Chapter Text
All The King’s Horses: Chapter 1
The Fool
A journey begins
where a wanderer starts
but an adventure is found
where a fool traipses.
Gavin Free was aware that he was not as bright as the average man but had his younger self seen him now, he would probably be considered the biggest idiot of the land.
With a rugged bag of his meagre belongings hunched over his back and trusty bow slung over his shoulder, Gavin gulped as he stared into the opening of the Dark Forest. The forest loomed over him like a menacing giant, its tall trees reaching towards the sky like forsaken souls desperate for light. Light itself seemed to be sucked into the void of the Dark Forest and the air was as still as death. Gavin was really starting to regret his decision.
He was born into a poor family and till now was still a poor man. Work was hard to come by in his village and anywhere else was either too far to travel or weather too harsh to bear. Even with his considerable skill as a bowman and light-footed speed, odd jobs here and there were still insufficient to buy enough food for the day. The times were getting rougher for the people and the weather growing harsher on the crops. There was never enough for everybody, no matter how hard he worked. He was desperate and tired so when he caught word of a hidden treasure within the Dark Forest, it was considered a godsend at the time.
‘Well, not so much now, bloody idiot.’ Gavin thought miserably.
Like the fool he was, he gathered his will and all his belongings (few as they were) with the mind set on a journey to find the hidden treasure so that he may finally live in prosperity and maybe even help the people in his village. Dan, his childhood friend, had helped him throughout the harsh times of his life. He would do anything to repay his debts.
As he travelled towards the forest, his initial burst of courage dwindled and when he finally reached the opening, Gavin had to properly rethink things through.
“It’s not as if I have anything else to lose…” Gavin mumbled to himself. ‘Except maybe your life?’ Gavin grimaced at the thought and shook his head. He made the decision and he was going to stick with it. So with a huff of determination, he took a step towards the forest only to jump in fright when an oddly large crow squawked at him from an overhanging tree branch.
He looked up in surprise and immediately scowled at the bird above him. The crow had feathers as dark as ink and its eyes held a glow of an unusual purple. It looked at him with open curiosity, as though it were judging him. Gavin was thoroughly creeped out by it especially with its eerie eyes staring at him. He had not noticed the bird earlier and wondered for a moment how it suddenly popped up.
“Hey, you creepy bird! What are you staring at?!” Gavin yelled grumpily at the crow. The crow tilted its head and after a minute or two, flew off in a silent flutter of wings towards the forest.
“Stupid bird…” Gavin mumbled and sighed. He continued his walk into the Dark Forest, still intimidated by the ominous atmosphere.
The trees grew taller and taller as he ventured deeper into the forest, till their dark leaves blocked out the afternoon sun entirely. No wind blew through the forest and the air was cold and damp. The somewhat vague trail he was following was soon covered in thick roots and rotten leaves. Moss and fungi grew in all the little gaps and crevices of the trees. Rocks littered the ground and Gavin had to tread carefully but that did not stop him from stumbling and tripping as he carried on forward.
He lost track of time after a long while and when he found some level ground, decided to set up camp for the night. He managed to start a small fire for some warmth and ate a piece of stale bread that he had brought with him. He had not been able to find any small animals to hunt for dinner so he had to make do with what he had for now.
As the fire crackled, he looked around his little camp. The shadows casted by the trees looked like ghosts repelled by the light of the small fire and still no sound of fauna could be heard. The ambiance of this place made Gavin’s spine shiver, from the cold or from fright, he did not know.
He laid down on the ground with his head on his pack and started thinking of his village. If he could find the treasure, he imagined how much better life would be at home. Dan could finally have the chance to become a knight for the country and the little children Gavin always played with could get new toys instead of using sticks and rocks all the time. His village would not have to starve anymore and Gavin would not have to struggle to make ends meet any longer. He could finally make people happy! Those thoughts made Gavin smile to himself with hope.
“Now who in the world would smile like that in a place like this?” A voice across him suddenly asked.
Gavin squawked loudly in alarm, disturbed suddenly from his daydreaming and in panic, scurried for his bow and arrows. When he finally found them and faced the source of the voice, he blinked in surprise. The newcomer was a young-looking man sitting on a rock near the fire. The stranger looked at him with amusement, an eyebrow raised in interest.
The strange man had frames of glass which covered his eyes but that did not hide the subtle glowing ring of purple around his irises. He wore a simple but sleek black doublet over a dark long sleeved shirt with a pair of black breeches. He would have looked like an image of Death himself if it were not for his laid-back demeanour or the fact that he was completely unarmed. What caught Gavin’s attention was the brooch on his chest which looked like an eye of a reptile set in obsidian that seemed to stare at him knowingly.
Gavin gulped but kept his focus on the stranger. He had expected monsters or demons in the forest but certainly not a man though his gut had a feeling that this stranger was not all that he seemed.
“W-Who are you?” Gavin asked the stranger. He gripped his bow a little tighter when the man smirked and bowed his head slightly in greeting.
“I have no intention of harming you, Gavin. You may call me Kdin.” Answered the stranger, his voice calm with a hint of mirth.
Gavin blinked rapidly and slowly lowered his bow and arrow. His mouth gaped open like a fish and when his voice finally managed to spill from his lips, “H-How do you know my name? And what sort of name is Kdin?? That’s a weird name to call someone. Your parents must not like you very much. Is it even English?” He rambled in sudden confusion. The fright from before had disappeared and was now replaced with innocent curiosity.
The man, Kdin, blinked in bewilderment. After a moment, he composed himself and with an amused huff, said, “You’re surprisingly very trusting of a stranger you have just met.”
Gavin scoffed and pointed at him. “Well it’s not like you can hurt me or anything since you’re unarmed. I’m quite good with a bow and arrow.” He drew his bow to explain his meaning, only to accidentally hit himself in the face with a loud squawk.
Kdin sighed and shook his head. “Be that as it may, it does not mean I cannot bring you harm. You should be more careful especially around these parts for nothing may be as they seem.” He remarked.
Gavin rubbed his bruised nose and flashed a happy-go-lucky grin. “Well, you’re nice for telling me that so I’m sure you’re an alright guy even with a funny name.” He chimed.
Kdin placed a palm over his face and sighed once again. He schooled his features back into calm and leaned forward towards the fire. Shadows danced across his face as the small fire crackled in the centre of the small camp. “What brings you here, traveller? Not many would come here unless driven by something.” The mysterious man inquired.
Gavin sat closer to the fire for more warmth and crossed his legs to get himself comfortable. “I heard from some travellers that there was a hidden treasure within the Dark Forest so I wanted to have a go at it. Nothing to lose and all.” He responded while rubbing his hands together to get some more heat.
Kdin narrowed his eyes and steepled his hands together. Gavin felt the sudden tension within the air and tensed instinctively. “For selfish greed? Do you truly have nothing to lose?” The man quietly asked. His voice was soft but felt like a quake in the forest’s silence.
In a sudden bout of courage and anger, Gavin snapped, “I don’t need you to tell me how I need to live my life! I may have very little left but if I’ve got to risk it to help the people who have cared for me when they didn’t have to then you’ll be damned sure I will!” He huffed after his outburst and crossed his arms in defiance. ‘That’ll teach the pissy little piss pot with the dumb name.’ Gavin grumbled to himself.
Then, a burst of laughter came from the man and Gavin blinked in confusion. Kdin’s laughter slowly simmered to a chuckle and he grinned at Gavin. “I think you’ll do. I have a good feeling about you.” He beamed and stood up.
“Huh?” Gavin looked at him in befuddlement.
A golden key materialised in Kdin’s hand and he tossed it towards Gavin, who tried to catch it but got hit in the face with it instead.
“Keep that with you, Gavin Free. You’ll need it soon for your journey. Good luck.” Kdin said as he waved a goodbye to Gavin and walked into the darkness of the forest.
Gavin fumbled for the key and rubbed his sore face. “Wait! How do you know my name?!” He called but his mysterious acquaintance had already disappeared into the void of the forest. He looked about his surroundings and saw that nothing had changed, as though the stranger was never there. Gavin sighed and plopped back down on the ground with his head on his pack.
The silence was deafening once again with only the crackle of the fire and his breathing to interrupt it. He held the key in his hand and inspected it. It was a pure gold key with weird symbols engraved on its surface. The key alone would be enough to buy him a month’s worth of food but Kdin said to keep it, so he would. He stuffed the key into his bag and lay back down.
A day’s worth of boring walking and a meeting with a stranger with a weird name. So far, his journey does not seem too bad, Gavin thought, maybe tomorrow he might have better luck in his adventure. He closed his tired eyes and blissful sleep blanketed him in moments.
__
Gavin woke up to the sight of the small pile of ashes that was his campfire and quickly sat up to stretch his limbs. After he had another nibble on some stale bread for breakfast, he quickly packed up his things and continued his long journey of nothing but trekking over thick roots and rocks of the silent forest.
The greenery grew thicker and thicker as he travelled deeper into the forest. It seemed to slowly morph from a forest into a thick jungle as he continued on. ‘How odd.’ Gavin wondered. Vines littered his surroundings and he struggled to weave through the thick foliage. The trees had gotten thicker and higher till he could not even see the ceiling of the canopy. ”How is this even real??” Gavin muttered to himself as he pushed a branch out of the way and stumbled onwards.
Suddenly, his foot got caught on a stray root and he fell forward into a pile of leaves which abruptly gave way to a deep hole in the ground that he then fell into.
Gavin screamed as he fell down the hole and braced himself for impact as he hit soft and damp dirt with a loud oof. He rolled forward and stopped sprawled out, face first on the ground. His head felt like it was spinning in circles, so he stayed lying down for a while till he managed to regain his senses.
His body was aching all over from the thankfully short fall. None of his bones felt broken but he was sure his body was now covered in some bruises. He breathed a sigh of relief and placed his head sideways with his bruised cheek against the ground. He groaned while closing his eyes, wanting to remain on the soft and cool dirt for a little while longer, until he felt water dripping on his cheek.
He blinked his eyes open to see where the water was coming from. He saw a tongue stretch out towards his face and lick his cheek. He yelped in surprise and quickly scurried away from whatever creature was licking him. He blinked rapidly in surprise and stared at the creature before him in bewilderment. It looked at him with somehow, an unimpressed expression and baa’ed at him impassively.
It was a goat.