Showtime

The door to the inn’s storage room, which had been serving as a makeshift prison cell, openned. The former misfit boys looked at the person entering their cell. Was it already time for a meal? No, they had just eaten not too long ago. The three of them had been sitting in silence up until now, something that they had gotten used to over the past few days. The first days of their incarceration, they had all the time in the world to talk with each other. They discussed, chattered, and bickered, trying to come to terms with the situation they were now stuck in. What kind of punishment awaited them? Was there any chance for escape?

Barnabas and Thomlin were terrified of what was in fate for them, but Ricard made sure to calm them down. He was still their leader after all. Even when they began to notice changes in their bodies due to Coltia’s spell, Ricard was able to keep control of the situation. There wasn’t much to be done honestly, but Ricard knew that his cellmates panicking would just be an annoyance. Eventually, every question was asked, every discussion concluded, and there simply wasn’t anything else to talk about between the three of them.

The misfits looked at the opening door, and saw Earnest, the knight from the capital, standing there with Rosalind and Coltia behind him. Earnest took a step in and addressed the room with a loud voice.

“Ricard, Thomlin, Barnabas, you three criminals will be delivered to an incoming group of knights and church officials to be put on trial. Prepare to cooperate, or else your punishment may be more severe.”

Earnest’s voice was loud and projected, a little too loud for the small room, but Ricard took it as an intimidation tactic. Earnest stepped back after finishing his statement, and Rosalind took his place in the doorway. With a stern look on her face, she began to address the former misfit boys.

“You little shits are gonna pay for what you did to me.”

Her words were coated with a venomous hatred.

“I just wanted to be friendly with everyone in the village, but you disgusting little degenerates used forbidden magic… You’ll pay for everything that you did. I hope it was worth it for you.”

Roslaind turned to leave, taking a step out of the cell, before Ricard shouted out.

“Wait!”

Rosalind froze in place with her back turned to the misfits. Did Ricard notice something? Did he- she know about their deception? Rosalind didn’t move from her spot, nor respond to Ricard. To Ricard, the fact that Rosalind paused in place was a sign that she was listening. Rosalind could have easily ignored her and continued her exit, slamming the door behind her and never seeing them again, but she didn’t. Ricard spoke up again.

“Wait! …It was me. All of it. Everything Barnabas an’ Thomlin did, I told ’em to do it okay? Tell that to whoever comes for us okay? It was just me, my plan, my fault, my sin. Please tell ’em… You know as much as me that Thomlin and Barnabas just do what I tell ’em to, they didn’t do nothin’ wrong on their own. If we’re gettin’ punished and all that… just make sure… y’know…”

Rosalind was both relieved that she hadn’t been found out and surprised by what Ricard ended up saying. She didn’t expect Ricard to pour her heart out like that. It was almost touching that she was trying to save her friends. Rosalind stood in the doorway as she decided how to respond. She could tell Ricard to go to hell, there was a part of her that really wanted to. But there was also a part of her that wasn’t so hateful, so vengeful. Ricard anxiously waited for a response from Rosalind, and it eventually came.

“...I’ll let them know.”

Rosalind shut the door behind her, hoping that she did the right thing. She looked at Earnest, who looked back with a somewhat concerned look on his face. Rosalind looked at Coltia, who had an eyebrow raised with an inquisitive look about her. Neither of them said anything, they just followed Rosalind back to Earnest’s room.

Rosalind was a little… taken aback by Ricard’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the other misfits. Earnest asked if she was really going to do what Ricard asked. Rosalind took a second to respond.

“Well, Ricard isn’t wrong. It is more his- uh, her fault than the other two. I was just a little surprised is all.”

And with that, the group moved on to the next topic. Sure they had managed to fool the misfits with their acting, but the news of the knights and church officials was no deception, they would be arriving tomorrow at earliest, perhaps the day after at the latest. The group reviewed their plan, perhaps more anxious about tomorrow than the misfits were.

…

The following day, right as the sun was setting and hopes were rising that the knights and church would be arriving later rather than sooner, they arrived at the Knottori inn. The knights had sent four members, while the church sent two of their own. Most of them seemed pretty worn out from their travels, except for the second church member. It was the holy mother from the Lindow church.

The four knights claimed a table, and the two church members another. They ordered food and started to unwind, surrounded by the villagers who were chattering about the new arrivals. Rosalind and Earnest went up to the knights’ table and introduced themselves.

“Hello. I am Rosalind Shields, knight of the 26th squad.”

“Hello there. I’m Earnest Pierce, knight of the 7th squad.”

Of the four seated knights, the leader of the group responded to their introductions. He looked older than the other men, with some permanent creases folded into his face, bordered by a beard that was mixed with touches of gray. He spoke with an authoritative tone, but it was one that came from experience rather than arrogance.

“Greetings. I am Garin Tyon, knight of the 17th squad, leader of these fine men.”

He gestured to his men, who introduced themselves in turn. Andrion Sanses, a knight of seven years, who seemed to have a friendly demeanor about him. Roland Moss and Wayne Ferant, two newer knights who had only been knights for just over a year. They were all members of the 17th squad.

They were certainly not the best of the best that the knights had to offer, but then again the problem that was described in Earnest’s letter wasn’t the most alarming. Sure it was dark, forbidden magic, but it was still limited in its scope of damage. It wasn’t some ritual to raise the dead and create a ghoulish army. The knights only had so many resources and so many people to send around, and Knottori was quite small and remote. However, this was not necessarily a detriment at this point. In fact, the best that the knights had to offer might be a little too sharp and perceptive, and notice something off about the knights that greeted them. However, none of the four men in front of Rosalind and Earnest showed any signs of suspicion so far.

After the introductions were over, Rosalind got back to the reason that the knights were deployed here in the first place.

“I’ll tell you in more detail after you all have rested, but just know that the threat has been taken care of. We’ve captured the criminals and have them locked in a temporary holding cell.”

Garin breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well then, that certainly makes our jobs easier. Let’s talk tomorrow, after a good night’s rest.”

With that, Rosalind and Earnest took their cue to leave the table, somewhat surprised that their impersonation had started off so well. It would be put to the test again tomorrow, but passing today’s test was a good start. Rosalind moved to the next table, where the two church members were seated, and Earnest followed. Rosalind and Earnest stood next to the table and were about to introduce themselves, but they saw the holy mother gesturing to a couple of open seats with her hand. Rosalind and Earnest didn’t want to be rude, so they joined the table.