My gratitude, My death

“She has fallen. Your sacrifices have been offered. Portsmouth kingdom’s slumped at last. The winds of the south, the north, and the east have all complied. The time has come when the so-called great Portsmouth kingdom will bow down and beg for mercy.” The sorcerer smiled and looked at his two mates. He was standing in their midst, and all were in patched and dusty black clothes. The sorcerers were old men. Their cheeks were sunken, having grey hair. They were in a dark cave and there was a sound of dripping water. A lamp was between the old men and the Five Kings. The sorcerer continued. “The days of her glory will soon become a tale, and her historical pillars will be no more. They will awaken in hell, and all eyes must behold it. Portsmouth will be done away with. You will look at where they were, and they will be no more. And you will possess their lands and find exquisite delight in the abundance of their wealth.” The five kings widened their lips with a smile and the blinking of their eyes couldn't hide their joy. This had been their desire. “When will these things be, my lords?” King Benedict asked. He was in front of the other kings. As he was speaking, he heard some cracks. And he threw his face into the dark walls of the cave and faced the conjurers again, who was stirring at the faces of the kings. His lips wobbled and fingers fidgeted. “What signs must we see before we align our men against them in battle?” King Benedict added. “Certainly,” the sorcerer who spoke first answered him. “The authority of Portsmouth will be given to a female for a very short time. And when that happens, get ready to attack. But…” He waited and closed his eyes. “Before the attack,” he said, opening his eyes, “and she must die.” “Who is she?” King Jeffrey asked with hands opened, and King Benedict, who stood a foot ahead of them, nodded. This made the sorcerers laugh and raise their mouths upward. Their mockery gestures cracked the roof of the cave, and particles of stone fell. Though the kings seemed frightened, they moved backward. The sorcerer standing at the left invoked a white flame with his hands. This caught the attention of the Five Kings. A royal princess appeared. She was wearing a white gown. In her right hand, a white staff, to rule and she disappeared. “She stands between you and your glory. She will be a figure of honor.” This made all the kings wonder. “Our breath longing for glory. Our hearts, impregnated with revenge. Old ones; there is nothing sweeter than the downfall of Portsmouth.” Said King Benedict. “Sooner,” The sorcerer at the right hit his old staff on the ground and continued. “A Princess will be born in the household of King Eric. Her birth is your quest. You must be careful and vigilant. When you hear the sound of jubilation in Portsmouth. With the Princess at the forefront of the celebration. Every town and city rushing out, eager to see the Princess. Know that your victory is close at hand. Her pleasure and doom walk side by side, because of her grandfather's sins.” The sorcerer at the right brought out a basket made of fabrics. Within it were some red apple fruits, and he gave it to the kings and said. "You must keep these apples and give one to the Princess to eat." "Wise ones, the king of Portsmouth has no daughter. How will this saying of yours come to pass?" King Benedict turned to the other Kings at his back and they nodded in agreement. The three sorcerers laughed sarcastically. "Sooner, a princess will be born. You must deliver one of these fruit to her. Only then that Portsmouth will fall. The kings removed their golden crowns and bent their heads a little before the sorcerers. King Simeon, the eldest of all the King said. “You have been so useful to us. The Kingdom of Portsmouth knows not what they are losing. On the day of our victory, we will declare you free among men. Side by side, we will allow you to live with us.” The sorcerers were so touched by his words. The one standing in their middle said. "Compile all the activities the land of Portsmouth has done to you in writing. It will serve as evidence. For the sins of the father will be brought upon the son. You may go in peace." The five kings turned and left the cave. And sorcerers did a peal of joyous laughter as a farewell. On their way out of the cave, they said to one another. "He took my mother as his wife." King Benedict touched his chest. "The Queen. My father's wife. So cruel. When Portsmouth falls, I will dig out the wicked bones of King Oakley. And give them to dogs to eat. "He beheaded my eldest brother before our eyes. I saw him struggling. Portsmouth can never go unpunished." Said King Simeon. "Our children, youth, men, and women all saw hell in the hands of King Oakley." King Robert tapped king Benedict on his back and said. "Please, don't let me remember the agony of my childhood. Please, very soon, we will recall our victory. What about me? Our entire royal family was put into s*****y. Our servants became our commanders." King Oakley of Portsmouth was a wicked king. He conquered the five neighboring kingdoms around Portsmouth. Forced them into s*****y for years. The people were used to build houses, roads, and all forms of farm work. Portsmouth became so beautiful at the hands of s*****y. King Oakley expanded his kingdom by invading his neighboring lands by his military force. The five kingdoms were unhappy, thus allied themselves to destroy Portsmouth. King Oakley, had been a brutal king and heard about their plans. He pretended to repent of the wrongs he had done to the people of the five kingdoms. So he vowed to compensate every household and enlisted their names. He summoned all the strong and skilled men at the bank of river Hampshire. This river was in the northern part of Portsmouth. King Oakley sent his army after them. The soldiers ambushed and killed almost all of the men, and their bodies were thrown into the river. He divided the five kingdoms into states and appointed loyalists to govern them. None of his adversaries dared to challenge her. He purged the land and drove away all the surviving sorcerers and their children. They all found refuge in some of the neighboring lands. When king Oakley passed away, his son Eric, became king. He started his ruler-ship at a time when everything was peaceful. All worries and struggles were no more. His major duty was to maintain the peace that was now reigning in the kingdom. Unknown to him, the kingdom's downfall was drawing near. A kingdom built with mightiness and cruelty was about to fall. King Eric was a ceremonial king, unlike his father. Every summer, he would call prominent men and women, friends. All from the corners of Portsmouth to mark his anniversary. On his second anniversary, the only Princess was born. This happened a year after those sorcerers in the cave had prophesied. Amid King Eric's anniversary, the Princess was born. King Eric placed her on his palm, raised her before the crowd, and named her Princess Stephanie. He smiled and moved her gently, to and fro on his palm, and staggered. He was joyful and reasonably drunk. His legs and feet were under his control, but his lips and tongue were out of his reach. The crowd watched, waiting for him to pronounce his gift and a blessing upon her as his custom. “On the seventeenth anniversary of Princess Stephanie, she will... rule... this... kingdom for seven days. She will tour the entire land and whatever she says, will be a law.” The crowd stood up, freezing with cold. The noisy hall was silent. The king took his staff and hit the floor, showing his approval. They wonder. What would become of the little Princess who had been given so much power at a tender age? Their hands were stiff to clap. They looked at one another and threw their faces back to the king. And the sound of the royal bands ran into the noiseless crowd. King Eric's words were documented in the royal book called the Chronicles. She became the third born. Prince Michael the firstborn and Prince Johnson the second born. The five kingdoms surrounding Portsmouth were; Southampton ruled by King Benedict. Petersfield by King Robert, Andover by King Simeon. Eastleign by King Jeffrey and Lymington led by King Daley. These kings got in contact with the sorcerers through one of King Benedict’s servants. The wine bearer. He escaped the King’s death sentence for spying on the king’s wife through the mouth of the door. He ran out of the castle and took refuge in a distant land. Then he found the cave of those sorcerers and thought no one dwells there. At night, he woke up and sat down after hearing some voice, and by then, the three sorcerers have surrendered him. “You, a property of death. What have you come to do here?” Said the one in the middle. Each of the two other sorcerers was holding a giant fork and the one at the middle was having a knife with a spiral tip. The three sorcerers were alike. All wore oversized black cloth which covered their necks to their feet. The one who seemed taller was holding a burning stick in his left hand and they smiled at the wine-bearer. Their sockets have hidden their dead-red eyes. On their heads, no hair and wrinkles all over their weakened faces. Their sight frightened him. He tried to look into their eyes. The sorcerer at the left widened his eyes at him. And the wine-bearer saw red flames and fell flat to the ground and fainted. The sorcerer in the middle threw a spell on him by opening his right hand on his chest and they left him. The next day, the wine-bearer stood up and went back to the castle of his king. At the gate, guards held him in chains and brought him before the king. King Benedict was furious and before the king could say a word, he spoke with great authority. “My lord! My eyes have seen the very ones you have been longing for.”