Vain: Upon An Hours Rest

Chapter 10: Magisty Castle

          After a few more hours walking I see it. Guards (I say guards, more like a small army), rush outside the walls to meet us. We explain everything, except the, my identity part, and I am taken, as the leader, to meet my son, prince Daniel and his mother. As we walk I look around and see what’s left of the castle I built. The rooms I once knew where no more. The dining hall, the armory, it’s all in shambles. Then we make it to the throne room. I walk in the room to see my son with a brave but hard look, and his mother, my wife. Her expression instantly changes and with a small cry she leaps from her chair and runs to me.

          "Mother what in the world has gotten into you?! Act accordingly!"

          "Daniel, you don’t recognize this man, but I do any day. I’ve missed and mourned you so! oh how you haven’t aged at all! Were in Gielinor have you been?!"

          "Who are you Knight? Identify yourself immediately" I look at him praying with everything in me he excepts me, but knowing we have no time.

          With tears in my eyes I say, "My name, is Danny Vain. Twenty Five years ago I closed my eyes and a month ago I opened them to see my throne stolen and my nation destroyed and my son grown without me. I’ve come to take back what is not mine, but now yours." He looks at me...with no describable look.  The pain I feel when I say this is unimaginable. "Yes, I am your father and I’d love to have the moment were we hug and I explain why I wasn’t here, and I'd love to love and kiss your mother again, oh how I have missed her the last month, but there’s no time. We’ve brought troops, and a traitor has given away our position. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible." He keeps Staring at me and slowly, after a madding silence, speaks.

          "Three days ago a profit came to me. He spoke of a brave warrior of old landing on our north western shores, Who would help lead the rebellion. I never dreamed it would have been you!" With this he removes his crown and hands it to me.

          "No need, my time as king has passed, it’s your throne now" He nods and orders everyone to leave but he and I.

          "Squire, gather the Temple Knights"

          I update him on all the happenings, including the takings of Varock and Falador and the death of King Smith. "I have a question, what is the Iron clad?"

          "The Ironclad is the Black Knights elite trained by Ragen himself, a former Temple Knight. They are the best of the best on his side and he has many of them."

          He looks at me a flash of pain and says, “Father, where were you?”

          With tears obviously rolling down my cheek I say, “I don’t know”

          With this the Knights gather and after an introduction and bringing them up to date we decide to plan the war.

          "Sire, we have enough vessels to carry twenty five thousand troops. the Hill Tribe will need to head towards Camelot and gather more of their people on the way, and wait on us as we make our way."

          I add, "We need to sail around to the bottom of the dessert and work our way up, forgive me for assuming but that should be where the least amount of troops are. How many do we have verses them?"

          "Well, we have ten thousand added to the over ten thousand you brought."

           "But Sire, chimes in another knight, Ragen has an army of about fifteen thousand! Numbers may be in our favor but most of ours are untrained."

          "Right you are" I reply. "But we are smarter and we have something to fight for"

          Daniel stands and says, "Is it settled then? Stage a campaign on the dessert, set a command post in Al Kharid, and continue from there?"

          "Aye", chimes in all the Knights.

          "Then rally the men, get them food, drink, weapons and armor and prepare to move out. The next time we return, this Castle will be to rebuilt!" After three days we are prepared to make way and after another three of marching and a full week of trying to load the boats and prepare to sail, the wait due to a lot of confusion, we get underway and prepare to sail around the eastern end of Gielinor and begin liberating small villages in the desert.