"How may I help you?" spoke the king, in very cool and calculated tone.

"I ask, that this man be struck down by your axe, for blaspheming falsely in your name!" cried the guard.

"What exactly did he say in my name.

"That he was part of your elite army and that they were all killed!" The guard trembled with emotion like never before. This reminded Ogen of himself as a boy, telling his father about something that had troubled him and was finally letting it out.

"Is this true, young man."

"It is true that I said this," spoke Ogen boldly. "Just as it is true regarding what I said. Now I know that you would not recognize a low ranked soldier like myself, but you mailed me a letter sending me with the elite. It was supposed to be an easy mission, but-"

"Don't listen to this foolishness King!" cut the guard. Helon immediately looked, at the guard then, widening his eyes. Even Ogen had to avert his eyes from that stare. It was enough of a stare to make the guard lose all appearance of anger, and he put his head down to face the stone floor.

"So," the king continued as if nothing had come about, "You say that you are, or should I say ... were, part of my elite force and that you saw them die? For me to believe that, I would have to have proof that you were part of my army in the first place." Suddenly, the king's eyes were ablaze with seriousness. "And you better have proof, young man, because the things you say will have dire consequences. If what you say is false, you will surely die. If they are true...no, they cannot be true." Ogen took a deep breath.

"Then have this guard go and bring back my wife, who fives in the Ton Residence," Ogen said boldly, "And have her bring your letter of your approval for my commission. Will that not suffice as proof?"

"Guard. Do as he says." With a huff and a puff, the guard spun around and left the throne room to follow the order.

For a time, Ogen was left standing there, looking straight ahead at the king. Total silence blanketed the large room. His eyes did not waver from looking directly into Helon's eyes. He did not want to give his king even the slightest hint that he was not absolutely serious about what he had come to say. As for Helon, his eyes would only be lifted to Ogen's directions for moments at a time. His eyes were intense, and it seemed to Ogen that he was trying to figure out if Ogen was lying or not. As if were trying to push or pull the truth of the matter out of the chained man standing in front of him. But Ogen's eyes were firm and straight, never wavering or moving from their position. The king did this many different times, but the result was always that he ended up looking away or covering his eyes by rubbing his face.

The door opened slowly, and Ogen saw her hair first. A long shiny black rainbow, ending its path just before the ground. Then she walked in hesitantly. This was no mirage. But to Ogen, it was still a kind of dream. He hoped that he would not have to wake up too soon. She looked around, and their eyes met. Ogen could not stop staring at the shape of her body. He was never able to get over her figure, as it was an incredible sight every time he saw her. Her lithe legs were moving gently. Her waist was thin, supporting an upper body that all women would envy. That body was covered by a loose, flowing green dress that he had never seen before this day. And her face--he never got to her face, Her lips were on top of his at that moment, she having run her hardest to reach him the moment she saw him. Her arms were tight around his waist, and there was no room between their bodies as she hugged with all of her might. He felt her love blowing from her body like a strong wind, while he wished that his arms were free so that he would be able to gently squeeze more of that love out of her.

"Enough." From far away, he heard the guard's voice. At that moment he was able to make a choice of whether to listen to him, or continue to drink from his cup of passion. He managed to loose his lips from hers, and quickly placed them next to her ear.

"We will finish this soon enough, dear." He then pulled away, but not before kissing her cheek again. She continued to stare at him, unsatisfied. Her face was sad and full of longing.

"I assume that you are Ogen's wife," said Helon. "I will be very blunt. Do you have the papers proving that I had sent this man into battle with my elite?" Ogen looked at Gwen, trying to find where those papers must be on her body. She looked at the king for a second longer then it would have taken to say "yes", and Ogen's heart sank.

"No, my king."

Ogen spoke up. "Did I not leave it in the house? I showed you the paper, and how much I treasured it! I think I even put it in the Book of Truth, so that we may see it every night before we studied the words of our Creator!"

"Ogen, my dear. I love you with all of my heart, but I do not love what you do. Do you think that I enjoy letting you go away from me, with the possibility of death? My mother lost my father in battle. Her pain was so strong that it left an impression on me. Yes, Kinion always wins their battles, but someone has to die. And whoever dies, it is to his wife as if everyone in the world was murdered. I was angered that you went out, with the possibility that you would never come back to me. I was devastated. And the night you left, I ripped that paper to pieces, and burned the shreds in the fireplace." She had the worried look on her again, wondering if her act would bring in serious problems.

"Oh, Gwen, I did not know..." Ogen began to consider that fact that Gwen truly loved him for reasons that he did not know, different from the ones that he had thought. He knew her father died in battle. But he always thought that she was proud of his sacrifice. Ogen heard the word "fool" pass through his mind.

Suddenly, he realized that the situation was beginning to run out of control, that the guard would now have the potential to convince the king to kill him. Ogen was able to think of many different ways that the king could possibly believe that Ogen was a liar, despite his wife's words. Helon might be able to dismiss this as just an act to save his life or the lie of a man who had cowardly fled from battle. Whatever Helon might think, there was always a way to avoid believing a truth that was viewed as terribly tragic and impossible. He knew that all kinds of explanations were forming in Helon and the guard's mind at that moment. It was time for him to use his best card. "If my wife's words are not convincing," he said with haste, "Then send me to Jonathyn, the diviner. What I have said is serious enough to be truly tested by one who can discover what is in our own minds. If I am wrong, I will ask to be killed just as I would have today. Please, King Helon. If this is truly my last wish, I humbly ask that you grant it." Helon formed the hardest stare so far on his face, considering Ogen's request. The guard squirmed a bit, passionately desiring to put his piece in. Gwen looked at the king pleadingly, yet she also seemed bewildered.

"Very well," spoke the king. "I am too afraid that your words may be somewhat true, even in the least. Unfortunately, Jonathyn will not be here until tomorrow morning, returning from a trip in another town. He will not be happy, but I will have him immediately look into discovering exactly what is in your mind. You will spend the night here, in a secured prison downstairs. A servant will provide you with a change of clothes, for yours are truly despicable. You will have time for a bath, and a meal. Of course, you will be watched all throughout. Say goodnight to your wife, who will be returning to her home. This is my final word on the matter, see that it is done." A servant dressed in white came from a room to the side of the king, and started to approach Ogen. Ogen came close to his wife.

"Ogen, what is going on?" she asked. "I don't know what you said or did for this to happen!" The fear and worry in her face almost broke Ogen's heart. Tears were coming from her eyes, making Ogen want to go mad.

"I don't have time to explain all," Ogen said weakly, "But Diviner Jon will see and tell the truth. And then I will come to you, and let you know all that we must do. Just don't worry about a thing. Trust me, this will all work out....." He forced himself to smile, but she did not smile back. He wondered how deep her eyes were, as he looked at them full of moisture. He decided to walk away first, because if the guard told him to do so he might actually be guilty of death when he was finished with who he considered was an idiot in the truest sense of the word. Slowly, he let himself be led by the servant, who led him away for the night. Gwen just stared, looking restless and worried.

Morning came swiftly. The prisoner's chamber was dark, stony and damp, located in the dungeon of the castle. It was a small room with no windows, so that the only light was through torches. The room only contained a bowl of water to wash with and clothes on the side of the bed. To some, it would have been a horrible place to sleep at night. But to Ogen, this was the best night sleep he had had since he left Kinion two weeks ago. The simple feather pillow proved to be luxurious compared to rocks and leaves, as was the straw mattress and blanket. He slept very well, due to the extra hot bath he had taken the night before. It seemed to give his body a new array of fresh muscles. He was oiled down completely by one of the servants. Ogen was even able to eat a meal like no other, one that can be only eaten in Kinion Castle. Ogen thought that either the king did not consider him much of a threat, or he was sure the diviner would give him a death sentence and he wanted to give him a good ending in his life. Helon would do such a thing.

Ogen straightened out from the ball he had formed his body into within the bed. He stretched beneath the sheets, until it hurt. He turned his head on his pillow to see the same snot nosed guard in front of his iron-barred room.

"Hey," Ogen said loudly, "What is your name anyway?" The guard slowly turned around to look at Ogen in bed. He did not look happy.

"My name is Peklo," the guard said spitefully, "And I hope you enjoyed your night. You can count on it being your last."

"I can understand why you would not like me. But do me a favor?"

"Yes?"

"Keep it to yourself, please?" Peklo looked angry for a second, and then started to laugh.

"Diviner Jon is coming in soon," he said with a broad smile. "Make sure you get yourself dressed up for death! Hehe..." The guard turned around then, having a time enjoying his own humor. Ogen wanted to say something witty, but he knew that it would do no good. Soon, he and Peklo would be side by side trying to survive when the diviner spread the news.

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