friends, not your enemies.
The man who I have sent to deliver this message to you is one of my warriors. His name is Gerald.
Sorry, I cannot come personally to see you and bring you this note as a dreadful event has happened to the six captives that I have captured from the Kingdom of Klaxaedia. They were all found dead. Someone had fed them rat poison. I have filed a complaint to the kingdom's court, and the case is still under investigation. I suspect this may also be the works of Sir Samuel. This man is wicked and he will stop at nothing to protect himself and King Aylard's reputation. I tell you this just so you'll know. Your past secret is safe with me, but not with the King and Sir Samuel. Please be cautious. Those who always smile at you are not always your friends. They may be your enemies. You must pay careful attention when you come back to the palace.
I have a troop of 150 warriors. I can always recruit some more if I need them. I also have more than 1000 gold bars. If new weapons are required, I know where to find the source who would make them for us. This information is just for you to know. You must not tell anyone else about this.
I shall see you when you get back to the palace.
Your friend,
Sir Baldwin.”
“Well, that's incredible! I do believe what Sir Baldwin has said. I knew then that something or someone was following me when I was on my way to the southern border. The warriors in black were there to fight me. One of them even told me I would be dead on that day,” Miles said, remembering the events that took place.
“I was lucky! A very large animal appeared out of nowhere. It knocked me off a tree and I became unconscious. When I came to, all of the warriors were dead. I assume they were killed by that monster. Lucky for me, I fell off the tree into a bush and my life was spared. Otherwise, I would not be here speaking to you,” Miles said again, still in disbelief over his fortune.
“I am glad that 'thing' didn't hurt you!” Gerald said, “Just take note of what Sir Baldwin says to you in the note, and send someone to contact us if you need our help. We are here for you,” Gerald reassured Miles.
“Hey, thanks! I shall bear that in mind!” Miles said.
“I might as well get back to the palace now. Many dreadful things are happening and we may have to stage a riot tomorrow or the day after. I must be there for Sir Baldwin.”
“Okay, Gerald! Thanks once again for coming all this way to deliver the note to me! Take care on your way back!”
“Okay, I shall see you soon!” Gerald mounted his horse and then departed, leaving Miles to wonder about Sir Baldwin.
Miles looked down at the note in his hands, not wanting to believe what he was reading. But alas, some facts were true . At least, the part about the warriors in black was true . He could not understand why Sir Samuel would want him dead. He may have to find that out by himself when upon his return to the palace.
SANDIE MAY....WHAT A FANTASTIC WORK, SO THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE! I AM DEFINITELY HOOKED...LINE AND SINKER AND I AWAIT WITH BATED BREATH THE NEXT CHAPTER, INDEED. THANKS FOR SHARING. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS
You know how to draw your readers into your tales by writing the most captivating story! This chapter has me hooked from beginning to end. Wonderful job, Sandie!
Thank you, Regis! As I have told Miyanna on Facebook I was the one who was brainstorming for the solution, not Baldwin. Heehee!!! Oh, I'll have to think for Sir Samuel now. Wish me luck! My inspiration for Samuel has not arrived yet.
Even more intriguing and engaging. I can see that your muse of inspiration continues to fuel your imagination and give life to your story. Love, peace, and best wishes to you, Sandie,
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