Bloodstone

The snow falls like frozen tears from the heavens above on our once great Castle of Bloodstone. The once great castle that stood on the highest mountain in a proud display of power and safety in the land, is now a hurting ghost that is lost in the deep mist of death. The signs of the battle where impossible to ignore, the once great walls that gave safety to our people now have deep cuts. Our once colorful banders of our symbol of the Golden Trinity Knot that gave life to the castle have now been lost or torn. The mighty draw bridge that everyone aspired, dreamed of crossing to become one with the Bloodstone faith was now a broken joke. The once lush green trees and landscape that surrounded Bloodstone like a beautiful cape, now are burned out torches, smoking like an echo of their last spent screaming out for release from the pain.

As for the loyal warriors of the Bloodstone; brave and righteous souls that gave their lives to keep Bloodstone from falling. They lay in wait to be properly buried, but their last wish is in vain. For their bodies are in range of the hideous orcs aim of flaming arrows. Our people are scared and dived though out our once proud land, and now here we are. Locked in the throne room, with broken spirts and few numbers. Our beloved king, our brave father… our trusted friend… is dead, his body somewhere lost in the sea of battle outside the castle walls.

“And we are on the verge of disappearing into the pages of history forever, and you have the gut… the nerve… to tell me that you want the same person that caused all this madness with her heretical witchcraft to assist us with our impending doom? Then you are a nothing more than a blind court Joker!”

My echoing words made the throne room silent, not a soul spoke. I felt heavy in my worn-out Warden armor, but not as heavy as the knowledge that now… I am the new king of Bloodstone and my legs feel that they can barely stand the weight of it all. To mask my internal weakness, I pretended to be looking out of the window at the aftermath of last night bloody battle, pretended to be making a battle plan that will lead my people to ultimate victory. But to my dismay, I only to see black smoking bodies and angry ash and this fills me with despair. I want to face them, I want to be able to tell them that we can win the day, that we can overcome any challenge and see the new dawns day. However, the last few days have been brutally punishing, and I’m not fit to be a leader, or a king of any matter. I grip the sides of the window to hold back the tears, I notice something to my right, and I see my helmet was on the ground, the image of the three gold Golden Trinity Knots and wings of the eagle that extend from the helmet covered in blood and ash, it reminds me of my failure.  

“Maynard… my king… my fellow battle brother… my friend. She is our last and only hope! She may be the cause of all this, but she said herself that she seeks to correct the wrongs that she has created agent us!”  said Guille the Loyal in a stressed, gravelly voice. He was dark skinned leader of the 5 last surviving Wardens of Bloodstone and the one that the fallen king should have picked above me.

  “I understand your judgment of the magician, but what else do we have to use? I ask you, old friend. Please, turn and face me, face us. We need our leader in these dark times.”

I do my best to fight the invasion of tears and I weakly turn to face the few that had survive the last orc attack from the night before. We are few indeed; Guille and his few Wardens, a few foot soldiers, a few archers, and a few royal guardswomen. That’s all we are now, just a few left. They all look to me for guidance that I do not have, they are like lost melancholy souls looking for the light and hoping that they can find it with me. I fear that I will let them down, not of bring them to the light, I will only cast them to the mists of death. In the center of all the chaos and anger that builds inside of me, the vile witch that started our down fall stands.

“We do not need the help-” I began before the Witch interrupted me.

“I know how you all feel about me.” She began looking like she was fighting the urge to run away. She wore all black with a spell book attached to her hip, with a staff that was as long as her body. Her hair was flowing of the color of wood bark in the warm summer sun, she had a determined yet beautiful look in her face, I couldn’t help but stare. No, these are heretical thoughts, she is still the thing that caused all this.

“But I know a weakness that can stop the orcs and save our skins! If you can bid me some time-” She walked slowly to me, in a cautious sort of way. She is beautifully smart not to come close to a man that is comparable to a mad dog trapped in a corner.

“I will not listen to a creature of the night that claims that they are on our side but speaks lies! You have no intention of helping us, you have the only goal of wiping us out!” I bark out and out of a knee jerk reaction, I swig my arm at her as if I was swatting at spider webs.

She stopped for a moment, then counited on. She held up her staff and muttered a spell. My helmet rose from the floor, magically cleaned it self off and floated to me. I reach out and it places itself in my hands.

“I know that I did, but I was foolish, stupid. But I see the error of my ways, let me prove myself and help you Maynard save your people! My plan will work, I just need you to have faith in me! It’s like a wise man once told me, when you fight for that is right. We do not stand all for one, we stand for one for all!”

The words of the fallen king, I hate to admit it, but she is right. I did not become a knight to get glory all for one, but I became one so I can be the shining example of a hero that can be one for all.