Blackheart

Tarnished Legacy

What was once a lightly guarded square was now a plaza crammed full of countless soldiers, men wearing colorful uniforms, suited in plates of armor, dressed in little more than padded cloth, and everything in between. From the commoners to the king's retinue, everyone pooled into the city, though still very many were outside the walls, seeing as the plaza couldn't fit them all.

Above them, resting on walls and rooftops, the three dragons sat around them, casting large shadows onto the crowd below. Their eyes silently appraised each member of this massive army, as their massive forms inspired awe throughout the plaza.

At the forefront of this mass of troops, the commanders all gathered, waiting to make contact with the leaders among the locals. Their wait came to an end as Alexander marched into the plaza, shield in hand.

He was once more armored, covered head to toe in protective steel plate. His visor was opened for the time being, eyes locked on the figure at the head of the crowd.

He had seen him before, though only a scant few times.

"Prince William!" the knight called out, stepping up to the gathered crowd. Though the soldiers were chattering among themselves, the sight of the citizens of Palethorn approaching gave them pause. They knew what this meant.

It was time.

The prince was sitting atop a warhorse, heavily plated and large. He too was wearing a suit of armor, though he had a royal coat over his own, along with an open-face helmet that was adorned with a circlet. Beside him a few others in armor sat atop horses. Captains, commanders and other knights most likely.

"Ah, Alexander. You truly brought us this far?"

"It wasn't just me."

The prince shook his head as he looked at the knight. "Remarkable. Truly remarkable. You really are Geralthin's Finest, aren't you?"

"It wasn't so much my superhuman efforts as it was a string of lucky coincidences. If Charles didn't happen to find his way to us, and if the dragons hadn't aided us when they did..."

"It's fine to be proud of something, Alexander," William assured him, "You can accept praise, you know."

Alexander put a hand on his sword hilt, remaining stoic. "I'm not downplaying my own contributions. I'm only making sure my friends' work isn't attributed to me."

The prince laughed. "Come now...do you really think you didn't cause all this?"

"I DID cause this. I brought the idea of traveling the city in teams. I battled demons and corrupted wherever I could. I worked very hard...but it's not the whole story. Countless times I would have failed without the others."

"Ah, so you're merely the leader among the heroes? Good to hear you can admit that, at least."

Alexander shook his head. "I never said I was a hero. I'm a knight, and knights are soldiers. Damn good soldiers, but still soldiers, and nothing more. Fancy armor and noble crests are just to distract you from the fact they're in the same bloody business as the levies."

William raised a brow. "You're, uh...you're an interesting one, Alexander. Whatever the case is, enough of this. Let's talk business."

The knight nodded. "I've been over this with the others. The main streets are where they're congregated. The main street's also what leads straight to the Blackheart, the portal to the underworld."

William's mouth hung open at those words. Alexander frowned. "Did, uh, no one tell you?"

The prince shook his head. "N-no...no, they didn't..."