The Cursed Lands

Chapter nine

how did you sleep " the general asks

"as a new born baby " I say as I rub my eyes

"well that's good because you wont be getting any good sleep for a while "he says making me furrow my eyebrows in confusion

"why do you say that " my voice small but unwavering

"You'll be training with the king , you'll use your powers against him , to try and break the barrier he has created within his mind "he says as he leads me to the courtyard where men and women were fighting flawlessly and small children watched on the sidelines amazed by the art that was being performed in front of them

"Women are allowed to fight ?" i ask bewildered by what i am seeing , the late king had demanded that women weren't made for fighting only for mating , i was somewhat proud of the new king and what he had done , he had given the women a chance to fight for themselves and that was a progress somewhat

"You get to choose two weapons sweetness so chose carefully cause those will be your only weapons during your stay at the palace " the general beacons me with his hand as he enters a small hut with various magical objects , they were rarely used since there had been no war in over a century

"Choose carefully "he says with an evil glint in his eyes that reminded me of a predator

"Hurry up the king is waiting " he says as he pushes me forward , but nothing caught my eye .......except a sword , it looked older than time itself , decorated in obsidian jewels, the sword was a beauty for the eye .

"That one " i point towards it

"You sure " his eyes held surprise and some kind of terror but i paid no mind to it as he hands me the sword as if it was a plague then demands that i find a second weapon

"I want my dagger " i tell him as i head out of the small hut "no" he simply says

" then i'll be sticking with this one then " i smile kindly at him

"Fine , the dagger will be return to you this evening at super "

"Great ,awesome ,then let's go meet our lovely king "

I would say that the king was an absolute douchebag who was ugly as an ogre but i would lie,he was standing in the middle of the field shirtless training with the new guards who had arrived a day before i had , his body was perfect , he carried only three beautiful tattoos one in each hand and a long line that stretched in from his back and downwards, words that only if you stood so close could you read them , and two beautiful long scars were embodied in his back .

Everyone knew the story when the king had punished his heir by ripping out his wings , the healing process was painful , I can only imagine what he went through .

"Ah , shes here , hello enyo darling , how is your neck " his perfect white teeth contrasting perfectly with his dark skin as he smiles but soon disappeared after he saw the sword which i was holding

"Where did you find that " he asks as he jogs towards us and snatches a bottle of water from the servant boy

"In the hut " i answer , feeling suddenly so small next to his towering figure , those black eyes staring into my soul " that is not possible , that sword has been lost for centuries " now i was confused , because when me and the general had entered the hut the sword would immediately grab your attention by it shining jewels

"It's true my king , the sword was in the armory " i was confused , i had never seen them so terrified and anxious before

"Follow me " the king says as he leads us into the forest , i don't ask any questions afraid of the answers i might receive but as the king disappears out of thin air and me and fenrick are left confused a voice calls out "well come in you bloody idiots "

"What is this place " greenery that i haven't seen since i was a child stood in front me , trees dancing with the wind and the ancient castle of Elysium stood in front of me

"A sanctuary of some sort "

"Why did you bring us here "

"The sword youre holding belonged to someone powerful and it was given to our kingdom as a gift but as time went on no one knew who received the sword or where it was located so we stopped looking and simply named the tale a legend "

"Who forged it " i find myself asking but ares just smiles "Hades" the name so foregin yet so familiar makes my hand and toes curl in fear

"Guess we have to see how strong the obsidian sword truly is " he says and snatches the sword away from my small trembeling hands but as soon as it touches his fingers it disappears and appears in my hand "what the fuck"we all murmur and a light radiates from the sword forcing us to shield our eyes from the blinding light

"He/she who shall yield the sword shall defeat the greatest enemy known to the land and release the forces of good once and for all but the yielder has to prove himself/herself by completing three painful tasks to unlock the swords true potential "

Says the voice which was coming from within the sword, leaving us dumbfounded , but the light within the sword doesn't dim. It only burns brighter but we pay no mind to it .

"What in the hades name was that " the king asks while his left hand tucks the generals hand

"The keeper of the sword " i find myself answering

They don't say anything they just look at me "he didn't say in what quest you'll be going" the general says

" perhaps he'll appear again and tell her "

" correct young man . her first quest will be a hard one ,in which you two will be accompanying her " that didn't seem to bring joy to the king, his face was filled with frown lines , making him appear worried and bored at the same time " she will have to dip the sword in the river of the crying virgins which is located in the heart of the black forest where the white witches once resided '' shock is painted on both of the mans faces but they don't say anything they just nod

"i wish you luck younglings you have a hard road ahead of you , may the gods lead you in the right path , until next time " the voice says as the light from the sword finally dims and we are left in the silence that surrounds us like a thick blanket

" we leave tomorrow at noon " the king says as he heads towards the woods and leaves us alone with our thoughts