Chapter 2: Rough Seas, and Strange Greetings- Set Free.

A Story by Ilerah

Dwenlin is set free from his prison.

The guards walked down the stairs, walking past his cell to the left. They came back a short while later with the same bags that Dwen had entered this castle with all those years ago. Looking at his bags made memories of his parents flash in his mind. For a minute Dwenlin had returned to the Dwenlin he was three years ago, the nice kind boy going to the market. He shook his head to get those memories away, and returned to the revengeful Dwenlin of the present.

The knight who brought him in came down the stairs, looked at him, with a different face than when he was imprisoned. The knight grabbed the keys off the guard beside him, and unlocked the jail cell. He then grabbed his bags and handed them to Dwenlin roughly. Dwenlin stepped out of the cell, he held one of the sharpened rocks in his hand, ready to strike.

Dwenlin followed the knight, preparing to kill him. Then suddenly he remembered his mother, his father. What if these people weren’t as bad as he had thought.

“You are free to go, I know those charges may have been harsh, but it was not only for your small knife. The governor does not appreciate trespassers. He does not want this beautiful land over run with people, and made into one of those busy cities,” said the knight as they got to the top of the stairs, he then grabbed a knife from his belt and handed it to Dwenlin, the same knife his father had given him.

“Thank you, for letting me free, and for my knife back. Just a question though, why was I in the prison for that long, and why was I whipped?

The knight looked at him, “The reason for those questions is because you misbehaved in the cell. Also because this island is secret, but if you knew about it, we thought you were a bad character.”

Dwenlin nodded, understanding, the knight then motioned for the guards to escort him outside, and then left. Dwenlin followed behind the guards, who did not lead him outside the gates as he would have thought. They lead him into the stables, where a horse was standing waiting for him. The guards got on their horses and Dwenlin on his.

They rode out of the castle grounds and followed the road a ways. The road curved many times, but they followed it none the less, for almost a full hour. Then they found a small village built along the road, which went right through it. The guard stepped off his horse, and Dwenlin did the same.

“This is where we stop, this is a good village, you can live here, or move on if you wish. We will take the horse back to the castle though,” said the guard on the ground, he shook Dwenlin’s hand, then grabbed the horse’s reins, got on his horse, and rode off. The rest of the soldiers followed close behind him.

Dwenlin looked towards the village, noticing the lumber camps farther in the forest. A lumber village would become his new home. He walked towards it, simple, tiny compared to the city he had lived in. The houses made of wood, the roofs of wood, not straw. The village was split into two, one half on each side of the road, no town square, nothing. A few houses on each side, a tavern, and a general store, the town square did not exist, nor the market.

Dwenlin walked close enough for the simple folk to see him, many started out of their houses. The sun was high in the sky; it was noon so even the men were at home eating lunch. Before Dwenlin new it the whole town was out of their houses, watching him come closer to them. He made it to the edge of the village. He stood there as if a cliff was before him, they watched him, and he watched back.

A man drew closer, scruffy beard, brown curly hair. Big build, built as a lumber man, which he was, the man walked straight up to him standing on the edge of the village staring at Dwenlin.

They both stared at each other for some time, till the man put out his hand. Dwenlin took it and shook it, then walked with the man into the village. They said nothing as they walked, the man leading him to his house. They entered, with his wife following.

Dwenlin looked at the house when he entered, simple on the inside, two rooms, one of which a little boy ran out off. Dwen smiled as he saw the boy, who was not shy at all.

“Daddy, who is this man, where did he come from, what’s his name, is he mean, does his mother know he’s here?” said the little boy after he saw Dwen. He continued to look at him as his father did not answer.

Dwenlin kneeled down and spoke to the boy, “My name is Dwenlin, I came from the mainland, I am not mean, and my mother knows I’m here.”

The boy wiped his brow as if he was relieved, “Well that’s good, but why are you here?”

The father than spoke, “Son, why don’t you go into your room for now, I don’t even know the answer to that question, ok?”

“Ok Daddy, I’ll be back soon.”

Dwenlin looked up at the man, “Thank you for taking me in, I’ll explain all this.”

The man looked at Dwenlin, “No problem, names Bandes, this is my wife Mareth. We may know a little bit of your story, you said you were from the main land? Well then, you sailed here, found the theden, got captured, put in jail for some time, and then released with some apologies. Was that accurate?

Dwenlin looked at Bandes with amazement, “Yes almost exact, who are theden?”

“They are the soldiers of this island,” answered Mareth.