Doomed Destination

Doomed Destination by: Reclusive Knight

The sound of thunder pounded the area over North Wales. Lightning made the sky appear angry, as it electrocuted the night. The medieval castle withstood mother nature's test of time. The huge rain drops pierced the castle's green murky moat, but the fortified structure was unscathed.

In New York City, school was now on summer break. Two recent graduates, Eric and Heath, were planning a trip before attending N.Y.U. in the fall. The trip they planned was going to be a European Castle tour.

So they did some research online, and found a spectacular 13th century castle in North Wales. The castle was built by King Edward I in 1295. There was a hotel just minutes from the castle with vacancies. So with his dad's credit card Alex reserved a double occupancy room.

His dad was a wealthy man, so he knew it wouldn't be a problem. He also booked a flight for the two of them from New York to London.

"Go home and pack a bag dude, we are leaving tomorrow morning." Alex said with enthusiasm.

"Okay man! I will be back as soon as possible. I have to let Mom and Dad know, but I'm sure they won't mind." Heath was off.

Alex called his dad, and told him of their plans. They planned on being gone for a couple days. Afterward he packed his things as well.

When Heath returned the two talked, and laid down for the night.

The following morning the two took a taxi to the airport. Things went exactly according to plan so far. They boarded the plane, and off they went. Next stop, London, England.

The flight was rather peaceful, and they landed in London about 7 1/2 hours later. They boarded a bus outside the airport that was going from London to Wales. As they drove, the landscape was barely visible, due to the fact that the time zone changed. London is 5 hours ahead of New York, so it was already dark.

By the time they hit Wales, the boys were sleeping. The bus stopped briefly, but they didn't even get up. Soon the bus was on it's way again, and they headed up to North Wales.

They arrived at the Country House hotel, where they would be spending the night. The castle was only minutes away. The boys started to wake up from the commotion of the others getting off the bus. There was only going to be a dozen people in their group for the tour. The rest of the passengers stayed on the bus as it roared away in the night.

"Ahh, I'm tired man, what a long ass trip," Alex said while yawning.

"For sure dude, I am tired too, and I can't wait to get inside because I have to piss bad." Heath replied.

They headed inside and checked in, then the two walked upstairs to their room. Within minutes they were out cold.

Some of the others in the group were outside smoking. It was damp out from the previous day's storm. The area was pounded with heavy rain.

The night at the hotel went smooth, and the phone rang in the morning. This was the boys wake up call. They stumbled around getting ready, as they were still groggy from jet lag. They made their way downstairs to catch the shuttle bus going to the castle.

Minutes later the bus pulled up, and they all boarded. They drove for about 5 minutes or so, then arrived outside the castle. They waited on the bus, looking over the castle. It had a creepy appearance, it was a grayish color, made of stone, with 4 tall drum towers.

A castle guide came out to greet the group, he was wearing a red cloak. "Welcome to the castle mates, please follow me," said the guide.

They made their way across the drawbridge, and over the green murky moat below. Through the massive gate house they went, and then into the ward. The grass was bright green and very beautiful, one lady started to snap pictures. The 4 drum towers also had turrets on top of them, they made the castle look like an elite fortress. In the center of the ward stood a bronze statue of an atilliater.

Up on the wall walk there was a man with the same red cloak as the guide. He gazed down upon the group in the ward. The sky matched the gray castle.

The castle guide led them through a massive wooden door. The decor in the first room, known as the great hall, was splendid. There were several suits of armor on display. The walls were draped with bloody red felt, and displayed upon them were tapestries, shields, and banners. The furniture in the room was painted green, and it was all constructed of wood. Above the table, a crest bearing a red dragon watched over the room.

Some of the group began to converse about the beautiful golden candle holders on the long table. The boys scanned the room, and noticed a huge fireplace made of stone. They joked about how cool is must have been to be a lord or king.

Then the man with the red cloak who watched the group out in the ward entered. He probed the room for his fellow guide, then he spotted him. The other guide turned and made eye contact with his fellow guide, he winked at him, and then he walked back outside in the ward.

Their guide spoke up. "Mates, can I have your attention please, we are going to walk down some long steps now. Please follow me, and be careful."

"Woo, we get to see the dungeon now," Alex exclaimed.

Heath replied, "You're a nut job man."

"Careful now mates, when you get down to the bottom stick close. The hall is narrow down here, and wet," said the guide.

Once everyone got down and lined up, the guide motioned for the group to follow him. As they walked, there were several prison cells on the side of the hall. They had old rusty metal doors, and they were obviously for condemned people.

"Should of brought your camera dude, this is really cool." Heath was having a great time.

Alex smiled, and then the guide mumbled something, as the group walked down the hall. At the end of the hall were two huge doors, with rusty metal handles. The guide stopped, and turned to face the group.

"Here we go mates, the infamous dungeon," he said with a smile.

He turned and opened the doors, they creaked and cracked. Then he stood aside while everyone entered the dungeon. The one lady started to snap pictures again. Heath followed close to Alex as a tingle shot down his spine.

"Wow, this is freaky, but really cool," Heath said.

The two evaded the group as they looked around the room. The guide could be heard talking about medieval history. They didn't care though, what interested them most was the torture devices on display. They spotted a battle axe, branding iron, whips, chains, a war hammer, and 'The Boot' device.

The nobles of that time showed no mercy for condemned culprits. Alex stared at the long table everyone was standing around. He noticed several grooves, and punctures in the table. He also spotted what appeared to be dried blood on the table.

The guide appeared to be distracted, and he soon said, "Okay mates, this is it for the day. I apologize for the inconvenience, but the castle closes early today."

Several moans could be heard, as the group exited the room. They started to walk up the hall, and one lady stomped her foot in the water. Alex shook his head, he couldn't believe an older lady was acting so immature.

The two boys were the last ones up the hall. They started to climb the dimly lit stairway. By the time they reached the top, the others were already heading out the front door. As they made their way through the great hall, Heath stopped. He was looking at the mighty armor on display. Alex approached the doorway leading out to the ward, then he stopped and looked back at his friend. Heath was still standing there examining the armor suit. Alex walked back in the room, and looked around one more time while waiting on his friend.

The group was now heading through the gate house, and the ward grew quiet. The two boys were still in the great hall examining the artifacts. Alex hit the table with his fist, shaking the beautiful golden candle holders, and the flames began to dance.

"Come on man! We better get out of here before we get bitched at!" Alex said with concern.

Heath got startled by the bang, "Ah, okay! Yeah we better get out of here you're right."

The two headed for the door, and then a voice called out. "Hey mates, hold up a minute, I noticed you like the armor."

The boys turned, and noticed it was the other guide who watched them earlier out in the ward.

"Yeah, this whole place is totally awesome," Alex barked out as they headed back in the room.

Behind them there was a high pitched creaking sound, followed by a thud! It was the other guide that had given them the tour that day. This made the boys nervous, but the castle guide smiled at them.

"I see you meant 'My Lord'!" The guide remarked, "He is the boss around here."

"Yes sir, but we better be going before the bus leaves. They will be looking for us," replied Alex.

"Not to worry matey, the bloody bus already left. Besides, it's only a short walk to the hotel," the castle guide said with a smile.

The lord started to walk out of the great hall, he was heading towards the buttery.

"You two mates have a seat, and I'll be right back with fresh drinks," said the guide.

The boys looked at each other and smiled, then they sat down. Heath was staring at the candle flames as they danced around. They waited eagerly, as they were both very thirsty.

Footsteps could be heard, it was the guide coming back. He held two maple wood drinking vessels.

"Hope you mates like wine?" asked the guide.

The boys got very excited, they were not of age yet to drink alcohol. They accepted the wine with smiles from ear to ear.

"Enjoy mates, I'll be back in a few. The lord and I are going to give you a Royal Class tour." the guide said with an evil smile.

The two started to drink their wine, it had a pleasant taste that appealed to them. As they drank, the colors of the room began to get bright. They were starting to feel the effects of the wine, and when Heath went to stand up, he fell back in the chair. Alex laughed! The two were both feeling the effects of the tasty castle wine.

Then laughter could be heard, the two guides were back in the room. The boys turned and were speechless, the men changed their clothes. The lord held a gold drinking vessel, and was now dressed like a lord as well. He wore a blue robe, with a girdle containing precious stones. His hat was black, and made of goat's skin.

The other guide was dressed like a knight, and he wore chain male armor, sabatons, and gaunlets. The lord stood watch as the guide said, "Come on mates, time for the Royal Class tour."

They headed back down the steps towards the dungeon, and the lord followed. The doors to the dungeon were still ajar, as they made their way down the hall. They entered the dungeon, and then behind them they heard the creaking and slamming of the heavy doors. The lord locked the doors, and this made the boys very nervous.

The knighted guide reached out and clutched Alex's wrist, he pulled him towards the table.

"No, please, what are you doing?" Alex cried out!

At the same time, behind Alex, the lord hit Heath in the head with his gold vessel, knocking him to the floor. He was very dizzy now, and the lord began shackling him with the wall chains.

In the dungeon was also a large stone basin filled with water. Next to that was a rather large vessel filled with boiling water, over hot burning amber coals.

Alex grew terrified, his heart pounded, and he started to sweat profusely. The strong man threw him on the table, and held him down. The lord approached, he began to fasten him to the table with rusty metal strips, and nails. The war hammer slammed down on the table, and the metal strips began to tighten around the boys limbs. He started to cry, and he was terrified!

"Don't worry a bit mate, this will only hurt for a short while," said the knighted guide. He was now the executioner.

The lord stood back by the other boy, who looked on, fearful for their lives.

The executioner grabbed the branding iron, and jammed it into the hot coals. He grabbed the black whip, and started to whip Alex. The boy screamed, but no one could hear him beyond the cold stone walls of the dungeon.

Heath turned his head, the gruesome scene was too much for him. The lord grabbed him by the head and forced him to watch on, as the executioner enjoyed his work.

Next came the hot branding iron out of the fire, the tip was glowing bright orange. He jammed it into the boys side, it burned through the flesh causing Alex to shake and scream. Once he was satisfied with the burning, he got out the war hammer. He used it to pry away the metal strip on the boy's leg. Then he grabbed 'The Boot' device, and made his way over to the table again. He ripped off the boys shoe, and placed the long spongy leather boot on his leg. Alex was terrified, he tried to scream, but his voice became hoarse.

Protected by his gaunlets, the executioner began to fill a vessel with the boiling water. Again and again, he poured the boiling water on the boot. The boy was starting to go into shock as the boiling water ate away his flesh. The man then grabbed the 'Flail' and began to smash the boy with it. His bones could be heard breaking, and the blood started to flow.

"ENOUGH! Let his lungs fill with water, then he shall feel no more," the lord shouted.

Heath cried out all his tears, he wanted to help Alex, but the chains kept him prisoner. The lord grabbed the war hammer, he approached the chained boy, and bashed him in the head! The blood shot out of the gaping head wound, as the boy's body went limp.

"Lock this culprit up in the oubliette!" the lord demanded.

"Yes my lord," replied the executioner.

He left Alex, who was now hanging on by a thread. Then he unlocked Heath, and drug his motionless body to the oubliette. Afterward he went back to Alex, picked up the war hammer, and started to remove the other metal strips. He pulled the boy's exhausted and mutilated body out of the dungeon. As they went up the steps, he struggled with Alex. The boy was to far gone to scream, but he did moan as his body bounced off the stone steps. The lord followed close behind with an evil smile.

They made their way through the great hall, and then out into the ward. They stopped at the gate house, there was some chain there. Next to the chain was a heavy stone with a hole in the middle. As the executioner hooked up the chain and stone to the boy's leg, the lord kept watch in the night.

The boy gave up mentally, he just wanted to die. The executioner struggled with the stone, but he soon had a strong grip on it. He pulled with all his might, out through the gate house, and on the drawbridge. He was breathing heavily, and the sweat saturated his body. He carefully tossed the stone off the drawbridge, and into the green murky moat. The water splashed up as the stone pierced it's surface. Quickly behind, Alex was yanked off the drawbridge and pulled deep underwater. The moat was some 30 feet deep, and it was rumored to be the home of a supernatural being.

"Drop the portcullis," said the lord.

"Yes my lord," the executioner followed orders.

The two then headed back through the ward, and into the great hall. Once inside the executioner headed to the buttery for some much needed wine. The lord went in the privy to get undressed. When he came out his partner was once again the castle guide, having removed his medieval armor. There was an extra vessel on the table filled with wine. He picked it up and made his way to the chair at the head of the table. He looked up at the dragon crest before sitting down, and raised his vessel. Then he sat, and started sipping his wine with an evil grin.

"We stay in the castle tonight, tomorrow is another day, and you need your rest," said the lord.

"Yes my lord, it's been a very long day," the guide replied.

What Alex and Heath didn't know, was that the castle guide referred to as 'The Lord' really was the Royal Lord of the Castle. The fortress was passed down to him through many generations. He owned the 13th century landmark, and the other castle guide was his servant.

The following day, the sun began to climb high in the sky. The river that ran close behind the castle roared, and reflected the sun light.

A boy stopped on the road near the castle. He was on his bicycle, he came by to see the magnificent fortress daily. This day he noticed the portcullis was down. A bird cried out, the boy looked up towards the castle. Up on top one of the drum towers a Red Kite stood watch. Beneath the awesome bird, in the tower window, stood 'The Lord', the boy waved.

The lord smiled, then the boy turned and drove off.

THE END