Nightmare of Darkness: Ashram's Story
Prologue
A little boy watches as his parents are brutally murdered right before his eyes. Tears flow freely down his face as he watches the murderers approach him, their weapons raised.
"Please……………..don't hurt me………….Don't hurt me!" the boy screams, as he tries to back away from the quickly advancing murderers.
"I can't let you live, boy. There can be no witnesses." one murderer snarls, as he reaches for the boy's unprotected throat.
"No…………….NO!" The boy screamed, before his throat was grabbed and darkness enveloped him.
Beld sighed as he descended down the ship's gangplank. He had just returned from Lodoss as a Hero. Even though he was a hero, his heart was heavy with grief. One of his friends had perished in the Labyrinth and he still grieved for her.
"Sir, look at that! Smoke!" one knight yelped, as he pointed out the thick black smoke that rose in the distance.
"There must be a fire somewhere, come on!" Beld shouted, as he mounted a horse and galloped off in the direction the smoke was coming from. When they arrived at the scene, they see some dark figures fleeing into the growing gloom of evening. Bodies are strewn all over the farmyard as Beld walks slowly through, taking in the horrific sight.
"Sir! Come and see!" another knight yelps, getting Beld's attention. Rushing over to the young knight, Beld sees that the knight is holding a limp figure in his arms.
"A child? Does he still live?" Beld asks.
"Yes. But he needs a healer right away." The knight murmurs, as the child whimpers and stirs in his arms.
"Let me take him." Beld says, as he takes the boy from the knight.
"Poor lad. He can't be older than ten or eleven………….still, he's old enough to begin training as a knight." Beld thinks, as the boy opened his eyes and looked up at him.
"It's all right, lad, you're safe now. Rest easy, now." Beld said, gently. The boy continued to stare at him with wide eyes.
"Can you tell me your name?" Beld asked.
"M-my name……………..is Ashram……………sir………………" the boy choked, through a badly bruised throat.
"Well, young Ashram, it looks as though you are coming with me." Beld said, calmly. Ashram looks away for a moment, his eyes looking at what had once been his home, then he looks back at Beld.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to go, sir." Ashram murmured, softly. As Beld carried Ashram back to his horse, he became aware that the boy could possibly even be trained to take over for him, someday.
"Then let's go, Ashram of Marmo." Beld said, as he mounted and rode away, leaving the job of burial of the dead to his knights.
