The Innkeeper, at first leery of the young Princes, soon changes his mind about them after he sees how friendly they are and how kindly they treat him. He joins in their conversations and tells them as many stories as they tell him, which all enjoy. One particular story appeals to the five. It is about the sad plight of the old Lord living in the castle on the hill next to the Inn. His son left on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land many years ago and has not been heard from since. The old Lord is sick with grief, fearing the worst, yet still hoping for the best. 'We must visit this old Lord before we leave!' states Prince Philip. 'I remember hearing about this at court many years ago but had forgotten about it never thinking that someday I might be involved in it.' So they all give a hearty toast to seeing the old man and looking into the particulars of his son's disappearance. After many more stories and mugs of ale, everyone retires for the night. Not long thereafter, as Prince Philip is about to drift off to sleep, he hears the swish of cloth near his bed. Instantly his eyes are open. He sees three darkly clad figures carrying what appear to be ropes creeping closer to his friends. Taking a few instants to gather his wits, he waits for an opportune moment to act, then jumps on the nearest assailant with expert reflexes, bringing him to the ground with a loud gasp and groan. This awakens his four traveling companions who quickly come to their senses which is quite surprising considering the amounts of ale consumed the night before. All the Princes have been trained from early childhood in many forms of self defense and have continued practicing those skills every day they have been together on this trip. They make short work of the other two assailants and have all three tied up in their own ropes and laying in the floor. After lighting a few more candles, Prince Philip exclaims that he recognizes the markings on their assailants robes as belonging to an occult religious group that is bent on destroying society and bringing chaos to the world. It is obvious their intent was to kidnap the Princes and hold them for ransom to promote their nefarious agenda! He exclaims, 'They must have been stalking us since we left our camp. We really must increase our diligence! They will no doubt make another attempt!' As they descend the stairs, they are surprised to see several other dark figured characters who, upon seeing the Princes, run out the side door. The find the Innkeeper tied up in his bed chamber and quickly untie him. He is quite shocked at the developments. After seeing the other three tied up in the Princes' room, he states, 'We must get these three up to the Castle. The Lord there will know what to do with them, I'm sure!' 'Yes, we'll do it as soon as we have light of day. But all this activity has taken a toll on my stomach, I fear.' states Prince Arthur. 'Do you have any left overs?' M4 and m2 characters. Rendered in Poser 9. Post work in Photoshop 7. Thank you for taking a peek! Your support is greatly appreciated!