"The stupid stable boys probably wouldn't even notice an extra horse," he muttered, looking around the room.
Walking near the large, golden throne doors, Tad noticed that the King had expert craftsmen carve magical symbols into the design of the door, probably to protect him from magical attacks from the Dark. He also heard muffled voices behind the door, voices that got louder every passing second. Jumping behind one of the large curtains, Tad pushed himself against the wall of the throne room just as the golden doors opened, revealing the King, Zack, and a few of the King's advisors. Tad barely breathed as they passed by him.
"Your Highness, I believe we should attack with all our mages immediately, before the Dark can attack this kingdom," an elderly man with a long, gray beard was saying.
"I agree with the Chief Advisor, Your Highness," a younger man said. "We should catch the enemy off guard in order to get an advantage over them.
"Zack," the King's booming voice said as he climbed into his throne. "What is your opinion on this strategy?"
All eyes turned on the young boy, who seemed quite comfortable in this usually stressful situation. Looking calmly at the King, he began to speak.
"Your Highness, attacking the Dark ahead of time does have its advantages," he began. "But the we do not know what the Dark is capable of."
Stroking his chin, the King thoughtfully considered Zack's advice.
"You do have a good point, Zack," he finally said.
"We already know what the enemy is capable of," the young man said. "And if we don't attack now, the entire kingdom will perish."
"Advisor Granger speaks the truth Your Highness," the Chief Advisor said.
"Hmmmmmmm..." the King thought. "Go now, I must think this over."
The two advisors turned and slowly walked out of the large room. Zack stayed where he stood, in front of the King's throne.
"What is it?" the King asked, noticing that the boy still had not left when the other two did.
"Sir," the boy began.
Seeing the two advisors leave, Tad stepped out from behind the curtain. Silently, he walked to the King and Zack. They didn't even notice the young magi until he spoke.
"I suggest you don't even bother thinking about joining the war."
The King swerved his eyes to see Tad.
"Who are you? And what makes you think you can intrude on the King's time like this?" He asked, a bit aggravated at being interrupted.
Tad didn't answer the questions, instead, he went continued to speak.
"Fighting the war is suicide. The Dark would kill you instantly!"
"How dare you speak to His Majesty, the King like that, you insolent fool!" Zack roared, hand placed on the hilt of his sword.
Tad blinked. He wasn't surprised at the knight's reaction, in fact, he was expecting more of an outburst.
"Dont you recognize me without the bandages and rags?" He answered scornfully. "Or am I just a lost memory?"
By the look on the young knight's face, Tad hit home. Smiling, Tad saw that his eyes were filled with horror and surprise.
"Never mind who you are!" the King bellowed. "Who gave you the authority to give such and advice to the King of Hynadus? This kingdom will defend its honor!"
"Are you insane?" Tad shouted. "Do you know how many people you are going to kill? The entire kingdom will be filled with widows and brothers and sons in the grave! There will be rivers of tears streaming down every street and allyway of the kingdom! Mothers will cry for the unjust death of their sons, sisters weep for their brothers, widows will lose their loves! What gives you the right to take these people's, your subjects, lives away?"
"You will be crushed before you even provoke an attack! The entire land will be severed with blood and the horrors the Dark will bring forth! You do not have the power to fight such a war with It, nor will you survive."
Furious, the King stood up, face red with anger.
"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THINGS IN MY PRESENCE!"
"Loyalty to one's kingdom is first in a man's heart!" Zack added.
"You are fools!" Tad retorted. "You will be defeated before the first battle occurs!"
Fury rushed into the King's heart. This defiant boy has the nerve to speak to the King in such a manner?
"GUARDS!" He called. "Take this peasant and behead him, immediately!"
Tad spun around and saw two guards rushing into the room through the golden doors. Cursing silently, Tad pushed past them and ran down the hall.
"Catch him!" He heard Zack order behind him.
Running past more guards, Tad knocked over any furniture his hands could gab in hopes of slowing the pursuing guards. He ran down stairs with the entire castle's guards chasing after him, all the while thanking his incredible childhood, for it provided a map of the palace.
Hearing the clanking of metal in the hall ahead of him, Tad swerved left and hurtled into the door to the kitchen. He pushed the cooks and servants out of his way as they just stared after him. Reaching the door that led outside, Tad found that it was locked. Cursing loudly, he quickly glanced behind him, and saw at least 10 of the palace guards stepping over the fallen plates and kitchen boys, just paces away from him. Desparate, he used his magic and blasted the door right off its hinges and bolted for the stable, whistling as loud as he could.
To everyone in the vicinity's amazement, a black stallion tore away from the stable and ran toward the fleeing boy. Without even stopping, Tad jumped into the saddle and held on to the reigns as tight as he could. Turning his head, he saw that the guards were already mounting their steeds. In front of him, he saw that they were beginning to close the palace gates, hoping to trap him in.
With a surge of speed, the horse just barely made it out of the palace. Tad's legs scraped against the sides of the gates as they flashed by.
"We really must stop leaving the city like this," Warrior commented calmly as they escaped from the palace.
