- Chapter 6: The witch-boy returns -
Any doubts Kelda might have had about the rumours were instantly erased the moment she saw the gates of Nordberg blast open. Even from a distance, the smell of black powder tickled her nose as she watched an imperial formation charge into the smoke, only to be met by a horde of savage creatures – the very same she had encountered as a child – screaming bloody murder as they threw themselves into the skirmish with reckless abandon, weapons swinging and mounts howling.
A rattling symphony of clashing steel and guttural screams filled the evening air as the imperial guards struggled to hold back the attackers. Even the archers up on the bulwark didn't seem to have much luck as a barrage of fireballs began to rain down over them.
Standing at the top of the terrace overlooking the gates, Kelda watched the chaos unfold.
"Centurion, I demand an explanation!" Borius barked as he appeared from behind, flanked by his personal guard and military commander. "Why haven't these pests been eradicated yet? I specifically requested it!"
"Just a minor setback, governor Borius!" the officer assured him. "I've already instructed my men to blow up the lower bridge. We're gonna box 'em in and take 'em out in one fell swoop!"
"Well, you'd better!" Borius grumbled as he looked out over the chaos. "I've more important things to attend to!"
So much for his confident words up on the bulwark! Kelda thought to herself before turning her eyes back towards the battle, just in time to watch as a tall, imposing figure in dark, jagged armour stepped through the gates.
It was like an image taken straight out of a folktale – the kind that parents would tell their children to keep them from sneaking out at night.
Even without his armour, the dark warrior was easily head and shoulders above the rest. A towering figure, even by Nordberg standards. The same could easily be said about his weapon. Even at a glance, Kelda could tell this wasn't just any old raider or bandit king. No raider had ever come this close to actually taking Nordberg – not since before the empire, at least. Like a pack of hungry wolves, the creatures almost seemed to swarm around him as he began to tear though the defenders, shredding their armour like parchment.
"This is taking too long!" Borius whined as he began to waddle back towards the elevator. "Come on! Let's get back to the town hall!"
Kelda didn't answer, nor did she make an effort to follow as the others turned to leave, her eyes still firmly fixed on the battle below.
"It... can't be!" she all but whispered as her mind began to fill with memories of a young boy with blue skin and glowing eyes, hidden behind layers upon layers of cloth and fur.
"Slave!" Borius shouted over his shoulder, prompting one of the guards to turn and nudge her with his spear.
Swatting the weapon aside with her hand, Kelda glared at the imperial before turning her eyes back towards the battlefield. Even as the guards began to drag her away, forcing her to abandon her place upon the terrace, Kelda's eyes – as blue and curious as ever – never left the warrior down by the gates.
The Overlord scoffed as he watched the bridge collapse into the icy waters below.
As if a ruined bridge would stop him from kicking down the doors of town hall and make Borius eat his words!
With a chorus of panicked screams and wicked laughter ringing in his ears, the Overlord began to push towards the terrace. It was a violent spectacle, seeing his minions tear through the streets of Nordberg – looting, bashing, breaking and burning as they went. He would be lying if he said he hadn't been looking forward to this moment: to see Nordberg plunged into flames and chaos, to hear the screams of the townsfolk as they scattered and fled before him, to walk these streets once more – no longer as an outcast, but a conqueror.
As he continued to push towards the terrace, he could hear Gnarl cackling in the back of his mind, like a hateful little devil on his shoulder, eagerly spurring him on.
"Yes, yes! That's it, sire! Make them pay! Burn their homes, break their bones! Make them suffer!"
For once, the Overlord found no reason to object.
"But first," Gnarl remarked wickedly as they finally reached the top, spotting their mark at the edge of the terrace: "Borius...!"
To his credit, the fat fool didn't even hesitate to dash for the elevator the moment he saw the chaotic horde approaching.
"You've spoilt my midwinter's eve!" he yelled with the indignation of a spoiled child as he shuffled onto the wooden platform, waving for the guardsmen to take them down. "Well, we'll see what Emperor Solarius has to say about this!"
Gripped by a sudden urge to choke the fat from his jowls, the Overlord rushed towards the elevator, only to watch the governor and his entourage disappear behind the edge.
"Typical!" Gnarl barked as they watched him vanish. "A coward and a snitch!"
The Overlord said nothing as he stepped towards the ledge, eyes glaring for the imperial governor. He had come this far. He wasn't about to let him slip away now.
No sooner had the elevator stopped before Borius began to waddle furiously towards the town hall, seemingly hoping to barricade himself inside. Seeing his impish followers gather around his feet, the Overlord decided he wasn't going to give him the chance. Raising his gauntlet to the sky, he was just about to order a rain of fire upon the town hall when a flash of blue light suddenly erupted on the ground below.
Pausing in confusion, the Overlord watched as a scrawny-looking imperial emerged from the strange beacon. Between his snooty expression and greasy comb-over, he was a spitting image of Borius, give or take a couple of hundred pounds.
"Marius! My brother!" Borius exclaimed as the man approached. "Where did you suddenly come from?"
"Emperor Solarius is very concerned, brother," the embellished beanpole answered in a voice practically dripping with arrogance, "...that you allowed Nordberg to be most violently raided by a magical barbarian."
The Overlord's eyes narrowed ominously as he raised his gauntlet once again.
That's when he saw it: a vision that made him stop short, his arm seemingly frozen in time as his glaring eyes widened in recognition. For a moment, everything around him – the battle, the minions, the townsfolk – almost seemed to fade from existence, leaving naught but a single thing for his mind to focus on: A familiar tuft of red hair.
In the end, it wasn't the sound of a horn or a battle cry that marked the end of the battle, but the thundering sound of marble and bone breaking against the cold, hard ground.
Catching herself against the railing, her hand instinctively raised to shield her eyes from debris, Kelda blinked in silent shock at the massive pile of broken marble now heaped before the doors of town hall, right where Borius had just stood. She could tell that Marius was shouting something, but the words were lost as the realization slowly dawned on her.
It was over.
Borius, like his statue, was no more.
After twelve long years of living in servitude, forced to submit to a man more concerned with his daily ration of fat and wine than any semblance of decency or responsibility, she was finally...
Seeing Marius disappear in another flash of light was enough to draw Kelda's attention away from the rubble long enough to notice the armoured figure looking down on her from the scaffold overhead.
Wordlessly, she watched him descend from the wooden platform, his jagged figure made all the more imposing by his towering approach. As he stepped off the makeshift elevator, his landing – though graceful – didn't fail to convey the weight of his armour. Pushing past the crumbled remains of the statue, he paused, only to wave his gauntlet dismissively at the horde of creatures behind him, causing them to scatter like rats – some into the town hall, others into the streets of Nordberg.
With that, the Overlord turned his attention back to Kelda.
He could see her clearly now, in all her mature beauty: a far cry from the young girl he had once saved in the wilderness. Her face, though different and lightly scarred, was fair and pleasing to look at. Her eyes, though marred with signs of weariness, were as blue and mesmerising as ever. Her hair, though still a tuft of messy flames, looked every bit as wild and alluring as the rest of her.
She looked elegant, yet fierce. So different, yet so very, very familiar.
Stepping forward, Kelda said nothing as her eyes drank in the image.
She had dreamt of this moment many times before, hoped that by some miracle she would get to experience it one day, but to actually find herself standing there, face to face with the witch-boy – all grown up and... alive – she almost couldn't believe it!
For a moment, the Overlord just stood there as her curious, blue eyes – the very same that had made his heart race with excitement all those years ago – surveyed him with silent disbelief. He watched her hand tremble slightly as she reached out towards him. For a moment, she hesitated, as if afraid to touch him. As if, by doing so, she would burst some kind of bubble and realize that this was all just a dream.
But then, finally, her hand found his chest.
He watched her eyes go wide with realization before shooting up to meet his own. He continued to watch as a million and one thoughts raced through her mind.
"It's you!" she uttered, elation creeping into her voice. "It's really you!"
Helpless against her, the Overlord made no attempt to hide his own affection as he reached out to touch her, letting his gauntlet gently brush against her cheek before settling his palm against it. Much to his delight, Kelda responded by leaning into his touch and placing her hand on top of his own: a silent validation of the gesture.
Feeling his frozen heart melt at her touch as a tender warmth began to fill his chest, the Overlord bent down to meet her gaze and responded with a single, loving word:
"Kelda."
Author's note: Another chapter complete! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! (It's difficult to write for these characters when they're not interacting with anyone. Most of this chapter is just observation.) Don't worry, there's still more to come. This is just the beginning of Kelda and OL's relationship. As always, I really appreciate your reviews, so keep them coming (if you feel like it)!
