The Search for Everyman by Ed Dunlop

Author:Ed Dunlop
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, kingdom, battle, dungeon, allegory, princesses, castles, medieval, quest, princes, terrestria
Publisher: Ed Dunlop

Chapter Nine

Princess Gilda jumped up and down with joy and then hugged the peasant woman. “We have a pardon for your husband!” she exclaimed, dancing about in her delight. “A pardon from His Majesty, King Emmanuel.”

The woman looked up hesitantly at the three young people. “It’s true, good woman,” Selwyn assured her. “King Emmanuel has issued a pardon for your husband. He is now a free man.”

The woman bit the back of her knuckles and began to cry again. “If only it were so.” She dropped her head and her sobs shook her entire body. “Oh, if only it were so!”

Josiah withdrew his book from his doublet and then produced the pardon. He unrolled the document and showed it to the woman. “Here it is, good woman, signed by the King’s own hand and sealed with his royal seal. Your husband is now a free man! He has been pardoned by His Majesty, King Emmanuel. This document makes it official.”

Everyman’s wife raised a trembling hand to her mouth. The look of despair upon her face was slowly replaced by one of hope. “How can this be true?” she asked softly, not quite ready to believe the message that she was hearing from the lips of her three visitors. “Is it really true? Can such a thing be?”

“Aye, it’s true, good woman,” Josiah assured her, holding the precious parchment open for her inspection. “See for yourself! This is the pardon for your husband, and it was issued by King Emmanuel himself.”

The miller’s wife glanced at the parchment, and then back at Josiah’s face. “I cannot read, my lord, but if you say it is true, then it must be true.” A look of elation spread across her face as she stood to her feet. “Let’s go to him right now, shall we?” She clasped her hands in delight. “They won’t hang him! Oh, I can’t wait to see the look upon his face when I tell him that he is a free man!”

Impulsively, she hugged each of them. “Thank you for bringing me this piece of wonderful news,” she told them, with tears of joy streaming down her face. “This is the happiest day of my life!” Dipping her hands in the water at her feet, she washed the tears from her eyes. “Let me fetch my little one and then we’ll be off.”

The miller’s wife ran to the door of a small cottage hidden among the trees, disappeared inside, and then reappeared almost immediately. She was clutching a small, curly-haired child who was sleepily rubbing her eyes with the back of her fists. “This is Matilda,” the happy mother told them. “I woke her up from her nap, but I know that she will be delighted to see her father.”

She looked from one visitor to another. “Are we ready?”

Prince Josiah nodded. “Lead the way, good woman.”

The trek to the Dungeon of Condemnation where Everyman was being held took almost two hours. Josiah, Gilda, and Selwyn took turns carrying Matilda. Everyman’s wife bubbled over with joy.

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