The Swords of Unity

                                            The Swords of Unity

         Chapter 1 Morsia and Norsia and how these stories began

Morsia. It was an impressive empire.  King Matthias had begun to restore order since the war with Exander, which was the bordering country to the east.  Just as everything came together, King Valedik, who was king of Norsia, which was the bordering country to the west, came invading.  Or at least that's what Morsian people would tell you, but before I tell you what Norsia would say I'm going to tell you a little bit more about Morsia.

Morsians consider their country the best place to live and they tell you so in their national anthem.
                            Morsiaaaaaaaa
                            Is the best place to live
                            With the king on high
                            Morsiaaaaaaaaaa
Yes, Morsians think alot about their country.

                            Norsia.  Also an impressive empire.  They were flourishing quite well from the beginning.  King Valedik had been in power for several years and he was king from a long line of kings.  Everything was going smooth until King Matthias came in with the Morsian troops and invaded.

                            Ok.  You're probably confused.  Who invaded who?  The truth.  Nobody really knows.  Morsia says Norsia invaded and Norsia says Morsia invaded.  I personally don't care.  This story is not about debating who invaded who.

                          Oh yeah.  Just so I give you balanced coverage, here's Norsia's national anthem.
                          Norsia, Norsia
                          Land of the Waterfall
                          A place where the trees are green
                          The flowers bloom and life's serene
                            Norsia, Norsia
                            Land of the Waterfall
,Norsia is very much into being a green country.  Nowadays they'd have those signs about throwing trash into the trash can.

                            Ok.  Now that we've had that lovely little background information, documentary, thing, let's get on with the story.

                          It was the year 10.539.  (Don't ask about BC or AD because this is not earth, as you can tell from the point five three nine.  Oh, and by the way this is not just over halfway through the year.  That is the actual year.  The next year will be 10.54.)  War broke out between Norsia and Morsia.  The sounds of swords clinging, people crying in pain, people shouting, and fires burning were heard all throughout both countries.  Constance, who was a Morsian knight, was fighting on the battlefield when his shield and sword were flung out of his hand.  He was attacked and left in the field.  Serrela who was a Norsian nurse went out to tend to the wounded.  She was tending to Constance because without his sword and shield she couldn't tell that he was a Morsian.  He was so badly wounded he had to stay in the hospital for weeks.  As she tended to him and they talked, they fell in love.  Not to long afterwards they got married and Constance changed his name to Colante which was a Norsian name.  Two years later Colante and Serrela had a baby girl who they named Nolare (No-la-ray) and two years after that they had a baby boy they named Yesin (Yay-sin).

                      The war ravaged on.  Norsia was falling into ruins.  Colante and Serrela moved to Morsia because the war hadn’t hurt it as much.  They took on Morsian names. Colante took back the name Constance and Serrela took on the name Salle.  They changed Nolare's name to Nievis and Yesin's name was changed to Yakko.  Nolare/Nievis was 12 and Yesin/Yakko was 10.  We will refer to them in their Morsian names while they are in Morsia. Yakko was immediately drafted into knight training and Nievis was left to roam Morsia. She didn't like Morsia much.  She would've preferred to play in the lakes and amidst the green trees with her best friend Jolare (Jo-la-ray).

                  At age 15 Yakko was an accomplished Morsian knight.  In fact King Matthias, who was getting along in years and had no children of his own, was eyeing him to be the next king.

                Yakko was sent out with troops to go to Colarse.  Colarse was a country about the size of both Norsia and Morsia put together and it was the country bordering both to the north.  He was sent to go and find Norsian troops that were hiding there.  He brought Nievis with him.  As they got to the heart of Colarse, they brought out several Norsian troops.  One day they came to a cave.  Nievis and Yakko went inside.  There was no one in the cave, but what they found were two swords that glowed purple in the dark.  They had inscriptions on them which said, "Three magic swords to honor the unity of Morsia and Norsia."  There was a date on them too.  The date was 2.347.  The alliance between the two countries had long been forgotten.  Yakko and Nievis brought the swords back to King Matthias.  He allowed them to keep them.  He also said that the alliance was long enough ago that this war would have to go on. 

              About a year later, King Matthias was on his death bed and announced the coronation of Yakko.  Yakko then took on the duties as king.  By this time, Yakko had forgotten his life in Norsia and considered himself purely Morsian.  Nievis however hadn't forgotten Norsia.  She still longed for the waterfalls and green trees.

              Yakko led Morsia through the war for 3 years.  During that time Nievis was moved into the palace.  One day Yakko was working through a strategy with Nievis there.  She finally spoke up.  "How can you make these awful plans against your own flesh and blood?  You are half Norsian!  Mom was Norsian!"

              "What?"

              "You don't remember?  From our childhood?  Norsia, Norsia, land of the waterfall."  Nievis sang softly.








Chapter 2 How Unity Returned
Yakko stopped the meeting and pulled Nievis into his room.  “Alright.  So Mom was Norsian, but dad was Morsian and I’m King of Morsia and right now we’re at war with Norsia.  What do you want me to do?”

Nievis looked at him.  “I want you to bring out those swords we found years ago and re-establish the alliance.”

“Fine,.  I’ll attempt it, but if it doesn’t work you cannot blame me.  Norsians can be quite stubborn.”  Yakko started to walk towards the door.

“You should know.  You are partly one of them. ” Nievis, after walking out of the room behind her brother, shut the door.
         
         Yakko gave his commanding officer the new strategy.  Yakko himself would lead the troops with the magic sword in hand to show to the Norsian commander and propose unity.  Then if the commander agreed they would approach the King of Norsia, King Valedik.

         With a battalion of 500 knights, the magic sword, a shield, and Nievis with the other sword that had been found, Yakko went out to meet the Norsian commander.
         The Norsian army was moving fast towards the Morsian army, but when the commander noticed the armor of a king on the man coming towards him while the rest of the army held back, he held his army back and advanced towards the king.

         “What is your business that your army is not advancing with you and that you are even out here?” the commander demanded.

         “I wish to propose peace.”  Yakko said.

         “I shall bring you to the king.  Send your army back and I shall send mine.  Then we shall see his Majesty King Valedik with your proposal.”

         Yakko sent the battalion back to the Morsian castle and the Norsian commander sent his army back to the Norsian castle which is where he, Yakko, and Nievis also headed.

         When they reached the castle Yakko, Nievis, and the Norsian commander they were immediately stopped by guards.  “Who goes there?” they shouted.  “Don’t take another step or we will shoot you.  There are guards farther up with bow and arrow and they are not ones to miss.”

         The Norsian commander calmly explained that Yakko and Nievis were with him.  The guards allowed them to pass through and they soon reached the doors to the throne room where they were stopped by a plethora of guards.  They went through the same routine and were soon walking towards the Norsian throne where King Valedik sat.  When he realized who his visitors were his face took on the look of being perplexed and a little nervous.

         “What business do you, king of Morsia, have that you should come to my castle?  You have brought much anguish on our country since your country first declared war upon us years ago.”  King Valedik put his hand up so that Yakko, Nievis, and the commander could come no further.

         “I wish to make peace.  I want to end this war and the ravage that it is causing.  It is destroying my country just as it is yours.”  Yakko stood unnerved.

         “What can you show me that will prove that you are true to your word and that you aren’t just trying to get us when we are off our guard under a false security that the peace has come?” King Valedik demanded.

         Yakko and Nievis pulled out the magic swords simultaneously.  The guards and the Norsian commander all drew their swords in preparation to defend their king.

         “We have two of the three magic swords of unity that were forged along the border of our countries in honor of the alliance that was made between our countries in the year 2.347.  We wish to restore this alliance; to stop this war and to band together when our countries are invaded.”  Yakko held the sword up and Nievis followed his lead.

         Valedik motioned for the guards and commander to lower their swords.  Then he motioned for the commander to bring Yakko and Nievis closer to him.  “Of what is this alliance you speak.  I don’t remember ever studying it.  No one ever told me about this.”

         “It’s been so long that it doesn’t get mentioned in school or stories.  We didn’t know about it either until we discovered the swords in a cave on an expedition to Colarse.”  Yakko answered.

         “You said you have two of the swords.  Where is the third?” Valedik asked.

         “We don’t know.  There were only two in the cave and we don’t even know how they got to Colarse.  It’s possible the third is in Colarse as well.  I was a knight at the time that we found them and showed them to King Matthias.  He told us that the alliance was too long ago and that the war would go on.  So, being a knight, I did not go out to find the third sword because my duty was to the war at hand.” Yakko explained.

         “Let me examine the swords.  You shall stay here without any harm until I have made a decision.”

         Yakko handed his sword to Valedik as did Nievis.  Then they were escorted to what was to be their quarters until Valedik had made a decision on his examination.

         Yakko and Nievis were served well in suitable quarters.  However, they began to get nervous as time went on.  Valedik hadn’t come to a conclusion and they had been there for three weeks.  This also left Morsia without a king.  Yakko decided he would have to approach Valedik, take back the swords and go back to Morsia so that he could resume command.  The war was still technically on and Yakko feared that Morsia was in shambles without a leader.  Just as he was about to leave his quarters, a guard came in and summoned him and Nievis to the throne room.

         “I have examined the swords and have gone into Norsia’s ancient archives.  They are authentic.  And I would like to have the peace and alliance you propose.  I shall send messengers to all my battalions and they shall cease fighting.”

         “And I shall do the same.” Yakko assured him.  Valedik gave the swords back to Yakko and Nievis and they set out to return to Morsia.  Messengers galloped on horses for hundreds of miles, across the borders of Morsia and Norsia and throughout the entire countries to send the message of peace and ceasefire.

         King Yakko and King Valedik met at the very center point of the border line along with as many knights and citizens as could come to witness the event.  There they signed a treaty that there would be peace between Morsia and Norsia and that they would be allies going to defend each other at every alarm.  The two swords of unity were flashed in the sight of all and the alliance was official.

         The next day both countries had festivals of peace. They celebrated the end of the war and the beginning of the alliance with fireworks, music, horse jumping contests, non-fatal fencing matches and large bonfires. These festivals lasted for three weeks.

         Much reconstruction was done in both countries.  Norsians started planting trees where much had been ravaged.  They cleaned up the waterfalls.  Morsians worked hard at repairing homes and the castle as well.

         







Chapter 3 The Rightful King
         After the festivals, Nievis started doing some research in the ancient archives of Morsia. She always felt that her brother’s kingship was an iffy thing. She just didn’t know why. Even though she was the sister of the king and wasn’t technically a knight, she often performed the duties of one. She had a lot of time on her hands and learned some fascinating history. She learned that Morsia and Norsia had been in alliance before the year 2.347 but they hadn’t forged the swords until then.
         Nievis grabbed another mug of coffee and sat down. She started reading again. She accidentally spilled some coffee on the floor. As she walked away to get something to clean it up, one of the papers fell to the floor. When she came back, she started to clean up the spill. That’s when she saw the paper that had fallen. She picked it up. That’s when the words jumped out at her: Section 4b, paragraph 2, sentence 3 of the Constitution from the year 1.567.
No man should be king of Morsia unless he is a full-blood Morsian back at least six generations. This is an irreversible order.
         “So he’s not the rightful king. Mom was Norsian. That’s only one generation. Now the question is how do I tell him and what do we do when the people find out? Who do we appoint king?”
         Nievis put the paper from the Constitution in a separate place from all the rest of the papers. Then she put the other papers in order and put them back in their respective envelopes. She placed the envelopes on the chestnut shelf. Nievis grabbed the paper she had put aside and ran out of the ancient archives room. She ran down the marble hall and into the throne room. There were several knights listening to the ambassador from Norsia as he gave Norsia’s great thanks for the peace that had come between them. The ambassador stepped away after he finished and walked out of the throne room.
         “Your majesty!,” Nievis called, wishing to keep the familiarities from the knights.
“There is something we must meet about immediately. This is a very urgent matter.”
         Yakko called his most trusted knights and they met in a meeting room in the palace. They sat around a triangular table in a room made of marble.
         “What is the matter my sister?” Yakko asked.
         “According to the Constitution written in the year 1.567, you are not a rightful king of Morsia. I have a copy of the section which says so here.” Nievis pulled out the paper. “Section 4b, paragraph 2, sentence 3, says, ‘No man should be king of Morsia unless he is a full-blood Morsian back at least six generations. This is an irreversible order.’”
         “You are correct. And it is one of the irreversible orders. But why has it not come up? Why did no one stop me from taking the throne?” Yakko asked.
         “No one reads the Constitution any more. It’s not taught in schools. It’s been so long. No one knows what it says anymore. It just sits in the archives collecting dust.” Nievis answered. “I read it because I was interested.”
         “This matter must be dealt with.” Yakko said determinedly. “I want every pure blood Morsian back to the sixth generation or farther found and brought to this court. We must find a man of valor, of virtue, of kindness, and who will keep the peace and alliance with Norsia. I will remain king out of necessity until we find a rightful king.” Yakko sent 50 knights to search Morsia and make inquiries. For many days the knights traveled in all directions. They went through the valley. Some went up the mountains within Morsia’s borders. Others searched the area right around the palace. An order was written which said, “By order of King Yakko, all males who can trace their lineage back six generations and find only pure Morsians on both sides of the family must be at the King’s castle 25 days from now.”
         Families pulled out their lineage recordings. Soon all over Morsia a wave of 3,456 men migrated through valleys, mountains, lakes, and hills to the castle. They were checked at the castle gate and let in. Without being told for what they were there, they were asked many questions. They were asked about their lineage. Were they descendants of knights, blacksmiths, kings, etc?… They were asked their thoughts about the peace and alliance with Norsia. They were asked questions about their social preferences, travel preferences, and even food preferences. The food question was just a random question to lighten the mood. In the end, it came down to three candidates:.a 9 year old boy, a 25 year old man who had come from the mountains, and a 16 year old young man who had come from a place at the very foot of the castle. All the rest of the men were sent back to their homes to take care of their families.
         The three were summoned to the throne room. All of the knights of the land, their wives, King Yakko, and his sister Nievis were present. King Yakko stood and summoned the three to come close to the throne. They walked toward the throne. All were quiet and so their footsteps echoed through the great marble room. When they finally approached the throne King Yakko began to speak.
         “According to the Constitution from the year 1.567, I am not the rightful king of Morsia. The order states that the king be pure blood Morsian back to the at least the sixth generation. It also states that this is not a reversible order. You all fit the pure blood Morsian requirement. You also fit the requirements I give of valor, virtue, kindness and a willingness to keep the peace and alliance we now have with Norsia. You have been brought here as possible candidates to take my place as king as I must step down in accordance with the Constitution.” King Yakko finished this statement and sat down on his throne. “Now, you will all give me reasons why you believe you should have the honor of kingship. You have two days to think and pray about this.” At this the three were escorted to spacious rooms in the castle. They were fed with great feasts at the kings table for the next two days. They then came back to the throne room.
         King Yakko then asked them why they thought they should be given the kingship. The 25 year old man gave his answer first.
         “I have the most experience out of the three of us. I’m not so old that I should die shortly after becoming king. I’m smart and strong. I will honor the treaty and I am the descendant of the great knight Sir Bancon of Morsia.”
         Next came the 16 year old’s answer. “I have experience in life. I have a chance of being on the throne longer then this man beside me.” He pointed to the 25 year old. “And I, being older am wiser than this boy to the other side of me.” He now pointed to the 9 year old. “I am a descendant of the great knight Sir Firion. He is even greater then Sir Bancon. So amongst the three of us, I believe I am the best for the job.”
         “And you young sir?” King Yakko said pointing to the 9 year old boy.
         “Your majesty, I must say that I have nothing to tell you. I am very young. I will not try to convince you that I am right for this responsibility because I believe the only way I can even begin to be a good king is if God helps me.”
         “Thank you.” King Yakko said to the three men. “I will meet with my council of knights and we will decide who of you will take this responsibility.”
         The candidates were escorted back to their quarters and King Yakko, Nievis and the council of knights met again in the meeting room that they had met in when they first talked about the Constitution.
         “Well men,” King Yakko began, “what are your thoughts?”
         “I think that Greipen would be the right candidate. Being 25 he has the most experience of the three yet he is young enough to be on the throne for a good long time” said Sir Stipen, one of the knights closest to King Yakko.
         “Poride would be a better choice. He may be younger but that puts him longer on the throne, thus creating longer stability. His lineage is the best, so his chances of doing well are better” Sir Mencen spoke up.
         Sir Santes who was the newest knight gave his opinion next. “Joshua, would be the best choice.”
         Sir Mencen stared at Sir Santes. “He is nine years old and gave no reason as to why he should be king. He even said he shouldn’t.”
         Sir Santes sat listening, than he calmly answered, “That is exactly why he is right to be king. He saw the kingship as a responsibility, not a job. He is not prideful as the others are. He is humble. If given the kingship he would ask for God’s help. Neither of the others even mentioned God. He will seek council when he doesn’t know what to do. And the last thing as well as the least thing is that he will probably be the longest on the throne.” Sir Santes sat down.
         Nievis had been nodding throughout Sir Santes sentiments. King Yakko stood up. “I have listened to your thoughts and I agree with Sir Santes. Joshua shall be next king. His coronation ceremony will be in thirty days. Send a decree throughout the land and have his parents brought to the palace immediately.” Yakko sat down, the knights left and Nievis smiled.

         The coronation was a beautiful ceremony. They did it at an outdoor throne area where all  could see. There were thousands of Morsian citizens filling the area to see the coronation of the new young king. Joshua walked down a row that had been left between the people as flutists and harpists played music. When Joshua reached the throne he turned towards the people. Then Yakko came up with the crown and Nievis came with a rose which was a Morsian symbol for kingship. Nievis handed Joshua the rose and Yakko placed the crown on Joshua’s head. “May you rule with wisdom and God’s help” Yakko said with his voice projected for all to hear. Joshua then knelt in front of Yakko and Yakko tapped his sword on Joshua’s shoulders and head as if knighting him. Then Joshua’s parents were brought to the “stage” and Joshua sat on the throne. “Morsia, your new King.” Yakko said and then he went down and took his place among the people. All the Morsians cheered and so Joshua, who was a rightful king, took his kingship.

         


Chapter 4  Return to Norsia
         Yakko and Nievis moved out of the palace. Now they had to find a new place to go. “His Majesty King Joshua has offered us a home at the foot of the palace.” Yakko said.
         “Yakko, I want to go back to Norsia and take on my Norsian name. You can stay in Morsia, but I am going back to Norsia.” Nievis said.
         “No my sister, I will go with you to Norsia. You are my sister, my only relation. Where you go I will also.” Yakko answered.
         So it was settled. Yakko and Nievis made the long journey back to Norsia. They packed everything up including the two magic swords. They had a safe uneventful journey from the castle in Morsia to a little town just over the border in Norsia because everyone knew who they were. Nievis remembered where they had once lived and remembered where her old friend Jolare had lived. So after staying at a small inn for the night they set out again to a town nearly at the foot of the castle of Norsia. There they found the house Jolare had lived in at the time when they had lived in Norsia. The house was in good order. It was small but not too small. The house was made of sturdy wooden logs and it now had flowers all around it. Nievis knocked on the door.
         Jolare answered. When she opened the door she was at first confused, but then as she looked at her guests more closely her face lit up. “Nolare? Is that you? Oh it’s so good to see you!” Jolare threw her arms around Nievis/Nolare’s neck.
         Nievis hugged her back. “Yes, it’s me Jolare. Nolare, yes that’s my given name. It’s so good to hear it again.”
         Yakko looked at Nolare, we shall call her Nolare for the rest of the story. “What is my given name then?” Yakko asked.
         “Yesin.” Nolare answered. We shall call him Yesin for the rest of the story.
         “Yesin, yes I remember that.” Yesin hugged Jolare as well, then Jolare invited them in to the house and they sat down to some fruit and water. Jolare offered them a place to sleep for the night and told them they could stay there as their permanent residence if they wished.
         The next morning Yesin and Nolare thanked Jolare and after eating a breakfast of bread and fruit talked about their next plans. Yesin had every intention of going to the castle and being enlisted as a knight in the service of King Valedik. Nolare said that she would go with him, and Jolare, being the third cousin to the king, offered to go with them so that they could go through without any trouble from the guards. They did not have to go very far to reach the castle entrance as the house they were in was practically at the castle’s foot.
         As they approached the entrance they were immediately stopped by the guards. Jolare spoke. “I am Jolare, the third cousin to the king and those accompanying me are my friends Yesin and Nolare. Yesin would like to be enlisted as a knight under his majesty King Valedik.”
         “Ah, Miss Jolare, you and your friends may proceed” the guard said kindly and so they passed through.
         “I visit my third cousin the king often,” Jolare said. “so many of the guards know me.”
         They reached the throne room where other guards checked them over, and seeing Jolare, let them through. They walked into the throne room where King Valedik seeing Jolare summoned them forward. After warm greetings between Jolare and the King and introductions, Valedik asked what the business was that Nolare and Yesin had.
         “I wish to become a knight in your court.” Yesin said boldly. “My sister has just come to accompany me as she has for so many other excursions and adventures since our parents died.”
         King Valedik hushed Yesin. “Are you King Yakko of Morsia? If so why do you wish to be a knight in my court. You are already a good king of a great land.”
         Yesin nodded. “I was once King Yakko of Morsia but have since found out that, being King of Morsia violates the Constitution written in the year 1.567 which stated that the king must be pure Morsian back to the sixth generation. Since my mother was Norsian I did not meet this requirement and so we have since coronated another king who does meet this requirement. You had not been informed?”
         “Now that I think of it,” King Valedik began, “I do remember one of my messengers telling me that Morsia had a new, and very young king.”
         “Yes, his name is Joshua and he is a humble young boy looking to God for help.” Yesin said happily.
         “What brings you to be a knight in my court?” Valedik asked.
         “I am half Norsian. After I gave up my kingship of Morsia, I asked my sister where she was going to go. She said she was going to come back to Norsia. I could’ve stayed in Morsia but with my sister leaving I felt that I should go with her. I thought it only proper to serve my homeland as a knight under the king.” Yesin answered.
         “Then you shall start training in seven days from now. You will live in the castle with all the other knights in training. Your sister may have a room in the castle as well if she so wishes.” Yakko said.
         “Actually your majesty I would prefer to live with Jolare. She offered that we could stay with her as a permanent residence. That puts me close to the castle. Would I be able to visit my brother?” Nolare asked.
         “You will have free reign to visit him whenever you wish. There are only a few times when you will have to refrain from spending time with him. You will be given notice of them when his training begins.” Valedik answered. “Yesin, you will start training in 7 days from now.”
         Yesin, Nolare, and Jolare went back to Jolare’s house. Yesin left a week later to begin his training. Nolare went with him to sort of see him off. Then she went back to Jolare’s where she took up permanent residence.
         Yesin’s training took six months, about half the time of other knights since he had already been through knights training in Morsia and had been king. Nolare went to visit many times. Yesin had to give his magic sword to Nolare for safe keeping. He had to use a regulation sword.
         The history of the alliance and peace from back years ago as well as that of what has just happened became a part of history books as Yesin took on the task of education. It was a duty a knight could perform, and so he took on that job so that what was in the ancient archives would no longer be lost.

         
















Chapter 5 Morsia Attacked/Norsia Comes to Aid
         One day as Yesin and Nolare were talking in the palace, not too far from the throne, a messenger from the Morsian/Norsian border came. “Exander, the country to the east of Morsia has invaded it.” He yelled as he ran towards the throne. King Valedik turned to him as he had been speaking with one of the guards.
         “We shall go to their aid. Sir Yesin, I want you to take your best knights and go to the border, find out the exact situation and aid them in battle. Send one of your knights back to bring more troops to help in the battle. Once you have help from Norsian knights I want you to go into Exander and capture the king. Then I want you to bring him to King Joshua.”
         “Yes your majesty.” Yesin answered. Yesin and Nolare bowed to the king and silently left the throne room. “Nolare, you go back to Jolare’s and get the unity swords. We shall use those. I will go and get my troops.”
         Nolare ran out of the castle. Yesin ran down the stone stairs to where the knights stayed. Nolare practically ran through the open door and grabbed the swords. She put on a belt and connected her scabbard to it. Then she put her sword in the scabbard and carried the other sword as she ran out of the house and towards the palace.
Yesin and his knights passed by maple, oak, and evergreen trees. They ran past the creek which reflected the blue sky. They ran past houses. Children were chasing after each other as a woman filled up a bucket with water from the creek. Some of the children stopped to watch the knights, while others kept running around. A gaggle of geese was crossing the path and scattered as the knights kept running. Finally Nolare and Yesin crossed paths. They then started running down the path towards the Morsian border.
When they reached the border they found the knights that had been posted there. Yesin showed his sword and inquired of the situation. “Six days ago, arrows came flying from right over our border with Exander. Ever since then Exanderan knights have been pushing into Morsia and fighting with us. King Joshua has sent out every battalion of knights to fight. Exander is a strong force though and we have been having trouble pushing them back. We sent your border knight to you as soon as the message came this far, which was two days after the arrows started flying.”
“Fronay, go back to Norsia and get all the battalions of knights. Inform King Valedik of what we have been told. Then bring the knights with you. Ride in haste.” Yesin instructed his knight. “You knights who are here I want all but two of you to move forward to where the battles are happening and I want you to join the Morsian knights. The two of you that are to stay here will instruct the knights coming here with Fronay. Nolare, you and I are going into Exander.” Everyone moved quickly and went on their way to their new assignments.
“We shall go up through Colarse in order to be out of the fighting. We will head east through Colarse and then move back south when we reach the borders. Then we shall enter Exander and go through the woods until we get to the castle. That’s when we will have to leave our cover.” Yesin said.
Nolare nodded. They started heading North right along the Morsian/Norsian border. They stopped for the night under a couple of trees right over the border of Colarse. After eating a little bit of bread and an apple from the tree the next morning, they started heading east. They went through a small forest where wild apple trees grew. They gathered some apples to eat on their way. They soon reached the edge of the forest and came to a town. It was getting dark and both Nolare and Yesin were quite tired. They stopped at an inn that night. There they were fed with toast, cheese and milk. Then they were on their way again. It took them three days to get through Colarse. They started heading south, keeping to the forest areas, to stay out of the fighting. They would be in it soon enough.
They finally reached the spot in Exander where by if they went due east they would hit the castle. It took another day to get there. Nolare and Yesin left the trees only to walk directly into a battle. They fought along side the Morsian knights. They were able to plow through, only to be met by guards at the castle. These they fought until they were able to tie them up. Then they climbed up the stone walls of the castle as the drawbridge was up and they got to the top. They then quietly walked down the marble stairs that led directly to the throne room. Some guards walked right by the stairs. Nolare and Yesin froze. The guards didn’t look towards the stairs and so they were safe. They got to the throne room. They were stopped by more guards, which they also tied up. Then they threw the doors open to the throne room and walked in.
The king of Exander turned his head. “Who are you and why did my guards allow you to enter my throne room?”
“I am Sir Yesin, knight of Norsia. This is my sister Nolare who is also pledged to protect Norsia.”
“You are an ally to our enemies, Morsia. They have attacked us.” the king declared.
“That is not what Morsia has told us. They have said that you attacked them.” Yesin answered.
“Well they have lied to you.” The king said back.
“You will have to come with us and prove that.” Yesin said boldly. Then he and Nolare showed their magic swords and people in the throne room came after them to defend their king. But Nolare and Yesin had been fighting and working together for too long and those people got tied up just like the guards had been.
Then the king took out his sword to fight but as he fought he saw that he was losing the battle and so he began to run away. Nolare chased after him and caught him by the robe. He let it fall off him and started to run out of the throne room. Nolare let the robe drop and she and Yesin ran after him. They realized the hallway he was running down could be gotten to from another way and so Nolare went around to the end of the hall and Yesin kept chasing after him. The king lost his shoe and began to slide on the marble floor. He stopped himself and found that he was trapped. Nolare and Yesin walked toward him and grabbed him by the arms. They tied him up in such a way that he could walk and even speak if he wished and they moved him out of the castle. A Morsian knight was waiting at the bottom with three white horses. They placed the king on one horse and after making sure they could have control of the of the king’s horse, the other two horses were mounted them, and galloped back up to Colarse. They stayed at the same inn as they had on their way and stayed near the same patch of trees. Then they started the trek through Morsia staying in the trees to keep out of the fighting. They reached the castle where they were stopped by the guards, one of which was Sir Santes and when they were recognized, they were allowed to tie up their horses and to enter the throne room.
King Joshua sat on the throne and his parents sat on thrones near him. He was now ten. “Your majesty, we present to you the king of Exander.” Yesin said.
“Thank you Sir Yesin. You are a credit to your master King Valedik.” King Joshua said kindly. Then he turned to the Exanderan king. “Why has your country attacked mine?” he asked.
“My country didn’t attack yours. Your country attacked mine.”
“Where’s your proof of that?” Joshua asked.
“I was told you attacked and so I came in and invaded.” The Exanderan king answered. “I was only protecting my country.”
“I was told you had attacked us. That’s why my knights are fighting with yours.” Joshua answered.
“Well somebody lied to somebody.” The Exanderan king said. “My knights wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Neither would mine.” King Joshua said.
“Well, call off your attack because I have the arrowhead from your country that came at us before we did anything to attack.”
“Just because you have an arrowhead doesn’t mean it wasn’t fired after you attacked us.” King Joshua countered.
“Yes it is!” The Exanderan king started to yell. He got extremely red in the face.
“Bring him to the dungeon.” King Joshua commanded. “Bring him some food. He will be brought back here tomorrow when he’s had some rest and some time to cool down.”
The King of Exander was brought to the dungeon and given bread and cheese and fruit. Nolare and Yesin were given rooms in the palace for the night. The next morning the king was brought back.
“I demand to be let go!” He said.
“You will be allowed to go as soon as you call off your troops and call a truce.” King Joshua said.
“How can I do that unless I go back to my palace and am able to tell my messenger?” the king of Exander asked.
“Sir Yesin and the Lady Nolare will bring one of your troops from the battle field and you will tell him to bring the news throughout the battlegrounds. Actually they will bring more then one so they can go all directions and the news will be brought faster.”
Yesin and Nolare nodded. They soon went out. They captured six Exanderan knights and brought them back to the throne room 5 hours later. The king of Exander told the knights what they were to do and the knights went out in six different directions. Within a day the news had reached all battlegrounds and the fighting stopped. The Exanderan knights went back to Exander and the king of Exander was escorted back to his castle.
Many more times Morsia was invaded and Norsia came to aid. The same happened to Norsia and Morsia came to aid. The alliance was kept until the countries became a part of Colarse hundreds of years down the line.
         
         


Section 2 The Third Sword Chapter 6 How the quest began
         Yesin and Nolare went back to Norsia in peace. They were accompanied by all the Norsian knights that had come to the battles. Yesin and Nolare stopped at Jolare’s home and stayed there for a night. Jolare accompanied them the next morning to the palace.
         King Valedik gave a great ceremony. They thanked God that Exander had ceased fighting with Morsia and that they could all live in peace again.
         Then King Valedik had a meeting with his most trusted knights, including Yesin. Nolare and Jolare were brought into the meeting as well.
         “Sir knights” King Valedik began, “and ladies.” He looked towards Jolare and Nolare. “As I have read through the archives and from what I remember of looking at the magic swords of unity that are in Sir Yesin and Lady Nolare’s possession I have come to see that there were three swords of unity. I feel that we must search for the third. I would like to send out knights to Colarse to search the entire country to try and find it. If they do not find the sword there I would like them to split and search Morsia and Norsia. If they don’t find it there I would like them to then search the countries across the south borders of Morsia and Norsia. If the sword is found we shall have a ceremony with the king of Morsia. One sword will become possession of the palace here. One will be possession of the Morsian palace and the third will be set in the ground at the very center of our Morsian/Norsian border.” The king finished what he wanted to say.
         Sir Fronay and Sir Yesin immediately took on the adventure. Nolare said she would go along as well. Jolare smiled and offered her help. One of the knights under Sir Yesin’s command, Sir Nontay, also agreed to join the quest. The five of them set out the next morning.
         They went off on horses. They had a stock of bread and fruit and water in their sacks. They all carried swords. Nolare and Yesin had the magic swords. They went straight north from the palace up into Colarse. So the quest for the third sword of unity began.
         
Chapter 7 Bandits!
         The party stopped at a clearing with a few trees and a small stream for the night. They tied up their horses. They ate some food and refilled their water canisters at the stream. Then after unrolling their sleeping bags they retired for the night.
         Sometime in the middle of the night a rustling of the trees awakened Nolare. She grabbed her sword and stood up in alert. She tried to be quiet so as to not wake the others if the wind was what woke her. The night was still though. She didn’t believe it was the wind. Suddenly three men with masks on jumped out of the tree in front of her. Three more jumped out of the tree behind her. Nolare screamed. The rest of the party woke up and grabbed their swords. They were surrounded. The masked men were all dressed in black. Several more had come up out of the tall grass. There were at least twenty of them.
         They started shouting in a language unintelligible to the party. Then they moved in. Several of them moved in on the party, while others started to untie the horses and look through the sleeping bags.
         Sir Fronay and Jolare went after the bandits who were plundering. Sir Yesin, Nolare and Sir Nontay fought off the ones who were going after them.
Jolare was able to tie up two of the four bandits that were plundering. Then she started chasing after the horses. Sir Fronay tied up the other two and went to help Jolare.
         Sir Yesin, Nolare, and Sir Nontay turned in different directions and each fought off five bandits. Nolare slashed at the men she was fighting. One of them got her in the leg, but she kept fighting until she could tie them up.
         Yesin was able to fight and tie up his charges with ease. Sir Nontay took a little longer. They also slashed at him but missed. One had chased after Jolare and Sir Fronay.
After all the bandits but the one who had gone after Jolare and Sir Fronay were tied up, Yesin and Sir Nontay turned toward Nolare to tend to her wound.
         “It’s not too bad.” Nolare said as she sat with her leg straight out in front of her. Yesin examined the wound.
         “It’s only a flesh wound.” He said. “Sir Nontay, go get some water from the stream and start a fire. I will get some of the bandage cloth we have.” Sir Nontay nodded and grabbed a bucket and went down to the stream. Yesin went and got some cloth.
         When Sir Nontay came back with the water, Yesin tore a small piece of the bandage and dipped it in the water. He cleaned the wound, and put the clean bandage on Nolare’s leg, while Sir Nontay started a fire.
         Jolare and Sir Fronay caught up with the horses. The bandit that had chased after them caught up with them and started to swing his sword at them. They nearly lost the horses reigns again as they tried to fight him off. Sir Fronay took control of the horses. Jolare fought with the bandit. She jabbed and swung her sword to chase him away from the horses.
The horses calmed down. Sir Fronay coordinated the horses so that he could get on one and still control the others.
Jolare kept fighting with the bandit. He was strong and fought a tough fight. He got her arm but he got her left arm. She fought with her right.
Jolare jumped backwards. The bandit moved toward her. She nixed his fighting arm and was able to push him back and tie him up.
She then escorted him to the horses and had him put on one. She got on another and took control of the horse that the bandit was on. Then she, Sir Fronay, the bandit and the horses went back to the camp.
         When they reached the camp they tied the last bandit around the tree with all the others. Then Yesin cleaned the wound on Jolare’s arm. He grabbed another bandage and bandaged her up as well. Sir Nontay threw some more sticks on the fire.
         “I think we might need to stay awake for the rest of the night. Nolare and Jolare you may sleep. It would be good for you since you are both wounded. Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay, you will stay awake with me. We don’t want to be caught unawares by any more bandits. Are the horses alright?” Yesin asked.
         Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay went over and checked on the horses. They found no wounds or scratches. The horses were maybe a little spooked but otherwise they were alright. They brought some water to the horses and sat down in front of the fire. The next morning they woke Jolare and Nolare. They untied the bandits from the tree but didn’t untie them completely. After they made sure everyone including the bandits had eaten something they collected more water. Then Nolare and Jolare mounted their horses while Sir Fronay, Sir Nontay and Yesin took control of the bandits and walked along side their horses.
         For a while they walked peacefully. But after a couple of hours some of the bandits tried to get out. One of them even did get out. He started to run. Many others attempted to escape. Yesin, Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay had a strong hold on them.
         Nolare had her horse galloping after the escaped bandit. “I already got you once” the bandit yelled at her. “You think I won’t get you again?” the bandit threatened.
         “No, I don’t think you will!” Nolare shot back. She was gaining on him. He ran even faster. She finally caught up with him and bent down and grabbed him by the shirt. She stopped the horse and turned it around. The bandit stopped trying to run as his feet were off the ground. Nolare dismounted the horse while still holding onto the bandit’s shirt. She tied the bandit up in a stronger knot. Then she placed him on the horse in front of her and galloped back to the party. She placed the bandit down back in the care of Sir Fronay and they started traveling again.
         Night fell and they stopped again. The horses were glad for the rest. The bandits were again tied to a tree. Everyone ate. They even gave the bandits something to eat and drink. Nolare and Jolare stayed up that night since they had gotten to sleep the night before. They tended a fire.
         The next morning they woke everyone up and set out again. Jolare was extremely tired and slept on her horse. One of the men took the horse in control along with the bandits that they were given charge. Nolare helped with the bandits and horses that day, lightening the load for the men.
         They reached a wild apple tree in the middle of the day and picked some apples. They made sure there was enough for all twenty five of them. The horses took the chance to graze on the grass. After about ten minutes they started moving again. Jolare was awake and came down to relieve Nolare of her charges. Nolare slept for a while but woke up again and took on a few charges in order to lighten the load of everyone. The going was slow because they didn’t want to lose control of the bandits. They finally reached a town.
         When they came to the town they were greeted by the man who stood at the outskirts. He directed them towards an inn and also told them where to find the nearest jail. “You go down street to the left; it’s the seventh building on the right.” He said.
         The party moved through the town. They soon came to the seventh building on the right. The man in charge of the jail was grateful. “We’ve been after this band for a while. We’ve got twenty of them already in our jail. The entire band is sixty. Thank you so much for getting them for us. They’ve been plundering encampments as well as the homes in this area for quite some time. Everyone’s been on the look out.” The party saw that the bandits were put behind bars. They didn’t want to take any chances. They then went into the market to buy some food and get some water. There was a place to water the horses. They tied the horses there and walked around the market place. They bought some fruit and some bread. They also got some cheese. They sat down to a hearty lunch in the middle of a field. After they had eaten they filled their water containers again. They went, untied the horses, and walked over to the inn. At the inn they were given a place to tie the horses where there was water for them to drink and also some carrots to feed them. They fed the horses and walked into the inn. They were given two rooms; one for the men and the other for the women. They talked in the room for the men.
         “I think we need a good break.” Yesin said. “I think we should stay here for two or three nights. This will give us time to recooperate from lack of sleep and for Nolare and Jolare’s wounds to properly heal.”
         Sir Fronay agreed. “I am exhausted myself. I think we should stay for three nights. We could go through the town and possibly find the sword stuck in some secret place somewhere.”
         “Good thinking Sir Fronay.” Sir Nontay said. “The rest is very important and we were told to search the entire country.”
         Nolare nodded. “There are places that the sword could be here. Our horses must be as tired as we are.”  Jolare nodded in agreement.
         “It’s settled then.” Yesin said. We shall stay here for 3 nights and will search for the sword during the day. We’ll get some sleep and our horses will get a proper break. This gives us a chance to grab some provisions.” The little party then went to their respective rooms. They retired for the night.

         










Chapter 8  The Colarsen King
         The party stayed in that town for those three nights. The rest they got was quite good. They got hot delicious meals that were filling. Their horses were also well fed and well rested.
         During the time they were there, they searched everywhere for the sword: every house, everywhere in the market place, every room in the inn, and even the jailhouse. They turned up with nothing however. There was even a cave that they searched every nook and cranny of. They still turned up with nothing.
         So they went out from the town after re-stocking their provisions. The next three nights they came across no towns or villages. They traded off keeping watch every night. They had no more run-ins with bandits. They had to fight off a bear who came after the horses but that was a very short encounter. Nolare and Jolare were keeping watch. The bear showed up and started causing a ruckus with the horses. Nolare and Jolare pulled out their swords and jumped at the bear. The bear ran terrified and that was the last they saw of it.
         They ran into a couple of beggars along the way too. The party would each give a small portion of food from their provisions to them and the beggar would be happily on their way. Other then that, the three days after leaving the town were uneventful. They kept searching for the sword. They passed by a few caves which they searched and they kept their eyes open whenever they passed trees and they even scanned the grassy landscape to see if there was anything flashing in the sunlight. Still nothing came up.
         After three days they came to a town again. They decided to stay for a night. The next morning they did a search of the town. As they kept going they realized how big this town was. Then they bumped into a knight. When they looked at him they saw behind him the stone walls of a castle.
         Yesin spoke first. “Sir knight, we are from the land of Norsia to the south of you. I am Sir Yesin, this is Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay. And these are the Ladies Nolare and Jolare who are also committed to the protection of Norsia and its’ allies. We come in peace and we are on a mission to find a sword. It is the third of the swords that represent unity between Norsia and Morsia. Our quest brings us to your country because that is where the other two swords were found. We would like to ask permission to enter this castle so that we may have our search be thorough.
         “I do not recognize you or your party sir and I will not grant you access to the castle,” the guard replied.
         “Please, Sir Knight. We are on an important mission and it could not be properly brought about without searching this castle.” Sir Yesin pleaded.
         The guard drew his sword. “I will have to throw you into the dungeon if you keep on insisting access to the castle!” He shouted. Then he called for assistance from the other guards and a small battle broke out. The party was tired. They had, had only one good night’s sleep in the past four nights and so their fighting was not at its best. As a result they lost, their weapons were taken away, their horses were tied to a post by the castle, and they were carried off to the dungeon. There they were given food and left.
They took the opportunity to sleep. They saw that even though they were in a dungeon they were also safe from bandits and other dangers. They slept well that night. The next morning they were woken up by a guard. “Get up. We have examined your belongings and now the king wishes to speak with your leader.”
Everyone pointed at Yesin. The guard opened the door to their cell and escorted Yesin to the throne room. When Yesin and the guard were about 15 steps away from the throne the king raised his hand in an order for them to not come any closer. The guard stopped and so did Yesin. Then the king spoke. “Please state your name and your business here in our land of Colarse. Why have you asked for access to my castle?”
Yesin answered. “I am Sir Yesin. Knight of Norsia and…”
The King interrupted Yesin. “Two of the swords in your possession have inscriptions on them about unity between Norsia and Morsia.”
“Yes sir.” Yesin bowed as he said this. “We are on a mission to find the third sword. When Morsia and Norsia were at war not long ago the Morsian army came here looking for Norsian troops that were hiding. On that expedition the two swords now in our possession were found in a cave.”
“But you just stated that you are a knight of Norsia. How did the swords come into your possession if they were found by the Morsians?” the king asked.
“I was a knight of Morsia at that time and I was part of the party that came here, as was my sister.” Yesin answered.
“You have since become a Norsian knight?” asked the king.
“Yes,” answered Yesin.
“I see,” said the king. “You are on a noble quest. You may certainly continue it. I will send a message to all the guards of my castle to let you search it, but please stay here tonight in my guest rooms and come to a banquet which I will have prepared for you.”
Yesin bowed and left the throne room. Servants of the Colarsen king prepared 2 guest rooms, one for the women and the other for the men. Guards were sent to let the others out of the cell.
That night there was a great banquet held in honor of the party’s noble quest. There was turkey, and roast pig. There were lots of freshly picked fruits from the orchard and vegetables from the gardens. The king sat at the head of the table and Sir Yesin, Nolare, Jolare, Sir Nontay and Sir Fronay sat in the seats closest to the king’s. The king gave a toast. “To the protectors of Norsia and their quest for unity!” Everyone held up their cups and cheered. 
The rooms were cozy and spacious. The beds were fluffy and had warm covers. The rugs were soft under your feet and were a beautiful deep red color. The rooms had balconies that looked out over the Colarse River. The party slept very well that night.
The next morning the king gave the order to let the party search the castle. Then he accompanied them in their search. He showed them every nook and cranny. He let them roam all the secret passages and he gave some history of the pictures that were hanging on the walls. “That man right there was my great, great, great, great grandfather. He reigned here in Colarse for 57 years before he died and my great, great, great grandfather took the throne. And the man next to him, my 5 greats grandfather reigned for 60 years. They were great rulers. They kept the peace and everyone was happy.”  The party got to search the dungeon. They found a spot where a stone on the wall opened but there was nothing in there.
After searching the whole castle they found nothing. That night they stayed in the guest rooms again because by the time they had searched the castle, it was dark. The next morning, they ate a hearty breakfast. They made sure the horses were fed and watered and then they started again on their journey. “The Colarsen king was very generous to us.” Yesin said. Everyone agreed.










Chapter 9 Comay and his mother
Sir Yesin, Sir Fronay, Sir Nontay, Jolare, and Nolare went on for four days without hitting another town. Along the way they came to a cave which they searched thoroughly.  The cave had a few small pots which looked like they hadn’t been used for years but there were no swords.
They also bumped into some people who lived in tents. They were very generous and showed them where to find wild apple trees. They also gave them some basic information about the surrounding area. They were told where the local bandits hid and they were shown which spot in the river they could catch the most fish in. They searched the surrounding area but didn’t find the sword.
They even swam up and down the river to see if the sword was floating or even jammed into the sand below. They still found nothing. They spent the night in one of the tents eating fish and apples. They collected some apples for the journey and kept going.
They finally came to a town two days after their night in the tent. They got themselves checked into an inn and had their horses put safely into a stable and started searching the town. They started with the inn. They got permission to go into other rooms.  At this time of year they had pretty much no business so they were all unoccupied. They walked down the street to the jailhouse. There was no one in jail. They searched all the cells. Nothing.
After checking the restaurant they started going through homes. The first row of homes came up with nothing. The homeowners heard their story and let them in but still nothing. One place they found a sword but it wasn’t the one they were looking for. In another home they found a silver cross that looked like a sword hilt but it wasn’t a sword hilt. As they went down a third row of houses they came to one in which a young man named Comay, about 12, and his mother lived. When the party told about their quest the mother became excited. “Norsia! Oh that’s wonderful. I’m Norsian but my husband was Colarsen. He died a couple years ago. How I’ve wanted to go back to Norsia but when the wars broke out and everything I didn’t feel safe. May we join you on your quest?”
“I’m not sure.” Yesin said. “We don’t want to put your son in any danger.”
“But I’m good with a sword. My dream is to one day go to Norsia with mother when I’m older and become a knight.” Comay said. “Now we can get their sooner and I can start my training sooner.”
“Alright,” Yesin answered. “You may come, but if the danger becomes too much we shall escort you back here.”
“Yes!” Comay shouted. His mother clapped her hands. They quickly packed their belongings and after packing it on horses and mounting them they were off. The party searched the rest of the town with nothing to show for it. They stayed at the inn for a night and left early the next morning.
As they kept going they came to realize more and more that Colarse was big but not overly inhabited. They went through another space of no towns. They followed the river, swimming in it each day to look and see if the sword was floating in it and were lucky to find wild apple trees and berry bushes.
One night they were visited by lions. There were two of them and they were quite ferocious. At first they just tried to eat some food that was lying on the ground but Comay had stayed awake with Jolare and Nolare when they were keeping watch. He noticed them first. He drew his sword and went up to them. He went after the lions flashing his sword back and forth. They started slashing their claws at him. They missed. He jabbed at them. One of them he got in the nose.  It started running away. The other kept at him.
The girls were on their feet at this time. They came after the lions too. Three more lions showed up. It became a battle between lions and people. The girls were surrounded. They slashed and flashed as the lions swiped back.
Comay was still fighting with the lion that hadn’t run away from him. He bopped it on the nose. This one didn’t give up. It tried to get behind him, but Comay was quick and turned with the lion. The lion’s roar finally woke up Sir Yesin, Sir Nontay and Sir Fronay. They took up their swords and went after the three lions that Nolare and Jolare were fighting with. The battle raged on.
Sir Nontay went to help Comay. The lion turned around and started fighting with him. It seemed the lions wouldn’t let up. The more they fought the more tired they got. One of the lion’s clawed Sir Fronay on the arm. He backed away in pain. The lion followed him. Jolare went after him while Nolare and Sir Yesin fought with the other two lions.
Comay struck at the lion back side. The lion roared in pain. Then it ran off with its’ tail between its’ legs. Sir Nontay put his sword back in his sheath. “Good work young sir.” He commented. “Let’s go help the others.”
Sir Nontay and Comay helped Jolare in pursuit of her lion. Comay also got at that one and it ran away. Then they went after the other two. Comay chased one of them up the field. He got into a strong battle with it. Then he was able to hit it in the nose. This one ran away roaring as well. Then Comay came back to help the others with the last lion. He slashed and flashed his sword at it. So did the others. Comay made the strike that chased the lion away.
“Three cheers for Comay!” Nolare yelled. “Hip, hip, horray!” everyone cheered.
“You are very good with a sword.” Yesin said as he sat down quite tired.
“Let me see Sir Fronay’s arm.” Comay’s mother said. Sir Fronay went over and sat down next to Comay’s mother. “It’s bleeding pretty bad. Would somebody get some water and a bandage from my pack?  Sir Nontay went and fetched the water and Nolare went and got the bandage. Comay’s mother dipped a small piece of the bandage into the water and used it to clean Sir Fronay’s arm. Then she took the rest of the dry bandage and wrapped it around the wound.
“You are familiar with the way knights bandage people.” Yesin observed.
“My husband was a Colarsen knight.” Comay’s mother replied. “He taught me. He said it was the best way to take care of a wound. I’ve even taught Comay how to do it. It would put him ahead if he was ever put up for knight training. It’s really simple.”
Comay smiled as he cleaned his sword. It wasn’t that dirty but he had learned to clean his sword every time he had finished a battle. Then he went and threw some kindling on the fire and sat to tend it. Sir Fronay, Sir Nontay, and Comay’s mother went back to sleep for the night. They went to bed assured that Comay would be able to well protect them. He was very good with a sword. Yesin had considered bringing them back to their town but realized that Comay was skilled enough that it wouldn’t be a safety hazard to Comay or his mother to join them on the expedition. After resolving this in his mind, Yesin drifted off to sleep.
The next morning they packed up their things and gladly left that spot. They hoped they would have no more visits with lions.









Chapter 10 A Little Town with a Big Secret
The river they were keeping along was long. It seemed to never end. However the now party of seven was grateful because it was a source of water and there were plenty of fish to catch. The river brought them to another small town. They got there in the afternoon, but the town was not bustling and alive like the other ones. There was no one at the gate. They just walked through without being asked any questions or welcomed. The marketplace was quiet. There were only a few vendors and the inn was vacant which wasn’t so strange since it wasn’t the time of year for lots of visitors.
They checked into the inn and took the opportunity to search it. Then they went to a small restaurant and got a hot meal. The restaurant was pretty much empty as well except for one waiter and the cook. They searched the restaurant after eating. Nothing still. When they got back to the inn there was absolutely no one at the front desk. The inn was empty except for the seven of them. It seemed as if the whole town was like this. They decided to settle down for the night.
Nolare had a hard time sleeping. She didn’t understand why the town was so empty. She couldn’t understand why there were no vendors in the marketplace. She was confused as to why the front desk wasn’t even manned. Something was wrong. She didn’t know what, but she was going to bring it up in the morning.
When everyone had woken up and eaten breakfast, Nolare brought up her concerns. “Isn’t strange that’s there’s almost nobody in this town?”
“Yeah,” Sir Nontay replied. The party walked up to the first house in the row. They knocked but there was no answer. The door was unlocked. They slowly opened it. The house had no furnishings. It was dusty and there were cobwebs at the corners of the ceilings. The fire place looked like it hadn’t been used in ages. After searching the downstairs they went upstairs and found the same thing. There were a few rusty nails stuck in the walls but nothing else. “Weird.” Sir Nontay said. Everyone nodded in agreement. The party moved on. They went through every house in the row. All of them were about the same, uninhabited, except for the spiders that had spun webs in them.
They went down the next row. Still no one. Still nothing. When they got to the third row of houses they thought that the same would happen. The first two houses had no one and nothing, but the third house had one person living in it. He had very little furniture and it looked as if he was preparing to move out soon. When he answered the door he only opened it slightly and asked who it was. Sir Yesin gave their names and the nature of their quest and only then did he open the door more. “Sure, you can come into my house. I don’t mind. I’m just packing up. I’ll be leaving here in a couple of days.”
“This town is so empty. Why is that?” Jolare asked.
“All of you come in.” the man said. All seven of them piled in. The man closed the door and motioned them to come in further. “We don’t agree with the king. We have started a small group to overthrow the king and to put a new one in his place. We began our plans three years ago, but the king and his armies got wind of it about a year later. Most people started leaving because they feared the king would send his armies to come and stop us. I didn’t leave because I thought that the town was vacant enough they wouldn’t arrest me, but lately more troops have been patrolling the place and I feel it’s time for me to leave.” Everyone stared at the man. They didn’t understand what the people could possibly have against the king. He had been so generous and kind to them when they were at the castle. They all started searching the house. When they turned up with nothing they left. That night at the inn they discussed things.
“We have to stop these people. The king is a generous and kind man and he appears to rule his people well. We can’t let them carry out their plan,” Yesin began.
“Maybe we should find out what their problem is. It could be a legitimate one and maybe we can help them with a better solution to the problem,” Sir Fronay said.
“I agree with Sir Fronay.” Comay’s mother chimed in. “We don’t know why they’re opposing the king in the first place. I remember the king wasn’t always great. I know a lot of people don’t agree with some of the wars he’s allowed us to get in.”
“They’re right.” Nolare said. Everyone agreed to try and figure out what was going on before just trying to stop it. They went to bed and the next morning they went back to the man’s house. He was gone. They went to the restaurant and talked to the waiter.  He pulled them all into the back room.
“We’ve had a problem with the king’s policy about small towns. You see we’re one of the smallest and we’re thus overlooked. Sometimes we don’t get any supplies for a long time while other towns bigger then we are get surplus supplies. We can to a point sustain ourselves but not forever and we’re afraid that one day it will be forever. We don’t want to hurt the king. We just want to dethrone him.”
“Maybe we could do this a better way. We could bring one of you with us and we could come with you to talk to the king. He seems like a generous man. He certainly helped us.” Sir Yesin said.
“I don’t think so.” The waiter said. “We already have the new king picked out. We’re too far in our operation to change it now. We’ve had our setbacks but we’re overcoming those. The king won’t listen to reason.”
A boy of about fifteen came into the back room. “The innkeeper is waiting to be served.” He said. Then he walked out.
“I have to go. I’d suggest you leave. Do whatever you’re in Colarse to do and get out. There’s a storm coming.” The waiter warned.
“We have to find out who this future king is.” Yesin whispered. They walked out and sat down to order. The waiter came over and took their orders. Yesin noticed the fifteen year old boy sitting in a chair in the darkest corner of the room. He kept stirring his coffee and never looked up from it. Yesin went over to talk to him. “Hello young sir.” Yesin said.
The boy looked up from his coffee. He glanced really quick at Yesin and put his head back down. “Hello.” he said.
“You look old enough to be a knight. Are you one?” Yesin asked.
“Yes sir. I’ve been through all the training. The skills will be helpful when I become…” the boy stopped. “Never mind,” he said.
“When you become what?” Yesin asked.
“Never mind. I’m not supposed to say anything to anyone I don’t know. It’s a secret. If you’re Colarsen you’ll know soon enough.”
“I’m not Colarsen. I’m Norsian. I’m sure you can tell me.” Yesin prodded.
“Come closer,” the boy whispered. Yesin put his head right next to the boy’s. “I’m going to become king. The king has been doing wrong to our town, so we’re going to take him off the throne and I’m going to take over.”
“That’s a big responsibility.” Yesin whispered to the boy. “Are you sure you’re up to that?”
“I think so. And how would you know about being king anyway? From the way you’re dressed I can tell that you’re a knight.”
“I was king once. Of Morsia. But it turned out that I wasn’t the rightful king because I’m not pure Morsian. It was a lot of work being king and it was a lot of work trying to find a new one when I found out what the Constitution said.”  Yesin said. “You might want to think about what I just said before you take on this LARGE task.” Yesin patted the boys arm. Then he got up.
The boy got up and went into the back room where the waiter was talking with the cook. “Being king takes a lot of work,” he said to the waiter. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Of course you can. It’s for the good of our town and all the other towns as small as us or smaller.” The waiter said.
“If you say so,” The boy said. He walked back to his seat and started stirring his coffee. He couldn’t get what Yesin had said out of his mind. He finally stood up and walked over to Yesin and the rest of the party.
“I’m scared,” the boy said. “I don’t know if I can be king. I might be too young. I might not be ready. Maybe there’s a better way. Can you help me?”
“Are your parents somewhere that we can talk to them?” Yesin asked.
“No. My parents died a year ago,” the boy answered.
“What’s your name?” Yesin asked.
“Jaray.” The boy said.
“Well, Jaray, come with us. When we go back that way we’ll go to the castle. You can tell the king that you’re part of a large group looking to overthrow him if he doesn’t start properly supplying your town and all small towns. Tell the king you’ll be the one to take his place. We’ll be there to protect you. If the king doesn’t agree we’ll join your cause. If things do change then your rebellion isn’t needed.” Yesin laid this all out.
“Ok. But we have to leave before the waiter comes back out. He can’t see me leaving with you. We’ll be in trouble,” Jaray said.
Everyone got up. Yesin left some money on the table and they got on their horses. They started galloping away. The waiter came out and saw Jaray and the party gone. He started yelling. He banged on one of the hanging pots. “The boy is gone. So is the group that came through!”
The waiter and the cook ran out of the restaurant and hopped on their horses. They sped after them. The party was already ahead. They went through a large group of people about 15 miles outside the town. They sped through. When they were 30 miles out, they stopped. It was extremely late. They hid in the middle of a huge patch of trees in the forest. They took turns keeping watch that night. They knew they were in danger.

Chapter 11 Jaray
The next day they kept the pace up. They weren’t speeding, but they were going slow either. Their little band had grown to eight people now. Jaray seemed strong and smart. Yesin and Jaray talked along the way.
“Four years ago the supplies started coming to the town less frequently. I was eleven then and noticed when our meals were smaller and when dad was working longer in the fields to bring food from the crops home. Mom was always working hard with the cows, milking them more. She was working harder with breeding them. I was doing more household chores because mom was so busy with the animals. Sometimes we got supplies and other times we didn’t. It was a confusing time. A year later the situation wasn’t getting any better. Six of the men went off to different towns that were our size or smaller to see if the same thing had been happening. It had been. So when they got back and reported this we started a rebellion. They started training all the males thirteen and older to be fighters. They sent some of us off to knight training. Many stayed at the palace and decided not to help us. I came back after I had completed the training. That was about a year ago. My parents had died from sickness by then. They told me that when they dethroned our current king that I would be crowned king. I was excited. Who would’ve ever thought that I could be king? Then as the time went on and people kept leaving the town I got sadder and sadder. I still wanted to be king but I wasn’t so sure about it either.”  Jaray told his story solemnly.
“So have you been in that town all your life?” Yesin asked.
“Yep. I never left that town till I was sent off for knight training. I haven’t left since I came back. At least not ‘till now. I’m sort of glad you showed up. I hope your plan works. I’ve come to the conclusion that being king isn’t for me. If your plan works I might just stay at the palace and go into the king’s service. I am a knight after all.” Jaray smiled when he said that.
“I think it will work. The king seems to be a generous man. He was certainly kind to us. Our quest doesn’t even have anything to do with him or Colarse. At least we don’t think it does.” Yesin said.
“Well, he’s been neglecting us.” Jaray said.
That night Jaray offered to stay awake and keep watch. He proved to be very good at making fires. He also knew how to keep them going. He was a good fisherman too. He went to the river and caught five fish as fast as if they grew on trees and you could just pick them off. He also groomed the horses that night. He proved to be very good with them.
“Where did you learn all this?” Nolare asked him.
“When you have limited supplies you learn how to take care of things fast. Since the river runs right along the one side of our town I learned every fishing trick in the book. Also when both my parent had to work harder to keep food on the table, I had to learn how to tend to the horses, otherwise they’d be neglected. The fire. I learned how to take care of that when I was real little. It’s how I helped mom cook. I kept the fire going.” Jaray answered.
“Wow.” Nolare said.
“I’m glad that there are no stalls to clean out here.” Jaray said.
Nolare laughed. “No there aren’t any here.”
Sir Fronay cooked the fish over the fire and everyone sat down to eat. Sir Nontay commented on how delicious the fish was tonight. Everyone else nodded in agreement. “Well, we learned that these are the best kind of fish.” Jaray said. Everyone agreed.
“Look up there. It’s Snapper.” Jaray said pointing at the stars. Snapper is a constellation of a turtle. “And there’s the Fiery Sword.” Jaray pointed in another direction. “And over there,” he said pointing right, “is the horse and rider.”
Everyone was amazed at Jaray’s knowledge of the constellations. “I didn’t know any of those before.” Jolare said. “Where did you learn that?”
“In the evening when it was too dark to work and too late to sleep we’d look at the stars and learn the constellations.” Jaray said. “There’s a story about them too. The story goes that the rider of the horse took his pet turtle one day and went riding on his horse. They were going for a pleasant ride in a meadow where there were flowers everywhere. The butterflies fluttered all over the place. Then they came to the edge of the forest. They were chased by a snake into the forest. The snake is one of the constellations too but you can’t see him tonight. The snake kept chasing them and chasing them until they came to a clearing in the middle of the woods. Lying on the ground in the middle of the clearing was a sword. It wasn’t just any sword, it was a flaming sword. All of a sudden the rider became power hungry. He saw the power this sword could give him if he could wield it. A voice from somewhere he could not see told him to leave the sword. The snake came closer within four inches of them. The rider did not listen to the voice. He picked up the sword and all of a sudden, the horse, the rider, the turtle, and the snake were transported into the sky and trapped there. And now the rider is ever trying to get the sword that is just in arms reach but he never can.” Jaray finished the story.
“That’s a good story.” Sir Nontay said.
“It’s not true but it was a way for entertainment.” Jaray answered.
They finished supper. They all cleaned up some things. Then several of them went off to bed. Jaray stayed up to keep watch. So did Sir Nontay. Jaray kept the fire going and Sir Nontay worked at putting everything away that hadn’t been so that they didn’t have to do that in the morning.
The next morning everyone got up and they had some food from their provisions for breakfast. They did another sweep of the immediate area for the sword. Then they started moving again. Jaray wasn’t in the least bit tired considering he had been up all night. Sir Nontay however slept on his horse as they moved along. They had to stop midday and refill their water containers. Jaray caught some more fish and so they ate some for lunch. They dried the rest over the fire and wrapped it. Then they kept moving. They were trying not to lose ground.
That night Jaray fell asleep almost instantaneously after supper. Everyone was glad to have Jaray along with them. He made a fine addition to their growing group.
















Chapter 12 The Townspeople Catch Up
As they were going along the next morning they heard a loud rumbling in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from behind them. They paid no attention to it because it seemed so far away. They kept going.
Their search for the sword seemed hopeless. They stopped and swam in the river as they had been. They kept their eyes always on the ground making sure they didn’t miss it if it was there. They climbed all the trees and even put their hands down holes that were in the grass. Nothing turned up. The rumbling behind them started to get closer.  They still thought nothing of it. They kept going. Comay thought he saw something shimmering up ahead but it was only the shine of a broken mirror. Someone must’ve been on this path recently because they found some fresh horse prints in the dirt.
After stopping for a lunch of apples from a wild tree they talked over their situation. “We aren’t seeming to get anywhere. This country seems to never end.” Sir Fronay said.
“I know that.” Said Yesin, “but we must keep going.”
“I agree with Sir Yesin.” Said Comay. “It symbolizes the unity between the countries. I’m only twelve but I know that’s gotta be a good thing.” Comay’s mother nodded in agreement.
Jaray smiled. “I’m not from Norsia or Morsia but I can see that this is important. As anxious as I am to get to the king of Colarse and talk to him, I want to see you guys finish your quest, and I’m willing to help with whatever I can.”
Sir Fronay, Sir Nontay, Jolare, and Nolare all agreed. They started moving again. The rumbling got closer. They started to wonder if a herd of buffalo was coming their way. They decided not to worry about it. It was still far off enough that it could be avoided if it came down to it.
“You know,” Jaray said. “that rumbling sounds an awful lot like a bunch of horses. It’s almost the same sound I remember hearing when people started evacuating my town. They left so fast I couldn’t believe it.”
“I think I agree with Jaray. It reminds me of when an army of knights on horses were moving fast during the war. Sometimes they’d be moving that fast in retreat and sometimes they’d be moving to charge.” Yesin said.
“You are right Sir Yesin. That’s exactly what it sounds like.” Sir Fronay said.
“Maybe it’s not buffalo after all. Maybe it’s an army or just another group of people. No matter who or what is creating the rumbling they seem to be coming closer to us.” Sir Nontay said. Everyone turned around. In the distance you could see dust clouds all over. You could also see the outlines of horses and people riding them just in front of the dust. You could tell that they were coming right towards them.
As they got closer Jaray looked like he was ready to scream. He held it back. Then he quietly whispered, “I think those are the people from my town. They’re after us. They want to get me back.”
Everyone started moving their horses faster. The town’s people started gaining on them. They were soon right on their tails. The horses started to tire. They slowed down more and more. It seemed that the townspeople’s horses however didn’t tire. They just kept going until they had surrounded our little party on every side. The party’s horses stopped. They got into a circle facing outward, their swords drawn.
“What is this?” Yesin asked. “Why have you pursued and surrounded us?”
“You have kidnapped one of ours.” The waiter answered. “We have come after you in order to take him back.”
“He has come with us willingly.” Yesin answered.
“He is one of us. He was born and raised in our town. Therefore he belongs with us until the time comes for him to be king! Now hand him over to us.” The waiter demanded.
“I will not go with you. These people have a plan that is much better then yours. If it does not work I will return to you and you can carry out your plan.” Jaray said.
Without answering the waiter jumped at them with his sword drawn. The townspeople took that as their cue. They jumped in too. The battle began. It was a fierce battle. The small band of eight against the two-hundred townspeople.
Comay was fighting with the twenty five who had gone after him. They had encircled him. He pointed his sword towards one of them and then spun around in a circle as they all slashed at him. With this technique he was able to stop all of them from hitting him with their swords. He stopped before he got dizzy and started fighting with the three that were directly in front of him. They fought hard. The people behind him came closer to him. They were starting to squish him. He maneuvered his arm out and slashed his sword to the sides of himself. The people at his sides moved away.
Nolare had twenty five surrounding her as well. With her sword drawn, Nolare jumped in the air. She stretched her right foot out towards the townspeople behind her and kicked them down. Her sword stopped the swords of those in front of her. She now had to deal with those to the sides. They jeered in on her. She pulled a rope out of her pocket and threw some of it towards the swords that were about to poke her. The rope caught the swords and pulled them out of their hands. She repeated this for the people on her other side. Then she took the opportunity to tie them up.
Jolare had a battle to fight with the twenty five on her tail. They were chasing her. They had a hard time surrounding her. She went back towards the horses and mounted one. She turned the horse towards the townspeople to fight with them. She drove the horse right through them. This split them up. She took a rope out of the pack on the horse. She tied it into a lasso. With the lasso she caught up twelve of them. Then she grabbed another rope and caught the other thirteen people in her lasso.
Sir Nontay stood surrounded. All twenty five who were after him were pointing their swords at him. He was waiting to be hit. They all moved in. Just as it looked like Sir Nontay was done for he squatted down, then summersaulted between the legs of one of the people. Their swords clinked together and when they realized that Sir Nontay was no longer in their midsts they turned around searching for him. He was running towards the tree where the horses were. He grabbed some rope and then kept running away from them. They pursued him. When they caught up with him he ducked down and started to tie some of them together by their feet. He did this quickly and by the time the reached down to grab him, he had already tied them together. He crawled through their legs and started running. Those who were tied tried to run but ended up falling over. The others still pursued. Sir Nontay tied a rope around a tree and pulled it. The people hadn’t seen him do this and so they kept running. As they passed the tree they fell over the rope and Sir Nontay tied them to the tree.
Sir Fronay didn’t have to hard of a time fighting off those who had gone to fight with him. Most of them didn’t have very good control of their swords. He used his sword to fling the swords of those fighting with him out of their hands. He caught the swords. He put them in the packs that were on the horses .The people ran away from him when he got their swords.
Comay’s mother was having a hard time. She hadn’t had much training with a sword so she just slashed and yelled keeping them just enough away that they couldn’t harm her. They soon got through her slashing and were just about to get at her. Comay came riding through on a horse and grabbed her hand and pulled her on the horse. Then he fought off the people who were after his mother. And drove them to a tree where he tied them up.
Yesin tripped the people after him. He swung his sword under their feet and they all fell over. He started running but they all stood up and ran after him. He started fighting with them. He brought a couple down but the rest surrounded him again. Then he jumped over their heads and started running again. He grabbed some ropes. Then he ran back and tied them up.
Jaray was left he was fighting hard, but then he stopped. He yelled, “Stop!”  Everyone was stunned. They weren’t expecting that. They stopped in their movements. They looked like they had been frozen in motion. “This is ridiculous!” Jaray yelled. “We shouldn’t have to fight. Sir Yesin has a great idea. It’s much less violent then the one we had. I’m not ready to be king! I think we should try and settle this with the king. Sir Yesin and his crew have a lot of influence with the king. With their help I think we can get him to be reasonable and generous so that our town gets what it needs. If not I will return to you and we will carry out our plan.” Jaray finished his speech. Everyone stared at Jaray. The townspeople finally moved. All but the waiter and the cook put their swords down.
“Pick back up your swords! The king won’t listen to reason.” The waiter shouted. The cook put his sword down now.
“No. Don’t listen to him. Maybe Jaray and his friends have a good idea.” The cook said.
“What are you talking about? It would be better to take over. Then we’d have a guarantee that things would get done properly!” The waiter yelled. “Now pick back up your swords everyone!” Everyone just stood quietly. No one picked up their swords. The waiter came to realize he was alone. “Fine. I’ll just take over myself!” he yelled and pointing his sword he ran towards Jaray. Jaray jumped away. The townspeople surrounded the waiter and tied him up. They put him on a horse. Those who were tied up were untied.  Then they all got onto their horses and turned to leave. The cook turned back.
“Go on your mission Jaray. You have my blessing. May you be successful, but if you are not, please come back to us so we can carry out our original plan.” The cook extended his hand to Jaray. Jaray shook his hand.
“I promise you that I will come back to you either way. I will bring you news of what’s happened and if things don’t go well I will help you with the plan we once had.” Jaray let go of the cook’s hand. The cook turned and caught up with the rest of the townspeople. Jaray smiled. “I’m glad we ended that without any casualties on either side. I just hope your plan works.”
Chapter 13 The Lost Kitten
The eight of them kept going. Colarse seemed to go on forever. There was still no sign of the sword and they had to spend yet another night in the middle of a huge field. They had found a wild berry bush which they took berries off of. They had the berries with some of the fish they Jaray had caught from the river. Comay’s mother cooked that night. They didn’t encounter dangers. A few prarie dogs came through looking for food but they were easy to shoo away. A couple squirrels showed up too but they just passed by while chattering to each other.
The next morning they picked some berries and filled their water containers. After packing up they started moving again. They still moved at their slow and steady pace in order to make sure they didn’t miss the sword if it was anywhere to be found. As they moved along they saw turtles in the river. There seemed to be dozens of them. Squirrels showed up here and there and they had to watch out for prarie dog holes. They were especially cautious of them because of the horses. Some birds flew threw every once in a while. Many of them stopped in the river to take a bath. The fish were jumping a lot that day as well.
The temperature was that of a mild spring day. The water was fairly warm for them to swim in when they were searching for the sword. It was cool enough that drinking it was pleasant. Night fell again and it cooled down even more. They fished for their supper. They got out some of the berries and they sat down to eat.
“I feel like we’re never going to find that sword.” Sir Fronay said. “What happens if it’s not even in Colarse. What do we do then? Do we go North of Colarse? Do we even know what we will find North of Colarse? Should we go down into Morsia? Maybe the third sword is right under the king’s nose in Norsia.”
“If it’s not in Colarse,” Sir Yesin said, “then we shall go back to Norsia and report it to the king. On our way back we’ll help Jaray settle things with the king of Colarse and when we get back to Norsia we’ll get Comay into knight training and find a suitable home for his mother. Then we’ll see what the king says.”
“But it seems like we’ll never be done in Colarse.” Sir Nontay said. It’s such a large country.”
“We’ll get through it.” Nolare said. “We’ll find that sword sometime. We can’t just give up. It’s such an important part of the history of Norsia and Morsia.”
“I agree we’ll make it through. We’ve been through so much already that I have faith that we’ll get through this. We have a good cause backing us up. We’ll find that sword.” Jolare voiced her opinion.
Sir Fronay still had his doubts. “That’s the thing. We’ve been through so much already, how do we know we’ll make it through? Being through all that could bring us down because we might find ourselves exhausted one day and not be able to go on. Then we’ll be stuck in Colarse because we won’t have the motivation to move on and at least go home much less find the third sword.”
“I must say Sir Fronay has a point.” Sir Nontay agreed. “If we get burned out before this thing is over we’ll be in big trouble.”
“I don’t believe we’ll get burned out. We all believe in our cause to much. We started out expecting to do this with five people. Now we have eight. That makes the burn out even easier to deal with. Everyone’s willing to pitch in. We’ve been doing well so far and we have searched over half the country already. We’re a good team. We fought off numbers significantly more then us. We chased away lions and bears and prarie dogs. We’ve never been in need of food and water has been pretty simple to find.” Sir Yesin said.
“Yesin’s right. Burn out isn’t anything to worry about.” Nolare said determinedly.
“Alright.” Said Sir Fronay. “You’re right. It’ll work out.”
“Yeah.” Sir Nontay said. “Sorry for doubting.”
“It’s alright.” Said Sir Yesin.
While they were talking, a little kitten had walked over. None of them had seen it unitl, “mew”. Everyone turned towards the sound. They stared at the kitten.
“Hi little guy.” Nolare said. “You can come here. We won’t hurt you.” Nolare pulled a piece of fish off of her tray. She put it in the palm of her hand and then extended it towards the kitten. “Come on. It’s fish.” The kitten mewed again and then walked cautiously over to Nolare. It sniffed her hand. Then it put it’s paw on the fish. It did this two more times and then ate the fish. Nolare put more fish in her hand and the kitten ate it again. Then the kitten walked over and jumped into Nolare’s lap. “You’re cute.” She said while she scratched the kitten behind the ears. Jolare was sitting next to her and tried to pet the kitten as well, but it moved away. Then it sniffed her hand and tapped her hand with it’s paw. When it decided that Jolare was safe it allowed her to pet it too.
“Looks like you two have made a new friend.” Yesin said.
“I guess so.” Nolare said.
“Yeah.” Jolare nodded.
“Now I wonder what your name is.” Nolare said. She found a tag hanging off its collar. It said, “Peace, she is the kitten who lives in the same place as the sword of unity between Morsia and Norsia.”
“Hey!” Nolare screamed. “This kitten lives with the sword of unity!”
“What are you talking about?” Sir Nontay asked.
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Said Sir Fronay.
“It says so on her tag!” Nolare said excitedly.
“What does the tag say?” Yesin asked.
“Peace, she is the kitten who lives in the same place as the sword of unity between Morsia and Norsia.”  Nolare read it out loud.
“So maybe the sword is around here!” Sir Fronay yelled.
“Wohoo!” Comay jumped up and down.
“Tomorrow we search the area.” Yesin declared.
Everyone was excited. Nolare and Jolare were supposed to keep watch that night. They were happy because they knew they wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. Nobody else was able to sleep well either. They all laid in their bed rolls staring at the sky. They hoped very much to find the sword the next morning.
When they woke up they all ate quickly. They packed up as fast as they could. They searched the area. They even went backwards to make sure they didn’t miss it earlier. They kept the kitten with them. They went 10 miles in every conceivable direction. They split up. They all met back at the spot they had been in the night before. They came back with nothing. At least they didn’t find the sword. Comay came back with apples from a wild tree and Sir Fronay came back with some berries. They ate sadly that night.
“I wonder if the kitten is lost.” Nolare said as she cradled the kitten in her arms.
“It must be.” Said Sir Fronay.
“Maybe we should let the kitten go tomorrow and follow it. It might bring us back to where it lives.” Jolare suggested.
“Most domestic cats around here usually can make their way back home. We lost our cat once. She was gone for two days. She came back meowing at the door.” Jaray said.
“Well then I say we let the kitten move on its own. We follow it and hopefully it’ll lead us to where it lives. And hopefully to the sword.” Yesin said.
Everyone agreed to this. They were exhausted. Yesin and Jaray kept watch that night. They kept busy by tending the fire and petting and playing with the kitten. They also tried to count the stars.


Chapter 14 Hope
The next day they ate their breakfast and packed. Then Yesin and Jaray got on their horses and slept for the better part of the morning. The kitten was let loose and they started following. It moved slowly along. It was trying to keep with them because they gave it food and it also had a warm place to sleep with them.
“We should call the kitten by it’s name.” Nolare said. “The tag said the kitten’s name is Peace.”  Everyone nodded.
“Peace.” Jolare called. The kitten turned and walked over to her. Jolare got a piece of dried fish from the pack and gave it to Peace. “Well it answers to that.” Jolare said. Peace turned back around and started going again still at a slow place. They were able to keep up fairly well. They didn’t stop till evening. Wherever Peace was from it wasn’t close to where they found her.
“I hope this actually works.” Said Sir Fronay. “I hope that the tag isn’t some crazy trick someone is playing on us.”
“I have a feeling it’s not. It seems so official.” Said Yesin.
“I think it’s authentic.” Nolare said.
“What makes you think that?” asked Sir Nontay.
“Look.” Nolare pulled out her sword. “Pull out your sword Yesin.” Yesin did so. “Look at our swords. Look at the Peace’s tag. They all glow purple.” Everyone looked closely at the two swords. Then they passed Peace around and studied the tag.
“You’re right.” Said Comay.
“How do we know it’s not a trick though?” asked Sir Fronay.
“We should just work with it.” Said Nolare. “It’s our only lead at the moment.”
“If you say so.” Sir Fronay shrugged.
“I certainly do.” Nolare said.
“Let’s get some sleep.” Yesin said. They all went down except Sir Fronay and Comay’s mother. The next day they traveled on. Peace kept a steady pace that was slow enough for them to not lose her. Again they came to nothing by nightfall.
“We’ve been following the kitten for two days. How do we know it can get back to where it came from?” Sir Nontay asked.
“I think Peace will bring us to where she lives.” Said Jaray. “As I think back even more I can remember explorers from our town bringing their cats with them. They knew that the cat could always bring them back home. Some of them would be gone for weeks but they would show up again. When they did show up they would usually tell the story of how their cat helped them find their way home.”
“Cool!” Comay said.
“I’m sure we’ll make it. I’m sure Peace knows where she’s going.” Comay’s mother said reassuringly.
“I think so too.” Said Yesin. “If we come to a dead end, I’ll bet there’s a sword at that dead end.”
“Cats have great sense of direction. We’ll end up at Peace’s home eventually. No matter how far away that may be.” Jaray said. They got to a town that night. They stayed at the inn. They ate a nice breakfast there and canvassed the town for the sword. When they didn’t find it they moved on following ever on after Peace. They got into an area full of prarie dogs. Peace delayed the mission by chasing after them for a while. They moved in and out of their holes almost as if they were teasing Peace. Finally Peace became tired of trying to catch them and trekked on in the direction that she had been going for the past 4 days. The party followed on, determined to find that sword so they could bring Jaray to the Colarsen king, bring Comay to the knight training area of the castle in Norsia, find a home for Comay’s mother and then go home themselves.
They stopped for the night. They prepared their fish and berries and gave some fish to Peace. They ate heartily. They were especially hungry tonight and as usual the fish that Jaray caught were delicious. Even Peace ate a lot that evening. Comay and Sir Fronay kept watch that night. Peace curled up next to Nolare.
That night while Comay and Sir Fronay were tending the fire, Comay thought he heard a noise. It sounded like somebody walking but he decided it was the wind. Then he heard it again. It was definitely someone walking. Sir Fronay was sitting there. Everyone else including Peace was sleeping soundly. It wasn’t anyone in the party. The horses were tied to a tree so it wasn’t them either. Comay drew his sword. Sir Fronay followed suit. They were standing now. They stood there for what seemed like forever. They thought the person who they heard would never show up. Just as they were about to sit down a figure stepped out of the shadows.
“Hello?” a timid voice said in the darkness.
“Hello.” Comay answered.
The figure moved closer. “I, I, I didn’t know that anyone was out here.” Said the person. “I thought I was alone.” They now had a good view of the person. It was a girl. She couldn’t be more then ten years old. She was wearing something like a frilly night gown. She had a necklace around her neck. The charm on the necklace glowed purple in the dark.
“Well, we’re here.” Comay said. He put his sword away. So did Sir Fronay. “We’re on a mission from Norsia. I’m Comay and this is Sir Fronay. The others are sleeping.”
“My name is Hope. I lost my kitten Peace and went searching for her. I’ve been sleeping in the fields and walking by day searching for her, but I’ve had no luck. I’m afraid I couldn’t even find my way home anymore I’ve been out for what seems like so long.” Hope said.
“You have a kitten named Peace? We found a kitten with a tag that said Peace on it.” Said Comay.
“Really?” Hope asked excitedly.
“Yes. It also says that the kitten lives in the same place as a sword which symbolizes unity between Morsia and Norsia.” Comay said.
“Yes that is where I live too. But I don’t know how to get there anymore.” Hope said.
“We’ve been following Peace. We’ve been told that cat’s have a great sense of direction and can find their way home even after weeks of being gone from it.” Sir Nontay said.
“Well, if Peace hasn’t been gone for weeks it sure feels like she has. If Peace can get us home that’d be wonderful. Oh, and thank you so much for taking care of her. I would’ve been so sad to have found her dead somewhere.” Hope said gratefully.
“No problem.” Comay answered her. “Why don’t you get some sleep? Or do you need something to eat?”
“No, I’m fine. Some sleep would be good. When I realized there were people around I couldn’t sleep. I was scared to come investigate but then I decided I had too. Now that I know you’re friends and not foes and that my kitten is safe I can sleep. Thank you so much.” Hope said.
“It’s no problem at all.” Comay said.  Hope went and laid down to sleep. She drifted off quickly.
“Now there’s nine of us. We’ve added four people since we left Norsia. What a trip this has been.” Sir Fronay commented.
“Wow.” Said Comay.
“Yeah.” Sir Fronay nodded in agreement. “Even if we don’t find the sword I guess I’ll be able to say this trip was worth it. We’ve learned a lot about Colarse and we’ve met some new and wonderful friends. I should stop being so negative.”
That morning everyone woke up to a surprise. Peace seemed the most excited. She practically ran around in circles around Hope’s feet. Everyone was asking her questions. She couldn’t answer because there were so many voices going at her at once. They finally stopped when Peace started moving again. Peace kept right next to Hope the whole time.
“So where do you come from?” Yesin asked Hope.
“My country is the country that has kept the sword of the Morsian Norsian unity ever since it was separated from the other two long long ago. It does not have a name. I wish I knew how to get back there. I was brought there when I was two years old after both my parents disappeared. My guardian is also the guardian of the sword. Only Morsians or Norsians who are truly seeking it and what it stands for and who carry the other two swords may take it.” Hope said. “I was taught the history of both Norsia and Morsia. My guardian has never let me leave the area until Peace disappeared. I don’t know where we get our supplies from where we live. It seems we are not under the rule of any country. We are our own but it is only my guardian, Peace and I who live where we do. I don’t know why that is. We never seem to have visitors. I guess my guardian gets food off the land or something.” Hope told about her life. Everyone listened intently. “My guardian told me that one day if the right people ever found the sword that I would go on with them and be guardian of the sword on the border between Morsia and Norsia. I am very excited for that day. The bustle of people going by the border will be exciting.”
“Wow.” Said Nolare. “You have sort of an exciting life.”
“Yes. But if no one comes by the time my guardian passes on I will become guardian where I live and I will have to find a child who has no parents to take over my position. I hope it doesn’t take that long.” Hope continued.
“Maybe it will be Jaray.” Comay said.
“Jaray is to old.” Hope answered.
“Oh.” Comay said.
Night fell again. Peace stopped. They still didn’t find a place where someone would live. They still didn’t find the sword. Hope offered to keep watch that night along with Nolare and Jolare. Everyone was excited for the new friend they had made. They all felt that they were one step closer to finding the sword. They slept soundly that night however. They hoped for a town to be in their near future so they could all sleep and have no worries of bandits or bears or lions or angry townspeople. Also they could sleep on beds instead of in bed rolls on the hard ground. 


Chapter 15 Some Lost Norsian Knights
After they had eaten and packed up the party of nine moved out again. Peace led the way as had been going on ever since the day after they found her. Hope kept along side Peace. The pace was slow still but everyone was happy because of their new friend and the restored hope of finding the sword. That night Yesin and Nolare showed their swords of unity to Hope. She examined them carefully. “These certainly are the swords. They match alright. They match the purple glow of my necklace and the purple glow of Peace’s tag.” Hope assured them.
“Well, I’m glad to know that we have the right swords and not some fakes.” Nolare said relieved. “It would have been terrible if they were fake because then we wouldn’t be able to complete our mission. Your guardian wouldn’t give us the sword and we’d have to go searching for the other two.”
“Yes. That’s very true.” Hope agreed.
“I’m glad as well.” Yesin said. Then Hope and Nolare went to sleep and Yesin stayed up with Jaray to keep watch. The next day they kept on. They passed through a small town in the middle of the day. They bought some food and watered the horses. They didn’t stay the night there because they still had several hours of daylight left and Peace moved on ahead.
“Do you ever get tired Peace?” Nolare asked. “It seems like you never need to stop.” Nolare wasn’t complaining, she was just concerned for the kitten.
“Don’t worry about Peace.” Hope assured her. “She runs around the place I live all day. She only seems to stop for food and at night when I call her in. According to what I’ve been told, she’s very different from other cats. Most cats I’ve heard about are lazy and sleep all day. Not Peace.”
“Ok. That’s good. Because if she got tired out I’d be afraid she’d never lead us to where you live.” Nolare said.
Night fell again. They were at a part of the river where very few fish were. Jaray caught as many as he could. They didn’t have enough for everyone so they gave some to Peace and then dried the rest to put in their packs. They all ate some berries and some of the food they had bought in the town that day. Comay and Sir Fronay kept watch that night.
“Are we still in Colarse?” Comay asked Sir Fronay.
“We should be.” Sir Fronay answered, “but I have to imagine we’re going to leave Colarse soon. It’s a huge country but we’ve been going for days.”
“Yes. We’ve been going for a long time even since I joined you.” Comay said.
“It’s been a long time. Who knows we might end up somewhere other then Colarse. Hope did seem to indicate that where she lived was a separate country.” Sir Fronay commented.
“Yeah.” Comay said. For the rest of the night Sir Fronay and Comay threw kindling on the fire and stared at the stars. Nolare woke up first that morning and helped prepare some breakfast from the food that they bought in town. They ate and moved on. Peace started moving in a different direction. She started moving North.
“Should we be going north?” Jolare asked.
“I don’t know.” Hope answered. “I got so lost after I came here I have no idea which direction I came from. It’s possible that our home is north.”  Everyone just went with it. It seemed that Peace was their best chance at finding the sword. Peace moved on ahead a little bit. They were having a hard time keeping up with her. Until all of a sudden Peace stopped.
“What happened?” Jaray asked.
“Are we there?” Sir Fronay sounded hopeful.
“It doesn’t look like she stopped at my home.” Hope said. They all caught up with her. What they found when they got there was a small camp of men. They looked raggedy, like they had been there for ages.
“Is the war over yet?” one of them asked. He pointed to the Norsian shield. “We see you are friends and not foes.”
Yesin walked around the small camp. There were Norsian shields and swords. They had suits of armor with Norsian emblems. “What war are you referring to sir knight?” Yesin asked.
“The war we are in or were in with Morsia. We were sent here to hide. We got lost and no one found us. We’ve tried to find our way back to Norsia but we never did. We’ve been out here in the wilderness for years.” The knight answered.
“The war with Morsia is long over.” Yesin said. “We have found swords that were forged long ago in honor of a unity and peace between Morsia and Norsia. We have restored that peace. However there were three swords forged. We only found two. Now we are in search of the third.” Yesin pulled out his sword and gave it to the knight for him to examine.
“Oh wow!” the knight said excitedly. “Did you hear that everyone the war is over!”
“Horray!” the whole company of knights yelled.
“Now we just have one problem. How do we get home?” the head knight asked.
“I believe that if you go south, you will end up in Morsia. Then you head west. You’ll cross the border into Norsia. After that if you keep heading west you’ll eventually hit the castle. Where as far as we know King Valedik still reigns.” Yesin instructed them.
“Thank you so much sir knight.” The head knight said.
“You’re welcome. I hope to see you at the castle when we return from our mission. King Valedik, I’m sure will be happy to have some of his knights back.” Yesin said.
“Yes. We’ll be glad to be back in his service.” One of the other knights said. “Before we head on back there are a few others who are out fishing. While we’re waiting for them to come back would you help us pack up and tell us about what’s been going on in the land of the water fall?”
“Of course.” Yesin said. Everyone began to help. Hope was given charge of Peace. Peace was happy to sit on Hope’s lap while she pet her. “We found the swords of unity but the war went on. I became king of Morsia and my sister,” he pointed to Nolare, “insisted we show our swords to the Norsian commander. So we did. After we brought the swords to King Valedik he decided to take my proposal for peace. We had peace and unity festivals ever since then.”
“You are King of Morsia?” the knight interrupted. “How is it that you come around as a knight of Norsia?”
“We came to realize that a man who is not pure Morsian was not to be king. Since our mother was Norsian we realized we must find a new king. So we placed King Joshua on the throne. Then we headed to Norsia and I became a knight under King Valedik. Exander attacked Morsia and we went to their aid. Then King Valedik decided we must find the third sword of unity. So we headed out and we’ve been searching Colarse ever since. I know nothing more of Norsia since we left.” Yesin finished his story.
“We have a lot of catching up to do.” Said the knight. They finished packing up the tents and the men who had gone out fishing showed up.
“What’s going on?” one of the fishermen asked. “Why are the tents gone?”
“This kind company of knights and other citizens of Norsia, have graciously steered in the direction we need to go back home. The war is over and there is even a peace and unity between Morsia and Norsia. So they told us if we go south we’ll go through Morsia and then we can go west and we’ll get to Norsia. Let’s dry that fish. Tonight we’ll sleep here and tomorrow, we’ll be on our way home!” the head knight answered.
“Alright!” one of the fishermen yelled. The fishermen then skewered the fish on sticks and place it over the fire. They started packing up their things. The excitement that was there before the fishermen came was renewed. The camp was buzzing.
“Thank you so much for bringing our camp hope.” The head knight said to the party. “We are so excited to be going home and we look forward to your return if we make it back before you.”
“You’re welcome.” Yesin said. “We’re glad to help you get home.”
They turned to leave. “Goodbye.” All the lost and now found knights waved. The party turned and waved then they kept moving with Peace in the lead.
















Chapter 16  Peace in the River
“Those knights were sure happy when you told them how to get home.” Nolare said.
“Well, I’m just glad they can go home in peace and safety.” Yesin said.
“It’s great we could help them.” Sir Nontay said.
“I can’t wait to go home.” Hope said longingly. “To the border of Norsia and Morsia I mean.” Night came again and Hope picked Peace up to stop her from going. The kitten squirmed a little but then relaxed in her owner’s arms.  Everyone got ready for the night. The bed rolls were unrolled and the fire was made. Jaray went fishing and some apples were taken out of the packs. They also took some berries. Jolare went to the river with Jaray to fill the water containers. After they ate, everyone except Jolare and Nolare went to bed. They were to keep watch that night. Peace wasn’t sleeping. She sat in Jolare’s lap.
“Her tag is still glowing that purple glow.” Jolare said.
“I know. It’s so cool. Hope’s necklace is still glowing too. I wonder if the guardian has something that glows purple too.” Nolare answered.
“We’ll find out when we get there.” Jolare said. “It seems like we’ve been going forever. We haven’t come across any towns in a while either, unless you want to say that, the camp of knights was sort of a town.”
“Well, we started going north not that long ago. I wonder if maybe there are no towns to the north.” Nolare said.
“I wonder what is north then. I know Hope said that they live alone. Just she, her guardian, and Peace, but you would think they were somewhere near someone else. Where do they get their supplies?” Jolare asked.
“I have no idea. We’ll find that out too, when we get there.” Nolare answered.
“I guess so.” Jolare said. Peace jumped out of her lap and started mewing.
“What’s going on Peace?” Nolare asked.
“Mew.” Peace answered looking at her.
“You hungry?” Jolare asked. Peace turned around and mewed at her. Jolare got up and got some of the dried fish out of one of the packs. She placed a piece in the palm of her hand and offered it to Peace. Peace ate it. “You want some more?”
“Mew.” Peace said again. Jolare got some more. Peace ate what was given to her.
“Wow, you’re hungry.” Nolare said. Peace mewed again and curled back up in Jolare’s lap. Jolare scratched her behind the ears. Peace purred.
“You’re such a cute kitty.” Jolare said.
Nolare and Jolare talked for a long time. “I can’t wait to find the sword and go home.” Nolare said. “Once we find the sword, our trip will be faster because we won’t have to spend so much time trying to find the sword and we won’t have to follow a kitten. It’ll be so nice.”
“Yeah. At home we can slide down the waterfalls again! I think as soon as I can put my stuff down in the house I’m gonna do that. It’s been so long!” Jolare said excitedly. This woke Peace up and she hopped out Jolare’s lap again. Neither Jolare or Nolare noticed however and Peace started walking towards the river.
“I’ll go with you.” Nolare said. They both got up and jumped up and down. Peace was standing over the river trying to catch fish. She caught one and played with it for a while. Then she let it go back into the river. She tried to catch another one. She had success at this also. She played with that fish for a while and then let it go back too.
“We’ll slide down the waterfalls and dance around.” Nolare said.
“And we’ll be in our peaceful land!” Jolare said.
Nolare turned towards the river. She heard a kitten cry. “Peace is in the river!” Nolare screamed.
“Yes even the rivers will be peaceful.” Jolare said.
“No. I’m not talking about that!” Nolare yelled. “Peace is in the river!” Jolare realized what Nolare said and turned towards the river. Peace was struggling to swim out of the river but was being pulled by the current. Nolare and Jolare both jumped into the river and swam towards Peace. Peace started to go under. Nolare put her arm out and grabbed Peace. The current started pulling her away. Jolare grabbed onto Nolare but lost her grip. The current pulled Nolare and Peace away. Jolare swam after them, but didn’t catch them. Nolare was able to get close enough to the shore to put Peace there. “Go back to everybody else.” She told Peace before the current pulled her away. Peace mewed at her. Then she turned and went back to the group. She was mewing. Jolare heard her.
“Peace!” she said. Everyone else was awake now.
“What happened?” Comay asked.
“It got noisy.” Jaray said.
“Peace fell into the river. Nolare and I went in to save her. Nolare got her but I couldn’t hold on to her. She must’ve been able to get Peace on shore because she’s her now but I think the current got Nolare!” Jolare explained.









Chapter 17 The Search for Nolare
“We have to go find her.” Yesin said. “We might be off course for a while but we can’t leave her.”
“I agree.” Said Sir Fronay.
“Let’s follow the river.” Sir Nontay suggested.
“Come on everyone.” Comay’s mother said. “Let’s go find that girl.” Everyone followed her as she began to lead the way. They followed the river for a while. Hope had to hold Peace so she wouldn’t start going towards her home. Peace mewed.
“Now Peace,” Hope began to explain, “we have to find Nolare, then we can keep going towards home.” Peace seemed to understand this. Then she fell asleep in Hope’s arms.
“Nolare!” Yesin called.
“Where are you Nolare?” Comay’s mother yelled.
“Come on my sister.” Yesin yelled.
“Oh, I do hope we find her.” Said Hope. “She’s disappeared on account of my kitten.”
“She was only doing what she thought was best for the group.” Yesin told Hope. “She wouldn’t want you to feel guilty because it had to do with your cat.”
“I know, but I still feel kind of guilty.” Hope answered.
“Don’t. I’m sure we’ll find her and that she’ll be fine.” Yesin said. As they moved along the river got wider. “I hope the river doesn’t split in two.” Yesin said. Luckily it didn’t. It kept on going in the same direction as it had been for a long time. They had to stop to get water for the horses as well as themselves but then they moved on again. They were determined to find Nolare. It seemed though that no one was as determined as Comay’s mother.
“We’re gonna find that girl.” She said. She still led the way. The horses were actually getting tired trying to keep up with her. They were heading east instead of north now. The horses got so tired that they ended up tying them to a tree. They moved on. Comay’s mother moved tirelessly on. Everyone else started lagging behind. “Come on.” She urged. We need to find Nolare so we can finish our mission.” Everyone agreed but they were getting tired. They finally stopped to get some water and just sit.
“I hope we find Nolare.” Jolare said. “I hope we find her soon.”
“I just wonder how far this river goes.” Sir Nontay said. “I’m sure we’ll find her at the end of it if not before that.”
“Once we find Nolare, will Peace be able to find her course again?” Sir Fronay asked.
“She should be able to.” Jaray said. “At least I hope so.”
“We’ll find her and Peace will figure it out.” Comay said.
“Exactly!” shouted Comay’s mother.
“I think Peace will find her way.” Said Hope.
“Let’s keep moving then.” Yesin said. They had stopped for about ten minutes. They all drank and sat. Comay’s mother took the lead again when they started moving. The river had a few places that looked like it branched off in two different directions but every time this happened you could also see where it met up again. Hope gave Peace to Jolare. Her arms were becoming tired. Peace mewed a little but soon settled in Jolare’s arms.
“This river sure is long.” Sir Nontay said.
“Yes it is.” Sir Fronay agreed.
“Well, no matter. We gotta keep moving until we find her.” Comay’s mother said. Night fell. They were all so exhausted. They decided to stop and sleep. Comay’s mother wasn’t up for that. She wanted to keep moving, but seeing as how everyone else was exhausted she decided to be the one to keep watch. Everyone slept deeply that night. Comay’s mother found no troubles that she had to attend to. She just kept the fire and looked at the reflection of the moonlight in the river. “I hope we find Nolare.” She whispered. When everyone woke up they ate a few berries from a bush and kept going. Comay’s mother still led the way. It seemed even after being up all night she didn’t tire.
Yesin carried Peace for a while. When his arms got tired Sir Nontay took over. “You’re like a hot potato Peace. You keep getting shuffled around between people.” He said.
“Don’t worry about Peace.” Hope said. “She knows all of you. I don’t think she minds.” Hope took back over when Sir Nontay’s arms were tired. They soon came to a place where the river flowed into a small pond. At first they didn’t see Nolare.
“You don’t think she drowned in the pond?” Yesin asked.
“She’s a trooper. I’m sure she didn’t.” Comay’s mother answered. They walked around the pond. It was a large pond, large enough that you couldn’t see one side when you were on the other. When they got to the other side of the pond they found Nolare laying on the shore. She was wet. It didn’t appear that she was awake. They were even afraid that she wasn’t breathing. Yesin ran over to her and turned her over because she had been laying on her stomach.
“Nolare, wake up. Please wake up.” Yesin cried. Nolare didn’t move. Yesin began to cry. “My sister.” He sobbed. Everyone else could feel tears coming to their eyes. Even Peace began to mew. Just as they began to really give up Nolare all of a sudden coughed. She started breathing heavily and coughed again. Then she opened her eyes.
When she saw the tears running down her brother’s cheeks and turned to see tears in everyone elses eyes she opened her mouth and asked, “Why are you all crying? What’s wrong? Did you find the sword?”
Yesin stopped crying and hugged Nolare, then he said, “We thought you were dead. We thought we had lost you. We didn’t find the sword yet. We went looking for you first. We couldn’t leave you.”
“You guys should’ve gone and found the sword.” Nolare said. “You shouldn’t have worried about me.”
“Oh no honey.” Comay’s mother said. “We find the sword all together or we don’t find it at all. I’m a mother and I wouldn’t leave my child nor will I leave my friend.”
“That would be mom alright.” Comay commented. Everyone hugged Nolare. Then they started walking. They had to get back to the horses and let Peace go again so that they could find the sword. They got back to the horses the day after they found Nolare. They untied the horses and then they put Peace down. She immediately started heading north again.















Chapter 18  Stuck
“Northward we go.” Nolare said. She had recovered from her time in the river.
“We get to find out what’s North of Colarse.” Sir Fronay said. “This has been an exciting mission.”
“Yes indeed.” Sir Nontay agreed.
“I feel as if we might have some problems getting to my home.” Hope said. “I just can’t remember what the problem is going to be.”
“Well if there is a problem we’ll find out what it is when we get there. We’ll also figure out how to take care of it then too.” Yesin said. They were no longer close to the river. They kept following Peace. She still moved slowly so that everyone could keep up. The horses appreciated the slow pace. They soon found themselves walking where there were no trees and no river. It was just grass. There didn’t seem to be any animals anywhere. Just grass.
“Is it all grass where you live Hope?” Jolare asked.
“No. There are some trees. There is a cave where the sword is. We have a few bushes. There are sandy areas. We have grass too.” Hope answered.
“Well it seems like where we are its all grass and nothing else.” Nolare said.
“I think I remember walking through this area. I thought it was a little strange.” Hope said. They kept going. The wind picked up a little. Peace didn’t like that. She walked over to Hope and mewed at her feet. Hope picked her up. “It’s ok Peace.” They decided that since Peace wasn’t going any farther they would stop for the night. They stopped exactly where they were since they could see no trees to shelter by. They had no way of tying the horses. The horses however didn’t run away. They knew there owners had taken care of them and they didn’t want to fend for themselves. Hope and Jolare kept watch that night. There was nothing to watch for but in case they were wrong about that they still had people keeping watch. The next morning they ate a small amount of food from their packs and let Peace loose to lead the way.
“I wonder if this goes North forever.” Sir Nontay commented.
“It sure seems like it. If it doesn’t though what do we find when it ends?” Nolare asked.
“My country.” Hope answered.
“Does your country have a name?” Yesin asked.
“I was never told of one.” Said Hope. “It won’t show up on any maps. I think we’ve talked about my country’s name before.”
“I think you’re right.” Yesin said. “I’m not sure anyone except you, your guardian, and Peace have been past this or even here so you’re correct it wouldn’t be on any maps.”
“Actually all the guardians of the swords and their successors have been there. It’s been inhabited for decades.” Hope said.
“I see.” Said Yesin.
“I hope we get there soon.” Said Comay. “I want to go start my knight training.”
“And I want to go settle things with the king.” Jaray said.
“I’m looking forward to settling back in Norsia.” Comay’s mother commented.
“I just want to sleep in my own bed again.” Said Nolare.
“Let’s just keep going.” Said Yesin. “We’ll get there when we get there. We can’t do anything to make it go any faster.”
“We’ll get home eventually. Let’s be glad we found Peace and Hope. Otherwise we’d still be farther South with no leads.” Jolare said.
“Jolare’s right.” Sir Nontay agreed.
“With that in mind, let’s keep moving.” Yesin said. They followed Peace until yet another nightfall. Yesin and Jaray kept watch. They had to be especially careful with the fire because it was open country with nothing to slow the fire if it got out of hand. The next morning they moved on. They each had one piece of dried fish and a bunch of apples left. They didn’t eat their fish that morning. They just ate an apple each and moved on. Peace seemed to be moving a little bit faster that morning. They hoped that maybe this was a sign that they were getting close to Hope and Peace’s home. When they got to mid day, Peace had gotten ahead. They could still see her. All of a sudden she stopped. They were all wondering why. Had they finally reached the place? They caught up with her, but what they found wasn’t a place with trees, bushes, caves, and grass, but a huge expanse of water.
“What do we do?” Sir Fronay asked. “We’ve hit nothing but what appears to be an ocean! Maybe most cats know their way home but I think Peace brought us on a wild goose chase.”
“Hope, is there water where you live?” Yesin asked.
“Let me think.” Hope walked in a small circle. “Yes. There is. It’s all around the outside.”
“Like an island?” Jaray asked.
“An island?” Hope asked.
“Land, completely surrounded by water.” Jaray answered.
“Yes. Exactly like that!” Hope said excitedly.
“We’re stuck, if she lives on an island!” Sir Fronay had a sense of being discouraged in his voice.
“But Hope and Peace had to get from the island to here somehow.” Yesin said. “Hope, do you remember how you got here from your island?” Hope thought for a while.
“No. I don’t remember at all. I’m not sure why I’ve forgotten so much, and I’m sorry. I know it’s not helpful when I forget.” Hope sighed.
“It’s alright.” Yesin said.
“Don’t worry Hope.” Nolare said. “We’ve been through everything else, we’ll get through this too.”
“Yes but until we have an idea of how we’re gonna do this we are most certainly stuck.” Sir Fronay said.
“You’re right.” Yesin said. “That’s why we need to think of it sooner then later. We’re not heading home to we finish this mission and we are starting to run out of food.”
“Don’t worry about that. There are fish in this water.” Hope said. “My guardian fed me fish all the time.”
“Well then, let’s set up things here. We’ll all sleep tonight, then we’ll fish tomorrow morning and eat. After we’ve all had rest and food we’ll start figuring out how we’re going to cross this ocean and get to the island where that sword is.” Yesin said. Everyone agreed to this. Then they set up and slept for the night. They would get unstuck hopefully the next day.












Chapter 19 Getting to Hope’s Island
The next day they all started trying to figure out how to get to the island. They couldn’t even see it from where they were. Peace kept mewing. “I know girl.” Hope said. “I know the water’s in the way of our home.” Hope pet Peace and this calmed her down.
“I’d say we make a raft or a boat of some kind,” Sir Fronay said, “but we don’t have anything to make it with.”
“Swimming would be an option, but we can’t even see the island. We don’t know how deep the water gets or how far we would have to swim.” Nolare said.
“Riding the horses through the water would have the same problems.” Jolare commented.
“I still don’t remember how I got here.” Hope said. “It’s like the time getting here was a total blank. Almost as if I slept through it or something.”
“Don’t worry Hope,” said Nolare, “we’ll figure it out.” The party started pulling everything out of their packs. They then studied the contents. They had a little bit of dried fish, a few berries, some rope, their bed rolls, their swords, and their water containers.
“Well, I’m not sure we can do much with this except eat and sleep.” Sir Fronay said.
“There’s got to be something we can do.” Yesin said.
“What can we do?” asked Sir Nontay.
“I have a feeling that no matter what we do we’re going to have to leave the horses here.” Said Jaray. “They won’t make it unless we could build a good raft which we already know we can’t do.”
“Jaray is correct. We’ll have to trust that the horses will wait for us.” Yesin agreed. “We won’t even account for them making the journey through the ocean in whatever we decide to do.”
“Well, that would make things easier if we actually had ideas.” Sir Fronay said.
“Maybe we’ll sleep and just somehow find ourselves on the island when we wake up.” Said Comay. “Like Hope doesn’t remember how she got off the island, we might not remember how we got on.”
“Well Comay, I would agree with you, but I have a feeling it won’t work that way.” Comay’s mother said patting him on the back.
“It was just a thought.” Comay answered.
“Do we have anything that floats?”  Hope asked.
“The dried fish and berries probably float but that won’t do us any good.” Sir Fronay answered.
“What about the bed rolls?” Hope asked.
“That might be an idea.” Said Yesin. Yesin and Sir Nontay unrolled the bed rolls and tried to see if they would float. They didn’t.
“Well it looks like we’re done. We can’t get there.” Sir Fronay said as Yesin and Sir Nontay rolled the bedrolls back up. They put them back on the ground. Sir Fronay walked over and sat down, then he leaned on one of the bed rolls. It fell out from under him and rolled down towards the water. Everyone started chasing after at. It kept rolling. It finally rolled into the water and started floating. They all stared at it. Then they turned and looked at each other.
“They float!” everyone seemed to yell at once. They started making preparations. They had to decide what to stick in the strings that held the bedrolls together. They realized that they were one bed roll short since Hope hadn’t had one when she joined them. They let Comay and Hope hold on to the same one since they were the smallest. Peace would ride on Nolare’s. They used ropes to tie all the bed rolls together so that they didn’t float away from each other. They slept in the grass that night. They ate the rest of the berries the next morning. Then they all grabbed onto their respective bed rolls and walked into the water. The water was quite warm. The sun was shining. They walked until their feet couldn’t touch the bottom anymore. The sand was soft and mushy under their feet. When they hit the spot they couldn’t walk anymore they grabbed onto their bed rolls tighter and started floating. They floated for several hours. Peace started mewing furiously.
“What’s wrong Peace?” asked Hope.
“Mew.” Peace answered. Then everyone saw what had Peace. Far in the distance they could see an island.
“That must be home!” Hope said excitedly. Everyone started kicking their legs and swimming towards the island. They got about halfway when all of a sudden they were encountered by sharks. They were being encircled. They first went after Peace. Peace fell into the water. The sharks all started swimming towards her. Nolare drew her sword then she swam over to Peace. It looked as if the sharks would get Peace. They had her completely encircled. Just as one of them was about to snap, Nolare put her sword through it. Then she grabbed Peace and started swimming. She swam over to the rest of the party who all had their swords out. The sharks chased after her. Everyone took their swords and started swinging them at the sharks. Peace sat on the bedroll shivering. They had put her on the bedroll with Hope. Comay swam over and held on to the same bed roll as Jaray.
“Hope, take Peace and start swimming towards your home!” Yesin said. Hope tried to protest but in the end Yesin reasoned with her that she didn’t have a sword so the best thing would be to get back home. Hope started swimming. The sharks didn’t notice they were to occupied with everyone else. The fight waged on. Nolare untied her bed roll from everyone elses and got behind a shark that was going towards Yesin. She lassoed it’s tail and pulled on it, swimming as hard as she could. The shark turned towards her but she pulled on it more. When it realized that it couldn’t get out of Nolare’s control it submitted. When Nolare realized that the shark had submitted she started tapping it. She was able to communicate to it to chase all the other sharks away. It got in front of them and started to push them away. Some of the sharks appeared to protest but the shark Nolare had control of pushed them even harder. They all dispersed, leaving the party floating on their own again. They started swimming. They soon caught up with Hope. The water became more and more shallow. They were soon able to walk again. As soon as they got near to the shore Peace jumped off her bed roll and ran to the shore. Everyone sat down on the shore happy to be there.
“The sword is in the middle of this place.” Said Hope. “Come on. I will bring you to my guardian.” Everyone followed Hope.














Chapter 20 The Guardian of the Sword
As they walked they went past several palm trees and berry bushes. They stopped every once in a while to eat. They hadn’t eaten since they had gotten into the water. The sun shone on them and dried their clothes. “Come on guys.” Hope prodded. “We should be there soon.” Peace ran quickly too. She was excited to go home. Everyone kept up as best they could. They worked their way through the trees, bushes, and sand. The sand was coarse under their feet, and it got coarser as they kept going because it got dryer. “We’re getting close.” Hope encouraged.
“I hope so.” Said Nolare. “I’m so excited.”
“Me too.” Comay said. All of a sudden they bumped into something.
“What’s that?” Jolare asked.
“I got so excited, I forgot to stop when we got close to the house I live in.” Hope said. “We’re at the back of it. Come around. You all can stay in here with me while we’re here.” Hope led the way around her house. She opened the door for them to go in. Her home was small. It had two rooms. The first room they walked into was like a living room and kitchen type area. There was a small fire place in the corner. There were some chairs set up on one side. There was a table with a few chairs around it on the other side. There was another place for a fire but it was set up for cooking purposes. The second room was a bedroom. There was a fire place to the left. The bed was at the right. It had white sheets and a white pillow. There was a small window at the head of the bed. Hope invited everyone to sit down. They all did. Then she went out and fished and cooked some dinner at the cooking fireplace. “Eat up everyone. We don’t want to meet my guardian on empty stomachs.”
“Why would that be a problem?” Jaray asked as he ate some fish.
“Well, I just don’t want you guys to be hungry when you’re here. You are my guests. It wouldn’t be right for you to be hungry.” Hope answered.
“Oh. Okay.” Jaray said, satisfied with that answered. Everyone enjoyed the fish. Hope gave them some coconut and berries for desert. They ate that too.
“Can I get you guys anything else?” Hope asked.
“I don’t think so.” Yesin said. Everyone else agreed. They were all stuffed. Hope was a good cook.
“Alright.” Said Hope. “It’s getting pretty dark. Dinner took longer then I expected.  I think we should get a good night’s rest before we go and see my guardian. Everyone was quite tired from the swimming and fighting with sharks and walking in the hot sun. They all slept on the floor right where they were because they didn’t want to futs with the bed rolls. They were still damp anyway. The floor was quite comfortable and cool. It was sand just like the rest of the island. When everyone woke up they found Hope awake. She had set up breakfast. There were berries, coconut, some water, and bread.
“Where did the bread come from?” Comay’s mother asked.
“My guardian gives me bread.” Hope answered. “I went to him and asked for some. You were still all sleeping and I didn’t want to wake you, but I wanted you to have bread so I went to my guardian on my own. He was glad to see me and Peace safe.”
“That’s good.” Yesin said. “Can we go see your guardian after breakfast?”
“Yes. We definitely will do that.” Answered Hope. Everyone ate quickly. They were anxious to meet the guardian. They wanted to get that sword so that they could all go to their respective places. They all walked out of Hope’s home.
“Alright Hope, let’s go meet your guardian.” Yesin said.
“Sure thing.” Hope said. She led the way. They moved deeper and deeper into the island. They soon came to the middle. There was a huge stone cave and standing in front of it was a man who wore a pendant around his neck that was purple. He also held something that resembled a scepter that had a purple jewel on the top of it. He was a tall man. He had dark hair and dark eyes.
“Who comes to the cave of the sword of unity?” he asked. Hope walked over and stood next to him. Peace stood at Hope’s feet.
“We do sir.” Yesin said. “I’m Sir Yesin. Knight of Norsia and wielder of one of the three swords of unity.” Yesin then nodded at Nolare.
“And I am Nolare. I am dedicated to protecting Norsia. I also wield one of the three swords of unity.” Nolare said boldly.
“And we have been on a very long mission to find the third sword and these with us are good knights and citizens who have come to aid us in our journey.” Yesin said.
“I see.” Said the guardian. “Well, I will have to examine the swords. Knights and citizens of Norsia you say? Do you believe in the unity of Norsia and Morsia? Do you believe in them being allies?”
“Yes sir we do.” Answered Yesin.
“Does this man speak for all of you?” the guardian asked.
“Yes sir. He certainly speaks for me.” Said Sir Nontay. Everyone else nodded their heads.
“Tell me how you came on this mission. The sword has been here for a very long time and no one has come here yet.” The guardian said.
“We found the other two swords in a cave in Colarse.” Yesin explained. “We were citizens of Morsia at the time. Norsia and Morsia were at war and we were searching out Norsian troops that had been hiding in Colarse. We found the swords and showed them to the king but he said that the alliance had been to long ago. Then I became king of Morsia and restored the alliance and peace and then we found out I wasn’t the rightful king so we put another king in place and my sister Nolare and I moved to Norsia where I became a knight. Since then King Valedik of Norsia has sent us on this mission to find the third sword.”
“You restored the peace and unity of Morsia and Norsia?” asked the guardian. “I am a reasonable man and that will certainly help you when I consider giving the sword to you as well as entrusting you to bring Hope to the border to guard the sword there. I have been guarding the sword for many years. Even longer then Hope’s been alive. It has been lonely and I have been looking forward to the day that people of truth and unity who had the other two swords would come and take it. Now you must give me your swords for me to examine them. I must know if your swords are truly the swords of unity or if you are only trying to trick me so you can sell the sword for much money.”
“We shall give you our swords.” Yesin said. Yesin and Nolare walked over to the guardian and placed their swords in his open hands.
“Thank you Sir knight and thank dear lady. I shall examine these swords.” The guardian said. Then he walked into the cave. He motioned to Hope for her to follow him. She did. Peace followed at Hope’s heals. Just as they were almost out of sight Hope turned back.
“You can stay in my house while you are waiting.” She said.
“Thank you Hope.” Yesin said. Hope waved to them, then she turned and followed her guardian. She and the guardian were out of sight.
“Well, let’s go back to Hope’s.” said Nolare.
“That’s our best option at the moment.” Said Sir Nontay. Everyone agreed and they started walking to Hope’s house. Jaray went and caught fish and Jolare and Comay’s mother gathered berries. They ate that for supper that night. Then they dried their bed rolls by the fire. They knew that no one had to keep watch that night because there was no one on the island except Hope, the guardian, Peace and them.
“We can all sleep tonight.” Jaray said excitedly. He and Yesin would’ve had to keep watch that night if they were still doing that.
“Yes we can.” Said Yesin.
“Good night.” Nolare said. She went to sleep.
“Yes. Good night.” Jolare said.
“Everyone get some good sleep.” Said Comay’s mother.
“Amen to that.” Sir Nontay said.
“Good night everyone.” Sir Fronay said.
“Good dreams.” Comay said. Everyone slept soundly that night. They were confident that the guardian would decide that the swords were authentic.
















Chapter 21 The Tests
That next morning everyone ate some berries. They didn’t take the time to cook anything or to shell out coconut. They were in a hurry. They wanted to get back to the guardian as soon as they could. After they wiped down Hope’s table everyone walked outside. Then they all started walking back towards the cave where they had met the guardian the day before. When they arrived they found the guardian standing in front again with his scepter and Hope and Peace standing beside them. “Who comes to the cave of the sword of unity?” the guardian asked as he did the day before.
“It’s us again. Sir Yesin, the Lady Nolare and all our company.” Yesin answered. The guardian looked at them.
“Yes. He said.
“We have come in hopes that you had made a decision about our swords.” Yesin said.
“Your swords, yes. I still have to examine them some more. The swords must be put to many tests to ensure their authenticity.” The guardian said.
“What kind of tests do they have to be put through?” Nolare asked.
“There is a test about whether or not they can be melted. They must glow the exact same color as the other sword, my scepter, my pendant, Hope’s necklace and Peace’s tag. There is a test about their sharpness, because they were made of material which stays sharp forever. There are tests to see if the inscriptions on them were made with simple inscription tools or with diamond.” The guardian answered.
“Wow.” Comay said.
“That’s a lot of tests.” Sir Fronay said.
“Yes, but nonetheless they all have to be done.” The guardian responded.
“Which ones have you done so far?” asked Nolare.
“I have done none of them yet. I have only done an initial examination of them. All with just my eyes and hands.” The guardian said.
“When will you do those other tests then?” Yesin asked.
“I will conduct the melting test today.” The guardian answered. “In fact I shall do that one right now.” Everyone sat down to watch. The guardian started building a fire. He threw sticks on it and some leaves as well. Then he took out some crystal type substance and doused it on the fire. The flames turned dark blue.
“What’s that for?” Jaray asked.
“It makes the fire the hottest it can possibly be. A true sword of unity can stand the strongest heat.” Hope brought one of the swords over to the guardian. He took it and jabbed it into the fire. Then he held it there for a very long time. When the fire started to cool he put more of the crystals into it. The sword held up. He held it there for a little while longer. “This sword has passed it’s first test.” The guardian said. “But we still have to put the other sword through this test and we still have more tests that it must pass.”  He gave the one sword to Hope and then took the other. He added some more crystals to the fire and some more leaves and sticks. Then he plunged the second sword into it. He held it in there as long as he had held the other. “This sword has passed it’s first test as well. Neither one of these swords melt even in the strongest heat this world knows. The first tests have been passed. The next test shall take place tomorrow at this time.” The guardian said. “You may go now.”
“Yes sir.” Yesin said.
“Hope, you may go back with them. See that they have proper accommodations. We must take care of our guests.” The guardian instructed.
“Yes sir.” Hope answered. Then they all walked back to Hope’s house.
“I wonder why he can’t just do all the tests at once.” Nolare commented as they ate their dinner of fish and coconut.
“That does make me wonder.” Sir Fronay agreed.
“If he did all the tests at once the results would be skewed. The next test is the glowing. Even though the swords don’t melt they still take in heat. The heat could cause the glow to be different from what it really is.” Hope answered.
“But wouldn’t you do the glow test in the dark? Shouldn’t he do it at night time?” Jolare asked.
“Tomorrow marks the annual day of darkness on this island. Every year on the day that will be tomorrow it is dark all day. We don’t know why. So it will certainly be dark enough to conduct the test. He will not do the sharpness test tomorrow because part of that requires the sun because if the sword is sharp it will also reflect the sun in a manner of which the edges of the sword sparkles. He can’t do the inscription test the same day as he does the sharpness test because some of the things he will use to test the sharpness will make the sword dirty and he will need time to clean the swords.” Hope answered.
“How do you know all of this?” Comay’s mother asked.
“I asked him yesterday when he was telling me the procedures for testing if the swords were real or fake.”  Hope said.  Everyone ate quietly after that. They fell asleep in their bed rolls. The next morning everyone had a hard time waking up because it was so dark outside. Hope had to remind them several times that it would be dark all day. They rushed through breakfast which consisted of apples and water. They all walked back to the cave again. This time the guardian did not ask them who they were. It was about the right time so he took the swords out. He held up one of them.
“This is the sword which I am the guardian of.” He said. Then he took the other two swords and placed them on either side of it. “Hope please give me your necklace and Peace’s tag.” Hope took off her necklace and took the tag off of Peace. She handed them to the guardian. He place them and his scepter and pendant in a circle around everything. Then he looked at them intently. He just stared at them for what seemed like forever. He walked around them. He moved to a different angle and stared at them some more. After he had exhausted all the angles he could look at them from he put his hands on the hilt of one of them. “This one passes.” Then he did the same with the other sword. “So does this one. They pass the glowing test. The next test will take place tomorrow at the same time.” After he said this Hope led them all back to her home where they ate and slept. They got up the next morning and ate in a hurry again. Then they ran to the place where the last two tests had been done. It was light that morning.
“Now is the sharpness test.” That’s how the guardian greeted them that day. Then he carried a large rock over to where the fire had been for the melting test. Then he took one of the swords and held it over his head. Nolare and Jolare gasped as he thrust it down on the rock. The edges of the sword began to sparkle and the sword sliced the rock right in half. Then he took out a large diamond. He did the same with the diamond as he had done with the sword. The edges of the sword sparkled again and the diamond was cut in half. The sword had dust all over it. He set the sword down and grabbed the other one. He went through the same procedure with the other sword. It cut the rock and the diamond. “They have passed the sharpness test. Tomorrow we shall test and see if the inscriptions were etched with diamond.” They went back to Hope’s house and ate and slept. They were back at the place where the tests were. The guardian didn’t say anything when they came this time. He just went to work. He took water and mixed it with juice from some of the berries. He sprinkled a different colored crystal then that which he used on the fire into his water and berry juice solution and mixed it all up. Then he dipped one of the swords in the solution. The juice stuck to every part of the sword except the inscription. He did the same thing with the other sword. “Your swords have passed the tests. They are authentic. Your motives are true. You have passed your tests as well.”
“But you never gave us any tests.” Nolare said.
“You were faithful. You stayed here even though you didn’t get the sword right away. You waited for the tests. You have been loyal to your journey and your cause. Hope has told me all about how you kept Peace safe even though it seemed like folly to follow a cat. She’s told me how you have all been faithful to each other. Even when you had been out for so long you took a side road to find a lost member of your group. You’ve passed the tests of loyalty and faithfulness. The sword is yours to take. Take Hope and Peace with you when you go. As for me, I shall leave this world because my task is over. Thank you. I have been looking forward to this day for so long.” When the guardian said this he handed the sword to Yesin. Then he waved goodbye. They all waved too. All of them fell into a deep sleep. When they woke up they found themselves being nuzzled by their horses. They had no memory of how they got off the island and it is said that many came afterwards to the ocean and the island was no where to be found.













Chapter 22 Jaray’s Mission and the Trip Home
The party had a fairly uneventful few days between the shore of the ocean and the castle of Colarse. There were no bandits or wild animals to contend with and they were along the river again so food was plentiful. When they reached the castle they were greeted by the guards.
“Who goes there?” one of the guards asked.
“Sir Yesin of Norsia and company.” Yesin answered. The guard recognized them from their last visit.
“You may enter. Are you here to see the king?” he asked.
“Yes sir. We have very urgent business with the king.” Yesin said.
“I shall get one of my guards to escort you to the throne room then.” The guard said. He called another guard who came immediately. “Get this kind party to the throne room. It’s urgent business with the king.” The second guard nodded.
“This way.” He said. He lead them into the throne room. The king was sitting on his throne. When the guard announced their presence he turned and greeted them.
“Welcome back. How is your mission going?” the King asked.
“It has gone quite well.” Yesin answered. “However our business with you does not have anything to do with that this time.”
“Well, before you bring your requests to me, please come and enjoy a banquet. You and your whole party.” The king said.
“We will be happy to oblige.” Yesin answered. The king had his servants set up a banquet. There was turkey and apples. There was stuffing and vegetables. There were pies for desert. Everyone ate to their hearts content and they all sat at places of honor.
“Now, what can I do for you?” the king asked looking at Yesin.
“It’s not what you can do for me, your highness, it’s what you can do for my friend Jaray.” Yesin answered He pointed to Jaray.
“What might that be young sir?” the king asked Jaray. Jaray was scared. He didn’t know what to say.
“I, I, I, uh. Um.” Jaray stuttered.
“Well, maybe you should stay here for the night and think about how to say what you need to say. In fact I hope you all will stay.” The king offered. Everyone was certainly happy to take his offer. They were given rooms just like the ones they were in on their first visit to the Colarsen castle. They all slept well that night. The next morning they were given a breakfast of porridge and toast. Then the king summoned them to the throne room.
“Now Sir Jaray, what do you need from me?” the king inquired again.
“Your majesty. I come from a small town east of here. It is one of your smaller towns, but we still need supplies. Years ago you stopped sending as much as you used to. Now we don’t have enough and we’ve been struggling to survive. Please your highness, send the amount you used to send. So many people are upset because we and other towns our size are being overlooked.” Jaray stood up straight and looked the king in the eye as he delivered his message.
“I didn’t realize that this was happening. I thought that those towns needed less then what they were getting. Are the people so angry?” the king asked.
“They wanted to go against you and overthrow you so that they could appoint a king who would give each town their rightful share.” Jaray answered.
“This is a problem.” The king said. “I shall get on it right away. Guards.” He called some guards and they came over to him. “I want you to go to the supply stations and inform them that small towns need one and a half times as much as they have been getting the past few years.” The guards nodded and walked away to go deliver their message. “Is there anything else I can do for you young man?”
“I would like to remain here as a knight for you. Also if you could give my friends one more night here.” Jaray said.
“Of course. Both requests shall be granted.” The king said. Everyone cheered for the victory for Jaray’s town that didn’t have to come with violence. They all appreciated one more night in the palace. The next morning they all said goodbye to Jaray. Then after being given enough food for the journey back to the castle of Norsia they headed on out. They didn’t encounter much over the time it took to get back to Norsia. The sun was warm and the river supplied cool water. The nights were warm too and most of the time they didn’t sleep in their bed rolls. Peace rode on a horse with Hope. Butterflies flew all over the place during the day. There seemed to be nothing at night. The stars were quite bright in the sky. They finally reached the castle of Norsia where they were greeted warmly by the guards but the greeting was followed by distressing news.











Chapter 23 Unity Threatened
“We’re so glad you’re back.” One of the guards said. “but we are being attacked by Morsia. Someone has overthrown his majesty King Joshua. Whoever he is, he doesn’t believe in the alliance.”
“This cannot be.” Yesin said. “We have just found the third sword of unity. We must stop this immediately.”
“I guess our mission isn’t done yet.” Nolare said drawing her sword.
“We have to go into Morsia and get rid of that king!” Jolare said.
“Let’s go!” Comay said.
“Let’s stop this.” Sir Nontay exclaimed.
“Yes, let’s.” Sir Fronay agreed. Yesin went into the castle and gathered up his battalion of knights. Then Yesin, his battalion, and the sword searching party all drew their swords and started running. They ran through battles and battles. Everywhere they went the fighting seemed to be going on. If you could see the look on the faces of the Morsian troops you could tell they were just following orders. They were confused by what was happening. Yesin and his troops stopped many Morsian knights in mid sword swing and started talking to them. They were able to convince many that the king in power now was not good and that Norsia and Morsia were supposed to be at peace. They showed the swords. Soon they had half the Morsian army running with them to the castle in Morsia. When they reached there they weren’t even stopped by the guards because there were so many Morsian troops. The guards just thought that the Norsians were prisoners. The whole lot of them entered the throne room. Yesin led the way.
“Who are you?” the king asked when he realized that a Norsian knight had just entered his throne room. “And why did my guards let you through?”
“I am Sir Yesin of Norsia. Your guards let me through because I have half your army under my command because they believe in the alliance between our country and yours.”
“Well, as you can tell I don’t and I plan on fighting your country until it is destroyed.” The man posing as king snarled.
“Where is King Joshua?” Yesin asked.
“You will never find him!” the man growled at Yesin.
“Spread out men. Search this castle up and down. I want to find the rightful king of Morsia!” Yesin commanded. Soon the Morsian troops and the sword searching party were canvassing the castle. They searched every nook and cranny but did not find Joshua. They started running around the outside of the castle. They moved in every direction, making their way through the fighting.
“I told you, you’d never find him. You won’t find his parents either!” the man sneered.
“We will find him,” Nolare said, “and we will restore peace once and for all.” She and Yesin rushed at him. The man started to run away. A few guards came to his aid. Nolare and Yesin fought the guards off and had them tied up. Then they went after the fake king. He had run out of the castle by now. They chased him all over the place. They finally caught him and tied him up.
“Where’s King Joshua?” Yesin asked again.
“I will never tell you!” he answered. “Morsia is mine!” He got himself untied from the ropes and started to run again. They got him stuck from two sides but he just ran another way. He ran into a nearby home that no one was in at the time. He hid under a bed. They went in and found him but he threw some dust in their eyes and started running again. They chased him everywhere. They caught his robe but he just ran leaving it in their hands. “You will never catch me and you will never find the boy. I own Morsia now and I will take over Norsia!” he ran off again.
         “Not if we can help it!” Nolare yelled. They ran around and caught him from the sides again but he just took off in a direction they couldn’t cover between the two of them. All of a sudden they ran into Comay. He had been searching for Joshua.
         “Need some help guys?” he asked.
         “If you want to do that, we’d sure appreciate it.” Yesin answered.
         “Alright. You guys get him from two sides. Then no matter which side he tries to take I can get him.” Comay said. Nolare and Yesin separated and trapped the man on two sides. He tried to run to another side. Comay was quick. Much quicker then the man. Before you could blink Comay had chased him down and tied him up. They handed him over to one of the Morsian knights that was following Yesin’s orders. Now they had to find Joshua. They started searching all over. They combed everywhere within a ten mile radius of the castle. They found nothing.
         “Maybe that man really did do something to him whereby we’ll never find him.” Nolare said.
         “Don’t give up hope yet.” Yesin said. “We’ll find him, and his parents too.” 
         “Let’s go.” Nolare said. They started searching everywhere. They went through the castle again. The searched every room, every hall, they even looked up the fire places. When they could certainly say the Joshua wasn’t in the castle they started searching the grounds around the castle. They asked every guard if they had seen anything. Most said they hadn’t. One of them says he remembers seeing someone with the king and his parents tied up. He had tried to stop them but then he remembered that person picked up a stick. He remembered the stick hitting him on the head but he didn’t know anything from there. He had been knocked out. They started searching homes again. Still they didn’t find anyone. Then they moved into the forest. They climbed trees and searched caves.  They even swam in a river that ran through the forest to see if the man had drowned them. They still found nothing. There was no sign of the young king or his parents anywhere.
         “We have got to find them!” Nolare said. “There’s got to be something we haven’t tried yet.”
         “I know Nolare, but the question is what.” Yesin answered. They were in the middle of the forest now. There was a small clearing. They walked over to it and sat down. When they did, they could feel themselves sinking. They heard voices. Then they fell into a hole. In the hole they found King Joshua and his parents.
         “Sir Yesin, Lady Nolare.” King Joshua said. “It’s so good to see you. What is happening? What is going on in Morsia?”
         “A war has broke out. The man who has put you here doesn’t believe in the Morsian/Norsian alliance. He appointed a man who agrees with him to be head knight. The head knight told the others to go after Norsia and many of them did. They were confused but they just followed orders. The Norsian knights figured out what was going on and we have tied up the man. Now we have found you.” Yesin explained this as Nolare untied Joshua and his mom and dad.
         “Perfect, we can use these ropes to get out of here.” Nolare said. She tied one of the ropes to the hilt of her sword. Then she used her sword to climb up the hole. When she got out she thrust the sword into the ground and let the rope down. Everyone else used the rope to get out. “Come on. Now let’s get you back to your rightful position and stop this war!” Nolare yelled.
         “Let’s do it!” Joshua said. His parents thanked Nolare and Yesin. They were so relieved that everything had worked out. Then Yesin and Nolare escorted the young king and his parents back to the Morsian castle. One of the knights stopped them, but when he saw King Joshua he let them through. Joshua went to the throne room and sat down on his throne. His parents took their seats in the throne room as well.
         “Your majesty, we were so worried.” One of the Morsian knights said. “We’re so glad to have you back safe and sound.”
         “We can talk about that later. First let’s get stop this battle. Send three of the messengers into every area that battles have broken out. Tell them about my being captured and that I command this battle to stop immediately.”
         “Yes your majesty.” The knight answered. “You heard that men.” Three knights got up, bowed to their king and moved out. They got on their horses and went through Morsia stopping battles everywhere.
         





















Chapter 24 Joshua Re-throned, Comay starts Knight Training
When everyone had stopped fighting and the knights went back to their castles or homes, the people of Morsia decided to re-instate Joshua as King. They had a big ceremony. The head knight stood next to the throne and Joshua and his parents walked down a red carpet which had been specially cleaned and placed down the middle of the throne room. Music was played and when Joshua reached the throne, the head knight placed the crown on his head.
“Morsia, I present to you, your King. His Majesty King Joshua!” the head knight declared. Everyone in the throne room cheered. Then Joshua went outside. The people out their cheered as well.
“Well, we’ve done our job here.” Yesin said to Nolare. “Let’s go get Comay started with his knight training.”
“Sounds good.” Nolare said.
“Yes!” Comay said. They took the journey back to Norsia. They were escorted by several Morsian knights. They crossed the border and met with Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay. They came to escort them to the castle. The Morsian escorts started back to the castle in Morsia.
“How are you guys?” Sir Nontay asked.
“We’ve gotten rid of the faker and re-instated Joshua on the throne.” Nolare said.
“Now we’ve come to get Comay into knight’s training here in Norsia.” Yesin said.
“That’s what we were told to do. Bring you to the castle for Comay’s training. His mother is already at the castle. Hope is waiting there to.” Sir Fronay said.
“Wonderful.” Yesin said.
“I can’t wait!” Comay exclaimed. They kept on walking towards the castle. When they got their they were greeted by the guard. Then they were let in to the castle. They went to the throne room where they were greeted by King Valedik.
“It’s good to have you back Sir Yesin. And same goes to you Lady Nolare. Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay inform me that you have a young man who wishes to become a knight under my command.”  King Valedik said.
“Yes Your Majesty, we do. Your Majesty, meet Comay.” Yesin said. Comay stepped forward and bowed.
“Good day, young man. I will put you up for knight training right away. You shall train under Sir Yesin, Sir Fronay and Sir Nontay. Your mother will be given a room in the castle if she wishes. If she doesn’t want to live here she will be given a home at the foot of the castle.” King Valedik said. Comay’s mother came into the throne room and ran and hugged him.
“Thank you your majesty.” Comay’s mother said. “I would be grateful for a room in the palace.”
“Then you shall have one.” King Valedik commanded his servants to prepare a room for Comay’s mother. “Now young sir, you shall start your training.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Comay said.
“Alright Comay let’s go down to the other knights. You must meet those who you will be in company with.” Yesin said. Comay, Yesin, Sir Nontay, and Sir Fronay all walked down into the mess hall. The knights who lived in the castle were eating lunch. Yesin sat down and Comay sat next to him. Sir Fronay sat on the other side of Yesin and Sir Nontay sat next to Comay. They all ate. While they were eating they mingled with the other knights. Comay met knights who had been there since before the war that Yesin had stopped. He met knights that had just been knighted yesterday. He met knights who had been there for a few months. He met others who were still in training. Those who had been there during the war told him stories about how no one knows who invaded who. He was told about how Morsia used different techniques from Norsia and how excited everyone was when unity was brought about. He learned about other wars with other countries. He even was told the story of Morsia’s encounter with Exander and how Norsia came to aid. All the knights however were fascinated with Comay’s story. He told them all about his adventures with his mother, Nolare, Yesin, Jolare, Jaray, Sir Fronay, Sir Nontay, Hope, and Peace.  He told about the lions they had fought off. He told about how they witnessed the tests of the swords and about the encounter with the sharks. While they were there the knights they had met who were lost came up to them.
“Thank you so much for helping us get home. We’re glad you have come back here safely as well.” One of them said.
“It’s good to see you here as well.” Yesin said. Comay adjusted very well. All the knights loved him and he trained wonderfully. His mother was very happy. She could see Comay often and was excited that the training was going so well.











         Chapter 25 Unity Forever
         After all this happened Yesin and Nolare presented the swords of unity to King Valedik. He was very excited to see all three together. Then he placed one sword in a diamond case in the throne room of his castle. “This sword will forever be here to remind the King of Norsia that Morsia and Norsia are at peace and in alliance forever.” He announced to everyone who could hear. Everyone cheered. “Now you must go deliver the other two to their rightful places.” He said to Yesin and Nolare.
         “Yes Your Majesty.” Said Yesin. “Let’s go sister.”
         “You got it brother.” Nolare said. Then they left the castle and mounted their horses. They went to Jolare’s house where Hope was living. She had been offered a place in the castle but when Jolare offered a bed at her house, Hope took that instead. She had always lived a simple life. Hope got on a horse and Jolare lifted Peace up to her.
         “You get to go to where you were meant to be.” Jolare said to Hope.
         “Yes. Finally.” Hope said. “Goodbye Jolare. Come visit me on the border sometime.”
         “Don’t worry. I will.” Jolare said as she waved. Then Yesin, Nolare, Hope, and Peace rode off towards Morsia.
         “We shall go to the castle and bring the sword there. Then we will come back to the border where the third sword shall be put in it’s rightful place and Hope will take her position of guarding it.” Yesin said. They rode on. They finally hit the castle. The guard recognized them and let them through. They entered the throne room. King Joshua had been talking with his parents. When he heard the doors of the throne room open he turned and when he saw Yesin, Nolare and Hope he greeted them warmly.
         “Welcome, Sir Yesin and Lady Nolare. Who is this that accompanies you?” King Joshua asked.
         “This is the Lady Hope. She joined us on our quest to find the third sword of unity. We have found it and she is to guard it when it is put in it’s rightful place at the border.” Yesin answered.
         “Welcome Lady Hope. I am pleased to meet you. Now, Sir Yesin what can I do for you?” King Joshua turned back to Yesin.
         “Now that we have all three swords of unity we are here to see that one of them is placed in your throne room under a diamond case. It will be a reminder to all future kings of Morsia about the peace and alliance Norsia and Morsia share.” Yesin answered.
         “Of course Sir Yesin.” Said King Joshua. Then Yesin handed the sword to Joshua. “Please got get the diamond case.” The King said to one of the guards. The guard nodded then ran out of the room. He returned a few minutes later with the case. Then Joshua took it. He stuck the sword lightly into the floor and then carefully placed the case over it. “Morsia will never wage war with Norsia again. This sword will remind every King that we are at peace.”
         “Mew.” Peace said when she heard her name.
         “No, Peace, not you.” Hope pet the kitten.
         “Who is this?” King Joshua asked.
         “This is my kitten, Peace. She will be with me guarding the third sword.” Hope answered.
         “Wonderful.” King Joshua said.  Everyone in the throne room cheered. Then King Joshua commanded one of the messengers to get all the other messengers and spread the word that the sword of unity has been placed in the throne room. Then he had some servants prepare rooms for Yesin, Nolare, and Hope. They stayed at the castle that night. They were given a banquet which was there to celebrate the proper placing of the sword of unity. King Joshua asked them to stay for one more night. They obliged. The next morning they were given a delicious breakfast and then Joshua commanded some of his knights to again escort them to the border.
         “Here we go.” Hope said.
         “Our task is nearly over.” Nolare said. “It seems so long ago that we set out to go and find the sword. Now we’re bringing it to the border.”
         “Yes. It is a strange feeling that our mission is nearly over.” Yesin said.
         “It was a good one.” Nolare said.
         “Yes it was.” Yesin said.
         “I have a feeling it will be added to what is taught in schools.” Nolare said.
         “It certainly will be.” Yesin agreed.
         “We’ll be at the border soon. Right?” Hope asked.
         “Yes we will.” Yesin answered.
         “I can’t wait.” Hope nearly jumped off her horse. “I’ll finally be, where I’m meant to be.”
         “We’ll be able to go home. I’ll go back to Jolare’s.” Nolare patted her horse.
         “And I’ll go back to the castle.” Yesin looked out into the distance.
         “Mew.” Peace gave her input.
         “That’s right Peace, we’re really going home.” Hope said as she stroked the kitten.
         “I can ride down the waterfalls. Just like Jolare and I talked about one night on our mission.” Nolare nearly jumped off her horse this time.
         “Be careful you two.” Yesin cautioned them. “We’ve been through to much and gotten to far for something to happen to you now.” Nolare and Hope giggled at this.
         “Don’t worry Sir Yesin.” Hope said. “We’ll be ok. Isn’t that right Nolare?”
         “Sure is Hope. We’ll be fine Yesin.” Nolare assured him. She navigated her horse over to Yesin and patted him on the back. 
         “I hope so.” Yesin said.
         “Don’t worry.” Nolare said. They kept on riding. The Morsian knights were amused by their conversation and fascinated by the stories they heard as the three reminisced the mission and the tests and the sharks and so on.
         “Well, we are to stop here.” One of the Morsian knights said.
         “Are we at the border already?” Yesin asked. He turned and saw it. “Well, I guess we are. Thank you sir knights. We very much appreciate you riding with us.”
         “It was our pleasure, Sir Yesin. Safe travel.” One of the knights answered.
         “You too.” Yesin said. Then they all waved to their escorts. When the escorts were out of sight they went to their task. “Hope, I present to you the third sword. Guard it well.”
         “Thank you Sir Yesin.” Hope said as she took the sword from him. Then they all walked over to where the very center of the border was. Peace walked over and stood near Hope’s feet. Then Hope raised the sword over her head and thrust it into the ground. “May this sword remind everyone who comes to this border that Norsia and Morsia are at peace with each other. They are in an alliance and will protect each other from any who may attack them.” Then she stood straight. Peace mewed at her feet.  Suddenly they heard clapping. Out from the Norsian side of the border came Comay, Comay’s mother, Sir Nontay, Sir Fronay, Jolare, and Jaray.
         “What are you guys doing here?” Yesin asked.
         “We came to see the sword we were searching for put in it’s rightful place.” Jolare said.
         “We also came to escort you back to the castle.” Comay said. “It’s one of my first big assignments.”
         “That’s a wonderful first assignment Comay.” Yesin said.
         “Comay is doing well.” Sir Nontay reported.
         “I’m so proud of my son.” Comay’s mother said.
         “I came because I just had to come and say thank you again, for helping me approach the king and for the supplies my town and other towns like mine can get.” Jaray said. “And I just wanted to say hi to my dear friends.”
         “Well crew,” Yesin said, “our mission is over. Norsia and Morsia shall be at peace and have unity forever, now that the swords are in their rightful places.”
         “Horray!” everyone yelled.
         “Now, lets go home.” Yesin said. Everyone hugged Hope goodbye and petted Peace who was purring happily.
         “Goodbye.” Hope yelled as they started to all move towards the castle of Norsia. Everyone turned around and waved. It was starting to get dark and they could see her necklace starting to glow. Hope watched until they disappeared off into the sunset. She had a contented smile on her face. She was in the place she was meant to be and Morsia and Norsia would be at peace and have unity forever.