The Three Kings

Chapter One

                         My father never liked talking about how or why we got banished to the outskirts of Alterpek. Whenever someone brought it up, he would dismiss the topic with one wave of his hand and a look of longing on his face. I never really thought much about it, because why should I? I like this village. At least that's what I told myself every day since we had moved into this bland town. Deep down I knew I was lying. I had to lie because my parents hated this place, they hated it for both me and Elio.

                        I wish I could say that now, that I love this town and love the people in it. Even with the screams coming from every direction I turned my head and the sound of dogs barking at the intruders breaking into homes was long gone by now, I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to say that again. Mavron hates the smaller villages, which made Berkmore his number one target. We are a small village and have larger amounts of crime than some of the others. There have even been rumors of some of the citizens of Berkmore being able to do magic. Every human can wield magic, but its teachings are banned, so none of us participate in the occult practice for fear of angering the Kings.

                         Right now, I wish that I did know magic so that I could kill all of Mavron's men and watch them die. My father was on his deathbed, and it was all because of King Mavron. He told me to grab Elio and flee, to run away as far from the village as I could without throwing up. Here I was now, rushing back to the crowded hut made from sticks and an old bed sheet. This was being used as Berkmore's "hospital". Anything that the few still-standing doctors told me to get. Whether that be a pail of water from the neighboring village or more sheets from the debris of our burning town to cover the bodies that were once someone's loved ones, I did.

                          I gripped the pail of water so hard that my hands turned white, and my mother begged me to stop. To sit down with her and Elio and realize that my father was dying. He was dying. I watched as Elio sobbed into my mother's lap, not that she was far from sobbing either. How could any of us move on from this? My mother has no job, my brother won't be able to function, and I... Well, I'm not important right now.

"Mom, I can't. People need help."

                          I pleaded. How could I sit down when so many people needed help? My dad... he could still be saved. Maybe if I hadn't gone to grab Elio, my dad could've come with us. He could've left and that knight wouldn't have stabbed his chest. The doctors told me he was still alive, that he wasn't going to be alive much longer. I couldn't force myself to see him. What would I say? How would I react?

                         At that moment, my mom grabbed my wrist and took the pail from my grip. She always knew that I never thought of myself, that my brain wouldn't stop running if I wasn't pulled from the trance. Even when the man she had spent her entire life with was dying, she was still being the most amazing mother ever. I could tell she was hurt. Tears were still pouring from her eyes, and her hands were shaking when she grabbed my wrist, but she was still trying. I knew I had to see him. I would die from the guilt if he died without me talking to him first.

                          When I placed my eyes on him, tears started rolling down my face. His eyebrows were twisted down in pain and his hand was placed over the stab wound which had stained his white shirt a deep red.

"Come here, honey."

                         How could he be like this right now? I knew he was in pain, that he was hurting physically just as much as I was mentally. So why was he acting like everything was okay? When he saw me, his face changed to one of love and caring, he knew that his death would break me. Nonetheless, I ran over to him. Falling to my knees next to the makeshift stretcher that the doctors had to practically force him down onto because he said other people needed it more than he did.

                         For a while, neither of us said anything. Terrified to say something for fear that it would be the last time we ever talked to each other. How could Mavron do this? Even after the years, my father had spent serving him as not only just a knight but as a friend too. None of it made sense.

"Dad, what's going to happen... If you die?"

"I'm not sure, whatever happens, you will be okay. So is your mother and Elio."

"How can you say that? You're dying! We don't even have a home to go back to."

                         For the first time since my childhood, he began to tear up. It wasn't due to pain, but rather from the weight of realizing that his entire life was ending in front of the people he loved the most.

"Honey, I need you to do something. I wouldn't ask this of you if it weren't for what I believe the world is coming to."

"Okay, whatever it is, I can do it."

"Our family can do unimaginable things, things that make the Kings so scared they would kill our entire nation to stop us."

"Dad, what? What type of power could we possibly have that could harm the Kings?"

                         I started racking my brain for anything that could help me understand what he was talking about. What could the Stoneriver family do that was so important? Was this what got us banished to Berkmore? Suddenly my father's hand moved to his pocket, grabbing a piece of folded paper with burnt edges and dirt all over it. When he started to unfold it with one hand he could still use, I learned that it was a map.

"This is a map of all of Calordia. The only one of its kind. This island, this is where you need to go. You will find a woman there who can teach you everything you need to know and answer any question you may have about Magic. You can protect this family, maybe even more. Magic can be dangerous, I know from experience. Promise me you will be safe, yeah? That you will be responsible."

                         I watched as he pointed to an Island that was just on the coast of Fethgrove. My shaky hands took the piece of paper from his, wondering what importance he could have to have a map like this. He knew from experience? What kind of Knight was he?

"Dad... magic? What is this? Why is this important, who will I need to protect Elio and Mom from?"

                        I was met with silence. When my eyes traveled up from over the paper I was met with the look of lifeless eyes staring back at me. His skin had already begun to turn colorless as I sat there in shock. My father's dead body was staring back at me. He died because he used to fight for this nation. And I was going to die fighting against it.