Cry Out for a Hero

The remnants of magic that escaped from both Elena and the Broken King’s spells could be felt lingering in the air like a heavy presence, one that made it difficult to breathe. The two magic users clashed with impressive speed, Elena wielding a sword made of her Kingmakers blue flames, while the Broken King continued to wield his blood blades. Each time the magically formed blades impacted a sharp hissing sound could be heard, as the blood sizzled against the heat of the blue flames. Elena quickly found herself on the defensive, her counterpart more familiar with the sword, but despite this, the blood blades could not penetrate her defence. Each time a blade came close to piercing her body, her magic flames easily evaporating the blades.

Coming into a stalemate, the Broken King switched tactics, taking a step back from the Princess. The four remaining blood blades fell to the ground in a splash of crimson liquid. Moments later, the pools of blood began to bubble and boil, rising up and morphing into humanoid forms each with a weapon in hand. Taken aback, Elena braced herself for an onslaught of attacks and for a moment, doubt clouded her mind. However, the warmth of her Kingmaker vanquished such thoughts. Gripping her sword tighter in her hand, Elena rushed forward to meet the humanoid blood clones, her flaming longsword coming up to slice through ones torso, evaporating it into non-existence.

The Broken King took this momentary reprieve from battle to place more distance between him and the Princess. Elena fought like one possessed with her unwavering power; a Kingmaker’s power. But his power came with a heavy price. Sourced from the Veil with a demon as his patron, the Broken King could feel his body beginning to deteriorate from the strain of overuse. He could not continue at this rate and if he did, he would surely perish. But there was no turning back now.

With the last of the blood clones slaughtered, Elena once again set her eyes on the Broken King. “Stand down, it’s over,” Elena called to him, noting the fatigued state he was in and his retreating forces. The Broken King had taken another step back, his arm cradling his midsection as if he had been injured. His shoulders began to shake as he laughed, a hand reaching up to grip his mask. “Oh, its far from over!” With an abrupt movement, the Broken King removed his mask, revealing a grotesque and disfigured face. His body forcefully arched back in a contorted manner as dark magic swirled around him violently. His manic laughter rang in the air, his body beginning to twitch and convulse in a sporadic manner, morphing and changing into something...else.

Momentarily overwhelmed by such tainted magic, Elena composed herself, gripping her Kingmaker tightly with one hand. Before her eyes she could see the Broken King changing into what could only be described as an Abomination. Without a moments hesitation, Elena charged forward, flaming longsword held up beforeher. With a fierce battle cry, she forcefully pushed through the tendrils of dark magic and impaled the Broken King in the chest, aiming to kill him before his transformation was complete. Using the flaming sword as a conduit, she summoned more flames. Blue-white flames erupted out of the Broken King’s chest, consuming him in a tornado of heat. His laughter turned into distorted screams of agony, his now clawed hand coming up to grip Elena on the shoulder with a sickening crunch.

Adding her own screams of pain into the fray, Elena gritted her teeth and persevered. More. She needed more flames. Hotter. The tornado of flames burst and grew wider, consuming them both. In a fantastical display of power, the pillar fanned up into the sky for a few seconds, before abruptly dissipating. In its wake sat Elena, the Princess having fallen onto her knees after such a feat. Before her lay the remains of the Broken King, now nothing more but a pile of black ashes that was so easily carried away with the wind.

It was hard to cling onto consciousness, but somehow she was still there...alive. Her blonde hair was matted to her forehead with sweat, her face dirtied with speckles of blood and grime. The dress she wore was intact, but was torn and tattered, the light fabric also stained in blood. The shackle around her ankle still bit into her flesh, while her left arm was battered and unusable from the effects of the rune. She was also acutely aware of her broken collarbone, where she was sure was broken in a few places. Closing her eyes, she slowly exhaled, taking a moment to bask in the calmness that had suddenly fell over the battlefield. Against all odds, they had done it. The Broken King was dead.

In her mind, she knew she was dreaming. Her surroundings had an ethereal feel to them, with sepia hues painted across the scenes playing before her. It was a dream of kinder times, when she was still blissfully unaware of the hardships of life. She was safe and protected, a time when she was surrounded by her family, where there was much love and happiness. She was home, surrounded by the familiar walls of castle _____in Alvantis.

Home. It had been so long since she had been there last, but in her dream she was seeing it as if it was only yesterday she had graced the castle halls. The walls that had housed and protected her family for generations, built of sturdy white stone. The castle was grandeur, with grand staircases, resplendent gardens and fountains, and more rooms than she could count. The main hall was bright and open and housed the famous Furyck throne, her family’s crest and symbol emblazoned on the wall behind it.

Feeling nostalgic, the scenes shifted and she was rewarded with glimpses of her family going about their daily lives. Every detail she strained to remember, every fine line on their faces and the sound of their voices. Oh, how she missed them. Her mother with her kind eyes, her sister with her contagious laugh, and her brother with his charming smile. And lastly, her father, with his aura of warmth and wisdom.

Such a bittersweet memory that she desperately clung too. It pained her to know what had become of them, but she had to remember how they lived, else she feared she would forget. But like all good dreams, this one began to slip and fade away, like sand falling through fingers. With a trembling breath, Elena woke up in a peaceful manner, eyes wet with fresh tears. Reaching her hand up to her eyes, she delicately wiped the tears away. She had had that dream many times since the tragedy and it never got easier to experience.

With much effort, Elena managed to sit up in bed, her body incredibly stiff and quite sore, particularly in her collarbone area, which had been mended to perfection. In fact, Yuna had done a fantastic healing job. All of Elena’s cuts and bruises were gone, the sore on her ankle was healed and her arm that was ravaged by rune magic had completely recovered. The rune itself was still faintly visible, but its magic had long since faded. Other than still feeling a bit tired and needing to stretch a bit, Elena was in tip top shape. But she probably wouldn’t be able to use her magic for a while, her Kingmaker expending a considerable amount of magic over the last few days.

Taking a deep breath, Elena took a moment to compose herself. She was alive. They had taken back Treilony and vanquished the Broken King, freeing his people. They won! It was an accomplishment to be proud of and admittedly, still felt a little surreal. As if on cue, there was the sound of the door opening and in walked none other than Yuna. “We really need to stop meeting like this,” Elena laughed, embarrassed that this was the umpteenth time Yuna had cared for her while she had fallen unconscious. “But I’m glad to see you and I’m awake now so—hey!,”she exclaimed, the bright sunlight momentarily burning her eyes.

Surprised to learn that it had been three days since she was last conscious, Elena busied herself with shooting back a glass of water and eating the offered food ravenously. Yuna was correct to assume she was famished, all that magic use had really taken a toll on her. “Thank you for healing me up once again,” Elena beamed, feeling much better now that she had started to satiate her hunger. The Princess was eager to hear of their state of affairs, but she had to remember to take things one at a time, less she become overwhelmed. Thankfully, Yuna proceeded to answer what was in the forefront of her mind.

“Lucius, refusing to be healed? That man is as stubborn as an ox,” she joked, laughing. “When I speak to him, I’ll be sure to order him to get some rest. Gods know he deserves it.” Elena proceeded to get out of bed and wash up with the basin of water that was provided to her, before rummaging through a pile of clothes. A cotton shirt, pants and a good pair of boots, now that was an outfit she could get behind. “Please do not mention dresses,” she groaned, shuddering at the memory of being forced to wear one. She hesitated before pulling up her sleeping shift, noting Yuna’s warning about her guard having a potential crush on her. A crush? That was something new she’d have to wrap her head around. Elena had always been oblivious to such things.

~ ~ ~

Kresnik was one lucky man. If Elena hadn’t shown up when she did, he’d probably be dead. He had been healed at the last possible second during the chaos of battle. In better circumstances the healer could’ve done a better job, but as fate would have it, the healing was done rather sloppily, resulting in him still having a considerable amount of pain and a thick, pale scar running across his chest. Course, Kresnik didn’t blame the healer, they did the best they could given the situation. The healers told him that the scar would fade on its own as long as he kept applying some stinky herbal balm over the new skin, which he had already forgotten to do on more than one occasion.

After only a day or two of recuperating, Kresnik was back on his feet and helping out wherever it was needed, albeit taking it easier than he would normally. He really wanted to join Isabelle in the hunt for the fleeing bandits too. At that particular moment, he was taking a break from helping Gibari and his crew hammer down new wood slats on the main gate, which ironically enough, Kresnik had damaged during their assault on the city. He found himself wandering throughout the grounds, before eventually heading back towards the main estate and entering a shaded walkway, where he took a moment to enjoy the cooler temperatures out of the sun. After a moment, he began to get restless, his injury throbbing slightly from the manual labour he had taken part in most of the morning.

Rounding a corner, he was surprised to have suddenly bumped into someone. There was a flurry of movement as the two fumbled to stay on their feet, Kresnik pulling the smaller framed individual forward, stopping them from falling on their butt as they held onto a tray of food that was in their hands for dear life. Finding the situation rather funny, they both shared a laugh, Kresnik cutting his laughter short as his chest injury began to protest. And then Kresnik finally realized just who it was he had nearly plowed over.

“P-Princess? You’re awake? That’s great! I mean, sorry, didn’t mean to run ya over like that,” said Kresnik. The last time he had saw the Princess was just before she was captured by the Talon. He still regretted that moment deeply. But seeing her there now, looking better than ever, lessened that regret slightly.

“It’s fine,” replied Elena with a small smile, relieved she hadn’t dropped the tray of food. “It’s only been an hour or two since I’ve woken, but I feel pretty good,” she continued, noting how he was bracing his chest with one hand. “Yuna told me you suffered quite the injury...I’m really glad you’re alright.”

“Oh this? Just a scratch,” Kresnik said, grinning, attempting to downplay the seriousness of his injury. “All joking aside, I have you to thank for my life. You came blazing across the sky just in the nick of time. Thanks for that.”

“I’m glad I have impeccable timing,” she replied, chuckling. Kresnik couldn’t agree more. And apart from being incredibly distracted by her pretty smile and the sound of her laugh, he couldn’t help but notice the tray of food she was carrying.

“So, whose the lucky recipient of such an impressive array of food?,” he asked, suddenly rather hungry.

“Lucius of course. Apparently he’s hardly taken the time to rest, so I’m going to force him,” she said, as a scarily determined look flashed across her deep green eyes.

“Good luck. The Commander never could sit down and do nothing,” Kresnik replied, beginning to walk in the opposite direction of her. Though if anyone could force the Commander to do something, it was probably her. And Yuna. Yuna could be incredibly persuasive sometimes. Scary, too. Now craving something good to eat, Kresnik planned on visiting the kitchens. But before he could get very far, he heard Elena call his name. Turning around, Elena had placed a freshly baked honeyed sweet bun in his hand.

“Cause you looked hungry,” she grinned, before disappearing down the hallway. Well, she was definitely the best Princess in his books.

~ ~ ~

Standing in front of Lucius’ chamber doors, Elena tapped her knuckles against the hard wood. After a moment, she heard him reply, asking whom it was that wanted entry. Clearing her throat, she went through the effort to change her voice. “I’ve been sent to deliver a tray of food,” she called, under the guise of being a servant. Without waiting for an answer, she went ahead and opened the door and entered. There was a slight look of distaste on her face as she remembered this particular room quite clearly, but such thoughts were quickly overshadowed once she saw Lucius sitting at his desk working away.

The man didn’t even look up to greet her, having been far too immersed in his work. Setting the tray of food down on the nearby table, Elena walks up to stand in front of the desk he was sitting at, making it particularly obvious that she was trying to read what he was writing. No doubt it was something to do with the governance of the land. Gods, she felt bad for having slept so long. Poor Lucius must have taken a huge workload. Admittedly, Elena didn’t even know where to start when it came to ruling a kingdom, but she was a quick learner and she was determined to do her best.

“Going to take a break soon? I brought up some pretty good food, you know,” she said, breaking the silence. When he finally looked up at her, she would flash him a huge smile. She was so, so thankful towards him. Against all odds they had accomplished an incredible feat, Lucius helping and supporting her every step of the way.

“Show me what you’re working on, I can take over for you while you eat and rest,” she said, pulling up a chair and taking a seat. “Then you better catch me up to speed. I must have missed a lot during my extended nap,” she said, sheepishly. She remembered how much paperwork her father had to do on a daily basis. He never enjoyed the work, but it was part of his responsibilities as King and he had taken it rather seriously. Elena aimed to do the same.

“Once all the paperwork is done, I want to address the people. By now, half of Treilony probably knows I’ve awoken. We should also hold a funeral service, to remember and thank all those we have lost,” she mused, grabbing another quill and a vial of ink. “Then I think we should celebrate our victory with a feast! The people deserve to have some fun too,” she mused, liking the sound of a night of festivities more and more.

“Lastly, I’ll be needing the Geo Stone back. I had a dream last night and I think I know how I want to shape our new home.”

As she began to organize various scattered papers, she couldn’t help but feel that the moment felt like the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.

Oh my, so many letters. But this was all part of her new responsibility as monarch and she was prepared to write as many letter as was required of her. Accepting the ink and quill he had passed to her, Elena dipped her quill in the vial of ink and set to work on the stack of parchment that would be addressed to those that have yet to swear fealty.

“Of course we shall protect them from any threat to the best of our abilities and only tax as much as required, based on the expenses needed to run the kingdom,” she said, more so thinking aloud as she wrote. This was all so new to her. Now she understood why her father appeared so tired all of the time after spending long hours locked away in his study. A lot of thought and effort was needed to run a kingdom and every piece of the puzzle played a unique part. Elena could begin with introducing herself in the letters and being straightforward with her intentions and expectations.

“....I think we would benefit from recruiting a Secretary of Finance, don’t you agree?” she asked, sheepishly. “I have to admit, I’m no good with so many numbers.”

As Lucius continued to speak, Elena listened intently, her hand scrolling away as she continued writing. They had a lot to do. The funeral service would be first and foremost and then she wanted to celebrate with a feast. Punishing the prisoners would come after...this was the one responsibility she was dreading. But she would cross that bridge later.

“I clearly have a lot to think about,” she concluded, taking a moment to take it all in. “No pressure,” she laughed, relaxing a bit seeing Lucius smile. She wouldn’t be alone during these difficult times and knowing that made her feel more at ease. But hearing him call her a queen made her cheeks redden slightly. “Now, now, I had a lot of help. Let’s not get too carried away! Princess is good enough for now,” she blurted. Never in her life did she think she’d be referred to as a queen. That was something that would take a lot of getting used too.

One a more serious note, Elena stopped writing when Lucius handed her a letter that hailed from Alvantis. The news of the events back home hurt her heart. But what hurt even more was the fact that Belum had everyone fooled. Did they really believe that she would kill her own father?!

“He is only king in name. He will never be a true King of Alvantis,” she said, inadvertently crushing the letter in her hand in anger. “As much as it pains me, we are not ready to take on Belum yet. But one day, he will fear my name.”

~ ~ ~

The day was overcast with the sun struggling to shine through the thick, grey clouds. Rain was threatening to fall, but the clouds held the drops at bay and were content in keeping the broody atmosphere. A faint breeze blew across the lands bringing with it a mild chill, causing Elena to hold her thin black cloak closer to her body. She stood in front of several funeral pyres, the smell of the freshly cut wood strong in the air. Each pyre was easily the size of two men’s height and double that in length and width. On top of each pile of wood lay several bodies, all wrapped in white cloth and lined neatly in rows. These were their fallen warriors, friends, lovers, and family. Even the dead of their enemies joined the rows of bodies, as all bodies needed to be buried.

Taking a steadying breath, Elena turned around to face her people, all of whom were dressed in the colour of mourning. All of them stood still among the hills outside of Treilony, where fields of green rustled in the breeze. With a sombre look on her face, Elena spoke the funeral rites, her voice steady and unwavering. She spoke of the strength and courage their loved ones had shown in their last hour. She spoke of how they died fighting for freedom and how their valiant efforts resulted in a new, bright beginning. For that, they would be forever honoured.

After her speech, there was a moment of reverence, before Elena nodded to a man and woman waiting slightly off to the side. Each of them began to sing the Song of Departing, their voices soft and peaceful. As they sang, a cleric would say a sermon that blessed the fallen’s passage into the Halls of Eternity. Elena was handed a torch, the princess igniting it with her blue flames. Keeping her resolve, she approached the first pyre and set the torch upon the oil soaked wood. The fire spread quickly and within seconds, the pyre was up in a plume of lively blue fire. She would set fire to each pyre, one after the other, until they were all set ablaze. Elena took her place in the crowd, the princess bowing her head in silence, her heavy heart saying her last goodbyes.

After a moment of pensive silence, Elena respectfully took her leave before anyone else. There was something else she needed to do while the city was empty. Walking over to Asha, she mounted her chestnut mare and galloped towards the city. She rode through the front gates and into the main courtyards, Asha stopping suddenly with a soft whinny. Dismounting, Elena positioned herself at the exact centre of the courtyard, her hand reaching into her pocket to pull out the Geo Stone. Clasping the stone in both hands, she held it up to her chest, the soft vibration of its power pulsing against her skin.

“I humbly ask to borrow some of your power, so that I may create the heart of my new kingdom, which will be a new home for myself and countless others,” she said aloud, unsure of how the magic of the Geo Stone worked. Although naive in the workings of such powerful and mysterious magic, the stone had answered her call.

A faint vibration could be felt in her feet, the ground she stood on beginning to rumble and shake. The Geo Stone pulled her up off the ground, its magic suspending her body in the air, as if the space and time around her had frozen. Still grasped in her hand, the stone began to glow a blinding white, the light so bright it lit up the sky, Elena unable to look at it. Looking away, she suddenly felt as if she was falling, Elena letting out a startled yelp. However, the impact of the ground never came. Instead, it was as if she was falling endlessly in a never ending sky. The scenery around her spun uncontrollably until it was nothing but blurs of shapes and colours.

The whole ordeal only lasted only a few seconds, but for Elena, whom was at the centre of the magic, it felt like hours. Finally, she felt her feet touch solid ground again and when she opened her eyes, she gasped in stunned amazement. No longer was she surrounded by the battle scarred, Treilony. Elena was standing in a new city, born from the ashes of the old. Before her the old fort had changed into a resplendent castle, made of pristine white stone that sparkled in the sun. It was an architectural beauty, with high arches and buttresses that extended skyward. A large, stained glass window was its centre piece above the drawbridge, depicting a blue phoenix is mid flight. The courtyard had a magnificent display of light coloured cobblestones, the area lined with decorative greenery, complete with a grandeur water fountain in the middle.

Running towards the stone walls that surrounded the perimeter of the city, Elena excitedly took the steps up the wall two at a time to get to the top. From her new vantage point, Elena could see that a grand stone bridge now spanned across the river, with blue magical lanterns hanging at even intervals to light the way. She could see the beautiful views of the river head and its winding reach into the ocean in the distance. Letting out a laugh of mirthful disbelief, Elena ran towards the back of the castle, like a child on the eve of summer solstice. The backside of the castle did not disappoint either. There were gardens filled with various flora and plants that hadn’t grown in the region for years, their vibrant growth bursting with life.

“Amazing...,” she said, in wonder.

Surrounding the newly erected castle was the new castle town. It had had plenty of new, magically built homes for the people to live in. There was a large new marketplace, town square, schools and even a breathtaking university for the study of magic and the healing arts. There were new forges for the blacksmiths, guild buildings for gatherings, taverns and tanneries, apothecaries, and everything else a bustling city might need. It was a glorious new city that would seem empty at first, but once more people joined them, she was sure it would become a home to many.

By now, many of the villagers and her friends had entered the changed city via the new main gates. Elena would spot them from her position atop the walls and eagerly join them below.

“What do you think,” she asked Lucius, easily finding him in the crowd. “I had a little help, of course,” she chuckled, showing him the now magically drained Geo Stone. “The new city has similarities to Alvantis, but I think I like my version better.” The rest of the gang had joined them, each of them looking around in awe.

“Well,” asked Valrix, nodding in approval. “What’s it called? All epic cities have names.” T’was a good question and for a moment, Elena couldn’t answer, but a word soon slipped from her tongue as if she had known the answer all along.

“Ellesmere.”

“It’s perfect,” chimed Yuna, squeezing Elena’s shoulder. “I think so too,” smiled Elena, before taking an emotional breath. So much had happened for them to have gotten to this point. She was one step closer to achieving her goal. One step closer to avenging her family. “It all begins here.”

“Not to be rude or anything,” interrupted Kresnik, a hand on his stomach. “But is that feast ever gunna happen? I’m starving over here!”

Isabelle rolled her eyes and smacked him on the chest. “Gods, do you have no tact at all.”

~ ~ ~

The celebratory feast was well underway in the main square, where multiple tables had been set up across the space. Each table had an assortment of food and drink atop them, but truth be told, there was more drink than food. Barrels of alcoholic beverages were lined up against the back tables, all if which were salvaged from the old store rooms. Now was a good a time as any to use them. Off to the side, there was also a great bonfire, which was an excellent source of heat and a decent light source.

Villagers who were talented in performing began to play their various musical instruments, while others sang along to the tunes they strummed. Other would find themselves dancing along to the merry songs, while sloshing their mugs full of drink against one another. The night was filled with mirth and merriment, one that everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying.

And by the gods, did Elena ever need a night to just relax and have a good time. Drink in hand, she took a long sip and aimed to do just that.