Descent of Kings | Teen Ink

Descent of Kings

December 5, 2017
By EXYZeng BRONZE, Mason, Ohio
EXYZeng BRONZE, Mason, Ohio
4 articles 0 photos 0 comments

The hall leading to the king’s quarters was colorful yet quiet. Two guards stood there so silently, they seemed like armor decorations. Small slits, which made a poor excuse for windows, shined thin lines of sunlight into the gloomy hall. An elegant red carpet with gold trimmings laid in the middle of the cobblestone hallway, giving a royal taste to the otherwise rough natured hallway. At one end of the hallway stood a large, two door entrance which the two guards watched each side. On the other side stood a lonely, rustic iron door that led to the stairs down into the throne room.
Behind the iron door, footsteps echoed through the narrow hallway. It was a mess of clattering clicks, but the sounds were somewhat distinctive. The sounds of footsteps were accompanied by the ringing echoes of weaponry. The two guards, guarding the king’s quarters, stood motionless until an arrow came whizzing through the windows. Both guards’ eyes lit up, and they were both on full alert. Their red feathered crests lowered as they readied their polaxes. The footsteps from the doorway seemed closer now, and unlike echoing, the echoes turned to thunder. The guards felt droplets of sweat run across their faces, and the silver armor they were wearing was becoming much more like an oven.
The iron door swung open to reveal a suspicious cast of characters. A man in golden armor holding a shining sword stood by with a woman in grayish silver armor who held a spear. Behind them rushed in several soldiers. But instead of the royal colors of red and silver, the soldiers were wearing green and gold.
The crash of the iron door echoed down the hall. It was so loud that the guards inside the king’s quarters rushed out. Now there were only four guards and a dozen attackers. The king himself rushed from the room, and he was ready to his fullest. He donned a set of golden armor with the matching, shining crown and a silver greatsword.
The king’s voice thundered in the cramped hallway, “Melodius! Get the kids away! Hide them! Whatever you do, just don’t let these scum get to them!” His attention turned towards the assaulters, “What pleasure do I owe you my audience, Sir Arken of Tailer and Lady Em of Liot?”
The man with golden armor and the woman holding the spear stepped forward while holding both their weapons at hand. Arken spoke first, “It seems to me you aren’t that well of a ruler.”
Em tagged in, “It seems to us that many people want you dead.”
The king spoke, “Well, it may be a few arses spouting deadly rumors about me. Last time I checked, the people loved me.”
The king’s eyes focused on the two and gave a stern look. His hands clenched the greatsword with a tighter grip.
Arken smirked, “Your highness! A lot of people have been thinking that our great king, Bern of Cayhon, is a squirming ruckus! Look at your abnormal speech patterns! Who in the world says arse? I’m sorry your highness, this just won’t do.”
Arken raised his sword and charged at the king. Following him rushed Em and the dozen attackers. Bern and the four guards stood their ground. The slams of metal rang throughout the hallway. Another factor was added in. Melodius ran back into the fray, but this time she wore silver armor with a symbol of two gargoyle wings, She pulled out her rapier and flung herself towards the enemy. Her sword penetrated one swordsmen of the attackers, and the man crumbled to the ground. Blood pooled around him and the green patch on his armor was now stained with so much blood that it had turned into a murky brown.
One of the royal guards flung their poleaxe towards an enemy, and the man fell backwards. His bronze armor carried a dent now, and blood was leaking from the visor of the man’s helmet. Even though he was still standing up, he dropped his spear and fell to his knees very soon. The red carpet was turning into a darker shade.
Arken slammed his sword down onto the king, but Bern easily blocked the attack with his greatsword. Bern slides the sword out of the sword lock and slammed the hilt into the side of  Arken. Arken coughs as the wind is knocked out of him, but he counterattacks as he slams the flat edge of his sword on Bern’s right shoulder. The attack nearly loosened Bern’s grip on the greatsword. Bern recovers and swipes his sword into the left side of Arken, but Arken blocks the attack and  rushes towards the king. Bern swings back the greatswords and kicks Arken down to the ground.
Melodius thrust her arm forward towards Em, but Em slammed her spear down which sticks Melodius’s rapier into the ground. Melodius recovers and retrieves her sword, and she puts in another thrust onto Em. Em, still recovering from the last attack, was left off guard. The rapier pierced her iron armor leaving a red blotch between the unscathed shining gray color. Em stumbled back and clutched her armor though she couldn’t touch the injuries. Em was now marked with rage, and her eyes were now glowing red. She rushed towards Melodius, tackling her. Melodius stabbed her in the thigh, and the other end of the rapier ripped through the surface of Em’s thigh.
Bern thrust his sword down into Arken’s chest, and Arken laughed while he coughed up blood. Suddenly, a dark cloud corroded around Arken’s injury. The wound was healing, and it forcefully pushed out Bern’s greatsword. Bern’s eyes stared at what just happened. Though he understood what had happened, he hadn’t seen that for years.
Bern bellowed, “Arken! In the name of spirits, what have you done?”
Arken grinned as he helped himself up, “Oh, I know what I’ve done. It’s really amusing to see even you, one of the most powerful warriors, cower in fear to see this happen.”
Bern responded, “I am not cowering. I am but concerned about you. Why have you awaken such power again?”
Arken laughed hysterically, “Why not?”
Those last words were heard before Bern, son of Cayhon, crumpled to the ground. Blood leaked from Bern’s throat, and a large dent across his golden armor. Melodius pushed Em off of herself, and she tried running to her dead lover. Not long, a loud bang rung in the hallway and a cloud of smoke clouded the air. As the smoke cleared, the scene was set. On the floor lay the dead body of Melodius hovering over the dead body of Bern. Where the bang had come from was towards the iron door. There stood a neatly dressed man. He was wearing green and gold colored clothing and a shako with a green plume. The man smiled while holding a musket in his hands.


The author's comments:

This is a fantasy story which is not finished, but this is the prologue of the book.


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