The Elvish Kingdom
Prologue
Captain Syprox and his troop of sixteen of the best Elvish King Knights kneeled behind a row of rocks. They hid, as a snake about to pounce towards its prey, the attack will be silent, but deadly. Ten of the troop were skilled swordsmen, the rest were bowmen, and all of them knew their share of sorcery.
Syprox was good with both sword and bow, but he preferred the sharp, metallic touch of the sword than the gentle, soft touch of the mahogany bow.
A young soldier with green eyes and long hair from which you could just distinguish the pointed ears behind it. He came crouching towards Syprox. «Everything is in order.»He whispered. «We have cast spell of accuracy in the bows and arrows, those for strenght and braveness too. Is everything as you wish? Syprox thought for a moment. «Yes» Syprox nodded, then his head sprang forward. «Hush now, they're coming. The soldier went to warn the bowmen on the other side. It was all startegically placed. The road the enemies were on passed through two small cliffs. In one cliff, the bowmen waited, stretching their bows. On the other cliff, Syprox and the swordsmen waited, anxious to spring into battle.
Soon, the clap-clap of horses shoes could be heard. Syprox clutched his sword tighter, as he always did when about to participate in battle. He had been in many battles, and it wasn't that he was scared, but you never feel too calm during the wait before a battle, no matter how many times you have been in one.
As the clap-clap grew louder, Syprox peered through a rock. There were 27 horsed enemies. These enemies were the Hathers. They lived far into the west and became enemies with the elves a long time ago when the elves were starting the Kingdom. The Hathers lived in the west, were rivers were plentiful, unlike in the east where the Kingdom was. The elves couldn't survive with just mountaines and barren lands as such in the east, so they made a truce with the Hathers. The elves were deceived, blinded by the lie of the truce, the elves let the Hathers enter their land. And the Hathers ravaged them, so the elves went into war. They won, and expulsed the Hathers to the south west. And since then there has been a strong enmity between the two races.
The calvary they were attacking however, didn't have to do with that, or at least, not completely.
There had been reports of Hathers stealing the Kingdom's treasures on the Royal Museum. Normally, these reports will be handled by a sent troop, not a Captain of rank as Syprox, the King's own right hand. But Syprox had been sent, along with the Knight's finest, because the reports fit with the rumors of a new force ascending even farther west, on the Barren Isles. The rumors said that the Hathers were now only an instrument of the force at the west isles, and that stealing the elves magical and philosophical instruments (like those at the museum) were only the work of the Hathers for paying tribute to the force at the west. This was of great distress to the King, since the Hathers were once and still one of the most feared foes of elves and them being only a tool for the force at the west meant that something tremendously powerful was arising. So the King had said and the King's will was law, and Syprox, always the loyal right hand of the King, went to investigate.
They had got were they were in a three days journey, mostly without any incidents till this moment, when they saw the Hathers stealing an ancient, powerful Elvish weapon of war. And they wanted to recover it. The first to start the unwritten but well known proccess of battle, was the bowmen. Three of them stood up, so as to let the Hathers think that there were only three, and said «Halt in the name of the King. You are ordered to drop in the ground, hands and feet extended.»
The leader stopped looking forward with a concentrated stare. Sill looking forward, he raised his right hand, hiding it from the bowmen, and started directing the other Hathers with his hand. Syprox could see this of course, since he was in the other side. In response to the leader's order, three horsmen in the back, hiding behind horses, threw daggers at the bowmen.
From the Hather's point of view, the bowmen were distracted with the leader, and wouldn't see the daggers, but from the elves point of view, everything was going according to the plan. When the daggers were about to reach the bowmen, the other three bowmen stood up. In a flash three arrows reached the three daggers, nocking them out of sight. The elves had amazing accuracy.
«Again, halt, in the name of the Kingdom.» Said the same elf who had spoken before. «This is your last chance.» The Hathers ignored them again. This time they got out a shield and started galloping in a line towards the bowmen who couldn't do anything with the metal shield in front of them. This was the time for the swordsmen to act. The Hathers, in their ignorance, turned their backs on Syprox and his troop. Syprox decided that this was the time and whispered orders. Five climbed down from the left side and the other side, with Syprox in it, went towards the right. They crouched when they came to the ground.
The bowmen were doing their job, that was proved when two in the front fell in unison, and as if that was a signal, the swordmen reached their prey. Four in the back fell instantly, two victim of Syprox's enchanted sword. There were only seventeen left, but since the Hathers now knew were the elves where, the real fight started. The swordsmen divided themselves in three four to one side, three in the other, and the other three guarding the south flank of the Hathers, while the bowmen shot from the front. The first Hather to attack went to Syprox's group. Syprox, deciding from which angle he should attack, looked at the oncoming Hather. At a first glance, the only physical difference from elves was the face. It didn't have the gracefulness and beauty of an elf's but it had the same
Prologue
Captain Syprox and his troop of sixteen of the best Elvish King Knights kneeled behind a row of rocks. They hid, as a snake about to pounce towards its prey, the attack will be silent, but deadly. Ten of the troop were skilled swordsmen, the rest were bowmen, and all of them knew their share of sorcery.
Syprox was good with both sword and bow, but he preferred the sharp, metallic touch of the sword than the gentle, soft touch of the mahogany bow.
A young soldier with green eyes and long hair from which you could just distinguish the pointed ears behind it. He came crouching towards Syprox. «Everything is in order.»He whispered. «We have cast spell of accuracy in the bows and arrows, those for strenght and braveness too. Is everything as you wish? Syprox thought for a moment. «Yes» Syprox nodded, then his head sprang forward. «Hush now, they're coming. The soldier went to warn the bowmen on the other side. It was all startegically placed. The road the enemies were on passed through two small cliffs. In one cliff, the bowmen waited, stretching their bows. On the other cliff, Syprox and the swordsmen waited, anxious to spring into battle.
Soon, the clap-clap of horses shoes could be heard. Syprox clutched his sword tighter, as he always did when about to participate in battle. He had been in many battles, and it wasn't that he was scared, but you never feel too calm during the wait before a battle, no matter how many times you have been in one.
As the clap-clap grew louder, Syprox peered through a rock. There were 27 horsed enemies. These enemies were the Hathers. They lived far into the west and became enemies with the elves a long time ago when the elves were starting the Kingdom. The Hathers lived in the west, were rivers were plentiful, unlike in the east where the Kingdom was. The elves couldn't survive with just mountaines and barren lands as such in the east, so they made a truce with the Hathers. The elves were deceived, blinded by the lie of the truce, the elves let the Hathers enter their land. And the Hathers ravaged them, so the elves went into war. They won, and expulsed the Hathers to the south west. And since then there has been a strong enmity between the two races.
The calvary they were attacking however, didn't have to do with that, or at least, not completely.
There had been reports of Hathers stealing the Kingdom's treasures on the Royal Museum. Normally, these reports will be handled by a sent troop, not a Captain of rank as Syprox, the King's own right hand. But Syprox had been sent, along with the Knight's finest, because the reports fit with the rumors of a new force ascending even farther west, on the Barren Isles. The rumors said that the Hathers were now only an instrument of the force at the west isles, and that stealing the elves magical and philosophical instruments (like those at the museum) were only the work of the Hathers for paying tribute to the force at the west. This was of great distress to the King, since the Hathers were once and still one of the most feared foes of elves and them being only a tool for the force at the west meant that something tremendously powerful was arising. So the King had said and the King's will was law, and Syprox, always the loyal right hand of the King, went to investigate.
They had got were they were in a three days journey, mostly without any incidents till this moment, when they saw the Hathers stealing an ancient, powerful Elvish weapon of war. And they wanted to recover it. The first to start the unwritten but well known proccess of battle, was the bowmen. Three of them stood up, so as to let the Hathers think that there were only three, and said «Halt in the name of the King. You are ordered to drop in the ground, hands and feet extended.»
The leader stopped looking forward with a concentrated stare. Sill looking forward, he raised his right hand, hiding it from the bowmen, and started directing the other Hathers with his hand. Syprox could see this of course, since he was in the other side. In response to the leader's order, three horsmen in the back, hiding behind horses, threw daggers at the bowmen.
From the Hather's point of view, the bowmen were distracted with the leader, and wouldn't see the daggers, but from the elves point of view, everything was going according to the plan. When the daggers were about to reach the bowmen, the other three bowmen stood up. In a flash three arrows reached the three daggers, nocking them out of sight. The elves had amazing accuracy.
«Again, halt, in the name of the Kingdom.» Said the same elf who had spoken before. «This is your last chance.» The Hathers ignored them again. This time they got out a shield and started galloping in a line towards the bowmen who couldn't do anything with the metal shield in front of them. This was the time for the swordsmen to act. The Hathers, in their ignorance, turned their backs on Syprox and his troop. Syprox decided that this was the time and whispered orders. Five climbed down from the left side and the other side, with Syprox in it, went towards the right. They crouched when they came to the ground.
The bowmen were doing their job, that was proved when two in the front fell in unison, and as if that was a signal, the swordmen reached their prey. Four in the back fell instantly, two victim of Syprox's enchanted sword. There were only seventeen left, but since the Hathers now knew were the elves where, the real fight started. The swordsmen divided themselves in three four to one side, three in the other, and the other three guarding the south flank of the Hathers, while the bowmen shot from the front. The first Hather to attack went to Syprox's group. Syprox, deciding from which angle he should attack, looked at the oncoming Hather. At a first glance, the only physical difference from elves was the face. It didn't have the gracefulness and beauty of an elf's but it had the same