Sparrow's Journey: Chapter Seventeen

WRITTEN: 29 August 2012
==Chapter Seventeen: Sparrow's Troubled Days==
The people of Albion had taken to watching Sparrow. They began to take an interest in the Hero’s actions. They were starting to notice a change in his personality. Many were suspicious by his actions, but as the years passed, most of the suspicion had disappeared and many citizens were now complimenting him or asking him for his autograph. However, all suspicion soon reappeared once Sparrow was thrown in prison.
‘I’m home!’ Sparrow called as he walked into his shared home.
‘Sparrow!’ Penelope exclaimed, hurrying over and embracing him, before kissing him on the cheek. ‘I’ve missed you!’
‘I’ve missed you too, Penelope,’ Sparrow smiled. He had only just returned from Westcliff and his training in the Crucible.
‘Come, dear,’ Penelope pushed him into a chair and began to get them some snacks and drinks. ‘I want to hear about everything.’
‘It’s not that exciting,’ Sparrow said with a slight chuckle.
‘I don’t care. I still want to hear everything. How did the training go?’ She put some biscuits in front of him and a warm drink.
‘It went very well - a part from the troll. I hate trolls. Every time I come across them I always end up on my bum.’ Sparrow absently rubbed his aching bum.
‘You’ll get one day, sweetie.’
‘Oh, I know. I’m already improving. I just wished that I was able to handle them as well as all the other creatures.’
‘No one’s perfect.’
‘I know. So where’s Walter? Is he out training?’
‘No, he’s in at the Market picking a few things up for me,’ Penelope took a sip of her tea. ‘You’ll be proud of him. Every morning he gets up early and goes on long runs.’
‘He has a lot of potential. He will make an excellent guard. I –' Sparrow broke off as the front door opened and Walter walked inside, carrying a big, heavy box. ‘Wanna hand?’
‘Sparrow?’ Walter nearly dropped the said box. ‘You’re back!’
‘Yeah, I’m back. So do you want a hand?’
‘Um, no, I’m fine. I’ll just go and put it in your room, Grandmother.’
As Walter walked up the stairs, the Bowerstone warning bells began to sound and the front door was bashed down, to reveal several angry guards.
‘Haven’t you boys ever heard of knocking?’ Sparrow asked coldly from where he was sitting. ‘What do you want?’
‘Sparrow, you are under arrest!’ Michael declared. Sparrow’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
‘On what grounds are you arresting me? I’ve been doing my community service!’
‘You are under arrest for arson.’
‘Arson?’
‘Yes. We know it was you who destroyed the furniture shop!’
‘I honestly don’t know what you are on about. I’ve only been here in Bowerstone for not even an hour.’
‘We know. We saw you set the shop on fire, before running back here.’
‘Well clearly you didn’t seeing as it wasn’t me!’ Sparrow snapped.
‘Don’t lie!’ Michael growled. ‘So you’re trying to say that some other Will-user, wearing the exact same outfit as you, in a shadow cultist mask destroy the furniture shop.’
Sparrow didn’t reply.
‘Sir, Sparrow has been with me –‘
‘No disrespect, madam, but we aren’t likely to believe your word after the stunt Walter pulled and you are living with a criminal,’ Michael said bluntly, before looking at Sparrow. ‘I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you had changed, but I guess I was wrong. Now, are you going to come quietly or will we have to use force?’
‘I’m not going!’ Sparrow replied stubbornly, bracing himself for a fight. The last time he had been in there he had been that terrified that he soon fell into his dead appearance.
‘Sparrow, don’t make this harder than it has to be,’ Michael warned, taking some handcuffs out of his pocket.
Sparrow backed away.
‘I’m not going,’ he repeated, trying to keep his voice calm and steady.
‘The hard way it is,’ Michael sighed, motioning for the guards to take Sparrow.
Sparrow gave the guard a hard time, but they eventually had him handcuffed. This didn’t mean that they had an easy time getting him the prison. Sparrow fought with all his might. He did not want to be locked up again.
As Michael and the guards led Sparrow to the prison, many citizens muttered angrily amongst themselves about how Sparrow had tricked them again and hoped that he was never freed.
-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----
Two weeks had passed and Sparrow was curled up in a corner of his prison cell. The same one he had been locked up in last time. No matter what he said or did, the guards didn’t believe him. Even Penelope and Walter had tried countless times, but still no luck. The guards were starting to annoy Sparrow even more than usual, but what annoyed him even more, was the person running around seemingly pretending to be him. Clearly someone had a grudge on him and wanted him out of the way. He soon found out whom.
Sparrow sat in his cell, desperately trying to calm himself, when the warning bells sounded. Sparrow groaned.
Great, they are going to find some way to blame me! Sparrow thought darkly.
At first, Sparrow thought it was only a petty bandit attack occurring, but when the warning bells continued and terrified screams and cries echoed around Bowerstone Market, he began to worry. He was worried about Walter’s, Penelope’s and the Bowerstone citizens’ safety. Deep down, he knew that something wasn’t right. At that moment, all fear left his body as he ran to the cell door.
‘Guard!’ he yelled.
No reply.
‘Guard!’
Still no reply, until…
‘ARGH!’
A blood curdling scream echoed around the prison.
‘Who’s there?’ Sparrow demanded as his fellow prisoners tried to hide.
‘Well, well, well… look who it is,’ drawled the figure in the shadows, though he had a touch of glee in his voice. ‘Oh how the mighty have fallen.’
‘Who are you?’
‘Surely you couldn’t have forgotten old Wilbur the Wicked?’ The cultist walked out of the shadows so Sparrow could see him clearly. ‘I was there the night of the Oakfield Massacre.’
‘I remember you,’ Sparrow said coldly. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘Much has changed since you left the Temple of Shadows. We are now crueller than ever before.’
‘That doesn’t answer my question.’
‘Grim has decided that we should appease the Shadows again, only this time we have a Bowerstone Massacre!’
Sparrow paled.
‘It’s really a pity that you are no longer a Shadow Cultist,’ Wilbur continued, raised the sword he was carrying. ‘If you were, you could have lived.’
Sparrow gritted his teeth and backed away from Wilbur as he entered the cell.
‘You are wise to cower!’ Wilbur laughed.
‘I cower from no-one!’ Sparrow snarled, before swiftly moving forward, disarming Wilbur and slitting the cultist’s throat with his own sword.
Sparrow stood there for a moment, looking down at his fallen enemy, before racing from the prison to prevent history from repeating itself.
As he was running across the Bowerstone Bridge, he saw the town’s guards helplessly standing in front of a dark wall of fire. They were watching as citizens and their fellow guards were being slain. Michael was with them, standing there helplessly.
‘What’s happening?’ Sparrow asked Michael, scaring the sheriff and the guards around him.
‘Sparrow? You’re alive?’ Michael couldn’t believe his eyes.
‘Why wouldn’t I be?’ Sparrow was beyond confused by Michael’s statement.
‘Before the fire barrier was conjured, trapping everyone inside the town square, their leader, Grim, told us that you were dead and that you wouldn’t be able to help us.’
‘I just had one of the cultists come and pay me a visit in jail before trying to kill me. That’s how I got the sword.’
‘The sword will do us little good,’ replied Michael, soberly. ‘The flames are too hot for us to go through.’
‘Are you sure that there is no way to get passed it?’
‘Yes. This wall goes around the entire perimeter of the town square and is taller than all the buildings. It has no breaks.’
Has anyone tried jumping through the barrier?’
Michael pointed to a melted guard on the other side.
‘Oh.’ Sparrow looked around thoughtfully.
‘Couldn’t you just make the barrier disappear?’ asked Michael, hopefully.
‘This is dark magic. The only dark magic I know is summoning the dead.’
Michael’s eyes lit up when Sparrow mentioned his dead minions. The Hero noticed.
‘Sorry, I cannot summon the dead.’
‘Why not?’ Michael inquired, sounding disappointed. ‘You’ve done it on countless other occasions.’
‘Sure back when I was motivated and fuelled by hatred and vengeance. My Will isn’t as strong now that these emotions are gone.’
‘Then all we can do is watch as the people are slain like animals,’ Michael sighed in defeat.
‘Have you tried using water to put out the flames?’
‘Do you honestly think that we over looked something so simple?’ Michael snapped.
Sparrow was silent for a while, before saying, ‘So did you?’
‘No, we didn’t, actually,’ Michael admitted, making Sparrow laugh. 
Michael ignored the younger man’s laughter and ordered one of his guards to get a bucket of water. The guard obeyed and when he returned with the water, he threw it at the fire wall. It made a small opening for the briefest of seconds before closing back up.
‘I guess that’s how I will be getting through,’ said a thoughtful Sparrow.
‘Are you insane?’ Michael exclaimed. ‘The wall could close up on you as you’re going through. Not to mention the steam the water creates!’
‘I’ll be fine. It’ll only be a few burns. I just need your men to throw more water on it to make the hole bigger,’ said Sparrow, unconcerned.
‘Your funeral,’ muttered Michael.
-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----
Sparrow was correct when he said that he would get through the fire wall without much drama, but he didn’t think he’d get such serious burns to his body.
I did not think that one through; Sparrow grimaced as he got to his feet.
He then hurried forward, killing any cultists that got in his way. His target… Grim, who was currently debating who to kill next; his dark eyes landed on the wounded Walter trying to get to his feet.
‘I think this young man is volunteering,’ Grim told the crowd, walking slowly towards Walter.
‘Leave him alone, Grim!’ Sparrow yelled, drawing the crowd’s attention to him.
‘Sparrow? You’re alive? But… how is that -?’ Walter began.
‘Before you ask, I have not cheated death again. Grim’s assassin was quite pathetic,’ Sparrow interrupted, not taking his eyes away from Grim.
‘So… my old young disciple has returned,’ said Grim, his voice colder than a banshee’s embrace. ‘How dare you cast aside out unholy alliance? No one turns their backs on the Temple of Shadows and lives!’
‘Empty threat,’ replied Sparrow, calmly. ‘You and I both know that none of your cultists would survive an encounter with me.’
‘That is why they won’t be the ones to end your life. Slaughter him.’
Not knowing who Grim was talking to; Sparrow wasn’t prepared for the three highwaymen that attacked him. With their surprise attack and Sparrow’s fresh wounds, they managed to get Sparrow to the ground, seriously injured. However, Sparrow, being as stubborn as he was, fought through the pain he was in, stole one of the assassins’ guns and managed to kill his foes. He then struggled to his feet and faced Grim.
‘Those were but mortal men,’ Grim said with a careless shrug, ‘hired with promises and gold. Now, witness the true power of the shadows.
As though in slow motion, Sparrow saw Grim’s hands fill with dark energy as the cultist turned to face Walter. Not stopping to even consider what he was doing, or to realise the pain coursing through his body, Sparrow hurried forward, putting himself between Grim and Walter. As a result, the dark energy hit Sparrow in the back and an agonising scream left his mouth, startling everyone there. They had never heard the mighty Hero make such a noise, and it was for this reason that it scared them.
‘SPARROW!’
Walter took hold of his friend kneeling in front of him. Sparrow’s eyes were half closed and he was trembling slightly.
‘You made the wrong decision, leaving the Temple of Shadows,’ Grim said almost lovingly. ‘Come back to us, Sparrow. You belong amongst us. You were once powerful. Why don’t you join us once more and drop this pitiful act. You might have these weak minded citizens fooled into thinking that you are pure hearted, but you and I both know the truth. You are a callous malevolent soul. I know you, Sparrow.’
Sparrow remained silent.
‘Sparrow?’ Walter whispered uncertainly.
‘Become Shadow Fiend once more and show these simpletons the true extent of your power.’
‘You’re right,’ Sparrow said suddenly. ‘I was powerful back then, but don’t be fooled into thinking that you know me!’ he growled, turning to face Grim as he threw several flaming blades at the older man’s chest.
Grim cried out in pain as he fell to his knees, looking shocked at Sparrow.
‘You know nothing about me,’ said Sparrow, deadly. ‘My Will might not be as powerful now, but I am not as vulnerable as you think I am.’
The Hero watched as Grim collapsed to the ground where he then laid in an eternal sleep. He then turned to the other cultists, his cold dark green eyes freezing them where they stood.
‘If you value your life, you’ll leave Bowerstone now!’ he growled. 
The cultists didn’t need to be told twice; they bolted, not that it got them very far. The guards went after them seeing as the fire walls had disappeared with Grim’s death.
‘Are you alright?’ Sparrow asked Walter, weakly.
‘Thanks to you I am.’ Walter was looking at his friend, eyes full of concern.
‘I’m okay, Walter.’ Sparrow gave the younger man a weak smile when he noticed his friend’s concerned look. ‘I just need to lie down and sleep for several days.’
‘I’ll help you home –‘
‘Walter, I’m meant to be in prison. I was arrested, remember?’ Sparrow couldn’t prevent the touch of fear and bitterness from entering his voice.
‘I think they will let you go. Grim admitted during one of his rants that they framed you.’
-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----
In the days that followed, many Bowerstoners came by Sparrow’s home, offering him gifts and their gratitude before Penelope chased them away like an angry mother goose, saying that Sparrow needed his rest.
Two months later, everything went back to normal and Sparrow unwisely believed that his adventurous and dangerous life was starting to settle down. This, of course, wasn’t the case.
Walter had taken Penelope out to the markets one morning and Sparrow decided to have a long relaxing bath. An hour later, when Sparrow got out, he heard some noise downstairs.
Huh? They didn’t stay out for very long, Sparrow thought, assuming that it was only his house mates. After all, who else could it be?
Throwing on some very casual clothes, Sparrow carelessly made his way downstairs and looked around. There was no one there.
‘That’s odd,’ Sparrow muttered. ‘I could have sworn –' He broke off as his hands were grabbed and bounded behind his back and a gag was shoved unceremoniously into his mouth. He was then knocked unconscious by whoever was behind him.
When Sparrow came to, he saw that he was amongst some old ruins, in a damp and foggy area. He was also chained to a rock bench, still gagged. He was worried and almost scared. He had no idea where he was or what he was doing there.
‘He is awake,’ a cold voice said from the shadows, making Sparrow tense right up. ‘Go get the boss.’
The sound of someone hurrying off met Sparrow’s ears as he strained his eyes to see who had captured him; he couldn’t see a thing.
He laid there, tense, waiting for his captures to show themselves. He was surprised when they did. Walking out of the shadows was none other than Mr Blank – the assassin Sparrow used to work for -, another assassin - Darius Zing, the leader of the assassins -, and none other than Slayer, the bandit who murdered his parents.
The latter of the three ripped out Sparrow’s gag, roughly.
‘Slayer,’ Sparrow growled.
‘Hello, young Sparrow,’ Slayer purred. ‘Haven’t you grown up to be a handsome young man? You look like your father. He too was exceptionally good looking.’
Sparrow tensed up even more when Slayer began to touch him with a horrible gleam in his eyes.
‘What do you want, Slayer?’ Sparrow snapped, trying not to panic.
‘Just like your father; always getting straight to the point.’ Slayer shook his head. ‘You see, young Sparrow, I’m a little annoyed with you.’
‘Join the club,’ Sparrow growled. ‘Many of your bandits are already in it.’
‘And can you blame them? You have slaughtered most of our comrades –‘
‘That’s not my fault! They got in my way and tried to kill me!’
‘Indeed. This is why I’m giving you a choice.’ Slayer’s hand grasped Sparrow’s throat painfully. ‘You can either join me, serving my ever whim, living a life of luxury; or I’ll have Darius Zing kill you slowly and painfully. Choose.’
‘Slow and painful,’ Sparrow said without any hesitation.
Slayer wasn’t impressed with his answer.
‘So be it,’ he replied coldly, while his eyes looked regretfully down at Sparrow’s body. ‘Kill him… and make sure he suffers.’
‘Of course; it will be our pleasure,’ Darius Zing replied with a gleeful gleam in his eyes.
‘Say hi to Daddy for me, Sparrow.’ Slayer walked off.
‘Nothing personal,’ Mr Blank told the now struggling Sparrow ‘just doing our job. I’m sure you understand.’
Sparrow didn’t reply. He was too busy focusing on his remaining Will. He was going to try and melt the chains, the same way Matt had done to get Sparrow and Rose out of Slayer’s cage. It was harder than Matt had made it look. It took a lot of energy for Sparrow to break the chains around his hands, and even more energy to fight off assassins as he tried to free his legs and attempted to escape. Unfortunately, he wasn’t successful. He was just too weak.
‘We won’t be able to keep him chained here,’ Mr Blank told Darius Zing as he watched his fellow assassins contain Sparrow. ‘We’ll have to kill him now. Slayer will never know how he was killed –‘
‘We shall not cheat our paying customers,’ Darius Zing said firmly. ‘He used to work for you… what were his weaknesses?’
‘That old lady and her grandson probably,’ replied Mr Blank. ‘Would you like me to bring them here?’
‘No. I think we just found another one.’
‘We did?’
Mr Blank looked over at Sparrow and saw that he had been forced into a small cage with his arms chained through the bars. However, what got the assassins attention was how hysterical the Hero was. He was screaming and desperately trying to break out of the cage.
‘Somehow I think our Hero has a fear of cages and being locked up,’ the assassin leader smirked gleefully at Mr Blank.
‘Then he shall stay there,’ Mr Blank smirked back.
-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----
Reaver gracefully hopped out of the carriage he was in and after a quick glance around Bowerstone Market, he gathered his belongings and headed for Sparrow’s house. Penelope had sent the Thief a letter inviting him to Sparrow’s birthday celebrations.
When Reaver arrived at Sparrow’s house, he immediately knew something was wrong. How did he know? Well, let’s just say that he had a gut feeling… and the guards inside and out helped too. He hurried inside. He found Walter glaring at Michael and an elderly woman – he assumed to be Penelope – sitting at the dining table, obviously worried. 
‘For the last time, Walter, we are not sending out any guards to look for him!’ said Michael, losing his patience.
‘Why not? He’s been missing for twenty-four hours! The law states that if a person has been missing for twenty-four hours –‘
‘Don’t lecture me about the law, son! Sparrow probably went out on a quest or something –‘
‘Without notifying the guards? Or leaving a note for Grandma and me?’
‘What’s going on?’ asked Reaver, putting down his belongings. ‘Where’s Sparrow?’
‘We don’t know,’ replied Walter, distraught. ‘Grandma and I went out yesterday morning to get Sparrow’s birthday present and when we returned he was gone.’
‘And he didn’t leave a note?’
‘No. He didn’t even empty the bath and his weapons are still here as are his other belongings that he usually takes with him.’
‘That’s not normal,’ Reaver muttered, before exiting the house. Walter hurried after him.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Bower Lake,’ replied Reaver. ‘He might be at his old caravan, though I doubt it is that simple and I can’t see why he would go there without telling you.’
‘I’m coming with you!’
Reaver turned to face the younger man. At first it looked as though the Hero was about to say no, but he didn’t.
‘Go get your weapons,’ he ordered.
Walter quickly did as Reaver order, fearing the pirate could change his mind.
When Reaver and Walter arrived at the Bower Lake Gypsy Camp, they saw that Sparrow’s caravan held nothing but dust bunnies, showing that no one had lived there in years.
‘What do we do now?’ Walter asked, sounding deeply disappointed.
‘We check Hero Hill,’ replied Reaver, leading the way to Hero Hill. ‘Maybe he went there to visit Shadow.’
‘Who’s Shadow?’
‘His old black dog. It died protecting him.’
‘I remember that dog. It nearly alerted Sparrow to my presence during the Oakfield Massacre.’
‘You were there that night?’ Reaver nearly stopped dead in his tracks.
‘Yes. I was the only survivor.’
Reaver remained silent. He was surprised by how sane the younger man was after what he must have seen.
‘So tell me, kid, how guard training is going?’ asked Reaver, changing the subject. ‘Are Sparrow and the guards working you to the point of exhaustion?’
‘Sparrow is, but the guards aren’t. They terminated my training,’ Walter sighed sadly.
‘What? Why?’
Walter sadly gave him the answer.
‘…and so Sparrow is determined to train me. He’s somehow got it into his mind that I will be a guard,’ Walter concluded.
‘I think you’re more likely to be a Head Guard or sheriff of all regions,’ Reaver commented seriously. ‘Or you may just go all the way to being a soldier.’
Walter gave him a look. He thought that the Thief was making fun of him again.
‘Can’t you be serious for once in your life?’ he demanded as they arrived at the top of Hero Hill.
‘I was, kid. Did you know that Sparrow’s father was the King of Southcliff?’
‘Yes.’
‘So you know that Sparrow is a prince? Do you remember how dead Sparrow was when I paid his bail?’
‘Yes,’ Walter said slowly wondering where Reaver was steering this conversation.
‘Did he tell you how he snapped out of it?’
Walter mutely shook his head.
‘Then let me enlighten you. Sparrow was like that for weeks, and then one night the blind hag, Theresa, showed him his future. He was the King of Albion with family, loyal guards, and he was beloved by the citizens of Albion. This showed him he still had a life to live… and that’s how we know you will be a guard or something greater. Sparrow will give you the job and not because you are his friend. No, it will be because of your talent.’
Walter was speechless. Sparrow was to be the King of Albion and he was going to give Walter a job? The younger man now understood Sparrow’s mysterious smile whenever he answered Walter’s question of why he was training him.
‘Well, he’s not here… maybe he is in the Guild,’ Reaver said thoughtfully, interrupting Walter’s thoughts.
‘He’s not there either, Reaver,’ said a quiet voice. 
Both Reaver and Walter whipped around. Standing next to Shadow’s grave was a ghost that looked suspiciously like Sparrow.
‘Who are you?’ Reaver demanded, though he had a feeling that he knew who it was.
‘I am Sparrow’s father, Matt,’ replied the ghost.
‘And why are you here? And do you know where Sparrow is?’
‘That is why I am here. My son is a prisoner to the Assassins Guild in Brightwood.’
‘Why would they do that?’
‘Slayer hired them to torture and kill Little Sparrow if he did not agree to be Slayer’s slave. I need you to go there and save him.’
‘Of course. Where is it?’
Matt closed his eyes and a fascinated Walter and Reaver watched as blue Will lines appeared one the ghost’s skin and a glowing ball of ghostly-blue fire appeared in his hands.
‘Follow the light. It will guide you,’ Matt replied before disappearing.
Not even stopping to consider what they were about to do, the duo ran after the ball of fire and only stopped when they arrived at the secret entrance to the Assassins Guilds hideout. They stood their quietly for several moments before drawing their weapons and walking in.
When the companions arrived at the actual hangout, they were immediately ambushed by assassins. Together the Hero and the ex-guard apprentice fought off their vicious attacks, being wounded in the process, though that was mostly Walter, and then they found him.
‘Sparrow!’ they exclaimed, running to the locked cage. He did not respond.
‘I’ll go and find the key!’ Walter said, and before Reaver could stop him, the younger man ran off. 
‘Always on the move,’ Reaver mumbled, before pulling a common bobby-pin out of his pocket and picking at the cage’s lock.
With the cage door now unlocked, Reaver hurried into the cage to get Sparrow.
‘Sparrow, are you alright?’ He gently put his hands on his friend’s shoulders and realised that Sparrow was shaking with fear.
‘Come on, kid,’ he said quietly, trying to lead Sparrow out of the cage.
It was then he noticed Sparrow’s chained hands. Sighing, he crawled out of the cage and began to work on their lock. He then went and got Sparrow out of the cage. It took Sparrow several minutes to realise that he was free. He looked up at his saviour. 
‘Reaver!’ he exclaimed, startling the pirate as he wrapped his arms around Reaver’s waist.
‘What on earth did they do to you, Sparrow?’ Reaver demanded.
‘They locked me up in that cage,’ Sparrow whispered, still shaking.
‘And?’
‘And what?’
‘What else did they do to make you like this?’
‘Nothing.’
‘They must have done something to make you a nervous wreck.’
Sparrow shook his head.
Reaver stared at Sparrow, not understanding how being locked up in a cage could break Sparrow like this. He had a suspicion that Sparrow wasn’t telling him something. However, he didn’t question the younger man on it nor did he get the chance to for at that moment, Walter came running forward with a bunch of keys. He hadn’t noticed that Sparrow was free yet.
‘I found some keys! Hopefully one of them is the key to the –' He broke off when he noticed Sparrow in Reaver’s arms. ‘How -?’
‘You don’t need keys to open locks,’ Reaver said, leading the way passed the dead bodies of the assassins and back to Bowerstone.
‘How’d you open the cage without a key?’ asked Walter, his eyes intently on Sparrow’s slouched figure. He thought it would be best if he didn’t start questioning Sparrow yet.
‘Bobby-pin,’ Reaver answered simply. ‘If you have a bobby-pin, you can break almost any locks.’
‘Useful.’
-----SPARROW’S JOURNEY-----
When the trio arrived in Bowerstone Market, many people stopped and started at Sparrow. They were all wondering what had happened to him. Even the guards and sheriffs stopped and stared.
When they arrived at the house, Penelope rushed out and embraced Sparrow. The Hero held her tightly, before he muttered something about going to bed. His friends allowed him to go mutely.
‘What happened?’ Penelope asked the moment Sparrow was out of the room.
‘He won’t tell us,’ replied Walter. ‘He just keeps repeating, “They put me in a cage”.’
‘We think he’s hiding something,’ added Reaver.
‘I’ll talk to him when he wakes up,’ the grandmother said quietly, before fixing the boys something to eat.
When Sparrow woke up the next morning, he just remained in bed, staring up at the ceiling, remembering back to his time at the Assassins Guild. He didn’t even notice Penelope entering his room with a tray of food until she bent down and kissed his forehead.
‘Are you alright, Sparrow, dear?’ she asked.
‘I’ll live,’ he replied with an attempted smile.
‘Maybe in body, but not in spirit,’ said Penelope, wisely. ‘I know that you don’t trust people enough to yet to confine in them how you feel, but you need to trust someone with your problems, otherwise it will destroy you from within… and I believe that has already started to happen.’
‘Are you saying that I should talk about my capture?’ Sparrow asked dully.
‘That and maybe any other events from your past that trouble you.’
Sparrow looked away from her. Penelope sat there for several minutes and when she saw that the Hero was not going to start talking any time soon, she sighed and began to walk out of the room.
‘When I was five, Slayer captured my mum, my sister and I,’ Sparrow said quietly, just before Penelope exited the room. ‘He kept Rose and I trapped in a cage like animals and every night I had to listen to my mother being raped. Dad saved Rose and I, but Mum sacrificed herself to save us. I had to watch as she slit her own throat. Once we were safe, Dad left to see his friend and he never returned. For years I thought that he had abandoned us, but Slayer killed him too. As a result, Rose and I had to live on the streets but it ended when Lucien Fairfax murdered Rose right in front of me and then tried to kill me. It was then that I pushed everyone away and became a powerful man. Everything seemed perfect, but now…’ He broke off with a sigh. ‘How am I meant to be a Hero destined to protect Albion if I cannot even protect myself? I’m not strong enough!’
‘Of course you are, dear,’ Penelope said quietly. ‘You need to give yourself more credit.’
‘How can I when I know that I’m weaker than I should be?’ Sparrow asked desperately. ‘Maybe Grim was right. Maybe I’m not meant to be good. Maybe I’m hard wired for being bad –‘
‘No you’re not.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Sparrow, if you were really a bad person, do you honestly believe that you would have created the Academy? That you would go out freeing slaves? Help people with problems big and small? Risk your life for them? Or face the Shadow Cultists when it would have been easier to walk away? Every time I have seen no hesitation in your actions to help people. If that doesn’t prove that you are pure hearted, I don’t know what will.’
Sparrow seemed to think over what she said.
‘Do you want to tell me about your time at the Assassins Guild?’ Penelope asked gently.
Sparrow didn’t answer immediately, but when he did, he didn’t hold anything back. Penelope turned out to be the first person he felt comfortable talking his problems to. He knew that she wouldn’t judge him and would have some wise advice.
‘Sparrow, you have every right to fear that cage,’ she said when he had finished his account. ‘It is quite reasonable and understandable. I would probably act the same way as you if that had happened to me. Just remember, dear, that one day you may overcome that fear as Walter will with his.’
‘What was Walter’s?’ Sparrow asked curiously.
‘That is not for me to say.’ 
She then got to her feet and left the room, allowing Sparrow to think over what she had said.