Kameron Esters-
Fear my godly wrath!
A man walks across a few corpses spread out across a scorched and barren waste land. The man limps as he is hurt from two arrows piercing his back. He breathes heavily as he can feel his life slipping ever so slowly but he was determined to make it or there was a fort just before him near the end of this wasteland he trekked.
“Speak! What is this proposition?” Alleria asks though she has an inkling of an idea what the proposition would be
“Your kingdom for your lives! We’re giving you the chance to leave--”
“Let me stop you right there...No...We are not leaving our kingdom.” Alleria responds irate
“You dare stick your nose up in my offer? ...Such a shame.”
“The only shame here is the shame you lot should have in yourselves! You trade your souls for technology beyond our world...”
“A small price to pay...FOR POWEEER!” Miccion hoists his halber in the air, the army behind him cheering in response
“Power is nothing without the honor! Without integrity!” Alleria snaps at the white knight
“HA! Still unwilling to forgo your beliefs. Typical of you Snow-dwellers. So stuck in your old ways.But perhaps that’s why we need to be patient with you. To give you the chance to re-evaluate your morals and beliefs. A learning lesson of sorts.”
“The only lesson you all will be learning is that guns don’t win battles. Drive does.” Alleria confirms
“Says the kingdom who are still content with fighting with sticks and stones!” The Porcelain Army laughs at Alleria before Mirccion signals them all to stop “We’ll give you three days to think it over. Either you and your clans vacate your lands of your own free-will or...We “evict” you. Not just out the kingdom. Out of existence as a whole….Good day, Lady Alleria…” Mirccion turns his back on Alleria
-------------------
“Dear Spirits, We thank you for watching over us as we sleep and as we live. I pray that you keep me and my mama and my papa safe from the evil of the land. I pray to keep everyone in Grievea safe...Well...That all the fighting would stop soon. Everyone’s been fighting for so long and I don’t know why. Mama says something about demons or monsters. I hear them when I sleep sometimes. Roaring and snarling. Noisy things those demons areI also hear screams far away from hear. And sounds of horns too. They scare me sometimes and I can’t sleep. And a little girl needs her sleep, you know? All I ask that that everyone stops hurting. I hope you know what I mean because...I can’t really explain it myself. But if you can do this for me then...I-I don’t know what I’ll do...But I’ll do something! I promise! Love, Aine.”
Outside of the room, a tall man hesitated at Aine's door. After a few moments, he gave three gentle knocks, saying in a deep, baritone voice, "Aine? Your mother is ready. Grab your things." It was her father, Ander, King of Byrne. Well, he supposed King of what was left. They'd been fighting for over a century, and with every battle it seemed that…whatever they were fighting grew in number while their forces dwindled. The whole hunting trip seemed a bad idea, but Ander supposed it would help with morale. Plus, he didn't want Aine to worry about what was happening in the world at large.
The King smiled as he daughter burst out of her room, ruffling her hair a bit as he said, "She's already outside, dear. Someone's excited." Ander was ready himself, dressed in the thick leathers and wool clothing that defined his kingdom's sense of fashion. Underneath the tunic, he wore some chainmail. Going out on a hunt in full armor was idiotic, but with Galamoth...he at least wanted some protection in case they were attacked. He also had his bow, given to him when he turned eighteen and became a man in the eyes of the clan. It was beautifully made, indicative of the incredible craftsmanship Clan Briain was famous for. It was made of yew, and almost as tall as Ander himself. It could punch through plate armor without much issue, and he honestly wondered if using it against a deer would be overkill. He gave Aine a light pat on the back, ushering her to follow him outside so they wouldn't keep Kathlyn waiting any longer.
A woman with closed eyes and an adorning fur robe covering her entire body is sitting on a wooden bench in a blacksmith’s shop with a beautifully carved bow in her lap. This was Kathlyn, queen of Byrne and wife to King Ander. She is also blind. Born this way by the misfortune of life, she never got to see the world she lived in with her own eyes but this never stopped her from enjoying her life. Suddenly she feels the bench move.
Kathlyn smiles “Thank you, father.”
“Well, what can I say. You and Aine are my favorite girls in all the kingdom.” Kathlyn’s father chuckles “Also, you can't go ‘hunter-ing’ without arrows.”
“That we can’t. I apologize I keep distracting you from your work just to have you make these arrows for me.”
“Please, Kathyn. I’ve always dedicated my life to making time for you. And it’s no inconvenience for me. Now, what is an inconvenience for me is these surplus of weapons and armors I’ve been tasked to make recently. This actually got me having to hire some extra hands to complete it all. About time too but I’m older than a tree now.”
“A surplus you say…?” Kathlyn ponders
“Yep. And there’s only one reason why we need extra weapons for: Battle. Face it, Kathy. We’ve fought the war, then decided it was best to stay on our land when we began getting overwhelmed by those damned invaders...But you know we can’t stay safe forever. These...Things...they’re like an infestation. The type you can't get rid of… They’re going to find us eventually and that might be soon…”
“I understand father...But no need to get me scared just yet. I’m supposed to be ‘hunter-ing’ with my daughter. How am I to do that with the lingering thought of doom in the back of my mind?” Kathlyn laughs which prompts her father to smile in returns
Ander and Aine walk towards Kathlyn and her father. The moment Aine sees her grandfather she points at him accusingly. “YOOOUUUU!”
Kathlyn’s father pretends to be taken aback with a hand against his chest. He looks side to side before point at himself “Me?”
“Do you see any other old person here?! You know what I’m here for, old man! Put the arrows! In! The quiver!” Aine holds the quiver out “PUT THEM IN! Please~. Don’t make me hurt you...Next to papa. I’m the fiercest in the kingdom! So you better give me those arrows if you know what’s good for you! ” Aine glares at her grandfather
“Oh, there’s no doubt about that! Here, take all my arrows!” He pours all the arrows in the quiver while pretending to be intimidated by his granddaughter’s antics
“That right, old man...You just keep those arrows coming...I’ll be back next week for my next batch! But for your cooperation.” Aine hugs her grandfather “Don’t let this get to your head, old man! This was strictly business! C’mon, crew….We’re hunter-ing…” Aine begins to walk away
Kathlyn’s father shakes her head with a smile while Kathlyn had already facepalmed herself. “That’s your daughter there, Kathlyn.”
“Oh, don’t I know it…” Kathlyn column’t help but smile at her daughter’s attempts at thuggery
A small smile crept across Ander's face at the sight of his wife, approaching her slowly and cautiously, as to not startle her. "I trust you're ready, my love? Sorry for the wait." He knelt down, kissing her knuckles sweetly before standing up, helping Kathlyn up if need be.
Thank you, beloved.” She lets Ander help her up from the bench and hugs her father “So you soon, father.”
He reciprocates her hug “See you, Kathy. You all have a good day” With that, Kathlyn followed Aine
The King shyly waved over at his father-in-law, still a bit nervous around the man. He wasn’t one who made sure his armor didn't fall apart, so the idea of making him angry terrified Ander. He took a moment to do one last check on his things. Making sure his bow string was in good shape, he had some essentials just in case they got lost, the usual. With that, he left Fort Briain with his wife and daughter, and ventured into the snowy forests that surrounded them. It was almost as if the war wasn't even happening. It was so peaceful, serene, untouched for centuries. This is what he was protecting. His family, his home, and his people from...whatever Galamoth was.
The family trek through the snow forest for a awhile before Kathlyn speaks up “Alright, you two. You both know the deal. Be my eyes and I’ll be your ears. Aine, you stay close to me and don’t wander off. And don’t shout when you see our game. You’ll scare it off.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Aine salutes “And it was the one time…” Aine mumbles
“Try three times but good.” Kathlyn smiles
Ander was mostly silent as they walked, too busy thinking about the damn war to focus on hunting. Despite being a much loved passtime of the Clan, Ander wasn't much for it. He preferred a warm fire over freezing his ass off looking for dinner. He chuckled at Kathlyn and Aine's banter, saying, "You two keep that up and it'll be four times."
"Shush!" Aine puts a finger over her lips "You'll see! I'll be as close as a shadow and twice as silent! C'mon, mama! We got some hunter-ing to do!" Aine takes Kathlyn by the hand and ventures off into the woods
After several minutes of wandering in the woods, the matriarchs feel the winds beginning to pick up and more clouds begin to form. "It's been rather quiet in the woods today but the clouds are not." Kathlyn states "We might have to cut our 'hunter-ing' short today, honey"
"Noooo!" Aine whines "We can't go back empty-handed! What will our friends and neighbors think?"
"They'll think we did our best and we'll catch something next time." Kathlyn remarks bluntly
Aine glares at her mother "Then their standards are too low..." She says darkly
Kathlyn shakes her head "Why do you have to be so different, child?"
"Isn't this normal behavior for those born into royalty!" Aine asks confused
"Only for some. Usually, they can be much worse."
Suddenly, the winds blow hard and lightning begin to crackle in the skies.
Kathlyn instinctively grabs on to Aine, then on to a tree, and holds on tight as she can to keep them from being blown away "Hold on tight, child! With any luck, this storm will be over soon!"
"Whaaat?!" Aine could hear her mother from over all the wind and rustling of trees. The clouds begin to form a funnel and descend towards the earth, all the while, rays from the heaves shine through. Lightning crackles 17 different times in a row before suddenly disappearing. The winds stop blowing and the lightning that accompanied it is not more
Kathlyn slowly relenquishes her grip on the tree "Aine? Are you alright, child?"
"Oh, I'm fine, mama! But, you should've seen it! It was like the heavens were descending in a rage!" Aine says excitedly
"Oh, I think hearing it was just enough..." Kathlyn rubs her beating ears
"Oh! We should see what happened! I always wanted to know if lightning could burn snow!" Aine grabs her mother's hand and runs deeper into the woods
"Slow down, child! We don't want to get lost!" Kathlyn warns her daughter to no avail as her excitement has made her deaf
-------
As you come to, you feel cold. Not freezing cold but you figured if you stayed out any longer, you'd get sick. Surrounding you was sheet, white snow and burnt, fallen trees. What was also surrounding you were strangers you've never seen before. Or have you?
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