Chapter 26: Through the Heart
They entered the dining area, finding the table filled with customers eating their meals. Many of whom were enjoying the meal while others talked among themselves. The same woman who gave them their room came over to take their order. "Two orders of beef stew and one bowl of mutton soup, please." "Coming right up." She replied before heading back to the kitchen. While waiting, Gallen took the opportunity to ask questions. "What exactly are beef and mutton?" "Beef comes from cattle, which are raised on farms. Mutton comes from sheep, which are also farmed. In fact, most livestock are raised on farmlands." happy to have learned something new, he attempted to ask Zac more about the world and its meat, but sadly, Zac didn't have all the answers.
When the waitress returned with the food, she set two bowls on the table. She placed two plates next to the bowls. On the plate were vegetables cut into various sizes, and in the bowl was beef and mutton stew. Then she places a wooden spoon and fork beside each dish. Next, she sets a piece of bread and a butter knife beside the bread. Lastly, she takes a bottle of ale and pours both
glasses full. "Enjoy!" she tells them with a warm smile. "Thank you!" they reply. Eating the first bite of the stew, they savor every flavor, chewing slowly, trying to enjoy each taste. They enjoyed it like it was their first time eating anything ever. Soon after finishing their meals, they ordered another round of drinks.
While sipping on their ale, they talk amongst themselves about the plan to take revenge. Although it was challenging to decide on a strategy, they agreed that it was necessary to think of something good or that their plan would inevitably fail.
*Crash*
The sound of plates breaking on the floor and a man yelling at the top of his lungs made the diner go quiet with all attention on them. When startled at the sudden loud noise, Zac and Gallen also draw their attention toward the guy making a fuss. Squinting their eyes with closer inspection, Zac and Gallen recognize the man yelling, which was the guard giving them trouble at the gate. Noticing everyone's silence, the guard with flushed cheeks from getting drunk pulls out his sword. "What are ya-*burrrrrrp* ya'll looking at?" Everyone turns away and returns to their conversations in fear of his outrageous attitude. Sheathing his sword, he goes back to drinking and harassing the waitress. After hearing him make an ass of himself again, Zac and Gallen exchange looks. While everyone else decided to ignore him, Zac and Gallen kept eyeing him from across the room, contemplating whether they should do anything about the prick or not.
When deciding to ignore him, they went back to chatting amongst themselves like everyone else. It wasn't even three minutes before they heard her being harassed again. Even with the loud voices covering the room, the voice of the young lady saying, "please stop touching me," reached their ears. Looking back at him, he kept grabbing her wait and butt, demanding that she serve him in another way other than just food. "Stop being such a bitch and sit your ass down! Do you know who I am?" When thinking about her customers and that this guy won't stop harassing her, she decided to stop resisting so as not to bother anyone else. Sitting on his lap, he grabbed her breast and touched her all over, and it was only when he was distracted that the sound of shoes stomping on the wood floor came close behind the guard.
With the waitress's hands on his chest, trying to shove him away, her gaze looked behind the guard, who happened to be Zac. Gallen sat behind, eating and drinking. With a glance at the waitress, Zac smiled and winked at her. Putting his hand on the guard's shoulder to get his attention, the guard looked behind him, not knowing what came next. When his face looked behind him, without warning, Zac punched the guard straight in the face, knocking his head to the table, where the waitress immediately got up to avoid the situation.
Everyone's attention once again averted to the fight that was breaking out. Some giggled, some whispered to each other, and some sat in silence. But no one was ready to help the guard or Zac. It was only a fight between the two; the guard, with a grunt of pain, got up from his chair, ready to fight back. Zac, however, was already standing, holding his fist out. He had been waiting for this moment since the guard grabbed the waitress. "Hey, I know you!" the guard mentioned. Going for his sword, not giving time for the guard to take his sword, Zac kept punching and punching until he was black and blue. After the third punch, the guard no longer attempted to get his sword out and instead decided to punch back. "You bastard!" he lunged at Zac.
"He's slow," Zac thought to himself. Before his fist reached Zac, Zac immediately dodged and swung back with a final punch, knocking the drunk bastard out. All eyes were on Zac now, and he couldn't care less. His fists were still clenched, ready to hit someone else if needed.
Zac noticed that Gallen was watching him with a smirk, and Zac smiled back. Turning towards the frightened waitress, "are you alright?" Zac asked, inspecting for any injuries on her. While Zac tries to ensure the waitress is okay behind him, the guard silently pulls out his sword, playing unconscious. As he gets up, ready to stab Zac in the back, the waitress yells, "BEHIND YOU!" she screams. Dodging the stab, Zac trips him, which causes him to drop his sword. Not taking any more chances of him continuing the fight, Zac picks up the sword while the guard tries to back away on the floor; he stops when he hits a table behind him. Everyone freaked out about what would happen next, "Wait, no, don't do it!" the waitress said. But he doesn't stop, and the guard pleads for his life before Zac stabs the sword into his chest.
With little emotion, it slowly digs into the guard's chest until it reaches his heart, and his last breath ends. Everyone was shocked at the scene before them. It was no longer an incredible scene with a boy sticking up for a girl; it was murder. Zac stood there watching the guy die, pulled the sword out, and threw it on the ground. He turned back to the waitress, giving her a look of accomplishment. But to the girl, he was as twisted as the guard, and she ran away from the scene.
Zac returned to his table with everyone leaving in fear, and it was just the two of them. Galen was still eating while the situation unfolded; it was no time to stay. "Get up, Galen, we're leaving!" Zac hurried Galen while he complained about wanting to eat and drink more. But Zac wanted to leave before any more soldiers or guards came back with the intent to kill. "Can't we just kill them all if they bother us?" "No! You don't just kill people for no reason." Zac exclaimed. "But you just did it to that guy!" Galen pointed to the body. "He deserved it, but the rest are just doing their jobs. Now, hurry and get up before they come!" Galen grabbed whatever he could off of the plates from the tables that the customers left behind. Mostly meat and a cup of ale. Then they ran off with nowhere to go; they needed to get out of that town before anything happened.
When they leave the Inn, the waitress pops out, holding onto Zac. Not to capture him, but with fear-stricken eyes, she gives him directions to the nearest town. "There's a town called Gulliver, and it's two miles south of here." "I thought you hated me?" Zac confusingly asked. "I was terrified, yes, but you still helped me. It's the least I can do. Now get going before they get you!" She pushes Zac to run while guards from behind yell for their halt. They didn't look behind while they were chased and kept on running. "The gate is closing!" Zac points out. They reach their top speed right when the gate is only a foot from the ground, and both slide under the small space, evidently making it out. With the guards trapped behind, they don't stop running until they've gone far.
"That was close," Galen says with joy as he has fun. "Well, there's no going back now. I guess we should head to the town that the nice lady pointed out." Zac said as they walked south. Zac looked back when they were nearly a mile from the town, wishing he had gotten the waitress's name. They don't stop walking until they reach the outskirts of Gulliver.
Zac and Galen found themselves in front of the gates of Gulliver, a small village. There was a sign that read, "Welcome to Gulliver." A man wearing a white shirt, brown pants, and a hat too big for his head welcomed them. "Hello, welcome to Gulliver. What brings you two here?" The man asks. "We're looking for a place to stay." "Oh, well, we have plenty of inns to choose from. Please, right this way." With no guards and only a welcoming old man. Zac sighs in relief at not having to pay or struggle just to get into the town.
Entering the town, it's smaller than Tranmere. "What brings you folks here?" The man asked. This a question they prepared themselves for any time they traveled anywhere new and thought of a good way to introduce themselves. "We're travelers," Zac responded. "Travelers, huh? I remember back in my younger years, I used to travel through rocky mountains and camped out with bugs that feasted on me." The man chuckled.
"Well, anyway, we've reached our destination." It only took a few minutes to find an Inn. "That was fast. Thank you so much, sir." Zac said. "It's no problem; now, you folks get some rest." With that, they entered the inn and were greeted just as kindly as the previous Inn worker, got a room, and fell asleep.
~[Two Days Before The King's Order]
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