WORRLGENHALL

by Luke, Monica

  Both content, Aderac bruised, but safe rested his head on Belon’s shoulder and sighed longing to be home with his lion and the children.

  “I shall be within the walls of WorrlgenHall with you,” Belon said when he heard his sigh, “Until you heal, but once you heal and I have thrust into you much, I have a matter to tend and will be away from you. After that, we can go home.”

  “You will be done.”

  **

  As Ovfren lay in bed, when Ogorec walked inside he raised and looked at him.

  “Come to bed,” he said roused by the very sight of him, as he threw the blankets off his naked body, “I have longed for you all day.”

  “Before I do, I must confess my wrong,” Ogorec said knowing it would eat at him if he didn’t.

  Ovfren sat up more and when he looked at the expression on Ogorec’s face, already knew.

  “Why?” he blurted, “Do you not love me anymore?”

  Ogorec lowered his head in shame.

  “I love you such that my heart wants to burst from within with love, and I want to pierce it for my shame.”

  “And what was so shameful that you did with Belon?” he asked, and braced himself for the answer.

  “I kissed him.”

  “Why?” Ovfren blurted again, “Why?”

  “I was overcome,” he admitted, “And did not reason wisely.”

  “Then what shall become of us?”

  “Our life as one is still my want and hope,” Ogorec said, and fell to his knees, “If you no longer want that, I will leave this cottage until you ask to me enter again, yet know that each day I am gone, I will die inside from being without you.”

  Ovfren jumped out of bed, and rushed over to him and slapped his face, and expecting some kind of reaction, he was surprised Ogorec only looked down still ashamed.

  “Speak,” Ovfren’s angry words, slapping him again.

  No words to explain his wrong, Ogorec held his tongue and remained on his knees, refusing to stand.

  “Speak!” Ovfren shouted, after giving him, yet another slap.

  “Forgive me,” he said humbly, “For being a fool.”

  Wanting to ask him to leave, Ovfren couldn’t. He loved him to much and would until he breathed his last breath.

  “Get off your knees,” he said, as he made Ogorec stand by pulling him up, and both the same height Ovfren looked right into his eyes.

  “When you look at him,” Ovfren asked for his truth, “Who is truly within your head?”

  “Only one,” Ogorec made again his vow, “Shall I live and die for.”

  “And who is it?”

  “It is you.”

  “Then put your lips to the lips of who you truly love,” Ovfren said, as he threw his arms around him, “And never again have yours to his.”

  “I swear it,” Ogorec’s vow, as he held him back. One hand deep in his hair and the other around his back, “I swear it. I swear it.”

  “Let us go to bed,” Ovfren said. Now backing him towards it, “And as we move inside each other, let this day be one forgotten.”

  “Yes, my only love,” Ogorec said softly, “And you are.”

  “I know,” Ovfren said, and kissed him, “And I shall have you always keep that in your head or slap you to put it there.”

  Chapter 47

  Well early in the dark hours of the morning, inside the region of Worrlgen, Cadon secretly met with Endric.

  “Rengad is dead.” Endric informed. His words blunt and void emotion, “Cut down with a sword.”

  “How did it come about?” Cadon asked alarmed, “Did the men do as told?

  “And what was told?”

  “To wear what was given to them as they robbed travelers they come across near the roads.”

  “Then yes.”

  “Then how did Rengad end up no longer breathing?” Cadon scoffed angrily.

  “They came across a traveler who they reasoned was wealthier than most from his ring and instead only robbing him, they took him,” Endric answered, “He rode with a servant or guard who they left for dead, but he lived.”

  Cadon frowned displeased.“Then they did not do as told. You were only to rob, not take anyone.”

  “The men were greedy,” the only excuse he could only offer.

  “How is it that you are still alive and came to know of all this?”

  “There was one from WorrlgenHall who let me pass him for a price.”

  “What price?”

  “I want to be high in command,” Augerd said, as he stepped out of the shadows.

  When Cadon looked at him, he scowled, as again the guilds from WorrlgenHall foiled his plans.

  “Dare I be a fool to trust any from WorrlgenHall?” He grimaced, as even the name of the place tasted like gall in his mouth.

  Augerd nodded. The feeling mutual, he knew distrust would always be foremost, yet he was also well aware that Borek had left WorrlgenHall and allied with Celgon and even became high in command.

  No longer content at WorrlgenHall, he wanted to get away, and be high command as well within another powerful kingdom.

  “And what has made you suddenly betray your kingdom?”

  “I want to be high in place as a commander,” Augerd’s simple answer and price, “And what land is seized, some of what is Worrlgen goes to me.”

  “Then speak,” Cadon said impatiently. Still unsure if he wanted to make an alliance with him, “Of how Rengad came to hastily leave this world?”

  “Agreed?” Augerd said, before he spoke another word.

  Cadon again frowned, but agreed by nodding.

  “He died by the hands of a man named Belon.”

  Cadon grimaced, as again his words turned his stomach. “Belon!” he spewed. The name remembered as the one who cut open Vron’s stomach.

  “Yes, Belon,” Augerd repeated.

  His advisors well aware of who was in high in command at Worrlgen, Cadon knew Belon was no longer first in command there.

  “Why would he care about the life of a traveler within Worrlgen?”

  “For the reason,” Augerd now revealed, “The traveler was no common traveler, but the King of Ivodgald and Belon is now his Commander.”

  “The King of Ivodgald at WorrlgenHall,” he repeated surprised. His spies not informing him of that, “Did he bring a champion to vie?”

  “No, only to sit with Belon and watch the others vie.”

  Pausing to take in this revelation, Cadon knew he would have to change his plans.

  “Come back to camp with me,” he quickly offered Augerd, as his mind raced to come up with another plan, “That we may speak to my brother, the king of our new bond.”

  King Thogor unaware of Cadon’s treacherous plot to turn Worrlgen against those near and far needlessly, Cadon did come up with his new plot quickly, which was to bond Celgon more to Worrlgen by what happened to King Aderac.

  After he rode into camp with Augerd behind him, he made him wait, while he found his Brother Elgen.

  “Come,” he told him quietly inside his tent, “And go along with all my words and follow my deeds.”

  When Cadon came back out, he asked for Augerd his hands.

  “Why?”

  “I must bind them.”

  “No,” Augerd refused, not trusting him, “Reason something else.”

  “If you wish to be high in command,” Cadon only offered, “Then it starts now with you going along with what must be done.”

  After he bound Augerd’s hands, they quickly walked to King Thogor’s tent, but carefully avoided everyone seeing them, and with no time to ask what plan he had conjured, Elgen willingly blindly followed.

  “We must have words with our brother,” Cadon said impatiently when they approached his tent.

  “The time is late,” the guard said.

  “And we are lords,” Cadon reminded him, “Who can have you hanged if you do not wake him.”

  “Send them in.” King Thogor heard him talking.

  “Watch
him,” Elgen ordered to make the guard believed he was a prisoner, “And do not let him escape.”

  “Brother!” Cadon feigned his excitement, as he spoke his lie, “The guilds from Worrlgen attacked and killed some of our men as they camped without cause.”

  “What!” King Thogor sat up surprised, before he jumped out of bed, “Why such a deed?”

  Quickly Elgen stepped outside; then returned with Augerd to make King Thogor believe they had captured him.

  “This one fell from his horse and was a foot!” his feigned outrage, “One of the men found him and he confessed it was by the order of King Baric!”

  “Bring Ulgor,” King Thogor quickly commanded.

  “I warned you they only wanted all of us here to try to kill us off,” Cadon added to goad him.

  Not willing to rush into anything without speaking to Ulgor first, King Thogor held his tongue as he dressed.

  “I must hear words from King Baric first,” he said, as he did, “If such is true, then he will make known to me why the deed or what he wants from such a deed.”

  Cadon nodded, then walked to his brother to pretend to give him a kiss on his cheek in agreement, but when close, he suddenly pulled a knife from his sleeve and thrusts it deep into his stomach.

  As he groaned and doubled over, his guard withdrew his sword to kill Cadon, but Elgen came behind him and slit his throat.

  “Why?” King Thogor questioned, as he lay bleeding; his eyes showing the complete shock of his betrayal.

  “I loved you, brother,” Cadon said, as stood over him with his blood-drenched knife, “But you have reigned long and nothing has come out of it and I fear nothing ever will. It is my time to reign.”

  “I curse you to die in shameful agony when you are found out,” King Thogor’s words, as he breathed his last.

  “Segorans attacked us and killed my brother, the king and tried to kill me,” Cadon said to Elgen, when he turned to him urging him to remember their story.”

  “Brother,” Elgen exhaled overcome by the moment, “Why?”

  “His time was past him,” Cadon answered, as he cut open the back of the tent before he took the knife and carefully stuck it into his own side.

  Groaning loudly as he did, he looked at his brother Elgen as laid down, “When Ulgor comes, end him.”

  After he spoke his last deadly deed, Cadon looked at Augerd.

  “Flee and we shall be within WorrlgenHall soon. Make sure you are not seen.”

  Quickly, Ulgor rushed into the tent, and when he saw King Thogor dead and Cadon laying on the ground holding is stomach, gasped.

  “What has happened?” his words, as he rushed to his slain body.

  As he kneeled over it, quietly and quickly, Elgen sneaked behind him slitting his throat.

  “Now yell for help,” Cadon said, as he lay bleeding.

  Elgen yelled and men rushed into the tent. “My brother, the king has been slain and Cadon is bleeding from being stabbed and such woe.” He played his role well, “They have taken the life of his guard and Ulgor as well.”

  “Who would do this?” the men asked, ready to ride out to kill them.

  “I fear,” Elgen’s lie, “It was those Segorans we passed as we rode, they must have trailed us and sneaked into the camp.”

  “Worry not with them for now, get me to WorrlgenHall!” Cadon cried out in pain, “I am bleeding and may die. Get me to WorrlgenHall with haste!”

  **

  When they learned Belon left the bodies to rot, curious about the men, Laad and Loth rode to where Belon left them to look at them.

  “This one died a gruesome death.” Loth grimaced, when they looked at the one almost cut in half, as flies and maggots now covered his rotting bloated corpse.

  The stench making Loth’s stomach turn because his was full from eating before he left, he felt he would vomit and covered his mouth trying to hold it within.

  “I shall gather slain by Belon’s hand.”

  Laad looked at the dead man curiously; then stepped over his body to look at the others.

  “What do you reason?”

  Loth said nothing for a while as he looked at them too, then at their skin.

  “Something seems not the same.” He noticed, “The man named Arh and the two with him, wore clothes as this, but look at their skin.”

  Laad looked more closely.

  “Their skin showed signs of life always in the sun unlike the three Segorans.”

  “True,” Loth added suspiciously, “To be men from the Land of Hills where it is cooler.”

  “Shall we both now believe?” Laad asked shrewdly, “The men who lay dead before us were no Segorans, but men gathered by Celgon to deceive us.”

  Loth nodded, but added his doubt.

  “Yet, how can we prove such?”

  Laad’s face looked perplexed.

  “Hmm, good question.”

  “Whatever the cause.” He knew, “King Aderac was wounded from it. We must find out with haste or blood from those Belon believes harmed him will fill the land.”

  Repulsed, Laad grumbled intelligibly. Celgon indeed had again become a common thorn in their side.

  “Let us go back,” his words, as he jumped on his horse, “If Celgon wants to war again with Worrlgen they shall soon enough get their wish.”

  “It shall be my great pleasure,” Loth added, as he now jumped on his horse, “To once and for all, rid the earth of that kingdom.”

  Both about to ride away, they noticed a man on a horse in the distance watching them.

  “We have eyes on us,” Loth said, but pretended not to see him.

  “Yes we do.” Laad pretended as well.

  “Shall we ride off and see what comes of it?”

  Both rode off; then once farther down the trail, they doubled back, jumped from their horses and hid.

  “Where did he go?” Loth asked, as he tried to peak up without being noticed.

  “There.”

  Cautiously, the man approached the bodies, looking out periodically to see if anyone was near.

  The bodies still lying strewn about where slain, he began to search all the men, except Rengad, whose boots he merely searched.

  “He is one of them,” Laad said, and sprang up.

  As soon as the man saw him, he rushed to his horse and began to flee, and as Laad and Loth jumped on theirs to chase him, Loth complained.

  “My food has not yet settled in my stomach,” he said, as he spurred his horse forward, “I know from smelling those bodies and now chasing him, it will come up.”

  Laad huffed, then stopped and took out his bow.

  “Are you going to kill him?” Loth asked.

  “No,” Laad answered, as he got an arrow, then carefully nocked his bow, pulled back and shot it, “Just put him on foot.”

  The first arrow going into its neck injuring and slowing the horse, Laad shot another into its neck, which killed it, then when it fell over, the man jumped off to keep it from crushing him and began to run.

  “Well,” Laad said; then looked over to Loth, “I put him on foot, you do the rest.”

  Loth pursed his lips; then rushed away after him.

  “You!” he shouted when he caught up with him, “My stomach is to full to be riding chasing you or running after you. Stop or I will cut you down!”

  Tired from running, the man stopped and about to withdraw his sword to fight Loth, he looked behind him and noticed Laad with an arrow pointing at him.

  Suspecting he was the one that downed his horse, he knew his aim would be on point to kill him.

  “Throw down the sword,” Loth ordered before he jumped down.

  Obeying he did, but said nothing.

  “Who are you?” Loth asked, “And why were you searching those bodies?”

  Refusing to answer, the man tried to lunge at Loth once he got closer to him, but Loth gave him a quick kick to the groin.

  “I am to full to be fighting and rolling about as well.”

  “Ta
ke him back to WorrlgenHall,” Laad said when he got to them, “He will answer soon enough one way or the other.”

  **

  With one problem after another arising, Baric considered cancelling the challenge and apologized to King Gegorad for having him travel so far for nothing.

  “What happened?” he asked concerned, as they talked.

  “Strange men took my cousin, King Aderac by force, but he is back with us now,” Baric answered, as they now sat, “And now King Thogor has been slain, Lord Cadon stabbed, and two under him dead as well.”

  “Such dreadful deeds,” he expressed his concern, “Shall we be on guard as well?”

  “We fear the strange men from a tribe called the Segorans are behind the deeds,” Baric answered, “Insulted we denied them a chance vie and are seeking revenge. I shall have my guilds ride out with you when you leave to see that you and your men are safe.”

  “I thank you, but if you welcome it we will tarry,” King Gegorad offered, “Perhaps this treachery will pass and you will yet be able to honor your son.”

  Baric nodded happy to have him stay.

  “Then your stay is a great honor,” he replied pleased, “And a welcomed one.”

  **

  Secretly, Laad had Loth take the captured stranger into WorrlgenHall through the back livestock gate and put him in one of the dark rooms under the main floors of WorrlgenHall. There, they held criminals, prisoners, and those waiting for execution.

  “Where have you been?” Baric curiously asked, after not seeing him for most of the morning when Laad walked into court.

  “We rode to look at the Segorans Belon left to rot.”

  “And,” Baric asked, concerned what they might have found out.

  “I ask that we speak of it in your council chamber,” Laad requested, not wanting to voice his concerns in earshot of others.

  “We shall,” Baric said, “But while away, trouble came to us.”

  Laad looked at him curiously. “What trouble?”

  “Lord Cadon is here and healing in a chamber.”

  “Lord Cadon, healing?” Laad repeated, and gave him a questioning look because he said the word healing.”

  “King Thogor is dead,” he continued, “Lord Cadon was stabbed and two under him dead.”