The Bard's Grim Lament

A king, trying to save his kingdom from the threat of civil war. A young elf, consumed by hatred, looking to avenge his kin.
The Kingdom of Ith'Rak, a land tainted by corrupt nobles and rampant poverty, lies on the brink of civil war. King Archbald Ith'Rak, the most powerful warrior in the royal family, has finally decided to intervene. He gives his people a common enemy to band against, the Faery folk and Elfahsi of the nearby Forest of Gleaming Leaves. While the denizens of the forest are a threat more powerful than most people know, King Ith'rak is not most people. The same, however, cannot be said about those he rules. A fact that the King is all too happy to exploit.
...
Corrik, a young Nature-attuned Elfahsi, grew up within one of many unnamed villages in the Forest of Gleaming Leaves. His life is a simple one, his time spent practicing his Nature magic, either by growing crops in the day or hunting his fellow children of Mother Nature at night. Alas, time waits for no one, and all good things must come to an end.
...
Every end is a beginning, every beginning is an end.
And so the cycle begins anew.

***The covert art is not mine. If the artist wants this taken down, please let me know so I can remove it.***

I am also posting this story on royalroad.com, under my account GunsOfPurgatory