Chapter 1 A Knight of Grey
Apollyon POV
Apollyon sat back against a log as she laid the sword across her lap. She ran her gloved hand over the serrated edge of her blade and continued to trace the flat edge of it. She remembered when she first received this sword, her first kill… her father. She chuckled at how pathetic his end was, when he thought his only daughter wasn't worthy enough to train to become a Warden or anything of worth but her mother saw potential. She had sent her to train with her uncle where he drilled into her mind that war was the natural state of humans. Where they excel, where they are in their purest primal form, where the wolf truly shows itself amongst the sheep. She removed her skull helmet and placed it next to her on the ground as she let out a sigh at the cool wind caressing her face. She faintly touched her cheek where her father had managed to cut her before she took his life. She leaned her head back against the log as she stared up at the blue sky when she heard someone approach quickly, she picked up her long and got up. She held it at the ready but was slightly disappointed to only find Mercy, her peacekeeper.
"Master." Mercy greeted with a bow.
"What news have you brought me, Mercy?" Apollyon questioned as she sat back down.
"Master, you know the Warden, we have all heard about. He is defending a nearby village from a small company of rogue knights."
Apollyon's eyes widened as she got back up instantly and grabbed her helmet. "Show me."
Mercy nodded her head. "Holden and Davis are already on their way there."
They mounted their horses before Mercy led the way to the village from the Blackstone camp.
'Finally, I have found you, Grey Warden.' Apollyon smiled with glee under her helmet.
They galloped quickly through the countryside of Ashfeld. On the road, she could see caravans of people with their belongings packed into wagons fleeing from the south. Apollyon urged the horse to move faster in which it complied as she rode next to Mercy. They turned off the main road and followed a forest trail in which Mercy had gestured to slow down. They rode through the forest for twenty minutes when she spotted Holden and Davis crouched looked down over a cliff.
They turned around when they heard a twig snap under one of the horses.
"Master. I'm glad you made it on time… they are about to begin." Holden stated as he turned back around.
Mercy and Apollyon approached and stared down over the small cliff at the village that was off the beaten path. From where they were, she could see a large number of men approaching the village, she looked at the entrance to the village to see a lone warden standing there resting against his Longsword, staring at the approaching rogue knights.
"Should we go down to help him, master?" Holden questioned as he glanced back at her and the others looked at her.
"Not yet... I wish to see what he can do first." Apollyon replied and they could all hear the excitement in her voice.
Holden nodded before turn back around again. No One POV
In the village below the Warden picked up his blade and rested it on his shoulder plate as the rogue knights were 25 yards away.
"Turn away now and you may keep your lives!" He yelled.
"Who the he'll do you think you are to tell us what to do?!" A Conqueror yelled back and his soldiers let out battle cries. "Also, do you really think you alone can stop us?!"
"I most certainly can try!" He responded with a smirk under his helmet."But enough talk, time for me to prove it!"
The Conqueror growled. "Kill him!"
The men didn't move and the Conqueror turned to his men with an arched eyebrow. "Did you not hear me?! Go kill him!!!"
"... He is wearing silver armor… Master, he could be that warden…." A grunt said as he backed up.
The Conqueror growled and immediately slammed his flail into the man's head killing him. He looked at the rest of his men who jumped back from the act. "Go kill the fool!!!"
The men looked at each other before they let out battle cries and charged towards the Warden. The Warden shook his head as he raised his Longsword in a high guard as the first bunch made it to him. The first grunt motion to swing at him but he back stepped and brought his blade down splitting the man's head open then he removed his blade quickly and feinted to the right and drove the tip of his blade into another grunt. One slashed him across the back and he spun around and took his head off. Five of them attacked at once and he raised his sword to block all of them and he shoved them all back before he slashed in a wide arc catching them all across the gut. One rushed at him with a spear and he caught it by the shaft before he locked it under his armpit and drove his blade into the man's chest. He then took hold of the spear and slapped a man across the face with the back end of the spear before thrusting his sword into the man's neck. The Conqueror couldn't believe this and was growing increasingly annoyed with each death of his cannon fodder. He looked to his archer captain and gestured for them to fire.
"But ma-"
"Fire!"
The archers released a volley of arrows, the Warden reached down and picked up a shield, he raised it up as a few arrows embedded themselves in the shield. He looked ahead as the friendly fire made his job much easier as a lot of them dropped to the ground dead or dying. He tossed the shield away and charged to meet the second wave of grunts.
Up above Apollyon was grinning ear to ear as she watched the Warden cut his way through the grunts like a hot knife through butter. He didn't slow down until he came face to face with a Warden who was following the Conqueror. She watched as the grunts backed away to give the warriors space, the Grey Warden side stepped an overhead slash before slamming his pommel into the other Warden's head causing him to stagger. Then he flipped his blade around and began to bash his guard against the already disoriented Warden's body. She looked to the Conqueror to see his body tensing up and another who sat in the back with his helmet off completely ignoring the commands of the other. The Grey Warden then bashed the other across the knee causing the Warden to fall onto his knee before he grabbed his blade by the handle and drove it through the other Warden's neck. He pulled the blade free and pointed it at the Conqueror. "Have I made good on my word, Rogue?"
The Conqueror growled then chuckled. "You did and I'm impressed but you really can't afford to gloat…"
The Grey Warden let out a yelp of surprise as he felt a dagger be plunged into his leg then was smacked over the head causing his helmet to fly off and clatter to the ground few feet away. The Conqueror let out a laugh but was stopped as the Grey Warden threw his head back hitting the face mask of the peacekeeper behind him before he spun around and took her head off.
"Kill him!!!" The Conqueror roared as the Grey Warden limped backwards with his weapon at the ready.
The Grunts and Captains charged towards him as the archers ready another volley to finish him off if he managed to survive this wave. The first group that closed in on him was cut down by and large horizontal arc cutting them across the neck, he brought his sword back catching another group across the chest. He stumbled backwards and growled at the pain that was still in his leg, he glanced at it quickly to see the dagger was embedded deep. He looked back only to see a blade coming at him, he raised his blade up barely blocking the blade and it caused him to fall over and for his sword to fly from his grip. He looked up to see a Captain ready to finish him off but then an Lawbringer rushed by and stabbed the Captain through the gut and running him back into the men. He sat up to see a Conqueror rushed by and raised his shield up to block a grunts blade before he crush the man's skull with his flail. He noticed their colors were black and orange, also the insignia on their standard was a face, one side was a skull the other side was a helmet with a sword separating it.
"Blackstones…" The Grey Warden whispered as he looked behind him to see their leader leading a group of captains and grunts. "Apollyon…."
The captain and grunts rush past him joining their commanders in the melee. He watched as Apollyon grabbed his Longsword before staring down at him. Apollyon didn't expect the skilled warrior to be young, he looked to be in his late twenties and she found him to be quite the handsome specimen, the large cross scar only added to it. She stabbed his Longsword into the ground before she charged into the fray causing some of the Conqueror's men fleeing from the battlefield.
"Damnit!!! Pull back men!!!" The Conqueror turned back to find most of his men dead or subdued on the ground.
He turned back to run only to find a dagger pointed at his throat, Mercy chuckled as she forced the man backwards towards the group as they began to surround him.
"Damn you Blackstones!!!" The conqueror yelled as he was forced to his knees in front of the Commanders and Apollyon as she cut down a Captain.
"Well well… I know that voice…" Apollyon said with a smirk as she reached down and removed his helmet. To reveal a middle age man with no hair and a lot of stress wrinkles on his face. "Sir Dolan… don't you serve Baron Dumont the lord of Sunhall?"
"No, I left his service a fortnight ago. I was tired of his bullshit."
"That is not what my Peacekeepers tell me… anyways submit to me." Apollyon stated as she pointed her blade at his neck.
"Never you whore!" Sir Dolan growled.
Apollyon chuckled as she pulled the blade back.
"Stop!!!"
Everyone looked at the Grey Warden as he forced himself to stand with the help of his Longsword. He limped forward until he was right beside Apollyon, his black hair flowing in the wind as he stared at her. "Sir Dolan is mine…allow me this please."
"What do I get in return, Warden?" Apollyon questioned with her blade still ready to strike.
"My loyalty and my sword arm." He responded as Apollyon smiled underneath her helm.
She nodded her head as she stepped aside expecting him to plunge his blade into the man but she was surprised by what the Warden did. By moving behind the man and cutting his bindings, he backed away as Dolan got up.
"Give him his weapons."
"Do you have a death sentence boy?" Holden asked as he held the shield and flail.
"No but I do have honor… there is no use in killing unarmed opponent."
Holden's eyes narrowed before he dropped the flail and shield near Dolan. The rogue knight grabbed his armaments and turned to face the Warden. He was shaking his head as he got into a fighting stance. "You are a fool not to kill me while you had a chance…"
The Warden chuckled as he spun his blade in his grip. "I will still kill you but I thought you'd like some dignity first."
Dolan growled before he rushed forward but the Warden feinted to the right and slashed the man across the back. Dolan growled as he spun around and swung his weapon, the Warden ducked but his wounded leg gave out forcing him to his knees and causing his blade to slide off of Dolan's shoulder plate. Dolan saw the opening and tried to bash him with his shield but the Warden rolled to his right side before getting up with a hiss of pain as he placed his right leg down. Dolan chuckled as he rushed forward but stopped midway and swung his flail, the Warden blocked the flail before he rushed forward and slammed his blade into his shield. Dolan staggered backwards from the blow and the Warden gritted his teeth before slamming his shoulder into the shield causing the rogue knight to fall onto his back. Then the Warden plunged his Longsword into Dolan's chest, he let out a gasp before he started coughing up blood.
"May you cross over in peace…" The warden said as he twisted his blade ending the rogue knights suffering.
He pulled his blade free from the corpse as he heard clapping, he turned around to find Apollyon doing it. "Well struck, Grey Warden… now your end of the bargain."
The Warden knelt down slowly and hissed when he put pressure on his wounded leg but he soldiered through it. He stabbed his blade in the ground before he rested his head against the pummel. "I, Alm of House Stark, pledge my life to you… Apollyon. I will serve till you find no use of me or death takes me from your side."
Apollyon smiled under her helm as she brought her Longsword to his right shoulder before she brought it over to the left. "Rise a knight of the Blackstone Legion. Rise my wolf."
Alm pushed against his Longsword to help him stand, he could feel the rush of battle leaving his veins but he forced himself to stand only for him to stagger forward. Apollyon caught him and steady him against her. He looked at her as he leaned against her. "Forgive me Master… I believe I need an apothecary…"
Apollyon chuckled. "Don't worry, I got you Blackstone…"
Alm's eyes drooped before he let out a shaky breath and darkness consumed him.