Death of a Dynasty

The City beyond the Sea.

Ringing of the port bell sprawled from the distance. Finally, his belly shall rest. Desmond never even thought on how bad effect the sea could have on him. Looking at his hands, skin pale as milk, he finally thought of standing on a ground that did not sway.

Steppes were heard at the ladder, coming to him. They belonged to a short man with skin sunburnt from many years of service on board, wearing a poor shirt of a sailor. "Tha day's good. Ya'll be happy, we'r hea." said the man with a strong accent, picking up a heavy box and heading back on board again.

The man from the east sighed, he tried to stand up, but it felt like instead of his legs, he had noodles. Hardly, he tried not to puke, slowly taking his bag and moving towards the ladder. For few past weeks, Desmond felt nothing but waving of the sea and terrible taste of pukes in his mouth, mixed with dovetail of the ship's cook.

When he finally scrambeled on board, all he could do was lay down, all his energy drained up by the sea. The sailors didn't mind him, many carried heavy boxes off the ship, almost tramping over him. He could hear a man's voice, with too, a strong accent of the eastern city of Maohold. "If ya wan' puke, don' do at mah girl, get an shor' ya errand-boy!"

Shading the sun with his hand, Desmond looked in the direction where the voice with that terrible accent was coming from. He recognized the West wind's captain immediatly. He was too, a short man, but a man could see that he had more wealth than his sailors, especially if you looked at his belly. Off his bald head reflected the sun's shine. The lack of hair on the top of his head was compensated with a long and ritch beard, decorated with golden rings, inditating that this man has been to the Eastern City- the second largest city in the world, right after the Western City. It was a great city built on trade between the eastern and western part of the continent, located at the southern end of the Egen sea, at the borders of the desert of Quiet sands.

"So, ya'r ganna traw up, boy?" said the short man, coming closer to him. Nausea still ruled over him, but he was getting better. After Desmond shook his head, the small fat captain laughed, giving his hand to him, every finger wore a ring of different metal, with different gems. Perhaps this captain was wealthier than he thought.

Slowly, one step at a time, Desmond closed the shore, the wharf connected to the ship was filled with crates and sailors bringing them on shore. When he finally put his foot on land which did not sway back and forth, a feeling of relief hit him. What hit him after that though, he did not like. The malaise was back, and what was back too, was his last dinner. A few disgusted yells were heard, aswell as men's laughs, as pukes stained the wooden wharf.

A familiar laugh and strong steppes were heard behind Desmond, the ship's captain came on shore. "Nahs job, boy! Good ya'v threw it up! Tah cook is bahd! Hav' to replac' him! Hey, I know a nahs barn good just for ya. The nahm's 'In the maiden's arms'! A fahn place! Get som' good food! Heard ya'r more wealthy than ya look! But ya'r travels hav' been paid alredy. Good bah, boy!" While he was talking, the captain helped Desmond stand up, now he returned back to his 'girl', as he loved to call his ship.

Finally looking up without his head being dizzy, Desmond saw the impressive city that Kahanhold was. Palace as high as a mountain, as blue as an ocean, looking more wealthier and monumental than anything ever built in the east, except for the Eastern City, to which Desmond never was, though. 

Below the palace, the Ocean Keep, as the called it, laid the city. Port city as large as Maohold, built in a cove, spreading across it's entire lenght, ports everywhere. He did not see past the large line of buildings at the port, so he decided to go in. He soon passed into the shadow of large wooden houses, some serving as warehouses, others as homes for the poorest. 

From this view, the city did not seem so magnificient. The streets smelled of shit, rotting fish and alcohol. Poor looking sailors and townsfolk stalked the streets near port, some drunk, some yet drinking. Beggars laid among badly smelling piles made of what Desmond did not want to know. The easterner tried to ask a sailor which did not seem drunk yet, where is the barn West wind's captain told him about. "Fallow th' smell of an ale!" the sailor laughed, drinking from his flask.

"That really helped me." Desmond thought, ale could be smelled from everywhere around here, the sailor did not help him a bit. He knew the barn should be close, though. It did not take him long to find a signboard with a half-naked woman with words 'In the maiden's arms" written below. 

Entering a small barn, a hard smell of ale punched him in the face, aswell as sounds of a violin music playing. On the violin, a girl played, giving lustful smiles to the men around her. "Ah! We've got an easterner!" he heard a hard voice, coming from the bar. The bartender was a sunburnt man with short hair and shaggy beard, dressed in a simple shirt almost everyone here was wearing.

Suddenly, most of the talk inside the barn went silent, eyes watching the newcomer from every corner. Even the violin music stopped playing. Desmond slowly came to the bar, small smile across his face. "Is it so obvious where I'm from?" he asked. The bartender simply laughed. "Ya look like ya've just puked all your dinner out, boy. That's how everyone looks first time they come hea'." The smile on Desmond's face only widened, his eyes fixed on the bartender. "Well then, I guess I'll have something you have there." he pointed with his eyes on the flask of ale the bartender was holding, a loud laughter breaking out right after. Everyone in the barn got back to their smalltalk, the girl with violin started playing again.

The bearded man poured the ale into a glass, which he handed over to him. "So, what brings ya in these far lands? You don't look like a refugee." Desmond grinned while taking the glass, he tried to drink, but right when the liquid touched his tongue, he couldn't drink more, the ale was awful, tasting like a year tained water with a bit of an alcohol in it. The glass almost shattered as it hit the wooden bar, spilling the ale all over it, only for the bartender to laugh.

"An ya're ritch. Seem's like ya know what a good drink tastes like, not like this crap for poor ol' sailors." Desmond wiped his wet mouth, trying to bury the horrible taste of the thing he just drank. "I wouldn't say I'm ritch, I just have a name.." The bartender measured him through his eyes. "Get me something to eat, please." As the bartender grabbed a bread, he asked again. "Ya didn't answer, what brings you here, to the end of the world?" he gestured with his hands. 

"Tell me, how's it like in the jungle?" Desmond fixed his eyes on the man. "Oh, that's how's it. Ya want to explore. Well forget about that boy, there is no place for man, just for the dark monsters that dwell in that forest."

"Ah, monsters, huh? Tell me about them." The man straightened, not looking pleased with the easterner not trusting. "Nineteen out of every twenty men that go into that jungle die. Some killed by the diseases ya'd never even imagine, some killed by huge, thirty steps long basilisks, giant flying vampire-bats that will suck out yar blood sooner than you blink, apes that will kill you with a single swing of it's hand, giant crocodiles swiming in the rivers, able to swallow a man whole, tattooed lizards stalking the forest on their hind legs, able to tear their prey to pieces. As soon as ya enter that forest, flies will lay eggs into scratches ya've got from the trees. Even the trees will try to kill ya. So tell me, do ya want to become an adventureer and also a corpse?"

There was silence, every pair of eyes in the room fixed on the easterner. And he knew it was time to back away. As he closed to the door, the strong voice he heard behind him. "Ya'r dead, boy!"

The hard wooden doors slammed as Desmond walked out on the street. Few pairs of eyes looked at him before going back to their daily businesses. The King sent for messengers, so he came, across land and sea, to the other side of the world, he hoped it was worth it. He should get to the palace, let them know he's here. By the time he finally found a way to the King's palace, he started to doubt coming here was a good choice.

Thank you all for reading! This is the first part of my fantasy novel, Death of a Dynasty! I was drafting and outlining the story for past few years now, and I've decided to post it on wattpad here, to get some more opinions on the story. So please, if you have anything to say, comment! I'll be very pleased! If you liked the story, you can vote for it!

Thank you all! I'll try to post new chapter when I get some opinions if it's worth it!

Have a great day!