The forests of Avalon were in bloom. Beautiful fragrances mingled with the smell of old meat and sweat. The king's champion, Lucifer, was returning from his most recent quest. He had been sent by the king to find the legendary sword, Nagnarok. Lucifer had heard of its incredible power but never expected it to exist. However, the king sent him to find it in the country across the sea, Britannia. The king of this land possessed the sword but believed its power to exist only in the scabbard. This was untrue as the scabbard was nothing more than a piece of leather. Lucifer didn't even have to kill anybody; King Arthur as he was known, gave up Nagnarok for a blade of pure gold. Lucifer laughed to himself, "What an idiot. Arthur didn't even know the true power this weapon. He didn't even call it by its real name. What did he call it? Oh yes, Excalibur!" Lucifer compared Nagnarok to his own sword: Rhydderch. True his sword's blade could turn to fire, but it was nothing next to the Sword of Ages. Lucifer was a tall, dark warrior who wore black armor; his helm was adorned with a pair of ram's horns. His sword, Rhydderch was given to him by the gods and was his pride and joy. He rode a matching black stallion named Rhyswynd that had red eyes and enjoyed eating meat. This horse was special in that it could use telepathy. Lucifer was enjoying his ride through the forest. Nobody knew that he actually enjoyed all the smells and sounds of the forest. It would have been peaceful if Rhyswynd weren't complaining.
Do you know how heavy you are? I mean really! Couldn't you at least take the armor off?
"If I take the armor off, I'll be vulnerable to attack."
You know I'd be able to hear any attacker's thoughts if they come close.
"Yeah, I know, but I like the way it glistens in the sun."
Can you please not talk to me in human! It gives me such a headache!
"Are you talking to that horse again?" Cadfer said. Cadfer was Lucifer's eternal rival and closest friend, he was a bit shorter than Lucifer, but he was just as muscle bound with fiery red hair and matching mustache. His armor was the exact opposite to Lucifer's: it was highly polished steel that reflected the surrounding forest. "Those Britannians must have driven you insane," Cadfer said with a smirk.
Oh, great! More human to decipher.
"You looking for a duel Cadfer?" Lucifer said as he brandished Nagnarok. Cadfer looked frightened for only a second.
"I know as well as you that if you use that, the king will have your head for treason," Cadfer drew his sword, Kusanagi and turned its blade to lightning.
That's a new sword, Lucifer though. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him."
You're really going to risk your neck for a duel? Rhyswynd asked.
Shut up, Rhyswynd! Lucifer thought, "You think it wise to fight the king's champion, especially when he has the Sword of Ages?" (At least you thought that to me. Rhyswynd said, annoyed.)
"I don't care who you are or what weapon you use! I will still win!"
"Then bring it on!"
"Lucifer, Cadfer, stop this at once, both of you!"
The two warriors stopped at the sound of the voice. They looked toward the owner of the voice to see Kathryn, the late Queen Mariana's high advisor and the thief of Lucifer and Cadfer's hearts. She was shorter than both men were, but the way they reduced to dogs before her, most people imagined her much bigger. She had fiery red hair wide blue eyes and a body that a sculptor would dream of creating. She was also the only other person who knew Rhyswynd was a telepath; Lucifer had told her hoping it would impress her. Kathryn, Cadfer and Lucifer had all become friends as children because they shared one simple fact: their parents had died in Great Wars between Avalon and the Saxons who lead the surrounding barbarian tribes. The wars had ended soon after Lucifer turned ten. He was the oldest, Cadfer being exactly a year younger and Kathryn being three years younger. Everybody said they were the least likely to become friends, but after discovering each other's terrible news, they were inseparable. Then as the years went by, Kathryn began to develop into a woman and this began the eternal rivalry between Cadfer and Lucifer. At first, they became knights to impress Kathryn, but then it turned into contest between the two of them to see who could be the best. They still pined over Kathryn, but didn't spend nearly as much time with her. This annoyed her greatly and she became stony every time she saw either of them. Hoping to distance herself from the knights, she went to work as an assistant to Queen Mariana's scribe. This plan worked as nobody was permitted to remain in the royal chambers for very long. When Kathryn left for home, however, Lucifer and Cadfer's advances seemed only to become more persistent. Kathryn had never been sure whether she enjoyed the two of them fighting over her or not, it really depended on how work went. She showed great talent for writing and was soon the Queen's head scribe and her close friend. Then Mariana had disappeared one night. Where she was, no one knew, but it was a popular belief that she had been kidnapped by Saxons and having received no ransom note after three months, Cadwallader came to the realization that his wife must be dead. No one was more distraught than Kathryn when she heard the news. Kathryn had taken Mariana's responsibilities as her own and continued with her work. She hadn't married King Cadwallader, but she did all of the Queen's duties, so most people called her the Queen-to-be. Kathryn sighed; Here we are, twenty years after we became friends, still acting the same way. "What do you think you're doing, Lucifer? You could destroy the entire countryside with that sword!"
"Only if you don't know what you're doing, my lady," Lucifer said as he sheathed Nagnarok," You know, the way the sun hits your hair, you could pass as an angel."
"Oh how cliché, Lucifer. Kathryn, that dress must've been made by God himself."
I swear I'll never understand why humans act like fools just to get attention from the opposite sex, Rhyswynd thought.
Yeah well, you're just a horse and I've seen horses do pretty silly things for the opposite sex.
Oh yes, we roll over once and do we ever hear the end of it?
"So you think that my dress was made by God, eh Cadfer?" Kathryn flirted, "Well you're right. By the way, God says you have thirteen children all over Avalon."
"H-he does?" Cadfer stammered
"Yes. Now let's get to Zorengard so Lucifer can give Nagnarok to King Cadwallader," Kathryn said.
Are you going to take off the armor now? Rhyswynd asked.
No, and why didn't you tell me Cadfer and Kathryn were near? Lucifer demanded.
Because I told him not to. Kathryn thought.
And you didn't ask. Rhyswynd laughed.
King Cadwallader, ruler of Zorengard and all of Avalon, was a short balding man but many looked up to him. At all times, Cadwallader was adorned in his silver armor. It was decorated with gold trim and had two great red dragons over his breasts. His crown was jewel encrusted gold with a dark purple velvet cap. He wore a cape made from a foreign beast called a zebra. He was also surrounded by women at all times of the day and night. He had led Avalon in the Great Wars after his father had been killed and had developed a fair government. His short stature also made him easy to underestimate and allowed him to take his enemies by surprise. He was playing chess with his squire; Rohan, when Lucifer arrived, "Sire, it is I, Lucifer. I have acquired Nagnarok from the king of Britannia," Lucifer knelt and presented Nagnarok to King Cadwallader.
"Good work Sir Lucifer. Now tell me, how easy was it to get from King Arthur?" King Cadwallader asked.
"I never even had to draw my sword," Lucifer said; quite disappointed.
"Oh well, maybe when we kidnap Guinevere. Okay, now let's see what the Sword of Ages can do," King Cadwallader pushed a young girl off his lap, stood and left for the training field. Rohan set up a dummy for the king. Cadwallader laughed when he saw it, "This will be my opponent? I'll destroy him from here," Cadwallader closed his eyes in concentration then slashed Nagnarok. A brilliant beam of light shot out of the blade and collided with the dummy. For a moment, the dummy glowed, then the light engulfed it, blinding the surrounding crowd. When they looked again, there was nothing left but a scorch mark and a pile of ashes. Everybody gaped at what they'd just seen. Then Cadwallader clapped his hands for attention, "This is what Nagnarok is capable of and that idiot Arthur gave it up for a golden sword," everybody laughed, "I say we should have a feast to celebrate our invincibility. In one week, we shall eat like I do every night." Everybody laughed and cheered. They hadn't had a feast since the Queen's funeral after she'd been allegedly kidnapped in the Saxon invasion. Lucifer was unsure about how he felt when he thought of Nagnarok's power. He kept thinking what he'd do if he had the power to control. Then Cadfer showed up, "You know you could've killed me out there. Did you know it was that powerful?"
"No, I knew it had great power, but I never imagined anything like that," Lucifer said with regret. Actually, he'd overestimated the sword. He'd expected the dummy to be lit on fire and explode rather than just fade away.
"So, you want to finish that duel?" Cadfer was still ready to fight; he had nothing better to do.
"No, I think I'm going to go to the woods for a hunt," Lucifer lied.
"Okay see you at the feast then," Cadfer skulked as he walked away.
"Now I must devise a way to have Nagnarok for myself," Lucifer snuck back to his chambers to come up with a plan.
In the morning, Cadfer decided he'd try to seduce Kathryn so he sought her out in the royal chambers. Cadfer found her going over suggestions for new laws, "Lady Kathryn, why do you bother with the requests of peasants when you could be with me?"
"Because they make sense to me, now please leave," Kathryn had been up most of the night.
"Fine, but please except these gifts," Cadfer presented her with wild flowers strung into necklaces and circlets, candies and a poem he'd written himself.
"And you called Lucifer cliché. Come now Cadfer, can't you come up with something more original?" Kathryn scoffed. She looked at poem and had to fight a smile; it was a small one, only three lines.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Cadfer then gave her a flowing, red dress. Kathryn nearly fainted but she didn't want Cadfer to know that.
"Where did you get this, it's so light. I'd feel embarrassed wearing this; I'd feel naked," Kathryn tried to find a flaw in the gown but could find none,
"Well, that is the general idea."
Kathryn ignored him, "What is it made of Cadfer?"
"Something from the Far East called silk."
"The Far East! When did you go there?"
"When Lucifer went to Britannia; I needed something to do."
"What? You can't tell me you went all the way to the Far East just to buy me a dress." Kathryn said, eyeing Cadfer suspiciously.
"Well…I did originally go for this." Cadfer said and unsheathed his sword. "It has a really weird name, Kissana no something-"
"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?" Kathryn asked; astonished, cutting Cadfer off. "But that's supposed to be one of the most powerful swords in the world! Said to have been used by a god to kill a dragon. Second only to Nagnarok!"
Cadfer gave Kathryn a confident smile, "I know. I knew that Lucifer was going after Nagnarok, so I had to go get a sword of equal or better strength." Cadfer ignited Kusanagi and lightning danced across the blade. Kathryn thought she saw a glimmer of cruelty in Cadfer's eye, but then he looked up at her and it was gone. "This sword's blade can become lightning because it's been infused with the power of wind."
Kathryn nodded, trying not to show her interest. She decided that redirection was the best tactic and gestured to the numerous gifts around her. "So what do you want in exchange for these gifts?"
"I'd like it very much if you went to the feast with me."
"I suppose I could allow you to take me out that night. Fine, come get me when the feast begins," Kathryn submitted. Cadfer left and she could hear his whoop of joy through her door she glanced at the flowers and candies, but having no interest in them, tossed all but the bracelet out the window. She put it on her wrist and admired the flowers. They would go quite well with her new dress. Kathryn picked up Cadfer's poem again and reread it.
The journey was hard
Across mountains and deserts
All for my true love
Beneath this was a note saying that this is a special kind of poem called a haiku that is very popular in the Far East. Kathryn could not understand why she was so taken with this poem, but she smiled and could feel a small tear forming in her eye. She shook her head, wiped away the tear angrily and shoved the poem under her cushion. "I cannot fall for Cadfer or Lucifer." She kept repeating this as she set down to continue her work.
Lucifer stayed up all night, but he could not come up with suitable plan. He had no means of poisoning the king and as the king was constantly surrounded by young women, killing him in his bedchamber as he slept would be nearly impossible. Lucifer had never bothered mastering the long bow as he thought of it as a coward's weapon. It was also hard to develop a plan as Cadfer kept bugging Lucifer about something he'd finally accomplished. Lucifer had shrugged his shoulders and walked a little faster, but Cadfer had merely increased his speed to keep up. Usually, Lucifer was forced to retreat inside a bathroom and wait until Cadfer got tired of waiting on him and leave. On one memorable occasion, however, Lucifer had lost his temper and attacked with Rhydderch. It seemed that Cadfer had been wanting this more that to spill his secret and drew Kusanagi quick enough to block Lucifer's attack. The ensuing fight had left scorch marks over have the castle. Luckily, Cadwallader had been drunk and only laughed when he heard the news. "Just like old times, eh Lucifer?" Lucifer had responded with a grunt and a nod to King Cadwallader and Cadwallader had sent some of his servants to go clean the walls. Cadfer had kept his distance after that, but could still be found bugging Lucifer when he felt it was safe. Cadwallader himself had even been trying to get Lucifer's attention. It seemed to be a pass time for Cadwallader to try to find Lucifer a suitable wife. Lucifer politely put up with this, secretly not caring about any woman he ever brought before him. At times Lucifer wondered if Kathryn had asked Cadwallader to do this in hopes that it might distract Lucifer from her. It was pointless however, as Lucifer only had eyes for Kathryn and he tried to stay away from drunken whorish women. In the hopes of escaping all distractions, Lucifer sauntered out of the castle to find inspiration for his plan. He went to the stables, looking for Rhyswynd, but he was nowhere to be seen. Lucifer called for him mentally, knowing that wherever Rhyswynd was, he could hear him, but Rhyswynd didn't come cantering back. Lucifer swore in frustration and jumped on one of the other horses in the stable. It bucked and whinnied in anger, but Lucifer remained on its back. The horse submitted and Lucifer dismounted. He looked into the horse's eyes and thought; We can do this the hard way or the easy way. The horse looked blankly back at him. Lucifer backed away from the horse, keeping his eyes locked with the horses. He reached out and grabbed the whip that was hanging on the wall and held it up for the horse to see. The horse's eyes went wide and his feet shuffled uncomfortably. Lucifer let the whip uncoil and cracked it next to the horse's head. It reared up on its hind legs and screamed in protest. Lucifer grabbed the reins and pulled the horse down onto its feet.Lucifer kept the whip where the horse could see it and mounted it again. This time the horse was steady and Lucifer rode out of the stables to the forest.
Lucifer found a glen and dismounted. Surrounded by the forest, Lucifer lost himself in the aromas of the forest. The smells were completely intoxicating. Lucifer barely noticed when his horse galloped away. Lucifer opened an eye and saw that the entire forest had turned a shade of red. Lucifer looked skyward, the once blue sky had turned red as well and the sun was black. The smells of the forest had also vanished and were replaced with the smell of death and decay. Lucifer closed his eyes, wishing that it would just go away, but when he opened them again, there was a newcomer in this nightmare. A man with no physical shape, like he was made of smoke, stood before Lucifer. He had no discernable features save for his burning red eyes.
"Who are you?" Lucifer drew Rhydderch.
It does not matter who I am, what matters is who you can be.
"What do you want?" Lucifer demanded, igniting his sword.
I only wish to help you. The man's voice made Lucifer's skin crawl.
Lucifer laughed mirthlessly, "How do you know what I want?"
I've been watching you for a while.
Lucifer scoffed, "I don't believe you. Now if you don't mind I'm trying to think."
You want a way to make Nagnarok your own, no matter whom gets in your way, even King Cadwallader.
"How do you know that? Who else knows?"
Only I. I told you, I've been watching you.
"Okay, so how do you plan to help me?" Lucifer asked angrily.
I can give you the tool you'll need for the destruction of Cadwallader.
"And that would be?"
The creature reached out and plucked a vial out of thin air. This is all you will need. The creature tossed it to Lucifer and he caught it absent mindedly, "I-I don't really want to destroy Cadwallader. I just want the sword."
The creature laughed; Lucifer felt his skin crawl. Think about it. If you don't destroy the king, how long will you possess the blade? A few minutes? Then you are arrested and executed for treason. You must destroy Cadwallader if you wish to own Nagnarok; you must kill the king.
Lucifer glared at the crystal vial in his hand, "What is this?"
It's a very powerful poison. After it takes effect, it will look as though the victim has simply fallen asleep.
"Why are you doing this anyway?"
Think of it as a gift.
"A gift, huh? And what will you be wanting in return?"
The creature laughed again, You'll find out in good time. Now here's my plan for the king's death.