The Duke's Reason
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 63642
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Zular looked up, blankly. "How did you know that I was sending the
princess away?"
"Roderick told me everything." Fred said darkly. "Roderick…" Zular sighed and shook his head. "It appears your knight's companionship is more important than an oath." He got up and paced around the room. "I remember now you've been gone for a month. Do you have any idea what has happened since your departure? "Her majesty stepped on a nail?"Zular didn't smile. "We're at War." Fred looked up. "War?"Zular continued. "You remember the negotiations with Palaris?" "It's hard to forget." For weeks, the tribes of the Rawshicks had been ravaging the fields of Allaria, screaming to take bad "what was rightfully theirs". "One-hundred and twenty years and they still haven't forgotten when we dethroned them." He felt little sympathy on them. The king was mad-Some say he ate the bodies of the peoples that fled and surrendered, earning him the name "The kin-eater." Fred's great-grandfather had been involved in the siege against them in this very city. It took all forces of Allaria, Ryngaered, and Terrisole to destroy the menace. "They should be thankful we continued to allow them to breed."The duke continued. "Only days after you'd left, an army of them, hundreds, maybe thousands of them, rioted through the city with torches and knives. They slaughtered every man, woman, or child they came across, well, except for a few women they stole for themselves. It the cost of hundreds of our knight's lives, they were forced back. But they didn't stop there. They marched from village to village, raiding our fields and villages, and then leaving them in flames. By the time word of this got out, the damage had already been done, and they had disappeared. Now, the people walk hungry, trying to gather whatever food they can. I fear for how long this is going to last; Allaria can only hold so many rats. Fred said nothing. Now that Zular had mentioned it, the city was unshaken when he'd arrived. The people's eyes were full fear, anger, and hate. They'd shivered when they glanced at his sword. Fred could even recall hearing a low rumbling as he'd made his way through. Again, he was surprised by how little this had affected him. "Is my heart made of stone?" Zular finished. "So you see, I have to send her away, for her own protection. She's the last in her family line.""Have you sent for help? Send a raven to Ryngaerd, Seevenguard, and Solmbrichic. Surely they can't all be suffering." Fred said.
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