An Enemy of the Kingdom

A harsh wind blew Corporal Andreran’s navy blue cloak over his shoulder. Grumbling in annoyance, he impatiently shoved it back. His cruel, crystal eyes scanned the surrounding forest warily as he applied gentle pressure to his horse’s sides, guiding it around a bend in the trail. A yawn broke his face and he glanced at the pale sky, gauging the sun’s position and a break in the eternal marching. Suddenly, Anderan heard excessive swearing from several of the men behind him, and the sounds of many men trying to move in panic. He spun around in time to see a second solider fall to a cobalt marked arrow piercing his throat. A third one flew in at impossible speed, and another of his men fell. He yelled at his men to reach cover, drawing his sword as he did so. His soldiers made a mad rush for the trees, drawing swords and unlimbering bows as they charged. There was a flash of darkness and he saw a sapphire-studded dagger embed itself in the back of one of the retreating men.

Anderan flew off his horse, landing heavily among the green foliage in the trees. He spun, barking orders to his men to form a defensive line, sending several of them out to scout the area. There was a sound of air hissing, and several leaves fell after the coming of a steel blade, slicing into armor as if it was made of butter. The man made hardly a sound as he died, collapsing heavily to the ground. Still Anderan had seen no sign of the attacking force. It looked as if several of his troop were fighting something on his left flank, but one by one they fell in rapid succession. There was chaos, his men dropping weapons and attempting to flee, only to be cut down by the shade in their midst. Bodies lay against tree trunks, and swords lay abandoned in emerald bushes.

Anderan attempted to call his men to him, putting his back to a dark brown tree trunk, holding his sword in a defensive position. Several rallied, crowing around him and slashing at everything that moved. There was another flash of darkness, and a tall, muscular man cloaked in mottled greens, tans, and chestnuts seemingly appeared in front of Anderan. His blade whipped to the side with ludicrous speed and precision, and another soldier fell to the dirt. A soldier charged from behind and his gloved hand flicked, sending a dagger into his throat. The hooded man cut down the last soldier in front of Anderan, and slashed at his neck. Anderan barely managed to bring his sword up in time to stop him. Another flick, and another bare miss. The man in front of him grinned, strands of brunette hair escaping his hood, and swung at Anderan again. Mid-swing his blade reversed direction, too quickly for Anderan to keep up, and the attacker’s blade sunk into his side.

There was so much red. Dark blood covered everything, turning spring into autumn. Crimson filled Anderan’s vision. Scarlet splattered boots slowly made their way in front of Anderan’s face, and a grinning man appeared there. “That was fun, wasn’t it?” He drew a dagger from his sleeve, clearly enjoying himself. He glanced around at the carnage and gore and sighed, as if he was disappointed it was over. “I would’ve like to have kept one alive, to send a message, but I got into it too much.” He confided to Anderan, tapping the flat of the blade against the palm of his hand. “Oh well, can’t do much about it, can I?” Corporal Anderan gasped in pain as the long, thin blade of the dagger sank into his throat. He tried to speak but his mouth filled with blood instead. His eyes closed, and all he saw was black.