Chapter I: Last Dance
Important before reading:-
- Italic: is for flash back's+...
- Bold: is for dreams.
Enjoy
"How great men rise for their great deeds, and how great men fall for their great deeds" Great Measter Cornolof son of Chyros of house Arrow
Efforos is an ancient land where kings and emperors have risen and fallen. However, across history, common people have done the impossible and were not mentioned in history, such as the tale of the non-knighted knights, the mercenaries who stood up for what was right and opposed what was wrong, and the father who taught his sons to do what was correct and raised them to be great men. men whose names are inscribed in the pages of history. This is the story of the family of swords.
It is well known that the first arrow, the man who changed the old world, wrote the first chapters of history and started with his appearance, which was 300 years ago. Whether the first arrow was shot by a god, an offspring of gods, or simply some human is up for debate, but it is clear that they were the most influential and wealthy people in the land at the time.
The reign of King Errowmand of House Arrow, father of Alexander III, was the worst that the house of Arrows had ever seen because Errowmand was not an arrow and his wife was stronger, better, and brighter than he was. Maids used to make fun of him, and there was a rumor that he used to sleep with men. One day Alexander came to his father's chamber at night; he had hidden a dagger in his arm and was planning on murdering his own father and taking the throne by force.
"Father, Iris had another boy," said Alexander.
"Oh, what great news you brought," replied Errowmand. "What have you named him?"
"Niles," said Alexander.
"Oh, would he be the fifth now?" replied Errowmand. "A name filled with greatness."
"Yes, the man who stopped Mekiah for years, until you came and destroyed everything," said Alexander.
"What?" Errowmand was confused.
"You came after your father and destroyed everything our blood has built," said Alexander. "It's a disgrace to our family and our pride."
"Go to your son, celebrate him; I'm giving you a chance; don't be a traitor like your brother," Errowmand replied.
"Do not speak of him; shame on you, your eldest male; you banished him; you shat on our family name and honor; YOU ARE NO TRUE KING!" and Alexander stabbed his father. As his father took his last breath, he said, "Be better than me, boy; you will be great."
Alexander was crowned that same night, and he butchered all the men who stood loyal to Errowmand. In his coronation speech, he gave a promise to the people: "I will clean up my father's wrongdoing; I will restore this city to its old glory." That day was celebrated as his first victory, but it was not enough for Alexander.
Alexander started by defeating the most powerful house in the land at that time, Mekiah, and that was only the start. He beat them in only three battles, the greatest being on the moon mountains. Alexander battled a hundred thousand on top of mountains and in caves. He lost many, but the victory was worth it. After the last battle, where he marched into the city and killed King Sova first and divided his sons into eight warlords and sent them back to the past, they are now fighting a long civil war.
The conflict was still going on because Alexander wanted more. He seized territory in the north and grew wildly, earning the nicknames "blood seeker," "destroyer of the moon men," "the great arrow," and "the burning arrow."
Fear of him spreading westward from the other houses spread, and the first victim was the roses. This narrative is not about Alexander; rather, it is about a farmer who lives eight miles from the city of the lions. It was the year 315 A.D. when Aziz was recruited to work for House Lion.
He was an old man at the time, but he didn't look it; he was tall and muscular; he had two sons; he lived on a farm just outside Lion City; he had honey-colored eyes and black hair; and he was covered in scars. He and his two sons were escorted by guards to the castle.
They left; the sons rarely go to the city. They learned to read, farm, and fight from their father. Al-Ali was visiting for the first time; he had never seen so many people gathered in one location. The buildings were large, and the shops were crowded. Al-Ali was not accustomed to seeing women, much less a princess, so when they arrived at the castle, his father told them to stay by the fountain. That is when princess Shurafa, daughter of Queen Adila, saw them; she stepped over and asked, "Who are you?"
Hamad bowed, but Ali was in another world; he was blown away by her beauty. Hamad had to wake him; he said, "She is a princess; bow, idiot."
"Forgive me, princess," Al-Ali said as he bowed.
Shurafa remarked, "Rise; you still haven't answered the question."
Hamad retorted, "We came with our father."
"Where is he?" she questioned.
Hamad remarked, "I believe he is with the king."
She inquired, "Who is he?"
"A farmer," Al-Ali retorted.
"What is a farmer doing in this place?" she asked her lady-in-waiting. Her eyes were wide open when she realized who they were.
"Excuse my manners; we treated you terribly; please follow me," she said. The brothers did so and entered a room that was filled with food of various kinds, drinks, and a juggler. The brothers had been left alone in the room for a while. They ate and drank, and they laughed at the juggler, until a guard entered and said, "Kindly follow me."
"Why?" asked Hamad.
"Your father is expecting you," the knight responded.
"Do you have a dagger?" Hamad whispered to Ali.
"Yes, you?" Al-Ali responded,
"No, I forgot mine," Hamad replied, and they followed the knight to the twins, Queen and King, Adila and Adil; they were talking to Aziz about Alexander, and they were gathered around a painted table, a large table with the Efforos map on it.
"We have spies in the east; they told us of Alexander's next step," said Adila.
"Which is it?" Aziz questioned.
"We are next," Adila said. "The roses fell quickly, and Alexander had just awarded his eldest son Belen the command of fifty thousand soldiers." "They have Erik and Ulf from Elivia coming to us by sea with their famous fleet."
"And you want me to stop them?" asked Aziz.
"We will pay you—gold castles, a wife, whatever—just stop Belen," Adil replied.
"Why me?" asked Aziz.
"Your reputation," Adil replied.
"What of it?" asked Aziz.
"You've fought for the good for a long time; you've protected our father; you're brave and smart," Adil responded.
"The best mercenary, knight of the land, and swordsman men have ever seen is the one who beats and never beats," Adila declared.
"Those are your sons?" asked Adila.
"They are," replied Aziz.
"Think about them, look at them; if Belen reaches Ameer Lake, we have no way of defending it, and you are needed," said Adil.
"I will go," Aziz replied, and they all shook hands. Hamad and Ali looked at each other, wondering, "Are we going too?"
They went to their farm, and Aziz pulled a box from under his bed. Al-Ali noticed and saw his father stressed and whispering. "What is he whispering about?" wondered Al-Ali.
"Forgive me, Lord, I have broken my promise to you, but this is my countrymen who have called upon me," Aziz said as he opened a chest. When it was fully opened, Al-Ali saw a sword with some letters written on it; it was glowing purple, and it was a design he had never seen before. Aziz was about to pull it out when he stopped and said, "Boys, you will not touch this sword; you will not sleep near it; you will not try to read this language; just stay away."
"Yes, father," Hamad replied.
"This is Dark Souls, the only one of its kind; these letters are the old language of the moon men; made of Diavalos stone and dark magic. It was a gift I received when I was your age," Aziz said as he placed his hand on the sword.
"What are we going to get?" Al-Ali inquired.
"Your daggers are appropriate," Aziz replied; he laughed at Al-Ali's expression; he saw that chest had three other swords; he wanted one; they left on horses granted by Adila and Adil; Aziz did not want to waste time; he did not like postponing things; by the first night they were near Ameer Lake, they bought a rabbet and took some wood;
"I only brought you here to show you the darkness of this world; evil is within each of you; what I taught you back home should be enough for you to control it," said Aziz.
"Why is there this darkness in a person?"
"A good person must carry that darkness; he is only good because he was able to control it and keep it on a leash."
"So it is natural to kill?"
"It is natural to think so; it is natural to carry such danger in you; the key is to keep it in you and only unleash it when needed."
"How?"
"It is different from one to another."
"How did you leash it?"
"Someone did it for me; I was a bad man; like you and reckless, I killed for gold and food; one day, after killing someone, I was just coming south of the moon mountains; at the time, that route connecting the gods' woods to the mountains was very dangerous; I saw a group of men, armed men surrounding a mercenary; he had a little girl with him...
"Give us what you got, old man!"
"Please, I require this; it is all I have for my small daughter."
"What?" "Do not interfere; just walk by," Aziz thought to himself.
"Hey you!" said one of the men. "You!" "Are you def?"
"No"
"Well, I am speaking with you; don't walk away or I will kill you."
"You cant"
"Oh, let us see," the man said, cutting the mercenary's throat; the little girl screamed for her father, and something in Aziz's heart turned; he turned and pulled his sword; he does not remember what he did. "The sword does the fighting; the souls in it kill, not the person holding it."
He looked around after killing the last man and saw the girl crying in silence under her father's carriage. She was afraid of him, so he reached out his hand to her, but she saw the blood on it and was only frightened by it. "I don't hurt children; come," said Aziz. She was hissing, but she got out.
"Do you have a mother?" uncle? Someone?" asked Aziz; she shook her head as in "no," and Aziz did not have a choice but to send her to the great church in Nordinea town, so he went and walked while she had enough to cry, and at some point Aziz had enough. "Stop it! It won't change anything, and do you think crying will bring him to you? No! "Youth is no longer alive; now stop making noise!" He knew she was tired and hungry, so he built a fire and looked around for food, but all he found was a wild hen with her chicks, and the little girl saw him kill the mother in front of her children like it was nothing.
"Why?" she mumbled.
"What?"
"Why are you so evil?"
"Look around you; this is the only moment of peace, but when people are never peaceful, all hell breaks out."
"Not all people are bad."
"All"
"No, my father was not."
"He was weak; he was bad."
"My father was brave."
"Where is he now?" Aziz asked her, but she only cried, "Did your father teach you to pray?"
"Yes," she said in a low, weak voice.
"Don't pray for this life to be good; pray for that afterlife to be better."
"Do you pray?"
"I do"
"What do you ask from God?"
"I ask for the dead to return all the living humans who died," he replied. She did not respond. They sat silent that night. She fell asleep first; Aziz rarely slept. At night, howling wolves and barking dogs were all around. She forgot who he was and slept near his legs. No one ever came that close to him. He did not know what to do when suddenly he felt something under his eye. "Am I crying?" he wondered, but another fell on his head, "No, just rain."
It did not rain heavily; only a few drops fell.
The next morning, they kept going, and in the middle of the way, she said something to Aziz. "Thank you," she mumbled.
"What?"
"Thank you for saving me. I don't know where you are taking me, but thank you," she said. He did not respond; he only wondered in his head, "What is this test?" Where is the lesson?
Near midday, they weren't far from the Red City, and when that little girl saw the banners of the house in red, she asked, "What are those?"
"Banners"
"Why are they there?"
"So others know who rules the city."
"Flowers rule this city."
"No, the red rose represents a family."
"I love it," she said. He saw her glowing eyes and realized he did not know her name. "What is your name?" he asked.
"My name-" She stopped for a second; she did not speak or move; she fell, and that is when Aziz saw her, and an arrow went through her. He was confused; he did not know what to do. He couldn't think; he'd never seen a dead child, at least not one he cared for, and grief, anger, and every other emotion washed over him. He drew his sword and looked around; he saw men, many men, far away, with crossbows and swords; he ran at them and they ran at him; swords clashed and most died; Al-Ali, for once, cared about something; he had something to look at.
"When he was finished, he looked around—the corpse, the blood, he got a couple scars, and then his eyes fell on that nameless little girl, who died for his sins; she died because he interfered; now he fell to his knees, and he cried for the first time...When Aziz finished the story, Al-Ali and Hamad were sleeping, and he realized they couldn't learn from him; they must learn it and go through it alone. That is how he learned; that is how you learn.
The next morning, they went on to fish town, and there they found Belen's camp, with tents as far as the eye could see, many horses, and many campfires. The smoke could be seen from a distance. It was Al-Ali and Hamad's first time in a camp.
But Aziz remained silent, calm, and ready, with no smile or reaction on his face, as if he were dead. In the center of the camp, where the great tent was set and Belen and other men were standing in front of it, Aziz screamed, "Pull your sword, pup."
Belen took notice, stepped out, and the generals and adviser with him asked, "What do you want?"Belen asked
"I am Aziz, the God's Fury. I have been sent by him to stop you. I offer you to run your army back to where it belongs or fight me until one surrenders," Aziz responded, as men gathered around them.
"Anyone could claim to be Aziz." "What evidence do you have?" Belen said, and Aziz did nothing but pull out a sword and point it at Belen. The adviser, Kastil, pushed Belen away and said, "He is using it right now."
"What is it?" Belen inquired.
"The dark souls sword, a magical sword made by the moon men," Kastil replied.
"Summon Anaxios." Belen whispered to his generals, who went to find him in the army, while Belen walked down to Aziz and said, "I heard your offer; hear mine."
"Speak," Aziz replied.
"You're an honorable man, so you know I won't be able to defeat you with your great sword," Belen explained.
"I will only fight Dark Souls," Aziz replied.
"Then I'm not going to fight you," Belen said as he turned around.
"Make someone fight for you, because I'm not leaving until I complete my duty," Aziz declared.
"Then I summon Anaxios to fight on my behalf," Belen said loudly, and Anaxios emerged from the crowd. Al-Ali worried for his father, the man taller and larger than him. But all Aziz did was laugh and say, "How are you doing, old friend?"
Anaxios, on the other hand, did not respond, instead exhaling deeply like an ox and drawing his swords, one of which is made of pure steel and the other of obsidian stone from the Diavolos volcanic islands.
"Shall we begin?" asked Aziz, and Anaxios ran at him roaring like a lion. Anaxios and Aziz were trained in the old house of sands, and before the civil war of that house started, they served as royal guards. The sands were known to have the strongest knights, and these two were professors of that.
Every time the swords clashed, a spark of fire and a great sound reached every region in Efforos. Anaxios's swords were no match for Dark Souls; one of Anaxios's swords, the one made of pure steel, broke easily while the other did not for a while. Aziz did not want to kill, so he cut off Anaxios's hand, the one that held the sword.
"I won"
"He did not yield."
"He can't fight."
"Not with a sword."
"Listen, Belen, the man lost his way."
"Father, watch out!" Hamad screamed as Anaxios attacked with his hand; Aziz took the blow like it was nothing; he returned the Dark Sword to its sheath and fought with his hands; even with one, Anaxios fought; for hours, it seemed as if the fight would never end, until Aziz punched one great punch that squished Anaxios' head into pieces of bone and meat.
"I heard of you tails, my prince, that you were also honorable; I won and your man lost; now it is your turn to honor the agreement and turn your armies around," Aziz said as he stood up, covered in blood.
"I will, but I have another offer: fight for me; after all, you brutally murdered my best man," Belen said.
"No, I fight for no one," Aziz stated.
"But you fought me for the twins," Belen responded.
"For my people, my countrymen, and my children," Aziz declared.
"You shall have what you want; leave my camp immediately," Belen said, and Aziz took his boys and left. They did not travel far, stopping near the wet lands and sleeping for the night. When they awoke, they saw an army marching toward Ameer Lake, a sea of Arrow banners, and many men behind one.
"Hamad, get up. Take your brother, and go to the twins," Aziz instructed. "I will hold Belen off. Stop in Ameer town first. Warn them."
"Yes, father," said Hamad.
"But I want to fight with you," Al-Ali said.
"No, you fight when they get to the city; take care of each other; remember everything I taught you; honor my name if I don't return; do the right and fight the wrong; go!" Aziz said
And they parted ways; Aziz stood with his sword in the middle of the road, and Belen saw him, saying, "Send some men to kill this idiot."
"Yes, my prince," replied Kastil. "You five go kill the man."
"Lord Almighty, stand with this battle; I have no power to hold them back, but for what good I may do, help me stop them." Aziz murmured as he drew his sword, and five heavy knights charged at him, but five wouldn't help; Aziz is much stronger; he fought them off, and only one returned.
"Come pup, your men won't do me any harm," said Aziz, but Belen did not attack with men; he rained on him with arrows; he used their dead men as a shield. "Come pup, you and I, be a f**king man and fight."
"Get the heavy cavalierly to kill him, and send 100."
"My prince-"
"Do as I say," Belen, angry and frustrated, said. The men were hesitant; they knew that Aziz was more powerful, but they endured Belen's fury and did what he ordered. Not long after screams, the men screamed for god and their mothers. As Aziz appeared, bodies were stacked as Belen kept sending men; nearly a thousand died until a little force came from Aziz's side. Al-Saied, the chief of Ameer town, came with some men, not more than a hundred,
The road was a pond of blood and stacked bodies. Belen was ordering his men to attack, but they were afraid. Al-Saied stood by Aziz's side and asked, "What is this?"
"This is where they die and where we rise," said Aziz, and they rushed into Belen's forces, clashed, and died bravely. It is said that Belen was the one who killed Aziz, but a nobleman from the red rose castle killed him.
Both Ser Grant and Aziz locked eyes. Grant was tall and muscular; at some point he was named the best swordsman in the east. They battled and fought well. Grant used a trick on Aziz. He pulled his red dagger out, and Aziz pushed it away. Now that Grant had Aziz's eyes away, he placed his sword in Aziz's nick and left him to bleed to death.
Aziz died smiling, laughing at how others had done the same to them in the past, and now someone had done it to him, and he thought to himself, "At least I've done something to that bastard prince."