7

Homecoming

By: Glenmychal Galiza

It has been three years since I left my home in the village of Chantilly. It has been three years since the death of my mother, and now it's finally time to set things right. The sun has just risen over the horizon and yet it was quiet. In my field of vision, rows of soldiers in crimson armor looking up at me as I sit upon my red haired steed. I cleared my throat and began to speak, "This is it men, we're in Empire territory now." The soldiers answered back with a loud hoorah as I continued my speech. "It's time we drag King Maxwell off his throne and get rid of his tyrannical rule once and for all!" The soldiers raised their weapons and banged their shields in agreement to my words. As I took a deep breath a female soldier on horseback rode up next to me and steadied her horse. This woman was my right hand man, or woman to be precise. Her name was Silvia Silver, the first person I recruited into my rebellion. Her silver hair and well-endowed body that has captivated the attention and lives of many men. It was like being in the presence of a crimson armored queen made for war. She spoke, "Commander, the mage and archer troops are ready, on your command we can strike first." I looked at Silvia and then back at the rest of the soldiers. With fire burning in their eyes, they were ready to die for the sake of their country. I placed my hand on the long bandaged wrapped object that hanged off the side of my saddle. "Mother, watch over me." I whispered these words to myself and raised my head forward towards the soldiers. Silvia handed me our Crimson Dragon rebel flag. The flag dyed in crimson withheld the outline of a dragon's head caressed by its wings, one on each side. Fixing the helmet that covered my face I gave a signal to Silvia. At the command, Silvia points her spear forward and yells, "In the name of the Crimson Knights!" With another loud hoorah the soldiers let Silvia and I through to lead them to our decisive battle.

We stopped in our tracks, the enemy base lay dead ahead walled off by the Empire's soldiers. A black armored knight on horseback rode out to the center of the battlefield from the enemy's like. His armor was most peculiar. The helmet was a lion's head with a brown mane trickling down his back. I decided to meet him at the center of the soon to be battlefield. As I approached the knight, he took off his helmet. Before my eyes was a prestigious young man with short tattered black hair and sky blue eyes. He introduced himself as Alexander Europa, the first son of his majesty Maxwell Europa. "It is an honor," he said " to meet the mysterious masked leader of the Crimson Knights. Why don't you show your face?" He was mocking me. Only Silvia knew the face under this helmet and hiding my identity was crucial, and hiding my identity was crucial for my meeting with the king. I replied, "The Little Conqueror Alexander, it's a pleasure to meet you. There is no need for you to know my identity, Come and pry it from my dead body!" Alexander chortled at my reply. He turned his horse around and spoke, "You will die on this battlefield Masked Knight, but before you do I will reveal the face of the coward hiding under that helmet." Alexander galloped off back to his army. His voice was heard with his withering image. I could only make out the words, "Men, prepare for battle!"

Our army was outnumbered, that I could say for sure, but that wasn't going to stop us from gaining victory. As soon as Alexander returned to his troops the sound of war horns pierced the silent atmosphere. It is like we could the rumbling of enemy's stomping feet and weapons banging against the dirt. Alexander turned around and pulled out his sword in our direction. "FOR THE EMPIRE!" he yelled, as his horse sprung forward to signal his soldiers to attack. The stampede of men on horseback shook the ground as I signaled my men to hold their positions. Silvia rode down the line of our cavalry clanging her spear with their variety of weapons. Alexander and his men were advancing at a sprinting pace, their spears at the ready just waiting to impale us. I flick my wrist forward causing Silvia to yell out FIRE. On that command the archers pulled back their bows aiming up into the sky and the mages began to chant. The archers rapidly fired their arrows in quick succession. Volley after volley, Alexander's men fell one by one. The mages began to glow and a giant magic circle with a star shaped pentagram center appeared in the sky above Alexander and his men. Spheres of destructive fire descended upon the enemy and the burned the flesh off of the Empire's cavalry. Their blood curling screams of pain gradually faded away with their bodies. Alexander emerged out of the assault miraculously unscathed. Finding this impossible, I charge forward with Silvia and my men. All at once the rest of the Empire's men joined the fray. Foot soldiers stormed the battlefield with battle cries and weapons at the ready. The real battle had just begun.

I approached Alexander with Silvia at my side; the three of us unmounted our horses. He readied his sword and shield with a triumphant laugh. "Amazing isn't it? All that and nothing. The beast really did make for splendid armor!" I stood there watching him laugh. I placed the crimson flag on the ground, "So the rumor's were true. You really did find and slay a Nemean Lion. Let's test its worth against my blade. Oh holy sword of the Paladin Roland, lend me thy blade that is said to be the sharpest in all of the land, Durandal!" A blue magic circle with a hexagram center appeared to my right. I stuck both hands inside of it and pulled out a golden hilt that led to a bluish-silver blade wide as a sheet of parchment and a meter long. I held it in front of me pointing it towards Alexander. Alexander got into a defensive stance, "Come at me then!" Alexander blinked and at that moment I disappeared from his line of sight. I stood next to him and whispered into his ear, "Farewell Little Conqueror, I will leave you these words as a parting gift." The words I whispered struck fear and disbelief into Alexander's eyes as his blood erected in a straight line down the center of his body. I swung the blood clean off Durandal, "Silvia it's time to head to our destination. Tell the men steer clear of my blade and I." Silvia nodded and ordered all troops to temporarily fall back. Durandal disappeared and a new magic circle appeared next to me, "Legendary sword that was said to have leveled hills, prove to these fools your legend is true, Caladbolg!" Sticking one hand into the circle I pulled out a blue hilt that revealed a scarlet claymore at the other end of it. I pointed the sword towards the Empire's troops and swung it once. There was silence and then a third of the Empire's soldiers were blasted away. A second swing and another third was gone. Then with one final swing the rest of the Empire's army was wiped out. As the sword disappeared, pain erupted throughout my body and Silvia ran to my aid giving me a shoulder to lean on. "Lynx are you alright? This is what happens when you use multiple contracts in such short time." I was breathing heavily and my vision was a bit blurry. I pushed Silvia away and went back to my horse, "I am fine, let us meet King Maxwell face to face. Have the men surround the castle and tell them no one is to interfere once we enter the throne room." Getting on my horse, I rushed towards the opening in the castle walls made by Caladbolg and made my way towards the throne room.

I stood before large red doors bordered with golden rope. I took a deep breath and pushed the doors open. As I began to open it slowly a wave of fear came upon me. My hands shook and I had a hard time holding the doors open. The fear was crushing my spirit. I began to sweat a little and then something grasped my shaking hands. It was Silvia. She was holding the bandage wrapped object in front of me. With a look of worry struck upon her face I calmed downed and pushed the doors wide open. There his silhouette sat comfy on his throne with his arms rested and a sword rested across his lap. I slowly approached the throne with Silvia by my side passing by statues of the Empire's previous rulers. "So you've come Masked Knight, I've been expecting you." The image of the King became much more clearer, he looked rather young for someone who should be in his late forty's. His long black hair stopped somewhere behind his back. He was ready for battle. His greatness radiated with his golden armor while his red cape gave him an epic heroic look. I stopped a few ways away from the stair case leading to the throne, "King Maxwell, your tyranny ends here, your dictatorship that lasted all these years will finally be put to an end by these hands." A magic circle opened next to me as I pulled out Durandal pointing it's bluish silver blade at the King. The King stood up, his stature gave off a strong presence. It was as if I was standing face to face with a giant among men. The King held his golden sword to his side as he laughed, "So the news of Noland's death were true after all, he really was someone I could call a rival in a match between blades. Let's see if I can't make you my servant first! EXCALIBUR!" King Maxwell raised his golden sword, with a closer look it had blue linings decorated all over the golden blade. The sword began to illuminate a golden light. In that moment I heard Silvia drop the bandaged item and appeared in front of me. Two magic circles, one on each side of her appeared as she began chanting, "Come to me weapons of the hero Diarmuid, the advent of the yellow sun will leave an undying wound and the rise of the red moon shall reflect all that is mystic." Silvia pulled out two spears, in her left hand a red one and a shorter yellow one in her right hand. Raising the red spear in front of her, the golden light stopped before the spell as if held off by an invisible shield and then dimmed out in a matter of seconds. Silvia took this chance to run up the staircase as she readied the yellow spear to hit it's mark. The King stood there as he parried Silvia's attacks, "Wonderful! The red spear Gae Derg that reflects all sorts of magic, and the yellow spear Gae Buide that leaves a wound that will never heal! Splendid truly splendid, but alas it is not enough!" King Maxwell found an opening and swung his weapon downwards horizontally. Silvia blocked the attack quickly with both her spears but was quickly flung down towards the bottom of the stairs. She hit the ground pretty hard. I grab the bandaged item Silvia threw down earlier and left it with her as I rushed up the stairs. Jumping up on the last step, I threw all my weight on the downwards swing of my blade as it collided with the King's sword. We were dead locked for a moment when the impact of the collision sent out an invisible explosive force which pushed back everything that wasn't held down, including Silvia, a couple of feet away.

King Maxwell was laughing, his face showed signs of enjoyment and his killing intent slowly rose. We continued to clash, as the sound of ringing metal began to echo throughout the throne room. My emotions began to rise as my feelings of anger and resentment towards the king poured into the swings of my blade. This however was a mistake, as I swung my sword diagonally I saw the King smile as he dodged my strike perfectly and countered with a vertical swing. I tried to move back but it was too late. When I stepped back after receiving the attack my vision on the right side became clouded in red from the blood that was spilling out of the wound. But that wasn't all, the sound of crumbling metal echoed inside my helmet which slowly fell apart and collapsed to the floor. My face was now visible before the King. His expression changed and his eyes widened, "That white hair like snow, and those beast like yellow eyes! You're a Yukirian!" It was true, I was a Yukirian. We were a race that were referred to as monsters. Yukirians had super human strength, and agility. A mature Yukirian is said to be able topple buildings and demolish a platoon of soldiers by itself. I wiped the blood from my eye as I grabbed the bandaged item from Silvia who was struggling to get up. My wound stopped bleeding and I turned towards King Maxwell, "You're half right, I'm only half a Yukirian. The other half however-" I pulled one of the loose ends of the bandaged item causing it all to slide off. The bandages revealed a gold jeweled scabbard lined with blue markings. As I held it in my hand the wound on my face healed up entirely, "You know what this is don't you?" I asked King Maxwell. The king's jaw dropped and he became furious, "Why do you have Excalibur's scabbard? That item was long gone from the Empire when a servant ran off with it!" King Maxwell then went silent. I approached the King, "That servant was a Yukirian woman by the same of Isabella. She was my mother, as well as the woman you had a hidden affair with." The King erupted in even more anger as he swung his sword at me only to be blocked by the scabbard I held. "You spout lies! I killed that thief with my own hands three years ago! She was alone in that house, without child!" The King continued to hack and slash at the scabbard. "She wouldn't tell me where the scabbard was, so I tortured her until she could spill out what she did with it. But that thief kept her mouth shut like all those times I had my way with her!" That comment hit a nerve. I parried the King's next blow and his grip on Excalibur loosened which allowed me to hit it away from his hands with the side of Durandal's blade. "King Maxwell, no father, I am the seed you planted when you had your secret affair with my mother the servant Isabella. Now I will be the sword that avenges my mother." King Maxwell screamed in agony as the point of a bloody yellow spear emerged from his stomach. Silvia was behind the king breathing heavily as she pulled out her spear. The King dropped to his knees and cried in agony touching his wound and staring at his blood soaked hand. I walked behind the king and raised Durandal high above my head, "Any last words father?" The King continued to stare at his bloody hand. His mind was focused on the blood and pain from his wound. I swung down my sword, and the King's head rolled towards the hard ground.

I tried picking up Excalibur, it was heavy, the sword was rejecting me since I didn't form a contract with it. Silvia lent me a dagger which I cut my hand with and dripped my blood on the golden blade, "Holy blade held by mighty kings before me, I make a contract with thee, Lend me thy power to protect this kingdom." The blade gave off a brilliant radiance and then it spoke, "I will lend thee my power but be warned, by making a contract with me thou shall go through many a trial on the road to becoming a true King. Dost thou accept the contract knowing this?" I picked up the sword with ease. "I will." The radiating light dimmed and I placed the sword back into it's scabbard. I looked at Silvia who was giving me a confused look, "What is it Silvia?" Silvia then looked at me with a straight face. "Lynx, he was your own father, are you sure it was ok to kill him?" I walked towards the throne and leaned Excalibur against an arm rest before I answered. "You're asking me this now? I was prepared to do so from the start. Not only did he kill my mother but he also forced innocent people into becoming soldiers and sending them to death's door to expand his territory." I sat down on the throne and rested my chin on my open hand. "Gather the men and the alert the citizens, they have to meet their new King." Silvia bowed and replied, "Yes, your Majesty." She disappeared from my sight. I looked up at the ceiling and whispered to myself, "Majesty huh? Is this what you would've wanted mother?"