The Hellknight's Savior

Chapter One: The Journey Begins

Talia had travelled for a week with little to no rest and now that night was coming once more she could feel the exhaustion setting in. Her yawn was stopped short by her horse Shadow coming to an abrupt stop. Before her on the path stood three elves.

“The King would like to talk to you,” the elf in the middle said. They all had long blonde hair, but this one had black. His hair looked like the night sky when darkest and his eyes were such a startling gray that Talia felt like she could get lost in his eyes.

The elf smiled coyly, apparently relishing the attention. “They have that effect on people.” He added suggestively, “ You should see them up close.”

Talia blushed but didn’t avert her gaze, her voice steady as she asked, “May I ask why the King wants to see me? And would it be polite to decline? I have a pressing matter to attend to and I must be on my way.”

The dark-haired elf frowned before saying, “I do not think it would be wise to decline.” The elf hesitated for a minute before speaking again. “I believe it has something to do with your task, but I’m not sure.”

Talia looked at the elf questioningly. Her voice full of suspicion, she asked, “And how would the King know of my task, might I ask?”

“The King knows many things. It’s not in my power to tell you how he learns his information.” The elf smiled playfully at her. “And I can’t tell you because I haven’t a clue either.”

One of the elves standing next to the dark haired one became impatient and sighed. “Can we please get going?”, she asked sounding bored. “I have better things to do besides wait for mortals to walk by on the road.”

The dark-haired one turned to the female who had spoken and said, “Do you now? Should I repeat what you just said to the King, Alondra?”

“You wouldn’t dare,” she said, glaring at him. “You know I have so much dirt on you that I could get you banished from the city.” She paused to let that sink in. “Do I need remind you of that time you snuck out for weeks to sing to a maiden who never returned your adorations, Grolden?”

Grolden’s eyes widened with fear. “You wouldn’t! I was only teasing and you know that!”

Alondra smiled smugly, knowing she had won this small battle. “You never know. I just might, if you don’t quit falling in love with mortals.”

They fight like brother and sister, Talia thought. They’re worse than me and my brothers.

“We are brother and sister,” Alondra informed her.

Talia was startled. She had heard elves could read thoughts but had never experienced it herself before now.

The elves led Talia to a hidden path. They walked along in silence with Talia thinking about her task, the siblings talking amongst themselves quietly and the third elf following in silence. After a few minutes, Talia was knocked off of her horse and landed on the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her. The third elf, who hadn’t said a word the whole time, came running at her with a large tree branch. He had a look of pure hatred on his face.

Talia rolled to her feet just in time to avoid being smashed by the branch, as the angry elf swung it downwards. She drew a small dagger from her boot and planted her feet on the ground firmly.

He advanced again, this time with more speed. He managed to knock Talia down and struck her with the branch, jarring the dagger from her hand at the same time. The branch hit her on the side of the head, where a small gash, started to bleed. Managing to keep the darkness threatening to overtake her at bay, she kicked the elf’s legs out from under him. As they both scrambled to their feet, she snatched her dagger from the ground and waited for the elf to come at her again.

This time she was ready. She dodged the branch easily and caught the elf’s arm in one hand. She stepped behind the elf, bringing his arm up painfully behind his back, causing him to drop the tree branch he had been holding.

She put the sharp edge of her dagger against his neck and asked, “Who are you?”

The elf just spit in response. Talia pressed the blade harder on his throat, creating a thin line of blood. “Tell me or I will cut your throat,” she hissed at him.

“Go ahead,” he snarled at her.

Grolden seized her wrist before she could slit the elf’s throat. “I do not think that is necessary,” he said.

“He tried to kill me!”, Talia said outraged. “Are you suggesting we set him free to try again?”

Alondra came up beside her and for a moment, Talia wondered if all of the elves were trying to kill her. “No. He was going to suggest that we bind him and take him to the King for questioning,” Alondra said calmly.

Talia reluctantly let go of the elf, who at once tried to escape. Talia was on him in a heartbeat, knocking him down. She smashed his face into the ground. “Try anything again and I will kill you. Even if it evokes the wrath of the elven King,” she whispered in his ear.

The elf became motionless and remained so as Grolden bound his hands together. “He will walk between me and my sister,” Grolden said gravely. “Our apologies for allowing this to happen.”

“I shouldn’t have let it happen either. My training is better than that,” Talia said angrily, sheathing the dagger in her boot once more.

“Where did you learned to fight like that?”, Alondra asked.

“I’ve been training to fight since I was three,” Talia said, climbing atop Shadow again. “By some of the best fighters there are.”

“Aren’t girls supposed to learn to read and write and all that other boring stuff?” Grolden asked, curiously.

“Grolden!”, Alondra scolded. “Manners.”

“What?” he asked with indignation. “I just wanted to know. Human girls aren’t usually trained for fighting. I’m right Talia, aren’t I?”

Talia smiled at the two. She thought of her own brothers and grew quiet.

“See what you’ve done now,” Alondra reproached him. “You’ve upset her.”

“All I did was ask a question,” Grolden said, defending himself.

Alondra rolled her eyes. “And you wonder why you can’t get the fair maidens to fall for you.”

“Excuse me,” Talia quietly interrupted them, her face serious once more. “I would like to see what business the King has with me now. I need to be on my way.”

“My apologies. Not only for allowing this to happen but for my dimwit brother over here as well,” Alondra said, grabbing the rope holding the elf hostage.

Talia nodded her head and followed the elves again. They led her to a magnificent, ancient willow tree. Taller than twenty five-foot men and wider than an elephant, Talia could only stare in wonder at it. She had heard stories of some of the ancient trees, but never would have guessed the true magnificence of one. No wonder the elves fight to the death for the forest, she thought. I would too if I made my home in the forests.

“You will have to leave your horse here,” Grolden told her, as a door in the tree opened. “Animals are not allowed in the city,” he explained apologetically.

Talia stayed on her horse. “Then the King will have to come to me. Wherever I go, she goes.”

“Are you serious?”, Grolden asked, astounded. “You want us to bring the King to you? You have got to be joking.” Grolden looked at Alondra, as if to ask her what to do now.

“Well don’t look at me,” she retorted. “I don’t have a clue as to what to do now.”

“Let her die a slow and painful death and then burn her for eternity.” These words were spoken by the bound elf.

“You will keep quiet.” Talia got off her horse and walked over to the elf, her dagger in her hand, “or I will slit your throat,” she growled.

The elf just stared back at her with the same hatred he had shown earlier when attacking her. He spat at her feet and remained silent.

“That’s better,” she said.

“Talia, threats are not needed here. They haven’t been for centuries and I don’t intend for them to be needed now in my lifetime either,” said an elf with grey hair walking out of an opening in the tree. “Please, put your dagger away.”

Grolden and Alondra stood up straighter and then bowed. “Your Majesty,” they said in unison and bowed at the same time.

The King headed straight to Talia. “My dear, can I offer you a tour of my fine city, Freykonia?”

“I have to decline, Your Majesty,” she replied. “I will not leave my horse here.”

“Very well,” the King said, sitting down on the ground. Talia was astonished. Kings don’t sit on the ground and if they did, they had something underneath themselves. The King looked up at Talia. “Quit gaping child and sit down. We have to discuss something.”

Talia sat down next to the King, close enough so that no one would be able to hear their conversation. The less people who knew about her task, the better. She didn’t think she would have any problems with the people around her, except for maybe the troublesome elf, but as that elf had proved, you could never be sure.

The King, sensing what was troubling Talia, said, “Alondra, Grolden, could you please escort Bralec to the prisoner cells to keep him out of even more trouble?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they said in unison again, each taking Bralec by an arm and leading him through the door.

The door closed behind them without making a noise. With the door closed you couldn’t even tell where it had been in the trunk. Talia looked for something to tell her how to open the door and nearly missed it.

There was a spot of moss on the tree that shouldn’t have been there. Most people would have overlooked it, but someone who knew about plants, would know. Moss only grew on the side of the tree that received the least amount of sunlight. And this side of the tree faced a large clearing. She stored that information away. Just in case, she thought to herself. She turned to the King. “Your Majesty, what is it that you needed to tell me?”

The King was watching Talia in silence, contemplating on what and how to say what needed to be said. “I know what your task is,” he said finally. “I have had a dream that depicted two possible outcomes of your task. Both outcomes will affect everyone in these lands. One ended in good, the other bad.” He paused. Talia opened her mouth to speak, but the King raised his hand to stop her. “I can’t tell you how the outcomes ended. That would influence your choices and might affect the outcomes, changing them terribly. All I can tell you is, if you make the right choices, then your task will end unexpectedly.” The King stood up and so did Talia. “I do not expect you to stay the night here, but if you do, I will make sure you have guards to watch as you sleep.”

“I do not think that a hundred guards could keep away someone with the intent of killing me, Your Majesty,” Talia said, walking over to where her horse was grazing.

The King laughed and said, “True enough, but it wouldn’t hurt.”

Talia glanced at the King and was surprised at his transformation. When he laughed and smiled, he seemed years younger, his face seeming to lose the wrinkles old age had given him. “I guess it wouldn't hurt to stay one night,” she conceded after a moment. Talia grabbed Shadow’s reins and tied them to a branch. She took her traveling gear off of her horse and started to unpack.