Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 20:36:38 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: The Sword of Kings - chapter 5 Legal Notice: The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality. Don't read this story if: **You're not 18 or over, **If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live, **Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex. The author retains copyright to this story. Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's permission is a violation of that copyright. Legal action will be taken against violators. I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this chapter, especially with his additional help with adjusting the meter of the poem and in helping me with Turquinine's formalized pattern of speech. I also wish to thank Ian for his suggestions to improve the flow and readability of this chapter. If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com. * * * * * * * * The Sword of Kings - by BW (Fantasy/Sci. Fi.). Copyright 2000 by billwstories Chapter 5 - A journey through sorrow and apprehension. June 2000 The Serpent Colossus fell away from Turquinine, its intended target, after it clamped down on Hadwin's pike. Now it lay sprawled across the path, its body still twitching from muscular spasms. Kieren, Garreth, and Romaric, having observed the entire engagement from a safe distance, were still shaken by the events they had just witnessed. They remained frozen where they were, not taking any chances that the leviathan might not be dead. Doubt lingered in the back of their minds that the beast was not dead, but merely unconscious and waiting to regain sensibility to renew its attack. After many minutes of standing transfixed, they crept cautiously forward to join the others. They refused to let their gaze fall from the still form of the monster as they went to see if they could be of assistance to their defenders. The remainder of the small, battered group now lay exhausted near the twitching form of their opponent. Using what little energy remained in their weary bodies, they tried to calm one another's fears and strove to reassure themselves that the behemoth was undoubtedly dead. When they found themselves sufficiently recovered, they strode over to the immense head and made an effort to sever it from the body. They soon discovered that this task was, much as they had expected, impossible even for their best weapons. They did use the lances to spear through both eye sockets and into the brain, to make sure that no resurrection of the beast would take place. Turquinine strode to where the lifeless remains of Selvaggio lay, still partially snared in the relaxed grip of the devil that had crushed him from existence. Turquinine flung himself to his knees beside the still form and wept openly. Then he reached out to touch his friend once more. Regaining his composure, the sorrowful knight lifted the limp form of his comrade into his arms and carried it to a place of honor in the midst of the company. No one stirred or uttered a sound as they gazed sorrowffully at the unmoving form of their recently departed friend. Numbly, they encircled the body in a silent vigil of respect to this brave soul who had died a violent, agonizing death for their cause. Words could not possibly explain the utter helplessness they had felt as they had watched the life squeezed from him nor could they verbalize the sorrow they now felt. Unable to express themselves in any other way, they quietly saluted his bravery and supreme sacrifice to their cause by saying a silent prayer. The youths fought hard to restrain the tears they felt welling up, thinking it was not manly to cry, even at such a time. The battle-hardened warriors, having dealt with much loss of life before, stood stone-faced, but not unmoved. They could not even pretend to be callous, as they had grown quite close to Selvaggio in the short time they had been together. Still, they controlled their feelings as all good warriors must and considered what they must do next. After a respectful period of time, the men began to prepare the body so it could be laid to rest. Doenilio took this opportunity to make an announcement to the group. Just before they were alerted by the shout and screams and raced back to assist in the battle, he and his cousins had discovered a flat parcel of land situated a short way up the hillside. There they would be able to make camp and bury their fallen companion. Everyone agreed that this sounded like a good place to camp and they all wished to put some distance between themselves and this deadly swamp. With an unvoiced decision, they all began to busy themselves in preparation for the move. The dwarfs occupied themselves by fashioning a litter from two young, slim trees they had felled for this purpose. Expertly they crisscrossed ropes between the two poles, making a surface on which they could lay the body. Once the preparations were completed, they gently moved the warrior to this temporary bed and secured his form to the stretcher. When the preparations were completed, each individual moved to his assigned place in the formation. Doenilio was selected to lead them, being one of the trio who had discovered this location, and he would be followed by the pallbearers. Sedain and Quintain would carry the front two handles of this makeshift transport and Turquinine and Rhys would lift it from the rear. They would be followed by the three youths, while Hadwin and Alaric protected the rear of the procession. The party proceeded to painstakingly climb the side of the mountain, being careful not to lose their balance on the unsure footing. Arriving at their prospective campsite, they quickly began to perform their pre-assigned duties. The first thing they did was to prepare a very small, hasty fire from the wood the knights had gathered before the attack. Prior to leaving the scene of the battle, the boys, Alaric, and Hadwin had decided it would be prudent to make use of Selvaggio's final effort. They used their time to gather the tinder that had been set aside before the encounter and carried it with them as they followed the others. It was already too late to do anything but eat, although they all agreed that they didn't even feel like doing that. Instead, they removed the skins from their packs and drank some of the liquid refreshment that was contained within them. It did nothing to numb their pain or quiet their rumbling bellies, but they just couldn't eat after what they had just been through. As they sat around the fire, they looked at each other's faces but they realized that none of them was in the mood to talk. Therefore, they sat quietly around the blaze until they each began to prepare for sleep. Even though they were exhausted, having spent all of their energy fighting the serpent, no one in the party slept very soundly that night. Part of their sleeplessness was caused by the fact that they were second-guessing their earlier decision to keep moving through the swamp. The other reason for their poor sleep was from the feeling that there must have been something they could have done to prevent it. Seeing there might be other dangers in the area, the guard was doubled for the remainder of the evening and continually changed at two-hour intervals. This meant that everyone, except for the boys and those on the first watch, would have their sleep disturbed as they were awakened to take their turn at this duty. Even when they were able to sleep, their slumber was often filled with guilt-ridden dreams, recounting the events that had happened earlier in the day. Time and again they tried to determine if they could have or should have done things differently, but they found nothing to soothe their consciences. They rehashed every second of the afternoon in their minds, from the instant they began to skirt the dreary marshes, up to and including the surprise attack. Alaric and the dwarfs felt responsible for talking the others into going on, even though the men had wanted to make camp before they entered the swamp. Turquinine blamed himself for not having been ready for the danger and not responding sooner to his comrade's cry for help. Hadwin and Rhys merely wondered if they could have reacted to the situation sooner or done more to prevent the knight's death. It was a horrendous evening of soul-searching and reliving the day over and over again in their dreams. The situation for the noncombatants wasn't much different, especially for the young prince. Before he fell asleep, Kieren's imagination began to run rampant and it took total control of his thought processes. Everywhere he looked, Kieren thought he saw something move or he would imagine strange noises coming from out of the darkness. This uneasiness made him vow to himself that he would stay alert throughout the evening. Even though Kieren was hesitant to acknowledge it, the young man was still fearful of another grisly attack from something even more indescribable and more ferocious than the Serpent Colossus. That earlier, fierce confrontation had shaken his courage to the core. Now he fought bravely to keep his composure and not break down in front of his fellow travelers. As he continued this facade, he began to analyze what had happened. He thought to himself that, if he had to endure these types of situations on his way to becoming a man, he would prefer to remain a boy indefinitely. He considered the possibility of not growing up, but he faced the reality that this was not a viable option. While pursuing these and other thoughts, Kieren continued to fight his weariness and he struggled to remain awake. Finally, he was forced to give in to the needs of his body and he dozed off in total exhaustion. After several disquieting hours, the camp began to stir as the first rays of dawn began to pierce the evening's gloom. With the light came the hope of a better day and it lifted the spirits of the tired little company. As they rose and prepared the meal with which they would break their evening's fast, they found that they were now ravenous. This was a direct result of the previous day's activities and the long period of abstinence since their last meal. They voraciously attacked the portions set before them and most of them returned for a second and even a third helping. That was, all of them except Turquinine, who only picked at his food. Having been the closest to Selvaggio, he was also the one most deeply affected by his death. He was busy trying to mentally plan something appropriate as a final benediction. As soon as the party had cleaned up from the morning meal, they set about repacking their gear. When this task had been accomplished, the inhabitants of the Amber Mountains went off to begin digging the final resting spot for the stricken knight. While the dwarfs were performing this duty, the youths and the other warriors set about collecting rocks from about the hillside. These stones would be placed over the earthen mound to protect it, as much as possible, from the animal scavengers that roam the hills. When each group had finished their task, the body was lowered into its eternal bed and the gravesite was properly secured. After some discussion, it was determined that this location was remote and obscure enough that the grave would probably not be discovered. Turquinine took Selvaggio's broadsword and drove it firmly into the ground in front of the mound's head, yet hidden within a small shrub. This would serve as a temporary marker so they could relocate the grave at a later time. It would have to do for now, or at least until the time when the grief stricken warrior could return and erect a more permanent monument or take the body back to his homeland for proper interment. Now the knight stood with his hands still frozen on the sword's hilt, trying to commence the eulogy he had been forming in his mind. Rigidly he lifted up his head and addressed his companions. "Mine brethren. I beseech thee to assist me in the lessening of mine melancholy and grief by giving me thine attention. It might be knownst by thee that Selvaggio and I have served as comrades-in-arms together for many years. We were kindred spirits and brethren of the soul. We were bound closer than by bonds of blood and our mutual affection was enormous. I wouldst never forsake mine beloved friend, even when death's icy fingers gripped mine soul for eternity. With Selvaggio's passing, I feeleth that part of mine soul hath been ripped from its proper place. I canst only soothe mine soul by extolling this virtuous warrior one final time. "Thou seeth resting before thee the bravest fighting man that hath ever trodden this fair land. His distinguished service couldst only be surpassed by his loyalty as a friend. Selvaggio was unselfish and considerate, steadfast and trustworthy, honest and courageous, and as compassionate an individual as any warrior couldst permit himself to be." At this point Turquinine paused, regained his composure, and calmed the unevenness that had begun to break into his speech. When he felt he was again in control of his emotions, he continued his address. "Though thou art unaware of this fact, Selvaggio was of noble blood, as our Liege Lord Kieren. Born the youngest of his clan, he received the least benefit from his birthright. His eldest sibling inherited the position and title which passeth from father to first-born son, while his other brethren secured titles or positions which could be purchased on their behalf. His sisters were provided with sizable dowries, which made them eligible to wed others of noble rank. "When Selvaggio reached his age of majority and, by custom, was expected to procure a station in life, he discovered the family coffers depleted. Bereft of other opportunities, Selvaggio chose the honorable path as a professional warrior. Gradually his accomplishments became recognized and through the ranks he wouldst ascend. It was his deeds, not family name or wealth, which catapulted this powerful knight to his eventual station as one of the champions of his troops." Again, there was a brief pause in the service as Turquinine felt his voice begin to tremble. He waited for the lump in his throat to subside and the tightness in his chest to relax before he resumed his simple oration. "Being unable to formulate some grand soliloquy of commendation to this knight extraordinaire, I pray thee accept a brief rendering of the "Ode to the Legionnaire", which hangeth in every barracks in Tarolia." There was another momentary pause before he began to recite this poem of reverence that hangs in every barracks that housed human warriors. The soldier dons his armor He utters his final prayers He's defender of his kingdom Having shed his private cares He knows he'll seldom profit He's not seeking wealth or fame It's his homeland that he'll die for And in this there is no shame His life is mostly lonely Far away from kith and kin Only thinking of their safety When amid the battle's din His friends are often changing As the battles take their toll When the bloodied swords are lifted Yet to claim another soul Whenever there's a battle As the evil spreads its fear Claiming many from the numbers Leaving one less Legionnaire So when it's truly over And we've laid him to his rest We can say with truth and honor That he always did his best As his body's lowered down To the ground from whence it came Tis but then that he's remembered For he'd gained no lasting fame As we cover him with soil That will be his watch and ward At last he'll have a chance to rest With heaven his just reward" As the final verse of this moving tribute faded into the wind, the party turned and trudged back to their campsite. Once there, they retrieved their packs and prepared to depart this unhappy place. Soon they were on their way, now heading along a little used path northward, as it would lead them toward Thorold. Kieren noticed that there were only a few scattered bushes along the hillside, but he concluded that there weren't enough of these small shrubs to conceal their passage as they continued their journey northward. He was uneasy in this openness, but he was relieved that they were away from the swamp. As they moved farther along this desolate and exposed byway, they came upon a fork in the road. Sedain took this opportunity to enlighten them about their choices. He informed them that the left fork would lead them back to rejoin the lower road that ran along the marsh. The other path would lead them to follow a ridge that ran about a quarter of the way up the mountain's side. He advised them that either route would take them where they wanted to go, but they had to make a decision as to which path they wished to follow. Moving as one, they huddled in the open to make this decision. Quickly they settled on using the high road, so that they might stay as far away as possible from the Murky Marshes and its other hidden dangers. The trail from here was not difficult, but the openness that surrounded them provided them with mixed emotions. At first it made them feel safe, because they would be able to discern the movement of anyone or anything that might try to approach them. On the other hand, it made them feel very uneasy, because their own movements could be as easily observed by anyone or anything that might be scouting for intruders. It was much the same feeling as Kieren had experienced concerning the moonlight when they journeyed across the open plains, as they traveled from Wildoness to Leander. It was these conflicting emotions that kept everyone at full alert as they continued along the barren trail. They voted against stopping for their noon meal and, instead, they decided to eat as they walked along, feeling that this would be the most prudent course of action to follow. It was also their hope that, by not stopping, they could get out of this part of the country sooner. It was also their wish to avoid any more chances with their safety. Therefore, the party continued their intensive surveillance of the surrounding area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Even under this type of scrutiny, they could discover no signs of other life forms within range of their senses. For that reason, they continued on and they relaxed slightly as they made their way to the dwarf kingdom. Their mood was less somber and less tense as the day passed into evening. They began to feel that the most dangerous part of the day's trek had been completed and they would soon be able to rest. As they continued their forced march, they came to a fairly sheltered area that used the mountain as its back. This location had small rock arms jutting out on either side of the level ground, thus protecting them on three sides. The soldiers decided that this would be a good place to prepare their camp. So as not to draw attention to themselves, it was decided that there would be no fire this evening. Because of this, they hurriedly set up their camp and utilized the dying rays of sunlight that reached them. As they were setting out their bedrolls and performing their other duties, the soldiers were keeping a close watch on the three young men. They did not want them to wander off and they kept a constant eye on Kieren, lest something strike as quickly as the Serpent Colossus had. Slowly they began to settle in, and they quietly ate a cold meal from their quickly depleting rations. After the meal, they relaxed in the circular formation in which they had placed themselves. Kieren was the first to break the silence. "Turquinine, earlier in the day I learned a little bit about Selvaggio, as you spoke at his funeral. Now I wish that you would share a little about your own life with us." "My Lord, I have nothing of interest to share. Mine own life hath been dismal and I wouldst not wish to bore thee with its rendering." "Regardless of what you may consider it, I am sure it is a fascinating tale. I wish you would tell us about yourself. Please?" "If that be thy wish, then I shall obey and tell thee what I can. I must advise thee that it will give me great discomfort in fulfilling thy request." At this point, the gentle giant paused and eyed the others before he began his story. "Though not illegitimate, I never knew mine sire. Mine father deserted the precious woman who bore me when I was but a babe. I was weaned on the childish taunts of "bastard", though mine peers lacked justification for their slurs. When this harassment began, I wouldst pummel the boldest first. Hence, I gained a considerable reputation as a brawler and a bully. "By now I had grown to considerable stature and mine reputation, though somewhat tarnished, was growing disproportionately with each retelling of these encounters. This brought me under the scrutiny of a bold and famous knight. Unbeknownst to me, he sought mine mother's permission to take me as his squire. Reluctantly she agreed and I was plucked from my despair and thrust into a world of many wonders. Mine benefactor trained me in all the knightly traditions and, eventually, he allowed me to enter the tournaments to test mine newly acquired skills. Immediately I became one of the favorites in the local jousts, winning many of the events in which I was entered. From that time forward, I knew that I was always meant to be a knight. Remembrance of my childhood led me to fight for the rights of those who could not defend themselves or to champion causes which seemed just and honorable. "Upon attaining the required age, the knight whom I served supported my decision and helped me to enlist in the Mitikuan Army. It was during the initial training period in group tactics that I met and befriended another recruit. In time, we wouldst become inseparable. That enlistee was Selvaggio, and I came to respect him as thou hast also come to respect him in the short time we hath been together. After that training period ended, we volunteered for the elite guard. It was extremely difficult to survive the selection process, and the training was physically and emotionally challenging. Each of us survived the demanding rigors of this unit and we served together with those forces until we volunteered for this assignment. "It is true that during the time we served together, we participated in numerous battles, fighting side by each. We would also take out leisure together upon the battle's demise. Whenever either of us wert wounded, our brother wouldst tend to the needs of the other until recovery was complete. Numerous times we labored, tending to the other's maladies, nursing the battle scars, or bringing the other back from the brink of death. Brothers we were, in the truest sense of the word, but the green god of jealousy never reared his ugly head between us. If either received a special honor, the other gloried in the euphoria of the achievement. We never let resentment build an impenetrable wall between us. When one laughed, the other shared his joy. When one cried, the other shared his sorrow. We existed as two parts of the same whole and a piece of my soul died yesterday when Selvaggio was ambushed and his life's flame was snuffed out." At this point, Turquinine surrendered to his emotions and he turned away from the others to hide his grief. The three young men stared with admiration as this mighty knight struggled anew, once again coping with his loss. Due to these latest insights about this professional warrior, the youths discovered a newfound respect for him and his accomplishments. Although they had been first hand witnesses to his courage, his prowess in battle, and his devotion to a stricken comrade, they now knew more about the inner man. From his story and his display of emotion, they had learned the extent of his love, his concern, and his motivation. After a respectful period of quiet, Kieren was the one to break the uneasy silence. "You were wrong, my powerful friend. Your tale was immensely interesting and I thank you for sharing it with us." The knight merely nodded, and with that signal, the entourage slowly dispersed and moved to their sleeping areas. That night each individual went to sleep emotionally spent. Rhys volunteered for the first two-hour watch and awakened Sedain to replace him when his tour ended. It had been so absolutely peaceful and quiet during his watch that Rhys felt serene as his shift ended. His duty now over, Rhys went to his bedding, ready for slumber. Sedain, on the other hand, was still somewhat groggy from having been disturbed in the middle of his rest. As he stood near the perimeter of the camp, he thought that he spied what might be the glow from a fire. It seemed to be originating from a spot about a kilometer north of their current position. He considered that even if the source of the light was from a campsite, it didn't necessarily signal danger. Considering his options, the dwarf decided that it would be best if he went off to investigate its source. He roused Quintain to replace him on his rounds and he quickly explained to his brother what he was about to do. Quietly he slipped out of camp and he headed in the direction of the light, hoping to discover the secret behind this mysterious glimmer. Much time had elapsed since the dwarf had left the camp to probe this enigma. In fact, Quintain had not only covered the remainder of his brother's watch, but he also stood the two that followed it as well. Now, he was beginning to grow deeply concerned for his sibling's safety and he pondered his next move. When the first light of morning started to fall upon the camp, Quintain gave in to his anxiety and decided to wake the others and explain his concern. First he shook Turquinine, who thought it was his turn to stand guard. As the Mitikuan lumbered to his feet, the dwarf went over to awaken Hadwin, Alaric, Rhys, and Doenilio. The dwarf did not bother to rouse the boys for two reasons. Firstly, he felt that the youngsters required their sleep more than the older members of the party. Secondly, he had already decided that they probably wouldn't be of much assistance in deciding their next move. Upon finishing his tale to the others, they immediately agreed that a search party should be organized and sent out to find their wayward companion. Of course, Quintain was the first to volunteer for this mission, along with Doenilio, Hadwin, Rhys, and Alaric. Turquinine was selected to stay behind and guard the youths. This was because the others felt that he had suffered enough from the loss of Selvaggio and they wished to give him time to recover. They might need him more at a later time and he was the best single individual to guard the three youths alone. Turquinine did not argue with this decision. When the others were nearly ready to leave, the knight woke his charges and led them to an area that he felt could best be defended, if need be. He ordered Kieren to cover himself with his elfin cloak, as an added precaution to ensure the prince's safety. Garreth and Romaric eagerly took up their arms, on their own initiative, to assist the Mitikuan if the need arose. The quintet of warriors in the search party armed themselves and acceded to Quintain's request that he be allowed to lead them. Remembering the direction that Sedain had gone, the dwarf set out, leading the others in the early morning light. Using great stealth, the retinue followed their temporary leader along the trail that he had seen his countryman take. Hadwin was the first to spot Sedain's footprints in the loose soil at the edge of the path. Once they had moved away from the rocky floor on which they had camped, the Nardinian saw the imprints created by the dwarf's boots and he alerted Quintain to follow them stealthily forward. Acknowledging the fact that their friend might have veered off the trail, all of them remained alert for an occasional broken twig or a disturbed patch of sod that might indicate his course. As they moved onward, closer to the area where they had suspected the fire had been earlier, the more prudent they became. Just as they were about to maneuver around a huge boulder that stood in their path, Alaric's keen sense of hearing picked up voices somewhere in the distance. He signaled the party to stop and remain behind the large rock, while he and Hadwin climbed up the mountainside to look around. The two scouts slithered forward to a vantage point where they could see the entire area and possibly discover what it was that awaited them. After about twenty minutes, the two scouts returned and whispered that they had discovered a party of five, three Merropites and two Gnomes, just ahead on the path. They reported that Sedain was with them, tied up like a sack of potatoes, but he appeared to be unharmed. His captors seemed to be discussing their plans for this unexpected visitor and they did not appear to be in any hurry to leave the area. Hadwin quickly formulated a rescue plan and he explained it to his companions. All of them agreed that it was an excellent strategy and they hastily settled on their individual assignments. Quintain left first, heading to a spot about five meters past the boulder, but still within reach of his companions. There, the dwarf took up his role as the bait in this trap as he pretended to lie hurt and unconscious. Putting themselves in a position to protect and defend their friend, Hadwin and Rhys hid behind the large, upraised rock. They would use this vertical crag to shield themselves from the view of any of the opposing forces who might walk down the path in their direction. While the others took their posts along the trail, Alaric climbed the mountainside to a vantage point overlooking their opponent's campsite. From this lofty perch, he would assume his position as lookout and help to orchestrate each phase of their scheme as they carried out this deception. Doenilio had also climbed up the mountain's slope, but not as far up as Alaric had positioned himself. There, the dwarf concealed himself beside a jutting slab of granite that was large enough to obscure his presence from anyone meandering along the trail below. This outgrowth of rock was also directly in line with the spot where Quintain lay sprawled out on the road, as he performed his part in this masquerade. It was the ideal location to execute his part of the plan. With everyone now in their assigned places, it was the perfect time for the dwarf to initiate the first phase of the plan. Carefully he set the gears of fate into motion. * * * * * * * * If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me at http://members.tripod.de/wolfslair, in the 'Other Stories' section. E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.