Knight's Quest Part Five

Hello, all! Ready for Part Five of Knight’s Quest? If you are, that’s great, because I’m posting it today! Haven’t read parts one through four yet? Don’t worry, here are the links to part one, part two, part three, and part four. And now, without further ado, part five!

Part Five

Shaftson led William and Walter to another treetop clearing, this one with several possible seats. They all sat down and William and Walter glanced at each other, hoping that Shaftson would tell them Miran’s secrets. When he did not, William decided that it was time to take the direct approach.

 “So Shaftson,” started William, “Will you please tell us these secrets we've been waiting so long to hear?"
Shaftson sighed, then said "Very well. Like most dragons, Miran is proud, vain, and has very strong protective scales covering his body. However, there is a small patch, quite close to his heart, where there are no scales at all. No one has ever been able to exploit this, for Miran is careful to not expose it."
Walter nodded. "Any other weaknesses?"
Shaftson shook his head. "I do not believe so. He is clever, but suspicious, and I have heard that he is fond of riddles, though I believe this is true for most dragons. But . . ." he trailed off.
"But what?" William and Walter exclaimed together.
Shaftson sighed. "This is only a rumor, but I have heard that Miran has some sort of fear that is unusual to dragons, which means that it could be anything, since most dragons have virtually no fear. However, if the rumor is true, which I highly doubt, neither I nor any other elves in Woodsrovia know what it is."
William frowned. "It could be true. Even the strangest of rumors often has a bit of truth at the center of it."
Walter grinned. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Thank you, Shaftson."
Shaftson rose and bowed. "It was no trouble. Now, if you'll excuse me . . ." he quickly walked away, leaving William and Walter to plan for the following day.

            The two knights left for Miran’s fortress early the next day, but it was noon by the time they got there. They stopped for a lunch of bread and cheese, and to discuss the plan they had made the previous night.

            “Alright,” said William, “So, the plan is; we somehow overpower the guards, sneak into the castle, locate Miran, create some kind of distraction to get him to rear up, stab him through the unprotected spot, and get out of there with the princess. Correct?”

            “Yeah,” replied Walter, “That’s pretty much it, although I’d prefer to sneak past the guards if possible.”

            “I agree,” spoke William, “But do we know what kind of distraction we’re making? I don’t like going in there unprepared.”

            “No, I’m afraid we don’t.” answered Walter, “But I do agree that that part of the plan is a little weak.”

            Both thought about it for a minute, and then Walter said “maybe we’ll think of something once we get inside. I think we should just wait and cross that bridge when we come to it.”

            “Very well.” agreed William, a bit wearily. “Now, let’s get going!” And they headed for Miran’s fortress once more.

            The two knights approached the back of the castle first. Finding it unguarded, they climbed up fairly quickly, Walter saying “I told you those climbing lessons would come in handy someday! And to think you didn’t believe me! Look how much trouble and noise it saved us!”

            To which William replied, “Hush! Save your breath for climbing! Do you want to get caught?” Walter, seeing the truth in his friend’s words, shut up.

            Once inside the fortress, William and Walter crept through the hallways, trying to find the throne room, where Miran would surely be. Suddenly, they froze. There were voices coming from the next room! The two knights listened, trying to figure out who was within.

            “There. All done.”

            “Really? Let’s see. No you aren’t! You missed this cobweb over here! Get it cleaned up! Hurry!”

            “It’s just a cobweb. Who’s going to notice? We won’t get in trouble.

            “Oh yes we will! You know how Lord Miran feels about spiders! He’ll whip us for sure if you don’t get that cleaned up!”

            “Alright, but what do you mean? How does he feel about spiders?”

            “Don’t you know? He’s afraid of them! He was bit by one when he was very young, and he almost died! Ever since, he’s been scared to death of them! He can’t stand them!”

            “Oh my! I didn’t know.”

            “Well, now you do. Now, we better get to work on our next task, or we’ll be in big trouble! Come on!”

            William and Walter looked at each other. “Just a couple of servants.” said Walter.

            “Slaves, more likely,” replied William. “But did you hear them? Miran’s afraid of spiders!”

            “Yes, I heard. But I don’t see how that’ll help us.” spoke Walter.

            “It might. I have an idea. Do you still have that stuffed spider thingy that you used to scare all those other knights with?” whispered William.

            “Yes, I do.” answered Walter, “But I need to restuff it. But what’s that got to do with –?”

            William spoke cutting Walter off. “I have a plan. Now listen. Here’s what we’ll do . . .”

What is William’s plan? Will it succeed, or will William and Walter be defeated by Miran? Check back Thursday to find out! In the meantime, please comment on my story and vote on whether or not I should post story parts on Saturdays here!

-Sarah