The Cursed Blade

Chapter 1

I was waiting in the empty halls of the castle for Etheren. I could hear the chef preparing food in the kitchen, and a few light footsteps softly echoing off the walls.  Etheren appeared at the far end of the hallway. He was walking towards me with conviction, holding a sword. He pulled it out of its scabbard and stopped in front of me.

"You said you had something for me?" I asked.

He nodded. "Kyra, you are one of our strongest warriors, it would be my utmost pleasure to honor you with this sword."

"This sword is our finest piece." he bowed his head as he presented the still-sheathed blade, "It's been kept safe here, for centuries."

I took the offering, and after drawing the blade, found that my reflection sat clear on its surface. I
could see, from pommel to tip, its impeccable craftsmanship.

"However," Etheren spoke up, as if to cushion my expectations of the blade, "there is something you should know about it.."

A look of puzzlement crossed my face and I narrowed my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"There's actually a lot of history in it." he closed his eyes, preparing to explain. "It was made long ago, by the best swordsmith of our age. It was to become an asset to our kingdom." Etheren's expression changed, recounting old fables. My eyes widened as I began to realize what this gift was.
"We always took the fight to any who threatened our people, be it dragons, trolls, witches--and one such witch took a particular liking to this blade. A posunsuresessive, unhealthy liking." I glanced at Etheren, listening attentively. "Before it saw any use in battle, she cursed the blade with a spell of silence, causing any who used it to be rendered forever mute. All to prevent the blade from seeing any harm." Etheren looked at me as directly as he could, stern and resolute. "So it is for this reason I ask that you never use the blade in battle."

I dropped the sword. The metal blade met with the hard concrete floor, echoing through the hall.

"I wasn't aware our kingdom was in possesion this sword- I assumed it was taken by the witch." I said.

"This sword can serve as a trophy; consider it a symbol of your strength! No one knows what happened to the swordsmith and many  people have tried to recreate it but have been unsuccessful. It is believed that the witch used an immortality spell on herself and is still alive."

I picked up the sword and began to examine it. "Thank you."

"Oh, of course!" He smiled. "I truly hope you appreciate it.."

"Witches used to live in harmony with the other people in our kingdom. I wonder what that was like."

"Yes, but incidents like this showed us that witches are not to be trusted. So many more people would've been hurt had we not banished them."

I nodded at him. "Thanks again for the sword Etheren."

"No problem, Kyra. Well then, I'll be off." he said, walking out through the door. I stood there silently, listening to the rhythm of his shoes getting fainter until I could hear it no longer. The weight of the sword felt heavy against my bare hands. The story of the sword has been told many times, it caused one of the greatest tragedies in our kingdom. I'd always assumed that the sword was gone, lost to history, but it's been kept here, safe, the entire time.

"A cursed sword..." I whispered to myself.

I'd never thought about how the witch would be able to get through all of our guards, and she had the guts to stab the swordsmith with his own sword in front of everyone?

A day passed and
The hall that was once empty was filled with warriors waiting to be assigned tasks. We lined up in rows while the commander sent us off on our missions, to towns, into the woods, near the docs, wherever we may be needed.

The commander walked swiftly down the hallway to greet us. She stood upright and stared straight ahead.

"There is a sea serpent lurking at the docks, so some of you will need to check that out. There are no threats in town, but I will send some of you out to watch out for witches. Make sure none of them have snuck past our guards, as if that would ever happen!" The commander sniggered lightly.

I watched the warriors leave for their assignments. I lingered behind, waiting for Etheren. I saw him walk down the hallway and greet the commander.

"Etheren!" I gestured for him to come towards me.

"Kyra, is there something I can help you with?" He asked.

"I have some questions about the sword and the witch." I answered.

"Oh, well, what are your questions?"

"How was she able to get past the guards? And you said she's still out there, right? Is she still near our kingdom? What did she look like?"

Etheren paused for a moment, as if he were thinking, until he finally said, "Well, when this attack happened, witches were still permitted in our kingdom and in our towns, though they weren't exactly seen as a valued part of society. The swordsmith was showing off his sword to the warriors, telling them how powerful it was, and then she showed up. She had cast an invisibility spell on herself before attacking, and she came in from above- from the ceiling, and that's how she left. As for her appearance, she had green eyes. Her hair was said brunette, long and curly. She was vicious and unforgiving. Well, that's all I can say about that. Do you have any other questions I could answer for you?"

I stood still for a second, reflecting on all the information he'd given me.

"Wow, that's a lot." I whispered under my breath. "Wait, is she still here? Right outside the kingdom where all the witches live, is she there?" I asked frantically.

"If she were there, I'm certain we would have found her. In fact, if she were anywhere near this kingdom, she'd have already been found. I don't know where she is but I'm certain it's not here." He answered.

"But she was able to trick the guards once, what if she is still here?" I asked.

"What are you two discussing?" The commander interrupted.

"I was just telling her about the history of the cursed sword and the witch who cursed it, and-"

"Well she's definitely not here!" The commander shouted. "Things are different now, and we know how to keep witches out."

"Yes," Etheren agreed, "there's no way that the witch is anywhere near our kingdom. It may not have been one of our most charming losses, but we're stronger than those witches will ever be." 

The commander turned around and said,
"Go on, you don't want to be late to the mission Kyra." I watched as she walked further and further down the hallway until I couldn't see her anymore.

"Thank you, Etheren." I said.

"It's not a problem at all, Kyra. If you're ever interested in the history of our kingdom, you know where to find me."

I waved to him and ran outside. I could see the group of warriors heading to the docks. They were far ahead on the trail. I turned to the path that led through the woods. It leads far outside of our kingdom near the witches' town. I'd never been on the path, hardly anyone has. Then a thought came to me. It made my stomach turn and I started walking towards the path. I began to walk faster and before I knew it I was running along the path.

I'm going to find that witch. She's out there and I'm going to find her and make her pay for what she did to our kingdom.