The Obsidian Heir

Red Vail

"I Daren Gandar, king of Red Vail, the lord of the Red Blazes, sentenced you to death," said Daren as he swung Molten down. The sword cut clean through the prisoner he was executing. 
   Molten was the name of Daren's sword. Daren looked down at the prisoner's head that rolled on the ground. He made a disgusting face, "Ugly man, he was," said Daren.
   Daren was the lord of the Red Blazes, a group of knights who used to serve for his father, Agni Gandar.
   They are all now retired from the Red Blazes, but they kept their titles, oaths and vows for it. To never stop serving at the Red Vail and to kill their enemies at the right cost.
   Daren wore a shiny gold army with a red cape. The cape had a symbol on it, a vulcan. It was the symbol for the Red Vail. 
   His bastard son, Mace Fyr looked at the head trying not to puke. His bastard son had long black hair, brown eyes, golden shiny armor and a red cloak around his armor.
   "Yes he was," agreed Mace. Daren looked at Mace, "Do me a favor Mace, go fetch some wine and set it in my chambers for me," requested Daren. "Yes father," said Mace as he hurried away to fetch wine.
   Daren Gandar was not a man to keep waiting, so Mace made sure to be quick about it. Daren looked at his guardsmen who were standing around, "Clean this up, dump the head and body into the boiler and make sure there's not a speck of blood on my ground or I'll have you all in the boiler with him," demanded Daren.
   The knights all jumped into action and began cleaning the mess. Daren began to walk to his chambers. He entered through the throne room, he looked at the throne which was made from cooled down molten. Banners hung from the ceiling. The banners were red with an orange vulcan on it.
   He entered a hallway that was lit up with torches, even then the hallway was still a bit dim. Pictures painted by artists over the years of Red Vail's monarchy hung on the wall. They were paintings of the kings of the Red Vail before Daren. 
   Daren made it to his chambers where Mace was just setting his goblet of wine onto Daren's desk. 
   Daren sat in a red chair and grabbed his goblet of wine. He took a sip out of it, "This is some strong wine," said Daren. Mace nodded, "Yeah it's my personal favorite of all Esternia."
   Daren stared up at him with a careless look, "Anyway Mace, I hear there is a wedding between Lyanna Rein and Loren Gillen, we've been invited to it. Although our house is not a friend of the Reins, Red Vail is, so we must go. It'd be impolite not to, I assume my nephew Mark has not been invited due to that battle down in Aren River a couple years back," said Daren.
   "Will Haley be coming?" asked Mace. Daren took a long sigh, "Yes she'll be coming, she said she doesn't want to go, but she can't refuse me, I am the king of Red Vail, she won't."
   Haley Gandar was in house Gandar and Hall, she was married to Daren on her fifteenth name day. She had dark brown hair, wrinkles on her cheeks and forehead, she had blue eyes and her hair was always in a bun.
   "I am the king and if she refuses my orders that'll be treason, and the punishment of treason is death," said Daren. 
    Mace nodded, "Yes it is, but she's your wife, you wouldn't punish her would you really? You love her right?" asked Mace. Daren looked down at his table guilty, "Go get me some more wine, I'm all out," demanded Daren as he handed Mace his empty goblet.
   Mace walked down a long dim hallway, the same one with the paintings of the past kings on the wall. They were whispering to him, "Stupid bastard boy" Gauntly the Gruesome's painting whispered at him. 
   In the painting Gauntly had a small nose with small beady brown eyes, he had a long brown beard and coarse brown hair.
   "You'll never make Daren proud," another painting whispered at him. He felt like he was going mad. "STOP IT! STOP IT!" he yelled in anger. He threw the goblet at Gauntly the Gruesome, the painting tore a bit and the goblet shattered once it hit the ground.
   He took a deep breath. "Is there something wrong Mace?" asked a voice. He jerked his head to the right and saw Daren's heir, his true son, David Gandar.
   David had oily curly black hair, green beady eyes, sharp eyebrows, a thick voice, and big ears. 
   Mace shook his head, "No I just dropped this goblet and I yelled in frustration when I did," lied Mace. 
   Mace stared at the shattered goblet on the ground, he began to approach it. David grabbed him by his arm, "Don't worry. You seem stressed, you can go get some rest Mace," said David. "But I need to make father wine," defied Mace. 
   "I'll go do that for you," said David looking into Mace's eyes. "Thank you," Mace softly said.
   Mace walked past David and made his way to the throne room. He looked up at the throne of cooled down magma, wishing he was heir to Red Vail, but he knew David deserved it.
   "Mace," said a flat voice behind him. Mace turned around and saw one of the retired Red Blazes, Haren Hall. 
   Haren Hall had curly long gray hair, wrinkles all over his face. Giant sky blue eyes and was slim. He was the brother of Haley Gandar.
 Mace hated Haren, for many reasons too. "Bastard boy looking at the throne, wishing it was his, don't you?" Haren said mockingly.
   "No," said Mace, trying to keep his temper. "I think you do wish for the throne," said Haren, "What would a bastard boy do on the throne, probably let the Midnight Rider roam freely in kingdoms. Oh! That reminds me," Haren reached for his belt and pulled and pulled out a hand that was tied to it. He threw it in front of Mace.
   "There's one of those bastard boy's hands, maybe you should go join them. It'll be fun killing another one, especially one who was born into a royal family by mistake," said Haren with a mocking laugh.
   Haren walked out of the throne room, and Mace glared at him as he did.
   Curse him… CURSE HIM, thought Mace. Mace took one last look at the throne with pure rage flowing through his veins. He barged back into the hallways and into his chambers.
   Daren shifted in his seat, and David walked into his chambers, "Your wine, father," said David as he set his father's goblet of wine on his desk.
   "What happened to Mace?" asked his father, "He went to his room, I told him he could go get rest because he seemed stressed," answered David.
   His father's face turned red, "Sympathy," he said angrily, "What have I told you about sympathy, boy," demanded Daren. 
   David stayed silent, he didn't want to answer his father. "In war there is no such thing as sympathy," scowled Daren. David felt shamed, but why. He wasn't doing anything wrong.
   Daren stood up from his table and glared at David, "TALK TO ME BOY!" he yelled. David jerked away from Daren
   "There's no such thing as sympathy," David said quickly and afraid. "Correct, that's what I thought," said Daren as he settled back down in his seat. "Go to rest now, you and Mace have sword training tomorrow," said Daren. David nodded and turned to make his way to the door, "And remember. No sympathy," said Daren before he could exit through the door.