The Righteous Way

Chapter 6

It's not about lethality; it's about honor; daggers are the weapon of an assassin because they lack honesty, and a sword is meant to be seen, not hidden;" A coward could use a sword just as a warrior could use a dagger, I have no guilt using one," and "a symbol of the truth of one's intentions"

James paid five coins each for two rooms at the inn by this time. Alex said his usual prayer of thanks as they sat down to eat. James waited for him, his stomach growling as he tapped his foot in annoyance.

James asked as they began to eat, "How long does it take to say "thank you"?" "I not only give thanks for the food, but for the day being as fair as it was, for my victory over the bandits, for our encounter with Scarlett, for the good knights who showed us the way to this settlement, and for giving us the work needed to help our friend." "You really think some deity planned all that to happen before it happened?" James asked. "I not only give thanks for the day

“Planned? No, yet advanced the situation wherein we were permitted to pursue the decisions for such occasions, yes.Which do you believe was it?Bad luck?

"No, I think that this world is mathematically run by equations based on the people, animals, and terrain in it. The odds that we would meet someone in the forest, the odds that knights would be after her, and the odds that we would encounter bandits all went in our favor. There is a possibility that a madman could enter the inn right now and start yelling gibberish, or that one of the lovely village maidens will fall in love with me and we will marry.And new equations are created with each child born, tree planted, and decision made. "Interesting, but wouldn't there have to be a first equation for others to develop? You can't make a tapestry without the first piece of string; where did the first string come from?"

“A good question, one I’m still trying to figure out, but I have no interest in thinking a great man in the sky who uses magic controls my destiny.” “We all control our destiny, but he simply tries to keep us on the best course for it, like a father guiding his child.” “I apologize, but there is no shame in being an orphan.” “No shame, just loneliness.”

James was taken aback as he looked up, "What? How did you become aware of that?

“Fair enough, The Nine Knights of Omega are the right arm of the King of Korryn and have been for generations,” "I have a deal, you tell me about the Knights of Omega and I’ll tell you where I got the doll," and "I’ve seen you hold it as you sleep." They complete any task that is given to them without fear. They are the myth that frightens criminals and the fear that keeps evil at bay.

And were you one of these knights, too?

Alex struggled to control his emotions as he said, "I was the leader of those knights," "You had your own army?"

“No, the military was under the general's control; we were a small group that reported directly to the king; so what about the doll?”

After taking a deep breath, James began, "It was when I was seven years old."

James squeezed his way into the large house's cramped attic. He had just brought some trashed food that appeared to still be fresh to his current hideout. He could hear the excited conversations of the family below him as he ate. He peered through one of the small knotholes into the main room, where the wealthy merchant master of the house, his wife, and their two daughters were waiting for him.

As he wished he could just once be embraced with such love, he felt a slight emotional pain. The father then started giving the young girls dolls he had gotten from his travels. While the mother sat with her husband to hear about his travels, each daughter took their presents and ran to their room to play.

James heard them playing as he quietly crept above the girl's room.The older girl said, "This one will be Monica, the princess," "This boy will be William, a handsome prince," and "This one will be Charles, the grumpy King." "Her name will be... Tabitha," she added. "And this one will be..."

As they acted out their little fantasy of a princess, a prince, and a king, the two girls chuckled. James pictured the scenes as he listened to them laugh and talk about a faraway land where the king forbade the prince from marrying his true love.

As she galloped across the plains on a white stallion, he could see the lovely princess Monica. As the sun set behind the hills, her black hair was blowing in the wind. He cried because he wanted to feel the sun's warmth and shivered from the attic's cold, hoping that the family would soon light a fire so he could at least sit against the chimney's bricks as they warmed.

The story went on until suppertime, when the girls put the dolls down and went back to their father. Despite his recent meal, James felt his hunger returning and could smell the food. The girls went back to their room after dinner to continue their story. Again, James rolled over on his back and continued his own fantasy of each character the girls mentioned.

He did this every night while the girls played, and the father returned from another trip a month later. The daughters took his brand-new dolls and ran to their room to play with them. They didn't use their old dolls with the new ones, which surprised James. Instead, they put the old dolls in a corner and ignored them as they set up a new story.

James grew enraged. He nearly yelled, but held his composure. He ignored the girls, who used their new toys to create new characters. The poor dolls in the room's corner, so carelessly discarded for the new models, were all he could see through a knothole. To show them how much he cared, he wanted to pick them up.He wanted to know how their story would turn out, whether Monica would wed William or whether the King would get his way.

The girls fell asleep in their beds as the night progressed, and the family was unaware of the discarded toys. James began crying, he would give nearly anything for such gifts and presently they lay to be everlastingly disregarded.He prayed that the girls would pick them up the following day and take them with them, but he soon fell asleep weeping.

He became enraged the following day when the girls refused to play with the abandoned toys or, at the very least, give them to someone less fortunate. He left the attic out of control as the family slept that night. He stepped around the roads until he could step no more.

He had the epiphany at that precise instant, as he begged for calm by gazing up at the moon. He knew that theft was bad, but since the girls didn't even care about the dolls, why wouldn't he just take them? He would be more kind to them than they had been. He turned to face the house, which at this point was only illuminated by the moonlight. James stood up and made his way toward the front door. It was unsurprisingly locked. He thought the chimney might be his best option when he considered other means of entry.

He ascended the roof and peered down into the approaching gloom. He shimmied down until he was standing on the warm soot after slowly getting in. He slithered out and gradually made light strides towards the young ladies' room.

He took off his shoes because he was aware that the soot would leave a trail on them. He sneaked up to the girls' door in his bare feet on the icy floor. When he opened it, he saw the dolls in the corner. As the girls slept on either side of him, he moved toward them. He tucked each one into his belt with care after carefully picking them up. After that, he made a U-turn and turned to go, unlatching the front door before leaving into the night.

James said, "And that's all there is, that was my first theft." Alex nodded, "So why keep them now?" and added, "I know it was wrong, but I couldn't bear them going to waste."

They are important to me because they helped me feel less alone. And their story is still going on, but the true lovers will marry; it only makes sense that they should. "Have you ever considered writing their story?"

"Like a scribe?" I ask.

"Yes, a scribe," "I have little to no writing education," and "I will teach you, then you may write their story" were responses.

James agreed, though he was unable to express his gratitude in words.

After that, he saw something off about Alex's back. He got up and walked around the main room of the inn until he came up behind a sneaky character examining an object away from other people's eyes. James waited behind him as he sat down. Until the secretive man stood up to leave, Alex was unsure of what his friend was doing. James then reached into the man's pocket to retrieve the item.

James shook his head as he returned to Alex's table and the man left without James noticing. What?” James replied, "You stole from him," "I'm only returning what is yours," holding up the medallion that had been missing all day, "or did you know that man?" when he was asked, "You stole from him."

“Trust me, one vagabond can spot another easily, there was no honesty in that man,” “Well thank you, I thought it was lost,” “Nothing is lost that cannot be found, you only need to look,” “Wise words, I’m surprised you know them,” James smirked at him before rising to end the day. Alex continued to sit for a short time before doing the same. He thought he could see movement in the tree outside his window as he made his bed and put away his belongings. After lighting the candle, he looked out and saw a person now trying to hide in the trees. He recognized Scarlett and smiled. He called to her from the window that he had opened.