Children of the Cursed Read online

  It was a nice walk and the air was filled with different aromas. This was clearly different from the last time he was there. Ahead of him was a worn, beaten down old church that somehow was still standing tall and proud over the land. ‘If I'm lucky I might find someone there that can help me.’ He smiled brightly, thinking that things were now going his way for the first time, before running up to the church.

  The doors of the church creaked open as Leon let himself inside, “Hello, is there anyone here?” He called out. Inside the church was just as worn down as the outside. At first glance you would think that the church had long been abandoned. That was what Leon had thought at first until he had seen the candles near the pillar that had been placed there recently.

  “Hello!” Leon shouted again. “Is there anyone here?” Again he didn't get a response, just the sound of his voice echoing back. “I know for a fact that someone is here or there wouldn't be freshly lit candles near the pillar. I'm not leaving, you might as well show yourself.”

  “Pipe down. Pipe down!” A familiar voice shouted back. “Give an old man time, would you.” When the person rounded the corner, Leon could tell exactly who was shouting back at him.

  “Robin, it's you.” Leon sighed with relief.

  “I see you have found your way back here,” Robin sarcastically said.

  “It would seem that way.” Leon smirked.

  “I guess I won't be getting rid of you anytime soon.”

  “It's not like I want to be here.”

  Robin laughed, “Can't take a joke I see,” he said. “But let's skip your lack of humor and move on to something important, like your training.”

  “My training?” Leon replied with a confused look on his face. “What about finishing the story you started the last time I was here?”

  “As I said before, you're not ready to hear the ending of that tale just yet.”

  “When will I be ready?”

  “I cannot say for sure,” Robin answered. “You will have to prove that to me.”

  “How can I do that?”

  “By training,” Robin said.

  “But I have been training.”

  “You have yet to train with me.”

  “What? You want to train me?” Leon laughed. “What could someone of your age possibly teach me?” Leon perceived Robin as a frail old man and laughed at the thought of him having any skills to pass down to the younger generation of possible knights. Master Gawain had always taught his students to never judge a book by its cover, which seemed to be the one lesson that the boy had yet to learn.

  “You find my words funny?” Robin's brow furrowed.

  “I find your words to be nothing more than a jest, old timer.” Leon carried on.

  “Then let us see if you find this to be funny as well.” Robin took up his cane and with agility and quickness never before seen by a man his age, hooked Leon's right ankle and pulled, which caused him to fall to the ground. Leon tried to rise up, but Robin was already upon him using his cane to keep him where he lay. “Did you find that funny?”

  Leon frowned. “Forgive my ignorance, Sir Robin. I did not mean anything by it.” Robin reached down and grabbed Leon by the chest plate of his armor and pulled him up to his feet. “You're faster and stronger than you look.” He was clearly trying to get back in the man's good graces.

  “Do not try and give me praises, that time has passed.”

  “Of course, my apologies.” Leon bowed.

  “Hasn't anyone ever told you not to judge a book by its cover?” Robin chuckled.

  “Master Gawain says that to me all the time,” Leon answered. “Maybe I should pay more attention.”

  “That would be wise. Just as you would be wise to learn what I have to teach you,” Robin explained. He turned away from Leon and started to walk on ahead. “We don't have much time left, let us be on our way.” They walked until they happened upon a statue at the far end of the church that Leon hadn't noticed when he first walked in. It looked to be that of a goddess holding up a sword towards the heavens.

  “That's an amazing statue.” Leon was in awe. “Who is she?”

  Robin turned to look at Leon, “You really don't know of her?”

  “I do not.”

  “What do they teach youngsters nowadays?” Robin whispered to himself.

  “Did you say something?”

  “Nope.” Robin smiled. He turned his attention back to the statue, “This is a tribute to the goddess Celestial. If not for her these lands would not exist and neither would we. For you see Celestial created these lands, thus the age of man began. Legend has it that the ancient ones were angered by the fact that she created something without their approval. With that, they sought to destroy her creation. Celestial, though, wouldn't go down without a fight. She took up her mighty blade and fought the ancient ones. With her last breath she managed to drive them away from these lands. Thus becoming our goddess and protector.”

  “That's amazing,” Leon responded.

  “Come boy, we have much work to do.” He reached out, flipping a switch that activated a mechanism, causing the statue to move to the right revealing a hidden passage. “I can see the wonder on your face. However there is no time for questions.” With those words Robin led Leon through a dimly lit tunnel, that seemed to strike fear into his heart at first. When they exited the tunnel, that fear vanished as curiosity and excitement took over.

  Leon was amazed at what he was seeing before him. It was a clearing of land that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. It wasn't just any normal land, it was set up specifically for training warriors to prepare for battle - that much Leon knew for sure. He had seen something like this before at the Academy. But only the most experienced were allowed to train there.

  “You expect me to train here?” Leon asked.

  “Is that a problem?”

  “I'm not at the skill level to train here.”

  “Skill level?” Robin laughed. “Child, the only way to train is to jump straight in head first. That is the way of the warrior.”

  “That doesn't seem smart to me.”

  “When is preparing for war ever smart?”

  “War?” Leon looked confused.

  “You will find out soon enough,” Robin answered. “Do you see that bow over there?”

  “Yes. Is there something special about it?” Leon said with a hint of sarcasm

  “No, there's nothing special about it smart ass.” Robin smacked Leon on the back of the head.

  “What was that for?” Leon hissed.

  “Smart-mouthed kids are the first to get themselves killed, remember that,” Robin replied. “Just get over there and pick up the bow, child.”

  “Stop calling me child.” Leon angrily walked over to where the bow was hanging, mumbling under his breath the whole time. Even though he was training to become a knight, Leon was still a young boy and threw tantrums from time to time when he didn't get his way. What he didn't know was that Robin was following behind him listening to every word he was saying. He picked up the bow and turned to ask a question but Robin was nowhere to be found, or so he thought. “Robin. Robin?”

  The old man was stealthy and managed to stay close behind the boy the whole time without him noticing. Again he smacked Leon on the back of the head, “Lesson one, pay attention to your surroundings.”

  “Would you stop doing that!”

  “It's not my fault that your reflexes are slow, child.”

  “I have a name and would like for you to call me by it.”

  “When you earn my respect, then and only then shall I call you by your name. For now you are a child to me therefore you shall be called one.”

  “Then I shall earn your respect.” Leon lifted up the bow and arrow, pulling back the thin rope. He aimed for the target the best he could before releasing the arrow. It sailed through the air until it hit its target, “How's that for you? And to think that's not even my strongest skill,” Leon bragged. Robin took the bow fr
om him, lifted it into the air, and shot an arrow of his own that hit Leon's arrow, splitting it in half. “How did you do that?” Leon gasped. “Hitting another arrow that is lodged into a target is near impossible.”

  “If you put your mind to it, nothing is impossible,” Robin replied. Just then the sky started to darken and thunder could be heard off in the distance. “Hmm. It would seem our time is up for now, until next we meet.” Leon wanted to ask how Robin knew that their time was up. Before he could get a word out he started to feel dizzy. Something he had become quite familiar with. He tried to fight it, but it was of no use for he fell to the ground out cold. When he awoke, Leon found himself back with his friends.

  “He's waking up!” Ellyn happily shouted. Gawain and Ulrich walked over to where Leon was just starting to wake from his deep sleep.

  “Leon, it's good to see that you are awake and moving.” Gawain smiled. “How are you feeling?”

  “I'm feeling alright, just a little tired,” Leon answered. He then remembered that he was about to hand Master Gawain the piece of the blade before he passed out. He reached for the bag that he had tied around his waist and frantically searched it, but did not find what he was looking for. “Where did it go?” He gasped.

  “Where did that go?” Gawain asked.

  “The piece of the blade, it's gone.” Leon frantically said.

  “The old man here took the item from you not long after you fainted,” Ulrich explained.

  “Master Gawain, is that true?”

  “It fell from your hand when you hit the ground, so I took it and put it away somewhere safe.”

  “That's a relief.” Leon smiled faintly.

  “Can you stand?” Gawain asked.

  “I believe so,” Leon answered.

  “Doesn't he need to rest?” Ellyn grumbled.

  “He does, but unfortunately time is not on our side at the moment.”

  “That's not fair to Leon,” Ellyn said.

  “I don't like it either but we have to go. It's too dangerous here,” Ulrich explained.

  Leon slowly got to his feet, “Stop arguing over me, I'm not a child that needs to be protected. I can look after myself.”

  “Seems as though Leon has grown up a bit.” Gawain smiled. “Let's mount up.” The four of them got back up on their horses and rode on towards their next destination. After a few days of riding and resting the best they could, they happened upon something that was unexpected; a war between two lands.

  “Hold!” Gawain held up his hand and motioned for the others to stop.

  “What is it?” Ulrich asked, riding up beside Gawain, and Ellyn and Leon also rode up as well.

  “Doesn't anyone ever listen to me?” Gawain asked.

  “No, not really.” Ellyn giggled.

  “Just tell us why we have stopped.” Ulrich demanded.

  “That was rude of you, Ulrich.” Ellyn scowled.

  Ulrich turned to look at her, “We don't have time to be nice, do we?”

  “I guess we don't.” Ellyn pouted.

  Gawain looked around cautiously, “Follow me and I shall show you,” he said, leading them to the edge of a steep hill, “It's just as I thought.” He frowned and looked back at the others, “Take a look for yourselves.”

  Looking over the edge of the hill, they saw at least three thousand men engaged in mortal combat. One side wore the colors green and red. The other donned what would seem a light blue color on their flags and armor. Blood covered the ground below, the smell of death and urine filled the air. The battle was so intense that when one fell in battle another would take his place.

  “It's just as Robin said it would be,” Leon muttered.

  “What was that?” Gawain questioned.

  “Nothing, just thinking out loud. My apologies.”

  “This is horrible,” Ellyn gasped. “Why are these men fighting each other?” Ellyn knew exactly why, she just thought it would be best if she played dumb for now.

  “Isn't it obvious?” Ulrich responded. “War is starting to break out between the neighboring countries.”

  “But why now?” Leon questioned.

  “The same reasons as always, power and greed of course,” Ulrich responded to Leon's words. ‘Someday I will show everyone who holds the power to change the world. Not even Leon will stand in my way, wars will be a thing of past.’ He thought.

  “This is going to become a problem.” Gawain sighed.

  “Why is that?” Ellyn asked.

  Gawain pointed straight ahead, “That's the way we need to go.”

  “Can we not go around them?” Leon interrupted.

  “No,” Gawain said. “But I have an idea.”

  “Great, the old man is going to put us in danger again,” Ulrich said sarcastically.

  But a deep raspy voice intruded in on their conversation, “Who goes there?” When they turned around, there behind them were five soldiers with their bow and arrows drawn. “Answer my question or I have my men fire their arrows upon thee.”

  Gawain raised his hands up in the air, “Forgive us, we were just passing through. When we came to this hill we noticed the danger down below. We are not sure if there is a safe passage through this part of the land.”

  “Lower your weapons men.” The man ordered his soldiers. “My name is Micha, sorry about that. You cannot be too careful these days when your enemies are roaming about.”

  “My name is Gawain, pleased to meet you.” Gawain humbly bowed. “If you would be so kind, tell us how we can get past the dangers down below.”

  “Hmm. At the moment we are currently at war which makes things a bit difficult. The best I can do is to take you to our commander and chief, maybe he can be of assistance in getting you through unharmed.”

  Gawain thought about it for a moment and came to the realization that they didn't have much of a choice in the matter, as assistance would be needed to pass through without a fight. “I don't see much of a choice here, we accept your humble offer.”

  “You have made a wise choice, Sir Gawain,” Micha replied.

  “Just call me Gawain, no reason to hold me in such high regards. Like I said before we're just humble travelers passing through these lands,” Gawain explained.

  Micha was no fool, he knew warriors when he saw them. They seemed like honest people to him and he felt like it wasn't his place to pry for information that wasn't willingly given. “As you wish, Gawain. Please, you and your companions follow me,” he said. After a short ride, it wasn't long before the four of them found themselves at a war camp. Not far off in the distance the sounds of metal hitting metal could be heard. Along with cries of the fallen, it was war at its best. The sounds were those that Gawain was all too familiar with, to him it was nothing more than needless bloodshed.

  “May I ask what land you hail from, Micha?” Gawain said.

  Micha turned looking back, “Save the questions for the General.” They came to a huge white tent that had two swords pointing towards each other. It was to signify where the General of the Army resided. Micha held his fist up in the air to let the others know to stop, “Alright men, take the horses to be fed and watered. Gawain, you and your companions follow me inside the General’s tent.” Micha called out to his General when they entered, “General Angmar, I have returned with the report you have requested.”

  “Is that you, Micha?” A deep and powerful voice answered back from the far side of the tent.

  “It is,” Micha answered. “And I have brought guests that need our aid.”

  A tall, muscular man walked out from the shadows and into the light. His hair was shoulder length and gray showing his age, and his face was scarred, most likely from the battles that he had fought in his early more youthful days. The armor he had on was beaten and battered, but still it looked like it could withstand even more punishment, like the man that wore it proudly. “What have I told you about bringing outsiders into our camp?” He asked.

  “All they ask is a safe passage.” Micha removed
his helmet showing just how young he really was, with his dark brown eyes and short black hair. He couldn't have been much older than Leon nor Ulrich, “They mean us no harm.”

  General Angmar walked up to Micha, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder. “Micha, you have a big heart, I realize that. Trusting in everyone you meet will one day lead to your undoing.”

  “My apologies, General.” Micha lowered his head, feeling ashamed of his actions.

  “You are still young and have much to learn.” Angmar smiled. “Now give me your report, afterward I shall deal with our guests.”

  “Of course, General,” Micha responded with charisma. It didn't take long for him to forget about what he had done wrong, which only showed his immaturity. “Enemy reinforcements are on the move. My guess is that they should be arriving on the battlefield in two days’ time.”

  “How many?” Angmar asked.

  “I counted at least twenty men.”

  “Twenty men are being sent to aid the enemy when thousands are fighting as we speak.” Angmar laughed, “That is nothing more than idiocy.”

  “I believe there is more to it than that.” Micha sounded very serious.

  “Why you would say such a thing?”

  “Those men were forcing servants to pull a wagon that had a large metallic object atop of it, and that's not the worst of it,” Micha explained. “I believe the object to be some sort of weapon, never seen before now.”

  The look on Angmar's face was grimmer indeed, “If what you say is true then I fear we are all in grave danger.”

  Gawain walked up to General Angmar and Micha, “May I be allowed to speak?”

  “This doesn't concern you, outsider.” Angmar grumbled.

  “This man and his companions may know something that will aid us in this battle. At least hear him out,” Micha pleaded. Angmar could see the trust Micha had for Gawain just by the look on the young man's face. But why? Why would Micha trust in someone that he had just met only moments ago, it didn't make any sense?