King John sat in his study writing out letters to be sent to the three other kings of the realm informing them of the events that had been transpiring. He warned them that an attack on humanity was imminent and that they should gather all forces together and make for the Kingdom of the Flag. Together they would be stronger than they would be as divided armies.
In the letter, he made clear the need for haste and they should be ready for war in four days time. He feared the proximity of the next attack and they could not afford anymore losses. They needed to prepare for the final battle that would determine the future of the free people of Monmarolin.
It was the fourth day since Melganoth had left for his lab at the foot of Merat Mountain. The king impatiently awaited his return to see what his experiments had discovered. He hoped greatly that he had found a way to reverse the effects of the abyss.
Suddenly, a frantic knock came from the door to his study.
"Enter," the king announced.
Evander abruptly entered the room without any thought of formalities, "John, Mel has returned."
The king stood up with a huge smile, "That is wonderful news!"
Evander just shook his head slowly, "He does not look the same. Something happened."
The king's face dropped, "What do you mean? How close did you get?"
"Not close, but he was seen walking up to the keep. His body is no longer the same color, its darker...and his wings...," he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again, staring directly into the king's. "I fear we have lost our greatest ally."
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King John, Den Emberbasher, Evander and Alrid Drayton stood upon the battlements as they watched their good friend Melganoth approach the castle walls with murderous intent. A black smoke had developed around him and it clung to his skin for dear life, it seemed. Each of his steps melted the snow as he moved through it. He did not trudge or struggle through the tall snow, it was as if the corruption removed it from his path as he walked.
The Trust stared down from the battlements with sad, heavy hearts. Evander put a fist to his mouth as if he had to force back his emotions at the sight of his friend in this way. Melganoth just smiled up at them as he grew closer with a wicked grin.
King John said in a low angry tone, "Get yourselves ready."
To make matters much worse, O'Leander materialized to their left upon the castle wall. He leaned his back against one of the parts of higher-set stone, the hand on his remaining arm rested on his left thigh. "How do you like my new friend?" He looked at them with satisfied, rage-filled eyes.
The group looked to him now, the closer of the two threats. Two knights ran up from behind O'Leander with their spears at the ready but he paid no attention to them. King John was growing angry but he kept his mind, "You did this."
He shifted off from the wall and turned to the group, throwing his one arm into the air to express the obvious. "Of course I did this. Who else would it be? You take my arm, I take your friend." He looked to his brother, "Did I not say that you would regret this?" He referred to the part of his shoulder that remained. "I may be able to change my form but I cannot regrow parts that are taken."
Evander looked to his brother now, convinced there was nothing left of him, "Coward." He said in a low voice but loud enough for the man to hear.
"Coward?" O'Leander laughed heartily. "I am not the ones hiding behind walls!"
Den grumbled from behind the king and Evander, "I tire of this shouting match." He brought his axe around, gripping it with both hands. "Let's settle this here and now." The rest of the Trust unsheathed their weapons, ready for the showdown that would define the rest of the war. Whoever won here would gain the upper-hand in the battles to come.
O'Leander enjoyed this part of the job, "That sounds more like my kind of talking, dwarf." He looked to Evander, "Only this time, I won't be holding back." Suddenly, he sprang out toward the Trust with blinding speed, taking Evander with him. They slammed against the far corner of the battlements as Melganoth entered the castle from beneath.
King John delegated to Alrid and Den, "You two take care of our friend, I am going to assist Evander." Den agreed and immediately jumped off the walls and faced Melganoth, landing with a heavy slam. Alrid was hesitant about leaving his father. "Do not worry, I will take care of him. Now go."
The elven boy finally nodded and sprang high into the air, flipping over and landing behind Melganoth. The demon was facing two highly skilled enemies on both sides now.
King John rushed to Evander's aid with his two-handed greatsword trailing behind him. He came within range of O'Leander who had his brother pinned to the stone. As if sensing the king's approach, Evander was thrown into the king with great force sending them both toppling over.
Evander got to his feet to be met with a powerful knee to his chest from his brother, he stumbled back but did not fall over this time. O'Leander followed up with a flurry of single-armed elbow and knee jabs which Evander blocked or parried and responded with some of his own attacks. His scythe had been knocked from him during the initial attack so his hand-to-hand skill was all he had, but it was enough.
The king had a harder time getting up due to his heavy armor but once he was standing again he rushed over to the two men who had gained some distance on him. Evander was on the retreat and his brother on the advance. The king rushed up from behind and shoulder-charged O'Leander off the battlements.
Evander did not hesitate in leaping from the castle walls to follow his brother down to the ground. Using O'Leander's body as a landing pad, he rolled over the top of him when they hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Den, Alrid and Melganoth had been in fierce combat, trading blows and bleeding on both sides. Melganoth was proving to be an even more powerful opponent than before he became corrupted. He sent Alrid flying into a home as Den delivered a severe horizontal swing with his axe to the demon's leg. The blade stuck in the dense muscle when Alrid fired multiple arrows from his vantage point on top of the house he had been thrown into.
Three arrows struck Melganoth in his chest with excellent precision as the brothers fell from the battlements. Den turned his attention to them now in surprise and he was smacked abruptly by Melganoth. The dwarf was sent sailing into Evander as he stood up from his roll. They collided and tumbled over and away from O'Leander as he got to his feet, still mostly out of breath.
The king ran across the battlements and to the stairs, picking Evander's scythe up from the ground along the way. He made it down the steps and threw the scythe over to his Hunter as he gripped his greatsword with both hands and continued his run over to O'Leander.
He swung his sword in a diagonal arc over O'Leander who then easily leaned out of the way of the blade. He continued his momentum to one knee as he spun around and slammed his remaining elbow into the king with enough force to stun him. He then brought a knee up into the king's face that sent him staggering backward. The king however was built like a tank and could take hits like one.
He then realized that his sword was not fast enough for the hand-to-hand combat of his opponent and instead decided to discard it. But he would not just throw it away, instead he would do something that O'Leander did not expect.
The king spun with great effort and released his greatsword flying into the chest of the once-kind and gentle Melganoth. This is when Evander and Den came running up from behind O'Leander. Without a second of hesitation, Den swung his axe from the side and buried it deep into his back. He went forward over into the snow as Den held onto his axe and forced it deeper into his spine. He placed a boot onto his back and held him in place to the snow.
"I'll keep him here lad," the dwarf said, not taking his eyes off of his captive. "Go deal with our friend." Evander nodded and left to go deal with Melganoth with the help of Alrid and the king.
The demon pulled the greatsword from his chest as the king and Evander approached. He turned toward Alrid and threw the sword like a spear straight toward the elven boy. Alrid narrowly dodged out of the way from a jugular slice and rolled off the house and into the snow. Evander watched as he rolled from the roof and he hoped that his son was alright but there were still enemies that he must deal with first.
He ran up and slid in between Melganoth's legs and without turning around, sliced both of his calves with his scythe in one motion. The demon screeched in pain and turned to kill Evander but the king was upon him swiftly.
He had claimed another sword and charged head strong with a few of his knights. They buried their spears in his thighs and brought him to his knees in front of the Hunter. Anger flared within the demon's chest as Evander turned to him. "You leave me no choice!" He screamed as he unsheathed the sword from his scythe and before he could cut the head from their taken friend's body, the demon unleashed his powerful wings and bolted into the sky.
He assumed O'Leander had been killed and knew he was outmatched where he was, so to save his life, he retreated. The men watched as the demon flew away at astonishing speed to be sure he was leaving and not coming back down for an attack.
Evander then remembered his son and rushed over to see if he was alright, King John followed him. Alrid had landed behind some snow-covered bushes so they did not see his body until they were upon him. He lay face-down in a pool of his own blood, still and lifeless.
Evander dropped to his knees beside Alrid and rolled him over to find that his throat had been cut deeply by the sword. It had not missed him after all. His eyes were vacant of life and it seemed he had died not moments ago.
Alrid had died alone face down in the snow.
Evander's eyes turned red as tears began to force their way out. His throat tightened up and his breathing became jagged. "My son..." he said as he pulled him up in an embrace and the tears flowed freely now. Alrid's arms hung limp at his sides as his father wept without any thought of who was watching.
Evander's eyes burned with sorrow and his chest was tight with the pain of his son being stolen from him. His world crumbled around him as he leaned away from Alrid and stared emptily into the glazed-over eyes of his son. Nothing mattered anymore.
Nothing.
Alrid was dead.
King John had been standing behind Evander with a fist pressed to his lips as he too had been crying. The king's heart fell into pieces as he closed his eyes and his last line of resistance fell away. He covered his face with one hand as the tears continued to flow freely.
Alrid had been taken from him just as Endira had been. His son was the one thing left in the world that Evander deeply cared about. The only thing left that his wife had given him. Alrid was the last thing that Evander was truly fighting for. He wanted a better world for his son to live in and have a family of his own. And now, with the death of his son, he was alone. Utterly alone. In a world that was falling apart at the seams.
He forgot about everyone and everything except for his son until slowly his utter sorrow turned into a burning rage. There was one man responsible for this. And that man was pinned to the ground not so far away.
Evander gently laid his son back onto the ground and with as much control as he could manage, briskly walked to O'Leander. The king watched as he walked away and, without wanting Alrid to remain where he was, went to carry the boy.
Evander made it to where Den had his brother pinned down and he kicked him over onto his back, the axe digging in deeper. He knelt onto his chest and grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt. "This is all your doing!" He punched him hard in the face repeatedly with one hand until black blood drained from his nose.
Adrenaline and rage pushed him forward, "You will pay for this! I cannot allow you to walk this earth any longer! Brother or not you will pay for what you have done!" He pulled out a long curved blade and placed it against O'Leander's throat.
"Excellent! You have finally given in to your rage," his brother spat. "Go ahead. Kill me." O'Leander's eyes changed to his normal blue and he spoke again much softer this time as if tired, "Please Evander, kill me. Make my suffering end, I beg of you, brother." His eyes blackened again and he mocked once more, "You don't have the stones to kill me!"
Evander's resolve slightly broke as he had seen his real brother break through for but a moment. He remembered that his son had been killed because of what this man under him had done. He corrupted Melganoth and in turn, his son had paid the ultimate price.
He would pay and at the same time, set his brother free from his torment.
O'Leander began to laugh at him until the knife was pressed deeper in and slid aggressively across his jugular. His eyes went wide and black blood poured out like a waterfall and into the snow. Evander watched on in rage as his brother's eyes slowly returned to their bright blue of the human he once was. And just as quickly as the color changed, the light faded from them leaving Evander alone to be the last of the Drayton bloodline.
King John had approached Den and Evander from the side, carrying Alrid's body in his arms. Den saw this and realization hit him hard as his eyes also began to burn with hot tears as they crept from his eyes. "My lad..." He said as he approached Alrid's body that King John had now gently laid in the snow. He placed a hand on the young man's chest and stared into his eyes which had remained open. They had grown opaque and distant as if he was never alive.
Den reached over and gently closed his eyes for him so he could sleep. He looked over at Evander now who had remained where he was for long and heavy moments, staring at his brother's body. His grip remained tight on his collar, knuckles white as the snow. Tears from his eyes fell steadily as his world continued to fall apart around him.
Cassandra. Endira. Edmond. Alrid. O'Leander.
His list of dead family was getting too long. And he was the only one left now.
He stood and walked over to where his Trust waited for him, their collective sorrow filled the air between them. No words were spoken as the three men tried to come to grips with the loss. This was not how it was supposed to happen. There was still so much left to do, so much for them that was left to say. And yet nothing was said. Only silence and the wind around them filled the air.
Townsfolk began to come back out of their homes and the deeper parts of the castle. They approached the Trust and when they laid eyes on the body of Alrid, the next King's Hunter, they cried out in tears.
Evander had closed his eyes when he heard the first cries of the townsfolk. Hearing them cry made it that much harder for him to hold back his own.
"We should get him inside," the king said solemnly. Evander opened and met eyes with the king then, but he only nodded his agreement and spoke not a word.
Alrid was lifted by his father and before he could be carried away a sharp neighing was heard from the stables. Tolish came trotting out from the structure as he had felt something terrible had happened to his master, Onyx followed closely behind.
They galloped up to the group and when Tolish discovered the body of Alrid, he moved his head in closer to sniff and inspect him. He nudged him with his nose as he tried to get him to move but when Alrid remained still, Tolish dropped his head lower to the ground as if he understood.
The king patted Tolish on his neck, trying to comfort him in his grief. Onyx also understood but instead of falling to grief, he looked to Evander. He could feel the immense sorrow coming from his master and that was what saddened him the most. He had had a good understanding of what this boy had meant to his master and he felt sorrow for him.
Tolish had one last request.
He moved to lay down in front of Evander, implying that he wished for Alrid to be placed over him. He wished to carry his rider one last time before they took him away to do whatever it was that two-legged creatures did with their dead. He did not understand what it was that they did with them but now that his rider was dead, he knew he would soon never see him again.
With Alrid now laying over his back, he stood to full height and began slowly walking up the paths that led to the keep. Evander, Den, King John, who now also carried O'Leander's body, Onyx and Tolish parted the sea of people that had congregated around them. The ones in the back of the group could not see what had happened until the massive shire horse carrying the lifeless body of Alrid moved past them. As he did, they cried and joined the others in an ocean of sorrow and grief.
After what seemed like an eternity of moving through the townsfolk, they made it to the steps of the keep. Evander stared sorrowfully at the one spot where Alrid always sat when they had their moments together, the side wall of the stairs. It now held more emotion than any inanimate object he ever thought would have.
Evander broke from his sorrow to carry his son once more. He lifted him from the back of Tolish and allowed the horse to say his goodbyes. With a few sniffs and nudges, Alrid was then taken away and into the keep.
The doors shut as quietly as Alrid's now-still heart.
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