Chapter 1
It was a very calm night in the city of Fletz and King Albert was enjoying a peaceful meal in the great hall. Albert had been enjoying a conversation with one of his friends from the town.
"So how are your children?" Albert asked.
"Oh they are doing much better, after Amy recovered from her sickness I suppose that her brother quit worrying."The man responded.
"I see, so how are you then miss Amy?" He asked the small girl.
"I am doing much better King Albert." She responded timidly.
"How many times must I tell you to stop calling me King most friends don't use those kinds of formalities?" Albert said.
"I…I'm sorry." She replied.
"It is fine." Albert assured her.
"So how are your studies going?" Albert asked Amy.
They are going fine." Amy said proudly.
"And what about you're training?" Albert asked Amy's older brother Darren.
"Oh I am doing much better I have decided to train in the art of the double bladed sword." Darren said.
"The double bladed sword is a very hard weapon to master." Albert said with a grin.
"Of course you will probably have no trouble mastering it knowing your skills." He continued. "Well it was either that or I wanted to learn how to use a rapier." Darren said with uncertainty. The mention of the kind of sword brought back painful memories. He remembered her and her beautiful face. It was almost enough to bring him to tears. He recalled how she had stayed with them for so long and how she fought so bravely in that last battle before dying.
He had experienced the same feeling when Lavitz died as well and it tore him apart inside. "Albert?" The father said confused.
"Are you alright?" He continued.
"Yes I'm alright I just need to get some sleep." Albert said about to excuse himself from the table. Suddenly the doors to the great hall opened and a large man walked in dressed all in black. He carried a katana on his back and walked forth with ghostly silence.
"King Albert!" The man said in a demon like voice.
"We have much to discuss." He continued.
"Who are you and what do you want?" He yelled in response grabbing his weapon from the nearby wall he had left it leaning on.
"I am simply here to make a very rare proposition."
The King cocked an eyebrow. "What proposition?" He said as he lowered his glaive.
"We must discuss it in private." The mysterious man said. King Albert guided the stranger into a large room, shut the door, and then locked it. He had left Amy at the table and she was too curious to just let this go she went over to the door and listened in. "I have found one of the portals." The man's voice said from behind the door.
"Is that so?" Albert replied. "Well then what did you find." Albert inquired.
"I have found…an unspeakable evil." The man said sounding strangely amused.
"Is that all that the portals contain?" Albert said his voice filled with worry.
"No that is why I am here."
"You set out on this quest years ago and said that you cared not to get me involved, so why did you come?"
"I heard about your adventure with that man named Dart."
"Yes what of it?"
"I also heard about the death of two of your friends."
Amy had to cover her own mouth so Albert would not hear her gasp, she knew about Lavitz but who was the other one.
"Yes it was very painful for me."
"I know. Don't you remember what I am I have experienced death on thousands of occasions."
"I well remember my friend. The thing is why are you here?"
Amy's father had noticed her being gone and came over to grab her.
"Well I." The man began but was interrupted by the loud thrashing. Of Amy trying to break free of her father's grip and hear the rest of the story. She kicked at him angrily and fought as hard as she could to hear the conversation once more. She could hear Albert saying "What was that noise?" and then hearing the man respond with. "It was the little girl who has been listening in on our conversation this whole time."
HE KNEW! Amy thought to herself ceasing her battle with her father. How did that man know! I was so careful so as not to make any noise at all. She hadn't made a sound either. She had been able to sneak up on people before without them noticing but this man heard her through the door and the background noise. "How?" She said to herself.
Albert walked out after another twenty minutes or so with a look of discomfort on his face as he walked his "friend" to the door.
"I accept your offer." Albert said as the man exited.
"I will see you in three weeks Aledar." Albert said.
"I am glad my men and I will not be doing this alone." Aledar replied as he put his hood back on that shielded his face.
"I hope we can succeed." He concluded before walking out the door into the cool night.
Aledar looked nothing like Amy thought he would. From the sound of his voice she thought that he would be some kind of demon general here to declare war on King Albert. But this man had looked like an average man.
Albert began walking away but not upstairs to his bedroom downstairs to the training arena. "Albert what was that all about?" His friend said from the table.
"It's none of your concern." Albert said assuring him it was just something stupid that he shouldn't worry himself with. But there was more to this much more. Amy couldn't figure it out but as they left that night something told her that something horrible was coming.
Albert started training and didn't stop for several hours. A few knights watched him as he fought imaginary targets. "I wonder why he is training so hard?" The first knight said.
"I don't know but I can tell that he is not going to stop." The second one replied.
"Oh yeah and why's that?"
"Look at his face." The knight stared intently at Albert.
"I…I don't understand?"
"That look of his…it says that he is filled with confidence and that he will not give up until whatever he wants right now becomes his. That is the look of determination."
"Oh I get it."
"It's the same look that little girl watching from the window has." The knight added in slyly.
The first knight looked over to see Amy who was carefully watching Albert as he trained. Albert I am going to find out what it is you were hiding from us. She thought to herself.
Albert trained for more than two hours before taking a break. "That was just about the longest run of training I've ever seen your highness." The first knight said.
"Well I can only hope I can get better at this before the end of this month." Albert replied.
"Whys that sir?"
"Sir?" He repeated
Albert ignored the question and simply thought to himself about what he was doing. Don't worry I will bring you back.