The Red Rider by Billy Wong

Author:Billy Wong [Wong, Billy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

The remaining defenders of the keep fought hard, but were inevitably forced to surrender. After that, Aidan had the particular soldiers responsible for attacking his messenger singled out and herded before him in the keep's dining hall. A trio of older, gray-haired and gray-bearded men, they stood stoically amid their enemies awaiting their fate.

Red wasn't sure what the prince meant to do, but felt bad about what she thought might happen and gave voice to her fears. "Wait, are you going to punish them for your man's death? But they were just following orders, like any soldier must. Shouldn't the person who gave the command be held responsible?"

To her surprise, one of the aging warriors said, "No, Your Highness, don't listen to her! Let us carry the blame."

Aidan looked at Red. "What you say does make sense. It was the boy who these old fools stupidly listened to. Bring him."

Though it might not have been the most prudent decision, Red found it somewhat admirable the soldiers were so loyal to their master's bloodline that they would obey the kid's self-destructive order. She wished one of them had had the resolve to steer him away from his course of action, though. The purple-robed boy she'd seen on the roof was dragged before them by a pair of soldiers with tears running down his cheeks, and though his "pet" had done some damage, she couldn't help feeling a little sorry for him.

"You bastards wanted to take my father's land!" he wailed at her sad look, crying. "What, was I supposed to just let you make me your slave? My father fought hard to keep his property, and died too young from the bad lung an arrow gave him! What gives you the right to declare what was his, yours?"

"I wasn't going to make you my slave," Aidan said softly, and Red sensed genuine remorse in his voice. "I just... wanted to make you part of my family, so that we could help and protect one another in times of need. I wouldn't have taken anything away from you." He glanced over Red, Herbert, and the others. "I think he just misunderstood our intentions, and acted in haste. It's probably best that we forgive him."

"Thank you," Red breathed, though he probably didn't hear her.

The boy blinked. "So you won't kill me?"

Aidan shook his head. "I won't kill you. But this... misunderstanding has already cost a lot of lives, and I don't know how easy it will be to start over. Are you willing to try?"

"I..." He looked around, and seemed to realized he didn't have much of a choice. "I'm willing."

Chaser stepped forward then. "You should not do this, Prince. You already look soft for sparing the old man. Now that you have been defied again, someone should be punished to show you mean business."

"A lot more of their people have died than ours by now," Aidan said. "Isn't that enough punishment for not wanting to lose their freedom, as they thought it?"

He drew his great scimitar and pointed it at the young lord, who blanched.

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