The portal opened into a sunlit plain full of wheat.
"Well, this dosn't look so bad." Celia said as she looked around. Trent was less convinced and looked on as a troop of
horsemen approached along a winding dirt road that came out of a forest. Celia and Matt both noticed them as well and groaned,
putting up their hands with Trent following suit.
"Why do I think we're going to be in this position a lot?" Asked Matt rhetorically as the riders approached.
"Halt in the name of the King!" Cried a cloaked man with a rather large sword at his side as the other rides fanned out
incase the three before them attempted to run.
"We're halted, we're halted." Trent grumbled.
"Who are ye and whereabouts have ye come from?" The leader of the troop demanded.
Trent thought it best to answer for them all definitively and quickly before anyone blurted out their true origins. "We've
come from far off lands to visit your king."
"You think that's reason enough to visit the king do you?" The man demanded.
"We are learned people, we can offer knowledge and advice." Trent volunteered as Celia and Matt both gave him disapproving
looks.
"Do you happen to know anything about escaping from italy?" The man asked.
"Not really but..." Trent was cut off by the mounted patrolman. "Good, we'd rather he didn't come back anyhow."
"Well that's no way to talk about your leader!" Celia snapped.
"John is a fine leader too, you know, and at least he isn't all the time off crucading!" One of the men shouted defensively.
Trent raised a brow at this." King John? And the fellow who was captured wouldn't happen to be Richard would he?"
"Aye, Richard is his name, why do you ask?" The leader of the men enquired searchingly, his reply met with universal groans.
"You know, on second thought, we'd better not see the king. We're busy searching for that wretched outlaw Robin Hood."
Matt said with as convincing an expression as he could manage.
"Never heard of him. Anyhow, might as like come on, Sheriff's orders and all you know." He bade them to follow him as they
headed for the forest and the party had little choice as the horsemen surrounded them. The walk was lengthy and tiring but
eventually they came to a manor house where they were ushered in. A man sat over a hall full of nobles and servants and bustling
and it was easy to guess who this would be.
"Prince John, I've brought three strange visitors, they say they came here to see you." Their conveyor said before stepping
aside to allow the would-be sovereign to view his less than willing accompaniment.
"Have you brought news of my brother?" John asked rather rudely.
"Well no, isn't he being held in some Arab prison?" Celia asked.
"Arab prison! Bah he aught to be as much as he's on about them. 'Oh, these Arabs sacked Jerusalem.' or 'The Moors are bothering
such and such.' Or 'Saladin called me a queer.' By heaven he's nearly bankrupted us just to go and play war, I say the emperor
can keep him!" The prince cried in a fury.
"But he's supposed to be a good leader!" Trent declared, hearkening to his knowledge of history.
"A good leader!" The Sheriff said in disbelief. "Why he's got more noble Englishmen mad at him than Saladin! He can't even
be arsed to provide an heir!"
"Probably too busy humping that Humphrey Toron fellow." John said, drawing peals of laughter from the assemblage as the
three travelers stared on, wondering at the den of legendary villains they had blundered into.
On to Chapter 12
