The sun was high above the horizon and the birds sitting on the branches of nearby trees sang a calming song of joy. The world was smiling while the three travelers rode down a narrow road that ran through a thick forest to the town of Keda, but Count Ringbach did not share this joy. He didn't yet shrugged of the sadness that fell upon him after the death of his wife just 2 weeks earlier. It was Count's son Konrad that disturbed his melancholy thoughts - "Daddy, are there going to be any knights at the fair in Keda?" he asked with a little blink in his eye.
"Oh, yes son. It is customary that knights go to the annual fair at Keda and check their strength at the tournament" he replied.
"When I grow up I'm going to be a knight too." Konrad told him.
"I'm sure you will, what about you Michal? Who do you want to be in the future?"
"I want to be like you." Michal replied. His two sons Michal and Konrad where probably the only thing that kept him alive. What would they do if he died? They were only twelve and so innocent. He won't die, he will live for them, and this decision made him feel a little better.
It came suddenly, an awareness of being watched and hostility in the air. "Ambush" Count considered "but here, so close to Keda? There never have been any robbers in this area."
Cautiously he drew his sword and looked closely around, then the enemy struck. They heard a whistling sound and young brothers Von Ringbach cried loudly as they saw a crossbow bolt in their father's chest. The robbers appeared almost instantly after the shot. They were a bunch of youngsters dressed in leather coats, armed in crossbows and short swords. They quickly checked the corpse of Count Von Ringbach for valuables and turned to his sons. A tall, slim man with a nasty-looking red scare that ran through half of his face who appeared to be the band's leader, laugh. "That was almost to easy" he told his companions "I sure am the greatest shooter there ever lived. And now you two, follow your father" he announced.
"Murderer!" the boys shouted.
"Oh, yes I am," the bandit replied "and now I gonna murder you."
"Hey, Zaramis, leave them alone, they are just kids. They are harmless so..." another robber broke off.
"They saw our faces Gelb. We got to kill those spoiled brats." Zaramis replied with blood lust in his dark eyes. He lifted his sword with an evil grin.
"Imperial patrol!" somebody shouted. Zaramis looked back and saw about fifteen heavily armed riders in blue uniforms.
"To the woods, quickly" he commanded and the robbers fled leaving boys crying in the middle of the road.
"They killed our father!" Michal cried as the riders approached.
"Corporal," the man a the head of the patrol said loudly "dispatch two people to guard those boys. rest of you fallow me, let get those bandits" and rode into the forest after the robbers. They came back after about three quarters of hour later with disappointment on their faces.
"What happened here?" The man in command asked crying boy.
"We were going to the fair at Keda and those people attacked us. They killed our father and took his money" Konrad replied with huge tears in his eyes. "They wanted to kill us too, but then they saw you coming and fled into the woods Sir."
"What are your names? Where do you live?"
"I'm Michal and this is Konrad, my brother we live in our father's castle, Rondeleigh." Michal answered.
"So you are young Von Ringbachs?"
"Yes." Konrad replied simply.
"My name is Fosal, I'm a Captain of this patrol," Captain introduced himself "don't worry we will take you home, everything is going to be alright." He felt bad for those two young boys whose father just been killed and angry at those outlaws which cared more about a few silver and gold coins then for another human's life. A murder in the middle of the day, less then half a league from a fair-sized town, on the imperial road! That was just outrageous!