Age Of The Red Demons

The King Journeys to Vail

Ever since the soldiers of Meredith had been lurkng around the old palace, the Vailesh soldiers had been on guard. They had suspicions that Meredith might be planning an invasion and so their general sent a message to their king.

King Horon received their message and he shared in their suspicions. But word had been spreading in Vail that the red king was loose in Meredith.

The traders from Meredith that came through the sea had been selling those stories along with their goods. How the blue moon had burnt away the grave of the red king. How the red birds had lifted his body in the sky for all to behold. How the princess of Meredith had flown with him away from sight.

Everyone had their own story to tell, each one different from the other.

False stories they all could be. The king of Meredith was not one to trust, he had always coveted a chance to override Vail. To be the greatest of the four lands. Wasn't that why he hated the wizards for pledging to keep balance? This could be his scheme.

But would he stoop so low?

Of course everyone knew about the prophecy that promised the return of the red king, they just didn't know which of the four lands held him. And now he was free?

King Horon knew that he had to prepare for war either way. Vail would not fall to the hands of a greedy king, neither would it to a demon who had come from the world beyond.

He then wrote his letters to the other three kings, requesting they all meet at his palace and discuss the issue at hand.

King Morrys II of Meredith. King Dunamiz of Hailey. King Romeo of Hayden.

The homing pigeons flew in different directions to deliver Horon's message.

The brown pigeon flew to Meredith, and as it landed on the floors of the royal palace to take a proper breath of home, it was relieved of the message attached to it's wing.

The royal guards took the letter to the king and after going over its contents, his majesty declared to the lords present that he would make for Vail on the morrow.

"King Horon has called for me, it seems that he knows of our situation. I shall ride off at dawn. Primelord Benifer shall be in charge of all affairs while I am away!"

Word of the king's journey travelled from the palace of the king through the markets of Arnold City over the sweet voices of maidens and past the playgrounds of children to Prince Daerys at the gates of the city.

It would not make any more sense if we do not mention him yet. The Prince Daerys, the second child of King Morrys and the crowned heir of Meredith.

It was on his birth night that Zathryon was freed.

Prince Daerys was a young man whose heart was full of adventure. He would have gladly accepted the dangerous feat to search for the mysterious red king, he even said it was his destiny to slay him.

But the king had other plans. In other to keep him away from the judgements of the lords as well as the anger of his sister, he sent the boy to the gates.

Since the release of Zathryon, the gates of Arnold City must become unwelcoming to other cities of Meredith and the king wanted the prince to take charge.

The boy considered it boring and unpleasing to be at the gate. He also thought that running away from his sister was cowardly, and he was not the type to hide away from others.

Princess Daella had always loved her younger brother. Since the death of their mother, she stood as one for him and they grew together with the best of memories.

Now, her fight for the royal throne had caused an upset between them. The princess thought it was her right to be the crowned princess, she had been born first afterall.

However, the prince had always been regarded as the future king of the land by the lords and by his majesty himself. Thus she thought of him as one who obstructs, and perhaps took him as an enemy.

She had attended the tourney which took place to celebrate the prince's twentieth birth night not as an onlooker, but as a contestant herself.

Disguised in warrior uniform and posing as a man, she wore the ancient armor that night.

She was skilled with the sword because she learnt within the walls of the palace when she was a child, from the sheath of the finest swordsman.

Thus she made it to the last round, and duelled with her brother for the final blow.

Daerys was quite a master for his age and after a spirited contest, he eventually dropped her to the ground. Then he unmasked her only to realize that he had been duelling with his sister.

Everyone was shocked, and the king was very angry that he said that she had brought shame upon the uniform of warriors.

Her response, in the eyes of all present was this. "Do I shame the warriors' outfit because I lost this tourney or because I am a woman. If it is because I lost, then not only me but all these men have done the same. And if it is because I am a woman, pardon me father, for I know not that it is a shame for a woman to wear an outfit that symbolizes her birthland. As a woman, do I not have a place in Meredith?"

The women of Meredith started to murmur to one another.

"Everyone has a place in my land only if they know it."

"I know my place father. I am your first child. I should be heir to the throne! It is my place!"

The people present began to speak amongst themselves, the lords and the Saes included.

The king called for the guards to take her to her chambers but she broke free a few steps to her doorway and ran all the way back but before she got there, the prince was being named as heir.

Before her eyes, her brother was crowned that night as the one to become king after his father.

In tears, she moved away from the crowd and went into the night.

No one saw her again. None. And some moments later, the whole of Meredith beheld the ascension of the bats.

All these events were still remembered by the lords, the prime lord in particular. And as his majesty rode away to Vail, Primelord Benifer watched from the heights of his castle.

Beside him was his historian, Sa Jareth.

The Primelord stood, his two hands folded behind him and smelt the air as Morrys and his following disappeared from his sight.

"Begun. It has begun!" He said.