Aiden and The Sword of King Arthur

Aiden and The Sword of King Arthur

“Have you lost your mind?!” Commander Sanchez yelled, grabbing Aiden by the shoulders and shaking him roughly. “How could you have given Brayden Torrens the crown of Queen Isabel? You’ve basically given the enemy the most valued antique in all of England!”

Aiden blinked. He was very confused. Theo told him that Commander Sanchez had ordered him to take the crown and give it to Captain Torrens. It wasn’t an easy job either; he had almost gotten shot in the back four times just walking past the battlegrounds!

“Sir, wasn’t that what you had asked me to do? A soldier informed me of this. The crown was supposed to be used to trick France in thinking that they have won the war.”

“Yes, except you have given them the real crown! I don’t know who told you this boy, but they’ll be getting the punishment of a lifetime. You, on the other hand, have still freely handed Torrens the country’s collector item! If you weren’t my best friend’s son, I would have given you a whipping for sure. I expected a seventeen year boy to have more common sense! Instead, you are to go fix your own mistake.” He grabbed a long, wooden case and practically threw it into Aiden’s hands. “Go back and exchange the crown with King Arthur’s sword. Do whatever you can to make him agree. Now hurry!”

“But sir-”

“Don’t say another word! Just go!”

Aiden stumbled backwards, heading quickly to the door. He ran outside, gripping onto the case as if his life depended on it. The guards opened up the gates, and so he was once again walking across the dangerous and bloodied fields. Only this time, he wasn’t constantly looking for shooting marines, but instead too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice anything at all.

He didn’t mean to give up the crown. However, a captain’s orders must be listened to, and so he had no choice but to follow them. That was until Commander Sanchez had just told him that he had never said those words.

Never listen to Theo again, Aiden reminded himself. He always knew that his best friend loved to joke around, and so Theo probably never realized that Aiden would actually believe him. He must have not recognized just how seriously I take a soldier’s expectations.

Aiden sighed. He first had to survive his enemies a second time before confronting Theo again. He glanced down at the sheath in his hands. Inside it lay a sword that was just as priceless as Queen Isabel’s crown. He couldn’t understand why Commander Sanchez wants him to trade one valuable item for another. Either way, they’ll still be losing something. Making a mental note, Aiden decided to ask later. Perhaps in a couple days, after the commandant has calmed down and decided not to torture him.

A shot quickly erupted through the air, reminding Aiden that he was on a battlefield. Another one followed, only closer and louder. He jerked his head to the side, meeting the gaze of half a dozen soldiers, all with guns raised. Eyes widening, he sprinted faster to the army’s temporarily campgrounds, only to have more troops pop up.

Why didn’t I think this through? Aiden thought as he narrowly dodged a series of firings. He jumped over a defense wall just before something exploded behind him. A small grenade, he assumed. Suddenly, his instincts started screaming WATCH OUT!!! in his head. He rolled left to avoid the shot, but then a searing pain exploded on his right side, and he collapsed to the ground in agony. Aiden lifted a trembling hand, trying to get up. Black spots dotted his vision before he dropped his head again. The sound of pounding boots rushing towards him stirred a warning in his brain, making Aiden grasp onto the sword more tightly. Shouts appeared above him and something warm and wet soaked his uniform, but he didn’t know what. The world started to spin around him, and he plunged into darkness.

***

The sound of voices woke Aiden up. He opened his eyes, raising himself abruptly and startling the two people talking. His first reaction was to find the case. The case was sitting on the table right next to him, and so he focused his attention to the men standing before him expectantly.

It was Brayden Torrens and his second in command.

“Aiden, it’s a pleasant surprise to see you again,” Torrens said in a deep, baritone voice. He was a tall man, easily over six feet, with carefully combed black hair and charcoal colored eyes that glittered dangerously and darkly with greed and power.

“I have come to make a trade,” Aiden replied, deciding to be forthright and onto the point. He opened the case, revealing the shining silver and gold sword. Captain Torrens’s eyes gleamed brighter. “This, in exchange for the crown of Queen Isabel.”

“But why would I give the crown back to you when you so generously presented it to me as a gift just hours ago? What is so valuable about this?” Torrens asked mockingly.

“It is known as the greatest weapon of all time. In the hands of an experienced fighter, that very person can defeat anyone in their path.”

“And why would Commander Sanchez be so willing to swap one antique with another? If what you say is true, then this would be worth so much more than a simple crown.”

“Do we have a deal or not?” Aiden demanded, wanting to go.

Captain Torrens’s hand clenched. “Watch it, boy. If you value your life, then I suggest you never talk to me so rudely again. You would be dead by now if I didn’t ask for you to be patched up. And yes, I believe we do have an agreement.” He snapped his fingers, and a soldier immediately rushed forward, holding a firmly closed box. Aiden reached for it, opening the cover slightly to make sure that the crown was there and real. Satisfied, he silently handed over the sword.

“Excellent. Now you have just under ten minutes to leave before my troops attack again. A soldier will escort you out.”

***

“If I didn’t ask him to be bandaged, then he wouldn’t have made it,” Captain Torrens said, answering his second in command’s boneheaded question. “I recognized him, and when he came carrying that case, I knew it had to be valuable. Now look, all they have is a useless piece of jewelry.”

He raised the sword, inspecting it. He froze in shock. Torrens’s hand shook violently as he ran a fingernail along the imperfection of the blade before throwing it to the ground. How could I have not noticed this before? He let out a scream of anger and rage.

The sword was a fake.

Just a short story I wrote a while ago. Tell me your thoughts!