Into The Storm

1

The year was 1485 and the Kingdom of Frinnor was prospering, more people moving in, more houses being built to accommodate the growing population. The miners journeyed deeper down, chipping away at the walls of raw carbon, loading the black coal into carts. The lumberjacks chopped their axes at the forests, cutting the trees down, sawing the wood, turning it into floorboards, rafters and walls. The archers stood at the battlements of the kingdom, next to the cannons, watching out for any potential threats, protecting the kingdom. The king, Edmund II, was sat in his throne of gold, as always. His right hand clasped his chin and his left hand held the arm of the throne, his fingers drumming away in thought endlessly. Edmund was a tall man, taller than most of the villagers in the entire kingdom. He was clad in long, grey robes that had the appearance of them being covered in dust. There was a long, white cape around his neck, falling down to the floor and a bejeweled, hollow golden crown sitting upon his head, complete with red rubies and black bloodstones. Edmund had long, wavy black hair that went down to his shoulders, just managing to touch them. There was a large, golden ring on his right index finger with a shield and the head and mane of a lion delicately engraved onto it. That was Edmund for you. A great king, but still loaded with gold. Not to mention taxes. Next to him, sat his wife, Elspeth. She was not as tall as her husband, but what she lacked in height, she made up for in ethereal beauty. She was clad in a long, white robe, a diamond necklace around her neck, complete with a head of blonde straight hair. She too, wore a bejeweled, hollow golden crown, also adorned with sapphires and diamonds. Suddenly, the large, double doors of the palace opened themselves up and a knight walked inside. Edmund stopped drumming his fingers and took away his hand from his chin, looked at the knight that strode up to him. She was clad in a shining suit of armour, complete with fan plates, greaves and sabatons. The whole lot. It was just the helmet that was missing. After all, she did like to look at her enemies face to face as she cut them down. She liked to see the humiliation in their eyes as they realised that they had been beaten in a fight by a woman. She liked that power. There was a four foot longsword strapped to her side, kept in a polished, steel scabbard. The knight had long, thick, glorious golden blonde hair that went down to her hips, flowing like a waterfall of honey. Her eyes glinted like flawless emeralds. Her name, was Rosalis Ventris, the herald and custodian of the king and queen. If there was anyone in the kingdom that could do a job for either of them, it was her, no matter what it would be. Be it a rescue mission or diving into complete suicide. If there was anyone that tried to assassinate the royals, she would be there to protect them both, no matter the threat, no matter the odds. Rosalis stopped in front of Edmund, her left hand resting on the pommel of her sword, her right being prepared to draw it at a moment's notice of any threat. She may have been a maiden, but she had a heart of ice and nerves of steel. There were not many female knights in the kingdom. As far as Rosalis was concerned, she was the only one. "I thought that you were getting slow." The king told her. "Maybe you need to resign."

"Speak for yourself." She replied. "I think that you're starting to grow a beard."

Edmund looked at her slightly angrily, but then burst out into a wheezing laughter. Rosalis chuckled.

"You summoned for me, my lord?" She asked.

"Yes, indeed I did." Edmund replied. "I have a momentous task for you to undertake."

"Anything."

"I have heard of rumors that a man named...Wolfgrimm, I think that he is called, is planning a war to take over Frinnor."

Rosalis did not seem one bit fazed by the news, it seemed to be almost normal to her. "A war?"

Edmund nodded. "Indeed. I need you to find Wolfgrimm and take care of him."

"You want me to kill him?"

"Yes I do. Kill him in any way that you see fit, just make sure that he does not come back. We can not risk Frinnor being destroyed."

Rosalis inclined her head in a small, respectful bow and looked up at Edmund. "Of course, my lord."

Edmund stood up from his throne. "Come."

Without one question asked, she followed after him as he walked past her, his cape flowing after him like a waterfall of freshly spilled blood. They walked down the corridors of the castle and entered a room with a large oak table that had a map meticulously painted on it, signifying the five kingdoms of the land. Hebia, the kingdom stuck in a boggy swamp, the land taken over by unbearable stench and creatures of nightmares. Ponazia, the kingdom where it will not stop snowing, an eternal winter gripping it like an icy fist. Doyeya, the kingdom stuck in the middle of an endless stormy sea, there being no escape. It was a place where no ship could be steered. A perfect prison. Edmund tapped his finger on Wolfholde. The dark kingdom that reeked of fear and tyranny, many villagers trying to escape its razor claws but failing. The king looked up at his custodian and herald, his palms on the table, himself hunched over the map.

"That's where your journey will take you." He told her. "It will be half a day's ride, but, many cartmen refuse to enter that accursed place. And with good reason. My guess is that they will stop by the entrance to the forest, here." He tapped his finger on another part of the map. "You will need to walk through it to get to Wolfgrimm's castle. I have no knowledge of the forest, so I am afraid that I cannot help you. But I have heard tales of bandits roaming around. I do not know if they are mere stories or if they are agents of Wolfgrimm. You will have to be careful and on the lookout for any threats."

"What of Wolfholde?"

"You need to have no fear of Wolfholde. It is the castle that should concern you. It is heavily guarded. Walking through Wolfholde should pose no threat to you. But once you get to the castle, you will need to find a way to sneak inside it. Wolfgrimm's henchmen take no prisoners. Let me give you some advice, if I may. You will need to be light on your feet, there are guards at every corner. They do not care if you are a maiden in armour, they will attempt to kill you by any means necessary. These people are insane and take lives with no regard. Sneak through without raising an alarm, assassinate Wolfgrimm, and thousands of lives may be saved, preventing a war between two kingdoms." He stood up straight.

"You have my word, my lord." Rosalis replied, inclining her head in a small bow. "I shall do whatever it takes to prevent this war. Even if it means that I will have to take down Wolfgrimm with me."

"Only as a last resort." Edmund said.

"Indeed."

Edmund clasped his hands behind his back and allowed her to take her leave. Turning around, she walked off, beginning her monumental task. Pushing the double doors open, she let them slam behind herself. Edmund looked at the doors, worried, and sighed sadly.

"God help you, Rosalis."

Rosalis walked through the castle and entered her chambers. She drew her sword out and proceeded to sharpen it on a grindstone. What good would a dull blade do in an assassination? She stood up, going over to a table and placed her sword and palms down onto it. She closed her eyes and breathed heavily, composing herself. Taking her sword, she looked at her reflection in the steel of the blade. With her armour and weapon ready, she exited the castle, beginning her quest.