by Jamie Gandy
This Is
Our Legend
a novel by
Jamie Gandy
This is Our Legend
ISBN: 978-1-67810-233-3
Copyright © 2020 by Jamie Gandy
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. Except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Edited by Jonathan Gandy
Cover Design and Illustration by Chelsea Lowe
As always, a HUGE special thanks to my best friend, Chelsea, for doing the illustration for ‘This is Our Legend.’
You can check out more of Chelsea’s amazing work at http://cmloweart.com
Other books by Jamie Gandy:
Beauty From Ashes
Beyond the Field
Salvation Crossing
On the Edge of Miracles
Jamie and the White Dragon
The Legend of the Sacred Warriors
Dedication:
‘This is our Legend’ is dedicated to my youngest nephew, Brett Burnell. Never let others determine how high your imagination can fly. Dream big and go after what you are passionate about.
I love you, buddy.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
⚔ Ephesians 6:12 ⚔
Chapter One:
♔ Kage Tora: ♚
I take a step back and hold up my wooden blade just in time to block my opponent's attack. The sound of wood against wood echoes in the training room. I charge forward to push his weapon away and make the next move by swiftly swinging my fake sword to touch the point of it against the other boy’s throat.
“Victory is yours, Prince Kage.” He places his weapon to the ground in defeat and innocently raises his hands. “I guess I am no match for you.”
“Psst, you have no backbone to actually fight me without throwing the match,” I remark sourly. “You are free to leave.” My navy-blue eyes shift to the group of other boys who are all here at my expense. Mostly squires in training, although there are a few of them that are of Noble descent who have been blessed to have a passage in the Castle.
One of the noble’s steps forward with an eyebrow raised as if sending a challenge my way. His jet-black hair is tied back in a ponytail, although it barely goes past his shoulders. He enters the dueling area and grins at me. “Do all of your servants throw the fights against you, Prince?” he questions me.
“Unfortunately, more often than not,” I honestly answer. I pick up the wooden sword still on the floor and offer it to him. “Are you seeking to challenge me and not give the fight to me?” I inquire wistfully.
“I was hoping you would ask that.” He takes the offered weapon and grins, a grin that reaches all the way to his gemstone green eyes. “Do you promise not to toss me into the dungeon if I win?”
“You have my word that I will not punish you in any way if you defeat me,” I reassure him. “However, I will not make it easy on you.”
“Glad to hear it, Prince.” He shifts the sword from his right hand to his left hand before he takes his fighting stance. “I am ready whenever you are.”
“Very well.” I glance over to the boy who is closest to me. He stands an inch taller than me, with short sandy blonde hair and fierce hazel-brown eyes. “Gideon, give the call.”
“Keep it clean and fair,” he remarks as he glances to my new opponent, his warning obviously directed at the newcomer. He waits only a few seconds before signaling the fight to begin.
My challenger strikes first, and to my surprise, he is remarkably fast. I barely have a chance to get my toy sword up to block his first blow, and his next swing is even stronger than his first one. I have to regain my footing to keep myself from stumbling backward. His strength is incredible, and the skill of his swordsmanship is much better than I had imagined a nobleman would have taught his son. I remain on the defense for only two more attacks before I switch up my position enough to finally put him on the defense. Our feet dance from one corner of the room to the other. A couple of times he regains the upper hand, only for me to win it back. Sweat begins coating both of our foreheads, and the palms of our hands become so moist that our grip on our swords is difficult to grasp. However, neither of us will allow the other taste of victory. ‘I have to win this duel, everyone is watching. I cannot lose!’ I lunge forward once more, aiming my blow in such a way that I am confident it will unbalance my opponent and I will claim victory. Just when my wooden blade is about to meet the mark of his shoulder, he swiftly steps to the side and avoids the strike. Setting my footing off balance. ‘He has me for sure now…’ I close my eyes as I anticipate the wood to make contact with me.
“KAGE!” Just then the sound of my twin sister, Esther's voice breaks the heat of the battle and all eyes turn to her and our cousin, Catherine Faline. Each of the other boys instantly bow their heads in greeting to the Princess. Swallowing hard, I glance over at her and exhale a sigh of relief. “Looks like you have been defeated,” she muses as she glides across the room to stand next to Gideon who, to my great pleasure, has his hand resting along the handle of his sword.
‘He would have stepped in, right?’ I have to shake the thought out of my head before shrugging my shoulders in indifference. “He is a strong opponent,” I confess as I lay my weapon down in front of the Noble boy. “That was a fun duel, thank you for not holding back.”
“My pleasure, Prince.” He picks up the fake sword I just laid down and hands it back to me.
“What is your name?” I inquire as I take the offered toy weapon.
He tilts his head in confusion for a second before the smile returns to his face. “Hector Ari. My Father is Duke Richard Ari.” He motions to the boy who had been next to him before the match. He stands about an inch taller than Hector, with a similar complexion, however that is where the similarities end. This boy has eyes the color of amber that looks slightly intimidating with his bright orange hair, a color that is so rare among the people of Kallai Kingdom. “This is my older brother, Sebastian.” In answer to his name, he bows to me.
“His hair is remarkable!” Esther’s royal blue eyes, our only difference in appearance, widen as she stares at the new boy. “You are so handsome!”
I ignore her words. “Brother huh? You two do not look like brothers,” I remark matter of factly. I carefully size Sebastien up before stepping closer to him. “Can you wield a sword like him?”
“Yes, I can, Prince. Our father found it important that we were well trained in the art of swordsmanship,” he smoothly replies.
“Is that so?” An amused grin lifts the edges of my lips as I look over my shoulder at Gideon. “Hector proved himself by challenging me to a duel. I would like to see your skill as well,” my eyes return to the Duke’s son. “I want you to duel with my bodyguard, Gideon. He is the best of all the Squires and even more skilled than some of the Knights. He has been trained by TigersKeep’s Head Knight, Sir Adir,” I explain boastfully.
“Your Highness, is this wise?” Gideon inquires.
“Gideon is not your puppet Kage! You cannot just command him around to fight for your own pleasure!” Esther challenges me. I send her a disapproving glance.
“Come on sister, how else can I really see how strong he is without putting him up against Gideon? They will be
fine, it is not like Gideon could possibly lose.” I look back to Sebastian, who appears not to be intimidated in the slightest. “Unless you are afraid.”
“I will accept,” he calmly assures me. His eyes are locked on Gideon, not me.
“Very good! You at least have plenty of spirit, I like that!” I turn to Gideon as he grabs two wooden weapons to duel with, to my disappointment.
“You will not be needing those,” I inform him. “This match will be between the two of you using actual swords!”
“Your Highness, I implore you to reconsider that,” Gideon protests.
“I agree, Prince, allow them to use the same wooden swords we just used,” Hector pleads with me. As confident as he was just a few minutes ago, he now generally looks concerned.
“What do you say, Sebastian? Will you beg me as well?” I curiously ask.
“I will do as you say, Prince. I do not fear your guard.” Sebastian walks across the room to the rack that holds the real swords, spears, and clubs. I watch as he selects two Claymores. When he returns to us he offers one of them to Gideon before he guides his opponent to the center of the dueling area.
“Gideon, keep it clean!” Esther commends him. The frown on her face is an obvious sign of her disapproval.
I walk forward until I am standing between the two of them. I notice by looking from Gideon to Sebastian that my guard is at least half a foot taller. ‘Poor kid does not stand a chance,’ the thought actually makes me want to reconsider this little scrimmage. “Have fun and try not to kill each other.” When I return to Esther’s side to watch the duel begin, I softly pat her on the shoulder. “I know I am coming off as a jerk, but I really am curious to see how strong he is. We can never have enough reliable friends,” I state.
“You could go about it all differently,” she mutters under her breath.
I ignore her and turn my full attention to the battle in front of me.
Chapter Two:
♞ Sebastian Ari: ♞
This was not exactly the turn out I had planned when Hector and I decided to explore the inner Castle and happened to stumble upon the Prince’s duel with the Squire. Of course, Hector had to be impulsive and challenge the Prince in a mock fight. Whatever happened to laying low? Now I have to face Gideon Kaida in a one on one duel with real swords. Even though Gideon is barely old enough to be called a Squire, at the age of fifteen, everyone around the Castle knows exactly how skilled he already is in combat. Every boy in the Kingdom that knows about him being taught under the Head Knight, Sir Adir, has been inspired to envy Gideon. To learn under the wisdom and strength of Sir Adir was the dream of every aspiring boy, including myself.
I stand almost half a foot shorter than the boy in front of me, even though he is barely a year older than me. ‘If it is based on brute force, he will have me beat in no time. I will have to outsmart him, somehow…’ I watch as he makes the first move by advancing. He swings his sword to clink the metal against my own weapon as if testing my ability to block his blow. He does it again and again, forcing me to retreat step by step with each strike. Each time his sword connects with mine I can feel just how accurate he is being to appease the Prince, yet at the same time, he is not offering me the chance to feel his full strength.
“Wars are not won from refraining yourself from going on the offense,” the Prince remarks, as if trying to provoke me to stop defending myself. The next time Gideon raises his sword against me I dodge to the left and kick his leg out from under him before he has a chance to catch himself. I am in mid-swing to press my blade against his neck, to claim my victory, but of course, Gideon is not that easy to defeat. With the speed likened to lightning his free hand shoots up, with fist clenched, to punch the flat of the sword away from his neck. The force sends me stumbling a couple steps backward.
“That was unexpected,” I confess.
“So was getting my leg taken out from under me,” he remarks. “I thought this was supposed to be a duel with swords.”
“No rules were applied, so taking out your leg was my only option to stop your advances.” I glance towards the Prince to see rather or not he would allow it to pass and, to my surprise, he simply waves us on.
“Very well, if no rules are applied, and victory is the end game.” I watch as he rises to his feet with a fierceness now sparking to life within his hazel-brown eyes. I can feel my own blood begin to boil, and before I can stop it from exploding to life, a crimson fire begins to burn along my sword, almost at the exact moment as a golden blaze engulfs Gideon’s own weapon. With wide eyes, we stare at one another in shock.
“You can control the fire element as well?” he questions me.
“Yes. The man my father hired to train Hector and I is a gifted Knight, one who practices in controlling one's elemental ability,” I pause a few seconds before adding. “I thought only a select few know the art.”
“That is true, according to Sir Adir. He is the one that encouraged me to learn how to control my flames. Aside from Sir Adir, I have never seen another kid who can control fire.”
A smile etches along the corner of my lips as the sudden thrill of the duel begins to rise inside of me. “This match just got a whole lot more interesting,” I smirk. I shift my gaze over to the Prince to see the bewildered, yet engrossed expression on his face. “Did he not know you could control fire?” I inquire once I look back at my opponent.
“No one but Sir Adir knew of it, until this moment.” Gideon takes his fighting stance once again. “You ready, kid?”
I laugh at his mocking tone. “Absolutely.” I charge forward and sparks from our flames ignite the aura as our blades clash against each other. The heat from the fire is intense, so much that it must become insufferable for the bystanders watching us. No one dares to avert their eyes from our relentless attacks. My adrenaline is pumping so fast through my blood that everyone around us disappears, the only one that matters is the boy in front of me. From the look in his eyes, he must be feeling the same way.
Every once in a while, we are able to land a blow to the other, minor cuts to the forearm mostly. Any time our fire touches the other’s flesh nothing seems to happen. Where, if anyone else were to touch the fire, it would instantly burn them far worse than any normal flame. “Looks like we are immune to each other’s ability,” I finally remark as we separate to catch our breath.
“Sir Adir once mentioned that two people with the same element, and the same level of skill could do no real harm to the other. They would have to rely more on their actual swordsmanship than their ability. Looks like he was right,” he explains.
With each second the coloration of both our engulfed swords becomes darker, more intense. My entire body feels alive. It feels incredible and extremely overwhelming, as if my energy is quickly draining from my body.
“You guys have done enough to prove your strengths, just give it up now!” The Princess chimes in. Her voice is barely audible among the crackling of fire along our blades. I hear her though, the sound of her desperate voice.
“Boys are so stupid! If you want to stop them, you cannot just stand still and expect them to respond to reason. You have to demand it of them!” The voice is unfamiliar to my ear, it is soft like a girls, but much more confident than the voice of the Princess.
“Cat, stop!”
I notice Gideon’s attention get ripped away from me before I notice the sudden intruder among our fight. She enters the fire with such grace and angelic light that my breath catches in the back of my throat in fear, of her being burned alive by our furious flames. Seconds before the fire can consume the girl I watch as Hector jumps into action and sends a cocoon shaped bubble around her, protecting her. Her eyes widen when the liquid bubble surrounds her, but she does not stop until she is standing in the middle of Gideon and myself. “Can you both not see that a winner will not be decided unless one of you is on the ground first?” she growls. She whirls around on her heels to stare at the Prince. “And you, looking like a stupid dog with a h
are in his mouth! What did you want to prove with them fighting? Is Gideon better off injured for a stupid fight like this? What if he is really needed to aid you now? He was too foolish and used up all his strength on this senseless duel…”
“That is enough, Catherine, I can handle it from here,” this voice makes my heart sink in my chest. I can feel the overpowering authority just in his tone and it makes me want to cower in fear. I do not want to look at him, but I cannot stop myself. My gaze slowly moves from the pretty black haired girl to the man now standing next to Esther. The man has an unusual grayish-blonde hair, the gray isn’t flaked in like when someone is getting old, but the grayish tint is laced in the blonde. It looks natural, like it has always been the color of his hair. His intimidating blue-green eyes burn with an abnormally calm anger that makes Gideon look like a rodent next to a massive tiger. He isn’t large or built with a lot of muscles, but it is obvious that he is very strong just by his appearance.
I watch as he raises his hand and touches the edge of the flames and instantly the fire around us, and that dances along our swords, disappears. The Claymores drop to the ground, making a loud clunk as they make impact. “Boys come with me,” the command is final and, although I do not know the man, I know I must obey without question.
In unison Gideon and I respond with a simple, “Yes, Sir.”
“Adir can I come too!” Esther begs as he turns to lead the way out of the room.
“No, you and Catherine return to your chambers.” He pauses at the entrance and glances at the Prince. “Your Highness, you however will come with us.”
“Sebastian, I am so sorry! I never meant for this to happen!” Hector mutters as he comes to my side. “I will tell him it was my fault for challenging the Prince!”
“No need, brother. It was my choice to accept the duel, and it was my fault for getting too heated during it.” I pat him on the shoulder and send him an apologetic smile. “It was invigorating to duel him once the flames came out! It looked amazing from your viewpoint, right?” Before he has a chance to reply, I hear the commanding voice from up ahead.