THE HAUNTED KINGDOM 3 by CHARLES E.J. MOULTON (ereader that reads to you .txt) 📕

down.
“Yes, Julian!”
Steven was drinking his mead and sulking.
Alex took his mead in his hand and drank and put it down, very confused about all of this. He thought about the innkeeper’s words about mingling and began looking out for someone else to talk to.
It was then he recognized the chubby woman sitting in the corner by the door, laughing along with a thin elegant man.
A grin spread across his lips.
“Geena!”
Alex opened his arms and ran to her.
The woman cowered in her corner, afraid of what might happen next.
Behind Alex a baritone innkeeper voice exclaimed: “Oh, no! Not again!”
Alexander sat down next to her and hugged her as she began laughing.
“Geena Johnstone. My dear, how are you?”
The woman looked at her partner and began laughing, her belly bouncing up and down, her cheeks turning red. There was a mixture of extraordinary surprise and exaltation fulfilled mirth there. She began laughing, the entire table shaking with the power of her belly pushing the table with her laughter.
“Who are you, Sire?”
She pointed toward him and looked at her partner.
“Rolf? You know this man?”
Alex looked at the man and instantly recognized him as his faithful houseman. Rolf shook his head and grinned, trying not to chuckle too much.
Geena stood up and hollered: “Does anyone know who this is?”
No one answered. There was murmur, some laughter, but no response.
After a while some woman sitting way across the way beyond the bar answered:
”Send ‘im over. I might want to!”
Geena stood up again.
“Y’can ‘ave him, Sweetie!”
She sat down.
Alex was in panic.
“Why don’t you know me? Why don’t you know me, Geena?”
He stood up, knocked over her empty glass and stepped Rolf on the foot.
“Watch out!” Rolf exclaimed.
Alexander backed away.
”Rolf? You know me?”
Rolf shook his head.
“I am your king!”
Geena opened her eyes even wider now and began laughing so loud that everyone began laughing with her.
She stood up and bowed. “Your majesty!” She laughed again. “Your noble majesty!”
Alexander turned once and saw only people he knew. The innkeeper had been right. He should’ve mingled. Patrick was sitting with Erica at the table next to him. “Patrick? Erica?“
The young couple had been joined by their son who was sitting petting a cocker spaniel in the
corner. ”Henry? Lance?”
”Do we know you, Sir?”
He rubbed his face and all the time he felt the eyes of a million people who all knew him. He saw Mormidar, Ulfaas, Morgana, Julius Cretan, Bishop Bernardus Paul, Theo, Marcus, Simon, Louis, Bantrard, Zedrick, Patricia, Maria, Martin, Eleonora, Marcus, Henricus Balthazar, the Great Danes, every one of the people in this room he knew. Everyone in this room he knew and he saw it in his eyes that they had no idea that they knew who he was.
He looked at Julian, who shook his head.
“I told you that you were a problem, Alex! Leave!”
”No” Alex screamed.
At that moment, two women entered the establishment being lead by a man in black suit and a large moustache, a turban on his head.
He recognized them all.
The women were wearing blue and white dresses and bundled up in thick fur coats.
They stopped in the doorway when the saw him, looking around the inn and realizing that no one spoke.
The young woman walked up and spoke to Alex:
”Sir, how can I help you?”
Alexander began sobbing, fell down on his knees.
The young woman bent down and caressed his forehead.
“Sir, let me help you up!”
Alex slowly stood up and shook his head.
“Don’t you know me?”
The young woman shook her head.
“No, I am sorry. I am sorry that I don’t. I am here with my father and mother.” Alex looked at the bearded man with the turban looking at the woman. “My father here is mayor of this village and this man over at the bar is my husband Steven.”
Alex could only repeat what he had already said:
”Don’t you know me?”
Steven rushed up from the bar, took up the glass and smashed it on the floor. It broke into a thousand pieces.
“Julian put down his last glass and exclaimed: “Your are going to have clean that up!”
Without listening, Steven rushed up to Alex and took him by the neck and screamed:
”This man claims to be your father!”
Alex pushed Steven away with his strong hands. Steven bumped against the wall.
The bearded man came. “Sire, stop bothering us. If you want Julian can give you a room for
the night. Would you like that?”
”Mustafus, remember how you told me to put myself first?”
The man shook his head. “I know not of what instance you are speaking” the man rumbled in a low voice. Alex looked at the woman, still standing in the doorway.
”Wife, Sieglinde. You must know me.”
Alex shook her and hugged her.
“Have not seen you in such a long time. You must know me. You must know me.”
Mustafus came up and pushed him away, calmly.
“That is quite enough.” He gestured to Julian to come over. The innkeeper did so and took Alex by the shoulders. “Give this man your room on the upper floor. Give him some food and let him sleep.”
The fat man took Alex by the hand. Immediately Alex let go.
“Leave me!”
“Young man, behave!” Julian said. At once, Alex realized he was young and had forgotten that he was not the king he thought he was. He was even younger than Steven.
“Let me be!”
”Come up and sleep in the room!”
The man walked up to the bar and gestured to Alex to come.
What would he have to go to if he didn’t come with?
At once, he saw the four lights above Julian’s head. They were hanging there, waiting for him
to follow.
Against his will, he did follow the innkeeper behind the bar. He took a last look at every one of the people that he knew so well.
“Why don’t you know me?”
Julian lit a large candle.
Alex turned around and followed Julian through a narrow door up a squeaking, wooden dark staircase and up to a landing with two doors. One to the left and one to the right.
Julian opened the door to the left and gestured for him to enter.
Alexander entered a room with low ceiling.
Julian came in and put the large candle on the main table by the outer wall. It lit the room well.
There was a large bed next to the table and a picture of an angel opposite the bed. The room was not big, but it was cosy.
Alex sat down on the bed and saw how the four lights hoovered in the middle of the room and stayed there while Julian walked down to get some food.
He came back some time later, whilst Alex was still sitting numb on the bed and put the tray with chicken and bread and mead on the table. He stopped in the doorway and said:
“Do you see know why you are a problem?”
Alex looked up.
He shook his head.
“I know them. Why don’t they know me?”
”Regardless. Do your own thing. Don’t be so dependant on other people and what they think.”
”These people are my closest friends and family.”
Julian held up his hand: “I know you think they are. But you are not at home. You are a guest here. Act like one. This is not home. This is somewhere else. Keep your true feelings to yourself, even if it is hard. Everyone does not know exactly who and what you are. You are important to you. Save yourself for you.” Julian sighed and pointed toward the table. “Eat something and go to sleep. I think you should just make sure that you get a night’s sleep and get going tomorrow. You have a long journey ahead of you?”
Alexander looked down.
He did, didn’t he. He looked up at the four lights still hovering in mid air. The four evangelists. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Four houses. Four homes. Four messengers.
He looked at Julian.
“I think so!”
Darkest Callenia was still ahead.
The Haunted Forest was still ahead. The battle was still ahead.
“You have a goal, don’t you?”
Alex nodded.
“Sleep then.” Julian tried to smile. “Sorry about your disappointing evening.”
Alex sighed and shook his head.
“A guess it is a lesson someone wants to teach me, whatever it is it wants to tell me.”
Julian smiled, this time it was genuine, his red cheeks puffing up and his eyebrows raising.
“You are the main character in the book of your life. You can help others as much as you want, but do it from your standpoint. Don’t hit people over the head with your life because they are not like you.”
Alexander understood none of what he said.
“Sleep well, Sire!”
Julian closed the door and left him alone.
Thoughtfully, Alexander walked up to the table and ate.
The food tasted good, the mead was delicious. But the food had almost no effect on him. Afterwards he was just as sad. He went to bed and slept and dreamt of home.

Theo rode up to the wagon, giggled to himself, letting Marcus sneer at his own mistake all he wanted to, and acrobatically displayed his magic feature of being able to ride, bend over and still hold a conversation with him at the same time, even accepting an offer of having a sip of wine. He turned the horse around and rode alongside the wagon, making dust wave up behind him. He drank out of the king’s cup, dried off his hand and gave the cup back.
“Thanks, your majesty!”
"They have no idea that I am drunk on your wine and haven't slept more than an eyeful. But Marcus is such a damn stiff."
He half-smiled. "But he loves his country."
Theo laughed, cynically. "He does his job well." Theo's face turned slightly tongue-in-cheek. "Where's he stiff again?"
"Have another sip, my friend." Alex said with a little chuckle.
The bottle was handed over to the rider, who drank and then handed back the bottle.
“Good sire … You want to make me drunk? Then I shall be careful about my position.”
"What's your errand, Sir Theo?"
"I rode up a few miles down the road, your majesty, and there has been an accident about half hour away and the scene is not funny at all.”
“Why would there be anything funny about it?”
“The man claims he saw an attacker …” Alex said nothing to this. “One of the black ones.”

Alex woke up around two hours later, a full belly, fully clothed and realized that Mercutio was still standing outside the inn with nothing to eat but a small bag of grain around his neck.
Half of the candle had burned down.
Alex looked at the four lights.
This time they were by the door.
It was obvious that they wanted him to stand up and leave for downstairs.
What he found interesting was that he that he referred to the lights almost as living beings.
Maybe they were.
Rubbing his eyes, he put on his boots and stood up. He blew out the candle, realized how light this room was thanks to the dancing lights and walked to the door.
He opened it and followed the