D.S. Newman
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Isekai Mansion Arc 1 Part 1-6
🕑 Added 2023-07-31 02:28:02 +0000 UTCWe rode quietly down into the city and were met with no resistance. Just the same, we took extra caution not to have any direct encounters with any soldiers. Anabel took us to a street near the center of town and had me wait by the horses while she crossed the street.
“That baker over there is a member of The Order. I’m going to speak with him. Wait here. I don’t want to compromise him if he’s accidentally seen with you.”
She ran over to the man as he moved large bags of flour into his shop. I saw her do the handshake and answer the Barley question. They were out of earshot, but I saw him shoot glances my way as she spoke. I stood and looked in the other direction as a few soldiers walked by on patrol. A few minutes later she came back to me.
“Okay, Eric. This is big. Washington is having a meeting today with his War Council. They’re finalizing the plans for the invasion of Bristol. I’m told several prominent leaders, including General Adams, the son of Samuel Adams, will be present. Security around the Palace is going to be extra tight…what do we do?”
I thought for a moment. It was now or never for us to make a move. A week ago, I was worried about how many stupid parties I would have to host at my new Mansion. Now I was plotting the overthrow of a despot. Then it hit me.
“Anabel, I've got it! We’ll split up near the Palace. I’ll get as close as I can on foot without being spotted. Then you’ll come by horseback from the other end of the street as fast as you can shouting, ‘The British are coming! The British are coming!’ and lead as many guards to the edge of town as you can. You’ll be just like Paul Revere!”
Anabel stared at me blankly and said, “Eric. Paul Revere was an evil evil man. How could you say such a thing?”
Before splitting up, Anabel went back to talk to the baker again very briefly to see if he could relay our plans to other friendlies nearby. I made my way down an alley that took me to the far side of the White House. I waited for a rifle carrying guard to pass before I ran up against the wall and peered around the corner to the front of the building. There were blue coats everywhere. At least a dozen at the front entrance. Then suddenly, on cue, Anabel came dashing down the street on her horse yelling, “The British are coming! The British are coming!
This way! Come on! Our forces are under attack just over the Potomac! This way!”
The sound of whistles could be heard and seven or eight of the guards in front ran after her to see what was going on. I hid in a bush when I heard three more come running from behind the building in her direction. I waited a moment and ran back there to find only two guards still remaining. I didn’t want to wait around for a dispatch from inside to come out, so I immediately drew my sword to make short work of them. But just before running out, I stopped. What was I going to do? Fight two Imperial guards head on in broad daylight? I’d mostly been lucky before and had the element of surprise. I need something more cunning than open combat.
“You there!” I shouted as I came around the corner, “your comrades need assistance!”
The two guards gripped their rifles tightly and looked at one another. One said, “go check it out.”
Looks like I got lucky once again. They seemed to have taken me for a friendly passerby. The second guard trotted off around the corner to where the other three had run to before. It was just me and the single guard. He stood there gripping his rifle. We locked eyes for a moment and just as I could tell he was realizing I wasn’t so friendly, I reacted by drawing my sword and taking a swipe. Thankfully, I felled him in a single blow and before he could yell for help.
Once inside, I snuck along the wall, I could still hear the whistles faintly in the distance. I heard someone coming so I hid behind an open door. Two more guards rushed by without noticing me. I passed the door and closed it behind me. Around the corner from where I was, I found a staircase. I started to ascend it when a guard appeared at the top. Before he could let out a shout, I flung my knife into his chest and dashed to the top of the stairs to finish him off with my sword.
After retrieving my knife, I made my way down the second-floor hallway. I hesitated for a moment because I didn’t know what to do. I heard more footsteps coming so I ran into the room of the first door I could find and shut it behind me. When I turned around I nearly fainted. The large room was populated by over a dozen men. Four guards with rifles aimed in my direction and a slew of dignitaries. Right in the middle of them all was a man about my age with long white hair in a ponytail, an elegant blue uniform, with gold tassels and buttons. It had to be him.
George Washington the Third. The Devil King.
In a very romantic and almost feminine yet dignified voice, the king ordered, “hold your fire men!”
I dropped my sword and knife to the ground and held my hands up. The door behind me opened and a small squad of other soldiers came in to restrain me.
”Well well, what do we have here?” Washington said, “you must be the one my spies warned me about. The infamous world walker. Son of the legendary Noble.”
“That’s right. My name is Eric.”
“Ah, listen to that voice,” he continued, “the same dialect your father supposedly spoke in. You know, when I first heard that a Noble had made his way onto my continent again, I didn’t believe it. I mean, why after all this time would one come back. I wasn’t even sure if the original one was real and not some myth spread by those secretive swine that are working to undermine my authority.”
”I’m real.”
He grinned sinisterly and replied, “Yes, I see that. But I’m truly curious about something. What was your plan? Did you really think you’d gallop across my empire for a week, toss around your heroics, penetrate my palatial defenses and assassinate me?”
“Made it this far, didn’t I?”
The room erupted into laughter and Washington responded, “That’s true. You did make it this far. But if I do say so myself. It seemed rather clumsy the way you waltzed in here just now.
It looked as though you had no plan at all.”
Just then we were interrupted. Three more soldiers entered the room, one of them with Anabel restrained. She had blood dripping from the left side of her mouth.
“Anabel!” I shouted while trying to move towards her, but the guards got between us.
The commander said, “this woman was the cause of the disturbance my lord. We apprehended her on the edge of town. We weren’t sure what to do with her, so we brought her here.”
“Excellent commander, you may leave her with us and return to your post,” replied Washington.
The three soldiers saluted, turned Anabel over to the guards in the room and left.
Anabel with her hands tied behind her back slumped down onto the floor with her face looking straight down at the carpet. I stood just a few feet away from her, still restrained by two guards.
“So, this must be who helped you get here so quickly. Shame it was all for naught.
Perhaps I’ll allow you to face the firing squad together…”
“Not so fast,” I interrupted, “you didn’t get a chance to hear my answer.”
“Answer? Answer to what?”
“You said it seemed like I came in here without a plan. Well didn’t you at least want to hear what the plan was?”
That sinister smirk washed over his face again before replying, “Sure. Let’s hear it.”
“I challenge you to a duel.”
The room exploded with laughter again, even the guards.
Still smiling, Washington held up his hand to quiet them, “Ha! Hold on, hold on. He’s got my interest. A duel you say. And what is the contest? Pistols, swords, knives, or bare fists?”
“Sword is fine.”
“My liege,” one of the dignitaries interrupted, “surely you are not entertaining this buffoon's request?”
“And why not? After all, he came all this way.”
“But sir, it is beneath you,” the man continued.
“You will not dictate what is beneath me!” The King scolded audibly.
The entire room shut up. No laughter, no mocking. A moment went by before he answered me.
“Okay, Eric, son of Noble. I, King George the Third, grandson of the great General Washington, accept your challenge. It will take place immediately, right here in this room with these witnesses. If you defeat me, the empire is yours. But if you fail, I’ll see to it that you live long enough to watch me behead this woman.”
I looked down at Anabel as she raised her head up to look at me. I looked back towards Washington and nodded. He signaled the guards to release me and hand me back my sword. A nearby General unsheathed his own blade and handed it to Washington who had disrobed down to his vest and ruffled shirt. He rolled up his sleeves and took the sword. The two of us slowly moved in to engage one another.
I struck first with a forward slash only to be swiftly blocked his. The two of us walked around each other. We exchanged a few more slashes and parries before he said, “you can’t win you know. I can see how green you truly are. You’ve clinked around swords for a while and think you can defeat me now. Well, you’re wrong.”
The two of us tousled and intertwined a few times before either of us began to lose breath. I ran in to lock up with him but was cast backwards by an uppercut from his hilt. The room filled with laughter once more. On and on this went until he landed a swipe across the ball of my shoulder, causing me to bleed. I held onto the wound with my left hand while still parrying with my right.
Washington stayed back a moment before rushing up to lock with me this time, but I ducked and swept the floor, leading him to leap to avoid my attack. The entire room gasped. We exchanged more forward strikes at one another, this time causing sparks to fly as our blades collided. Finally, I landed a strike across his left breast. He stepped back to touch the wound and look at his blood but then returned with a flurry of strikes.
Both of us now winded, I gave a hail mary strike and managed to knick his cheek. More audible gasping could be heard from the room at the sight of his blood. Angrily, he retaliated again, this time landing a cut just above my knee, bringing me to the floor and ending this battle.
The crowd of dignitaries and guards alike began clapping. He held his arms out to his side to receive them, sword still in hand. After he took a few obligatory bows he turned and said, “Next time, I hope they send a Noble worthy of that surname.”
Anabel started crying and said, “You monster. This is not the nation so many fought to build.”
“Perhaps not milady,” he responded, “but it is the nation that I rule nonetheless.”
He was about to make his move to make good on his threat to separate her head from her body when suddenly a soldier ran into the room breathing heavily.
“Sir! My lord, my lord,” the fellow was screaming, “a messenger just arrived from Baltimore. There’s been a revolt.”
“What?!” questioned the King, the room of dignitaries began chattering.
“Reports of the same from Philadelphia and New York as well. Apparently there’s been an insurrection the past few days.”
Anger washed over the King's face. Before he could say anything, the sound of musket fire could be heard outside down the street. It was followed by whistles. Several dignitaries and guards looked out the windows only to see militia pouring into the capital and engaging the blue coats. All of the guards except the original four who were stationed there abruptly left the room and ran outside.
“What have you done?!” the King snarled at me.
The commotion grew louder and more frantic outside, but Washington did not even acknowledge it. He simply reared back his sword and was about to strike me down when…
*Pow*
A gunshot exploded within the room. Smoke lifted from Washington’s back and blood came out from his mouth as he collapsed to the floor in front of me and Anabel. Behind him was a figure holding a smoking flintlock pistol. It was General Adams. The guards moved to secure him but before they could move, he simply looked at them and uttered, “Nah nah nah,” and motioned with his pistol to the window. The guards with a clear look of defeat on their faces acknowledged the futility of seizing him.
* * *
About thirty minutes later, out on the streets of the capital, squads of blue coats could be seen marching with their hands behind their heads at the gunpoint of militia. Anabel, Adams, the Baker from earlier, and myself spoke to one another as my wounds were being bandaged.
“So, you’ve been a part of The Order this entire time?” I asked General Adams.
“That’s right Eric. It was so top secret that no one outside the capital was to know about it. We had to make sure the timing was right. Brief as they were, the tales of your exploits since arriving in this world sparked action in those that remembered your father. I also knew your father. And when I heard Anabel’s cries about the men who fought for this nation to be more than it was, it reminded me of my own father’s efforts and the story your father told us of how things went in his timeline. That’s when I knew it had to be now. Even if the militia failed, I had to kill the King. But we couldn’t have done any of this without you, Eric.”
Oh man, could we get this on video for Stephanie?
“So, what will happen to the country now?” I asked.
“I’ve already instructed messengers to ride to Boston, Charleston, and the other major cities in the empire. The people need to know the King is dead. Any loyalists will be rounded up and a new country will have to be formed. I’ll assume command for now. But after an election is held, I’ll lay this power down.”
“I’m certain you’ll do the right thing, General,” I said as I patted him on the shoulder, still clutching my own.
“What about you? What will you do Eric?” the General asked me.
I looked at Anabel and then back at him before answering, “I’m gonna return to my world. I left far too quickly and have a lot more questions that need answering. My father left me a journal to try and make things easier for me and like a childish brat I tossed it at Higgins.”
“I can have a ship arranged to take you out of Baltimore back to Bristol. If you don’t mind, would you be my official messenger to The Order there?”
“I’ll pass on the Baltimore ship. There’s a specific ship in New York that I want to take back to Bristol. But yeah, I can deliver the message.”
General Adams nodded, shook my hand, and saw himself off to deal with other matters. The Baker did the same. It was just me and Anabel standing there now. I had so much I wanted to say to her, but I didn’t know where to start. The last week was like a whirlwind for us both.
“I’m gonna take a horse back to New York first thing in the morning,” I finally said.
“Are you sure? What about your shoulder and your knee?” she questioned.
“Ah, it's all right. Merely a flesh wound,” I joked. She didn’t get the reference, but the point was still made.
“So, what will you do?” I prodded.
“Me? I’m not sure right away. I think I’ll stay here for right now and see what I can do to help reorganize the capital. Maybe I’ll go back to Red Dragon Inn at a later time.”
“Gotcha,” I said somberly, “...well…I hope you find that husband you said you wanted.”
She nodded her head and said, “Yeah,” in a whisper before reaching her hand out to shake mine. I started to but then I pulled her in for a hug. Not a romantic one, but one that two friends who’d been through a lot would embrace.
