Crack!

The training sword cracked down on his back, a large welt joining the others as he crashed to the ground.

“Again.” Lucien’s voice boomed as he readied his sword again for another encounter.

Grunting in pain, Adam picked himself back up and dusted himself off. For what seemed like the hundredth time since Lucien showed up at his door this morning, Adam’s grip tightened around the handle of his training sword.

Snarling, he charged at Lucien, putting all his energy into a reckless strike against his chest. Hatred and frustration flowed through his eyes, as he put everything into putting his sword through Lucien’s chest.

“Foolish.”

With a graceful sidestep, Lucien easily avoided the strike, his sword driving into Adam’s shoulder, making him drop his sword. A moment later, Lucien’s sword rested gently on Adam’s neck. If this was a real fight, he would already be dead.

“Pick it up.” Lucien removed his sword from Adam’s neck, allowing him to pick up the sword.

Breathing heavily, Adam stared at Lucien. If looks could kill, Lucien’s body would be spread all over the training ground.

“Control yourself. Your anger is clouding your judgement, making you foolish and reckless. Slow down and leave yourself a way out. Now pick it up.”

Adam took a deep breath in, clasping his sword once more. He hid his anger, slowly circling around Lucien. Cold and calculating, he waited for the perfect moment to strike. Slowly closing in on him, he took one final step forward and swung.

His sword came down, cutting diagonally across from Lucien’s right shoulder to his hip.

Lucien batted the sword away, using the momentum of Adam’s swing to knock the tip of his sword into the dirt. Taking a step forward, he kept one hand on his sword, his other already driving firmly into Adam’s face.

Adam careened backwards, crashing to the ground as blood started to pour from his nose. He clutched at it, then immediately flinched from the pain. “What the fuck was that for!”

“Another lesson. You were too focused on my sword. Beasts and bandits aren’t going to fight fair, and neither should you. A respectable duel means nothing when your life is on the line,” Lucien said. Looking up at the sun sitting tall in the sky, he decided to call it a day. “Let’s call it a day, go and cool yourself off. And remember what it is we’re fighting for.”

Adam staggered out of the training grounds, grumbling to himself.

I’m gonna get an earful later, but it’s better than whatever the captain had planned. Putting the training swords back on the rack, Lucien hopped over the fence and walked over to one of the nearby trees. “You wanted me captain?”

An old man stepped out from behind the tree. Standing only slightly shorter than Lucien’s 186cm, he was still above the average height of men in the kingdom of Roddarus. Despite his age, he was still as fit as an ox. After decades in the military, he was like a sword just waiting to be unsheathed.

His face was weathered and rough, with wrinkles spreading out from his eyes, mouth, and forehead. Two bushy, sword-like eyebrows sat atop his eyes, just below the bald expanse that was his head, reflecting the midday sun. A neatly trimmed grey beard added the final touches to his appearance.

All in all, despite reaching ever closer to a hundred years old, he was still one of the finest fighters Lucien had ever met. No one knew why Uther Grant decided to settle down in such a remote village.

“Good eyes,” he commented simply. To which Lucien shook his head.

“I wouldn’t have noticed if you didn’t want me to.”

“Follow me.” Uther walked along the path, returning back to his home, which doubled as the command centre for the village guards. The place was simple and unadorned, only housing the basic necessities for him to live in. Spread out on the centre table was an old map of the region, containing all of the villages under the control of Tymir Whitmore, the Lord of Whitmore Castle.

The region under Lord Whitmore’s rule was sequestered off in the southwesternmost corner of the kingdom, bordering the Eternal Forest of the elves on the south, and the plains of the Wulfric clan to the west. It was a small and rather unimportant part of the kingdom, as they had been at peace with the Wulfric clan for the better part of a century; and with the elves for even longer.

Lucien often suspected that Uther was here to maintain peace between the three kingdoms. Why else would one of the kingdom’s best warriors be living in a village so close to the border?

The village of Locham was situated but a day's ride out from either border. And in fact, the forest to the south of the village connected directly with the Eternal Forest of the elves. Other than this, the village had nothing else of note about it.

“I saw what you were doing with Adam. I hope you know that if he makes another mistake, I will have no choice but to intervene, do I make myself clear?” Uther said.

“Yes sir.” Lucien nodded, knowing full well that he would have to sit down with Adam at some point.

“Good.” Uther turned his attention to the map, sighing. “Another village was attacked recently.”

Lucien looked down at the map, noticing a marking next to Redwater village. Good. At least we didn’t lose it. “Bandits again?”

“They’re growing bolder by the day. Luckily, the guards were able to fend them off with only a few injuries and some stolen grain. It’ll be a little difficult, but they’ve been through worse,” Uther said.

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“Something doesn’t feel right sir,” Lucien said, staring at the map.

“You’ve noticed it too. Redwater shouldn’t have been able to hold them off that easily. I think they’re preparing for something big,” Uther said.

“Redwater’s only a few days east of us, do you think...”

“It’s definitely something we have to watch out for. The other villages should already be prepared for a potential attack from the bandits' main forces. Chances are slim that we’ll be attacked, but we must still be ready for it,” Uther said.

“What do you need me to do sir?”

“For now, nothing. Continue on with your regular duties. I’ll keep you up to date on anything I hear, but if I don’t get any news, I will need you to start scouting the surrounding area,” Uther ordered.

“Yes sir.”

While they were discussing their plan in further detail, a knock came from the door.

“Come in,” Uther shouted; his eyes still firmly fixed on the map. “They’re most likely to come from here, but we can’t ignore them wrapping around to the back. That would take them another day if they want to stay hidden,” he mumbled to himself, drawing lines and marking out potential spots and routes on the map.

The door swung open and a young woman dressed neatly in a brown, floor-length skirt and a collared blouse entered the room. Her hair was wrapped neatly in a bun. A pencil rested in the crook of her long, sharp ear.

“Sir Grant, I’d like to make a request,” She said. Her voice was soft and melodic but carried an authoritative quality to it.

“Cassandra, I thought you would be at the schoolhouse right now?” Uther asked.

“It’s already past two o’clock sir, the children have already gone home,” Cassandra said.

“It is? Looks like we’ve been talking for longer than I thought,” He said to Lucien. “What do you want?”

“I want to take some of the students into the forest tomorrow,” she said.

“Absolutely not.” Uther immediately shot down her idea.

“But why sir? It’s the perfect time of year, and the young ones need to learn what is and isn’t safe to eat in case they get lost,” she explained, hoping to change his mind.

“It’s too dangerous right now,” Uther said.

“I can protect them,” Cassandra promised.

“Go wait outside, I need to discuss something with Lucien,” he ordered.

Clinging onto hope, she begged Lucien with her eyes as she walked past, hoping he could convince Uther.

Watching the door close, Uther sighed. “What do you think I should do?” he asked.

“The bandits shouldn’t be able to get here by tomorrow, right?” Lucien asked.

“It’s not likely.”

“Then I think we should let her go down south. I’ll go with them to make sure they stay safe, and I’ll bring them back before nightfall.”

“Mm. It’s better to be done with it now. Let her know that you and Adam will be going with her tomorrow,” Uther ordered.

“Yes sir.” Adam better not run off on me. Leaving the command centre, he found Cassandra waiting for him, a hopeful expression on her face. “You better follow my lead if something dangerous happens."

Her smile widened as she bowed to Lucien. “Thank you thank you thank you. I need to go get ready now, the kids will be so excited.” She ran off, hiking her skirt up slightly so that she could make it back to the schoolhouse as quickly as possible.

Watching her leave, he also made his way back home. I need to keep an eye out tomorrow. If they’ve sent a scouting party ahead, Uther would want to know.

~

“Tell me a story papa!” Snuggled up in bed, Delilah refused to sleep until she heard a bedtime story.

With a sigh, Lucien sat down on the bed next to her. What should I tell her this time... I think I’ve got it. “Many years ago, the kingdom was on the verge of collapse...”

~

Fire and famine spread across the lands. Terrifying monsters clawed out of the ground, harvesting the souls of every poor man, woman, and child they could find. It was chaos. For years, the kingdom of Roddarus was on the backfoot in an increasingly dire war.

Death loomed over all, even the capital wasn’t safe. Villages and towns fell like flies, either ransacked by bandits, conquered by invading armies, or destroyed by swarms of ravenous beasts. The Roddarian army was pushed back, suffering defeat after defeat until all was lost except for the capital.

The Invading armies exploited the fury of the monsters to besiege the capital, chipping away at their defences day after day. The end was fast approaching, and there was nothing the poor citizens could do to stop it. Besieged on all sides, the capital was cut off from all resources. Countless bodies littered the streets as the city walls crumbled around them.

And then, A star fell from the sky. Casting a beautiful streak across the night sky for all to see. It crashed into the ground somewhere in the kingdom and was found by a lone farmer. It was a gift from Matron Stellara. A powerful weapon that could turn the tides of war.

With the star in hand, that farmer fought back against the invading army, taking back the land that belonged to the people. The monsters cowered in fear, returning back to the earth from whence they came.

And when peace returned, the hero and his weapon disappeared, never to be seen again.

~

“...Or at least, that’s how the story goes. But do you want to hear a secret?” Lucien leaned in close to Delilah, who was enraptured by the tale. She nodded frantically, like a little chick pecking at seeds. “The hero didn’t disappear, like the legends say. Instead, he settled down in a small village and had a family. That man was your great great great grandfather, Earnest Rowe.”

“Wow! I want to be like him.” She smiled.

Lucien hesitated for a moment before putting on a smile. “You can be. A prophecy foretold that the star would return to one of his descendants when they need it most.”

“Wow! Does that mean I can go on adventures and beat up bad guys?” Her eyes lit up with hope and excitement as she pretended to fight off unseen opponents.

“Calm down there little one.” Lucien laughed. “You’re still just a kid. You’ve got plenty of time for adventures when you’re older. Now go to sleep."

“Okaaay.” Her shoulders slumped and within a few minutes, she fell asleep.

Lucien tucked her into bed once more, gently kissing her on the forehead. Closing the door quietly behind him, he walked around to the shed out back. Pushing aside an old chest with a grunt, a trap door was revealed. Lighting the nearby lantern, he affixed it to his waist, then pulled open the heavy trap door.

With a sigh, he secured his footing on one of the rungs and climbed the ladder down into the darkness.

Feeling the solid ground beneath his feet, he held the lantern up, casting its light on the dusty cellar. His shoes clacked on the hard stone floor as he walked silently down the corridor. Paintings lined the walls, regaling him of the legendary feats achieved by Earnest in his life. Him standing atop the crushed skull of a mighty red dragon. Him standing alone against the oncoming charge of the enemy’s cavalry.

As Lucien continued down the corridor, the paintings took on a life of their own, turning twisted and sinister. villages covered in rotting corpses, not a single living soul except for Earnest, who had come far too late.

Reaching the end of the corridor, he shined the lantern on the final painting. One of a young Earnest kneeling at the feet of a mangled corpse, a baby lying lifeless in his arms. His tears fell in waves for the family he lost all too early. Powerless to do anything in the face of this tragedy.

In front of the painting was a weapon, as dark as the night sky itself. Forged from the core of a dying star, it yearned to shine brightly once more. It drew on every morsel of light coming from the lantern, hoping to achieve this dream. But it had been dormant for too long. Locked away underground in a room only known to few for the past hundreds of years.

It was cracked and worn, having not been shown the care and attention that any weapon should. For no one was able to, and no one dared to try. A plaque sat beneath the weapon, reading:

‘Here lies the star gifted to me by Matron Stellara,

It is the oldest friend I have,

For it took everyone else from me.

That was the cost of greatness.’

-Earnest

Lucien stayed far away, refusing to get close. He shook his head and sighed. If only she knew, then maybe she wouldn’t want to be the hero. Light cannot exist without darkness. Looking at the Morningstar one last time, he turned and walked away.