“she’s gone!,but fortunately for us,she’s pregnant,which means she must not have gone far.

Unit one!,go after the girl,bring her back alive. Unit two and three,come with me!,do you understand!?”“yes sir!” the knights answered in unison.

Richard was thus taken to the palace as ordered the king.

*“Traitors!,I detest them with every drop of blood flowing through my veins,and you know that Richard but you still chose to defy me,after all I have done for you!!” the king roared,

“how about what I have done for you my lord,I stood by you since we were still kids,I fought for you when you rose as king,I did all the dirty jobs for you,I slew anyone that dared defy the royal family as a whole,but because of how ungrateful and selfish you are, you forbade me from seeing the woman I love!!!

” Richard roared furiously at the king. “How dare you speak those words to the king?” some angry knight exclaimed as he pulled out his sword to slay Richard.

“Stop!” the king commanded,and the knight immediately ceased his attack.“Richard, of all the women in this kingdom Xandor,you saw no one to wife but the daughters of the moon?,

we both know from time immemorial the punishment given to whosoever sleeps with the Daughters of the moon!. those ladies are meant to serve in the temple for the rest of their lives doing the bidding of the gods.

A shameful death is the only punishment for anyone who defies this commandment.

Why have you put me in such a situation Richard!!?” the king roared furiously.Richard smirked,and gave a contemptuous gaze at the king,“shameful death you say?,how many times have you bent the rules and the so-called commandments you pretend to respect to your own favour.

Now spare me the lecture and do what you do best!” Richard exclaimed.

“Do not arouse my anger Richard!,I am trying to be as easy as possible but there you are spewing nonsense blended with arrogance to show off your pride and conceal your fear of death.

Drop the pride and beg for mercy old friend,and I will generously grant you a peaceful death and an honourable funeral,and I’d clear your name of treachery and protect the Image of your unborn child!” the king exclaimed.

“Ethan,you disgust me,you should have known the kind of soldier I am by now,I swore on the the grave of my ancestors to die a death of dignity,to die in battle,to wet my sword with blood before I drop to my knees. If you had ever in your life valued our friendship or had the slightest bit of love for me,then grant me this final wish. I challenge you to a duel,let me die by your sword rather than dying by the swords of the knights I trained!”

Richard concluded.“very well old friend,I accept your challenge. We shall fight at sunrise tomorrow, but Richard, you still have till midnight to change your mind and beg for mercy,I hope you understand the outcome of any decision you make today on your unborn child” the king concluded as he walked out of the court.

Richard was taken to the dungeon and locked up as he awaits his death. All that flooded his mind was Rachael,Is she ok?,was she able to escape?,is his baby safe?. all these thoughts ran through his mind forcing the ocean of tears he had struggled to hold back to overflow it’s banks.

*“please don’t hurt me” Rachael as some armed man in the woods grabbed her arms. “shhh shhh!!,it’s alright,you’re safe now. I’m not the bad guy

.I believe Richard had told you about me. I am Geofferey, but you can call me Geo for short” Geo concluded with a warm smile. “Just tell me Richard is gonna be safe, I can’t bear loosing him” Rachael said with a sob. Geo took her hands in his,stared at her and said,”I have known and worked with Richard for quite some time now,and what I admire so much about him is his strong will and strength.

I believe he’s gonna make it,meanwhile lets get out of here before the knights find us”.“No need!,we’ve found you already” a knight exclaimed.

Geo and Rachael finally surrounded by knights on horses.“poor LovePeddler,you thought you could escape from us with that abomination you carry in your womb!!?” the knight exclaimed.

“ Do not call me a LovePeddler!, I am a Daughter of the Moon!!” Rachael snarled. “you ‘were’!, but not anymore,since you chose to disobey the gods!. Take her and kill the fool beside her!!” the Knight exclaimed.

Geo whispered to Rachael,”I‘m gonna buy you some time, Run as fast as you can when you get a chance,do you understand?”,Rachael nodded.

When the knights had come closer to take Rachael, Geo unsheathed his sword and slew two of the knights.

The angry knights charged with rage towards Geo and in no time a violent fight ensued.Rachael used this opportunity to flee,she ran as fast as she could,but not as fast as she wants to.

She was hungry,exhausted and gasping for air. It was beginning to get dark,yet no sign of Geo. She was so scared of the woods and the scary stories people tell about ghosts and hungry beasts which in a split of a second would render their prey lifeless.

In the midst of her thoughts she heard the sounds of horses and sighted the riders with torches approaching her. “ oh no, my baby they have found us again” Rachael whispered to herself with tears running down her cheeks.

With panic,she struggled to put up a few more steps even when she knew she couldn’t outrun the riders.

Finally, She was surrounded again.“woman,there is no escape for you and your cursed child!” a knight exclaimed.Rachael was hopeless and helpless now,she was weeping bitterly.

“I beg you in the name of the gods to spare my life and my baby,I’m just a woman who wants to be a mother,I know I’ve sinned but remember no one is a saint,please let me go and I swear I would never step a foot in Xandor again. Just give me a chance to deliver and see my baby” Rachael sobbed. “and why do you think I’d do that?, you think you can change my mind with those stupid words?.

listen LovePeddler, you should be thankful that my orders were to take you back alive,I would have gladly ripped your belly open,take out that cursed thing in your womb,behead it and give it to the dogs!!” the knight snarled,and all the other knights laughed so hard.

While they were still laughing, “Arrgghh!!” one of the knight screamed and fell down dead from his horse,this put the other knights in panic. “hold your positions comrades,don’t panic!,” the leader of the knights exclaimed.“Arrgghh!!” another knight fell dead,and suddenly a rain of arrows from no where slew all the knights leaving alone Rachael who was standing in shock.

“It’s alright you’re safe now” a voice from behind her said. Behold,it was a group of hunters. “my name is Sebastian and I’m the leader of the hunters around here.

So whats your name and why were these men following you?” Sebastian asked.Rachael just stood mute and kept staring at him until suddenly she lost consciousness,Sebastian grabbed her quickly before she fell.

“lord Sebastian,we can’t take her with us,we don’t even know who she is?” one of the hunters complained,

“At least we have done something for her by saving her life from these men,she is on her own now” another hunter added. “yes I agree, moreover,these Riders we’ve killed are the king’s knights,which means this woman must have committed a serious crime,what do you think would happen to us,our village and families if king Ethan finds out we killed his knights and saved this woman.

Please reconsider,we all know how vicious and unmerciful king Ethan can be” another hunter added. “We all agree” the other hunters supported.

“I understand your fears comrades,but it’s too late to back down now. What have we then achieved by killing these riders and in the end leave this woman in the woods to be killed and eaten by beasts.

This is a helpless pregnant woman who needs our help,this could one day be our wives or daughters in such a situation.

Lets help this woman in good faith and find a way to bury these bodies and clear all tracks that may implicate us. Anyone here who still thinks we should leave this helpless woman here should put up his hand and I promise to do so” lord Sebastian concluded.

The hunters stood mute for sometime staring at each other. “we agree with you lord Sebastian,we shall go with her” the hunters responded.

Lord Sebastian with a smile embraced all his comrades whispering “Thank you!,Thank you!!”.The hunters cleared there tracks,buried the dead knights and headed back to their village with Rachael.

CHAPTER TWO
Your majesty,as the speaker of the house,I stand on behalf of the council based on our conclusion in the recently held meeting which took place yesterday in the prime minister’s house to oppose your decision to duel with a traitor whom is supposed to be put to death by no other way but Burning!!.

from generation to generation,this has been the only accepted death sentence offered to anyone who sleeps with a Daughter of the Moon.

Therefore we hereby beseech you to cancel the due land offer the right punishment to the traitor. Thank you your majesty” the speaker of the council of the king rounded up his speech during a meeting in the palace to decide Richard’s fate.

“how dare you teach me how to rule!!”the king snarled.

“your majesty,we apologize if we have offended you with our words and we are not here to teach you how to rule. We are here to ensure that the commandments set by our forefathers are respected and followed.

This is our humble request your majesty” one of the council members added.“Richard has been a great warrior and defender of Xandor,we all know and recognize that.

Yes,he has failed us all by defying the gods,but before we dwell on one mistake he has made lets revisit the thousands of goods he has done!!” the king exclaimed.“your majesty,we can never forget the numerous goods Richard has done for this kingdom.

We would have been on our knees pleading for his life if his offense was to man, but your majesty,his crimes are to the gods,and who are we to rewrite the commandments of the gods?”another council member added.

King Ethan was speechless,his heart ached so much to be the very man to end his friend’s life. “I’m the king of Xandor,I’m meant to keep my words.

What will the people say about me if I decide to cancel the duel I had accepted earlier?.

they would think of me as a weakling,a coward who cannot defeat a common traitor and worst of all,a liar who doesn’t keep to his words.I can’t bend so low all in the name of pleasing you and loose the loyalty of my people.

This conversation is over,I’ve made my decision!!” the king exclaimed as he made his way down his throne. He had hardly reached the exit when he was halted by the words of one of the council members, “your Majesty,this tradition has been followed for centuries even before we were all born,so I see no reason why in one night you would stand to defy it.

Your majesty,I’m sorry to say this,but we the council members of Xandor would not sit and do nothing when you plan on defying the gods!!”. With rage the king charged towards the bold council member,but that boldness melted to fear at the sight of the king’s unsheathed sword and the burning fury in his eyes.

The entire council members were blood curdled and immediately dropped to their knees to plead for mercy. “How dare you threaten me!?” king Ethan exclaimed as he swung his sword to behead the council member who threatened him,but suddenly stopped at the sound of the priestess’ voice,”Your Majesty!!”.

She had come at the right time to stop the slaughter. “What do you want priestess!?” King Ethan exclaimed. “your majesty,I wish to have a word with you meanwhile I beg you in the name of the gods to spare his life” the priestess begged.

King Ethan couldn’t refuse the request of the high priestess of Xandor,but he still wouldn’t let the council member go unpunished. “take this numb skull to the dungeon and lock him up!!’ king Ethan snarled and the guards at once took him away.

“What do you have to say priestess?” the king asked.“Your majesty,I kindly request to speak to you alone” the priestess replied with her head slightly bowed.

“Very well priestess. You’re free to go now” the king said to the council members who were still on their knees,and in a hurry they exited the palace.

“your majesty,I have served you for along time now and i know how much you respect your words and keep to them which makes you the kind of king Xandor cannot survive without.

I know how much pain you feel in your heart at the thought of putting an old and loyal friend to death,I feel as much pain as you do for loosing a disciple of mine,a dedicated daughter of the moon to the world of sin, but Your Majesty,we cannot defy the commandment of the gods just to save or grant our friends merciful deaths.

Your people would be proud of you if you uphold the commandments of the gods. We all love and respect Richard but it’s time we let him go and rest no matter how painful it may be.

Therefore I beseech you my lord to reconsider your decision and do the right thing.” the priestess concluded.

Tears trickled down the kings eyes as he heard the words of the priestess. He sighed and said with a heavy heart, “thanks a lot priestess for your wise words of advice,with a heavy heart I make this decree, let it be known to every soul in Xandor that the Traitor dies by fire at sunrise tomorrow and 5000 pieces of gold would be rewarded to whosoever brings me the head of the cursed Daughter of the moon who has fled the city” the king concluded with teary eyes,and quickly exited the palace. “consider it done your majesty” the priestess said in a whisper as she also made her exit.To Be Continued.

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