World of Taroo

by Jimmy Eriksson

  In the castle, the king had learned what had happened and gathered his advisors. Princess Kemi came running when she heard about it and asked her father what they should do. He said they must speak with the Darcolia king and find out what was going on. The princess believed in action rather than diplomacy in this case and said angrily that they couldn’t talk all the time and it would never stop Arobe. The king started to cough strongly and had to sit down. The princess said to her father that the people were watching what his response would be and if the order was soft, he would be remembered as a weak king.

  The king told her to be quiet and ordered some men to escort her out. She was furious but knew exactly what to do. She ran down the hallway and out to the battleground. She asked the high guard trainer about Jay’s whereabouts. She was told he was in the guards’ quarters. She ran to it and opened the door. Several of the soldiers stood either fully naked or half and covered up with their hands or anything else that was close by. They stood straight as soon as the high guard told them to when he followed her in. Jay was washing himself and talking to another soldier when she burst in.

  Jay and anyone left in the wash room covered up and hid. She told him to get dressed and meet her outside fast and walked out. Jay was shocked but hurried up and was soon outside. She informed him about what had happened and told him she had a job for him. The Grasoll lands soldiers had reached the farm village, and a woman that lost her husband cried and pointed to the direction which they had left towards. They set off fast and tried to catch up. Theran and the men saw the valley, and they could see several houses and small farms. The plan was to spread out and take down as many as possible as they continued forward, so some of the houses would not be targeted.

  The first house got attacked, and the old couple that lived there got slaughtered, and a boy trying to run away as he was playing in the field got shot with an arrow. Any houses without anyone inside them got quickly left alone, and they hurried on to the next one. The valley was not deep, and soon the road went up. They had just past the middle when some soldiers were seen at the end of the valley. It was only ten of them, and they were coming back from a mission not far from the valley. They saw the men coming and immediately engaged them. They were outnumbered but they had a duty to fulfil and drew their swords. Theran told the men that half would attack the soldiers, and the rest continued with the house attack.

  One of Theran’s soldiers was killed by a retired soldier that was quick on his feet and could use a bow very well. He shot at another soldier but hit the horse instead. The horse fell down and the soldier got killed by a knife in the neck by the same man. The soldiers met head on, and the fight was fierce. The ten soldiers were terribly outnumbered and had to retreat as five of them went down fast and only three of the attacking soldiers remained. Theran told them to chase them down. The Grasoll lands soldiers tried to escape through a farm that had corn growing in a field. The rest of the soldiers came from the other direction, and suddenly, the soldiers were surrounded.

  They jumped off the horses and hid in the high field since escape was an impossibility. They planned to take down as many soldiers as possible, and when the soldiers rode in the field, some got attacked from below. Theran’s men had trouble seeing what was in the field and the soldiers in the field attacked the horses and made the soldiers fall off and then killed them. The attacking soldiers stood up on a line and rushed the field all together. They took out three of the soldiers that got trampled, and then killed them but two of them were still somewhere in the field.

  Theran knew he was wasting time and ordered the men to continue to next target. They left right away, and not long after they left the valley, the Grasoll land’s soldiers entered the valley. They were met by the two soldiers still alive, and they joined the others as they continued on. The next target was five hours away, and Theran was testing the limits of the horses. They were forced to slow down as one of the horses went down after getting heart attack. They were still having a head start and could afford to ease up on the horses. The princess brought Jay to one of the meeting rooms in the castle and had with her the people that were loyal to her and felt herself the way of the king was not correct. She proposed that they do something then before it was too late.

  Another update on the attack came and it was then clear that it was Prince Theran who was in charge of the attacks. The princess proposed they send Jay to take care of the prince. Much was discussed, but everyone was soon in agreeance that Theran must be stopped. Jay was prepared and soon rode away to handle the situation. The princess and the ones close to her knew the king would be angry if he found out so they masked the operation as an information gathering. Theran was seeing the last target, and it was a small town called Fengo with at least 2,500 people in it. There was a chance they would get caught in a town like that, but he had an idea.

  The town Fengo had a system of tunnels going under it. He knew the tunnels from a soldier that was there to scout it out earlier. They rode next to the town and left the horses outside the tunnel exit. They were fast to enter the tunnel and inside were a series of tunnels that went under. They were made as a failed attempt by the founders of the town to make sewers that the mayor had seen in another city but now they were used to store merchandise for the people in the town. They came to an iron gate and were able to break it down. They came into the rooms where crates and other things were stored. They had timed it perfectly to come to the city as the darkness had come. They climbed up and soon spread out.

  The attack was then a silent assassin mission so they move quietly. Shortly, as the soldiers were in place, they began. They sneaked in to whoever was sleeping and cut their throats. They moved fast and effectively. Suddenly, a noise was heard and it was the town warning bell. People started to come out and a voice was screaming that there might be an attack coming their way. They soon found out that the attack had already begun. When a young girl entered her parent’s room to tell them about the attack and met a soldier standing over the parents, she screamed and managed to get out of the house but was silenced by another soldier as he stabbed her with a sword through her body. Everyone started to panic and then the attack came out in the open. The bell struck hard, and Theran’s soldiers attacked everyone in sight.

  The town’s people had some guards, and they engaged the soldiers, but Theran had some really skilled warriors and they took down the guards. The townspeople ran away and hid wherever they could find shelter but also a lot of them fought back and put pressure on the soldiers who lost a soldier for every three they took down. Theran knew the Grasoll lands soldiers were close by and ordered his soldiers to fight on. He moved back and prepared his escape. He would have to change plan and decided to leave before the soldiers arrived. He believed he might escape if he left right away while his soldiers fought on. Theran went out the same way and took his horse that was standing outside waiting. He could hear the screams inside and smiled. He rode towards the border and hoped the horse would run fast. He could see movement far away coming towards the town and thought it must be the soldiers.

  The soldiers got close, and they saw the town was lit up and they could hear noises from within. They drew swords when they were close by, and as they rode in, Fengo was then lit with torches and small lights in the homes to light up the streets. They were met by Theran’s soldiers who were spreading out. A fierce fight then commenced, and the town’s people helped the soldiers. They threw anything they could find at the soldiers and some brought weapons. Theran’s soldiers fought for their lives but also took any life they could get. The Grasoll lands soldiers were many more, and soon took over and killed any attacking soldier standing. When seven of the soldiers were left, four of them took shelter inside a house, and the other three decided to flee to the tunnel. They ran to the hole in the ground and slipped down to the store rooms. The soldiers followed, and they followed them through the tunnel. Other soldiers rode out and around the town to the tunnel exit. They came around just as the men ha
d got onto their horses.

  They followed the three men then riding away. The chase was not long though as the Grasoll lands’ horses were bred for speed and caught up fast. They took down every soldier one by one, and soon, they were all dead. Inside the town, the four remaining soldiers was barricading the house. They had found two young girls inside the house and were holding them hostage. The soldiers outside surrounded the house, and the people outside wanted justice. The soldiers inside demanded to be released or the two girls would die. Even if the Grasoll lands’ soldiers knew they had hostages, no escape would be agreed to. Theran’s men said they would kill the girls, but the soldiers outside all drew their swords and got ready for entering the house. The whole preparation was a desperate attempt to get the men inside to understand they had no choice but to give up.

  The high officer in charge told the men to give up and stand trial or get slaughtered. It took not long until a voice inside the house was agreeing to come out. The girls came running out, and soon followed the men that held them. The soldiers suddenly had to deal with the townspeople of Fengo who were angry and many had lost many loved ones. The soldiers had no chance when many of the town’s people rushed towards Theran’s men and started to fight them. The crowd was big and the soldiers tried to separate the attackers from the townspeople, but the high officer finally told the soldiers to back off. Theran’s men were lynched where they stood, and when the people of Fengo had finished, the blood from the men was filling the ground around them.

  Theran was far ahead of anyone following him, and he could get away easier by being by himself. He rode through the night until morning came. He would be at the border soon and looked behind himself. As he looked forward again, he got cold. He could see a large gathering at the exit of the Grasoll land. The road became narrow, and someone must have told the soldiers at the border to keep an eye out. He would have to think fast.

  Theran saw the mountain and rode towards it. He got closer, and he could see several small houses. The mountain also opened up and there was a way through the mountain. He was not sure where the path went but he couldn’t go back. He rode in and got spotted by some people talking. They saw him disappear into the mountain. The soldiers at the border did, indeed, get told about the prince and was holding the border closed. Soon, the other soldiers came, and when they realised the prince did not exit the country, they looked for other ways through.

  A soldier was told about the man who rushed towards the mountain and called for the other soldiers. The soldiers knew the land inside the mountain, and it was a way through to Darcolia on the other side. They entered, and soon they saw how hard it would be to find the prince. The land inside the mountain was not big but full of high grass. The grass was up to four meter and the land was also covered with small swamps, and the mountain at one point opened up and became a cliff. The prince was riding inside the mountain. It was surprisingly big inside, he thought and he could also see a small village far away. There were also crops of plants he hadn’t seen before and some he recognised. He continued on but found out something about the small mountain land.

  As his horse rode on a small wet area, the horse stepped in a deep hole, and Theran fell off. The horse struggled but got dragged down by the swamp. Theran saw the horse disappear, and he found himself alone. He walked towards the trees that grew further away as he figured they might be safe from the swamps. He stayed in the shadow of the trees. The sun didn’t seem to find its way much to the ground and soon some fog was forming. After a while, he could not see anything but he could hear voices far away. They did not come his way, and he stayed where he was. For several hours, he made very small moves. The fog never disappeared and was covering the small land inside the mountain. The noises soon got less, and they went back to the direction of the entry of the land. He finally decided to get out from his hideout and walked slowly towards the mountain next to him where he hoped there would be another way out.

  He only walked an hour, and then he found himself stepping into a hole in the ground. He got wet up to the knees and started to sink. Quickly, he used his sword to stab in to the ground next to him. He could hold on and pull himself up. The struggle took some time and he was very tired. When he came up, he had to move again because there were more sounds from further away. He could hear horses, and they were coming closer. He found an abandoned broken carriage and hid under it. He could hear the horses walk around and voices. They stayed for a while and then moved away.

  Theran decided not to move and stayed where he was. He figured perhaps he could get out during the nightfall and search the mountain. He sat the rest of the day quietly and listened. The fog got thin during the day and he could see further. The horses and voices went away eventually and he was by himself. He never fell asleep, and as soon as the night had almost come, he left the carriage. He looked around and saw no one. Theran walked for a while, and he felt good. He believed he might have made it. His heart suddenly froze as he heard something from behind.

  Killing of a Prince

  The mist was taking form and was just about visible. It was late and the sun had just left the sky for then to be replaced by the stars. In the mist were two characters visible, and they were facing each other perhaps ten metres apart. Heavy breathing was coming from one of them and everything else was a deep silence. A voice from the other person was breaking the silence. He said, ‘Prince Theran son of Arobe, the evil king of Darcolia.’ Theran asked who was there but there was only silence until he demanded to know who would soon die before him. The voice came again and said he had been found guilty of treason as well as murder. The prince replied in a dark and angry voice that the afterlife was waiting for him if he came closer. He said he was not coming quietly and whoever was there could expect a fight.

  Jay replied that he was not there to bring him back to the Grasoll kingdom to face a trial. He said he was there to commence his sentence, and with those words, he let his sword see the night as it swung down to his side. The prince was standing still and was not saying anything but stared right at the man in front of him. A drop of sweat was running down his face as time seemed to go slower. The prince’s eyes turned dark as he grabbed his sword and went in to a ready to fight stance.

  As they stood ready, Jay was not moving at all, and the prince said he hoped the man had said good bye to his family because this day would be the last in his life. The prince rushed towards Jay and was facing his sword against him. Jay was still not moving, and as the prince was just about to strike, Jay blocked and moved to the side. They both were then swinging their swords and the sparks were flying lighting up the darkness that was slowly growing bigger as time went. Theran was strong and pushed Jay with each blow and in one instance made him almost trip but Jay was very quick on his feet to get in position again. Kicks and punches were making their appearance as well, and the prince got in a side swipe followed by a swing with the sword but Jay was fast rolling to the side. He got up on his feet again and went for another swing of his blade.

  Jay was able to deliver a punch on the ribs of the prince, but with all the adrenaline, it was hard to feel anything other than rage for Theran. At times, the prince seemed to have the upper hand and the only thing Jay could do was to be on the defence. The prince was full of confidence and believed he would be victorious this day and was hitting with a hard strike every time. After some time, the strikes became slower and not as hard any more. Jay, who had been defending then, took his opportunity and increased his strikes. Not hard but fast and for the first time Theran was showing weakness and was backing slightly. Jay that had been training with sword combat for many years and was a natural when it came to sword fighting had saved his energy and was ready to take control over the fight. Then some of the strikes also involved loose things around them like branches. The sweat on the prince was all the more visible and the lactic acid in his body was making it harder for him to swing his heavy sword affectively. The prince was then missing his swings and Jay was very contro
lled, avoiding them all together or blocking with a fast return.

  After a few more swings, the prince was backing off and Jay was standing still waiting. Theran had a slight bend and breathed heavily and his hands were shaking from the intense fight. With Jay looking silently over to him, the prince screamed out to come on and he was not done yet. Jay said, Yes, he was,’ and brought his sword up to face Theran. The prince turned around and ran in the opposite direction. Then, hoping the fog which then had made a thicker coat on the surrounding field would shield him and bring a chance of escape from his foe. His legs were heavy and they didn’t listen to him and he stumbled at times and he was almost losing foothold. The intense fight had also made impact on his body since the kicks and swung were making their marks and were then hurting even more.

  After some time, when he looked behind he saw no one was there. He stopped for a moment and listened but could not hear anything. Better not take the chance of meeting him again, he should keep going he thought but the body was tired and weak and about to shut down. He realised he could not keep running and must find a shelter to recover and hide away. He, all of a sudden, saw a light in the vast distance and believed it must be a house over there. As he started walking towards the light in a fast pace, he thought back and was planning to tell his father Arobe about what just happened and he was sure to give payback for what had been done to the king’s son. He would surely have the guard that attacked him executed after torturing him for a few days. He wondered if his father would ask his brother in Redonia to aid in the war against the kingdom of Grasoll. He got closer to the light and who ever lived there would have to give their life to save him, he thought. Maybe there would be a young lady as well and smiled as he drew near to what he believed was a house.