Shadowbane: Age of Aelfborn

by Paul Francois

  Megildur stated, “Yes, Sir. Recently the Dar Khelegur attacked my village just south of here, Fort Viatrus. Both Elves and Minotaurs raged through our village, killing all in sight and destroying all that stood. We can eventually rebuild but they abducted someone close to me, my sister.” Megildur’s composure began to falter and a single tear rolled down his face. He wiped the tear from his cheek and looked at Atreus who had a look of concern. The Aelfborn continued on, “I plan on going after her and facing the might of the Elven nation but need more allies on my quest. Will you join me?” He stared into the Centaur leader’s compassionate eyes trying not to look aggressive but at the same time not too weak.

  Atreus took a deep breath and sincerely asked Megildur, “Your intentions are noble, but do you fully understand the quest you are asking us to join you on? The Dar Khelegur will not be easy to defeat and becoming a prisoner to those Elves is a fate worse than death.”

  With strength and conviction Megildur responded, “That is why we must challenge them. If we do not free the prisoners they now hold and stop their tyranny, they will swarm over all of Aerynth like a plague.”

  The wise Centaur ruler looked over to Zeristan, who showed a look of confidence in Megildur. He owed the Wizard his life multiple times over and did not wish to doubt the faith of his friend. Seeing the Aelfborn’s determination Atreus resounded, “It would honor us to join you against the Dar Khelegur! You can count on the Centaur Cohort to fight at your side. We will save your sister!”

  Megildur finally felt confident he could retrieve his sister. He shook hands with Atreus. “Thank you!”

  “Now we will need more forces to counter their magical powers,” Atreus admitted. This baffled Megildur since he barely had the courage to ask Atreus, let alone another nation all together. “I can call upon our brethren in Greensward Parish. Perhaps even the entire Church of the All-Father nation might join us on this worthy and noble quest. Now come, you two must be weary and you need your strength for the journey to Greensward Parish. It’s further than the journey you made today. So eat, drink, and rest for we will leave at first light!”

  Atreus bellowed out commands to his people who assembled a feast around the fire. Megildur sat next to the blaze while the Centaur people catered to him, feeding him and making sure his goblet was never empty. Several of the Centaur clan shouted Megildur’s name and raised their drinks in his honor. This made the Aelfborn feel welcomed but he still doubted his own abilities and this notion that he was some heir to the High King Cambruin. He also knew nothing of the outcome of his parents; did his father already have his sister and they were safe in their village? Either way, it did not matter. The Deathless Empire needed to pay for attacking his village. Zeristan could see the concerned look on the Aelfborn’s face and went to check on his wellbeing.

  “What troubles you?” Zeristan asked. “Your goblet is full, the food has no end, and we have found a force large enough to make a formidable campaign against the Elves…once we get more assistance from Greensward Parish. Why do you not rejoice?”

  Megildur whispered, “I am not the fierce Warrior they think I am. I cannot lead this clan to victory! I can’t even fight one Minotaur without getting crushed to death!” Zeristan could see Megildur was beginning to panic, so he stood with him and they walked to a remote area away from the festivities.

  Zeristan reassured, “You must start believing in your abilities; everyone else around you does. Do you think for one moment that the mighty All-Father himself would have given you his mark if he did not know you were the one to reclaim Shadowbane and bring balance to Aerynth?” Megildur shook his head no. “Then you need to act like the man you will become, not the boy you once were. Your father entrusted you to protect the family, and we will help you fulfill the promise you made to him. We will save your sister and rid Aerynth of the Dar Khelegur. A High King must believe in himself in order to rule.” Megildur grinned at the wise Wizard and thanked him by placing his hand on his shoulder. Then they both returned to the festivities. All eyes were on them when they returned.

  “Attention everyone!” Atreus proclaimed. “I want you to raise your drinks in honor of the brave and courageous Aelfborn. He has chosen to engage the contemptible Dar Khelegur to save his clan and has honored the Centaur Cohort by inviting us to join the battle. So drink to the mighty one, drink to Megildur!” They all cheered his name and applauded. Megildur had never been the focus of such praise and notability before. He began to believe in the faith the Wizard had placed in him. For the first time he felt he would be able to save his sister. Now, as for fulfilling his destiny and reclaiming Shadowbane, he could only handle one quest at a time.

  CHAPTER 9: The Road to Greensward Parish

  Megildur awoke the next morning and realized he had passed out in a tent after the festivities last night. Fortunately, he was alone. That way nobody could see his agony after a night of revelry. He had no idea the Centaurs were so jovial. He stumbled around the tent, gathered his clothes, and procrastinated getting dressed, to delay going outside to face the others. He had most of his clothes on and reached for his boots, when the tent opened and Zeristan stood before him.

  Zeristan remarked, “Good morning, Megildur.” He had no idea the Wizard was one of those people who enjoyed the morning. Even as a child growing up in his village, he despised the dawn and tried to stay in bed as long as his mother would let him.

  Megildur groaned, “What is good about it? How can you have nights like last night and still wake so alive in the morning?”

  The Wizard responded, “It comes from centuries of practice. Now grab your boots and get a move on. The Centaur group is ready to depart.” Zeristan turned and left the tent while Megildur pulled up his boots and stood. He swayed for a moment and toppled back to the tent floor. He shook off the feeling, since he knew he must not show weakness so soon in his journey. He stood once again, slightly swayed, but was able to regain his balance this time. He pushed forth into the frigid morning air and continued past a group of tents to see an army of Centaurs. There must have been nearly a hundred of them wearing armor and armed for battle. He could smell the metal in the forges from the blacksmiths sharping blades and hear them pounding out armor. He walked into the crowd of Warriors and could see Atreus and Zeristan talking on the far side. He almost made it to them when Atreus noticed his presence and greeted him.

  Atreus thundered, “Good morning, Megildur.” Not another morning person, the Aelfborn thought to himself. “I trust you slept well?”

  Megildur grumbled, “Sleeping was not the issue. Waking the next morning was.” Atreus and Zeristan laughed at the inexperienced Aelfborn. “How can you enjoy yourselves like that at night and then wake so cheerful?”

  “Years of practice, my young one,” Atreus replied. Zeristan looked at Megildur and grinned. “Now we must prepare for the journey to Greensward Parish. Since you bipedal races are so slow, I have arranged for you to ride with two of my most trusted Warriors.” He motioned toward his clan and two Centaurs approached. “I present Bowen, my Master Archer, and Thaddaios my Master Swordsman.” Both Centaurs bowed to honor their guests. “Bowen will carry Zeristan and Thaddaios is responsible for Megildur. We will depart soon, so prepare.” With that said Atreus nodded to Megildur and walked off to make sure all was ready. Zeristan began talking with Bowen, so Megildur decided to approach Thaddaios.

  “It would honor me to transport you to your destination,” Thaddaios stated.

  “Thank you,” Megildur replied. “I am not good at riding horses and until I came here I had never even met a Centaur, so forgive my inexperience.” He gave Thaddaios a slight grin. He was just trying to make friends before entrusting his life to him.

  “No need to explain,” Thaddaios replied. “It is not often we transport bipedal races, but I have done this before so you should not worry.” He explained to the Aelfborn that he would be using a saddle to make the journey easier. They both finished preparing for the trek to Greensward Parish
. Megildur tightened the saddle to Thaddaios and he could hear silence befall the Centaurs. He looked up to see Atreus move to the front of the clan.

  Atreus bellowed, “Centaurs, we ride to Greensward Parish to gather more forces! Then we will march to the gates of Aelarnost, vanquish the evil within its walls, and rescue the innocent captives! The Dar Khelegur will experience the demise of the Deathless Empire under our hooves!”

  The Centaurs roared out a loud battle cry as they advanced onward, beginning the trek to Greensward Parish. Megildur jumped onto the back of Thaddaios so he would not miss his own quest. Since he had never ridden a Centaur before he did not know what to expect, but he knew they would arrive faster than running there on foot. Granted the temporary spell Zeristan placed on their boots did increase their speed; he heard stories of Centaurs incredible endurance at maintaining superior velocity. Megildur held on for dear life while they raced through forests and open plains. He could feel the wind through his hair and the ground tremble with the force of the Centaurs stampeding across Aerynth. When they raced along, he could see other creatures scampering away at the sound created from their thundering hooves. Megildur noticed the shadows cast from the sun were stretching longer and longer, meaning the day would be ending soon. He hoped they would not travel through the night since he could use a break and a chance to stretch his legs. After a short time, he noticed the group beginning to slow and he heard a command to halt coming from up front.

  “It appears we are making camp here for the night,” Thaddaios said tilting his head back so Megildur could hear him. He proceeded to hop down from the back of Thaddaios, just to find his legs no longer worked. While Megildur tried to regain his balance, Zeristan approached.

  Zeristan laughed, “Doing alright, Megildur?” The Aelfborn glared at him.

  Megildur resounded, “I will be fine!”

  “Glad to hear it,” Zeristan replied. “We need to discuss our battle plans for Aelarnost.” Zeristan guided Megildur over to a more secluded spot to converse.

  Confused by the elderly Wizard, Megildur responded, “But we have no battle plans.”

  Zeristan jested, “That is what we must discuss. I have advised kings on battle plans before and from what I see at our disposal, we would be best to make a sneak attack. A full out bane would take too long and they may move the prisoners if we give them any advanced notice. Therefore, the first item we need to attend to is finding the building where they hold the prisoners. We will likely find the prison barracks along a perimeter wall. Now, we will need a sneak attack.” Megildur attentively listened to Zeristan since the young Aelfborn had never seen battle plans, let alone planned an attack on a safehold. When the Wizard finished, a guard notified Zeristan that Atreus wanted to see him, so he left the Aelfborn.

  After absorbing as much information as the wise Wizard was willing to give, Megildur returned to Thaddaios. Unfortunately, he was still pondering Zeristan’s battle plan and did not notice the saddle in front of him. Megildur tripped over the saddle and found himself face down on the ground. Thaddaios responded, “Let me help you.” He leaned in to help Megildur and saw his exposed shoulder, revealing the mark of the All-Father. Thaddaios stared at Megildur, who rose to his feet and looked nervously back at the Centaur. “You bear the mark of the All-Father?” Thaddaios began to bow when Megildur halted his movement.

  Megildur whispered, “Please do not bow. Just because I have this mark, does not make me better than anyone else. I do not want the others to know.”

  “As you wish, M’Lord, but His mark upon you does make you better,” Thaddaios replied. “It has long been foretold of the one bearing the mark of the All-Father reclaiming the mighty Shadowbane and bringing peace and unity to Aerynth. This tale passed from one swordsman to another for generations.”

  “Well, I doubt this tale was referring to me. I can barely wield a sword let alone a mighty one,” Megildur replied. “Not much need for sword skills when you live in a small village and tend to animals.”

  “Excuse me for a moment, I need to get something,” Thaddaios replied. He went to a nearby cart and pulled out an object covered in cloth. He opened the object to reveal two swords, both with intricate detail and design. He turned to Megildur and presented the swords. “My father gave these to me. He seized them from the Chaos Dark Lords after the War of the Scourge. My father told me the swords required a greater purpose. I can think of none greater than teaching the future High King of Men.” He pushed forth both swords, for Megildur to choose. Megildur picked up the one closest to him and held it up to the light, to examine it. “Now if you so choose M’Lord we can begin your lessons.”

  “I would be most grateful Thaddaios,” Megildur replied. “I would also be most grateful if you would stop referring to me as ‘Lord’. They have not crowned me, nor have I even retrieved Shadowbane. I am just…”

  “The rightful heir to the High King Cambruin,” Atreus interjected while he and Zeristan approached. “Also, you are the one who bears the mark of the All-Father to retrieve Shadowbane and bring peace to Aerynth.” Megildur glared at Zeristan for publicizing information that the Aelfborn did not want revealed. Atreus noticed the glare and commented. “Please do not chastise Zeristan, I insist on knowing who I am sending my clan off to battle for. I hope you would not deny me this?”

  “Of course not,” Megildur responded. “You would be foolish not to inquire. Forgive me for keeping this information from you, but this is not something I would expect most to believe.”

  “It has been foretold, since Cambruin’s betrayal. Thus, the Turning began…leading Aerynth into a dark period,” Atreus commented. “The heir of the High King would pull Shadowbane from the Stone Tree in Kierhaven. Then you could restore the High Kingdom and bring peace to Aerynth. The Centaurs have always come to the aid of the Gods and obeyed their wishes. We will not fail you, Lord Megildur.” Atreus placed his hand on Megildur’s shoulder and bowed his head, in honor of the chosen hero of Aerynth. The Aelfborn returned the gesture by also placing his hand on Atreus’ shoulder but found that a bit difficult since the Centaur stood nearly a foot taller than him. Regardless, the act was true and it appeared the would-be High King’s destiny would be hard to avoid now.

  CHAPTER 10: The Plan

  Megildur practiced from sunrise to sunset with Thaddaios to become a Master Swordsman. Until he could handle the weight of the broadsword given unto him, they practiced with wooden swords. This was preferable at the time since it hurt less when Megildur missed and Thaddaios countered. The Centaur was an excellent teacher, and Megildur felt more comfortable each day.

  It took them almost a week to cover the distance to Greensward Parish, but they finally reached the outer gates. The bluish colored walls of the safehold towered over the travelers. The fortress was Elven in design and the bastions were tall and majestic. This city was both ominous and magnificent simultaneously.

  “Lord Megildur,” Atreus commented. “We should have only a few people approach the gates. We do not want the High Priest to think we are an attacking force.” When Atreus finished his sentence, one of the Centaurs yelled out about an approaching object; it was an arrow. It landed near Atreus’ feet. Megildur noticed a piece of parchment attached to the arrow. He knelt down and collected the parchment, opened it, and read the message.

  “Well, it appears we are too late for a subtle approach,” Megildur said. “The High Priest Maethorion refuses to surrender and prepares for our impending attack. What should we do now?” Megildur looked a bit lost at this time. Diplomacy of any kind baffled Megildur, let alone between great nations.

  “The five of us will approach the gates and explain our position,” Atreus replied to Megildur, but also looked at Zeristan, Bowen, and Thaddaios. They knew this was a risky move since they would be vulnerable, if the High Priest ordered an attack. However, they would have to take the chance if they were to gain allies to their cause. Megildur could see guards lining the fortress walls, with archers at the ready. He ho
ped this would end well. They moved forward toward the gates with no weapons drawn but they still carried them. Hopefully the High Priest would not see this as a hostile gesture. When they were close enough to see the eyes of the archers, another arrow landed at their feet.

  Someone shouted from the wall, “That is the last warning you will receive before I order the archers to cut you in half Atreus.” They stopped their advance since it seemed futile to go further and allow the arrows to skewer them.

  “High Priest Maethorion, is that your voice I hear old friend?” Atreus replied.

  “Old friend?” The voice behind the wall retorted. “This is Maethorion, ruler of Greensward Parish and High Priest of the Church of the All-Father. However no friend of mine, old or not, would approach with armed forces to my gates. If you are my old friend Atreus, I would suggest leaving before I order the attack. If you are not my friend I can just order the attack now!”

  Zeristan whispered to Megildur, “This is getting us nowhere. I can get us before Maethorion if you can convince him of our intentions.” Zeristan smirked at Megildur.

  “I can agree to those terms,” Megildur replied with a smirk. “I assume you intend to teleport us inside the walls?” Zeristan nodded. “You will need to gently disable his guards once we arrive, so I may negotiate with the High Priest.” Zeristan nodded once more and proceeded waving his hands to initiate the teleporting. Within moments, the two of them were standing before Maethorion, who had a guard on either side of him. Maethorion was Elven, with brown skin like the trees, indicating he was from the Twathedilion clan, Elves of the Forest. The guards began to draw their swords but were unable to unsheathe them before Zeristan struck them with bolts of energy. The powerful Wizard was able to unleash this power to both guards at the same time and directed accurately on either side of the High Priest. Megildur drew his sword and directed it at Maethorion.