Jason hauled Frodo's killer back to Abraham, who was watching over the dying dog. Jason dropped the sack of grain he was carrying on the ground unceremoniously. "How is Frodo?" He asked anxiously.
"The bleeding has stopped, but he is barely breathing." Abraham responded.
Jason stepped over to Frodo and picked him up once again, "You get the pig."
Ab sighed, "Why do I have to do the dirty work all the time?"
Jason started jogging back to the awaiting army, each friend carried a body. Piglike or not, they were both heavy, and by the time they arrived back at camp, it was nightfall. After placing Frodo with a nurse, they clapped the assassin in irons and gathered up some food and drink to question the prisoner. Gathering around, Commander Eric, Baron Hilldeg, Abraham, and Jason sat on camp stools in a semi-circle around the prisoner.
Jason got up and walked toward the man, thinking all the while of his dear canine suffering two tents over. Anger coursed through him, "What's your name??" He yelled.
The man flinched but gave no answer. Jason lost control and launched himself on the man. The man who could possibly be the key to defeating the Emperor, and the man who had injured Frodo. Fists flew, chains rattled and strained, people jumped in to intervene. Jason was finally restrained by Abraham and Commander March, who pulled him outside into the cool night air and deposited him on his rear end.
"What were you thinking, Jason? You can't attack him like that? It won't-" Eric was cut short.
"My name is Kilhelm Roiters!" A deep voice shouted from the tent.
Jason looked up at March, who looked back and grimaced. "You're going to go back to your tent. We don't need you right now. We'll tell you what we learned."
* * *
An hour later, the three men spilled into the lamplight of Jason's tent, who was sitting on a stool next to the lamp with his head in his hands. The most hopeless demeanor permeated throughout the room, a feeling that Abraham had not thought Jason could be the source of.
"Master Sterling, what's wrong?' Baron Hilldeg inquired of him.
Jason looked up, tears stained cheeks, "Frodo didn't make it." Ignoring the sympathetic groans and pats, he continued, "What'd you learn?"
Abraham looked up, and his sadness was forgotten in his excitement of what they got from Kilhelm, "Jason! We know the secret to defeating the Emperor!"
* * *
The company of three hundred men climbed down from their horses at the top of the rise. Early morning daylight filtered through the mist, as they descended quietly into the ravine that had too steep of sides for the horses. Jason, Abraham, Commander March, and the barons led the group of chosen men into the ravine and down into the little village that held the Emperor and his chosen group of champions.
At the outskirts of the town, they divided into companies of three and took different ways to the largest house that held the Emperor. Jason and Abraham led one of the companies up one alleyway that peeled to the right and straightened out to the middle of the town. Jason nodded at the men behind them and they picked their pace up to a trot, but before they got one hundred yards alarm bells went off.
Jason grimaced, "No need for secrecy now, men. Onward! Quickly!" The men laughed grimly and started to sprint. The company wound their way through the streets, cutting down soldiers who were rushing out of the houses they were quartered in, half naked. Arriving at the square, Jason swiveled his head from side to side waiting to see if the two other companies would show up as planned, but no one stirred.. Except for the fifty pirates that poured out of the Emperor's house and the surrounding houses.
"Jason! Quick! The men and I will deal with them, the Emperor is yours." Ab said.
Jason nodded and dodged oncoming soldiers. Jason sprinted the last twenty yards unhindered and wrenched open the big oak door. "Achilles! Get your tail end down here!" Jason shouted as he crossed the threshold. Before he could examine the room, the sallow-faced Emperor through himself out from behind a curtain.
Snarling, he said, "How dare you use my name!" Without further ado, he launched himself at Sterling. This the battle commenced, one of the greatest duels at a time. The swords flashed, slashes were exchanged, blood was drawn, mostly Jason's. The Emperor seemed to have a charmed body, nothing harmed him. The only thing that gave Jason hope was that he knew the secret to defeating his opponent, and that steeled him even more. Grinning through the pain and wounds, he looked the Emperor in the eye and said, "I know something that you do not know." With that, he feinted to the right side, and twirled to the left while carving the air with his sword. It bit into the skin and bone that connected the leg with the foot.
Letting out an earsplitting howl, the Emperor stumbled and turned, swinging wildly. Jason ducked and brought the sword back up and buried it to the hilt below the collarbone. Gasping for air, he clawed for Jason face and then he stumbled for the last time in his life and fell to the floor. Jason jumped out of the way and watched as the prophecy came true. The Emperor was dead, and he had saved the people of Alepp.
The End
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