~Chapter 3- The Kingsguard~

The inner circle of the city surrounding the King's castle was populated with buildings, marketplaces, and small residential homes. Many of the homes were made from clay, while the finer buildings were built with stone. The primary roads of the city were laid with stone, while alleyways and other roads were dirt.

The streets had countless people walking about. The people along a single road might've matched the population of the town Lumb knew back home. Soldiers were more vigilant in this portion of the city as well. Despite the overwhelming noise and business, people seemed content. Lumb and Ceptance could never imagine living in a place like this.

Ceptance held Deporah's hand, but the little girl was practically leading them to the Kingsguard. She knew the city well. The Kingsguard had several locations all around the city, so they could best serve its citizens. Such was the will of King Denile. If any citizens required assistance, these locations could be reached for help. Between that and the patrolling guards, the city of Mortel was safe.

To the south of the Castle was one of the Kingsguard's barracks. A relatively sizable stone building, sturdier than the rest in town. There was a basement level where criminals were detained. A training ground to the side of the building was fenced in. Stables housing horses were situated near the back.

Soldiers stood around the building, but they weren't on guard. The entrance was wide open to the public.

Lumb felt anxious as they walked into the Kingsguard building. But even though he had an axe visibly on him, the soldiers didn't pay him much mind. There were great numbers of them inside the building, perhaps that's why they were so comfortable allowing anyone inside. They knew they could handle anything that came their way.

They came inside to a foyer for civilians, with soldiers guarding other portions of the building. A woman sat at a desk to greet individuals, prepared to call upon active soldiers to help with any issues they may have.

The woman greeted them with a smile. "May I help you?"

Ceptance knocked on the desk, "I'd like information pertaining to the case of Urba Dolor."

The woman was dumbfounded. Surely, she expected her to ask for help with some domestic dispute, or perhaps something far more mundane. The soldiers in the foyer gave Ceptance an odd look as well.

"Umm... Whatever for?"

"She was my daughter."

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Lieutenant Aingr sat on a bench on the training grounds, watching two other soldiers fencing. The sun bounced off of his bald head, and his bulky mass made him appear threatening. They were in a sandy courtyard with pillars surrounding them, just outside of the Kingsguard building.

The soldiers, Schwartz and Horace, wielded wooden swords with dull edges and wore the same bulky armor they normally would when on patrol. Aingr insisted they do so during training.

Horace wildly attacked, but Schwartz deflected each swing.

"You're tiring yourself out, Horace," Aingr coached. He tapped a finger to his bald head, "Think."

Horace stepped back and took a breath. The red-haired man was tall and had a long reach with his arms. It wasn't helping now though. His green eyes intensified as he went to engage Schwartz again.

Horace seemed different lately. Typically, he'd try to circle his opponents and attack from the sides, but today it was sheer aggression. It seemed very unlike him. His eyes were strained as well, as if he were anxious about this simple sparring match. Usually he enjoyed the sport, but now it felt obligatory.

Schwartz sidestepped a swipe of a sword and struck Horace in the shoulder, "Got you again! Today is just not your day, mate."

"I suppose I'm just feeling off..." Horace shrugged.

A woman's voice came from behind Aingr, "Ahem... Lieutenant Aingr?"

Aingr stood at attention, sweeping his cape behind him. He saw the receptionist of the Kingsguard accompanied by three individuals. An older woman in overalls with graying hair. Beside her was a lanky man with an intense expression. A little brown-haired girl with a dreary look on her face stood between them...

...Deporah?

Aingr looked closer at the little girl. It was the orphan from the Urba Dolor case. Aingr thought that Schwartz had brought her to the country to see her family.

"What's going on?" Aingr asked. Schwartz and Horace ceased their fencing.

"Sorry to interrupt," the receptionist began, "This woman was curious about the Urba Dolor case. She was... insistent that she meet with you."

"I see... That's not typical..." Aingr replied.

The older woman stepped forward, "There's no way my daughter would kill anyone. There must be something you missed."

Daughter?

Aingr figured this woman must be Ceptance Dolor. Did she come all the way to Mortel for this?

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dolor."

"Ms. Dolor." The woman corrected him curtly.

"... Miss Dolor. I'm sorry to say, but your daughter confessed. The case was closed weeks ago," Aingr replied calmly.

The man standing beside Ceptance spoke up, "We came all the way to Mortel to get answers. The least you can do is share what you know."

The man spoke calmly, but there was an edge to him. He did have a point though. They came all this way for a reason; they were looking for closure.

Aingr rubbed his bald head and turned to Schwartz and Horace, "Can one of you grab the ledger on the Urba Dolor case from upstairs?"

Schwartz looked just as surprised to see them as Aingr was. But Horace's demeanor had shifted to a poised stance. He was looking at Deporah... perhaps the reminder of that incident disturbed him.

"I'm on it, lieutenant!" Schwartz volunteered, quickly jogging past Aingr. He looked at the three, "Wasn't expecting to see all of you so soon."

Schwartz continued past them into the Kingsguard building. The receptionist headed back inside as well, leaving Aingr with the three.

"Just wait a moment until Schwartz gets back," Aingr looked at the little girl, "How're you doing, Deporah?"

"I'm okay..." She replied with a tepid voice.

Aingr looked back at Ceptance and the other man. He extended his gloved hand, "What was your name, sir?"

"Lumb." The man replied. As he shook his hand, he looked past him, "Is something wrong with your friend?"

Aingr glanced back at Horace, who had sat down and was looking unwell. "Horace, are you okay?"

Horace looked up and nodded, "I'm not feeling great."

"You can head home if you like."

"I think I will."

Schwartz re-entered the area with a folder of documents, "Got it, sir."

"Good... Now, what did you want to know about the case exactly?" Aingr asked the Dolor family.

"Everything." Ceptance replied quickly.

Aingr raised an eyebrow, "Very well then. Schwartz?"

"Alright, sir..." Schwartz opened the folder and began reading off of the documents, "Well, on the night of the incident, the victims, Gregor and Seamus, were found stabbe-"

Aingr promptly placed a hand on Schwartz's shoulder and looked to Ceptance, "Don't you think it best that you take Deporah outside before we talk about the details of this case? There's no reason for her to hear more about this."

Ceptance's eyes widened, and she looked at the little girl at her side. "Oh! Of course! I'll take her outside. Tell my son everything you can."

"As you wish..." Aingr replied.

Ceptance uttered to Lumb, "Make sure to find out as much as you can."

"Of course, mom," Lumb said, his demeanor softening as he spoke to her.

Ceptance took Deporah by the hand and they left the way they came.

Aingr set the documents on the bench so that Lumb could see them easily. Aingr began to explain the details of the case. "Corporal Horace and I were the first to arrive at the scene of the murder. We found Urba's husband, Gregor, and another man named Seamus murdered. Urba was distraught, and Deporah was hiding in her room. When questioned, she immediately confessed to murdering them."

"Why did she say she did it?"

"She never gave a motive. No matter how much we pressed her for one."

"Who was this Seamus guy?"

"A man who lived not far from her. Lived alone and minded his own business. From what we found, Urba and Seamus did not know each other before that night, and it was unclear why Seamus came to their home in the first place. We tried speaking to Deporah and Urba about further details of that night, but we couldn't get much out of either of them."

Lumb glared at him, "Isn't that something you should've looked into more?"

"You can't investigate every loose end. Especially in a city this big. Besides, we had enough information to go on," Aingr replied, "We found a stab wound in Gregor's collarbone and shoulder, and both of their necks had been slit."

Lumb winced. The thoughts of his sister's killings must've been uncomfortable.

Aingr said, "I can stop now if you'd like-"

"No. Where are their bodies being held?"

"Gregor and Seamus's bodies are in the Hall of the Dead. They haven't been claimed by any family members yet."

"What about Urba's?"

Aingr sighed, "She was a criminal. Individuals like that don't get to have their bodies held in the Hall of the Dead. After her execution, she was cremated. I have no clue what happened to her remains after that."

Lumb winced again. He didn't show much emotion on the surface, but Aingr could tell there was turmoil in him. He took a deep breath, "That's a shame. We were hoping to bury her back home."

"I'm sorry..." Aingr replied. It was all he could do. "There was an odd detail we found when looking over Seamus."

"What do you mean?"

"There were these painful-looking cuts all over his body. Almost every inch of him had this strange symbol."

"You're saying Urba did that?"

"No, these cuts weren't fresh..." Aingr paused. "When we looked through his home, we didn't find anything out of the ordinary though. No one recognized the symbol. The best conclusion we had is that he was disturbed and cut himself."

Lumb looked up at Aingr, "It doesn't sound like you were very thorough."

Aingr narrowed his eyes, "We had the perpetrator, and what Seamus did was his business. No need to investigate beyond that."

Lumb paused for a moment, reading through the documents, "Could I see their bodies?"

Aingr, Schwartz, and Horace looked at him with dumbfounded looks. Aingr said, "That is rather unorthodox."

"But I could see them if you let me, right?"

Aingr was about to reject this idea outright, but it was clear all this family wanted was closure. Perhaps, if they saw the full spectrum of the case, it'd satisfy them. Maybe, they'd find out more about Seamus as well.

Aingr smirked, "Very well. It can't hurt anything. I'll write you a letter to present to the Hall of the Dead's minister. They'll show you Horace and Gregor's remains."

"I'd like to see Seamus's home as well," Lumb prodded.

Aingr was almost taken aback by Lumb's persistence, "You're really pushing the bounds, aren't you?"

Aingr thought for a moment. Seamus's home had already been emptied. What harm could they do?

"Fine! I'll give you the address and permission to search the home if that makes you happy. But if I find one thing out of place, I'll hold you responsible. Understood?"

"Understood." Lumb answered.