Hoagie whistled merrily as he strolled up the steps to his house after a long day of work. He had a lot to be happy about, afterall, he was looking forward to eating a delicious meal, cooked by his beautiful fiancee. As he neared the door, something caught his eye, a note, attached to the door by a rusty dagger. As he read the note, his jaw dropped, and a feeling of nausea nearly overcame him.
A tattered note is stuck outside the door of Hoagie's house into the wall using a dagger coated in rust, or is it dried blood? The top of the note is a snippet of the warrent placed on Zakery and the bottom is a note written in red ink. In between the notes writing a large chunk of blonde hair wrapped in bright green cloth is stuck.
He will be arrested and lashed for these crimes by order of Captain Hoagie.
*signed*
Junior Grenadier Darek Milako
Call off the warrent..
A clump of blonde hair tied with bright green cloth is attached here.
Ever held a life size ragdoll?
There is no name of trace of whom left the note, however to emphasise the point it smells strongly of woman's perfume.
Taking the chunk of hair in his fingers, he swallowed a lump in his throat and headed inside. He slid slowly down at his desk, where he took up his quill and began to write.
*The notice is written carefully, and pinned up apart from the bustle of other notices.*
Regarding Guardsman Recruit Zakery Xilotzin.
It has come to my attention that many of you are giving this recruit a hard time about his cloak. He has proven to me, with confirmation by the healers, that this cloak is important to his function as a guardsman, as he has a skin condition which causes severe irritation when in direct or bright sunlight.
He therefor has my permission to wear this cloak at all times, and anyone heard to be hassling about it will receive 1 lap around the Covian Shire.
*Signed neatly*
He hurried to pin the notice on the boards. He knew his actions weren't fitting of a new Captain, but he also knew that he'd do absolutely anything to save the one he loved. Walking away from the notice board with a heavy heart, he silently prayed that his beloved would be returned safely to him. How far would he have to go to get her back?
*****
Every hour that he knew she'd been taken felt like a year, yet slowly, the hours passed, and his worry grew. He'd done as the man had asked, but he hadn't heard from him since. Forcing himself to believe that everything would be okay, he went throughout his day pretending not to be sick with worry. Eventually, the sun went down, and he sat alone, on the roof, with only the glow of the moon reflecting off the snow and ice reaching into the distance. The cough behind him made him jump, as he had not heard any footsteps, which would have made a loud crunch in the snow. Turning around, his irritated frown turned into a look of anxiety. A shadow in the dark, the man stood before him. The short cloak swirled around his waist, yet the high collar remained perfectly still, obscuring most of the man's face from view. The two stood in silence for a long time before the man finally spoke.
"I thought you might want a little more information", he said, his voice clear and crisp.
Hoagie could only give a small nod in reply.
"The ragdoll is unharmed", the man continued, "But there are more things I wish for you to do before I return her to you."
"Anything." Hoagie murmered, an expression of pain distorting his normally calm face.
"I need a house, a place where I can stay. A place where I will be undisturbed, and light will not reach."
The man left as quietly as he came, leaving Hoagie alone on the Barracks roof. The life of his Fiancee was in his hands, and he was expected to buy a house on an already overstretched budget. He let his head fall into his hands, and letting out a choked sob, contemplated where in Sosaria he would find the money. Finally pushing himself up, he headed away from the glow of the Barracks, and for the first time in years, laid alone, staring at the ceiling.
*****
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