Drawn in by the bewitching aura of darkness, the ruler of RavenView Castle, Kage Mist seeks their purpose as they withstand raids from antagonistic Kingdoms and Queendoms. Alongside Kage is Obsidia Valkyrie, otherwise known as The Lady in Black. Wit...
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How does one make their way back up to the peak when they're constantly falling into a bottomless chasm of nothingness? It's like all forms of leverage wipe themselves from existence and you're floating in space without a harness. There's some sort of peace when falling. At first it's scary, but eventually you become accustomed to the new lifestyle you're being thrown into forcefully. I live in a world where there's nothing but darkness besides the light that is my Kingdom engulfed in flames. It's always midnight and yet, things are starting to grow darker. But does that mean that I have to grow darker with the world around me? Will these new feelings lead to a breach in my character? No. I cannot let darkness consume me. Not while I still have my kingdom..my home..my family to look after.
"Are you frightened?" I hear a woman whisper, but being half awake, I cannot identify the voice just yet. "What?" I respond. "I said, are you frightened?" I open my eyes to see Obsidia sitting at the edge of the bed, enveloped in the glow of the candlelight that just barely brightens the room. I remain silent for a few moments only to gain consciousness of my surroundings. "I am," I respond shakily. There is no noise in the distance. The sounds of villagers conversing, metal clashing, children laughing, and music playing are all gone. Then it is still night. "Obsidia?" She turns to me with tears in her eyes. "Why are you awake at such an ungodly time in the night?" "What's the matter?" She lays woefully by my side and says, "You were having another nightmare." You were speaking in your sleep. I couldn't make some of it out, but I heard you say that the dark ruler of the Behemoth Kingdom, Fang Zoltan, is who you will surrender your kingdom to. I am too shocked to respond, but before I can even utter a word, she continues, "You cannot surrender to the bloodthirsty talons of that monster." I know you want nothing more than to protect your Kingdom..to protect me..so why is it that I feel that you are giving up?" She's right. Deep down, I have been feeling that I should give up. I have no reason to lie to her. "I am very sorry, Obsidia. These nightmares that I am having are rooted in true feelings. I have been thinking about giving up. Fang is a force that other kingdoms and queendoms have fallen to, even with the help of allies. I love this kingdom and everyone in it very much. However, I cannot ask you all to fight against someone so wicked, so vile, and so dishonorable. "And I am certain I cannot fight him on my own." Without letting a second go by, she responds, "You have to let us help you, Kage." We all worked so hard to make this kingdom a home, despite our surroundings and despite our pasts. And I know that you are not ready to let go of all of that just yet, right?" "Yes, you are right, my dear." She never ceases to surprise me. I fear that tragedy will strike and am almost certain that it will, but to give up is the worst thing I could do to my family here in RavenView. The stress of the problem at hand forces us into a deep slumber.
It is now morning. Obsidia is still asleep so I signal Kallai and Youkai to watch over her then swiftly make my way to Rangvald's shop. I am lucky to find that Gunnar, my greatest knight, is already there as I was going to send one of the townsfolk to find him anyways. "What may I do for you today your majesty?" he says while tempering what looks to be a new and improved version of Gunnar's mighty sword. "No need to be so formal my friend. I see you all as my equals" I respond. He lets out a chuckle then proceeds to say, "and that's why we adore you". I have a seat across from his anvil. "I'm glad you're here Gunnar, I need to speak to both of you about what's to come." Rangvald nods and Gunnar leans in and says, "Well, what IS to become of this Kingdom my liege? I remember when you came to me to inform me to train the knights harder, but you never went into great detail about who we are facing." I grip the hilt of my sword with the strength of a thousand Gods. "The not so humble King of the Behemoth Kingdom, Fang Zoltan, is planning to attack our Kingdom. He wants to take Princess Obsidia with him. I believe he also wants my head and then my crown." Despite there being a pit of fire in the middle of the room, a cool chill runs down the necks of Rangvald and Gunnar, you can see it in their eyes. The air grows thick.
"Fang Zoltan?" Gunnar says breaking the silence. "Yes," I respond. "When you came to me, I figured we would be facing another band of raiders." "I did not expect the most feared kingdom to be walking right up to our gates." I loosen my grip on the hilt a little then respond, "That's the problem, Gunnar." I'm not exactly sure what he and his army are going to do when they arrive. "They could march up to our gates and demand I hand over my crown; they could break the walls down and cause casualties upon casualties; they could take my head with one swift blow then sentence you all to hard labor in their kingdom; I simply do not know." Even after saying that, Gunnar has this determined look on his face, as does Rangvald. I proceed to say, "All I am sure of is that he is after our beloved Princess." Gunnar stands up swiftly and shouts, "THEN WE MUST DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER NOT ONLY TO PROTECT PRINCESS OBSIDIA BUT TO MAKE SURE THAT HE DOES NOT DISHONOR YOU, MY LIEGE!" I can't help but smile. The people of this kingdom give me so much hope. "You are absolutely right, Gunnar." I'll need both of you to help me prepare the kingdom for this war." Gunnar walks up to me, holding his arm over his chest as a way to salute me, and says, "Absolutely, my Lieutenant." "I will do anything to protect you and everyone in this kingdom if it is the last thing I do."
"If it is the last thing I do". What a beautiful yet chilling sentiment. But I feel the same as this brave young knight does. The fire isn't what makes this Kingdom untouchable. It is the love of the people in it and the willpower of those willing to fight for it. This is our Kingdom. Our Dark Garden. We built it from the ground up and cannot allow for that wretched troglodyte to tear it down in such an evil manner. We will fight for what's ours if it is the last thing we do..the last thing we do..last thing we do.
