by EliBarracuda » Sat Aug 31, 2013 6:05 pm
I am writing this for about hour and a half and I finally wrote prologue of 1950 words. It is short, with not too much describing (there will be many more describing in other POV chapters.). Hope you like it:
PROLOGUE
“It’s hot as in a Waste”, Rohat thought, but he had to be part of the Southport rangers, not because he liked it, but because of money. He had six brothers, crippled father and sick mother. They all lived in a small house, with no income.
Each Southport ranger got three hundred and a half golden coins each week and fifty more for single ranging. His older brother, only one year older then he was, became ranger two years ago, but was killed by a wolf while ranging. That made Rohat a head of house, because his father was crippled and useless.
They were eight in the ranging party. Lord Commander of the Southport army rode on the top of the column. Ser Lothas, only knighted man in the party rode right of him, while Patick rode left of him. Lothas was knighted four years ago in a siege of Hammerhold where he saved Prince Denas from a wild Saurian, his father used to tell him. Behind them, he rode with five of his companions, all of them recruits. Recruits and Patick wore dark tunic and a wooden helm on their heads, while boots made out of bear’s fur covered their legs. Lord Commander also wore boots made out of bear’s fur, but he wore metal helmet and a very old but heavy armor. Ser Lothas, wore armor with his House sigil of his house on his chest. His head was covered by a heavy helm in a shape of a bull’s head, while he wore steel boots on his legs. Each party member rode a very fast stallion, and they all had a dagger and a sword around their waist.
Rohat was thinking what will happen if Goblins or Brigands really attacked them. They were eight, half of them recruits, and with only one knight. It was well known Goblins attack in a very large groups, usually with about thirty of them in one party.
It was around late afternoon when they finally made their first break to eat something. He was very happy about Commander’s selection of a meal. They ate a bread and a beef, and he really liked beef, although he only ate it two or three times in his life, and he was almost a man grown, and he’ll be seventeen next winter. His brothers never tried beef, and three of them have not even tried a pork. They were really poor, he thought.
When they ate beef and bread, Commander poured wine in their glasses and they all drunk it without a second thought. After that, they continued their ranging. They were riding north, on command which was given by King Denas, first of his name himself. Few villages north of the Southport were raided, and villagers swore Goblins raided them, and that was not good, Rohat thought. Rohat knew Goblins were very stupid, but he also knew their Warchiefs were very good tacticians, and he knew they won’t raid villages if they don’t have a large army.
He prayed to the Gods there won’t be any war. He was afraid of wars. If there would be a war, he would have to stand with other Southport rangers, because he was one of them now, and will probably be killed, because Southport was only a little village with thousand and a half people in it, and half of them were old men, children and wives. And if he’d try to desert, he would probably be caught by Lord Commander himself and he will put his head on a spike without a second thought.
And so, they marched north for a two more hours, sun was setting down when they reached the Hill of the Fallen. Hill of the Fallen has always enchanted Rohat. Hill of the Fallen was a hill where all the Kings were crowned in the past. His father used to tell him there were total of seventeen Kings crowned there. And when the eighteenth King, King Atolias had to crown, thirty thousands of Orcs and Goblins and Trolls came from the North and killed King Atolias, raped and killed his Queen, and most of his Knights leaving them to crows. It was a good thing Humans united with both Dwarfs and Elves and crushed Goblinoids forces.
“We’ll split in two groups with four members each.” Lord Commander said.
“Lothas, you lead three of the recruits you want. Others, including you, Patick, go with me.”
Lothas pointed on three of the recruits. Ratis could not remember their names, but he knew they joined the Rangers two or three days ago.
“We’ll meet again here around the midnight. Try to find whatever attacked the villages, and put their heads on a spike.” Lord Commander said.
And so Ratis joined Lord Commander and Patick and one other big but ugly as Orc himself recruit. They rode west of the Hill, while other group rode east of it. They were riding very slow, because road was stony and their stallion would break a leg very easy. Woe to the man whose horse’s leg was broken, because now they were at least seven hours away from Southport, and last thing any man wanted was seven hours of walking.
It was evening when they finally came to one of the looted village, named Southfield. It was build as a scout village for Southport, but now it was plundered and razed. Lord Commander dismounted his stallion and came closer to one of the many corpses. The corpse was a little boy, not more than eight years old. It all made it clear for Ratis now.
When brigands attack the villages they just take all the goods and left the village alone. They only kill men who want to fight them back but they would never do any harm to the child or woman. His father also used to tell him, they would take children with no parents and raised them themselves. But Goblins killed everyone; soldiers, women, old men and children. He saw a angry look on Commander’s face, and he saw scared face of a new recruit and Patick.
“We’ve seen enough. We should start getting back to the Hill or we’ll be late. Lothos is probably up there now.”
And so they rode and rode again with fear in their eyes and angry look on their faces. Ratis was afraid of every shadow, of every sound in the forest. He prayed to the Gods while he was riding. It was past Midnight when they finally came to the Hill again, but there was no sign of Lothos nor any man in his party.
Lord Commander dismounted and they all followed.
“We should better stay here for some time, they’ll come back no doubt.” Commander said.
They all sat on a wet green grass and waited. They were sitting about half of an hour when the new recruit has spoken; his name was Dawas.
“My Lord Commander, can we please light a fire. It’s cold in here.”
“You really are as stupid as you look Dawas.” Lord Commander said with a cold voice.
“But I’ll froze, m’Lord.” Dawas said again.
“Goblins raided village that is no more than two hours riding from here, are you that cold you want to die? If you can’t stand a cold, you should stay behind your mother’s skirts.” Lord Commander said, with even colder voice than before.
They were sitting in a silence and waiting again. Moon was full this night, and Rohat liked that, because he could see if anyone could try to sneak near them. “Dawas was right”, Rohat thought. It was really hot in afternoon but now it really was cold. His legs were shaking, but he has not had courage to ask for lighting a fire. He was afraid of Goblins, and he wanted to go back home, to his brothers, mother and father, but he had to listen to Lord Commander.
“We’ll stay here one hour, maybe hour and a half here. You can sleep if you want, I’ll stand guard.” Lord Commander said.
Rohat tried to sleep but he couldn’t, maybe because of full Moon, maybe because of his fear. He saw Dawas sleeping like a baby in it’s mother arms, but Patick didn’t even try to sleep. He was sitting next to Lord Commander, his left hand holding a short dagger tied around his waist. He heard them talking about Lothas, Goblins and Orcs, once they even mentioned his name. And then Rohat finally closed his eyes. But only to be awaked few moments later by Lord Commander himself.
“Up boy, Lothas wouldn’t come. We should better start back.”
And he got up on his feet, and he saw them again. Shadows, and green skins in bush. He had look what was it, is he dreaming or it is true.
“My Lord Commander I have to go to the bush, to do, you know what.” he said.
“There are two things you can do in a bush, and I hope you have to do the one that lasts less.” he said, with a little laughter.
Rohat put a hand around his sword tied around his waist and came to next to the small bush. And then he saw it. He saw at least four Goblins there and one tall Orc, Goblins were holding a small dagger while Orc carried a sword. He turned left and saw another band of Goblins. He pulled out his sword and tried to say a warning to Lord Commander but only to be stabbed in belly by a tall Orc, probably their leader.
He smashed onto ground with a shout of pain. Blood was leaking down his belly, and he felt and hard pain, he saw Lord Commander and Patick and Dawas with sword in their hands but they were over numbered by Goblinoids at least five on one.
“Drop your swords and your death shall be quick.” the tall Orc said.
“If you don’t listen to us, we’ll kill you slowly, cutting you and eating you, like we did to your friends.” some small Goblin said with a laugh.
“You will kill us, but we’ll kill few of you too! Rangers, kill them, I command it!” Lord Commander shouted.
It was the quickest battle Rohat ever saw. The tall Orc cut off Dawas head, while at least five Goblins attacked Patick. He blocked two of them and killed one but third stabbed him right in through his hart. Lord Commander was fighting two Goblins, and he killed one, blocked another and then large Orc stabbed him in his leg. Commander fell on the ground and shouted, but he didn’t mean to surrender. He pulled out his dagger and threw it in Goblin’s throat, while he cut another ones had with his sword. But, tall Orc hit him again, this time in his belly, and Lord Commander felt to the ground, dead.
Tall Orc bend over him and smashed his face with his arms. That made other Goblins laugh. Rohat tried to stand and kill them all but he couldn’t. One Goblin saw him, and bend over him, and putting his dagger on his throat. And he pulled his dagger, cutting Rohat’s throat.
And Rohat died, thinking of his father and mother and his brothers, and the war...