Garinor decided he could further his quest now by seeking the king, who would have other answers for him. He turned toward the north and walked briskly, determined to cover as much ground as possible. He sprang into a light jog and maintained it for as long as he could, pausing only for brief moments of rest.
He thought it was going to be an easy afternoon with nothing to fear, but then on the horizon appeared three horsemen. They saw him running across the landscape and they approached swiftly to intercept him.
“Ho there!” called the man in the center. “Where are you headed?”
“Ultimately, the castle,” he answered. “I’ve been summoned by the king.”
The three of them exchanged looks and then laughed at him. “For what, pray tell, would the king have need of you?”
Garinor shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t know, but I was summoned and I’m already late.” He paused for a moment while the three men stared at him and shook their heads.
“I’m not so sure about that,” said the guard to Garinor’s right. “I can’t imagine the king would need you.”
The man on the left glanced uneasily at his companions. “Come on, men, we have other matters to attend to. Let’s be off.”
“You’re in a hurry all of a sudden,” the center one sneered. “Scared of what the boy might do to you, eh?”
“Well, if he was summoned by the king, I’m thinking it’d be better for us if we didn’t interfere with his journey.”
“Oh,” said the man on the right, “so it’s the king you’re afraid of, then. Why, not getting paid enough?”
“You know,” the man said, irate, “I can’t afford any more trouble with the king.”
“Then close your eyes,” sneered the man in the middle. “We’ll finish off the little toddler and then you can go home all happy again.”
The man drew his sword. “I’m telling you, if he’s meant for the king then I’m not interfering. I’ll stop you if you try to hurt him now.”
The others laughed at him and then drew their own swords. “We’ve got orders and you know it. Called to the king or not, I’m following those orders, so back off.”
But the man was undaunted. “No, I won’t let you hurt him and that’s it.” He glanced at Garinor. “Take this horse and ride north. I’ll keep these two at bay.”
The others laughed but then turned threateningly to the third man. “If you even try to dismount, you’re dead.”
Garinor was baffled by the antics of these three men. He could see his unbidden protector could probably handle himself against one of the others, but he had no idea how he would hold off both of them. Either way, he didn’t feel like he had good options. If the man gave up his horse, he would be at a disadvantage, but Garinor could sprint away with haste. If he didn’t, then Garinor was on foot with two of them to trot after him at their leisure.
“Come on, boy,” said the man on the left, clutching his sword and eying his comrades. “What’s it going to be?”