The Mechanical Era

ραпdα -n૦νe| , c૦m

On the paved stone road, en route to the city of Villine, a man sat right beside his "father", who accompanied him into the city. Though the young man passed a rather round face, compared to his fathers' oval, he was slightly taller than the man and thankfully possessed his blue eyes, giving some connection.

The two were both sitting on a caravan, filled with stacks of hay bales, ready to trade with the city for some other items in need for the village. They were to stay in an inn, switch with the pope, and leave tomorrow.

"You know the lines?" the young man asked the old man.

"Yes, don't worry. I got this."

"Alright."

As the two come near the stone bridge, they saw two gray figures beside the stone bridge. The more they got closer, they recognized that it was just two knights beside them. When they got just 8 feet from the bridge, one of them held out their hand.

"Halt!" one of them shouted. The young man pulled his leash, stopping the horses in their tracks. The knight drops his hand and walked up to the driver. His face was covered with his helmet, and his hand held the handle of his sword.

"What is your business here, citizen?" the knight asked calmly with his masculine and intimidating voice. The two men were sweating a little, nervous about what is about to happen.

"Oh great sir knight, I am simply here to trade in my hay for other food supplies and tools. That is all," the young man replied while looking at his helmet.

"I see. Who is the man to your right then?" the knight asked while pointing at the old man.

"He is my father, sir knight. He wanted to accompany me to the city."

The knight analyzed their faces. Although they were different, the knight assumed that he inherited most of his characteristics from his mother. Besides, they both had similar eyes, which was enough to give them a pass.

"I haven't seen him ever coming around here. Why is that?"

"He said he wanted to return here after so long being enclosed in the village."

"Hmm..." the knight thought.

"I see. May I check your luggage?" the knight asked.

"Of course, sir knight! Gladly." The knight walked to the back and unsheathed his sword. He then poked the inside of the haystack, looking to see if there were anything inside. After he found nothing, the knight went back to his partner and whispered something to him.

"How long will you be staying for?"

"About a day. We will leave tomorrow morning?"

"Why not today then?"

"Because by the time I would be done, it would likely be dark. I don't want to rush my father," he replied. The knight nodded.

"Alright then. You may enter."

"Thank you, sir knight," with that, the horse started moving once again. As soon as they got to the middle of the bridge, the two men breathed a huge sigh of relief that they managed to get past the guards. Now, was time for the next step of the operation.

The men found themselves surrounded by buildings made of hard stone, and roofs made of native wooden planks. The wealthy ones had glass windows and painted walls to them. In the distance, they can see the towers of the grand cathedral, a beautiful piece of architecture that gets scorned at.

The two make their way to the inn. The young man stops the cart and helps the old man get down. They both enter the building made of stone and wood. The inside featured planked walls with defused lanterns, only to be lit during the night.

The men made their way to the receptionist's desk and got into the room they wanted. There, the old man was expected to stay inside. The young man, who had accomplished his goal for now, left him alone to do business.

He lay on the hay bed and looked outward the window. He waited till the sun started to come down. Once it was time, he got up, and came up to the receptionist, again. A woman, with short black hair, brown eyes, and freckles all over her face.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" she asked unenthusiastically.

"Where is your boss?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No, not really. He... he is just an old friend." She stayed silent and stared at the man.

"He is in the room behind," she replied, before going back to work. The old man thanked her and walked over to his room. The man was sleeping on his desk, over a stack of books and papers.

He had short black hair, along with a black lump to his right. He wore a white cotton tunic, along with a pair of black breeches, holding a quill in his hand. Looking around the room, the decoy could not find the way by himself, so he decided to wake him up.

"Uh... oh. Yes?" he asked while sitting straight up. A few pieces of paper fell on the ground due to his swift wake.

"It's time."

"Oh, right. This way." he led himself to a trapdoor. Behind, was a dark hallway with only a torch to give visuals. The decoy entered the hallway, grabbed the torch, and walked into the darkness. Despite being an old man, he managed to walk for half an hour before feeling the need to take a rest.

The hallway was not straight, with little zig-zags and turns present throughout the entire hall. It would have been ridiculously expensive to do so. Eventually, he made it to the other side of the hallway and knocked on the trap door.

The trapdoor soon swung open, when suddenly, a knight grabbed him behind his back and tossed him out of the hallway. The rest of them pointed out their swords at the decoy. He looked around and found his holiness in chains.

A wave of shock and confusion went across his face. The last thing he expected was a knight to be here. He and his holiness were supposed to be alone so that they could make the switch.

"You are under arrest for espionage and conspiracy against her royal highness, Queen Rose Tipo Valline the First!" he screamed menicingly. Two other knights lifted him by the shoulders and covered the decoy in chains. His heart started beating rapidly, utterly confused at what had just happened.

They soon brought him over to a caravan and tossed him, and the pope inside. Their destination? Straight to the dungeon.