The Fall of The King

The Only Way To Go

          Chapter 2

All I remembered was water. Cold yet somehow inviting. I opened my eyes to see the bright blue sky above me. As I sat up I saw that I was lying on a beach, the ocean waves gently lapping at my feet. I stood up and looked around, wondering why I was here. Then my memories flooded back. That man, the king, had come and destroyed everything. I had been thrown into the ocean. When I hit the waters I began to swim for shore, but it was distant. Once i made it, I fell asleep from exhaustion. My father had told me to find a man named Ilorten, but I didn't know where to begin. Returning to the castle was impossible, for I couldn't tell which direction it would be. So my only hope was to head north till I found something. So I started walking, with nothing but the shirt on my back.

The plains, I was walking through great plains that never seemed to end. I looked in every direction only to see more flatlands. Continuing foreward  I couldn't see anything to tell me if I was getting anywhere. Then I saw a small house in the distance. Hoping this was the place I was looking for I rushed to the house, using every bit of energy I had left. Reaching the door out of breath, I knocked and waited for somebody to open the door. After waiting for several minutes and when nobody answered the door, I gently twisted the door handle and the door opened. Walking in I saw that the house looked as though nobody lived here. Nothing was inside except a bed. Turning to walk out, I was met by a fist and darkness after that.

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Before me stood a woman, she had long black hair highlighting the beauty of her face. Something about this woman seemed familiar, yet I believed I would remember a one-armed woman such as her. She was a high elf, her green tinted skin giving off a faint glow. Slowly she walked to me, her silk dress making her seem as though she glided across the ground. She gently brought her one remaining arm to my cheek, slowly caressing it. She focused onto me and said, "You have grown so handsome, I wish I was still alive to see you grow." Then she slowly faded away, her image replaced by a view of my castle. My home was burned to a cinder, nothing remained of the place and a flow of blood ran from the ground into the sea. The man who assaulted the castle stood surrounded by the bodies of everyone I ever knew and loved. Before him stood my father beaten and bruised, yet he still stood ready to fight this man. My father charged, but the man did not move and once my father was within arms reach the man sweeped his sword low, cutting the feet out from under my father as his body fell. The man caught his falling form and lifted it to his face. Then he asked my father a question as though he was talking to an old friend. My father did not reply, he simply spat blood onto the mans face. The man simply laughed and brought his free hand around to hit my father in his chest. The hand went clean through my fathers body, blood splashing from the hole in his empty chest. The man then turned to where I stood, staring at me as though he knew I was there. "The seeds of hate have been planted."
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I awoke gasping, who was this man? Why did he plague my dreams and now my life? I sat up to see I was inside the house lying on the bed. A man stood next to the bed and began to speak as soon as he saw me awake. "I am sorry I punched you, I just never know who will come to my home. Plus you were already inside when I arrived." Looking at the man I saw he was a high elf, like me. He wasn't very tall, but his eyes seemed full of wisdom. He looked to be as old as I was, but the wisdom his eyes held told another story. He sported short black hair, and was wearing what appeared to be a robe. "I'm sorry I entered your home, I knocked and when there was no answer I just went in." "Do not worry child, I understand. What brings you this far into the great plains anyhow? He replied, giving me a look of completely sincerity. I decided to just tell him the truth, I may never find Ilorten if I didn't have help. "I'm looking for a man named Ilorten. My father, Raphiel, sent me to find him." As I said this, the mans face went from happy to a worried expression. "I am the man you seek, but I must ask why he sent you to speak to me?" "He told me this as our castle was under attack by a lone man." After I said this, the man gasped and his eyes grew fearful. He then walked closer looking into my eyes and asked, "Has Raphiel told you about your fate? Has he told you what you must do?" "No he was about to, but that was when that man appeared on the horizon." I replied as he stood and paced the floor. He looked towards me then walked towards the window. "You are a child born of phrophecy, you are fated to kill your father in combat and free the kingdom from his pestelence." "Kill my father? How can I do that if that man already did that for me?" "Because Raphiel isn't your father, that man is."

Stunned I couldn't find words to express what I felt. I could not utter a sound. Everything I knew was a lie, everyone in the castle knew my prophecy but me. I felt as though all of them had betrayed me by keeping this a secret. I felt most betrayed by my father, or now to my knowledge the man who pretended to be my father. I was the son of the demon king, a man who lost himself after a war took everything from him. My mother had been a high elf, who sought to help the man. But he repayed her kindness by almost killing her. The king cared not about others, he simply wanted to rule the world now. Ilorten stared at me as I digested all that he told me. I was to become a warrior strong enough to unite a chaotic kingdom, just to kill my own father. I looked up at him, knowing I had no choice but to accept my fate. There was nothing to go back to anyhow. "Where do i start my journey?"