Gorkan's brother: prologue

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Prologue

Honor

"Yeh stand before this court accused o' treason fer tryin' te kill da Crown Prince Keldron, on two separate occasions. Our very own Battle Commander, Dargus, thinks he has figured out how yeh pulled it off step by ruthless step. B.C. Dargus yeh have da floor."

"From what I's could tell, me skilled team an a few mages, walked through what would have had te have happened fer this te take place. First he had te acquire da explosives, an he be needin' a lot. We believe he gots them from warehouse B-7. Those logs had been tampered wit. He stored them in a small alcove beside da banks near da detonation site." B.C. Dargus explained. "We couldn't figure out how he gots da explosives te da explosion site. We then determined dat he had te have brought them over little by little so this was thought out an planned. Then we had te figure out where he would have te place da explosives te really do da most damage. It was then dat we realized dat he wasn't tryin' te jest cause damage. Based on da time o' da explosion we figured it was gonna te be at da exact time da Crowned Prince Keldron would be dare fer da inspection. But then as we did more investigatin' we found dat Gorkan had used a different site te place da explosives an dat we were wrong in our original thought of where da explosion be put."

Gorkan just sat there behind the large wooden table that, no doubt, his father, Forge, had built. He sat there with a smug look on his face with his representative right by his side, his, useless representative that is. He could have objected here saying that he was wrong about the explosives so couldn't he be wrong about who did it? They wouldn't have conceded anyway, they all knew he was guilty and he knew his fate, he just wished he had succeeded. All this brought the memory straight back to him.


"Yeh see dat ledge over dare? Dat is where we have te put da charges." Gorkan told his friend.

"But dat be puttin' those dwarves right in da way o' da blast!"

"Aye, but we has no other choice." They both knew the price that Gorkan would pay should he get caught, but he was willing to pay it if it meant this tyrant would never be king. It was a cause worth dying for. "See dat dwarf over dare, da one wit da yellow bucket an red shirt?" Gorkan said pointing to one of the dwarves hanging on a line where he was mining for Mythril. "He be me third grade teacher. I's like him.

There will have te be some losses if we are te gain a kingdom free o' his tyrannical rule. Look at him, he hasn't eaten in two days an hasn't slept in probably longer than dat." They both stared out at the dwarves who would have to be sacrificed for the greater good. "An then dare's dat." He said pointing to a spot on the ground where dwarves were being hung by chains attached to the wall and whipping those dwarves who were out of line. "We be needin' te stop dat from happinin' any more, If'n we git rid o' Keldron, this all goes away, fer good."

The time came to execute the plan and the Crown Prince Keldron, who always came in smiling and jovial until he saw all the dwarves hanging on the wall. Sometimes he would have some of them put to death. It was the morning of that fateful day and they had set up the explosives where they needed to be to kill Keldron. His workers needed to be treated fairly and all the pleas for help from the king had gone unanswered. Some of the writers of those pleas have since disappeared.

"I's sure wish we could be sure he was down dare when we blow this thing."

"Ah relax, he always be showin' up at da exact same time every day. He be as punctual as yeh can git. So don't yeh be worryin' about a thing, he be dare, yeh'll see. Now yeh better git lost or yeh be caught te, an I aint aimin' te bring anyone down wit me if'n I's can help it, so git!"

The time came up on Gorkan to blow the wall. He hesitated slightly and looked at his third-grade teacher asleep on the line dangling one hundred and fifty feet off the ground, closed his eyes and set off the explosives right when Keldron was to be at the bottom of that shaft that day. With his eyes closed remembering his third-grade teacher with tears in his eyes, he thought, 'At least he be sleepin' when it happened.'


"Dare were over forty deaths dat day Gorkan, an dare all on yer head-."

"Enough B.C. Dargus, he be knowin' dat, an has had te live wit dat fer all this time, we know his only target was te be da Crown Prince Keldron. He knows what he did." The ruler of the tribunal told him. "Yeh said dare be a second attempt on da Crown Prince Keldron's life? Go on then."

"A few days after da first attempt failed he still be determined te kill him. He be given da responsibility of helpin' da kitchen staff wit meals fer Royalty. No one be knowin' dat he be responsible fer da first attempt on his life at this time. He be able te slip some fast actin' poison into da Crown Prince's food one day at lunch. He be unaware dat Da Crown Prince had a taster. An dat taster died very quickly, stoppin' da Crown Prince from eatin' his food dat day. Dare be traces o' da poison on him an da mages be able te trace it back te Gorkan anyway. In me opinion as da head investigator fer this case, I see no other dwarf it be other than Gorkan."

"Thank yeh B.C. Dargus, yeh may go sit down now."

He left the stone dais which held witnesses as they were testifying and the ruler of the tribunal sitting in his plush rulers chair stood up and cleared his throat.

"Da king has given me permission te hand down any sentence I choose. But he has also asked te see da guilty party before da sentence be carried out. He will visit yeh in yer cell while yeh await yer sentence te be carried out. Gorkan Nimbledoldt Yeh have failed yer family an yeh have failed this kingdom."

Both Gorkan's parents were in the courtroom with him, like any parent would be. They sat behind him making him feel as if his parents supported him in this. Gorkan knew that his father knew that he did all of this, but he knew his mother, Darcey, would be crushed, but he had to try, he couldn't let that tyrant rule this citadel.

"This tribunal finds dat yeh shall be put te death an no punishment otherwise will be acceptable te Crown Prince Keldron."

His mother cried aloud as still others cheered softly.

"Dat be not all, Yeh should know before yeh die dat this tribunal strips yer family o' all honor. Never again shall yer family be looked at honorably, they shall bare yer shame forever. da king will visit yeh in yer cell while yeh await execution. Yer family is hereby ordered te be present durin' da execution. They must watch yeh bein' put te death so dat no other family will pursue this course o' action against da Crown Prince Keldron. Yeh are excused te yer cell, guards."

"I's one last thing te say before I's go!"

"Alright, let him speak."

"I did this fer all da people an families dat will be affected by this tyrants rule! There will be more! There will be-"

"Alright, dat's enough! Git him outta here!"

He struggled against the restraints as they took him away as he tried to finish what he was saying.

Darcey and Forge just sat there, Forge holding Darcey as she cried. He wasn't surprised by the verdict but Darcey was hoping that the sentence would be life in the dungeons, working in the mines for life, or even banishment would've been better than death in her mind, after all, he was a tyrant.

***

"Let me in."

"Yes Sire. Do be careful." The King just shot him a look and the guard looked at the ground and tried to stand even more at attention.

Immediately Gorkan went down on one knee with his head bowed.

"Yer Majesty."

"Do not even presume te be part o' me kingdom. Me son wanted me te jest banish yeh, thinkin' dat yeh were jest misguided."

"Sire, at da hearin' it be said dat yer son be da one who wanted me dead above all else."

"Are yeh callin' me son a liar!? They were right te execute yeh. I wan'na know jest one thing before they kill yeh. . .Why?"

"He be workin' da miners too hard an some o' them be passin' out at work from da bad conditions, no water, no rest breaks, I seen it, then he punished them or even killed 'em fer passin' out. Dat be da way he's gonna rule, Sire. Yeh can'no let him rule like dat. If I's can make one last request before I's die. Please, teach him how te be better ruler, fer everyone in da Kingdom." Gorkan pleaded.

"So yeh be dyin' as a martyr fer one then, so be it."

"Dare be more out dare than jest me sire."

And so the king left the cell unbelieving of anything Gorkan had just told him. Gorkan never made it till morning.

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