Recruiting with a noose around the neck

His eyebrow is performing a very subtle spastic dance. That’s my sign that he is struggling. Confident of my victory I slide my wooden chip to the centre of the round table.

“C’mon dude!” he clamours while stomping his fists on the table.

He doesn't even need to see which number is on my chip, my face already tells him I won. He lets his head fall and shakes it as if this is the end of his life, but I can see the tiny smile on his face.

“Please remind me, why do I still play with you?” he asks lifting his smiling head.

“Because the others always let you, their great prince and mighty king-to-be, win,” I answer while theatrically waving my arms in his direction.

“You’re an asshole.”

“Offending a guardmaster is punishable by law, even for a prince…” I say mockingly while tapping the golden emblems that keep my royal blue cape attached to my brand new uniform.

My white leather uniform with reinforced breastplate is so new that is still squeaks when I walk around.

“I’m an honorary guardmaster too, remember?”

I laugh and stand up.

“You got your daddy’s old costume! Your sword isn’t even sharp enough to cut through the ceremonial ribbons, which is the only thing you use it for!”

“Just go and get us some more beer, mister squeaky!”

As I turn to the bar I hear a heavy low rumble that vibrates through the building and lets the glassware on the shelve behind the bar tinkle and shake dangerously. I turn to my friend but he doesn’t seem to know what is was either. Than something familiar sounds; the guards’ horn. Instantly my mind sobers up and sharpens.

“Where is my sword?!” my friend asks.

“You put in under the table. Never take your sword of! You know that!” I tell him, while quickly reaching for my hilt to make sure mine is still there.

I look at him dive under the table and shake my head.

“You stay here! I’ll go and check it out!” I shout as I run towards the door.

“No! I’m a guard too! Let me just get my sword and I’ll help you!”

I ignore him and quickly exit the pub onto the small, dark, cobblestone street. The only light comes from some of the windows and the almost full moon in the starry night. The street meanders past the closely packed houses all the way down to the harbour. I start running down just as a man in a dark cloak runs around the corner. He doesn’t notice me. He is too focused on the two guards that are still in pursuit of him. I stop, ready to tackle him when he reaches me. That turns out to be a choice I will forever regret. I watch him take a round vial from his belt. Inside it swirls something darkish reds. He throws it at the guards but seems to miss as the vial hits the ground right in front of their feet. But he didn’t miss. As the vial shatters a massive fire erupts from it, roaring and rumbling. It engulfs the screaming guards and the horrible sight freezes me. I don’t know if I should try to save their burning bodies or catch the scumbag that did it. In my hesitation he runs past me. I look at him and catch a glimpse of his face hidden under his hood. It is a familiar face with a tear running down his cheek. Suddenly my feet decide to pursue.

“Wait for me!” my friend shouts as he joins the pursuit.

But I cannot let this guy escape now. He runs fast, knowing that this is a life or dead situation. My determination makes me run fast too. My friend isn’t pushed by fear of determination and lacks behind.

The criminal takes a sharp left into the shadows, hoping that I will miss it. But I don’t and continue following him up a long flight of stairs. These stairs are taking a toll on him. I can see his arms starting to flail, his legs starting to drag. My legs are screaming and hurting too, but I’m trained to go on till the mission is completed.

At the top of the stairs is a large gazebo that looks out over our beautiful city and the mighty palace on the top of the hill next to it. Just as he reaches it I jump on top of him and work him to the ground. My attack seems to give him an energy boost and he manages to push me of of him. In the struggle his hood fell of and as he stands up I look at him with disbelief.

“Lance? It is you?!”

His scared eyes stare at me for a split second before he grabs his dagger and charges me. I jump up and grab his arm before he can stab me. He pushes onto his arm with all his might, tying to force it into my neck. With a quick move I pivot away from the dagger and pull his arm to the ground. He falls, but before I can jump on him, he’s already back on his feet and slashing towards me. I step back with each slash, while quickly reaching for my sword. He notices it and remembers that in his entire life he never won a swordfight from me. So he just looses it and lets out an enraged scream while running towards me with his dagger pointed at my heart. Just in time I can pull my sword up to block his daggers as he runs into me and we both fall to the ground. My head slams on the stones and turns me dizzy and dazed. I push his heavy body of of me and take a second to let some of the worst dizziness fade. Only then I hear his fast-paced gurgled breathing next to me. I turn over and sit down next to Lance. He grabs my arm and looks at me with eyes filled with terror. His other hands tries to remove the dagger that somehow jammed into his throat when I blocked it.

Behind me I hear the slow steps of my friend finally reaching the top of the stairs.

“Stay there!” I shout while looking into Lance’s eyes filling with tears.

But he doesn’t stop. He keeps on walking my way, unaware of what just happened. I try to warn him again but my throat just cramps up and won’t let any words escape.

“Lance? Is that my little brother?” he asks with his voice trembling from disbelief.

He pushes me aside and drops down next to his brother, just as he release a final gurgling breath. His terrified eyes lock into his big brothers eyes just before they fade out.

I crawl away from the two. My friend cries in silence. I don’t know what to do now and wait. I wait for him to finish crying and watch him get up. He walks towards me with his face stiff and his eyes narrowed.

“You killed my brother!” he shouts in a whispering voice.

“I… he… he attacked me and I had to defend myself! It was an accident!”

I get up to face him and he punches me on the nose. I step back and grab my nose.

“You killed my brother!” he whispers again.

Blood starts running out of my nose and onto my hand.

“He attacked me! What was I supposed to do? Let him kill me?!”

The blood runs into my mouth as I speak and I spit it out.

“Yes! You had no right! You are nothing compared to him!”

“He is a criminal and a murderer!”

He tries to punch me again but I block it and push him back. He spits on me.

“I will have you hung for this! You are nothing!”

“Well good luck, no one will prosecute a guardmaster for killing a murderer! Your little brother isn’t above the law. Nor are you!” I shout at him, spitting my blood his way.

Clearly I put too much faith in the system. Reason and law can apparently be overruled by an angry king. Before I knew it I was stripped of both my rank and my clothes. Now I stand here on a wooden stage with nothing more than a loincloth. The square in front of me is filled with both angry and excited people. Luckily I don’t have to endure their scolding and cackling alone. Next to me are two other convicts.

“That rope is itchy on the neck, isn’t it?” the old man next to me says while he tries to scratch his chin on the noose.

I ignore him and look at the king sitting on an elevated platform and staring at me furiously. His wife sits right next to him and has her face buried in her hands. She’s crying, I can tell by the way her shoulders shake. Their son is nowhere to be seen. The bloody coward. He put me here. He omitted that Lance killed at least two of my guards. But he doesn’t have the guts to show his face while they murder me for doing my job and protecting myself.

“What brings you here?” the old man next to me asks.

This time I look at him. He has twinkling brown eyes and a smile on his thin lips, surrounded by a mix of black and grey hair that connects his moustache with a long braided beard.

“Injustice, you?”

“Oh, I’m just shopping.”

The executioner starts reading out our crimes and verdicts with his loud and heavy voice. The crowd falls silent and listens. The old guy ignores him and continues.

“I never skip a good opportunity to find some new employees. One never knows how long the current ones will last. Just the other day I lost my errand boy. He was killed… by you.”

I look at him with distrust. If it is true what he just said than he is not a low-life thief as the executioner just proclaimed. He smiles at me.

“I like shopping at the gallows. Desperate people make for excellent employees. I don’t really need a new errand boy, but I do need a right-hand man. Are you interested?”

The rather fat guy that’s missing half his teeth next to him turns his head.

“I’m interested!”

“Fuck off, you’re a rapist. You don’t posses the skills I need. A guardmaster on the other hand.”

He smiles at me again.

“Are you in?”

The executioner has finished his reading and the crowd starts shouting again. He walks over to me, ready to drop the floor beneath my feet.

“They betrayed you for doing your job. You don’t deserve to die.”

“I would’ve joined you if my hands weren’t tied to my back and there wasn’t a noose around my neck...”

“Your hands are free. Just grab my hand.”

At the same time he says that I feel the rope around my wrists slide of. The executioner notices it too and quickly grabs the lever, while I grab the old man’s hand. I take a last look into the crowd and suddenly I spot him standing hidden amidst the commoners. I take a last look at this once very good friend, before the dark mage and I disappear from the gallows with a loud bang.