Glory to the Brave
A bright pale moon overlooks the gloomy landscape. Fallen leaves crunch on the ground as one lone knight walks along a marching path through the shedding forest. He looks upon the starry sky, its light illuminating his way.
‘Perhaps it was nothing.’ he thinks and scans the horizon in front of him, trees darkening it in the distance. His eyes squint a little and he huffs. ‘No. I’m too old to be imagining things.’ he rests his hand on his sheathed sword.
The chill of the night brushes against his worn steel armor. He shivers within it and tenses up. ‘I know not how sire deals with the cold.’ his sword makes a SHWING as he pulls it out of its holder. He twirls the thing around with both arms, chopping the air in mock battle swings.
Minutes pass as Alek steps onward into the black of the forest. His eyes slowly relax and his vision on the horizon blurs like a far off smidge of smoke. Subtle gray figures soon disrupt the blur in his eyes.
“Mmm?” he squints and silences his sword, readying it more formally. The figure grows into two, then four, then too many to count. His eyes dilate and he sprints at the new mass approaching him.
“HALT!” he bellows and kicks up leaves under his feet.
A horse-drawn chariot leads the mass, and a huge black dragon rests upon the chariot. A scepter of gold shines within his grasp.
“Hah, a boy?” he smirks and stands within his chariot. “Halt. We shall entertain him.”
The squadron stops and the sound of them all grasping their weaponry tickles Alek’s ears.
“What is your business heading this way?” Alek holds his sword firm and fires a stern stare at the dragon.
The dragon chuckles and stamps his scepter on the bottom of his chariot. “Know you not a king when you see one, boy?”
Alek huffs. “You are not my king. And I am no boy!”
The king wickedly smiles and eyes the raven insignia firmly chiseled onto Alek’s chest piece.
“Ahh, infantry of The Raven. And what, may I ask, are you doing so far from your encampment?”
Alek’s eyes widen a little. They venture along the king’s armor, taking in its insignia; a dragon head with two swords crossed underneath. His eyes get serious again and he pelts the king with a glare.
“By the Raven, you shall not pass this point.” he stomps his armored foot onto the hard cold ground below him and stands ready.
The king laughs, falling back into his chariot and putting a hand on his face.
Alek merely waits with a clenched jaw.
The king sighs and looks at Alek once more.
“Men, kill him, but one at a time. It shall be my entertainment.”
The troops look at one another before one steps up, his armor clanking in the chilly night air.
“Come and face me!” Alek shouts, a plume of white breath exploding from his maw.
“As you wish.” the other knight says before charging him with a massive mace, swinging it downwards.
Alek sidesteps and slices at the knight’s neck, the sword nicking it.
“Achk!” he holds his new wound for a moment.
“DIE!” Alek launches the tip of his sword into the knight’s neck with clenched teeth and a vengeful glare.
The knight chokes out his death and essence into the air, falling over onto his hands and knees while hot crimson steams out of the wound.
“Hoh hoh, you got some spirit, boy.” the king looks around at his men. “Two at a time. Kill him.”
Two knights yell and charge at Alek.
His face and draconic snout clench up. He dives into an opening between the men. He turns and jabs under one’s armpit, penetrating the soft spot within the armor.
“Gahh!” he falls to a knee and holds his pit, blood spewing from the freshly cut artery.
The other swings again. Alek sidesteps and goes for the neck, but the knight dodges.
“Yaah!” Alek jumps and concentrates a drop kick into his opponent’s knee, bending it backwards and tumbling the knight down. He cries out and doesn’t stand again.
The king grins. “Impressive. Three!”
Alek huffs and embraces the challenge, dancing around the enemies and fatally wounding them wherever an opening exists.
The king continues to add one man to the fray after each group before loses. Four, then five, six and seven.
Eight knights crowd Alek, leaving no exit. He takes one down before one of the maces hits him square in the back.
A grunt chokes out of him as he’s knocked to the ground.
The king laughs as the rest of the maces connect, beating the boy into the ground.
Blood spurts from his helmet, darkening the dirt and leaves under him.
“Enough.” the king stands and steps down from his chariot and the men stop their brutality. He walks to Alek and grabs him by one of his horns, lifting him up so he’s forced to look at the king. “And what good did that do you, boy?”
Alek stares up with blood coming out of his eyes, face clenched with rage. “You…” he rasps. “I will fight until I kill you.” his breath shakes with blood and a lingering death.
The king laughs in the boy’s face before spitting on him. “You’re a disgrace of a dragon.” he lets go and stands, reclaiming his chariot. “Men. Back in line. March over this worm.”
Alek growls and hits the ground with his fist. “NO!” he shouts, blood spraying out of his windpipe.
“Oh?” the king grins once more. “Accept your fate, and maybe you will live through this trampling.”
Alek snarls and picks himself up to a kneel. His whole body shakes, his burning muscles begging him to lay down.
“No.” he stands up strong and readies his sword again. “I will heed my call!” his eyes light up and his muscles tense.
“Hmph. How noble. However, do be aware that you are boring me.” he waves his hand. “Bring the beast to finish him.”
Alek huffs and blinks. ‘Beast?’ his eyes scans the army in front of him before landing on an approaching black mass, pushing the soldiers aside.
“Come, ye beast!” a soldier guides it to the front, yanking it along within it’s icy cold chains.
Alek’s eyes widen like plates and a piercing cold from within his chest keeps him in place. ‘A full beast!’
“Fight this off, boy.” the king smirks again. “Remove the muzzle.”
The soldier leads it closer to Alek before removing a thick metal muzzle on the dragon’s snout. It drops and THUDS into the ground, implanting itself into the hard dirt and scattering some in all directions.
Immediately, the full beast lets out a deafening roar. All the birds within several miles of the beast flee from their trees.
Alek grips his sword harder. ‘Great Raven, aid me in this battle!’ he clenches his teeth till his jaw creaks and runs at the dragon.
He sidesteps its first bite and slashes at its monstrously thick scales, barely cutting them.
The dragon cannons his foot into Alek, launching him onto his back and knocking the wind out of him.
It charges and Alek rolls out of the way with a raspy huff, scrambling to a stand.
Alek dodges the dragon’s bites and puts minor cuts into its scales.
The dance goes on for less than a minute before Alek’s legs start to shake. He pushes forward on the ground, but his foot slips on the dead leaves, stumbling him down to a kneel.
The dragon roars and throws its head at Alek.
Alek raises his arm and the dragon bites it all the way up to the shoulder.
“GAAH!” his mouth swings open and his pupils dilate and shake.
The soldiers watching explode with a riotous cheer and raise their maces.
Alek looks up at the beast. It closes its jaw harder, snapping the bones under it’s teeth.
Screams shock the air as Alek shakes and tries to pull away.
“A meager snack for you, beast.” the king laughs again.
Alek breathes in and out a few times with wild snarls and jabs his sword up into the beast’s neck, penetrating it to the hilt.
The dragon roars and gurgles through its locked teeth and yanks Alek’s arm off, reddening the ground with hot blood as it sprays out of the nub.
Ugly breaths pass in and out of Alek. He yells and tries to stand, falling to his knees again.
The dragon shakes his head back and forth as blood seeps from his throat.
With a deep grumble, the king stands. “You’ve been some real trouble.” he steps off his perch once again and steps to the boy. “And so, I’ll deliver your death personally.” he swings his scepter around and holds it with both hands. “Any last words?”
Alek looks upon the king, blur stuck in his vision.
“I-I…” he coughs and shakes. “…will never…” he groans and pushes himself to a stand. “…surrender to you!” his legs shake, barely working to hold the young dragon up.
The king’s eyes widen just a little. “Mmm. Shame we don’t have soldiers more like you.” he raises his scepter, then stops.
Sounds of riding hooves and clanking armor grow from afar.
“Oh?” he looks off to the horizon, then down at the boy. He glares. “You’ve ruined my whole plan, you know.” he repositions his scepter and swings sideways into Alek’s face, cracking his skull and knocking him to the ground again.
The approaching army ready their weapons. “Dragon!” one of them yells. They run even faster.
Turning back and sitting upon his chariot, the king looks straight at the enemy army. “Men.” he says. “Retreat. Let the full beast serve his purpose.”
In an instant, the army turns in place and marches in the opposite direction.
The dragon roars and charges at the new challengers, hopping over Alek.
“E-ehhh…” Alek’s vision darkens
“Alek!” another dragon knight subverts the dragon and kneels at his side.
“H-hhh…H-Hagan…” he pushes himself to look up at his king. A smile grows on his blood-splatted face.
“No, do not speak.” he scoops the boy up and grumbles, looking at his troops. “Medic! Now!” he jogs back to his army, around the full-beast and behind the front lines.
“I-Ihh…I…” Alek stutters and shakes. “H-Haah…gan…” he exhales, then takes no other breaths. He goes limp in Hagan’s arms.