-Break-

Location: Minabród’s home

With Cambell over my body, I feel pain in my face repeatedly. With tears streaming down his face he continues to hit me whilst saying, “Why, why, why, why, why did you try and kill me son? I loved you, I have always been here for you why!?”

Spitting out some teeth, I smile and say, “Two strangers I met today showed me more compassion than you could ever even muster. You’re a failure of a man, you’re a failure of a father, and I hate you with all my heart scum.”

Cambell hits me directly in the face again, then gets up and faces my mother who is holding my sister in her arms, and as they cower my father says, “It is your fault witch, you turned my son against me, a stupid whore like you and your insignificant daughter planned this against me.”

Cambell throws at punch at my mother, and I get in the way defending the both of them. Then looking him in the face, I say, “You won’t be laying a hand on these two ever again Cambell, remember that you fool.”

He smacks me again, but I use my body to protect them both from his hits. It hurts really bad, so much so that I feel like I could die at any moment. But it doesn’t hurt as much as what Minagrain went through.

I laugh a bit, and Cambell says, “What’s so funny!”

“I know a child who hits harder, you fucking embarrassment.”

He hits us all so hard that our positions on the floor move, then he walks to the wall and gets his cane whilst saying, “You aren’t mine. None of you could be mine, because my own children would never betray me like this. You cheated on me didn’t you bitch.”

My mother as if she still hopes for his affection says, “I would never do such a thing to you I promise!”

“ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES!” He says while his tears fall down.

He comes toward us with rage in his eyes, and as he does my mothers looks completely distraught so I just hold my sister and brace for impact. But then on our door, a loud knock comes through.

This forces Cambell to stop in his tracks and moments later, he says, “If any of you move from that corner, or make noise you’re dead.”

Cambell says, “We are busy with family time, so I need you to leave.”

At this same moment, I shout, “WE NEED HELP!”

So Cambell throws something directly at us, and then says, “There has been some chaos within this household, please return soon.”

“That won’t be happening we shall have a chat now.”

Moving closer towards the door, Cambell opens it and says, “GET THE HELL OFF MY LAND!”

But as he does he starts to back away slowly out of fear, and then moments later a man with silver hair and golden eyes walks in with an entourage of armoured beastkin then says, “Considering I am the king of all of Gorias, I could very well say the same thing to you.”

Looking at the man, I utter the words, “Setanta?”

“That’s the name of my son, and according to him, you so happen to have assaulted my son today.”

Cambell looks at me with eyes of fear, and shock, then in the most pathetic tone he has ever put on he bows his head and says, “I am sorry for my son's transgressions, I will punish him for this.”

Walking past Cambell, the king of Gorias says, “In the state your family is in a few strikes from a cane like that would kill them.”

He then puts his hands on Cambell's shoulders and says, “A real man should think ahead, and not act purely emotions all the time. Balance is necessary.”

He comes over to us and, then pats my sister and I on the head saying, “It will be all right now.”

His hand is gentle and kind, but also strong. Feeling it I can only think of one word, a father. Because this kind of touch is something a child expects from their father.

But as the king does this I see Cambell swing the cane towards his head, so I try to say something, but the kind interrupts me and says, “Don’t do something so reckless without thinking ahead, you’re lucky Setanta didn’t kill you.”

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The hand my father uses to hold the cane falls off, and then moments later blood spurts from my father's neck. The king then says, “Take him away, children shouldn’t have to see such a thing.”

As they take my father away, I pass out while thinking; he is so strong.

-Break-

Opening my eyes, I see a Setanta looking down on me, and then he says, “Good morning you ugly princess.”

Jumping up, I say, “What the heck are you doing here!”

“I came about an hour after my father arrived.”

I look around and see a group of soldiers around my house, then I try to run towards it but I fall down in pain right onto the floor, and Setanta says, “You're way too injured to be moving around.”

“But I got to go check on my family, I don’t even know what happened to my father or where the king is?”

“My father is giving out to your uncle for allowing this abuse to continue, and your mom and sister are getting examined inside their. They are with some of the best doctors Gorias has to offer, I should know because they patched me up today.”

Looking at the wounds on his face, I say, “I didn’t give you all of those where do you have them.”

“Oh these are from me apologising to all of the maid staff and women in Gorias, they beat the hell out of me. That was our agreement.”

Laughing, I say, “I guess it was, but still I am going to be punished pretty badly for this.”

“You don’t have to worry about that my father didn’t come here to punish you.”

Confused I ask, “Then why are you here?”

Standing up with a smile, Setanta says, “I have been looking for ways to get back at you for our fight today, and I found my answer. From now until the day you die a glorious death as my meat shield, you will be my property.”

“Huh!”

“No let’s get going Ferdiad!”

“No way, I don’t plan to ever be at the side of a crazy man like you.”

“Too late, you either join me or I burn down the entire land here.”

“You can’t just do that!”

“Of course I can, for I am the prince!”

Suddenly one of the soldiers who passes by us says, “Setanta doesn’t have that authority.”

He makes a dumbstruck face, and I say, “You can’t even be honest with me no way in hell will I ever I trust my life to a man like you.”

“I see, but regardless you will be at my side forever you bastard.”

“There is no amount of money you could pay me to do that.”

“How about -Censor- amount?”

Frozen out of shock, I say, “I must have misheard you how much did you just say again.”

“If you successfully become my right-hand man and join me on my battlefields, -Censor- amount will become pocket change for you.”

As the amount of things, I could do with that money washes over my head, I stop and say, “I can’t do this regardless, I am just a fir bolg. Making me the right hand of the future king of Gorias is just too much.”

Setanta punches me in my face and sends me towards the ground. “What the heck was that for.”

“Not once in my life have I ever experienced anything as fun as fighting you. Most of the people I have met are nothing but pushovers with barely any will at all, they are all trash to me, but for the first time in my life that has changed, and I now see the world differently.

When I am in charge I am going to wreak so much havoc and make everyone inside of Gorias reach their full potential by any means necessary, and as the man who started that chaos, it is your responsibility to help. So take responsibility you damn deadbeat.”

Setanta sticks out his hand in front of me, and as he does I pause for a moment. This all feels too ridiculous to be reality, but if by some off chance, it is, I can’t let this moment disappear.

Grabbing his hand, I say, “You're on. But if I start to outshine you don’t complain.”

“I hope you do.”

Suddenly from my side, I am tackled by Minagrain. She cries on top of me endlessly, so I just hug her and say, “Everything will be alright now.”

She gets up from me and as she does, she sees Setanta's face incredibly close to her. Setanta then smiles, and says, “You are of passing beauty, so I shall allow you to be my 421st wife, if you work hard I am sure you might be able to climb up the rankings and become number 400.”

Setanta then proceeds to hug my sister, and she cries in response so I hit him and say, “Don’t touch my sister!” While hiding her behind me.

“Return my wife to me this instant.”

“I will kill you!” just like that both of us began to fight yet again.

-Present time-

“I can’t die yet I made a promise.”

Getting up, I say, “I won’t falter, I won’t lose here.”

The men who see me get up come towards me and start to strike my again, and again. So I block, parry, dodge, whatever I can do to keep living and when I find a moment I strike with so much force that my spear breaks.

So I use Red branch battle arts to grab another one and continue this process. If the humans want to use their allies as shields, then I will just stab through them as well. I won’t stop, I won’t give up until I win!

I continue to fight, and as I do I see some of my men crawl their bodies up and continue fighting as well.

“We can’t let Ferdiad die here, no matter what we have to make sure the arm and the leg return to Setanta.”

“Right!”

They all fight using whatever method they can, some of them only have one attack left in them and they use all of their remaining will to make sure they get it off.

In front of me, Cruadhlaoich stands and says, “Take a moment to catch your breath Ferdiad.”

“But I can still fight.”

“No, right now they are fighting with the hope of you surviving, so please rest for a moment, and then strike our foes down. You are the future of Gorias.”

I grip my spear, and say, “Right!”

As my men get cut down defending me, I take a moment to gather myself and all I am. Right now I need to put everything I can into this spear and strike.

“Red branch battle arts; Star flower.” Dashing from my stationary positions I move and pierce the necks of the remaining humans, and as I do I see the same flowy aura around my spear.

When my attack comes to an end, I look at my hand and say, “I never felt strength like that before, what the heck just happened.”

Turning around, I say, “We need to get up and go now, anyone who can move please help the others get onto your horses.”

Suddenly from behind me, I hear something quickly approach all of us, and as it does I turn around to block an attack but my spear is broken into pieces and I am sent flying backwards.