Tale Of A Knight 23 Volume 2: Chapter 13: The Seer

The reason why she is caged? It was due to the fact that she possessed a rare gift-the ability to Foresee the Unknown. It was an ability that manifested in her eyes, the ability to see the Deities even when they are hiding their true forms, see glimpses of people's futures, hear the voices of the Deities, and finally to foresee Death of an individual.

She did not have complete control of her powers, they manifested in her since the young age, but they would rarely activate consciously.

Her captors were called a group called Salvation Bringers. The group obsessed with the idea of bringing Supremacy to humankind by any means.

She was their captive since she was six years of age. She could hardly remember her parents; they were killed by monsters. Afterwards, the Salvation Bringers took her after noticing her abilities. They put her inside of a locked wooden cage, chained by her legs, not letting her even walk, trapped inside for all eyes to see, unable to do anything to reverse her fate.

The visitors would come to her, demanding to be told of their fortunes, and when she couldn't she would be denied food and water. That was why she resorted to telling false fortunes, in order to not starve to death. Because of this, the cult of Salvation Bringers had many new converts, who referred to her as the Priestess of the Cult. Most of them were individuals who lost track of who they were and had to resort to the mad preaching offered to them.

It has been such a long time since she has seen the sunlight, the stars, the moon, she dreamt of the day when the cage would break open and she would be able to see the world beyond the cage.

One night, when all of the cult followers have left the building and she was about to fall asleep inside the cage, a loud sound transmitted itself across the room.

A Crash!

She immediately woke up and found that there was a gigantic hole in the roof and underneath the hole was a young man, sitting on his b.u.t.t, clutching his head in pain. His looks were rather ordinary, yellowish skin, brown hair, black eyes; he wore a light set of clothing consisting of pants, shoes and a robe. His right was completely covered in long glove while his left hand was still exposed.

When he looked up and saw the occupant of the cage, he asked.

"Who the heck are you?"

"I should be asking you that! Who are you? What are you doing here?"

He looked around the room and then focused his attention on the girl in front of him.

"Well, my name is Bakit. As for why I am here….well, I was training."

"Training? What kind of training involves crashing down through the roof?"

"Well, the roof just gave out under my feet; I thought it could hold my weight while I was jumping across the roofs…"

"You were jumping across the roof?"

"Yeah, my teacher told me to broaden my perspective and try to see everything from a wider angle, so I thought why not climb on top of the roof and jump across them? I mean you pretty much get the bird's eye view by doing that. But alas, the rooftops were not st.u.r.dy enough to fulfill that ambition of mine."

The girl stared at Bakit, thinking 'What a weirdo! Is he insane? Who in his sane mind would do something so dangerous?'

"By the way, why the heck are you inside that cage?"

She was surprised by his question, none, in her almost ten years of occupying her cage ever asked that of her. She had resigned to her fate of spending eternity trapped in there. But now, there was someone who found it unusual.

"I am the Priestess of the Cult, it is my duty to be here. I …"

"It sounds like you are a prisoner."

She was talking with a false smile but when he said that her false smile ended up erased, now replaced by the look of complete emptiness.

"In a sense, I am." She admitted in her mind she was a prisoner of this place, and no matter how much she wanted to she couldn't escape her fate.

"In that case, would you like me to free you?" Bakit asked nonchalantly without any hint of shyness.

She looked at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe what he just offered her. Freedom, something she long gave up dreaming of.

But she was frightened, scared of the outside world, of what awaited her.

"I can't. I am too weak, I couldn't possibly…"

"Do you ever get out of that cage?"

She gestured at the chain at her legs. "No, I have not for the last ten years."

"Then even more of a reason for me to do this!" he took the sword off his belt with his left hand.

"Please wait!"

"You may want to step back a little." With a swing he ended up cutting the lock of the cage, now the cage opened.

He saw her there, wearing robes that concealed her form, black hair, pet.i.te delicate figure. She looked very young, he wasn't sure of her age. Her legs were bare and chained.

"Let me put it like this. Would you like to see the outside, the stars, the moon? There are also lots of food places and majestic buildings, scary knights… Ok, forget the last one." He stopped himself from saying something unnecessary. "If you wish to you can remain inside the cage, but if you want to get out of it and see the entire world- then…" he extended his hand out, his left hand, after putting his sword in his sheath. "I will help you."

She hesitated for a moment. But then, realizing her fate was sealed if she stayed here, she chose to get out of the cage. She slowly extended her hand and shook his.

"Great, we have a deal then." He took out his sword and proceeded to slash at the chains, severing the chains, now there were only cuffs left at her legs. "Sorry, I am not skilled enough to remove the cuffs, I suppose we can take care of those later. Anyways, can you stand up?"

"I don't know." She tried to, she hasn't walked since she was captured, she didn't know whether she could anymore.

She hesitantly tried to stand up on her two feet, but her feet gave out under her causing her to fall forward.

"Oopse, careful there" he ended up catching her while she was falling down. She was very light.

"Thank You" She whispered. Little red from the embarra.s.sment and the body contact, but he didn't seem to mind.

"So, I suppose walking by yourself is a no no?"

She shook her head, her legs no longer seemed to be able to function.

"Well, then, climb on" He sat down, exposing his broad back.

"Is that really ok? I might be burdensome to carry."

"Don't worry about it. Just climb on, you're not heavy."

She hesitantly climbed on his back, with him stabilizing her with his left hand, but not moving with his right. He lifted her up on his back causing her to feel the heat from his back, the tension of the muscles, and most of all the air of security.

"Up we go!" With her on his back, he kicked open the door and jumped outside the building.

"Have you completely lost it? Did you have to do that?"

"Well, I couldn't use my sword while carrying you and climbing through the hole in the roof would be plain silly, so I did the most rational action."

"Oh goodness, is that how you define rational?"

Now a young man with a girl on his back was walking through the streets.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the castle where my Master lives, I suppose he would be sleeping by now."

"Your master? Who that would be? Is it someone scary?"

"Scary no, pervy yes. You will see for yourself."

"Did your family work for him? Is that why you are loyal to him?"

"Nope and nope, he pretty much forced me to serve him, and he doesn't go easy either! And that crazy ax maid keeps being a nuisance with her constant supervision."

"Forced you to serve him? Then, you are shackled as well…"

"Actually, not really, I mean I am free to do whatever I want to do as long as I serve my master, that is." He said seriously. "I am going to ask my master if it is ok for you to live with us."

"Live with you? What do you mean!?"

"No need to be so sensitive about that, Master Sala is not exactly the dangerous type, in fact he is not any threat at all, well, he is scary, but only to men."

"Sala, do you mean Sala Rosine Augustus Monte Rondeleia?"

"Wow, you even know his full name, I am impressed, and that was a lot of names."

"He is the crown Prince and sole heir of the ailing king. Everyone knows of his ident.i.ty. Do you really serve someone as scary sounding as he is?"

"I told you already, he is completely tame, but the first time I met him he did put me inside of a wooden cage, but in all in all I think the guy is not too bad."

Then Bakit felt the pa.s.senger on his back shuddering from fear. 'I should have omitted the part about being put in a cage, now she is scared of him as well.'

"No need to worry, the only reason he put me inside the cage is because I ended up sleeping inside his bed…."

"Pervert! You shameless, pervert! Could it be… the reason you are taking me to his castle is…"

"Nope, I doubt he has any interest in women, at all. No need for you to feel cautious of him."

"The one I am cautious of is you!"

"Oh, c'mon, it's not like I did anything till now, did I?"

"That is true, but I am not letting my guard down, do you hear me?"

"Right, right, heard you loud and clear." He couldn't help but laugh on the inside.

"By the way, what is wrong with your right hand?"

"Oh, this?" he lifted up his right hand, covered in black glove.

"I can see that you can't move it, did something happen to it?"

"You could say that. But please do keep that a secret between us, there is a reason I am wearing a glove, you know."

"Understood."

"You know, for someone who looks like a teenager, your body feels as flat as a board on my back."

Her mouth opened wide in shock. Slight trembling sensation was transmitting through his back.

"You know, I know it is good to be thin and all, but there is many dangers involved, including under-developed body…ouch"

She clutched his right ear. "Don't say that! It's not like I chose to look like this…"

Apparently Bakit unintentionally had found one of her insecurities. "Could it be, you are bothered because you are so tiny?" She was about a head shorter than him and very thin and frail.

"I am still a growing girl, don't think I am going to remain short forever…waaah!" apparently her own words have made her upset.

Bakit could only laugh a little hearing her dilemma.

"Well, anyways, we are here" he was steadily walking while talking, so she didn't even notice how fast they have arrived before the gates of the castle.

The gate was open, and they soon entered it.

"Wow, this place is amazing!" she was looking around the place.

"Well, it sure is nice place to live in, that's for sure" Bakit admitted.

In the center there was a mansion, in which the prince lived.

There were no lights on, most likely everyone was asleep at the time of night.

"Well, there is nothing better than a wakeup call, wait here for me please." He put her down on the ground.

Then, he proceeded to climb up the mansion from the outside. He managed to climb up to the fourth level, and then he used his sword in order to open the window.

"He truly is insane!" She found herself saying.

Then he entered the room.

A minute later, a very audible shriek followed by a sound of something breaking, and an impact and sound of pain could be heard.

"Did you have to go so overboard?" Bakit asked with his left eye swollen in a black eye, clutching his stomach in pain. There were visible b.u.mps on his head as well.

"It is your own fault for sneaking into my room in the middle of the night. You should be grateful I didn't execute you on the spot!" Prince Sala's face was very red as he was talking rather angrily.

The girl and Bakit were in Prince Sala's office now, other than them there was Aurelia there in her nightgown, looking sleepy.

"So, you want me to recruit her as a servant to my faction?"

"That is my intention indeed."

"Did you have to come in at night, though? Seriously?" Sala's eyes were somewhat red. He sighed. "Alright." He turned and faced the girl. "Little lady, what is your name?"

"My name is Desti, Desti Laran." She bowed to Sala in respect. She couldn't really stand so she was on her knees all the time.

"I didn't know that!" Bakit said with surprised expression.

"Have you taken her with you with you without even asking her name, Bakit!" Aurelia was quite furious with him.

"C'mon, I just forgot, ok!"

Ignoring them, Sala conversed with Desti.

"I do intend to recruit you, but could you please tell me of your capabilities, Bakit told me you are a priestess, I am not quite sure I understand."

"I possess the ability called Foreseeing the Unknown. It allows me to predict future to certain extent…but I can't truly control it."

"I see, so it is a dormant ability. By the way, how good are you with literature and papers?"

"I love reading! The works by the authors on magic and history are simply fascinating!" Inside the cage, the only way of keeping herself from losing her sanity were the books that the Salvation Bringers occasionally provided to her; it was one of the few mercies she received.

"Then in that case, would you like to work for me as a secretary? There is too much paperwork to handle for Aurelia and I, and Bakit is out of question. It would be nice to have another person to help out with paperwork. So, what do you think?" He extended his hand.

Desti meekly smiled and shook his hand.

"Your offer I humbly accept, your majesty."

"Sala is fine." Prince smiled with a bright smile. "Glad to have you on board."

"By the way, Bakit mentioned you are somewhat pervy, what exactly did he mean…"

"BAKIT!!!" Sala stood up with angry expression on his face.

"Yes, my prince?"

"WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU TELL HER?"

"Nothing really, just a plain observation."

"Aurelia, can I borrow the ax?"

"Of course, your majesty" she materialized a single ax in her hand.

"I WILL GET YOU!!!" Sala was chasing Bakit with an ax, while Bakit without a hint of fear was running amok.

Seeing this bizarre sight, Desti hesitantly asked Aurelia.

"Is this really ok?"

"Don't worry, it happens all the time."

"I see."

"Don't worry, you will get used to this soon enough, well, maybe not to Bakit…"

"Ha haha haah…" Desti found herself nervously laughing seeing the prince chase his servant with an ax, wondering what exactly was normal about this picture.