CHAPTER ONE

It was a cold, dark night in Casville, the capital city of the Nersean empire. The beautiful streets of the city that were always bustling with activity in the daylight had understandably become deserted. Voices of chattering human beings had given way to the sounds of hooting owls, chirping crickets and other such sounds that usually filled the night.

Two figures could be seen walking down the Levois street with burning torches in their hands. Their voices, albeit in whispers and undertones, seemed to have been amplified by the relative tranquillity of the night and could therefore be heard quite clearly as they walked briskly towards the northern gate of the city.

"Don't you think, Harvin, that the sire is not being fair to us?"
One of the men, the taller one in fact, observed.

"I don't think so. Why do you ask?" the second man queried.

"Why, this man keeps his concubines in the tower always. . ." the first man, whose name was Miguel, complained.

"What about that?" Harvin asked bluntly while stealing a cursory glance at his colleague to see if he was really alright. How on earth did their boss' concubines concern them?

"You don't understand. He keeps his concubines in the guard tower but do not allow ours to even visit at all.'

Harvin's thin lips widened into a fat smile. "Now I see what you mean. Maria will do you a whole lot of good on a night like this. isn't it?"

"Exactly," Miguel replied with a twisted faced smile of his own.

"Have you asked him before?" Harvin asked, turning the conversation back to their boss.

"What?" Miguel seemed to have gotten lost in the transition.

"Permission to bring Maria over, silly," the other man rebuked.

"No, I haven't," Miguel answered truthfully. "I don't think I have the heart to do that. He will surely refuse."

"Ask him first," Harvin advised. "You never can tell if he would accept without asking."

"True," Miguel conceeded.

Presently, they arrived at their destination; the Northern city gate. The magnificiently sculpted northern gate was one of the four points of entry into Casville. It was always manned by four guards both day and night. Miguel, Harvin and two other guards were on the roll to guard the gate tonight.

"A good evening to you gentlemen," Farsell, one of the two other guards, greeted cheerily as his two colleagues entered the guard post.

"Evening Farsell," they greeted back.

"It is cold tonight," Lujan, the other guard, remarked, stating the obvious. "I do hope we won't have Vavires."

Vavires was the Casvillean word for those trading parties that often entered the city with their numerous sealed goods. It was the duty of the guards to check the contents of each package and ensure that no contraband is being brought into the city.

"Certainly not," Harvin opined. "Nobody in his right mind will be travelling under this inclement conditions. Besides . . ."

The remainder of Harvin's remark was drown by a distinctly close, combined sound of snapping branches, beating hooves and neighing horses.

The guards turned sharply in the direction of the sound and saw not an approaching trading party but two men dressed in peasant clothing, riding two dark horses swiftly towards them.

One of the riders caught more attention because of his rather odd dressing. In addition to his all black peasant garb, he had on a dark hood that half covered his face and then he bowed his head low as he rode so that the uncovered part of his face became totally obscured from the guards from distance.

The other rider was not much less spectacular. He was a huge man, a really huge man with a small shaven head and a fearsome
visage. No matter what angle you looked at him, you get the impression of a predator raring to pounce on its prey.

"Do you suppose they are bandits?" Miguel asked his colleagues, as he unsheathed his broadsword and assumed a fighting stance.

"I don't know what to think. We will discover who they are soon," Farsell replied.

In no time, the two riders arrived at the watch post of the guards and they were waved to a stop.

"What do you want?" Lujan, the most senior guard, demanded gruffly.

"Pray thee gentle guards, we seek entrance into Austieres," the hooded one replied with an unmistakeable Casvillé accent.

"We are sorry but we can not grant you entrance into our city with your face covered up like this,' Lujan explained while clutching his spear tightly, just in case he needed to use it. "You have to uncover your face sir."

The hooded one did not argue any bit, in fact he raised his head almost immediately and pulled the hood off his face without scruple.

Golden blond hair, high forehead, aquiline nose, small mouth with pinky lips all came to the torch illuminated view of the guard. Lujan blinked in rapid succession as he took in the familiar features of the mystery man. Only one man had all these features combined . . .

"Sir Millicent. . ." he called softly as though he thought the figure before him an apparition.

"Yes, it's me," Sir Millicent said with a weary half-smile. "Now be nice as to open the gate quickly. I have to get to the citadel at once."

There was no response. The guards stood rooted to the spot with their gazes transfixed on the man who had not been seen for the past eight years.

"Open the gate now!"

The response to that barked command was instantenous. The four guards almost crashed into one other as they scrambled to open the gate at once. In the moment that followed, Sir Millicent and his unspeaking friend rode through the dark streets of the city straight to the citadel where the King's palace was situated.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

The archetypal image of the of the Casvillean royal court is that of a magnificient hall with numerous rows of paired high seats for the various Knights, Barons, Vassals, Lords and Ladies of the court. There was also a podium on which the King and the Queen's throne stood.

Presently, there was an uproar in the court as Sir Millicent crossed the threshold. Everyone screamed with joy as soon as they descried King Gavyne's long lost nephew, whose unprecedented eight years absence from the court had caused not a few people severe heartache. Most especially the ladies of the court who greatly admired and adored him for his unique masculine beauty and unmatched prowess as a knight.

The King, in the fullness of his joy, immediately ordered that a great feast be prepared and all the important people in the land who were not already in the court be invited at once despite the fact that it was late into the night.

Just before the feast commenced, the King, in his characteristic gravely voice, asked Sir Millicent why he had deserted Casvillé for as long as eight years.

When Sir Millicent stood up to answer the King's question, his eyes were so teary and his countenance so sad that everyone in the court easily noticed the great sadness and sorrow he felt.

"My lord,'' he began by bowing to the King. "Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the court, It was never my intention to desert Casvillé for this long. I was just a hapless victim of destiny's cruel wiles. I just have to thank Our Lord for bringing me back here safely after the great tribulations I have faced."

Sir Millicent took a moment to catch his breath before he continued. "What actually happened was this, during our famous battle against the allied rebel forces at the Voüles plain, I got surrounded by some thirty rebels and this made me become isolated from the rest of our army. I did kill a handful of them and shook off the rest by riding swiftly into the Euschires forest but not until after I had recieved a fatal blow from one of their men. I only rode a few leagues further before falling off my horse unconscious due to fatigue and loss of blood. I woke up much later to find myself in the rebel stronghold at Cevout and there I was held for all the time I was absent from this court, living the painful and torture filled life of a prisoner."

Emotions welled inside of the people at the feast, especially the ladies, many of whom could be heard sobbing as Sir Millicent recounted his sorry tale.

"Your story is touching, dear Nephew," the King said in a sad voice, as he struggled to fight back tears of pity for his elder sister's only son. "Now, how did you escape from the rebel stronghold? Or were you freed?"

'I was coming to that,' Sir Millicent replied. 'Like I said, I owe my freedom to the Our father in heaven and then I also have gentleman beside me to thank, for it was he who schemed and executed the plan that broke me out of Cevout."

The man whom Sir Millicent was reffering was Finn, the same huge man who rode with him into the city. Finn stood and took a bow as soon as he was mentioned.

"Very well then," said King Gavyne. "We are all very happy to have you back in this land and for this reason, we will be holding a tournament at Austieres in your honour. All the Knights of the kingdom will be compelled to take part and fine warriors from other lands will be invited.'

Sir Millicent was visibly happy with King's idea of a honourary tournament for him and the people of the court were also glad to have a great tournament to look forward to. A great tournament it turned out to be.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***

No doubt Sir Millicent's grief when he spoke about his injury, suffering and incarceration had touched many hearts, but there was one man whose heart remained relatively untouched by what he had already been told to be a fabricated story.

This man is none other than the infamous Malzene D'Aubriere, the last existing pagan in a land where the people had rejected the old religions and the gods of their progenitors and had embraced Roman Catholism which was the predominant religion in the western world then.

Malzene had miraculously survived a great purge of pagans about two decades ago and since then he had learnt to live in utmost secrecy. He had no friend, no family or relative alive in the city. They had all either been caught during the killings or had fled for their dear lives.

Malzene himself would have long left Casville if not for the spirits of his gods that kept instructing him to remain there for he had been anointed to undertake a special task in that place, therefore Malzene was literally stuck in a land where he was not loved and constantly had to look back over his shoulders for the fear of being martyred.

Presently, Malzene dragged himself out of his old, dusty chair which was the only useful furniture in his cave house and walked aimlessly around his room. His mind was preoccupied with the events that had taken place at the feasting hall that day.

You might be wondering how an outcast and a wanted man could attend a feast hosted by the King. Well, alongside living in secrecy, Malzene had perfectly mastered the art of disguising. That day, he had used a face mask and had dressed like a noble to the feast.



Malzene let out a heavy sigh, a clear indication that he was worried. He could fathom the fact that Sir Millicent was nowhere near being truthful in his account of what had happened to him since he was last seen in Casville, infact he readily believed that when the spirits revealed it to him in the course of his consultation. What he did not understand was why Sir Millicent would do that. Why would he lie to everyone about what really happened to him?

"I need to find out why," Malzene muttered to himself.

With that, he began to walk briskly to the room he reserved for consulting and speaking with his spirits, knowing somehow that he had to act fast or bad things could happen. Real bad things.

Vantee20, where have you been.

Welcome back.

Divepen: Vantee20, where have you been.

He's a difficult guy to keep up with. Isn't he?

texanomaly:

He's a difficult guy to keep up with. Is t he?

he is.

VanTee20 the great. In larrySun's voice; "welcome back."

His he really back

Ok.

Well written


We need more


The suspense don start.

Divepen: Vantee20, where have you been.

School mostly. School's on break now that's why I could spare the time to scribble some things.

How are you doing bro?

LarrySun: Welcome back.

Thank you sir. As usual, I feel honoured to have you on my thread.

texanomaly:

He's a difficult guy to keep up with.

Nearly everyone says the same thing about me, both virtual and real life friends. I wonder what is wrong. . . . with me.

D9ty7: VanTee20 the great. In larrySun's voice; "welcome back."

D9ty7 the magnificient. . . Thanks bro.

Sheenor: His he really back

Well I just quoted you, that means I'm back.

iebanehita: RESERVED NI!

Lol. I have just deactivated my "reserved mode".

VanTee20:

Nearly everyone says the same thing about me, both virtual and real life friends. I wonder what is wrong. . . . with me.

You are simply a mystery man.

VanTee20:

School mostly. School's on break now that's why I could spare the time to scribble some things.

How are you doing bro?

finish dz before you go

texanomaly:

You are simply a mystery man.

Maybe I am .

Divepen:
finish dz before you go

I'll try.

Guys are waiting.

LarrySun: Guys are waiting.

Waiting for an update you mean? I have just updated. You probably haven't seen it. Kindly use the go up button sir.

Or do you mean something else?

VanTee20:

Waiting for an update you mean? I have just updated. You probably haven't seen it. Kindly use the go up button sir.

Or do you mean something else?

Okay, thanks bro. I didn't know. Off to read.

LarrySun: Okay, thanks bro. I didn't know. Off to read. By the way, what genre are you writing this time? Still humour?

More of fantasy and adventure.

Okay, nice update. Impressive writing style. And as usual, you've got a brilliant sense of description.

To extract from Dicken's classic:

"Please, sir, I want some more."

LarrySun: Okay, nice update. Impressive writing style. And as usual, you've got a brilliant sense of description.

To extract from Dicken's classic:

"Please, sir, I want some more."

Thanks for the encouraging comment sir. You'll definitely get more of the story.

I'm a lover of adventure and won't let this one pass me by. I'm a humble follower of this thread.

waiting 4 d next update.......following

TiffanyJ: I'm a lover of adventure and won't let this one pass me by. I'm a humble follower of this thread.

Welcome on board ma'am.

Atakitisam: waiting 4 d next update.......following

Update coming soon. Thanks for following sir.

vantee , you know say you na my man, if you update this thing nowwwwwww, enn u go hear weunnn,,, abeg now update am, me don dey gbadun the book go,,,mind you am not a lover of literature sooooooooooooooooooo if u no update this this now......patiently waiting for the update....love your thread