The ragged peasant nocked an arrow to his bowstring and peered around the tree, hoping for a clean shot. Instead, all he saw was the white flash of a cottontail disappearing into the brush and his shoulders sagged in disappointment once again. He was so hungry.

It hadn’t always been this way. Life had been good before the king left, before the enemy soldiers came.

Jake had been standing just inside the castle gates when the soldiers arrived. They galloped their horses up the road and straight through the castle gates unchallenged. As they pulled up to a stop, the horses’ hooves tore into the dirt and Jake squinted and turned his head to keep the swirling dust out of his eyes. The soldiers jumped off their chargers and tromped behind their captain into the keep.

Trembling, Jake followed the enemy as they trod through the main hall and into the hall where King Stephan sat upon his golden throne. The enemy captain stopped in front of the throne, drew his sword and growled, “You will come with us.”

At the door, one of King Stephan’s soldiers drew his sword and slashed one of the enemy soldiers from the back, drawing blood as he sliced through the leather armor.

But the King held up his hand. “No. Don’t stop them. I’ll go.” He  stood, lay down his scepter and crown and descended from the dais upon which his throne stood. The enemy captain spun on his heel and marched out, followed by his soldiers as they hustled the King outside and onto a horse. Then with another cloud of dust, the enemy and the King were gone.

As the pounding of the horses’ hooves faded into the distance, the villagers stared at each other in shock. What would happen to them? What would they do? What could they do?

(For the conclusion, see tomorrow’s post.)

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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