Kingsfall

[Syndraell]

Kingsfall

I still remember the winds whistling through the trees, as I chopped lumber for my grandfather. He was a frail and weak old man, but his intelligence had caught the attention of many. He was also quite the storyteller, as he'd tell me rediculous tales of his youth, such as hunting wyrms and demons.

My back would be red as the sunset over the Mountains of Iralyth due to chopping lumber under the deathly hot sun without a shirt, as i refused to get it dirty. Gramps always chided me for having a working man's body, but having a diplomat's style of cleanliness.After piling the wood into a respectable pile, I would toss a few on the fire to warm his old bones. After which I would have a nice glass of tea, a family specialty. He would joke about the tea having healing properties, and I would share a laugh with the old man.

As we would relax and enjoy the glowing warmth of the fire, he would run his fingers through his beard as if one of his many strands of hair had a story on them.
"Well then... I think it's time I told you one of the last stories that I know." He said with a weak smile. He stood up and walked to an old chest he kept in the corner of his hut, which was covered in dust due to not being touched in over 50 years. He pulled a key from a necklace which was hidden by his flowing whiskers, and unlocked the chest without a hitch; as if it was waiting for him to do so.

He brought out an old tome, embossed with gold leaf and a beautiful emblem of a sword in the middle. The sword had a golden hilt, and a large sliver of sapphire as the blade of the sword.

"Gramps, what have you got there?" I asked with a wary tone, as I was interested in what secrets that dusty old tome would have hidden in it's pages.
"What? This old thing?" He said with a small laugh and a distant twinkle in his eyes, "This is my journal from years ago, when i was but a young lad. In this tome I have detailed my dealings with a King from a land called Caphori."
I have heard many stories of his exploits and adventures of his youth, but not once have I heard the name of that king, nor a story pertaining to his reign.

He cracked open the old tome, cleared his throat, and began to relay a story that was lost to the sands of time. "This is the tale of Kingsfall, a name of which I do not coin lightly...
In a land far from here, across mountains high and seas vast; there was a land of untold mysteries that was called Caphori by the settlers who came from a land of the same name.
That land t'was erased by demons, but that name gave them hope to rebuild the once mighty kingdom that bore the name. These men were once led by a queen whose name still escapes my weakening mind. She was kind, fair, and beautiful to boot; A shining light in a sea of darkness, a beacon of hope for the settlers who had nothing left to their name. These men and women traveled across the land enthralled by demonic influences, and across a sea that was said to have no end.

I traveled with this troupe of misfits to that land, and on that voyage I made friends with a man who was neither a king nor a leader. He was just a normal soul, with wisdom being his sword instead of steel. I should have been surprised when she handed her crown to him and told him to lead in her place... But I wasn't. Many of her followers followed him without question, as was her wish; A number of them wanted him to be dethroned because they had no faith in this man... A story I shall shorten for many purposes, for one I have no idea what events transpired to make that King become someone else to forge an alliance with the leader of that resistance.

For that foolish leader took it upon himself to take an arrow to the chest to protect a man who would take his power from him without a second thought. It was that act of selflessness that garnered the respect and alliegance of the resistance. As per request of the leader of the resistance, he would pass his powers to a council, one he would actively give advice to.

That council, however; did not last as long as many would think. People urged the king to take lead once more due to the inefficiency of the council. It was that moment when he truly got the recognition he deserved as a king.

It was many years later when the real problem began. The king just disappeared one night, as if never existing at all. The nobles that he had in his court all tried to take his seat as their own, and they all claimed their right to the throne. I was there as well, watching from a seat next to the throne. It was in that room that the foundations of bloodshed would be laid down for the next decade.

War broke out between the Nobles and their followers in less than a week's time. Brother fought brother in all corners of that land, while even the creatures of that land would not wander into those wars. Fires claimed ancient forests and melted snow and ice, blood stained desert sand, grassy plains, and even the darkest crevices of the corruption. Even the grand capital of that small nation was affected by war, the Innocent and wounded hiding from fights starting out in the streets. This war claimed any beauty that land had left, and it was the people who finally got fed up with the fighting that ended It.

They united under the old banner of the resistance, led by that old leader for the respect he had for the king and the principles that he had learned from him. They tore through the remnants of the noble armies, casting the weakened soldiers to the ground as if they were simply already dead. They took the nobles who led those wars and imprisoned them underground, and they were never heard from again. The last thing that was done in that uprising was the decision to leave that battered and war-torn land, knowing the horrible things they have done would haunt their memories until their dying days.

I was the last to leave, as I was given a mission by the leader of that resistance. I was given the King's Sword, which unified all those people under his banner; and was told to enshrine it in a place where no man unworthy would attempt to seek it. I have done so, and I cannot disclose it's whereabouts to anyone, not even you my boy.

I left with a less than reputable Pirate Captain as my guide to sail me to another land... And I swear to this day I saw the king waving to me from the beach, as if he had came back from a place unknown to bid me farewell. Whether he was a hallucination or the real man I had known long ago, I would never know. But I am happy to have known such a honorable man. I was glad that he confided in me as a friend..."

My grandfather started to have a coughing fit, I stood up in a hurry to make sure he was alright. "I'm fine, boy. it's just one of the terrible things that come with age." He said if he was still a young man in his prime, without hesitation. "You know, it's a real place. I know how to get there still... I guess that I want to see that land one final time before my life comes to an end. Come back tomorrow and I'll tell you how to get there."

Unfortunately, tomorrow never came for my grandfather. The reaper came and visited him in the dead of night, and took his soul to eternal peace. He was found clutching two strange items in his cold, lifeless hands. The book of his adventures with a letter attached to it, bearing my name. The other was a tattered red garment, with the name of the king in it's collar.

No one else could read the book, as they could not see the words written upon the pages as if they never existed. But I could, so could my younger brother. As he was laid into the earth, I began to read the letter that was addressed to me.

"Tas, If you're reading this; I am no longer in this world. Do not be saddened by my passing, as I shall continue to guide you from your heart. I have given you this book to adventure to the land of my youth, and see what i have seen ages ago. Take my blessings to the King, if you ever meet him... If he does live and I was not hallucinating that day. I have left you a small amount of coin to do as you please with it, including enough to charter a boat to that land. In the front of that book I have written the way to get there. Now go, my grandson; to a land where adventure will become your life. ~Gramps"

Tears streamed down my face, as i could not help but feel a hole in my heart. I felt... alone. I could barely stand the fact that i would never see him again, or chop firewood for the fire that we'd share in the evening. I would never forget the stories he had told me, not that I could forget anyways as it was in his journal.

I finally gathered my senses and opened the old tome once more, and I stopped crying in shock. On the front page was the directions to get to Caphori... Or what was left of it anyways. On the opposite page was a sketch of my grandfather. Two, actually... One of him in his youth, and I saw where I got my devilish good looks from; The other as if he was standing next to the younger version of himself, with a walking stick to steady his frail old body to follow the younger version of himself.

And underneath this sketch was his handwriting, a phrase I have taken to heart... And I will never forget it as long as I live.

"Adventure will not come to those who wait, my boy."

[VonXeno]

Well done! I can only hope you can forgive my uselessness in the write-up.

You are forgiven

[Syndraell]

Honestly, i wouldn't mind some criticism. I could use some pointers to try and improve my talent.