Chapter 2

Being pulled onto the dirt side street the two of them made their way to the center of town. It had to be a town and not a city due to the fact that it was not possible it had even more than 1,000 people living in such a small area. The only types of homes he saw were of wood and even then a single story.

A king of a town?

Jake and the royal guard were soon at the town center were a large crowed of dozens of people had gathered. A well was in the center and looking directly forward from it revealed a small keep on top of the hill. It was clearly quite old with vines covering large portions of it and it was the only building he had seen so far made of stone.

“It does not matter how you feel about the laws but the king has issued his royal seal on it: All those who do not fully pay their taxes will have their children looked over by the king and his family”

“No I will not give my daughter to you!”

An armed guard Jake assumed was another ‘royal guard’ was standing over a man who was hunched over on the ground covering the body of a young girl. The guard clearly seemed tried with sweat rolling down his face. The father back only had shreds of cloth on it left with bloody gashes that were starting to stain the ground.

“I found someone trying to steal from the royal grain storage and by the look of his odd cloths he appears to not be from this village”

“Where did you get that idea? I was only sleeping on the grain when you found me”

The crowed parted to allow the two of them through, with a final push Jake had his back to the well next to the father and daughter. They both gave him strange looks but the fear they had of the guards was still very much present.

“Where are you from and why are you hear trying to steal the kings food?”

Jake tried to get up to speak to them on an even level but a sword was pulled out to make him stay where he was.

“Like I told the other guy..”

“You mean a member of the royal guard”

The man who brought Jake to the town square corrected him.

“The royal guard, I was not stealing I was sleeping on the grain. Why is it that you keep telling lies to get your version of the truth instead of what actually happened?”

“Even an outside can see how cruel they are”

“Another person has been made a victim”

Jake could hear comments like those all throughout the crowed and it proved this level of treatment had been going on for quite some time.

“Also I am pretty sure he can’t be a king, I am thinking at best a Earl from what I have seen on the TV show Vikings and at worst a mayor. It would seem your ‘king’ is maybe trying to make up for something he lacks”

Some amounts of laughter could be heard among the crowed and half a dozen guards now stood in a circle on the outside of the increasing uncontrolled mass of people. That comment did not come without a price as a swift punch to the face greeted Jake.

I think this life is actually worse than the last one and I died in the last one

He had to come up with something fast of the guards would take back control even with their far less numbers. The answer to this problem came like the punch to his face. It remind him of the voice before the came to this world about the reasoning skills.

“I am pretty impressed with you royal guard’s members you’re doing something that is hard to even believe”

All of the crowd’s eyes and most of the guards were now looking at him. The tension had reached its peak and now it was time to push it over in the right direction.

“What are so impressed about, did you finally see the difference between us and you?”

The two royal guards chuckled with their prides swelling from a seemly defeat of Jake's will which he had sure would not last.

With blood coming out of his nose Jake used one of his to brace and pull himself to a standing position.

“Well after all by the looks of things this group of ‘worthless people’ is mostly made up of adults of children you have taken from them is my guess. Looking around again there has to be over 100 now and yet with only 8 guards, one of which has to be holding a key to the keep where there children are held, are keeping things under control”

The crowed started to stir, then yelling from the back of crowed as more and more people joined in. in less than a minute the whole crowed seemed to be in unrest so the guards around pulled out there swords causing only a damper before the people grew more angry and bold as a response.

“The only people who are standing between you and your children of the men with the weapons. You overcome them and you will be reunited once again!”

Jake yelled and the people responded. The eight guards were almost instantly pulled to the ground and there weapons taken from them. The two royal guards who were next to Orion and the father and daughter did not even try to fight and instead run but since the crowed had grown to encircle the entire center of the village they were captured also.

“Tie them up hidden from the eyes of the keep quickly and take their armor also, I will explain when you are done”

Cheers could be heard as the guards were rounded up and back in groups of two with their backs to each other on the edge of the village. Stripped down they were guard by over a dozen town people. The townspeople easily followed through with Jakes request.

“I need 10 men to put on their weapons and armor so that we can fool the king and the rest of the guards until morning so we can much time as possible. There might be a way to do this while also saving your children”