The swordsman lunged at Sebastian with the tip of his weapon aimed at the prince’s chest. Barely escaping the blade, Sebastian leaped to his side and blocked the attack with his sword. Nico, the prince’s opponent, kept up the pressure with a slashing move. Again, Sebastian blocked the sword but not before it grazed his shoulder. If he had not been wearing his chainmail, the sword would have left a nasty wound. Only after defending himself the third time did the prince go on the attack. He swung his heavy sword down on his opponent with a chopping move. Nico protected himself from the blow, but Sebastian didn’t let up. He forced Nico backward stopping only when the tip of his blade was within an inch of the swordman’s throat.
“Well done,” said Nico. “Your offense is improving, but your defense still needs work.”
Sebastian fought to catch his breath from the match. Sparring with chainmail, helmet and heavy sword took all his strength.
“For your next lesson we will work on your defense,” Nico told his student. “When you’ve mastered that, I will teach you some new moves.”
Sebastian removed his helmet and wiped the dripping sweat from his forehead.
After the lesson, Sebastian made his way along the stone path toward the castle. Just inside the main gate a group of soldiers approached. Among them were two men in irons. The prince stopped in his tracks when he recognized the two prisoners.
“What is going on here?” Sebastian asked the commander of the royal guard. “Why are these men under arrest?”
“They are traders. They have been caught sharing secrets with the Kingdom of Trampa.”
“Nicholas, is this true?” Sebastian asked one of the prisoners.
The riding instructor turned to his brother as if he had to be told what to say.
“It’s just a misunderstanding,” Marios spoke up to defend himself and Nicholas. “We are innocent.”
The commander gave Marios a shove from behind, “Save that for the judge. Now move along.”
Sebastian watched as his riding instructors were marched out through the gate toward the prison, he presumed. The prince ran to find his trusted advisor. Storming into the advisor’s office he found Theodore scratching out a letter with a quill pen.
“Theodore, have you heard that Marios and Nicholas have been arrested and accused of treason?” The prince asked.
“Yes, what about it?” Theodore responded without looking up from his work.
“This is incredible. The men I trusted to teach me horsemanship are traders to my father the king.”
“You mean they might be traders,” Theodore slipped his pen into the ink well and sat back. “They have been accused but have not been tried. However, there is strong evidence against them.”
“When will the trial be?”
“In three days. I suggest you attend the proceedings. It would be a good lesson for you.”
Sebastian left the advisor’s office and wandered to his chamber. His mind couldn’t make sense of the whole affair. He wondered how someone could betray his father, a kind and caring king.
Three days later the prince sat in the royal courtroom. Various officials prepared for the trial, some chatting with each other while others shuffled through court documents. They all scrambled to their places as the judge entered and took his seat at the bench. His gray beard hung down over the chest of this royal robe. He motioned to the sentry at the main doorway. Marios and Nicholas were escorted in by a pair of guards who had them stand before the judge.
“Marios and Nicholas you are charged with treason against his royal highness the king.” The judge stared down at the two men for a moment and then continued. “It is my duty to see justice applied fairly. The evidence against you will be heard first. After that you will be given a chance to defend yourselves. Do you understand?”
“Yes, your honor,” the men spoke as if with one voice.
“Bring the first witness,” the judge ordered.
A man entered the courtroom dressed in a military uniform, “I am General Onassis, leader of the king’s cavalry.”
The judge instructed the general to give his testimony.
“It’s vital that the king’s horses are in good health, and his riders are well trained. Marios and Nicholas have been training our young horsemen. However, these brothers began asking me questions about the strength of the cavalry. At first, I didn’t think much of it. Over time the brothers grew bolder. They even asked me about war strategies. I became suspicious and I reported this to the war counsel to investigate the matter.”
After the general finished is testimony the judge called the next witness.
A middle-aged man stepped forward. His black hair was combed back, and his beard was trimmed short.
“My name is Linus. I do special work for his majesty. For the past year I have been living in Trampa where I posed as a merchant, selling clothing and household goods. My customers were mostly nobles, some of whom I befriended. After months of living and doing business among the Trampa nobility I began to hear rumors about our beloved kingdom. I heard secrets that should not be known outside the kingdom. The most disturbing were details about the strength of the king’s army. To find out who was leaking this important information, I threw lavish banquets for my noble customers. When they had eaten and drunk their fill, I asked about the source of the rumors.”
Sebastian listened to the spy’s story. He learned that the riding instructors offered military secrets to a Trampa official in exchange for a box of gold coins. On hearing this the prince nearly leapt from his seat. He recalled that day in the courtyard where the brothers slipped out of sight with the wooden box. Now he was convinced the brothers were guilty.
“The court will now hear your defense,” The judge motioned to the brothers.
Marios did most of the talking. He denied all the claims against him and his brother. When he finished, the court fell silent and everyone waited for the judge to speak.
“Having heard the evidence, I will consider the case. Next week I will present my verdict,” with a bang of his gavel the judge ended the trial.
Later that evening the prince descended the dark stone stairway leading to the prison.
“Take me to Marios and Nicholas,” he instructed the guard.
“This way Prince Sebastian,” the guard lead the prince down a long corridor. A foul smell flowed through the rusty iron bars of the prison cells. The prince locked eyes with one of the prisoners. His hollow eyes barely showed signs of life. The guard stopped at the cell where Marios sat on a dirty straw mat.
“How could you betray my father?” the prince demanded.
“Leave me alone. I have nothing to say to you. Besides, the judge hasn’t yet declared me guilty,” Marios turned away from the prince.
“My farther treated you well. Even though you are not from this kingdom, you were treated as if you were.”
Marios refused to say another word, so the prince turned to the cell across the corridor where Nicholas stood listening.
“What have you to say?” Sebastian asked.
“You are right, your father has been kind to me,” Nicholas gazed at the floor. “I am grateful.”
“You have a strange way of showing your gratitude.”
“I should have been faithful to your father the king.”
The prince softened his tone, “No one can serve two masters. Are you loyal to Trampa or to my father?”
Nicholas locked eyes with the prince. “If given the chance, I would swear allegiance to your father. And I can prove my loyalty.”
“You can? How?”
Nicholas gestured for the prince to lean closer. Then with a whisper he said, “I have an important secret to share. It’s something you must tell your father at once.”
To be continued.
Read Matthew 6:24
In the story which two masters was Nicholas trying to serve?
Which one had he been loyal too?
What are some behaviors that proved his loyalty?
In what ways do you struggle to serve God over money, or the things that money can buy?
What are some things you can do to make God your master?