King Abaron: Chapter 1

Abaron sat in his high chair waiting for the young squire of sir Jaime Patrov (the boy's name was 'Peter' if Abaron remembered correctly). Peter was a little older then Enaguille but with about as much experience as him though too. It was an ordeal for Abaron to find someone equal to Enaguilles' talents and age but he felt Peter would be a good opponent for his duel. The boy would not hold back but wouldn't have years of experience under his belt like many of the kingdoms knights.

Of course Abaron hated the idea of losing his son to an old unused tradition such as this. If his boys were to die before him then it should be on the battlefield against the true enemy, not against one of their own people. But Abaron knew Enaguille would win this no matter what, he's a Tarrock. He has generations of the kingdoms greatest warriors in his blood, and though he may not be like his brothers he was a warrior of magic not weapons. And magic, though mostly shunned in Aladorn, was a weapon more potent than any steel.

When the crowd finally began parting ways Abaron knew it had to be for Peter who was late for reasons beyond his comprehension, but he was here all the same. Abaron turned to look at the squire as he made his way through the crowd and his jaw practically dropped. Instead of the squire boy, coming out to the duel it was sir Darriec Hazrin, one of Aladorns greatest warriors of his generation.

There was no way Enaguille could beat sir Darriec, even with his magic he didn't stand a chance; he had to stop the fight. As his son turned to him with a look of betrayal on his face Abaron's heart sank a little, it was not him... but then who? He turned his head to the only other person who could have arranged sir Darriec to come today, his wife Bethany.

She had a smug look on her face that confirmed for him this was her doing. Why ever did she hate her own son so much, it always eluded him, she said it was because he was a magi not a warrior but perhaps it was more. Maybe she believed that Enaguille was not her child and in fact some magister whore Abaron fucked one night while he was gone at war. Bethany riddled with the idea before when she was drunk but Abaron didn't think she truly believed it herself.

Abaron then moved to stop the duel getting ready to announce the postponement until Enaguilles proper opponent was found, but then he saw his son's face. Watched as he steadily drew breath in and out calming himself then opened his eyes and the determination and fierceness behind those sapphire gems. He knew his opponent and still was determined to continue, and to win, he believed in himself.

Seeing his son's composure Abaron had a change of heart, even against such a great adversary he stood strong and willing, no Tarrock had ever backed away from a true fight and Enaguille wouldn't be the first. If he was going to reach his full potential then it would be today, against this great adversary, how could Abaron take that away from him?

Still feeling reluctant about going through with the fight now, Abaron rose up from his chair and began his speech. At the end he hesitated, at the final words, last thoughts of consideration; then he shouted 'Fight!'

When the fight started the two moved slowly, circling around, closing the gap between them carefully staring the other down. Abaron never seen Enaguille like this before, he truly had changed in these latest moments, all he really needed was a strong push.

As soon as Darriec came into Enaguilles range, he made his move. Thrusting his spear tip at Darriec's chest and then snapping it up towards his necks so suddenly when he moved to avoid the thrust. Abaron's jaw nearly dropped in surprise, Enaguille never before displayed such skill or talent with weapons, but it just proved when pushed to the extreme he would adapt masterfully. However Darriec too moved with great speed, moving his head back just enough and catching the spear before it could fully slice open his throat.

Abaron saw the frustration and desperation on Enaguilles' face as he realized Darriec had saved himself and his attack failed. He knew then it was over for Enaguille, he was putting everything he had into that one move, and it failed. Still he didn't give up hope on his son just yet, he surprised everyone greatly with that attack just now and he may have other tricks up his sleeve.

The fight was one sided after that and short lived; Darriec had knocked Enaguille on his back for the last time and moved in for the kill. But as he moved in for the kill, Enaguille shouted and thrust his hands out, shooting a brilliant stream of cobalt frost from them and freezing sir Darriec. He then rose up and smashed him to pieces with a strong hit.

The crowd erupted with talk and Bethany was so outraged she called for the guards to lock Enaguille up. Abaron was too surprised to stop them, or congratulate Enaguille, or anything.

The whole castle was talking about Enaguille's duel and his imprisonment in the dungeon. One of the guards had the guile to call Enaguille a freak at the small dinner feast later that night and Torrith, Abaron's eldest son, got up from his chair and with a good punch knocked a few of the guards teeth out. After that Torrith said to the other guard, "Go and tell all the staff and guards and whoever the fuck else is talking about Enaguille that if I hear them talking ill of my kin again then I will do a whole lot worse than knocking a few teeth out of their jaw."

"That was unnecessary," Abaron said as Torrith returned to his seat a few chairs down from him.

Most the dining hall was quite after that now and eating their foods in silent. When they finally picked up their conversations again Torrith responded. "I think I should have done that hours ago."

Abaron rose from his chair and said, "Outside now." Then he went outside, Torrith following just behind him, and climbed all the way up to the dueling grounds where no one would hear them. Once there Abaron faced Torrith and said, "Alright here we are, want to tell me what the hell that was all about back there?"

"He was insulting our family, there is nothing more to it," Torrith said.

"No you always act out like that or in some way when you really need to speak with me, so here we are, speak."

Torrith picked up some of the snow that had fallen onto the grounds that night and stared at it for a long moment before speaking. "You know Enaguille might be the first ever magister in our family line and his power is tremendous, even as as a child. I heard of magisters who could resist weather, be struck by lightning and come out unscathed, but how many have complete immunity to the cold like Enaguille?

"I remember seeing the power of the magisters when we were trying to invade Evercain. I remember how envious I was of that power but still I was proud to be who I am, even if I had magic in me I'm a warrior at heart; just like you."

"I feel as if you might make a point here soon?" Abaron asked.

"Do you remember when Enaguille was six and we had taken him out to hunt for the first time?" Torrith asked. "And then there was that mysterious blizzard that showed up in the middle of summer and we lost track of Enaguille in it."

"Aye I remember, so what?"

"So you always told us that family is the most important thing above all. And when we lost track of Enaguille in that mysterious blizzard that's all I could think about, is the well-being of our family. So despite your protests I went into that blizzard, poorly dressed as I ever was, and found him."

"Yes, yes you went back for him when I didn't want to risk your life and then you returned with him, and he was happy as ever while you were half dead." Abaron said, becoming irritated.

"Here is the part I didn't tell you about though. When I found him in that blizzard he was half naked playing around in the snow and making sculptures of ice with his bare hands. The ice took whatever shape he wanted and when he saw me he jumped with joy saying, 'Look brother, I made it snow. Isn't it marvelous?' And that's when I realized, that storm that came out of nowhere in the middle of summer, that was Enaguille at the age of six!

"I knew then he was magi potent and in fact he could have kept that storm going for a long time and froze over half the kingdom if I hadn't found him. By then though I myself was half frozen and when he saw this he stopped the storm and I put his clothes back on him and carried him back, and said nothing of it to anyone until today. And you know what happens a year later, Enaguille reveals his powers to us and everyone, Rathel, Dolmar, Isingor, Angrim, all my brothers and even mother; they all began to resent him.

"They all treated him differently since discovering his power and you, you just turned your head and did nothing while Bethany neglected him and the others, Angirm especially, picked on him and beat him. I was the only one who didn't hate him for what he was, wether it was true hate or envy they despised him.Though I couldn't always protect him, he never really needed it.

"For all the times they hit him and knocked him around he stood strong, his body more resilient than any of ours. He could kill us all if he wanted and there would be little we could do to stop him but he never exercised his great power towards us. You wanna know what the point of all this is, the point is Enaguilles' rotting away in our own dungeon because he used some his great power to survive a duel you forced him into against one of Aladorn's greatest knights.

"I love my brother I do, more than any of you but he's seen nothing but resentment and hate from the rest of our family, and most the kingdom; just for being alive. And now he's punished further for his life by his own family, how much do you think he can take until he snaps?

"Sitting there with nothing to do all day but reflect on all the cruelty the others have shown him and ample opportunity to exercise his powers, he might decide before too long to target those who wronged him. He doesn't belong in that cell and he's too dangerous to be left alone to fester with his own demons."

With his speech done Torrith then left, descending the dark stairs leaving Abaron to think for himself in the cold snows outside.

Abaron knew Torrith was right, Enaguille had won his duel fairly using his own powers, he even put up a good fight against a tremendous adversary. He was a man now by all accords, but still he did not release his son; he wanted Bethany to do it since she was the one who ordered his detainment.

That very night, in his bed champers, Bethany was getting ready for sleep when Abaron came in doing the same. As he undressed he said, "Tomorrow I want you to release Enaguille from his imprisonment."

"You're the king, why don't you just order for his release?" Bethany asked condescending.

"I am ordering his release, from you. You are the one who locked him up there so it should be you who releases him."

Bethany let out a long and heavy sigh and crawled under the blankets and said, "Can we discuss this tomorrow? I think both of us have had far too long of a day and should focus on resting."

Abaron hated when Bethany got like this, whenever something came up that she greatly disliked she would almost go to extremes to avoid it. Typically she would start up an argument and lead the conversation away from the main subject, other times she would seduce Abaron and make him forget about what they were speaking of not long before. Sooner or later Abaron would get her to confront the subject in one manner or another but it was always tedious.

Right now though she was right, they both had a long and tiresome day so it would be best to sleep for the time. He crawled into bed alongside her and slept.

The next morning when he woke up Bethany was gone, already up and active. At breakfast he saw some of his children missing too. "Where is your mother and your brothers?" Abaron asked to no one in particular.

"She went on the hunt with Thaemes, Beornid and Angrim," Rathel said.

"When are you going to release Enaguille?" Torrith asked, cutting into the conversation.

"Why release him, he cheated in his name day duel and deserves to be punished," Rathel said.

"And you should shut your mouth and learn your place, younger brother." Torrith responded.

Before things could escalate further Abaron slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "Enough the two of you, now I just woke up and my stomach is empty so the last thing I wish to hear is your bickering." He then turned to the dining servant and said, "Go tell the cooks to cook me up some bacon, lots of it. And bring me a flagon of ale and some mutton from the kitchen."

"Right away sire," the servant said, then hastily left to fulfill his kings demand.

Abaron sighed then turned his attention back to his children. "I ordered your mother to release him, but it seems she decided to instead go hunting."

"So then give the order to the guards yourself," Torrith said.

"Your mother ordered his detainment it is only fitting that she orders his release. When she returns from the hunt I assure you that will be the first thing she is doing."

"And when do you suppose she will return? It could be a fortnight, maybe more." Torrith countered.

"If she is not back before the full moon then I shall send word for her immediate return to set right her wrong. And I will hear no more of this now do you hear me?"

Torrith was unhappy with his father's decision but said nothing more about it. And for a time things returned to normal around the castle; until the eclipse of the full moon.

The dream of the tower came and all of Galleic Hall was in uproar over it. All the guards, the servants everyone around was speaking about that wish, some even boldly talking about how they would wish for their own kingdom if they could climb to the top. Abaron called for some of his guards to search out his wife in the forest and bring her home.

The following day Bethany, Thaemes, Beornid and Angrim returned from their hunt, which they cut short due to the mysterious dream they had. Upon their return home they soon learned that everyone in Galleic hall had the same dream; maybe more than them. Abaron called for a council meeting with his eldest son, Torrith, his wife Bethany, and his council advisers.

When the council was all together in the council room they all started up, arguing with one another on what the dream was about and what it meant. Abaron was the only one quiet at the council meeting; even though he's the one who called it. Somehow he found it a little amusing listening to them argue about the dream when he knew what it meant.

After letting everyone voice their own thoughts on the matter for several minutes Abaron raised his hands to call for silence. It took them all a minute to do so but eventually they were all quiet, heads turned to face their king.

"The answer is rather obvious what that dream was about and the towers existence and its location. Now it all makes sense, that tower is a creation from the gods. It is placed behind the walls of the second most difficult lands to invade, beside Dorgal, and it is a challenge issued by the gods themselves.

"They are saying that those of us who are worthy will find a way beyond the great Evercain wall and into that tower. And from there only the true champion of the gods may obtain their wish. This is truly an act of providence, they gave us a chance to prove ourselves when I became king and tried to invade Evercain. But I failed, we failed and the gods have decided to give all of us, not just myself, a chance of redemption in their eyes. We must set our sights now to the tower and devise a way to get there for our destiny, all of Aladorn's destiny lies in there".

Moments after Abaron's speech one of the guards burst into the council room and said in a panic, "Sire, it's your son; he's escaped from the dungeon and killed two of our guards in the process."

Torrith gave Abaron a look of apprehension as if saying, "I warned you about this." Abaron sighed and got to his feet saying, "Bethany you come with me, everyone else you wait here in think of ways for us to get to that tower. That means you too Torrith."

Abaron and Bethany followed the guard to the cell while he explained the situation, "When the morning crew of the guards came to relieve the night shift guards of their duty, they found the doors sealed shut with ice from the inside. We had to get four men and a battering ram to open it."

The guard remained silent until they reached the dungeon, "Inside we saw this, and I rushed to come get you sire."

All the guards stepped aside for the king and queen to see the frozen dungeon. The path was a solid layer of thick cobalt ice, the metal on the cells had a glaze of frost over them that sparkled in the sun peeking through the dismantled wall of Enaguille's former cell.

The two guards stationed there on night duty were like frozen sculptures, they hadn't even a clue what was happening when they froze over. To them it was just another cold night on duty. Abaron walked past them to Enaguille's cell, it was frozen over completely and in the center was a pedestal of ice with a parchment note sitting atop it. With a couple strong kicks from his heel Abaron smashed open the cell door and stepped inside, grabbing the parchment and reading it.

It read: "Father, I know you may be disappointed with me right now, and I know I may not be a man in your eyes just yet even after my duel. But I believe these powers of mine were a gift from the gods and I'm going to use them to prove myself worthy of your legacy.

"The other night I had a dream, a dream about that mysterious tower in the lands of our rival kingdom. In this dream a challenge was issued for only one to be able to overcome that tower's trials and obtain the wish it's offering. I believe this is a sign from the gods; they have given me a true chance to prove myself not only to you, but to them as well.

"My destiny lies in that tower and in the sights of the gods I will reach the top and obtain that wish. When next we meet father I will be a man."

Bethany walked into the cell and spoke in outrage, "That monster, he slew our men and destroyed a portion of our dungeon."

"If you had not locked him away in the first place this would not have happened." Abaron said turning to face his wife.

"You wouldn't even release him when I told you to. Were you ever planning on releasing him or were you going to let him rot in here until I had to come give the order myself?" he asked.

"We have more pressing concerns, we need to get a party and track him down."

"And then what? Bring him back here so he can escape again?"

"No, he killed our men and cheated his way to victory in a sacred traditional duel he needs to pay the ultimate price for this. He needs to be executed." She turned to the guards now and said, "Lanre, Deven, begin forming a party of our best men we're going to track my son down and bring him to justice for his crimes."

The guards moved and Abaron shouted in rage, "Dismiss that order and remain where you are." They stopped immediately and Abaron turned his attention back to Bethany. "You have always hated him, haven't you?"

Bethany was a little startled by his tone and answered him in a shaken up voice, "Excuse me?"

"Since the day you discovered he was magi potent you hated him, why?"

"Now is not the time to discuss this, we have to stop him before he begins terrorizing the kingdom. How long do you think the people would stand behind you when your own son is out there-"

"Don't change the subject you're not weaseling your way out of this discussion," Abaron said interrupting her. "Do you hate him because you don't believe he is yours, do you think I broke our sacred wedding vows and fucked some magical girl one night while gone in the invasion?

"Do you believe perhaps this girl had my bastard and to cover it up I, what swapped the bastard with our seventh son so you wouldn't know?"

"Where in the gods did you ever conceive such an idea as that? Unless perhaps my king that's exactly what you had done?"

"You know where I got that idea, it was from you! The night after discovering Enaguille had those powers you got more drunk then you ever had been before and while our son was asleep you went into his room and tried to murder him! Thank the gods I had the notion to look for you there because you woulda done it too. And then after I pulled you away from him that's what you told me. Said I swapped our real child for that bastard.

"So you tell me what has happened to you since Enaguille's powers developed? You were once a noble warrior who proved herself more than worthy my queen and the greatest mother Aladorn would ever have in its borders. So tell me why are you so resentful of Enaguille?"

Bethany was shaking with emotions now, half of it rage. She finally let out her answer, "Because he is a freak! That boy is a stain on our family legacy the gods should have never let him be born in the first place. And those powers of his, they will spin out of controll and he will one day kill you with a lance of ice through your chest." She placed her hand on Abaron's cheek and said in a calmer tone, "I fear for you around him my love. I fear for me, our other children and our kingdom when it comes to him."

Abaron stepped back from her and shook his head in contempt. "Where do you think all his great powers come from? They're a gift from the gods, and in the sight of gods he has used his magic to overcome an adversary far greater than his normal skills. If they truly didn't think he was a man now they would have struck him down with lightning and rocks atop those dueling grounds for winning his duel to manhood that day.

"But the fact that he still stands today and is on his way to the tower right now is all because the gods will it to so. I cannot allow you to defy their will and target our son. What becomes of him is for the gods to decide now, they have given him his path and we have set him down it now."