The Seven Deadly Kingdoms

Chapter 3

  People of all shapes, colours and classes filled the streets, every one of them anxious to hear the King's announcement. Some of the ladies in the higher class whispered of it being the grandest ball the king had ever thrown. Some of the men of the lower class conspired that a new heir was to be announced. Some children hoped that whatever it was, candy would be provided.

Whatever it was, Adelaide just wanted to be done with it. Her crippled brother was all alone in a dreary inn miles away because of this stupid announcement. If it wasn't the King putting in his two weeks, Adelaide didnt care at all what it was.

Mother put on a smile and tried to look excited, but the slight furrow in her brow gave away her worry. Father didnt even try to seem pleased; it was made clear he was already over the loud crowds and the pushing and pulling of the people. The grand road leading up to the castle wasn't meant to be crowded to this extent, and Adelaide could barely see past the gates arches to the castle. She didnt want to admit it, but seeing the castle was always one of her favourite things to do while in town. If it wasn't for the endless sea of prestigious men and women who didnt care whether anyone else in the world lived or died, Adelaide would have liked to visit the castle every time they came to town. But, she decided, it simply wasn't worth being around all of these fake snobs.

Adelaide shoved her way through the mass of people so she could better see the castle. After lots of obscene curses thrown at her, she made it to the gate. She was pressed up against the golden rods by the people surrounding her, but she didnt care. There it was, the king's castle in all of its white and golden glory. It was so large, some of the towers must have been hundreds of feet high. Every window, door, balcony and roof was lined with pure gold woven into beautiful patterns and flowers of every colour. Giant wisteria hung from all over the walls of the castle, along with massive vines that creeped their way up and down the spirals of the towers. Magic clearly had a hand in building the great structure. And even though Adelaide had never supported the use of magic, she had to give the King credit for his wonderful use of it.

Adelaide was snapped back into reality as trumpets sounded, making a beautiful symphony. She looked up to a large balcony in the centre of the castle as two giant mahogany doors opened behind it. Out from the doors stepped the King, followed by the queen. The King was covered in so may layers of plush red fabric that he was hardly recognisable as a human. He held a tall golden rod in one hand, and held the other neatly behind his back. He looked the same as Adelaide had always remembered. Haughty and self righteous.

"Good morning, my devout subjects!" The king bellowed. The higher class cheered and clapped, while most of the lower classes just rolled their eyes or scoffed.

"First of all, I would like to show my gratitude towards you all," The King continued, putting on a fake loving smile, "You all have built this kingdom to the glory that it now stands in, and for that, I thank you. You all are royalty in the eyes of me and my queen."

More claps and cheers sounded throughout the city, praising the king. A guard stepped towards the king and handed him a scroll, which he unrolled before clearing his throat. His face fell slightly as he began to speak.

"My kingdom, I only wish that I had summoned you all here for the bringing of good news. But, a terrible thing has happened. The kingdom of Ira, for unknown reasons, has waged war on the six kingdoms. King Abbadon seeks peril and destruction, and he has decided to target our thriving home. The war has already begun. I.... Regret to inform you, that our troops are dwindling by the hour. I have no other option but to go to my people for help."

Silence fell upon the crowd and hushed whispers could be heard all throughout the city. The king grimaced as he continued to read down the unrolled scroll.

"The first born from every family of the kingdom, if over fifteen, is required at the fronts. This includes the upper, middle and lower classes. Not a single family is excluded from this requirement, no matter the circumstance. Choosing to not participate in serving your kingdom in this time of need will be considered treason, and will be punished with life in the dungeon. So please, do not hide."

The newfound silence amongst the crowd was quickly replaced with yelling and cursing. Mothers wept, and children cried. Fathers cried out in fury and sons were paralysed with fear.

"All soldiers will be required to meet at a base camp outside of the city walls tomorrow morning, so I suggest you make the most of your farewells. This war will not be won easily. If you are a first born, you are to meet with one of my soldiers stationed in front of the castle gates when you arrive. They will escort groups of you to the campsite, in order of age. There, you will be trained for battle. And after that, the fronts. I wish you all the best, my loyal subjects."

And with that, the beloved king made a sharp turn before re-entering his castle, the doors closing behind him with a thud as the guards and queen followed. The crowd silenced a final time, not knowing what to do. This news weighed greatly on the hearts of every man and woman, no matter the social status. And it was because of this grief that for the first time in centuries, the people of Extollentiam were one.

Adelaides eyes had remained so wide for so long that tears were rolling down her cheeks from the wind against her eyes. As she remembered that she was alone, she whipped around and violently shoved her way through the crowd, back to her parents. As her mother and father came into view, she could see the tears rolling down both of their cheeks as they searched frantically for her. "Mother, Father!" She cried as she ran into her fathers arms. He immediately wrapped his arms around his daughter, along with Mother.

'What are we going to do? Henry couldn't possibly go to war. Not in his condition. He would never survive!" Adelaide said frantically as she pulled away. Her fathers brows furrowed as he looked to the ground.

"I dont know, Adelaide... I, I dont know." He replied, defeated.