by P D Atkerson
Aroron grabbed his sword off the ground next to him and quickly drew it out of its scabbard, as he twisted around and brought his sword up. Just in time to block his attacker's sword from slicing his head in two.
It was in those seconds that any trace of sleep vanished from Aroron and he found himself wide awake.
Gripping his sword with both hands, Aroron shoved the warrior back, then rolled over and onto his feet.
With a yell, he brought his blade around and swung it at the attacker's head.
The attacker ducked below Aroron's blade and quickly thrust the tip of his sword towards Aroron's stomach. Aroron twisted around and the blade cut across his side, drawing blood. He grimaced, but was still able to block the sword from going any deeper than a flesh wound.
Aroron jumped back and dodged another assault by the attacker, as he maneuvered his way around the room. He quickly glanced to his side, where Lilay and Slanslot still lay, sleeping soundly.
"Who are you?!" Aroron growled, shoving the attacker back and into the door behind him. They were obviously not there for money, no one in this inn had money. They were there for another reason.
"You know who I am, Aroron!" His attacker hissed, shoving himself back towards Aroron and off the door. "I'm your doom!" he spat, slamming his sword down onto Aroron's.
Their swords clashed and they held them against each other.
His attacker laughed. “Oh, and don’t expect help from your little friends there, they won’t be awake for quite a while!” He said, glancing towards Lilay and Slanslot. “I’ve made sure of that.” With that, he slammed into Aroron again.
Aroron jumped back and tripped on his own bedding. He fell and hit the ground, stunning him for only a second.
But that was all the time his attacker needed to come at him again.
He rolled over, as the attacker sliced his sword down towards Aroron again. Just barely cutting through the sheets instead of skin. Aroron was on his feet again and parried with his own jab towards his attacker’s side.
His attacker stumbled back a few feet and slammed into the door; this time much harder than the last. The wood groaned, then the whole thing broke free from its hinges.
The door hit the ground with a loud ‘thud’ as Aroron’s attacker landed on top of it. Aroron wasted a second to glance behind him.
The Elouns still hadn’t awakened! A lot of help they’d turned out to be when he was in real danger. Aroron turned back towards the doorway, just as his attacker scrambled back to his feet, still clutching his sword.
The attacker stepped back and out into the hallway, with just enough time to be able to block Aroron's sword once again. Aroron hesitated, then followed him out into the hall. He dodged another cut, then parried and took a step back. It was too late to go back into the chamber and lock the door, seeing as there was no longer a door.
Besides, his attacker didn’t seem the type to give up easily.
He had no choice but to take the warrior on, till one of them couldn’t fight any longer. By death or by injury.
The warrior pressed Aroron down the hallway and away from his chamber. Aroron realized he was also pushing him away from what little help Lilay and Slanslot might have given him, if they ever woke up.
Oh, well. It was too late now.
Aroron stepped back again and tripped over the hall rug, nearly falling. He caught himself at the last second and jumped off it and back onto the solid wood floor.
His attacker's sword went wide and shattered a vase, sitting on a table next to the wall. Throwing glass and pieces of flowers all over the ground. Where are all the rest of the guests?! Aroron wondered.
Surely, they'd heard the noise the two of them were making! Someone should have been there by now, but there had been no one. Not even the inn keeper, or his wife.
As if reading Aroron's mind, his attacker laughed. "I hope you're not waiting for help from someone. Because everyone else is busy, elsewhere!" he said, just before he shoved against Aroron again.
Soon, Aroron found himself at a disadvantage, as he was forced to climb down the stairs backwards, while still fighting his opponent.
Once they reached the bottom, Aroron stumbled back and slammed into the door behind him, throwing it open. He was barely able to keep his balance, as he moved out into the open air of the village.
But it wasn’t the clean air it had been earlier.
The air was thick with the potent smell of smoke, which burned Aroron’s eyes.
Using what precious time he had before his attacker emerged through the door, Aroron glanced around him and what he saw took his breath away, more than the lack of oxygen in the air.
Flames licked at dozens of buildings scattered around the village. Like creatures leaping through the windows. That’s when the pungent smell hit him and almost instantly overwhelmed his senses.
Aroron knew what the scent was.
“Devil’s Tongue!” He coughed, stepping back from his attacker again and onto the raised sidewalk. “Where did you get Devil’s Tongue?” It was a rare powder only found in the mountains of Karlay. His attacker had to be Karlien! There was no other way he’d have it.
His attacker stepped out of the inn and with the heel of his foot, kicked the door closed behind them. Aroron stepped back and swung his sword around in the air, trying in vain to hold him back.
"There's nowhere for you to go, Aroron," the Karlien said. "Surrender to me now, and I will let you live."
Aroron’s mind was reeling.
So, his attacker was Karlien and knew who he was. Which means… He was probably a Loyal Warrior! Did King Munay know he was there?! Or had one of the warriors seen him in Hatter and had taken it upon himself to take Aroron out? There was no way of him knowing.
But there was one thing he was sure of; he wasn’t going to show any fear.
Aroron laughed, lowering his sword for just a second. "I’d never surrender to you. Not that I don't think you'll keep your word, but I don't trust you, you being Karlien and all.” Aroron said, fingering the hilt of his sword. “If it makes you feel better, I wouldn't surrender to you, if you were the devil himself."
Behind his metal mask, the warrior's eyes flashed. "Fine! I gave you a chance." he hissed, lunging at Aroron again. “Now, you die!”
Time seemed to slow, as Aroron brought his sword up and deflected the attack.
He stepped back and parried with his own assault towards the Loyal Warrior. The wind yanked at their clothing as they fought. Aroron could feel his heart thudding faster and faster, the wind growing stronger along with it. Causing the fires burning around them to grow even bigger.
Aroron knew the wind was his doing, but he had no idea how to stop it. So, he did the next best thing, and ignored it.
But the wind wasn’t the only thing Aroron was causing to grow restless.
By now he could feel the dragons shifting around his hand. Their metal wings rubbing against his knuckles. If he didn’t get control of his emotions soon, they were going to wake up and Aroron wasn’t sure he could handle them. They’d always done what seemed to be their own thing.
The last thing he needed right then, were two rogue dragons.
The Loyal Warrior dodged Aroron's next attack, spun around, drew out a knife from his belt and slashed at Aroron with it, as he dodged back and forth.
Aroron yelped, as the knife cut across his arm and drew blood.
The Loyal Warrior obviously saw the blood, but that didn't cause him to hesitate before coming at Aroron again. Aroron quickly tossed his sword to his other hand and blocked the next cut from his attacker.
Surprisingly, the warrior seemed to know he was going to do it before Aroron even did. So, the warrior knew he was skilled with both hands. But how? Not many people did and he hadn’t known any of the Loyal Warriors that well.
"Who are you?" Aroron asked again, as he blocked another cut.
The Loyal Warrior only snorted at Aroron's question and cut at him again, not bothering to a
nswer.
Fighting against the pain in his arm, Aroron dodged, parried and blocked the Loyal Warrior's sword as best he could.
He soon found himself stepping back and away from the inn’s door.
Aroron grimaced, as the railing of the sidewalk dug into his back and he fought to keep from falling over the edge to the road nearly twelve feet below them. Why the inn keeper had thought it was necessary to build his building so high off the ground, Aroron didn’t know. Then again, all the other buildings were like that too.
With Aroron pinned against the railing, the Loyal Warrior slammed the flat of his blade against Aroron's wrist. Pain shot through Aroron’s arm and his sword slipped from his grasp and dropped to the road below them. He heard a light ‘clink’, as it hit the hard, stone roadway.
"Do you surrender now?!" the Loyal Warrior spat, holding the tip of his blade against Aroron's neck. “Or do you wish to die?! The choice is yours.”
"Neither," Aroron whispered, grabbing onto the railing behind him. Quickly, he tightened his grip, brought his knees up and kicked the warrior in the chest, shoving him, and his sword, away from him.
Aroron loosened his grip and flipped over the edge of the railing. Landing on the ledge of the deck, on the other side from the Loyal Warrior. He brought his one shoulder back, as the Loyal Warrior slashed at him.
Without thinking about it, Aroron glanced towards the ground, as the warrior came at him again.
It was about a twelve-foot drop to the ground below. Not too far. Aroron thought, swallowing. He’d survived worse. Just as the Loyal Warrior was on him again, he let go of the railing and dropped towards the ground.
He fell to his knees and rolled across the ground, quickly stopping himself. Aroron was to his feet again, before the Loyal Warrior had made it halfway down the stairs. Looking around him, Aroron saw what he was looking for. He ran forwards and snatched the sword up.
He was glad to have it in his hand again. It seemed to make him feel stronger.
"You're crazy!" the Loyal Warrior said, reaching the bottom of the steps. “Crazy!”
"Crazy sometimes saves lives!" Aroron said, tightening his grip on his sword. He could feel the adrenaline from the drop pumping through his veins. "Come and get me, you goon!"
The Loyal Warrior growled and lifted up his sword, as he edged towards Aroron again. Just as he did, the sidewalk not far from them, broke free from the building and crashed to the ground, the sound of it hitting the ground caused them both to jump.
“Well, we’d better hurry this up.” The Loyal Warrior said, swinging his sword as he stepped towards Aroron again. “I don’t plan on dying a fiery death.”
Once he was within reach, Aroron lunged forwards and sliced towards him. The Loyal Warrior quickly swung his sword back around and blocked Aroron's sword. Holding it there, he kicked at Aroron's chest with his metal toed boot.
Grunting, Aroron stepped back and stumbled in a deep rut running through the roadside. He was taken by surprise and hit the ground.
The Loyal Warrior laughed, as he stepped towards Aroron. “Not so great anymore, are you?” he asked. “Maybe you’ve lost your youthfulness.”
“Maybe.” Aroron said, then before the Loyal Warrior knew what he was doing, Aroron brought his legs around and tripped the warrior. He tried to pin the warrior down, but the Loyal Warrior was too strong and quickly got loose and back to his feet again.
“That was unlike you. It was a smart move!” the loyal warrior hissed.
Aroron jumped up, ran forwards and towards the warrior. He hooked his arm around the warrior's neck and dropped down to the ground.
Using his weight, he drug the warrior down to the ground with him. He quickly swung himself on top of the warrior, pressing his sword against the warrior's neck, he smiled.
He’d done the trick just like he'd done hundreds of times when he was younger and fought in the training yard back at the Dark Castle. But this time, the trick might just have saved his life.
"Drop the sword!" Aroron ordered, pushing the blade a little harder against the Loyal Warrior's neck. The warrior huffed, then he relaxed his grip on his sword and Aroron quickly snatched it up with his free hand. He tossed it away from both of them and turned back to the warrior. “Now let’s see who you are, shall we?”
Before the warrior could stop him, Aroron reached down and yanked the mask off his face.
"Enrick?!" Aroron gasped, nearly losing his grip on his sword. He was the last person he’d been expecting and he was taken aback. But he should have known! He’d seen Enrick in Hatter just the day before. But still, he was shocked this was his attacker.
In that instant, while Aroron didn’t know what to do, Enrick seized his opening.
He brought his knees up to his chest and shoved Aroron off him, quickly jumping to his feet and drawing out a knife from his belt, spinning it around between his fingers, he smiled.
"Now come on, Aroron. Don’t act so surprised. I told you, you knew who I was," Enrick said, standing, as he readied himself for Aroron's next move. “Let’s finish this!”
Aroron just stood there, loosely gripping the sword in his hand.
Finally, he shook himself and gripped it again, forcing himself to focus on Enrick. "How did you even know I was here?"
Enrick laughed, but to Aroron it sounded more like a snarl. "You should know, you saw me earlier this morning. Did you not?” he asked. “I saw you at the same time, you traitor! I wasn’t sure it was you, until I heard someone had paid for a room in the inn with a Dark Castle knife. By then, there was no doubt in my mind. Who else would have one?"
“Well, you can thank Kant for that!” Aroron spat. “He pierced my side with it, and I’d hoped to return the favor.”
“Wasn’t burning his hand enough for you?” Enrick asked. “It will take him a long time to recover from that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact that Kant has the shape of your sword’s hilt burned into the flesh of his hand.”
He hadn’t known, but now that he did, it made Aroron feel a little bit better about the knife.
"Why did you do all of this?" Aroron asked, lowering his sword to his side. "One of us could have killed the other. We're friends, aren't we?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper.
"Please! You're no longer my friend." Enrick hissed, glaring at Aroron. "You betrayed and abandoned me! Left me alone with my father, in that foul castle!"
"I did not!" Aroron snapped. "I had to leave, and it wasn't as if you really were alone in the castle. You have your mother and Dasety. I had no choice but to leave, while I still could!"
Enrick scoffed. "I think you mean, I have Dasety, and I had my mother," he whispered. "My mother has been dead for over a year now. You would know that, if you'd truly been my friend!" he yelled, his knuckles growing white as he tightened his grip on the knife. “A true friend would know such a thing.”
Aroron's face paled and his shoulders dropped. "I didn't know, Enrick. I'm so sorry.” He whispered. “But that doesn't change the fact that I was running for my life! I had no choice but to leave the Dark Castle when I did. If it was anyone's fault, it was your father's. There was nothing I could do. I would have died, just like Shon, if I'd stayed there. Believe me, I didn’t want to leave the only real home I’ve had."
"I could have gone with you. You were my best friend!" Enrick yelled, throwing the knife into the deck’s support beam next to him. "I would have done anything to help you and you know it! But not anymore.” He said, shaking his head. “I don't need friends anymore. I've been better off without you and I plan on making you pay for what you've done to me! You and Dasety were only using me and I won’t have it any longer."
Aroron took a step back from him. How can he say that?! Enrick's words brought him more pain than the still bleeding cut across his arm. "Enrick..."
"Shut up!" Enrick screamed, lunging towards his sword, which still lay on the ground. Aroron had completel
y spaced it out. “Tonight, our friendship, and your life, end!”
Aroron instantly lifted up his own sword, but he didn't move to attack Enrick. Not this time, he was still his friend, even if Enrick didn’t believe it.
"What's happened to you?!" Aroron asked, shaking his head. "You weren't like this when I left. You... you have an... anger in you that you never had before. What happened to you these past two years? What changed?"
"I've seen the truth behind the lies that surround me and I've grown up!" Prince Enrick spat, thrusting his sword towards Aroron, just missing him by an inch. "Maybe you should think about doing the same! We’re not children anymore."
"You've grown up?" Aroron asked, parrying and dodging Enrick's sword. "Are you sure you've not turned into your father? That seems more likely to me. That’s who you’re acting like."
"Please! I'm nothing like that man." Enrick laughed, and sneered at Aroron. "At least I know my father!" with that he lunged towards Aroron again. “Unlike some people.”
Aroron glared at him. "And what does that mean?" he asked, blocking Enrick's next cut and parried.
"I think you know what I mean." Enrick snapped, dodging another cut, he quickly swung his sword around.
"No, Enrick, I don't know what you mean." Aroron whispered. “What are you talking about?”
"We both know Shon wasn't your real father!" he yelled, stopping his attack for only a second.
Aroron's blood ran cold and he took a step back and out of the way of Enrick’s sword. “How did you know that?”
“Dasety told me the truth, of who you are!” Enrick said. “If nothing else, that makes you my enemy.”
So, was he the last person to find out he wasn’t Shon’s son?! Aroron wondered, fighting the urge to scream and take his anger out on Enrick, as Enrick was obviously doing to him. But he soon lost that fight and his anger towards everyone flared up in that moment.
"What do you know about my parents?!" he yelled, slamming into Enrick. “You're just a goon, whose mother’s dead and whose father is a monster! I would be better off not knowing who my parents were, if they were like yours!”
Enrick's eyes flashed again and he shoved against Aroron, bringing his sword up towards him.
