A Long Road to Peace
"Gareth, you will come to find that the world can be run in many different ways." Grimhook began as Gareth tried to struggle from his bindings. "You will one day see why I have you locked up and why my way of ruling is better than everyone's." With those words Grimhook walked away leaving Gareth to rot inside the dungeons of the palace.
Gareth struggled against the bindings once more, but to no avail. He thought back on brighter days. Just a few short weeks ago he had claimed the title of royal guard in the king's court and things seemed to be looking up for him. The things his family needed would be supplied and he would have work for the rest of his day and it sure beat his old life back home. He didn't have a grand life back home, but he enjoyed what little time he spent there. He thought back on his home town of Nyx and how he had almost everything he needed there; the open air, the forest, hunting, great friends, and the rest of his clan. He continued to think that, and now that his journey was dismal and things looked bleak he wished he could start over and never venture off into the forest to become something he wasn't. He thought about Kiera, his girlfriend of six months, and her bright smile that brought happiness to all that gazed upon it. He also thought about how he would ever see her again, how this dungeon and the empire would hold him back from her. This thought sparked something in him, a rage that he could not control and it gave him strength. He once again struggled against the bindings that had him suspended into the air and they gave way. Gareth crumpled to the floor and the chains were broken.
Struggling to get up from the torture he had been put through Gareth half way crawled through the dungeon's hallways. He found what seemed to be an old cane and used it to pick himself up. The mahogany stick would come in handy and he knew that. He knew what he had to do and how to do it, it was just a matter of how long it would take to get the strength to kill Grimhook.
Gareth hobbled to the dungeon's exit. He knew that as soon as he set foot out of the dungeon the guards would be after him and they would try to stop him, but he was determined. He grabbed the handle to the door and took a deep breath.
"May the guardian of life watch over me." He said as the door creaked open.
He heard them before he saw them, palace guards. Normally they would be patrolling the palace halls at this time to look for any thieves or signs of mischief, but not this time, no. this time they were all focused on one location and that was the dungeon. The thought of Grimhook knowing about his abilities only proves his intelligence as the first of the guards ran at the dungeon's entrance. Gareth readied himself for battle.
As the first two guards ran to the door they drew their swords and prepared to strike. Gareth being quicker on the draw than the guards had anticipated parried their effort and knocked them both out in a single blow. Two other guards watching came towards him now and Gareth blocked them both, first to the left, then to the right. He moved as quickly as he could with his hurt leg and managed to knock the two new guards out as well. He turned around only to see a familiar face coming straight for him. This familiar face did not belong to a friend or enemy this face belonged to his brother.
Tykon, Gareth's older brother, stood tall at six foot three at the least and was extremely muscular. He had the same fair skin as Gareth and the same stance as well. Gareth remembered before his brother joined the King's legion how they used to fish together, play together, laugh together, all these things came rushing into his head at once and then he felt it a sharp pain just above his abdominal area. Gareth looked down and there the sword was buried deep inside him.
"You made me do this brother." Tykon said sadly. His eyes bore the look of someone who had lost everything. "I never wanted to hurt you," the words rolled out of his mouth in the clan accent "but you gave me no choice." Tykon stood there frozen for a moment and then he ripped his blade from his brother's chest pushing him with his foot for good measure.
Gareth laid there on the ground and felt surges of pain rush through his nervous system. He listened as the sound of his brother's voice trailed off into nothing. He lay there just outside the dungeon and felt a drop. It was wet and cold and it made Gareth happy to feel something besides pain before his last moment on earth came to pass. He laid there with blood flowing from his chest and watched as the rain mixed itself with the red on the ground.
Tykon stood and watched as his brother bled on the ground before him. "Brother I'm sorry," Tykon began "I had no other choice if only you—" he stopped speaking mid-sentence and gazed in disbelief at his brother's strength.
Gareth, tired of all the violence and the opposition to his desire of freedom from the empire, slowly stood and mentally prepared himself to take down one of the people he had loved the most. There they stood both gazing at the other intensely and then as if they were enemies forever began a fight that wouldn't stop until one of them was dead.
Tykon slashed at Gareth and like always Gareth parried and struck back, but this time his blows were not so devastating. Tykon wore full plated armor and Gareth was armed with a cane, not to mention the cane was probably extremely old for all he knew and his brother stood armed with a recently sharpened sword. Tykon took another swing and Gareth once again blocked the hit. The battle was draining him and the only way to win would be to knock Tykon out. Gareth thought of a way to do it, he contemplated how he could knock someone out, he thought as his brother slashed at him cutting open his left arm causing searing pain to Gareth. Gareth once again knew what he had to do.
Tykon slashed to the left, to the right, tried an uppercut, but was dodged on every attempt. Gareth saw an opportunity after the uppercut and took it. He used the cane and hit Tykon in the throat and then used his brother's weight against him and turned the sword to its wielder. Gareth then said a prayer to his brother for he knew it would be the last thing he heard. "Brother, may the creator have mercy on you." And with those final words to his relative the sword was thrust through Tykon's chest.
Gareth stood over his brother's body and let the rain fall down on him. He looked once more into his brother's amber eyes and remembered the good times they had once shared. A few moments passed like this and Gareth pulled the sword from Tykon's chest, he then slowly hobbled away. He knew he couldn't take the armor, it would weigh him down too much and he wasn't equipped to fight in it anyway. He dragged his broken body through the rain closer and closer to the one he wanted to kill the most. His emerald green eyes lit up with a fire that sparked a warrior's nature to come forth and although he didn't notice the wound on his left arm healed by a slight degree. Gareth once again came face to face with his enemies and knew that the road to peace would be a long one.