The fortification of the frontline had been going very well, almost too well in fact. King Bradevere and King Gullrock returned home as had Prince Nathan. It had been seven days since Evander's Naming Ceremony. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqqRJOJX0d
They had been adding spiked barricades around all weak points as well as digging out a moat. With the combined effort of every able-bodied man and the King's army, the moat was nearly finished and the construction on a drawbridge had begun.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc53eudmR4O
All that was necessary for the moat to be complete was one good rainstorm, but with winter now officially here, chances of rain were slim. If it did not rain, at least it would help prevent ladders from being used to scale the castle walls.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0lT5lUHXn
"When do you think we will be ready?" Alrid asked his father with a grunt as he placed a sharpened log on a barricade. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1H929KsRa0
"Hopefully soon," his father answered. "This past week has been long days and even colder nights."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCrd2flBsD
"I just can't wait to sit down for longer than a few moments. My legs are killing me," Alrid groaned as he bent over to stretch his legs. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4MGOcqCuca
"I couldn't agree more," Evander responded with his own set of stretches and groans. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4tt7FTafk
As snow lightly fell, a man on horseback broke from the horizon to the east. He was running the horse quite hard and showed no signs of slowing.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhjYGOYZ0r
As the man approached with haste, his voice was now audible. What he was yelling could not be discerned. But it was not necessary when from above the castle, wyverns broke through the clouds. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiQSKCdzZ2
Their acidic spit fired from their shrieking maws at frightening speed. At first it seemed they were attacking without direction. Their acid hit the ground in an unrelenting barrage from at least fifty or more corrupted wyverns. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3WRM70tAd
Civilians panicked and ran for their homes as armored knights ran for their bows. The acid was not without casualties. Homes began to melt in the spots that had been hit. People had been hit in the legs as they tried desperately to escape. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfrtKXpcaT
Their legs were quickly eaten away and the shrill cries of their pain was sickening. Almost as much as the sound of the acidic liquid itself as it ate away their skin and bone, leaving nothing behind but half eaten corpses and the smell of burnt flesh and hair.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcUit1WPas
The knights had claimed their bows and began firing volleys frantically and without any cohesion. Arrows whipped passed wyverns by mere inches as the knights struggled to regain their composure. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9Zl1yf1OE
The assault was swift and even though at first it seemed to be an uncalculated one, the wyverns began to target the fortifications over the past seven days.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42OuukjPJu
As Evander pulled Alrid to cover he spoke through a surprised breath, "This is too coincidental to be by chance. Varamont knows what we're doing." He looked over the wall that acted as their cover and looked right at Alrid, "Someone is feeding him information and we need to find out who and I think I know who can help us.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZXPS8GK3j
"But first we need to take care of these beasts before they kill everyone," Evander took off running towards the keep with Alrid close behind. He had left his equipment inside as he was not expecting an assault of this scale. Let alone an assault at all.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNUK3raaWF
They signed left and right, narrowly avoiding acidic projectiles as they sprinted to the keep. Just as they were about to reach the steps, a dead wyvern plummeted from the sky and into a small home to their right.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTVaYkyiWY
It's body barreled through the roof and out of the stone wall closest to them. Stone blocks went flying out at deadly speed. Alrid was able to dive to the ground just in time as a stone block went flying over his now-prone body.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogvg90YwpS
Evander, however, was not as fortunate. A smaller yet substantially sized stone block collided with his skull, sending him violently to the ground and out cold in an instant.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhN282MflkL
The last image his eyes portrayed was a terrified Alrid as he rushed to his father's side. "Father! Father!" Alrid cried, "Don't worry...get you..." The world went black as Alrid began dragging Evander's limp body to safety.
Evander's eyes opened some time later. How much later was impossible to tell but it could not have been very long considering that his back had been leaned against a pillar beside the entrance to the keep.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxzzzClbJL
Alrid came into view for a few brief moments. He was yelling what sounded like gibberish to Evander's clouded mind. He sent arrow after arrow into the sky as fast as he was able. Evander's mind again closed around him.
Evander woke briefly again to find Alrid fighting on the ground, sword in hand with a towering wyvern. He was quick in his movements. Block, parry, slice, block, jab.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26E9acVvRl
The wyvern was slow which made Alrid seem even faster than he was. The wyvern struck forward towards him and caught a piece of Alrid's cloak as he quickly stepped to the side. He brought down his sword hard and cut into the wyvern's neck hallway down. He lifted his sword again and brought it down with enough force to finish the job. The wyvern stumbled and fell backwards as Evander went under again.
The setting hand changed. Evander stood in a grassy field and the sun was pleasantly shining. He hears a soft feminine voice from behind him, "It is nice to see you again, my love."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBO5uozkNG
Evander turned to see Endira. His wife. Alrid's mother. His best friend. She had been mercilessly taken from him and he missed her dearly. Evander came to realize this was a memory. One of his favorites.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUm8VSOP1Xv
He found it hard to form words as his throat felt as dry as the desert air. He cleared his throat harshly and his voice returned to him, "Endira my love, you're here." He raised his arms to embrace her.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZpmqDQllQ
"Well of course I am here. I have always been here," Endira said as she accepted her husband's embrace. Her voice sounded sweet and gentle, the way he remembered it. But in some way it felt off. It felt wrong. Like this version of his wife was not the real Endira. It worried him.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgi7WlYX1v
Endira released her tight grip and leaned back with her hands still holding Evander's waist, "What's wrong, my love. You look as if you've seen a ghost." Her loving smile shifted eerily into a smile of malice. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfofBfGOpl
Evander looked into her beautiful blue eyes as they quickly became engulfed into a pitch black. He gasped and released his grip, backing up quickly. Endira began to bleed from every orifice and she screamed terribly as Evander tried to run.
Evander shot upright in the bed he lay in. Alrid nearly jumped out of his skin as he stood from his chair, nearly stumbling backwards over it.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UpUyPqNAY
Alrid yelled in surprise and when he was able to regain composure he breathed out, "You scared me half to death."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEnSuI3dB7
Evander sat still as if not even knowing Alrid was there at all. Alrid bent over and lifted his chair to sit up again. He remained silent while his father took his time to come back to reality. This was a common occurrence for Alrid, sadly too common. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNgcbxxj9Q
Evander's night terrors of Endira's death plagued his dreams and haunted his waking thoughts. Evander carries the burden of her death since he blamed himself for letting her die.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX2ki6ODStR
After a very long silence, Evander finally found his voice, it started hushed and tense, "It was the dream again." He looked at his son who nodded slowly that he understood. Alrid did in fact understand, more than anyone. He was there for a good number of his father's waking moments after a nightmare. "Only this time, it was a memory."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxa97bF6VF
Not long after, Evander began to realize that he was alive and his head was aching fiercely. "I take it that we won?" he said hopefully.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6dW0x2LOOr
Alrid exhaled sharply, "I would not call today a victory." Alrid sighed with an air of defeat, "We lost a great many men today. It is as we feared. Varamont wants to enslave us all."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNgyXLZ7yb
"Tell me what happened, my son," Evander said, suddenly no longer lingering on his dream. He had come back to reality to what really mattered. 243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcA0JAwYdH
Alrid started explaining, "After you blacked out, we fought hard. We fought for a long time and we lost many. All of the barriers we had built were destroyed. The moat survived thankfully but the bridge is in ruins. After they caused as much damage as they wanted, the wyverns that remained just left. They flew off and the ones that had been fighting in the ground just stopped and retreated as if they were being called away."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6G2PuiNBWU
"Two guesses who," Evander said with a hint of humor.243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpMTr3Uhgg
"Good, you're awake," a familiar voice entered the room. King John sauntered over to Evander and spoke again, "We need to talk."243Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpagoGbk341
