This story explores the true flesh and blood. |
Prince Reminus and the Ebony expedition Ten thousand soldiers marched towards the gate of Ebony. The kingdom was protected by strong walls surrounding the interior like a shell protecting an oyster. These walls were strong enough to withstand the force of a hundred elephants. The prince, knowing the defensive statistics of Ebony, brought something that was capable of destroying the strong walls as well as the gates of Ebony; something far complex and monstrous than anything in knowledge of the green people of the medieval era -dynamites! The gallant young prince, fearless of defeat or death, galloped towards the main gate of Ebony; unnoticed by the guards patrolling in and around the gates and the men standing on a high scaffolding, as high as the gate, who were watching out for anything suspicious outside, set the monstrous invention in place. (The ten thousand at the command of the price stayed hidden among large trees. So the guards never saw the siege coming before the dynamites exploded). Bang! A cloud of smoke enveloped the area like a thick fog as the men poured into the city. The ghosts had not yet reacted......... Yes, you have read right- ghosts. King Reminus had a vast empire. It covered every part of the northern world except Ebony. Reminus feared the much powerful supernatural spirits and never attacked these lands. It was not until he died that his heir, his son, wanted these lands for granted. He wanted to capture Ebony to show that to all intents and purposes, he was the rightful heir of the Northern Kingdom. The ghosts of Ebony lived from hand to mouth. It was difficult (even for the richest) to make both ends meet. But they were kind, helpful to one another, sociable, well managed, and did not back to take up arms when the empire was under threat. So the ghosts had not yet reacted but when they heard the explosion, they were conscious about the fact that someone had breached their gates for the first time. 'Take up arms! We have been breached!' ordered a voice. 'Man up the barricades, don't let them through' commanded another. Even before the prince and his army could enter through the gates, a group of knights in a single file stopped them from going anywhere into the city square. These knights were headless. Dressed in black and red, they portrayed the devil himself. The prince thought that their sudden entry would shock them but it felt as if they had seen the attack coming. The knights charged towards the prince's army, slaying, beheading and shedding blood. The prince fought back bravely but had to take cover when one knight injured him with his Gorium blade. Archers positioned on the rooftops shot black arrows that burst like bombs when they hit the target. When all was lost and the prince was almost within an ace of defeat, the prince instead of falling back, fought back bravely and his army managed to cut off the file of knights. They used silver arrows to take care of the ghost archers and made their way for the city square. Their plan was to occupy Fort Rouston where the king sat, assassinate him and take control of the empire from there. When they reached the city square and were on their way to the fort, killing innocent ghosts, burning down rich materialized houses, they were impeded by the ghost king's special force- Necromancers. The prince may have thought that they had fought back and the empire was now helpless (as he was killing innocents, burning own houses and causing all sorts of tremor in Ebony) but what he did not realize was that the king had not even sent one-sixth of his armed forces until he came to the city square. He realized that the king was toeing with the prince all this time, giving him a chance to fight back. But now the defenders of Ebony were coming. Followed by the necromancers, came the orcs, goblins, Egrows (flying monsters) drights (fire breathing land monsters), pliers (master swordsmen), blizzars (ice monsters) and familiars. Their goal was to put down the prince and his now reduced two thousand. They all came aggressively from all the directions. They killed every soldier of the prince within a minute. Only the prince was now alive. (Surely it was planned) The prince being defeated laid down his silver sword on the ground. He knew he was to be killed and the thought brought tears to his eyes. 'Make way for the king' declared a messenger. Instantly a path was cleared by the monsters, who had for so long surrounded him from all directions. He walked down the path, towards the prince. He looked like a skeleton. He was dressed in tunic robes, worn-out leather shoes and a woolen scarf. These showed his simplicity. 'Please spare me, Your Highness!' begged the great prince. 'I have plans for you.' spoke king Ebony, 'A deal if you would sign.' 'Anything! Forgive me! I will pay you in gold! Spare my dear life, Your Majesty' 'I will spare your life...' 'Oh thank you, your majesty!' 'Oh! Oh! Not so fast! Only on one condition' There was pin drop silence for a moment. The prince was staring at Ebony with two sparkling eyes full of tears and pertinence. 'I shall spare your life' started Ebony, 'if you grant me your good kingdom and its yet better people. As I will now have a huge empire, you can keep Ebony for yourself. The price of your kingdom being the payment for your life and Ebony. The gravity of the proposal was intense. The prince felt as if heaven had come falling down on him. He was shocked. He became as silent as a table. 'I accept' the prince concluded. Alas the once great prince for whom honour, his kingdom, his people were more precious than his own interests, traded everything for his life. His people who loved him thoroughly were sold as slaves. They lost all respect for him' cursed him. The prince sat in the throne of Ebony looking mournfully at the empty streets of his small empire. He had come to Ebony to gain what he greatly loved- honour, respect, love. But when he had his life on the line, he forgot everything. The rule of the famous Reminus dynasty ended in the Northern Empire. Ebony was probably recaptured. The ghosts had well-established themselves in the Northern World but we do not know how the rule declined and how the ghost disappeared forever. But that is years of history. |