Chapter 10.  The large oaken gates of the keep opened to a cleansing wind that pierced through my leather jerkin and made my guts stop twisting. My cloak pulled and flapped behind my back, giving farewells to the nauseating stench inside those thick stoned walls. -        The Lions will be here soon enough. We must leave this place. – said one of the prisoners, running towards the stables. His messy hair flowing over his grey eyes. The sky was painted in pink as the sun rested among the trees. Delicate white specks fell from the sky, adding layers on top of the snow covering the ground. The stable’s wooden roof was torn and rotten, and barely protected the horses from the falling snow. Hob ran his hand across the long nose of a chestnut-colored mare, to calm her down. Frozen icicles fell from her humid mane. I approached the brown stallion and patted him on the neck. He neighed and a cloud of frozen air came out of his nose. There, there. I fastened the bag of coins to the saddle and jumped up on his back. Hob’s companions entered the tower that neared the stalls – looking for more lion guards, or just food, I could not say – but both left with chunks of frozen apple and carrots, horse provisions, inside their mouths and sacks. I figured they hadn’t eaten for the past days. -        Where we headed? – I asked and they exchanged wary looks.  
-        The boy can be trusted, Balduin. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t be out of that stinking cell – said Hob. I didn’t have much choice, but I guess it was true. Balduin fastened the saddle on a velvet-black Appaloosa and pulled himself up. -        Follow me. We won’t stop until we get there. It is best that we ride through the night. – He pulled his hood up, covering his face, tucking his ponytail and shielding himself from the cold. The horses moved one after the other, into the forest. Behind us, a red trail of blood tainted the snow and the leaves and the air, though apparently the only one who could see it was I.
... and the gods. I turned my head and glanced at the keep. Its walls sinking behind the trees; its lanterns fading into a distant glow, smaller and smaller with the gallop.
The sun set on our backs, so we rode in the shadows, listening to the blowing wind between the branches of the trees, singing in our cold ears. The keep was left behind, but I could hear the desperate screams loud and clear. ________ The stables lean on the walls of Svalg Keep, situated on the lower part of the Bay of Storms, in the cold lands of Mitgardia. 
This is a continuation from the previous chapter 9.2 Payback. Hope you all like the story and the build. 
This is the first time I actually used GIMP to treat the photos as a recurring recommendation.
Please, let me know what you think. Your feedback is always much appreciated.  Entry for Age of Mitgardia - Stables Phase II. Thank you!
Sir Louis of Nutwood.