At Least It Wasn't My Fault

It had been a week, my stomach was sour from eating prison food, my bowels did not like the commnity bathroom hole I was having to go at, and my clothing was starting to stink from not being able to change it (because being polite to prisoners has never been a thing in any society I've ever seen). So prison was not treating me well.  Needless to say when I was brought out of my cell to "face my accuser" I was a little angry (and lets not forget I was accused of murder, how the hell could I face my accuser? I supposedly killed him!). I got even more angry when I was brought into a room opposite members of the Ronerawth Royal Guard, I was about to walk back out when the door slammed shut behind me.

"Sit down Mr. Lorentino." Two of them, both around the same height, ornate pistols on their right hip were there only visible weapons, but I knew from experience ornate or not the pistols were very much working weaponry. They were both standing (obviously since I knew they were the same height) in the middle of the room was a large wooden chair with shackles on the arms (I was already shackled so no worry about getting reshackled), from experience I knew that kind of chair was used for extra punishment, I could see some of the stained blood on the back to reaffirm that point. The statement was not so much an invitation as a command, so I sat as ordered.

"I take it this means I did not kill anyone." Got to start with the obvious.  The man who spoke (he was on my left so he'll be lefty, not that righty talked, but still they get names!) looked to his compatriot and shrugged a little.

"Not yet, but if needed you will have." Implied threat right out the gate, I could tell this was one of those conversations that go over so well.

"So what do you want from me?"

"You're help, but we also have to maintain your silence something we are aware you are not good at."

"And so if I talk about helping you I get tossed in a cell."

"Executed."

"Executed fantastic, so my next question, what can I do to help you?" When you're beat you're beat, there is nothing to do but just lay back and hope they don't kill you.  This is also my strategy for sex any ladies reading this journal.

"Right to the point the Emperor has been poisoned, and will die if we can not cure him."

"I'm not a healer, nor an apothecary though I do know a good one..."

"We do not need your healing Lorentino, thats being taken care of, what we need is retribution."

"You both seem capable enough, go get your retribution." Honestly I'm not an assassin and I really wish people would stop thinking I was.

"This can't be connected to Ronerawth, and while you are sadly somehow considered a citizen in this country, you are not associated with us especially not with the Red Hand leadership." I should have known this was a Red Hand thing, most things associated with me and prison normally were.

"I'm really feeling the love here." Righty went to the door and knocked on it, two other Ronerawth royal guards showed up, one unshackled me, the other handed me a rather large knapsack.

"Everything you need is in the sack, including a map and some money to get you going, be aware if you flee we'll burn your shop down and kill all of your employees." This will make me an awful person but I honestly considered running for a few brief hours... I left the prison area, making a brief stop at my shop to inform them I was going on a journey and to swap clothes (I was under the impression I was not forbidden from doing either of those things and seeing how they didn't kill my shop workers and burn the building down, it apparently was fine).  I was out of town and in a small makeshift camp near a river (to wash off naturally) before I even looked at who they wanted me to kill, and when I did I exclaimed so loud and so hard I'm sure every creature around heard it, but I cared not because I would have rather been killed than set on the task I was.  What was it? Who did they want me to kill? Well maybe I'll tell you tomorrow! Or maybe I'll launch into a tirade about the trade restrictions on river deltas! You never know with this journal!