THE ASC3NDANTS Awakening. (III) ✔[#Wattys2019]

Chapter (4)

Chapter (II)

The night was conquering the last glow of day. The remaining shower of orange fell away towards West Winchester where the region's farm lands and fields were located with a splendor of green hills and hunting grounds.
Same time, somewhere, somehow about the same moment, the ancient low hanging clouds consumed the lands for hundreds of miles. Where was this? We shall get to know if you could be patient because very few have been this way before. And if anybody said they have been there before, you must worry because it was a forbidden place which lay beyond the great wall and was known as the Shadowlands. 
Something like a huge hairless winged lizard swooped through the fog in one twist. And another, and then rose to greater heights in the depths of the clouds. You could have thought it were an invisible dragon but few believed that they actually ever existed. They were known to be fairy tale creatures. You shall come to be proven wrong in this chronicles if you could be patient with me.
The creature rose sharply to fade away into the depths of the sky's greatest heights when I came and this wall was an ancient block against any species that tried to explore the secrets of the forbidden shadowland that lay beyond. The wall rose so high and stretched out so far into the eastern sacred jungle and the mysterious fog that crossed oceans and great seas from ancients.
A little monkey skipped through from rock to rock ensuring that its fingers and feet, as well as tailless behind, were not exposed to the streams of water that spread out from the wall's base into the hundreds of rivers miles from here. The monkey reaches certain pieces of rock and up onto it raised its golden eyes towards the heights of the strange moss-covered whitish wall. The wall faded away into the great fog that has existed for thousands of years.
The monkey now bends low and crawls down the cliff into a large lagoon at the base of the wall. It swam through strange colored gems of rock illuminated by the glow of the falling sun from the other end of the wall that were the forbidden shadowlands. And after going zig-zag up and down through this little tunnel he alone seemed to know as his own little secret, he rose out again onto a rising rock. The rock seemed to point out towards the mysterious shadow lands.
The most extra-ordinary thing here is, when the monkey rose out of the water it moved like some sort of genie though here possessing limbs. The mist-like figure started up towards the edge of the rock and from there, its shadow showed down within the water. However, the shadow of its genie form did not resemble the monkey that had approached the wall seconds ago. It was completely a fright. The strangest figure you could never have believed especially when it rose up onto its hind limbs. The figure screamed out towards the shadowlands in a howl.
***
Prince Henry arrived back at the Winchester palace when the palace messenger rushed up and informed him that a messenger was here from the North. He instructs that he -be shown to the royal guest dinning where his evening meal was being made ready.
And as he plucked a grape from a collection of other fruits on the table, his messenger arrived. And with him followed two other men carrying a wooden box. The young man bowed but the prince still had his back at him.
When he turns, his eyebrows rise. He sees the box they were carrying and instructs that it -be placed at a side. And then he motions the guest to have a seat on the outer end of the large curving table filled with gold and silver ware dishes and all filled or designed with all sorts of meats, pies, cakes and wines including a lot more than I can mention.
"Cheers to us comrade and friend."
"Bless you my king!"
"Three years have gone by since you lost your father at the hands of those greedy MOTHS he treated like brothers. Today you shall drink, feast with me celebrating your success."
The man took his seat on the opposite side of the table when the prince continued raising a glass.
"The first victory has been won, and this shall be the start of a New England. Without the MOTH insubordination against my rule and the peace of the North, Much remains to my power and control. And today I embrace you to my table."
Malcolm bows a little again and pours himself some wine in his golden reamed glass.
Setting it down the prince waits and then starts again.
"She, my Auntie was fathers most beloved relative. She possessed an air of pride from this which placed her in such a position she was not worthy of. She absolutely chose the very wrong side. Its common sense that family always comes first and without fear or favor. However, she would dare to despise the continuity and rise of her brother's works through his beloved son and heir. What was she thinking if she desired not disaster and despise before my very own people. Two birds with one stone means the English half in the North will settled from the three years threats it has been facing from the rebellion and untamed nature of the upper North. But you Malcolm Dorf! "
"It is my pleasure my king."
"Yes, the day you chose to stand up for your father, you chose to stand with your king as well. To bear his burden upon your shoulder with him... today, I knight you special a hero of the North and agent to the crown of England. Your services shall not be forgotten dear Friend."
"I'm grateful for your three years support against my enemies back home. I am so grateful my king. And with all this done I seek other support or reward beside the honor your father and my father shared. The North appreciates any favor you are willing to offer, but I shall return to burry my father and continue to serve independently as he did. Our people have cherished the peace your father granted us. And so do I wish to settle and continue to honor the dream of my father your majesty."
There was some silence. The prince's face seemed to solidify at Malcolm Dorf's response.
"Yes the terms and conditions between your father and mine were clear and could be honored Sir, but neither would you want to face the same fate your father faced. The rest of Europe's MOTH members have heard rumors about the slaughter of their comrades across the English soils. And don't you think they shall be here to find out how and why?"
"The dual has been settled and accomplished today my king... what truth doesn't wont the Black Project then fail to understand. After all, my father and the two no longer were part of MOTH..."
"Did your father say so? Or did he alone give up his membership in MOTH just to make the brotherhood suspicious...?"
"You don't know this my King..."
"No, you got no idea, you didn't know." The prince came in faster. He stood up from his seat and started to the side of the table as if he desired to make a certain point clear.
"Has your father told you everything? How it all began or you merely studied the history the common man has been taught?"
Malcolm looked on.
"Now let me make this clearer to you Friend... listen carefully." The Prince added while making his way around towards one of the knight amours standing there as though it were on watch.
"Before my father died, he knew the document he had signed placing half of Wale's Northern share of the Mines in your father's hands and his colleagues would sooner or later arouse bitterness or even divide them against each other which exactly is what happened. The cause of the situation would be nothing more than greed for overall control or ownership of the mineral region and it wealth."
"But this being an internal MOTH conflict in the upper north, the crown would have less involvement in such struggles as long as the English lower Northern parts of Orghum town remained safe and unaffected. Because if the south got affected in any way, this would disrupt the supply of minerals resources especially coal from the Northern mines." The Prince told him.
"And since Wales had to give up half its Upper Northern portion of the mines as payment for your father's assistance against their enemy, meant that Wales would have to try to survive on the remaining quarter. And very obviously, this would not satisfy even half of her industries."
"And in turn they would try to turn to the help of England. This may cost her her former freedom and hence end up under the armpit of the English crown. Obviously, we my people already have enough problems to mind about Wales. However before we could even respond, the people of Wales were already in disregard of the decision of their authorities. Instead, the public in Wales desired for the return of the share your father's Brotherhood had acquired from her!
"And of course, this wouldn't be possible! As the economy in wales started to deteriorate starting with the shutdown of industries. Then the rise of unemployment and of course the idleness sickened the people to rebellion. And the invasion of the MOTH brotherhood starting from within the mines themselves leading to all that's happened of recent!"
"The three generals including your father would need to resolve this matter because it was growing daily in their territorial mines. However, how? They could not return their shares to Wales, no! They needed to control the rebels' growth before the rebellion spread to affect the English Portion because they did not wish to have the English crown tampering with their regional affairs. How could they do this? Well to be brief, they weren't able to contain this... and you and I know what my father would have done, had he been alive today!" he now came to stand right behind Malcolm Korf. He glared down at him and maintained a deep form of silence.
"That couldn't have been the main reason why father suggested the drop of The Brotherhood's membership to MOTH?" Malcolm stared blankly.
"That was the EXACT reason Friend... but then it became a suggestion your father's colleagues took to be a cowardly move as well as a shame for the rest of the MOTH in general." The prince responded with a sinister look. Malcolm took up his glass of wine and took a seep. Again! This time taking a lot more than he was supposed to fill his mouth with at a time, which expressed his discomfort!
Setting the glass down! The prince slightly smiled to himself from the side of his face. The smile left as fast as it had come.
Now placing his palms down heavily onto Malcolm's shoulders concluded by saying...
"And you are just one son to that prominent general whose suggestion bred contempt for the rest of you. Maybe. And one other mistake no father could have ever made."
"Father hardly made mistakes... from the time I'd known him to his dying day!"
"Well, his only problem like all the other MOTH members remains to be secrecy. And unlike the rest, he wasn't training you as his son to take up after he is gone. He had another apprentice."
Malcolm looked confused at this statement.
"That's a lie, my King..."
"Shhhh!" Came the king with a finger rising to his lips. He started around back to his seat!
"He was training a young man Arab male whose father had been his mentor in the very early day of his youth. Have you ever asked yourself why there have been so many Arab refugees up North including hundreds of merchants doing business up there during his time?"
"Malcolm looked like a child whose toy had just been snatched from him!
"Father said he would be our family line's last member in MOTH however much I pestered him to train me as his apprentice the way the other MOTH master of the council did with their sons. He repeatedly declined to say he only desired to protect my sisters and me. That was all he ever meant to..." Malcolm tried to justify the issue.
"Well, I did not know that but I know he trained somebody else." Malcolm sprung up. Saying. "That's lies, my King. I do not..."
"Set your buttocks back down!" the Prince blast out.
"Malcolm froze but this time from worry! And slowly sat back down but still in such a disgusted manner. He felt all things the Prince was uttering were lies now! He wished the king would just stop about his father immediately. Nevertheless, was he? What if he were right about this on the other hand?
"... He may have tried to protect you. Yes. But then he never did this the right way. There are several rules that have governed their membership to MOTH! And there is one which affects every member's family down the Bloodline you don't know! And if your father meant to protect you from everything, he would have at least taught you this one major rule."
"I kindly request you stop about my father, my king..."
"Shut up and listen..." The prince responded fast.
"Listen carefully, Malcolm. One of these rules states that no member alone shall judge the acts of another member whatsoever without the presence and witness of all representatives of that respective state or kingdom. This may have applied to members alone but include you as the first and only son to a member of the same... Well, we just broke this rule."
Malcolm Dorf was not speaking now. MOTH had eyes and ears everywhere. their experience made them major members of the Black Project as long as the Project served its purpose in the security of the whole Continent and beyond from the Unknown.
"Even though ninety percent of Europe's MOTH members came to adopt to the new B.P title, they didn't forget their brotherhood and roots. Those who did not join in service with the rise of Black Project were only one-third of the total members. Among these were the three MOTH generals of the North but the same fire still burned within their hearts even when your father suggested they withdraw from the membership for good reason he was able to present." The Prince speaks so knowledgeably.
"And we both know..." he continued after some little silence, "-three-quarter of the remaining members of MOTH still operate across Europe but under the umbrella of a new name, Black Project. Their rules did not fade but were merely incorporated with those of the Black Project... They so they still are one if we must put it straight."
"But..." the other man spoke with some little sort of worry in his voice. Only to stop as the Prince concluded by saying...
"I, and I alone have the rights and power to limit if not fully alter the cause of the MOTH's fury when it rises against the death of so many of their brotherhood. Injustice against your father's counter parts in the North. We are in this together or you are in this alone."
Malcolm frowned now but all this was beyond his control as the King put it. He now saw the mistake to but did not believe this rule existed. And even though he wanted this revenge, why had the prince not informed him earlier. Because right now h was fallen into the web of the crown of England. This would demise the nature of the old terms and conditions the three generals had set between the crown and the North. Why? He was into the mess and there was only one option.
"I do not stub you in the back. I merely stoop down to become your right leg. The terms and conditions your father had to remain. And I shall support your cause when you try to unite the rest of Orghum town and settle the conflict going on right now. On top of that Malcolm Dorf, I shall reward you the title of Inspector of the English half. From there you shall be able to stage your grounds and enforce peace upon the North."
The King's last word raised his spirit at this moment. Just then, the Prince took out a ruby set within a golden dragon-like ring. And slide it over. Malcolm Dorf stood up immediately. He picked it up with such admiration. Raised it slowly into the chandelier lights. It glowed against his face and then placed it against his finger. He bowed.
"There won't be payment in gold. I grant you that position which is worth three times the gold reward we had agreed upon."
Malcolm did not mind. This was a greater honor compared to any other he thought he could ever get. The whole of the North being placed under his guardianship was enough. "Long live my King!"
"And you shall become my right hand out on the English half in Orghum town from this day forth! There was some sort of silence from ... after a while the man bowed and turned to leave. The Prince watched him leave with his men and from that point onwards, he was so sure, his game was back on track and he was the master player.