Integrity

Prologue

When he took a step, his feet ended up ankle-deep in the mud and water that drenched the battlefield. Wounded and bleeding, he continued to help his men get to safer ground. The River Sprites advanced slowly, taking advantage of the pouring rain and playing games with his men.
They were able to navigate the flooded fields easily, but the narrow passage under the mountains would not be so simple for the Sprites. It would give those men who could still move a chance to get somewhere safer, somewhere they could control.
How he wished he had brought his son with him. The boy was always too bookish for his father's liking, but his love of studying rather than fighting had made him a wonderful Mage, and he could perhaps destroy the River Sprites once and for all with his powerful spells.
Too late for that now.
He helped his men along. The flow of capable knights quickly faded to a trickle, and the Sprites gained more quickly. The leader of the Sprites wore a bright blue crest upon his shield. He headed straight for the man helping.
"Surrender, and we will spare you," the Sprite said. "It will be easier. Your men will live."
"Why should I believe you?" demanded the man. "You said the same to the leader of every village in this kingdom and still destroyed them. I would rather die."
The Sprite sneered. "So be it," he said. And the duel commenced.
Thrust. Parry. Swing. Block. Over and over the man's sword clanged against the Sprite's. But now the man, exhausted, bled faster. His face turned pale, yet he still fought.
The man slowed.
Thrust. Block. Block. Parry. Swing. His attacks were now divided by several more attacks from the seemingly tireless Sprite.
The man stopped.
The Sprite caught him in his moment of hesitation with a sharp blow to the abdomen.
The man collapsed.
The Sprites ran into the narrow passageway under the mountain, following after the knights. The battle did not last long, however; the knights lay in waiting in a dip in the wall unbeknownst to the Sprite army. With the ambush, the men were finally able to destroy the River Sprites and their tyrannous general.
They ran back to the fields, where floodwaters continued to rise gradually. They collected incapacitated wounded who were still breathing, intent on taking as many of their brothers home as they could.
A young knight found the man from the duel lying beside the entrance to the tunnel.
The man breathed shallowly, unsteadily.
"I cannot... Return," he rasped. "These... Men... These men... Have been... Faithful. Loyal.... They have... Protected the... Kingdom. I am so... Grateful to... Have... Served with them. Just... Tell my son..." He coughed in that weak way that dying men have. "Tell him I am proud.... Tell him... He is strong... And he must use... His strength... Honorably. If you... Can tell him... Anything... Make it this: he... Must learn... To be a leader."
And with those words, King Isildin of Arithia breathed his last.