Sword of Kings
Chapter 10 – A Journey Through Sorrow and Apprehension

by Bill W

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Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts. 
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.
Don’t read this story if:
**You’re not 18 or over,    
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don’t want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author’s permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Emoe57 for his editorial assistance with this chapter.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

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The Serpent Colossus fell away from Turquinine and lay sprawled across the path, its body still jerking with muscular spasms. Kieren, Garreth, and Romaric, having observed the entire engagement from a safe distance, were still shaken by the events they had just witnessed. They remained frozen where they stood, realizing there was a chance the leviathan might not be dead. Doubt still lingered in the back of their minds that the beast was merely stunned or unconscious, waiting to regain sensibility and renew its attack. After many minutes of standing transfixed, they crept cautiously forward to join the others. They refused to let their gaze fall from the still form of the monster, as they went to see if they could be of assistance to their defenders.

The remainder of the small, battered group now lay exhausted near the twitching form of their opponent. Using what little energy remained in their weary bodies, they tried to calm one another’s fears and strove to reassure themselves the behemoth was undoubtedly dead. When they found themselves sufficiently recovered, they strode over to the immense head and made an effort to sever it from the body. They soon discovered this task was, much as they had expected, impossible even for their best weapons. They did, however, use the lances to penetrate through both eye sockets and into its skull, to make sure no resurrection of the beast would take place.

Turquinine strode to where the lifeless remains of Selvaggio lay, still partially snared in the relaxed grip of the devil that had crushed him from existence. Turquinine flung himself to his knees beside the motionless form and wept openly, before reaching out to touch his friend once more. Regaining his composure, the sorrowful knight lifted the limp form of his comrade into his arms and carried it to a place of honor in the midst of the company. No one stirred or uttered a sound as they gazed at the unmoving hulk of their recently departed friend. Numbly, they encircled the body in a silent vigil of respect to this brave soul who had died a violent, agonizing death. Words could not possibly explain the utter helplessness they had felt as they had watched the life squeezed from him, nor could they verbalize the sorrow they now endured. Unable to express themselves in any other way, they quietly saluted his bravery and supreme sacrifice by saying a silent prayer.

The youths fought hard to restrain the tears they felt welling up, thinking it was not manly to cry, even at such a time. The battle-hardened warriors, having dealt with much loss of life before, stood stone-faced, but not unmoved. They could not even pretend to be callous, as they had grown quite close to Selvaggio in the short time they had been together, but they managed to control their feelings.

“I think it best if we get away from here, as quickly as possible,” Doenilio interrupted, softly, so he didn’t disturb the moment to harshly. The others, save for Turquinine, began to gather up their things. However, each of them stopped what they were doing, the minute the giant Mitikuan’s voice split the silence.

“Nay, I shalt not abandon Selvaggio, even in death, and wilt not depart this place until he hath been honored with a proper burial.” Turquinine did not say this defiantly, in fact his manner was quite meek as he informed them of his intentions, but he was adamant. He only glanced at Doenilio briefly as he spoke, before returning his gaze to his friend’s lifeless hulk.

“We do not have time for that,” Doenilio countered, matter-of-factly.

“Then thou and the rest may go on, whilst I honor my comrade. I shalt rejoin you, once mine task is completed.”

“No, we shall not leave anyone else behind,” Rhys announced, though he continued to try to come up with a compromise solution. Finally, an idea occurred to him and informed Turquinine about it. “Let’s prepare a litter and take Selvaggio’s body with us, and we shall bury him tomorrow.”

For a few agonizing moments, everyone gazed from one face to another, waiting for someone to respond. Eventually, Hadwin chose to break the silence. “Does that meet your approval, Turquinine?”

Hearing his name, the warrior lifted his head and let his sorrowful eyes make contact with the Nardinian’s. “Methinks that would suffice.”

Seeing the compromise was acceptable, the dwarfs immediately set out to fashion a litter from two young, slim trees they quickly felled for this purpose. Expertly they crisscrossed ropes between the two poles, making a surface on which they could lay the corpse. Once the preparations were completed, they gently moved the warrior to this temporary bed and secured his form to this makeshift stretcher. Doenilio took this opportunity to inform the others that just before they were alerted by the shouts and screams and raced back to assist in the battle, he and the other two dwarfs had discovered a flat parcel of land situated a short way up the hillside. They would be able to make camp and bury their fallen companion here. Doenilio was selected to lead them, since he knew the way, and the pallbearers would follow him. Sedain and Quintain would carry the front two handles of this hastily prepared transport and Turquinine and Rhys would lift it from behind. They would be followed by the three youths, while Hadwin and Alaric would protect the rear of the procession.

The party proceeded to painstakingly climb the side of the mountain, being careful not to lose their balance on the unsure footing. After arriving at their prospective campsite, they quickly began to perform their pre-assigned duties. The first thing they did was to prepare a very small, hasty fire from the wood the knights had gathered before the attack. Prior to leaving the scene of the battle, the boys, Alaric, and Hadwin had decided it would be prudent to make use of Selvaggio’s final effort. They used their time to gather the tinder that had been set aside before the encounter, and carried it with them, as they followed the others.

It was already too late to do anything but eat, although they all agreed they didn’t even feel like doing that. Instead, they removed the skins from their packs and drank some of the liquid refreshment that was contained within them. It did nothing to numb their pain or quiet their rumbling bellies, but they just couldn’t eat after what they had just been through. As they sat around the fire, they searched each other’s faces and quickly realized that none of them was in the mood to talk. Therefore, they sat quietly around the small blaze until they individually began to prepare for sleep.

Even though they were exhausted, having spent all of their energy fighting the serpent, no one in the party slept very soundly that evening. Seeing there might be other dangers in the area, the guard was doubled for the remainder of the evening and continually changed at two-hour intervals. This meant everyone, except for the boys and those on the first and last watch, would have their sleep disturbed as they were awakened to take their turn at this duty. Even when they were able to sleep, their slumber was often filled with guilt-ridden dreams, recounting the events that had happened earlier in the day. Time and again they tried to determine if they could have or should have done things differently, but they found nothing to soothe their troubled consciences. They rehashed every second of the afternoon in their minds, from the instant they began to skirt the dreary marshes, up to and including the surprise attack.

Alaric and the dwarfs felt responsible for talking the others into going on, even though the men had wanted to make camp before they entered the swamp, while Turquinine blamed himself for not having been ready for the danger and not responding sooner to his comrade’s cry for help, and Hadwin and Rhys wondered if they could have reacted to the situation sooner or done more to prevent the knight’s death. It was a horrendous evening of soul-searching for all of them.

The situation for the noncombatants wasn’t much different, especially for Kieren. Even though he was hesitant to acknowledge it, he was still fearful of another grisly attack from something even more indescribable and ferocious than the Serpent Colossus. That earlier, fierce confrontation had shaken his courage to the core and now he fought bravely to keep his composure and not break down in front of his fellow travelers. He was also unable to shake the thought from his mind that just a few hours ago he had believed the Serpent Colossus to be merely a myth, yet now he was still reeling from the stark reality and tangible evidence of its existence. This made Kieren wonder how Madumda would compare to his legend, and to which extreme the stories of his deeds and powers had been skewed, planting more doubt in his mind, which was something the he didn’t need to be encumbered with, at this point. However, while he continued pursuing these and other thoughts, Kieren battled his weariness and struggled to remain awake. Finally, he was forced to give in to the needs of his body and he collapsed from total exhaustion.

After several disquieting hours, the camp began to stir, as the first rays of dawn began to pierce the evening’s gloom. With the light came the hope of a better day and it lifted the spirits of the tired little company. As they rose and prepared the meal with which they would break their evening’s fast, they found they were now ravenous. They voraciously attacked the portions set before them and most of them returned for a second, or even third helping. That was, all of them except Turquinine, who only picked at his food. Having been the closest to Selvaggio, he was also the one most deeply affected by his death, and he was busily trying to plan something appropriate as a final benediction.

As soon as the party had cleaned up from the morning meal, they set about repacking their gear. When this task had been accomplished, the inhabitants of the Amber Mountains went off to begin digging the final resting spot for the stricken knight. While the dwarfs were performing this duty, the youths and the other warriors set about collecting rocks from about the hillside, which would be placed over the earthen mound to protect it from the animal scavengers that roamed these hills. When each group had finished their task, the body was lowered into its eternal bed and the gravesite was properly secured. After some discussion, it was determined that this location was remote and obscure enough that the grave would probably not be discovered, so Turquinine took Selvaggio’s broadsword and drove it firmly into the ground in front of the mound’s head, yet hidden within a small shrub. This would serve as a temporary marker so they could relocate the grave at a later time. It would have to do for now, or at least until the time when the grief stricken warrior could return and erect a more permanent monument or take the body back to his homeland for proper interment.

Now the knight stood with his hands still frozen on the sword’s hilt, trying to commence the eulogy he had been forming in his mind. Rigidly he lifted up his head and addressed his companions. “Mine brethren. I beseech thee to assist me in lessening mine melancholy and grief by giving me thine attention. It might be knownst to thee that Selvaggio and I have served together as comrades-in-arms for many years. We were kindred spirits and brethren of the soul. We were bound closer than by bonds of blood and our mutual affection was enormous. I wouldst never forsake mine beloved friend, even if death’s icy fingers gripped mine soul. With Selvaggio’s passing, I feeleth that part of me hath been ripped from its proper place, and I canst only soothe my loss by extolling his virtues one final time.

“Thou seeth resting before thee the bravest fighting man who hath ever trodden this fair land. His distinguished service couldst only be surpassed by his loyalty as a friend. Selvaggio was unselfish and considerate, steadfast and trustworthy, honest and courageous, and as compassionate an individual as any warrior couldst permit himself to be.” At this point Turquinine paused, regained his composure, and calmed the unevenness that had begun to creep into his speech. When he felt he was again in control of his emotions, he continued his address.

“Though thou art unaware of this fact, Selvaggio was of noble blood, as our Liege Lord Kieren but being born the youngest of his clan, he received the least benefit from his birthright. His eldest sibling inherited the position and title which passeth from father to first-born son, while his other brethren secured titles or positions that could be purchased on their behalf. His sisters were provided with sizable dowries, which made them eligible to wed others of noble rank.

“When Selvaggio reached his age of majority and, by custom, was expected to procure a station in life, he discovered the family coffers depleted. Bereft of other opportunities, Selvaggio chose the honorable path as a professional warrior. Gradually, his accomplishments became recognized and through the ranks he wouldst ascend. It was his deeds, not family name or wealth, which catapulted this powerful knight to his eventual station as one of the champions of his troops.” Again, there was a brief pause in the service as Turquinine felt his voice begin to tremble. He waited for the lump in his throat to subside and the tightness in his chest to relax before he resumed his simple oration.

“Being unable to formulate some grand soliloquy of commendation to this knight extraordinaire, I pray thee accept a brief rendering of the “Ode to the Legionnaire”, which hangeth in every barracks in Tarolia.” There was another momentary pause before he began to recite this poem of reverence.

The soldier dons his armor
He utters his final prayers
He’s defender of his kingdom
Having shed his private cares

He knows he’ll seldom profit
He’s not seeking wealth or fame
It’s his homeland that he’ll die for
And in this there is no shame

His life is mostly lonely
Far away from kith and kin
Only thinking of their safety
When amid the battle’s din

His friends are often changing
As the battles take their toll
When the bloodied swords are lifted
Yet to claim another soul

Whenever there’s a battle
As the evil spreads its fear
Claiming many from the numbers
Leaving one less Legionnaire

So when it’s truly over
And we’ve laid him to his rest
We can say with truth and honor
That he always did his best

As his body’s lowered downward
To the ground from whence it came
Tis but then that he’s remembered
For he’d gained no lasting fame

As we cover him with soil
That will be his watch and ward
At last he’ll have a chance to rest
With heaven his just reward”

As the final verse of this moving tribute faded into the wind, the party turned and trudged back to their campsite. Once there, they retrieved their packs and prepared to depart this unhappy place. Soon they were on their way, now heading along a little used path northward, which would lead them toward Thorold.

Kieren noticed there were only a few scattered bushes along the hillside and quickly concluded there weren’t enough of these small shrubs to conceal their passage. He was uneasy being in this openness, but he was relieved they were away from the swamp. As they moved farther along this desolate and exposed byway, they came upon a fork in the road. They all stopped, quite unsure as to which path to take, when Sedain took the opportunity to enlighten them about their choices. “If we take the left fork, that will take us back down to rejoin the lower road, which runs along the marsh, but if we take the right fork, that will follow a ridge that runs about a quarter of the way up the mountain’s side. Either path will take us where we want to go, so I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

Moving as one, they huddled in the open to discuss their options. “I don’t wish to go back along the marsh,” Hadwin advised them.

“Nor do I,” Turquinine agreed.

“How difficult is the route which runs through the mountainside?” Alaric wanted to know.

“It’s no more difficult than the route along the marsh, however it is more open and we would be more exposed,” Sedain explained.

“Then I vote for the upper route,” Rhys interjected, casting the first vote.

“I concur,” Turquinine quickly added, and the others soon followed suit.

The trail from here was not difficult, but the openness provided them with other concerns. At first, the lack of cover made them feel safe, because they would be able to discern the movement of anything that might try to approach them. Yet, on the other hand, it gave them a very uneasy feeling, because their own movements could be as easily observed by anyone who might be looking for intruders. It was these conflicting emotions that kept everyone at full alert, as they continued along the barren trail.

Collectively, they voted against stopping for a noon meal and decided to eat while they continued to walk, feeling this would be the most prudent course of action to follow. It was also their hope, that by not stopping, they could get out of this foul location sooner. Therefore, the party continued on, maintaining their intensive surveillance of the surrounding area and looking for anything out of the ordinary. Even under this type of scrutiny, they could discover no signs of other life forms within range of their senses, and for that reason, they began to relax slightly, as they made their way to the dwarf kingdom.

Their mood was less somber and less tense as the day passed into evening. They began to feel the most dangerous part of the day’s trek had been completed and they would soon be able to rest, and as luck would have it, they came to a fairly sheltered area, which used the mountain to protect its rear. This location also had small rock arms jutting out on either side, which meant they were protected on three sides, and the soldiers decided this would be a good place to make their camp. To make sure they did not draw attention to their presence here, it was decided they would build no fire this evening, so they hurriedly set up their camp using the dying rays of sunlight.

As they were setting out their bedrolls and performing their other duties, the soldiers took the precaution of keeping a close watch on the three young men. They wanted to make sure the trio didn’t wander off, but they were also concerned that something might strike as quickly as the Serpent Colossus had. Slowly they began to settle in, and they quietly ate a cold meal from their quickly depleting rations. After the meal was concluded, they aligned themselves in a circular formation and began to relax. Kieren realized that the others were still thinking about Selvaggio, and he felt he needed to do something to distract them and get them to focus on something else. After considering various ways of how he could do this, he finally broke the lingering silence.

“Turquinine, earlier in the day I learned a little bit about Selvaggio, as you spoke at his funeral. Now, I wish for to share a little about your own life with us.”

“My Lord, I have nothing of interest to tell thee. Mine own life hath been dismal and I wouldst not wish to bore thee with its rendering.”

“Regardless of how you see yourself, I am sure it will be a fascinating tale. I would like for you to tell us about yourself. Please?”

“If that be thy wish, then I shall obey and tell thee what I can. I must advise thee that it will give me great discomfort in fulfilling thy request.” At this point, the gentle giant paused and eyed the others before he began his story. “Though not illegitimate, I never knew mine sire. Mine father deserted the precious woman who bore me when I was but a babe. I was weaned on the childish taunts of “bastard”, though mine peers lacked justification for their slurs. When this harassment began, I wouldst pummel the boldest first. Hence, I gained a considerable reputation as a brawler and a bully.

“By now I had grown to considerable stature and mine reputation, though somewhat tarnished, was growing disproportionately with each retelling of these encounters. This brought me under the scrutiny of a bold and famous knight. Unbeknownst to me, he sought mine mother’s permission to take me as his squire. Reluctantly she agreed and I was plucked from my despair and thrust into a world of many wonders. Mine benefactor trained me in all the knightly traditions and, eventually, he allowed me to enter the tournaments to test mine newly acquired skills. Immediately I became one of the favorites in the local jousts, winning many of the events in which I was entered. From that time forward, I knew I was always meant to be a knight. Remembrance of my childhood led me to fight for the rights of those who could not defend themselves or to champion causes which seemed just and honorable.

“Upon attaining the required age, the knight whom I served supported my decision and helped me enlist in the Mitikuan Army. It was during the initial training period in group-tactics that I met and befriended another recruit. In time, we wouldst become inseparable. That enlistee was Selvaggio, and I came to respect him as thou hast also come to respect him in the short time we hath been together. After that training period ended, we volunteered for the elite guard. It was extremely difficult to survive the selection process, and the training was physically and emotionally challenging. Each of us survived the demanding rigors of this unit and we served together with those forces, until we volunteered for this assignment.

“It is true that during the time we served together, we participated in numerous battles, fighting side by each. We would also take our leisure together upon the battle’s demise. Whenever either of us was wounded, our brother wouldst tend to the needs of the other until recovery was complete. Numerous times we labored, tending to the other’s maladies, nursing the battle scars, or bringing each other back from the brink of death. Brothers we were, in the truest sense of the word and the green god of jealousy never reared his ugly head between us. If either received a special honor, the other gloried in the euphoria of the achievement. We never let resentment build an impenetrable wall between us. When one laughed, the other shared his joy. When one cried, the other shared his sorrow. We existed as two parts of the same whole and a piece of my soul died yesterday when Selvaggio was ambushed and his life’s flame was snuffed out.”

Finally, Turquinine surrendered to his emotions and he turned away from the others to hide his grief. The three young men stared with admiration as this mighty knight struggled anew to cope with his loss. After a respectful period of quiet, Kieren was the one to break the uneasy silence.

“You were wrong, my powerful friend. Your tale was immensely interesting and I thank you for sharing it with us.” The knight merely nodded, and with that signal, the entourage slowly dispersed and moved to their sleeping areas. That evening each individual went to his bedroll emotionally spent.

Rhys volunteered for the first two-hour watch and awakened Sedain to replace him when his tour ended. It had been so absolutely peaceful and quiet during his watch that he felt serene as his shift ended. His duty now over, Rhys went to his bedding, ready for slumber. Sedain, on the other hand, was still somewhat groggy from having been disturbed in the middle of his rest. As he stood near the perimeter of the camp, he thought he spied what might be the glow from a fire, and it seemed to be originating from a spot about a kilometer north of their current position. He considered that even if the source of the light was from a campsite, it didn’t necessarily signal danger. Considering his options, the dwarf decided it would be best if he went off to investigate what it was. He roused Quintain to replace him on his rounds and he quickly explained to his brother what he was about to do. Quietly he slipped out of camp and he headed in the direction of the light, hoping to discover the secret behind this mysterious glimmer.

Much time had elapsed since the dwarf had left the camp to probe this enigma. In fact, Quintain had not only covered the remainder of his brother’s watch, but he also stood the two that followed it as well. He was beginning to grow deeply worried about his sibling’s safety and he pondered his next move. When the first light of morning started to fall upon the camp, Quintain gave in to his anxiety and decided to wake the others and explain his concern. First he shook Turquinine, who thought it was his turn to stand guard. As the Mitikuan lumbered to his feet, the dwarf went over to awaken Hadwin, Alaric, Rhys, and Doenilio. Quintain did not bother to rouse the boys.

After hearing Quintain’s account, they all began to discuss the idea of organizing a search party and how they should go about trying to find their wayward companion. “No matter what else is decided, I will be a member of the group that goes to find my brother,” Quintain volunteered, forcefully.

“Of course you will,” Hadwin reassured him, “and I volunteer to join you. I also suggest we leave Turquinine behind to guard the boys.”

“Thou needeth not take pity on mine circumstance and grief, assigning me the safer duty,” Turquinine began to protest. “Though I still suffer from the loss of mine friend, I shall not shirk mine duty and responsibility.”

“That was not what I had in mind when I volunteered your service,” Hadwin replied, apologetically. “My thought was that you would free up at least three others for the rescue operation, as you are the most capable of defending them alone. It was because of your abilities and skills, not your loss, that I suggested this.” This explanation seemed to placate Turquinine and soothe his bruised ego, and now he was ready to go along with Hadwin’s recommendation. Turquinine woke the boys as the others where leaving the area, so they could help defend themselves, if the need arose.

“What’s the matter, Turquinine, and where are the others?” Kieren immediately wanted to know.

“They have sallied forth, to look for Sedain. He ventured off earlier, in hopes that he findeth the source of a glow he believeth to be from a fire. When he did not returneth, the others set out to determine his fate. Thou and thy companions needeth to take up thy arms, so thou whilst be able to defendeth thine self, lest we be attacked.” Garreth and Romaric eagerly took up their weapons, after hearing the knight’s explanation, not so much out of concern for their own safety, but so they might be ready to protect their friend. Kieren also sought out his sword and knife and jointly they scanned the surrounding area for signs of danger.

Once the others had moved away from camp, they readily let Quintain become their unofficial leader. After all it was his brother who was missing and he was the last to see him and note the course he followed. Quintain asked Hadwin to assist him in searching for traces of Sedain’s passing, while he directed the others to keep their eyes open for signs of danger.

Using great stealth, the retinue followed their temporary leader along the trail he had seen his brother take. Hadwin was the first to spot Sedain’s footprints in the loose soil, at the edge of the path. Once they had moved away from the rocky floor on which they had camped, the Nardinian saw the imprints created by the dwarf’s boots and Quintain directed him to follow them forward. Acknowledging the fact Sedain might have veered off the trail, Quintain and Hadwin remained alert for an occasional broken twig or a disturbed patch of sod, which might indicate his course. As they moved onward, closer to the area where Quintain suspected the fire had been the evening before, the more prudent they became.

Just as they were about to maneuver around a huge boulder that stood in their path, Alaric’s alerted Quintain that his keen sense of hearing had picked up voices somewhere in the distance. Quintain signaled the party to stop and remain behind the large rock, while he and Hadwin climbed a little way up the mountainside to look around. The pair slithered forward to a vantage point where they could see the entire area and possibly discover what possible dangers awaited them.