The Memoirs of Lord Icarus

"I remember flying, without the feel of the world on me. To be truly free."

"I remember falling, then the ocean surrounded my being, the darkness came unto me. Then I awoke here.......in the 13th realm."

From the Memoirs of Lord Icarus


"I awoke to find myself inside a metallic cage. I cannot imagine what happened while i was in the void."

"When I tried to push myself up, a wave of nausea overcame me. I fell to the floor."

" 'You should wait til your body wakes up, my friend.' I turned to the voice and saw a blur. He came and knelt beside my body. 'here, drink this, it should give you strength."

"I drank the liquid, its sweet taste reminded me of something, could it be my life before I woke here. I fell into the blackness, again."

"When I awoke again, I was greeted by the sight of a tall man. His body was heavily scarred with burns. He was covered from the waist down with a dirty white tunic."

"'Ah! Welcome stranger to the thirteenth realm, and all the wonderful glories that come with it.' he motioned with hands all that surrounded the cage we occupied."

"I will try to describe what I saw, but will do the small city no justice."

"Around the cage stood dozens of gawkers, probably to witness the capture of such men, as myself. But beyond them is where my vision focused. The sky was bright blue, which gave the color of the buildings a dark menacing tone of burnt gray. Hundreds of what looked to be apartments spread to the four directions. In the centre of the mass of small buildings stood a lone tower, painted burnt silver, it appeared to touch the sky."

"'My lord. What manner of city is this?' I asked my fellow captive."

"'What? This triffel of a town? You are too much my friend. We have stopped here to eat and gather our strength. Ha Ha! You are most definately a stranger to this world.' he sighed. 'I am wondering who you are and how you came to be in the thirteenth realm?'"

"I answered most honestly to that I did not know how I came to be here, but that my name was Icarus."

"He held out his hand and grabbed mine at the wrist. 'Welcome Icarus! My name is Achilles, The Invincible! Known throughtout the realm as the greatest warrior ever! My name shall go down in history!' he faced the crowd when he shouted. The crowd screamed back at him."

"My new friend seemed on the verge, a frenzy of anger, when suddenly he turned to me and said 'I am just a mortal man. One of the damned. Friend, Icarus, I hope you never have to live through what I do every day. Killing, in the name of sport, is no way to be remembered. I dream of something better.' I asked what is it that you dream of. 'Freedom. You are now in the service of Lord Volarious. Ruler of the Thirteenth Realm. I must kill you to continue my dream. I am sorry.'"

"He sat on the ground, almost to ponder the weight of such a confession."

"I sat on the opposite side of the cage and waited for my friend to speak again."

"I must have drifted off into sleep, for when I opened my eyes, Achilles was standing over me with a large smile. 'Icarus, what say you of your dreams? You were speaking of flying. What sort of world do you come from?' he sat down next to me and waited."

"I told him of what I remembered and after a moment he sighed. 'It seems that for some reason the Unity does not want you to remember your life. I wonder at the wisdom of that.' he got up and walked to the front of the cage and sighed. 'I do not want to kill you, my friend, but the Unity must watch over us both, now.' with that, he sat on the ground and fell asleep.

"I like this man, Achilles. He must be a great warrior to achieve crowd recognition. If the day ever came, I will call him my brother."

*********Memoirs of Lord Icarus Entry 2***************************************************


"The cage we were in was shaken with a tremendous force, Achilles was up and anticipating action, turning to me he grinned. 'Icarus, prepare yourself.' with that I rose up and waited."

"Our prison was lifted from the ground and placed on the back of a large quadraped. The creature began to move, shaking me from my feet, I fell to the wooden floor."

"'Icarus, you shall get your balance soon enough. Let your knees take the motion of the beast.' He motioned to his own knees and smiled at me. 'It takes practice, but you will need this lesson before the day is over.'"

"The beast walked for what seemed an enternity, then with a jerk, it stopped. Slowly the cage was lowered to the ground. The same force shook the cage, then stopped. 'We have arrived in Nosferatu de Ciudad.' he turned to me with a terrified face. 'City of the Blood Eaters.'

"I looked out into the city and was silenced by the awe of such magnificence. Artists built this city not peasants, like the last."

"Our cage sat in the center of a large theatre, people of all races and colors, were shoulder to shoulder with each other. In a complete three hundred sixty degree the same scene played. At what appeared to be the most northern point stood a small hut. The people under the tarp stood and a man entered the stadium."

"'Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Coliseum, raise to your feet and bow before his majesty, King Volarius Ruler of the Thirteenth Realm!'"

"The crowd followed the instructions from the voice, which seemed to come from all corners of the stadium. I wonder how this marvel was pulled off. Surely, from slaves. This kingdom is not right."

"He did not walk on the ground. He seemed to float. He was covered from neck to feet in black. His hair was cut short, giving accent to the ghostly pale face which seemed to glow, even in the daylight. His lips were stained red, not the normal flesh, but an unnatural sense of taste of blood. His hands were covered with gloves but his nails were exposed, they too were stained with blood."

"He stopped in front of the cage and hissed. 'You have come here to die for my amusement. Nothing more, nothing less. Entertain my people and your names will be remembered in the halls of the great gladiators. Fail me and I will drink your bodies dry........of blood. The life is in the blood.' after a moment he looked to the emmense crowds and raised both hands. 'I give you the battle of all battles, tomorrow. These two men will fight to the death. You will see the animal within.' with that Volarius turned to us and whispered 'What are your names?'"

"Achilles answered first. 'My lord, the name is Achilles.'"

"Volarius turned to me and hissed. 'And you slave?'"

"'Icarus, my lord. A name you will not forget.'"

"He smiled at me. 'You have spirit, good. Your blood will be the sweetest to drink. You will die, both of you, this time tomorrow.' With those words, I meet Volarius for the first time. I remember feeling dread at the thought of his words."


*********Memoirs of Lord Icarus Entry 3****************************************************


"The, so called, ruler of this world is not sane. I wonder about the honor of a man like Volarius. I spent this night wondering what causes a man to become the animal that I meet. I was told, by my friend Achilles, that the black cloak he wears, protects him from attack. He told me, the numerous attacks on his life caused the king to become paranoid. He ordered his steel maker to fashion clothing that would cover his vital organs."

"I asked my friend about this Colisium, who created it? What is it's purpose? He laughed and said that ancient people built the structure, but the reason was unknown. I gathered from his knowledge that he has never been to this city before and we may never leave after the sun is high above."

"Achilles is trustworthy soul. I have a plan and have included him to help. It seems that the guards only work quarter shifts and at the end of each shift, a brief time comes for us to be alone. This cannot be taken lightly. I feel that with my new friend that we can overcome the guards and begin the journey to freedom. This will be very risky, for I am not a fighter. Achilles will have to do much of the work. This makes me uneasy, if something were to happen to him, we will fail and die. We begin to scheme."

"The plan is very simple, when the two guards leave we will break out of this cell. Achilles believes that the lock is flimsy. The two guards will try to sound the alarm and run out, but Achilles will handle both men. His focus on this evident, his life has been spent making war. Two guards will be no match for my friend."

"The plan will begin very soon. The quarter is almost up. There go the guards, ahead of time. That will be their mistake. Their king will not like this at all, most likely, he will kill them for their incompetence.

*********Memoirs of Lord Icarus Entry 4****************************************************


"The plan worked, both guards died. Achilles had little trouble with those two, but another guard arrived which surprised us, and sadly I had to kill him. It was not his fault, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I hope that I will never have to do that again."

"We ran through the streets of the mighty city. Everywhere we look, nothing. The people fear going out at night, I do not know why. I must ask Achilles this. Maybe it has something to do with this Nosferatu name. I do not know."

"We, finally came to the edge of the city to a shock. A man with an axe was about to cleave another man's head off. Achilles sprung into action, breaking the guards arm and with the axe, plunged it into his face. Achilles then helped the prisioner up and smiled. These two men know each other."

"'Ulysseus! What manner of luck is this? How did they catch you?' Achilles was shocked. I found out later that Ulysseus is a military officer. This realm has a movement to overthrow the king."

"The introductions were brief and we were on our way. The three of us ran until the daylight began to creep over the large mountains ahead of us. Achilles and Ulysseus began to slow their pace, they gave no reason for this action. I wonder, what is it about the night that these people pause. I must ask them."

"The city, now looking like a small dot on the horizon, does not look to fearsome. We need to rest. Achilles and Ulysseus have begun to look for a small cave. I am hungry, for I have not eaten since we arrived in the small city. I am told the city has the name of Soddom. I cannot escape the feeling that I know these places and landmarks. Maybe in another time. I do not know, but I know the answers are there in my mind."

"My two friends have found a cave, within the small structure, on the walls are primitive paintings. The artists have long passed on. Its time to sleep. I will continue to write, within these pages may be the key to unlocking my memory."

"My two allies have fallen asleep. I think that even the slightest noise would awaken them both. I must try to remember my life before here. The sun is over the mountain tops."

*********Memoirs of Lord Icarus Entry 5****************************************************

"I remember flying, I can remember someone flying with me. Who was this person? He has a sad look upon his face. Then I remember the light. My lord! The light was so bright! Then I remember falling into a great sea. Then the darkness. My god, what has happened to me? Why can I not remember my life before this time. Maybe I am not to remember. Could it be that this is the Underworld? I doubt it. The god Hades would have presented himself at the start. Could it be a test from Lord Zeus? Maybe. If this is a test then who is Volarius? Not one of the gods I know."

"Sleep must have overcame me. My eyes open to Ulysseus looking down upon me. He told me it was time to go. I look around the cave one last time, taking in the paintings on the walls. I realize, now, that it is becoming dark. The running pace, though slower, has begun again. I wonder where my two friends are taking me. Could it be a trap? I doubt it. It seems that they have a single destination."

"We ran until the sun came up. I, now, understand why we take shelter during the day. Ulysseus tells me, the king's armies move very quickly during the daytime, making mistakes by not searching every possible hiding place. At night, they stop and wait. What they wait for is still not being told to me. I fear what I do not understand, it is human nature. Speaking of which, are my allies human? They appear to be, they walk and talk, they understand my languages. They speak with an odd accent, which I do not recognize. I feel that I know these men, where and how, I do not know."

"The night is starting to come again, we have stopped at the outer wall of the mountains. A small valley seperates the two sides from coming together. The path cant be more that a dozen feet. If anyone was trapped in this valley, it would be the death of whomever it was. We passed through the valley without incident but I get the feeling we are being watched or followed. I keep looking around to see if my mind is playing tricks on me or if it is real. I mentioned to Achilles my feelings, he laughed and said maybe we are being followed."

"The path ended into a small forest. By mighty Zeus! This is the first time I have seen lush greenery, in this world. The Mountains form a ring around the forest. I heard birds! Insects! I have not realized the absense of such sounds til now. I am truly amazed! Ulysseus tells me that this place was built by men. If this is true, I cannot imagine how long and how many people it took to make such a natural marvel. This realm has great contradictions. Cities that look and smell of smoke, then forests that are so lush and green it would rival anything on Mount Olympus!"

"Our travels have ended. Thank Zeus! My legs are tired and my feet have blisters from running. We have meet the leaders of the resistance. They are a motley group to see. Unorganized, dirty and without a true plan. At first, we were meet with angry faces. One of their people recognized Ulysseus and the hostility ended. Grasps and handshakes were exchanged. Smiles were on all faces. Then came the moment when all eyes came to focus on me."

"I have been introduced to the great warriors of this world. I cannot imagine a person being so hated, that all the nations have sent their best to fight aganist him. This Volarius is indeed hated."

"Tiberius came to me first. An older man whose eyes looked like he had seen much sorrow. I am told that his nation was crushed from within by Volarius. It started with his leaders fighting amongst themselves. This I believe was the first great nation that this, so called, king conquered. Greed is a powerful weapon to use on the corrupted. I believe he called his land, Rome. He is the chief advisor to the leader of the resistance."

"The next to offer their hands in friendship was two men. One by the name of Paladin and his brother in battle, Thor. Both of these men come from the frozen lands of the north. Volarius came through with his armies and exterminated, almost, an entire civilization. These men believed that Volarius wanted no one to challange him from an area that was untamed. Paladin was reserved, I think he would rather do then talk about doing. Thor, on the other hand, was vocal about what he wanted. A reckoning was all that lay before him. He says that with this task done, he will consider the time well spent. These men are true professional soliders and nothing else."

"By Zeus's beard, I have never seen such color on a man. The couple that stood in front of me were of a color so dark, it appeared to vanish in the shadows of the trees. These two cannot be human! The one has the head of animal that appears so vicious, to approach it would mean your death. After this observation, the man's great arms reached up and removed a helmet! Underneath lied the face of a young man. He shook hands with me and introduced himself as Anubis with his escort, a woman, named Isis. I gather that she advises him of spiritual matters of war, though I am not certain."

"Next came a musician, thank the gods for this man. It is a wonderful feeling to know that this world has the arts. His name is Sadko, his home was flooded with the ice of ages. At least, that how he told it to me. He was playing at his home's musical theatre when a flood of ice and water submerged his city. I feel that this man may be the last of his kind. No one lays to the north for him to come home too."

"The person who glared the hardest, came to me next. Shiva, was his name. Revenge was his buisness, nothing else. He walked away without a further word."

"The last person had the oddest shaped eyes, they looked normal at first but appeared to slant as the lids meet the skin on his face. I have never seen such a thing in my life. Zeus must love the diversity of the people. His name is Ghengis Khan, from the eastern plains. His people were meet with disease that Volarius introduced and wiped out much of his lands. The rest of his people are starving. They sent him for help. They wait for his return."

"After the introductions were given, I was escorted to a small hut. Inside there is where I wait to meet the leader of the Resistance group. What a man he must be to govern such a group. I hope that he allows me to stay here, among these great warriors of nobility.

*********Memoirs of Lord Icarus Entry 6****************************************************

"I have to say, this is a shock to me. These men and woman are from such cultures!"

"The resistance has been built and I have meet the man who leads them. His name is Beowulf."

"He is an elderly man, a great warrior of his own right. I have the feeling that the battles he has fought have worn upon his soul. He will die, soon. I am told, by Achilles, that the men believe he is desended from a god. He was cursed to travel the lands, fighting evil, until his death. There was no mention of how he wound up leading such an army. He is a great man. I hope however follows in his stead is just as noble."

"He has designated his generals. Tiberius is to lead the campaign aganist Volarius's army in the north. His experience with the northern tribes benefits his efforts. Tiberius will lead five thousand men aganist thousands of soliders."

"The men from the east, Shiva and Ghengis Khan, lead the attacks for the supply lines that stretch like fingers all over this realm. I have no doubt, they will do alot of damage to his army."

"To the south, the armies of Anubis and Isis with battle with Volarius's slave masters. I get the feeling that a type of slave trade, or triangle, has been started. Goods are traded for slaves, later, money. I am informed that large ships carry people in bonds over the great ocean. Anubis, I have no doubt, will make them pay for such a crime."

"Achilles and Ulysseus are to lead the attack in western hemisphere."

"Thor and Paladin will remain to lead the attack here."

"Beowulf cannot be serious! He is stretching his army to thin! He wants these attacks to happen at the same time! He does not have the army to lead a four front war! His camp is only fifty thounsand at most. The men seem confused at his orders. I do not understand such tatics. I think this is a mistake, Beowulf tells me that its to distract the enemy, to allow the camp to move. I told him that we should stay and fight! He didn't agree with my advice."

"I have volunteered to help my friend Achilles on the western front. He will need all the help he can get. May Zeus help me! I fear that I will go to my death."

"Achilles has offered to help me find some armor. I am not even sure what I am suppose to do. I am not a fighter, I cannot do anything. I feel very inadequate.....alone."

"Sadko tells me that he will write songs and stories for future generations. The war, he says, will be remembered for all to know. I wish I could believe him. I think its suicide."

"I will remain here, in this tent, until dawn. I will pray for guidance and hope for a miracle."

*********Memoirs of Lord Icarus Entry 7****************************************************

"It is dawn and the soliders begin to move. I have a terrible feeling that I will never see some of these people again."

"My prayers are with them all."

"I'm sitting on my horse, the top of the cliff allows me see the armies, it is an impressive sight but a foolish move by Beowulf......I wonder if he......................................"

"GREAT ZEUS'S BEARD AND LIGHTNING! I CAN FLY!"

"I was writing an observation in my diary, when I slipped off my horse into open air. It was my fault being so close to the edge, but I wanted to see the army. I closed my eyes fearing the worst, but I did not fall. When my eyes opened, I found myself floating in mid air! With some struggle I made it back to my horse. I must have been fifty feet away from him."

"I must keep this secret. If I tell anyone, I'm afraid that they will think me a monster."

"I am going to join my friends. Maybe I can use my talent to help in some way. Zeus help us all."