Legends of Galanos: A Kingdom in Peril

Chapter One

Casper stood anxious in anticipation against the wooden wall that lined the room. His large palms clammy with sweat and his scarred knees trembled. Beads of perspiration ran from his curly brown hair sat on top of a thin, pale face. His dark blue eyes were distant staring at the tall brown door. Wind bellowed through the cracks in the wood and rain spattered down on to the cobbled roof. Opening with an eerie creek, a figure entered through the door.
"It's time Son." Mumbled Caspers father, closing the door behind him and stumbling over to the cabinet slumped beneath stairwell in the corner.
"What if I am not ready for this Father? What if they refuse me?" Panicked Casper, pacing furiously across the beige carpet and around the oak table. His father continued to fiddle through the cabinet. Sounds of metal clanging and glass chiming could be heard from across the room. "They will have no choice but to accept you my boy. There is something you must know."  Caspers father sat him down onto the wooden chair, placing a sealed letter into the palm of his hands. Casper examined the letter, confused. A royal seal sat along the seam. The badge of a lion engraved within.
The lion is the emblem of the kingdom of Lye ruled by King Richard Ridere. A brave warrior who fought in the battle of Galanos before the continent was split into the four kingdoms. Ruled by an iron fist, Galanos was struggling. Brutality was inflicted upon the people as armies would pillage villages for resources to satiate the evil Orc King Kargul's greed for death and destruction. Richard Ridere had, along with a handful of other brave warriors, started a resistance against Kargul's forces, banding together people from every corner of Galanos in a joined ambition to bring order and end chaos.
Casper ran his finger across the seam of the envelope, splitting the seal and removing the contents.
Dear Casper Ardel, son to Francis Ardel of Lye,
If you are reading this letter, then the time has come to follow in your fathers legacy. Little to your knowledge, your father used to be part of a brilliant legion of men belonging to myself. They banded together when the council of Lye was formed and I took to the throne. We believed that one day in further times to come, someone would try to eliminate all the hard work that had ensued to overthrow the evil King Kargul and his champions. Someone far worse than the dreaded Orc. Secrets are better kept as secrets, however we fear that a prophecy long forgotten may be coming to light.
So we would like to invite you Casper Ardel to join me and the royal council. We will explain all upon your arrival.
It is time to claim your birth rite.
Yours sincerely
King Richard Ridere of Lye.

Casper folded the paper back into the envelope and rose to his feet abruptly. "What prophecy is this letter talking about?" Questioned Casper.
"I think it's best you hear from the council Son. But just know this... dark times are coming my boy. And you better be prepared..." replied Francis. Casper had planned to travel to the Lye castle to join the army on this day. His father had told him it was time for him to follow in his footsteps, they had been preparing for the past five years. Now he wondered if his father knew about this calling all along. He began to question why it was him who had been selected. A boy of no army experience, called upon by the royal court. Maybe people had been keeping secrets... and he was excited to find out what.