Prologue

A unknown hunter lies within a fleet to take the East.

Days and night went past on ship. The men grew weak, tired and ill. It would be a fortnight for when they would land to siege on the Isles. Larouto woke from his hammock as he did for the past month. His back ached from the poorly made cotton sheet. He placed his feet on the cabin floor and stood. He walked to his chest to find his leather gear and axes. He always smiled when he looked down to find them. ‘Twin Devils’ he named them. They were made of pure iron. His father gave them to him as a welcoming to manhood. Five years had past then, a man grown of twenty three. Larouto walked out of the sleeping hold towards the deck. Out on deck he saw familiar faces, but theses’ faces didn’t matter to him. It was the weapons they held. He leaned out over the edge of the ship to stare in the early mist of the Mortans Sea. Larouto felt his dark brown beard and then a voice called for him.

“Larouto!”

He turned his head to find Shansan. Another soldier, not a friend to him.

“What do you want boy?”. He replied in a cold tone. Shansan walked towards him, slightly nervous he stood next to him. “How do you think… This battle will go?”.

“The Mortans have no word of our siege upon them… Look around boy… You see the ships we have? You see the men we have? You see our king?”

“What if… It doesn’t go well? What if the siege fails?”

He waited a few seconds to let the fear sink into the boy. “Then you die” He let out a cold chuckle, to make the boy feel worse about himself, his hopes of survival to fall into nothing.

 

That nervous boy walked away. Larouto looked out in the sea to see the other ships. “Fifty ships should take the Isle’s down. The Isle Lord will die and then his father on the Eastern throne.” He spat out to sea. “Dam Mortans…”

Larouto walked back inside to find some grub. Inside the ship he walked down a hallway, he never budged out of the way to let someone pass. Men walked around him, they would fear him. He came into the Feast Hall where he found other men having breakfast. This hall used to be filled with laughter and men cheering. After hearing that their king had passed, their hopes grew dark. His only surviving son took over his rebellion. He won battles, but not the heart of his men. The late king wanted his ancestors throne, he started a rebellion and murdered the Eastern king, but now a new Eastern king has risen, with that a new rebel king has aswell. He built an army, built trust with other Houses and claimed himself king over the Western Shores and the Eastern Kingdom. He ruled the Western Shores for five years and now he planned to take Mortan Isles and the Eastern Kingdom as well. In the back of the hall sat their captain. Ser Danic. He was the king’s naval advisor. He commanded the ships, but this was only a quarter of what Ser Danic naval force, the rest was with the rebel king. Larouto was never known by the knights and lords and kings. His father was a hunter and his father before him. No hunter became known in the realm. Larouto took seat at the end of one of the tables. He sat alone finishing his down grub. He heard a mocking chuckle coming closer, so close it was drumming through his mind. “Well… well… If it isn’t Larouto Marken.. Still hunting in the wild woods?” He chuckled again and it was followed by others from the hall. The man grabbed the back of his shoulder. “There be no baby deers in the East boy. Why don’t you turn back and make skirts with the wom-“ Larouto stood up to face him, shoving off the man’s grip on his shoulder.

“I won’t be turning back Edmund… I’ll be heading East… The only skirt I’ll make is with the skin clutching from your skull.” Larouto lifted Edmund up by grasping his neck slightly chocking him. “When we land at siege, you make sure you don’t make your way into me. Theses axes I got, won’t look too pretty lodge into ya head now will they?” He dropped him. Edmund fell to the floor gasping for air. Ser Danic stood in rage from the back. “Go to my quarters Marken. Now!” So he did. He sat inside the warmly room lighted by the candles on Danic’s desk. On his wooden chipped desk was a bunch of scrolls. One of the scrolls was unrolled. He looked closer to find it was a letter from their king. “I’ve sent twenty of my ships to take the High Isle, the north of the Isle. Once taken they will head to the capital of the Isle from the North at night. Once my the rest of my ships have rallied with yours. We will land siege at night with half of the Isles already taken. The Mortans have no word of our siege. They will not be ready for our attack. After the siege, the rest of ou-“ Larouto heard footsteps from out the door. In came Danic, he closed the door behind him and turned straight to Larouto. “You think you going to survive this war acting like that?”.

“You saw what he did, that fucki-“

“That man is your brother in arms. You will protect him and he will protect you. You got fire in your heart boy I admire that… That fire one will rise up and crumble you to ash.” There was a moment of silence to let his words sink in. Normally Larouto wouldn’t let the comment of ‘boy’ be taken in silence, but he was right about the fire, his father lost his life for voicing himself to loud. “At times like these… We need fires.” Danic walked towards his desk and placed his hand on the tip of the scroll and pulled it up to face Larouto. “I received word from the king just a day pass. It talks of the plans of siege.” He took a moment as if there was some doubt in his next words. “I’ll give it to him, he’s smart, but doesn’t take over from his father. After our ships have met, he plans that we hit the Eastern Kingdom with all of our force… I’m taking my remaining ships elsewhere… The Northern gate will be hit at night. I’ll take our ships to the West. I’m sending you with this message to the king’s ship.” Danic grabbed a scroll from his draw and passed it over to Larouto. “You’re a hunter. You have always been a hunter. Our king will only succeed if the Isle Lord is taken. When you arrived with the message, the king will give you orders directly to hunt the Isle Lord before he can escape. He’s important to our rebellion. Take him alive. After that he will send you to another place, one I cannot tell you, but he will. Go now, and take a boat, to sail north east to the king’s ship.”

 

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[Callme V]

It would be a fortnight for when they would land to siege on the Isles.

For it would be a fortnight when they would land to lay siege on the Isles.

Read books like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Its free on the web. Will help enormously.