Three days after leaving the burned farm, Arthur arrived at a crossroads.
Not the poetic kind.
The actual kind.
Four roads.
One signpost.
And absolutely no indication of which direction he was supposed to take.
Arthur stared at it.
The sign had clearly seen better days.
Half the lettering had faded.
One arm of the post was broken.
Another pointed in a direction that appeared to be a swamp.
“This seems unhelpful.” Arthur observed.
Leona sighed.
“An incredible deduction.” “Thank you.” “That wasn’t a compliment.” Arthur ignored her.
Mostly because he had become surprisingly good at ignoring her.
Or perhaps surprisingly bad at it.
Before he could decide which— voices echoed down the road.
Angry voices.
Very angry voices.
Arthur turned.
A wagon stood near the crossroads.
Its wheel had shattered.
Several merchants stood nearby.
And surrounding them— three large wolves.
Not ordinary wolves.
Monsters.
Their bodies were larger than horses.
Dark fur covered their forms.
Yellow eyes glowed with unnatural intelligence.
The merchants held farming tools.
Which was roughly as effective as declaring war on gravity.
Arthur sighed.
“A normal day would’ve been nice.” Then he started running.
The Unbreakable Horn Arthur expected chaos.
What he found instead was a wall.
A very large wall.
With horns.
A towering Minotaur stood between the merchants and the monsters.
Massive.
Broad shouldered.
Muscular.
Holding a tower shield larger than most doors.
The first wolf lunged.
The Minotaur didn’t move.
The creature crashed into the shield.
And bounced backward.
Arthur blinked.
“…What?” The second wolf attacked.
The same thing happened.
The Minotaur calmly adjusted his footing.
Then struck the creature with a war hammer.
The impact echoed across the crossroads.
The wolf disappeared into a nearby tree.
The tree lost the argument.
Arthur stared.
Leona stared.
Even Leona seemed impressed.
“A Minotaur.” Arthur immediately ran toward the fight.
Naturally.
The Minotaur noticed him.
And immediately looked concerned.
“Wait.” Arthur ignored him.
The Minotaur became more concerned.
“WAIT.” Too late.
The third wolf lunged.
Arthur drew Aethelion.
Golden light flashed.
The monster froze.
For the briefest moment.
Arthur swung.
The wolf collapsed.
Silence followed.
The surviving monsters looked between Arthur and the Minotaur.
Then wisely decided they had other places to be.
Several seconds later.
The crossroads became quiet.
The merchants cheered.
Arthur smiled.
The Minotaur looked exhausted.
Not from the fight.
From Arthur.
Jakel Baker The merchants quickly began thanking both of them.
Arthur smiled awkwardly.
The Minotaur accepted it with practiced patience.
Eventually the crowd dispersed.
Leaving the two standing near the broken wagon.
Arthur offered a hand.
“Arthur.” The Minotaur shook it.
“Jakel.” Arthur immediately grinned.
“Nice to meet you.” Jakel nodded.
“You too.” A pause.
Then: “You should not have done that.” Arthur blinked.
“What?” “Run directly into danger.” “It worked.” “That does not make it a good idea.” Arthur opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
“…Fair.” Leona immediately interrupted.
“I like him.” Arthur frowned.
“You liked Rowan too.” “Correct.” “I’m sensing a pattern.” “Yes.” Jakel tilted his head.
“Are you talking to your sword?” Arthur pointed.
“See?” “That should not be a sentence people get used to.” The Shared Meal The merchants insisted on feeding them.
Neither Arthur nor Jakel successfully escaped.
Soon they sat beside a campfire.
Eating stew.
The kind that tasted significantly better than travel rations.
Arthur explained where he came from.
His dream.
His journey.
His goal.
To unite humanity.
To end endless conflict.
To create something better.
When he finished speaking.
Silence followed.
Jakel stared at him.
For a long moment.
Then: “That’s impossible.” Arthur laughed.
“Most people say that.” “I’m serious.” “So am I.” Another pause.
Jakel studied him carefully.
Searching for doubt.
For hesitation.
For common sense.
He found none.
Which somehow made the situation worse.
Leona laughed.
A lot.
Eventually Jakel sighed.
The deep sigh of a man realizing fate had personally targeted him.
“If someone is going to attempt something this ridiculous…” Arthur blinked.
“What?” Jakel pointed at him.
“Someone needs to keep you alive.” Silence.
Arthur smiled.
Then laughed.
A genuine laugh.
The first in several days.
Jakel immediately regretted speaking.
Because Arthur’s smile widened.
“Oh.” “No.” “Oh yes.” Jakel buried his face in one hand.
The merchants watched with amusement.
Leona laughed even harder.
And Arthur made the decision instantly.
“Travel with me.” Jakel stared.
“You decided that quickly.” “You said you wanted to keep me alive.” “I did not say I wanted the job.” “Too late.” Jakel looked toward the stars.
As though asking them for help.
The stars offered none.
Eventually he sighed.
Then nodded.
“…Fine.” Arthur grinned.
Leona groaned.
And somewhere in the distance.
The road ahead seemed just a little less lonely.
For the first time since leaving Ashbourne.
Arthur was no longer traveling alone.
The future Shield of Camelot had joined the journey.
End of Chapter 9