The night has fallen and the moonlight hid behind a mass of violet clouds in the dark sky. I squint into the horizon to find a glimpse of shadows creeping slowly into view. There was but an outline of towering rocks that shaped the island and the vines that thrive in it. The mist gathered around the raft as I carefully steered it forward with a spear. Swaying up and down, the raft pressed on the unusually calm Black River. From a distance, I could hear the faint cry of the monster that lived on the island.
Legend has it that a princess from a faraway kingdom is being held captive by this giant beast with green scales and four wings. Once, a mighty prince from the land of the Nydemia dared to rescue the damsel but never returned. No word has come back to his kingdom about his fate so it became a tragic loss for the royal family. It has been said that many have tried to follow his footsteps but fear sent them away from the mysterious island. Fear of the wrath of what lies behind the stone mountains covering most of the isle.
They say if the Great Prince did not succeed in saving the girl, no one else could. Years have passed since his unfortunate demise yet his honor remains as one that people look up to. The Great Prince of Nydemia in all his might, faced the beast carrying the faith of his people yet it was not enough to defeat the foul creature lurking within. Fear only grew into the hearts of many as they have chosen to turn their backs on the damsel in distress. Maybe in time, the monster will weaken with age; maybe in time, the monster will surely meet its death. Six years down the line and none have tried to set sail and face the beast once and for all. Until now.
I, Farooq, son of Lord Farhen, Knight of Third Circle and bearer of The Sword of Fire, has sailed against the King's wishes to put an end to this fear. They have given everyone in the Circles an order to never travel to the legendary island for fear that we might lose great men capable of protecting the land. The decree was on every brick wall of the Kingdom, signed by the King himself, prohibiting anyone from going on a dangerous mission to save what was already lost. As the only son of my father, I was heavily dissuaded not to continue with my mission. But here I am, choosing to go it alone in the middle of the night. Something about facing this legendary beast ignited a fire in my heart. Maybe I can be the one to avenge the death of our Great Prince.
A few more hands away and my raft has reached the dock. Moss have grown on the platform, I noticed while carefully tying the raft onto a peg. It was a slippery climb but the dock held on despite years of remaining dormant. Before me were gigantic molds of stone towering up to the clouds. The lair of the beast must be atop this rocky mount. There were not enough trees but vines grew in corners, breaking out of the solid rocks. Small shrubs with berries in them littered the rough terrain of the isle. The low howl of the beast could be heard echoing on the surface of every stone wall. The wind grew stronger as I stepped higher onto boulders that would lead me to the top.
Closer and closer, I inched my way to the final plane of land on the surface of the mountain. Ahead were two huge stone walls and a passage in the middle. The winds blew and the groan of the monster became louder. It must be sleeping. Though fear crept up from my feet, I pressed on with a tighter grip on The Sword of Fire. Swiftly flicking the blade onto a rock and the sword caught flame, giving me the light to go forward.
The faint light of the fiery sword did little to fight the winds going against us into the passage. Carefully, I took each step expecting that any moment, the beast may come into that corner ahead. The flame flickered to almost darkness just as I was about to reach the corner stone. Hissing became louder and from what I could see, a flap of a wing rested on the ground. It moved out of view yet I knew I will be right behind it to put an end to its life.
With all the courage I've gathered inside, I took a swift turn and hacked through the green wing, instantly catching fire from the tip of the sword. The flame quickly shot up as I followed the spark with my eyes. Sparks turned into larger flames as it engulfed the entirety of the giant before me. But something was not right.
Quickly, the large shadow fell down like a house of cards caught in the flames until it became ash on the ground. What's left of the beast was a skeleton of wooden foundation, charred and unstable.
"What?" I gasped, almost dropping the sword from what my eyes witnessed.
The lair was empty and the beast was nowhere to be found. Nothing but a replica made of papyrus and gopher which has turned quickly into dust. The winds blew hard behind me and the howling remains as it was. Confused, I examined the remains of the burnt head on the ground, like a puppet it had eyes painted white like a child's toy.
A bolt dashed towards me but I quickly flicked the blade against it.
"Who goes there?" a voice of a woman echoed in the shadows.1868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfb8RdmKPS
"It is I, Farooq, son of Lord Fahren, Knight of the Third Circle and bearer of The Sword of Fire, I come from the Land of Nydemia and I am here to avenge the Great Prince. Show yourself!"
It was quiet until her hysterical laugh dominated the lair.
"Avenge the Great Prince? Don't make me laugh." She rose from the shadows and I tightened my stance. But immediately, my hands drew the sword down from what I saw. She wore a tattered dress, soiled and cut up above her knees. It was no longer the color it once used to be. Her hair shone under the moonlight as she walked with bare feet, a bow in her hand and a dagger strapped to her waist. Is she the princess of the Legend? The damsel in need of saving from a beast? She looked more like a tribeswoman or a raider.
"Great work soldier, you just saved the Princess." She bowed with courtesy, mocking my efforts. "Oh, don't be so surprised honey. It's as if you just found out babies didn't come from storks."
"Who are you? Where is the girl? Where is the beast I have to slay? The beast that killed the beloved Prince of Nydemia!"
She rolled her eyes and turned her back on me. "Don't move! Hey, wait! Where do you think you're…" But she has gone into a hole in the stone wall. Carefully, I peeked into the crevice and saw the woman cooking stew by a fire. She sat down, crossed her legs and proceeded to sharpen sticks into bolts she can use for her bow.
It was like a balcony atop the mountain, a small patch of cliff. A great view of the sea abound the small space she seemed to live in. There was a fort by the wall made of cloth and crates marked with the seal of Nydemia.
"Feel free to ask for answers when you've taken in everything." She blew on the pointy end of the stick and set it aside to start sharpening a new one.
"You're the princess?"1868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxF2CM3N1G
"Well, in theory, I am." She proclaimed. "But look at me, who am I kidding?"1868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaOnpQyV0Q
"I don't understand."1868Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrJ18aL5kC
"Alright, Farooq. Rooq. Rookie. Here's the deal, I'm no princess just as your Great Prince is none the greater."
I cocked my head to the side, squinted my eyes and flicked the blade into flames once again. Ready to strike.
"Alright, alright. Sheesh. Your whole life is a lie. Well, not all of it unless you dedicated your whole life to this mission. Did you? Anyhow. It was all a ruse. Six years ago, the all powerful king of Nydemia had a teenage son. He was geared to be the successor to the throne yet skill-wise, he was for the lack of better term inept."
"Don't you dare slander the name of the Great Prince!" I screamed in confusion.
"Hold your horses, Rookie. This is for your own good. Alright? Let me finish, so your Great Prince was not as courageous as the kings before him. Big deal, right? Well it is. It was such a struggle to get him to lift a sword. So the king, with a palm to his forehead devised a plan to better the image of his failure of a son. What better way for the land to know him as a rightful heir than to make him succeed in a dangerous mission?"
Despite being difficult to hear, I wanted to know the truth.
"So, they hired me, a hunter on the outskirts of the land to pose as a princess, from an unnamed kingdom, for him to save. Placed me on this lonely island, right? Built this cheap replica of a dragon for an added effect. Everything was going well until the Great Prince of Nydemia slipped upon stepping onto the dock and down into the water he went. To put it lightly, he drowned."
"Lies!" I hissed.
"Before I could get his boat, the river has already washed it away by the current. So I sent the King a bird and told him by a letter that his wimp of a son died before even getting on the island. I saw everything from here. It was a tragic day but you see, I've done my part on the ruse and all I wanted was to leave the island. But the King sent me back a letter through a poisoned bird, that he wishes for me to be silent on the real cause of his son's death. Until I realized, he wasn't letting me leave the island and expected me to die out along with his family's secret. With no way to build my own raft, I remained here for years living on berries and hunting birds. The way I see it, the King made his son out to be a hero in your land, even for failing to save me." She took a sip from her boiling stew and her calmness about it all frustrated the depths of my being.
Squaring my jaw I scoffed, "Your words remain an elaborate lie unless you have proof."
Before I could even turn my back against her, she handed me a tiny scroll, tainted and yellow with age.
"The Prince will remain a prince even in his death. No one not even you, a simple woman, can change that. May the gods have mercy on your soul as you live in solitary for years to come."
My hands trembled as I read the message, written exactly like the decree of the King. Everything we ever believed as children was a lie. A story crafted for the king and his family to stay in power. A king who is willing to murder a woman to keep a secret. I folded the scroll back and kept it in my pocket.
She sipped from her cup of stew as she watched me leave the way I came in. Before I could step out of the hole I look back at her.
"I have a raft." I suggested. "And you have a king to kill."
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