Sean E.
The Joke-Spewing Storyteller
The blades connected again, ringing out across the small courtyard. Dirt puffed around armored boots as Darian stepped back. His opponent was equally tired, the two having been at the duel for some time. Darian shifted the grip on his sword slightly, Alice following suit, making sure her gear was properly aligned before moving closer. Darian struck quickly, aiming for her left leg, but her sword intercepted his easily, echoing another clang off the walls. She revered and slashed at him with a backhand, but his shield was already there to block the attack. The two went into a furious assault again, blades whirling as steel clashed against steel.
Sir Frederick Gloyn shook his head. The recruits were too strong for each other. He knew that if he wanted to see a victor emerge, it would take a few more hours. “Halt!” He cried, waiting for the warriors to end their fight.
They stepped back, Darian and Alice watching each other closely. “Sir, I would have won.” Alice said confidently, glancing towards the knight.
Gloyn glared at Alice, his moustache twitching slightly. “Speaking out without permission? Twenty laps around the compound.” Alice rolled her eyes as she removed her helmet. She moved to remove her armor when a gesture from Gloyn made her pause. “Fully armored.” he added casually.
Alice merely spun on her heels and jogged away cursing. Darian continued to stand rigid despite the sweat that seemed to pour from his body. It was a nice day, but the sun made wearing the metal armor dreadful. Gloyn walked around the young man carefully. He ignored the staring eyes of the ring of recruits around them.
“Lettin’ your sister get the better of ya?” One recruit called, drawing a chuckle from a couple other. Darian made no comment.
Gloyn came to rest in front of the soldier again. He nodded with satisfaction. Gloyn turned to regard the rest of the recruits. “You are all dismissed for today!” He called. Darian took a step forward to join his allies, but Gloyn placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “King Richard would like to see you.” Gloyn said. A tiny bit of pride was evident in the knight’s statement.
Darian merely nodded, but inside he was shocked beyond belief. His majesty wants to see me? He followed Gloyn out of the compound, nodding to Alice as she jogged by, panting in the armor.
Soon they were walking through the halls of the palace. Thick red drapes hung over the massive windows, pulled to the side to allow sunlight streaming through the crystal clear glass. Their boots clacked off the pure white tiles and bounced throughout the hall loudly. Massive statues of grand heroes placed on marble pillars lined the hall, Darian feeling small and insignificant among the giant sculptures.
Finally they reached the doors to the King’s throneroom. Two large oak doors stood closed, giant gold knockers hanging in the center of each door. The frame was made of the same shiny metal. Golden patterns were inlaid into the wood forming the house emblem of the noble family; a griffon wielding a sword and shield in each taloned hand. Darian paused before the door. He looked to Gloyn for help, but the knight was already walking back the way they had came. Taking a deep breath, Darian placed his hand on the large knocker and slammed it against the stone. He heard the dull thunk echo behind the door, but nothing happened.
The doors quietly opened, and Darian stepped through with curiosity.
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The sleeping quarters were dimly lit, but Darian could make his way through anyways. Single beds lined the wall, each one neatly made and cleaned. Small metal footlockers rested at the foot of each bed, containing the precious personal items of every recruit. Lined against the other wall were small pegs stuck through the wood.
Darian carefully removed the armor and hung the pieces on the pegs. He unbuckled his sword, laying it under his bed, then gently laid on his back to look at the ceiling. A few minutes later he heard the door open, and cocked his head to see who had entered. Alice stomped in, panting heavily as she ripped the armor off and tossed it in a corner.
“Stupid bastard…” She muttered under her breath as she sat on the bed next to Darian’s. He simply said nothing, letting his sister rant. “Making me run around for speaking out. Where’d you go anyways?” She turned on him suddenly, her blue eyes flaring with energy and anger.
Darian opened his mouth to speak but she shushed him immediately. “Doesn’t matter. Sometimes I wish I could punch Sir Gloyn in his stupid shiny teeth. Same goes for our glorious king.” She said the last part with obvious disdain, venom dripping into her words.
Darian jerked up, looking to his sister. “Alice, you pledged your life to the king.”
“And what of it?” She retorted. “It’s not like we know the man personally. Perhaps I’ll go and kill him myself. See what could our vow does then.”
Darian said nothing as he laid back down. He pulled his blanket over him, turning away from her. He could hear her snort with sarcasm and lay down herself. She said one finally thing that made Darian uneasy; “I know you have my back at least.” Soon the rest of the recruits filed in, taking their respective beds, and soon Darian drifted into an uneasy sleep.
His eyes fluttered open as he heard muffled footsteps moving around. He rolled quietly to regard the figure quietly moving through the room, pausing at the door before finally leaving. Darian’s eyes shifted to regard the empty bed beside him. King Richard’s words echoed through his mind. “If something happens, I trust you to make the right decision.”
Darian quietly got out himself, buckling his sword to his waist as he walked out himself. He looked around the courtyard, stars twinkling above in the night sky. Across the way he spotted the figure moving quickly towards the palace.
“Stop!” Darian yelled as loudly as he dared, hoping to not disturb the others.
The figure stopped and turned to regard him. Darian was shocked as he saw his sister’s face beneath the hood. “Darian? What are you doing?” She asked, walking over to greet him.
“I could ask the same.” He replied coldly.
Noting the tone of Darian’s voice, she stopped midway. “I’m going to end it all. You’ve heard the stories of how the King treats his subjects. It’s terrible.” Alice stated, her mirth disappearing.
“We pledged ourselves to him!” Darian cried desperately, trying to dissuade his radical sister. “We promised at his feet that we would protect him, and you mean to end his life yourself?”
Alice nodded, a grim look upon her face. Darian drew his sword and held it before him, ignoring the chill from the wind through his thin clothes. Alice looked from the blade gleaming in the moonlight to her brother, his face an emotionless mask. “You would kill your own family?” She said meekly. Her words seemed small all of a sudden, her energy stolen away.
Darian simply nodded, a quick jerky movement. Alice sighed and turned to leave. “Stop!”
Darian said sharply again, but Alice forced her feet to keep moving. She didn’t change pace or pause as she heard the movements of Darian behind her, not until he stepped in front of her. The sword was there as well, dangerously close. She noted with sadness that his grip was firm and unwavering. “You will go no further.”
Alice smiled and took another step, forcing Darian to go back or risk impaling her. “The King has you brainwashed as well.” She said confidently. Darian grimaced when she stepped again, forcing him to take another step. “Who do you trust more? Your sister, who has cherished and cared for you for years, or the King, an evil tyrant who has given himself some sort of fake honor.”
Darian’s answer was simple and unexpected. He stepped forward, plunging the sword into Alice’s chest and yanking it out quickly. She gasped in pain as blood began to drip down the front of her cloak. Darian watched as her crystal blue eyes seemed to shimmer, tears forming at the corners. His face remained cold as she slumped to her knees. “My honor and my life, for my king.” He said, his voice flat and deadly.
Alice tried to speak, to form the words she wanted to say, but blood began to collect in her mouth, a bitter coppery taste staining her tongue. She watched as the sword raised again, then felt the sharp pain as it dug into her shoulder. As she fell to the ground, warm liquid spilling into the dirt next to her, she heard those fateful words again, wincing as they followed her vision into the darkness.
“My honor and my life, for my king.”
Sir Frederick Gloyn shook his head. The recruits were too strong for each other. He knew that if he wanted to see a victor emerge, it would take a few more hours. “Halt!” He cried, waiting for the warriors to end their fight.
They stepped back, Darian and Alice watching each other closely. “Sir, I would have won.” Alice said confidently, glancing towards the knight.
Gloyn glared at Alice, his moustache twitching slightly. “Speaking out without permission? Twenty laps around the compound.” Alice rolled her eyes as she removed her helmet. She moved to remove her armor when a gesture from Gloyn made her pause. “Fully armored.” he added casually.
Alice merely spun on her heels and jogged away cursing. Darian continued to stand rigid despite the sweat that seemed to pour from his body. It was a nice day, but the sun made wearing the metal armor dreadful. Gloyn walked around the young man carefully. He ignored the staring eyes of the ring of recruits around them.
“Lettin’ your sister get the better of ya?” One recruit called, drawing a chuckle from a couple other. Darian made no comment.
Gloyn came to rest in front of the soldier again. He nodded with satisfaction. Gloyn turned to regard the rest of the recruits. “You are all dismissed for today!” He called. Darian took a step forward to join his allies, but Gloyn placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “King Richard would like to see you.” Gloyn said. A tiny bit of pride was evident in the knight’s statement.
Darian merely nodded, but inside he was shocked beyond belief. His majesty wants to see me? He followed Gloyn out of the compound, nodding to Alice as she jogged by, panting in the armor.
Soon they were walking through the halls of the palace. Thick red drapes hung over the massive windows, pulled to the side to allow sunlight streaming through the crystal clear glass. Their boots clacked off the pure white tiles and bounced throughout the hall loudly. Massive statues of grand heroes placed on marble pillars lined the hall, Darian feeling small and insignificant among the giant sculptures.
Finally they reached the doors to the King’s throneroom. Two large oak doors stood closed, giant gold knockers hanging in the center of each door. The frame was made of the same shiny metal. Golden patterns were inlaid into the wood forming the house emblem of the noble family; a griffon wielding a sword and shield in each taloned hand. Darian paused before the door. He looked to Gloyn for help, but the knight was already walking back the way they had came. Taking a deep breath, Darian placed his hand on the large knocker and slammed it against the stone. He heard the dull thunk echo behind the door, but nothing happened.
The doors quietly opened, and Darian stepped through with curiosity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sleeping quarters were dimly lit, but Darian could make his way through anyways. Single beds lined the wall, each one neatly made and cleaned. Small metal footlockers rested at the foot of each bed, containing the precious personal items of every recruit. Lined against the other wall were small pegs stuck through the wood.
Darian carefully removed the armor and hung the pieces on the pegs. He unbuckled his sword, laying it under his bed, then gently laid on his back to look at the ceiling. A few minutes later he heard the door open, and cocked his head to see who had entered. Alice stomped in, panting heavily as she ripped the armor off and tossed it in a corner.
“Stupid bastard…” She muttered under her breath as she sat on the bed next to Darian’s. He simply said nothing, letting his sister rant. “Making me run around for speaking out. Where’d you go anyways?” She turned on him suddenly, her blue eyes flaring with energy and anger.
Darian opened his mouth to speak but she shushed him immediately. “Doesn’t matter. Sometimes I wish I could punch Sir Gloyn in his stupid shiny teeth. Same goes for our glorious king.” She said the last part with obvious disdain, venom dripping into her words.
Darian jerked up, looking to his sister. “Alice, you pledged your life to the king.”
“And what of it?” She retorted. “It’s not like we know the man personally. Perhaps I’ll go and kill him myself. See what could our vow does then.”
Darian said nothing as he laid back down. He pulled his blanket over him, turning away from her. He could hear her snort with sarcasm and lay down herself. She said one finally thing that made Darian uneasy; “I know you have my back at least.” Soon the rest of the recruits filed in, taking their respective beds, and soon Darian drifted into an uneasy sleep.
His eyes fluttered open as he heard muffled footsteps moving around. He rolled quietly to regard the figure quietly moving through the room, pausing at the door before finally leaving. Darian’s eyes shifted to regard the empty bed beside him. King Richard’s words echoed through his mind. “If something happens, I trust you to make the right decision.”
Darian quietly got out himself, buckling his sword to his waist as he walked out himself. He looked around the courtyard, stars twinkling above in the night sky. Across the way he spotted the figure moving quickly towards the palace.
“Stop!” Darian yelled as loudly as he dared, hoping to not disturb the others.
The figure stopped and turned to regard him. Darian was shocked as he saw his sister’s face beneath the hood. “Darian? What are you doing?” She asked, walking over to greet him.
“I could ask the same.” He replied coldly.
Noting the tone of Darian’s voice, she stopped midway. “I’m going to end it all. You’ve heard the stories of how the King treats his subjects. It’s terrible.” Alice stated, her mirth disappearing.
“We pledged ourselves to him!” Darian cried desperately, trying to dissuade his radical sister. “We promised at his feet that we would protect him, and you mean to end his life yourself?”
Alice nodded, a grim look upon her face. Darian drew his sword and held it before him, ignoring the chill from the wind through his thin clothes. Alice looked from the blade gleaming in the moonlight to her brother, his face an emotionless mask. “You would kill your own family?” She said meekly. Her words seemed small all of a sudden, her energy stolen away.
Darian simply nodded, a quick jerky movement. Alice sighed and turned to leave. “Stop!”
Darian said sharply again, but Alice forced her feet to keep moving. She didn’t change pace or pause as she heard the movements of Darian behind her, not until he stepped in front of her. The sword was there as well, dangerously close. She noted with sadness that his grip was firm and unwavering. “You will go no further.”
Alice smiled and took another step, forcing Darian to go back or risk impaling her. “The King has you brainwashed as well.” She said confidently. Darian grimaced when she stepped again, forcing him to take another step. “Who do you trust more? Your sister, who has cherished and cared for you for years, or the King, an evil tyrant who has given himself some sort of fake honor.”
Darian’s answer was simple and unexpected. He stepped forward, plunging the sword into Alice’s chest and yanking it out quickly. She gasped in pain as blood began to drip down the front of her cloak. Darian watched as her crystal blue eyes seemed to shimmer, tears forming at the corners. His face remained cold as she slumped to her knees. “My honor and my life, for my king.” He said, his voice flat and deadly.
Alice tried to speak, to form the words she wanted to say, but blood began to collect in her mouth, a bitter coppery taste staining her tongue. She watched as the sword raised again, then felt the sharp pain as it dug into her shoulder. As she fell to the ground, warm liquid spilling into the dirt next to her, she heard those fateful words again, wincing as they followed her vision into the darkness.
“My honor and my life, for my king.”
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