Escape The Castle

“And then the Baldoxan, the knaves they are, turned their backs on the honorable deal we had made between our two kingdoms. Those sniveling, griping, two-faced cowards still won’t own up their betrayal. And look at what it’s cost us.”

You roll your eyes after hearing your father, the king of Oconia, tell that story for the umpteenth time. Get him an audience and some ale, and he’ll go on and on about the betrayal of the Kingdom of Baldoxa. You’ve heard this story so many times you should be able to recite it verbatim, right? Right. Your great-grandfather, King Borgen, made a deal with King Flarik of Baldoxa to share the seaport that originally bordered both realms so both could use it for trade. Then, blah blah blah, the Baldoxan betrayed Oconia and brought their army and naval power to take control of the region and have sole access to the port. The nations have been fighting ever since: Oconia to get the fair deal that was denied them in the original treaty, and Baldoxa to continue charging Oconia exorbitant tariffs. The costs have been high enough to bring ruin to the peasants of Oconia, not that your father would notice with how many lavish banquets he throws.

Dinner has been over for a while, and there’s now enough revelry going on that no one would notice you slip out of the hall. You do so, and as you head to the grand staircase to go to bed, you do a 180 and head outside, walk across the grounds, and arrive at the stables. You ride late at night often enough that the stable boys aren’t surprised to see you. They quickly saddle up your horse and off you ride. As you’re clearing your mind while riding through the cool night, you don’t entirely keep track of where you’re going or how long you’ve been out, but you know it’s been a while. Your horse is tired, so you stop for a drink at a little stream you come across. As you walk around little bit, you hear some rustling in the forest. It must be a little animal, you think. As you turn to head back to your horse, the rustling gets closer, and everything goes dark.