Hornguard 1d

    “Good, they don’t know what happened. Your apprentice has pleased me. He should work out well. I want him trained to perfection. See to it personally. If that means selecting the best of my staff to train him, do it.” The Overlord leaned back in his throne and put the crystal ball in a pocket.
   “Yes, my lord.” Was all the High Mage said in response as he mumbled some other words and disappeared from the room.
* * * * * * * *
   “It’s got to be here.”
   “Talking to yourself again, Chancellor?” The Chancellor looked up startled as the young king walked into the library.
   “You have a nasty habit of scaring people.”
   “I do, do I? Well, maybe I should use it more often.” The King responded with a wink. “What are you looking for?”
   “Information on our adjacent kingdom.”
   “You won’t find good documentation in here. Remember that my ancestors didn’t like that kingdom very well.”
   “Yes, yes, I know that, I taught that to you, but there’s got to be something in here, somewhere…” The wolf goes back to searching.
   “How is your apprentice doing?” the Jaguar asked as he leaned on the wall of the room.
   “He looks like he is holding up.” The Chancellor responded without really looking up from the search. “The other kids try to bully him because he doesn’t have ‘their kind of money.’ The Duke of Northing’s brat is the worst; however, Joel defends himself well. Not to mention that the other boys don’t know that both Joel and Tom have those daggers.”
   “Which I hope they don’t use.”
   “I have certain protections on those items. If one of them should be used, I will be able to tell where, and go there to stop whatever nonsense is going on.” He then added, “I , also, hope that they don’t get used.”
   “When do you start training him?”
   “As soon as he is proficient in most weapons.”
   “Have you found anymore information on those deaths?”
   The Chancellor looked up from his search as he responded. “None. You were aware; however, that we were being watched this morning.”
   “Yes, I felt it too.” The king then cocked his head. “The Overlord?”
   “Yes. I guess he has his crystal ball back. I will put up protections.”
   “Good.” The King walked out, and the Chancellor started reading through the book he had found.
* * * * * * * *
   The recruits trained hard in the first year as they knew that challenges were set on the first day of summer the following year. When that day arrived, all of the young men flocked around the board where their names were posted with who they would fight in the challenges. The challenges were an old custom that no one remembered who started, but were something that everyone looked forward to. The men in training would fight each other, and the prize was recognition of superior fighting skill. If one man won all in his age bracket or heat, he moved up to the winner of the next heat. This way, the overall winner was decided. Joel was feeling pretty good about himself, as he had excelled at the sword play that James was teaching.
   As the youngest, Joel and his training-mates were first, with Kyliy’s men running the first heat. A young man by the name of Charles won that heat. He was a fair man at the sword, Joel decided. Lemsot’s men were next with Bradley winning that contest.
   “He’s the one to watch.” Tom whispered to Joel.
   Finally, it was James’ group of men who would take up the challenges. Joel was near the end of the first set. The young dog moved over to the waiting area and tested the wooden swords that were there. The challenges used blunted, wooden swords as they didn’t want anyone to die. This was not to say that all the men wouldn’t come back with big bruises where the swords hit them. Joel found one that was about as heavy as the training sword that he normally used. He then moved over and stood in the ‘ready’ area. Finally, as Joel was about to explode with anxiety, his time came. Joel was fighting a slightly older panther named Wintslor. They moved around the 20 foot circle looking for an easy opening, which neither found. They stopped circling and looked at each other. Wintslor came at Joel with a slicing roundhouse attack that Joel parried, ducked underneath and swung back. The feline had turned by the time and barely blocked the attack. The attacks and parries continued until finally Wintslor made the mistake of over-estimating his reach and Joel moved in, ending the contest.
   The next match was against the winner of the earlier match. This one ended quickly, as the other man didn’t watch where he was going and tripped. The final match that Joel was in was against the Duke of Northing’s kid. During the first couple of minutes both contestants saw that it would probably be a long fight. The Duke’s kid, however, decided to try an old, dirty trick; he threw sand into Joel’s face. Joel turned his head, but not quickly enough. Joel closed the one eye that had sand in it and tried to concentrate. The malamute rushed in to try an early win, but Joel did the only thing he could. He dropped to the ground. The Duke’s kid tripped and fell outside the circle. Joel won by default. That was the final battle for the new recruits ending not quite the way everyone expected though. Joel went to the well and washed the sand out.
   “I’ll get you next year, wait and see!” a voice yelled behind him. As Joel turned around, he got a fist in his face.
* * * * * * * *
   “You have got to find a wife. If you don’t, you know that that brother of yours will become king.” Chancellor Trig said as he pulled his head back inside the window.
   “You keep pointing out the obvious; however, the only one worthy of marriage is in the Cyelbastian Kingdom.” The King replied.
   “You could end the feud then, if you marry her. She isn’t bad looking and would make a great queen. You would not lose by marrying her.”
   “I grow weary of this talk. To keep you quiet, though, I will write to her. I do know; however, that she won’t respond. Her brother doesn’t want the match.”
* * * * * * * *
   As the year went on, the recruits learned more and more about the weapons. The ones that really interested Joel were daggers and quarter-staffs. The rest of the men who didn’t fight in the summer challenges fought in the fall challenge. They had to split it up many years ago, due to the number of recruits that they had. In those contests, Tom came out the winner. In the last battle, Tom managed to turn a thrust aside, trip the opponent, and win.
   Also, as the year progressed, the news running around the castle was that the King of Cyelbastian was killed when he was fighting an army from the East. As to the letter that was send to Cycil, the new ruler of Cyelbastian and sister of the dead king. King Charles received a favorable response. The wedding was set to occur on the Fall harvest festival. All were invited to come to this festival.
* * * * * * * *
   “How could you kill the King of Cyelbastian?” The Overlord yelled. “That was not in the plan. That King was indirectly working for us, as he didn’t want a union between Cyelbastian and Rikor. Now King Charles is more powerful.” The cloaked figure turned slightly, “High Mage.”
   “No….” the rhino on the floor started pleading, “I won’t fail you again… please….”
   “You are right that you won’t fail me again.” The Overlord nodded to the High Mage who looked directly at the rhino.
   The High Mage then mumbled, “You who have failed will now die!” The man screamed as he withered away on the floor.
   “Remove his filthy body.” The overlord commanded. “Let this be a lesson to all who disobey me. We are going to have to alter our plans. See what you can do about disruptin the wedding festival.” He said to the High Mage.
   “I will do so, my Lord. I will also incorporate the help of my apprentice.” The High Mage answered.
* * * * * * * *
   The trumpets sounded brilliantly as the bride progressed down the long corridor of the hall. When she got to the dais, the trumpets stopped. “We are here to see the joining of these two people as well as the two lands they both rule over. If anyone has fault with this proceeding, let him speak now.” Chancellor Trig took a breath as he didn’t see anyone stand up to speak. “Then do you, King Charles Edward Riliken, the Third, King of Rikor and prince of lands of the West, take Queen Cycil Bastian, Queen of Cyelbastian and regent of the King of Marilont, to be your wife; To love and have forever; To jointly rule both lands; and to death do you part?”
   “I do.” The King answered strongly.
   “And do you, Queen Cycil Bastian, Queen of Cyelbastian and Regent of the King of Marilont, take King Charles Edward Riliken, the third; King of Rikor and Prince of the lands of the West for your husband; to love and have forever; to jointly rule both lands; and to death do you part.”
   “I do.” The Queen answered strongly, also.
   “Then…” Trig started.
   “Then the King shall die when his first son is 2 years old.” Shouted a voice from the back of the Hall. The people turned around and whispered to each other. The King looked shocked, and Trig looked outraged. There in the center of the carpeting was the High Mage’s apprentice. “Curse! I, Lord Barrix, here by curse you, King Charles Rikor, the third and you, Chancellor Trig Mestopanior, that you will both die when the newborn Prince is 2 years old.” The guards started to move in, but Lord Barrix said, “Home” and disappeared. Everyone started to look around and talk.
   The Chancellor looked at the King and Queen, then yelled, “QUIET!” As soon as the people were quiet, he continued. “Then I now pronounce you husband and wife, King and Queen.” He motioned for them to turn around and whispered into their ears. “We can’t let them know we are afraid, act as if nothing happened. This is the only way that we can save them from panicking.” The Chancellor then said out loud. “The new King and Queen of the lands of Rikor and Cyelbastian. Their offspring shall hold both lands from now until all time.” He punctuated the last word by slamming down his staff. The King and Queen went down the aisle of astonished faces and out the doors. Upon exiting, they were met by loud cheers from the people who couldn’t fit into the great hall. These people didn’t even know what had taken place. The party that night was unhampered by the event of that day.
   “Joel!” Tom yelled, “There you are. I’ve been looking for you all day. Where have you been?”
   “I was in the Hall watching the wedding and other events.”
   “You were in the Hall?! How did you get there? Only important people were in there.”
   “Chancellor Trig told me that I should start watching some state events.”
   “So, what was it like?” Joel told Tom all about the wedding, including the part where the german sheppard, Barrix, had come and delivered his message of doom. “Who is this Lord Barrix?”
   “I don’t know, but judging from the look on the Chancellor’s face, he knows.” Joel responded. “I’m supposed to meet with him tomorrow.”
   “Well, you will miss out on the first day of advance quarter-staff.” It wasn’t until the next couple of days that the word finally got around to the lower classes about the events that happened in the hall.