A Tale of Time: The Malice of Men

Chapter 18: Awakening

The dawn is here, the sky is clear,

But war now awaits.

They slept for long , they sang no song

And  now they're here to war.

They waited,they saw,as icy anger thawed. 

Now they are here, they pick up their spears,

For the malice of men is come.

The message by the man in black was a clear, albeit a bizarre one. He asked Armanda to send her fastest riders to the Southern forest with a strange message addressed to no one in particular. The messenger was to go into the forest and declare : 'I flee from fire, foes and scum!' and give the message he received  Armanda.

The Southern forest was long avoided due to its great mystery and sad past. Those who ventured to go too far in never came back out. At least, they were not heard from again. Her own rider had taken a great risk and became the first person to bring news of those parts since long ago. The reply he brought back was an unimaginable one. If he hadn't brought back some proof with him, Armanda would have taken him for a madman. But he brought proof. It was the best anyone could give. 

The item lay next to the table in her cabin. Armanda Sparrow had to go south. That much was obvious. So she took her ship. It was easy to guide and the storms hadn't arrived yet. Besides, there would be fewer spies and fewer men who asked questions and she liked that, especially considering the person she was going to meet, if he could be called a person.

The reply she got was equally short: "Come. It is time." It wasn't a command. It wasn't a summon. It wasn't even a request. It was an invitation to a happening. What really made Armanda accept however, was the object that he had given as proof of his existence. Iravaan, King of the giants was many things, but a liar was not one of them. Besides, nobody could know of the whereabouts of his sword except for him.

The giants are alive! Part of Armanda was elated. Her joy knew no bounds. She feared, like most of those who studied the history of Ëra, that the giants had gone forever. But now, for the first time in over tell hundred gears, they were going to be seen by human eyes again.

The war between man and giant was a long and bitter one. The giants helped man, but placed several bans. The men of the newfound land of Ëra readily agreed, but later began to question the power that they thought the giants had and the things they withheld from humans. Before long, war broke out and giants, driven to the brink of extinction, finally fought back. In that last war of wrath, countless lives were lost. The giants left, some thought for ever, but apparently  not.

Clearly, something was awfully wrong. Else, the giants wouldn't try interfere with the affairs of man again. The problem was, Armanda couldn't tell what was wrong. Sure there was the shortage of food, but this wasn't the first time it had happened, though it was the first time it had happened in this manner. Still , it couldn't be enough to draw the giants out of isolation.

In her heart, Armanda loved the giants. Sometimes, she wondered what it would feel like to be so strong and learned and yet so loving. It was a pity that man always wanted more. Looking back at her own humble past, Armanda knew that was true.