Chapter 3: Chapter 2

Here we find King Fredric, pacing his throne room, engaged in a council of war with his chief advisors and generals, along with his knights. They were discussing a rumor of Sir Vincent that had been brought to the palace.

“Sire, my sources have guaranteed me that Sir Vincent is in fact alive and well in the neighboring kingdom of Westsire” explained a knight.

“Westsire? Why that’s obscured!! Sir Vincent despises the elves, because they let his sister die” shouted the King.

“But sire” retorted the knight.

“No, I’ll have none of it” replied the king.

“Has Sir Giladad returned from the east to report on his search for Sir Vincent and my boys?” asked the King hopefully.

“No sire, we think he is on his way back sire, for it only takes a month to reach the sea and he has been gone for almost two” answered his chief advisor.

“We have searched everywhere, where could he be” sobbed the King. “We never searched Burka, my Lord” exclaimed the advisor.

“He would never go there to hide, its scared and holy ground, he must be somewhere else” replied the King sadly. After a long pause, the King asked “What of Maddox and his armies?”

“Rushing our front lines and killing more soldiers then we can count Sire, we think that Maddox is using sorcery to strengthen his troops” replied a knight.

“My God help us and send my son’s, the chosen ones to our aide, before it is too late” prayed King Fredrick to himself as he slowly walked over to his chamber doors and walk in and closed the door behind him. Fredrick walked over to his bed stand mirror and looked into it. And was instantly appalled by what he saw. His youth was gone and he had too many scares to count on his face from battle that totally changed his appearance from that of twenty-one years ago. He looked older then he really was and drained of all happiness. He truly didn’t know if he could go on fighting anymore, his only wish and hope was that his oldest and dearest friend and favorite knight, Sir Vincent would return with his boys to even the odds with their powers and strength and help destroy all evil in this world.

After four months of hard travel the Princes came to a small town where they decided to find a place to sleep and eat. They found a poor farmer who would gladly let them stay in his old barn that was falling down, and feed them in return for help with fixing a portion of his barn. As they stowed away their supplies and extra weapons in the hay loft Edmund started talking.

“Let’s take a bath down in the lake and then we can go for a walk around town.”

“Sounds good” replied Richard.

“But we better take our gifts” suggested Edmund

“Good thinking” replied Richard. As they set out to the lake carrying their gift, they looked up at the stars,

“Draco is bright tonight” exclaimed Edmund.

“I wonder if that could be a good omen, considering our namesake” replied Richard.

“I hope so” answered Edmund.

“Hey look at the lake and how the moon reflect off the water, it’s so beautiful” said Richard.

“Well let’s just get cleaned up” replied Edmund. Within seconds they were stripped out of their travel dusted clothes and were soaking up the cool refreshing water. After twenty minutes of bathing they walked out of the water onto the shore and begun dressing, when all of a sudden four soldiers came riding into the clearing where the princes were dressing.

“Halt” ordered the leader of the small bunch of soldiers. “In the name of Maddox Duke of Anglesire, who are you and where did you get these weapons, for two poor peasants such as you two couldn’t possibly afford them” ordered the captain of the soldiers.

“You, the captain of a murdering traitor’s army, calling us thieves” replied Edmund coldly.

“How dare you speak that way about my Lord” screamed the captain as he drew is sword and jumped off of his horse, he was too slow compared to Edmund. Edmunds lightning fast reflexes that is. He already had the fire sword drawn and into the captains chest hilt deep. “No” screamed the captain moments before he died.

“Firga” yelled Richard and the second solider was instantly on fire and fell dead. The third solider swung a huge battle axe at Edmund; he parried the blow with the fire sword only to receive an arrow shot from the fourth soldier’s bow.

“AHH” screamed Edmund as the arrow sunk into his heart and he collapsed. Before Richard could respond, a big man with black hair jumped out of the bushes swinging a huge broad sword and decapitated the last solders in a blink of an eye. Then Richard ran over to Edmund, and started panicking because he knew that his brother was dying.

“Help me carry him, quickly I know someone who can help him” yelled the strange young man.

Without a moment to lose Richard picked up the fire sword and helped the stranger put Edmund onto the saddle of one of the soldier’s horses and tied him in to place. Then they climbed onto two other horses that belonged to the soldiers. The stranger led the way down a trail heading away from the small town and lake. About twenty long minutes later they stopped outside of a cave and swung down from the horses.

The stranger finally spoke “wait here” as he ran inside the cave. About five seconds later he returned with a very ancient looking lady who simply ordered

“Bring him in before it’s too late.” Richard and the stranger hurriedly but carefully cut the rawhide straps holding Edmund in the saddle and carried him into the cave.

“Lay him on the bed” ordered the woman. She instantly broke the arrow in half carefully, so she wouldn’t do too much damage to Edmund’s heart. Then she ripped open his shirt and quickly looked over the wound. “Boil some water” ordered the woman. The stranger put water into a big cauldron and put it over the fire. Then the old woman pulled a knife from out of the red hot coals from the fire and gently sliced open Edmunds skin around his wound.

All you could smell in the cave was burnt flesh and blood. When she had a big enough opening she carefully pulled out the arrow and blood started pouring out like a stream of water. She quickly put her hand over the wound and said “Sono” with command in her voice and instantly the blood stopped and the hole in Edmunds heart sealed itself. “Now, I will stitch up the rest of him” she exclaimed while she stitched up Edmunds chest. Richard set in an old wooden chair, shocked that the old women, the savior of his brother’s life was in fact a sorcerous! When she was done stitching up the hole in Edmund’s chest and wrapping the wound in a white cloth, she glanced down at Edmunds left hand and noticed his birth mark and in shock exclaimed in a loud voice “A BATTLE AXE!!!!”

“What of it” replied Richard? “It’s wonderful, my Lord” answered the woman as she bowed down to Richard.

“How do you know?” asked a shocked Richard.

“Why, I’m Mattaline, I was your late father’s chief healer and sorcerous and above all I was his friend” replied Mattie.

“So Vincent was right, he said that we would more than likely run into you in a travels home” said Richard.

“Vincent? You mean Sir Vincent? Where is my old friend?” asked Mattie happily.

“Mattie, he died four months ago, I am sorry, he was like a father to us” replied Richard sadly.

“I am sorry too, my Lord, he will be missed indeed” said Matty sadly.

“Who is your brave friend who came to our aide and brought us here?” asked Richard.

“This is Rohan he is an ex-soldier from a land far to the north, turning to Rohan she said “Rohan this is Richard and the young man on my bed over there is Edmund, Princes of Endor.”

All at once Rohan knelt down to Richard and vowed “Even thou you and your brother are not kings, I pledge my sword to you.”

“Then raise, my new friend for you have proven your loyalty to us tonight, you are a great and loyal man and I’ll need your help in avenging our fathers murder” replied Richard happily.

“My dear prince, your father is very much alive” interrupted Mattie. In shock Richard harshly replied.

“You call my guardian and teacher, Sir Vincent a liar?”

“No, my Lord, please forgive me, but Sir Vincent, disappeared with you and your brother before anyone realized that your father, the great King Fredrick was only wounded” replied Mattie.

“Thank God, Edmund will be so happy to know that our father is still alive” answered Richard.

“We have had a long night, I suggest, while I take care of the horses and stand guard outside you two get some rest” said Rohan.

“Yes, I believe that’s a good idea” replied Richard as he lied down on the floor by the fire with his magical staff “Vincent”.