William

"What did you say, old drunk?"

"Did you not hear me, boy? I said I'm your golden goose, and I have your golden treasure, Sentinel. So come along, and I'll show you."

Arthur and the princess just looked at each other, dumbfounded. The old man started walking towards the ruins. We followed him, and the princess spoke in a confused tone.

"Sir, how do you know where Sentinel is? We thought he died fighting Kephalos."

"Well, you see, missy, he did receive a life-threatening injury through the chest, but I arrived in time to barely heal him, just keeping his injury at bay."

"Oh, so you're a healer then?"

"No, no, I'm a soldier. During my time, I was gravely injured exploring the mythical forest. I was going to die until an old witch came and healed me with a potion she made. Later, she taught me how to make that potion."

"But when I arrived to give Sentinel the potion, I only had a little left, so the potion is only keeping him barely alive."

"An old witch, huh? Did she wear purple robes and walk around with a big wooden staff?" I asked, suspecting we were talking about the same old witch who saved us both.

"Uh, well, it's been years, boy. I don’t remember what she looked like. I only remember her potion."

"Hey, William, is the old drunk talking about the same old witch that saved you?" the princess whispered to me.

"I'm pretty sure he is. And I'm sure that witch knew we would meet this old drunk and need his help."

I let out a deep breath. The old witch could see this far into the future, and all she did to help me was heal me. She could have helped me so much more, given me so much power to stop HIM and anyone who wanted to hurt the people I loved. At least I know we'll meet again, and when we do, I will get her to help me. But for right now, I need to do whatever it takes to keep Sentinel alive.

We kept walking through all the ruins, broken houses everywhere, some burning to the ground. This side of the wall was the complete opposite of the other side. I kind of felt bad for anyone who had to live on this side of the wall.

"Alright, we've arrived," the old drunk said, then taking a drink from his alcohol.

The old drunk put down his alcohol, walked towards some rubble on the ground, and brushed it aside, revealing a hidden entrance. He opened it and waved for us to enter. Arthur was the first to go down, then the princess, and I followed after. There were stairs which took us deeper. The old drunk closed the doors and yelled to Arthur.

"JUST KEEP WALKING DOWN THE HALL UNTIL YOU REACH A DOOR, THEN WAIT FOR ME!"

Arthur looked back and gave the old drunk a thumbs up.

"So, old drunk, what's your story? Why save Sentinel?"

The old man took a drink from his alcohol.

"Ah, there's nothing more delicious alcohol. Want a sip?"

"No thank you, old drunk, but would you answer the question?"

"Hmm, why did I save Sentinel... I guess it was because I was bored, and helping him seemed like fun. Hehehe."

"Answer the question, old drunk?"

"I just told you, brat!"

"Alright then."

"HMPH. Well, let me ask you a personal question. Why kill King Henry, huh?"

"TSK. Watch yourself, old drunk. I didn’t kill him; I was framed by HIM."

"HA! They all say they're innocent until they're not."

"I didn’t say I was innocent; I said I was framed. I'm still guilty of not saving my king."

"... sorry, kid. I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine. I was the first to ask a personal question; it's only fair that you ask one too."

"HEY GUYS, WE'RE HERE!"

We arrived at the end of the long tunnel, where a single door awaited us. The old drunk took the lead, opening the door to reveal a large room with multiple doors, a fireplace, a couple of chairs, some shelves, and a chandelier. I was surprised by the size of the room; I had assumed it to be small, as there didn't seem to be room for all this space.

"HOLY CRAP, OLD DRUNK, I DIDN'T EXPECT THIS HUGE ROOM!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, I agree. I expected a small room," the princess said, amazement evident on her face.

"Yes, I was amazed too when I found this place."

"Now, come, I'll show you the state Sentinel is in."

The old drunk went through the middle door. Inside was a bed, a chair, and a small table. In the bed lay Sentinel, with bandages all over his torso.

"Well, here he is. As you can see, he's in terrible shape, and if we don't get him some more of the potion, he will die and not be able to help you."

"Then what do we do, old drunk?" I said, crossing my arms.

"Well, I have all but one ingredient for the potion. The last ingredient is a dragon's tooth."

"UH, yeah, we can't kill a dragon, old sir," Arthur said, placing his hands on his waist.

"Well, I didn't expect you to. There's a dragon's tooth underneath the council."

"Alright, that seems easy enough. I will retrieve it."

"No, brat, YOU can't go in there. You need to be a special soldier to get access to the place. If you try and storm the council, Kephalos will just either kill you or tell HIM about your location. The plan that you're going to follow is easy enough if you're strong."

"First, I will enlist you in the army. There, you will take a mandated two-week class where they will see what you have. If you're as strong as you say you are, once the two weeks are up, you will be put into the special rank," the old drunk finished, taking a long sip of his alcohol.

I sighed, knowing we were going to waste more time here than we needed to.

"Ok, that's fine. I'll go."

"You and the other boy will go."

"NO, Arthur stays here and protects Sentinel. This mission is too risky."

"Are you doubting your friend's strength, William?"

"No offense, William, but if you're going to have to talk to people, you will need me," Arthur said, smiling at me.

"Fine."

"What about me?" the princess said, pointing at herself.

"You, princess, will go looking for the only council member alive. Once we get Sentinel back, I assure you he will want to save her, so instead of doing that later, while William and Arthur are in the academy, you will try and find her. I have some clues that will get you started."

"So, when do we start?" I said.

"Tomorrow morning."

Both Arthur and I yelled, "WHAT!"

"OLD DRUNK, WE HAVE TO PREPARE OURSELVES!"

"HAHA, well, you have some time before tomorrow, brats."