The Collection: Short Stories, Misfits, and One-shots

Blood Throne Excerpt: Executioner

This is a small excerpt from a series I've been working on called The Blood Throne Chronicles.  It's a little bit of a darker royalty based story, following Edmond Dunham II, who at the time is an Earl faced with a new King and the King's brother, who dislikes him and his family.  The feud between the Hartwrights and Dunhams is enough to create more than just tension, leading to a war that will break one side forever.  Enjoy, and don't forget to comment, and vote.

The song linked is what I imagine to be the theme song for the series, and all its characters.  There are some bad words, but it's still an amazing song, so enjoy!

Song: Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons

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There was an almost serene quiet as he gripped the hilt of his sword, nodding his head in assent.  The guards pushed another man to his knees, leaning his face over the already bloodied rock.  Snow coated the landscape around them, but whatever chill it should have given him was absent.  Behind him, a few of his cousins sat on their horses, waiting for the execution to begin.  They hardly affected him, unlike the King's brother, who remained on the opposite side of the hill.  The task that should have gone to an ordinary executioner was his because of that man.

"My lord?"  One of the guards looked at him when he did not proceed, and Edmond snapped out of it, his eyes darting away from the form of Wilson Hartwright and down on the sword in his hand.  The sword had been his father's, and his grandfather's before that, it was a shame that such an heirloom had to be a part of this.

He shook his head, sending specks of snow flying off the black fur cloak he wore over his shoulders.  Inhaling a swath of cold air, he brought the blade up in front of his face and then over his shoulder before swinging it down.  There was a sudden stillness to the hill as Edmond stepped back, handing his sword to a guard to be cleaned.  He risked a glance at the noble whose life he had just ended and felt a chord inside him snap harshly at the sight.

"You have done well, Earl Dunham."  The brown horse Wilson Hartwright sat on pawed nervously at the white ground, the smell of the noble's blood metallic in the air.

"I only did what was asked of me, my lord."  He had to stop the hatred from clouding his thoughts, and influencing his words.  The man before him was a Duke, and next in line for the crown, and he knew it.  Most of the nobles at court would even go so far to say that he was King in everything but name.

"Then you are more loyal than any men I have had the acquaintance of."  Wilson bowed his head in recognition and rode down the path, leaving Edmond to mount his own animal.  William came up beside him, holding Edmond's sword out, his eyes showing some sympathy.

"They will have to run out of enemies some time, right?"  Edmond could not laugh at the joke, his humor frayed beyond recognition.

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So that is a little peek at what is to come in the next couple of years, until then there is Wastelands, which is ongoing right now if you're interested.  Another thing to clear up is that the William in this story is not the same as the Upon the Broken Hills short before this.  In the series, The Blood Throne Chronicles, William Morley (Lord) is cousin to Edmond Dunham II (Earl), and is generally his right hand man, guard, adviser, brother, etc. on all things that occur during the series.  The relationship between the two is probably best summed up by this piece of dialogue:

"You took your time," William drawled out, his gaze on the receding waterline, the high tide slowly slinking away.  Edmond didn't respond, rubbing his hand along William's black horse.  "What bad news is there from Agnorach?"

"We've been summoned."  William didn't ask, 'Where', the location obvious given the recent circumstances.

"And Regenald Bartlett?"

"Dead," Edmond replied.