Today is the day of my unwanted fate with the hangman's noose, I'm going to be hanged by the neck until death in front of all the villagers for a murder I was falsely accused of doing, killing three nobles in cold blood...me Ares Zorlin blindly murder three nobles? That's a riot everyone who knows me already knows I stay away from useless politics and richy people, so whoever killed the nobles wanted to hide their tracks and frame a random traveler so apparently the closes person at that time was me...a lowly Elf.
So yeah now I'm sitting here in my tiny cell with just enough room to stretch my legs out some with raw iron chains shackled me to the farthest wall around both my wrists and also my throat like I'm a wild animal who finally got caught. In this dingy prison I hear voises my guess right around 3 others waiting to be hanged. Nervana has always been such a peaceful place to live but now its gone down to hell because it seems like a lot of people have been none stop talking nonsense about some kind of approaching darkness, then there's one question swimming through my mind since it first started...why in the hell have hangings if darkness is coming towards us?
I started humming softly a song my mother used to sing to me when I was younger.
There's a star,
A star burning bright
In the darkness
A star blooms to the light
People come, people go
Listen to the nature around you
It speaks to you
It sings a lullaby
The Earth, the wind,
The sky, the water
All species in peace
I was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps of three King's Soldiers walking down the stone staircase until they stood right in front of my cell.
"Its time Elf." One of the soldiers rudely commented, like I really wanted to be reminded why I'm here in first place.
I silently looked up at the three men in front of the cell door. The soldier who is shorter then the other two unlocked and opened the door. Pulled the chairs off the wall and pulled me with him to the other men.
"Do you have anything to say before we take you to the post?"
"Yes actually even though it won't do me any good, but your about to hang a woman who was wrongly accused of doing this crime."
The soldier who asked the question silently shook his head and grabbed the chains and yanked me along after him. Fifteen minutes later the soldiers and I made it to middle of the roaring crowd throwing boos and stones at me to the point that I gained a few scratches big and small here and there on the exposed skin from my Rogue armour.
When we finally stood on the post with the tied noose around my neck the Judge called out everything I was framed for. While the man was speaking there was a rumble in the southern sky, I tried to look up as much as this damn rope around my neck can let me.
"What is that?" A random woman called out. Everyone looked up.
"Its time to die Elf." The Judge spoke up.
A loud roar shook the Earth until the figure came into view. It was a dragon a giant black dragon with blood red eyes diving down and landing easily in the middle of the group of villagers.
"A dragon..." I quietly said with my eyes widening with every stroke of his massive wings and movement of his head.
All the soldiers knelt down to one knee with their fists to their hearts. "Prince Leon, Sir Vex...what are you doing here?" The lead soldier called out.
A tall, muscular light tanned man with forest green eyes and long blue hair that was tied in a low ponytail jumped off the back of the black dragon who turned into yet another tall muscular man but dark skinned, with his blod red eyes turning a dark red almost black eyes and black spikey hair. So that's Leon Skyhawk the Prince of all Nervana and his right hand man or in this case Dragoon Hajime Vex. Wow they're a lot gorgeous then I imagined, I mentally shook my head to bring myself back to the nightmare reality that I'm in at the moment.
"Let her go!" The Prince finally spoke up.
The Judge stared at the Prince dumbfoundedly with his mouth gapped open. He cleared his throat. "Sorry Prince but I can't do that, order came straight from the King...your father. And I am not going to disobay a direct order from your father."
"I know my rediculous, unreasonable father made the order for this Elf's exacusion. But I don't agree with his judgment, I've seen the look in those eyes of her's of pure confusion and fear. Here's my judgement...she is innocent of the crime she was wrongly accused of commiting. Now I am going to tell you one more time let her go."
"I am not going to break."
"Fine, then I guess I have no choice..." The Prince's eyes went from the old Judge to me with a deadly serious look shinning in them. "Elf!?"
"Ares if you don't mind...but yes your Highness?" My sarcastic side came out a little when saying my name without meaning to.
"My apollagies Ares. But answer this one question." He paused for a moment and when he saw a slight nod of my head he continued. "Did you or did you not kill those three noble men of my father's court?"
Anger fumed in my eyes and blood started boiling in my veins once again. "No I didn't I was framed of doing it, I was just passing when I saw the murder taking place and when the hooded figure saw me he ran off and that's when the soldiers caught me and faulsly accused me of doing the blood soaked crime. I hate politics I try to stay away from things like that, so why would I do something like that when I have no qural with any of the rich and noble?" Seriousnes rang in every word that came out.
The Judge stared at me, Leon then back to me. Then he started to hear low murmurs and whispers in the crowd like they were having second thoughts, but without a second thought of his own the jackass Judge pulled the wooden lever that opened the floor up underneath and before I could protest once more I dropped hanging for dear life.
Leon growled deep in his throat then sped up the stairs pulled his sword out its sheath. "Hajime, get ready to catch her underneath!"
The Dragoon nodded his head swiftly moving towards my dangling body. "Alright do it now!"
With one swing of his sword the rope flew down to the ground along with my breathless body. When my body fell it landed in the strong open arms of Hajime which forced air back to my lungs in a rush...I started breathing heavily and coughing.
Hajime smiled feeling relieved to see me breathing even though he's never met me before. My head plopped down on his firm chest while he cradled me in the bridle style with my right arm around my stomach and my other dangling down in front of him.
"Go ahead and close your eyes you'll be alright, I'll keep you safe and so will Leon, we won't let anything happen to you."
I smiled weakly up at Hajime and my head on his chest. "Thank you Hajime I owe you two everything." My eyes finally slipped closed and darkness of sleep finally came over my body and mind.
Its been two days since my interrupted hanging in the courtyard in front of the villagers of Zorkrion a human village. My eyes finally fluttered opened to find myself in an unknown room I've never been in before so while I was looking around the room which had a bed that I was laying in on the far end of the room, a tall dresser/closet next to the door, a long wooden desk that was cluttered with parchment upon parchment with feathered quirl pens and ink bottles also with flowers and weeds I've never actually seen before well at least at this side of Nervana. There were multiple windows on either side of the room with the light gray colored certens opened to bring in light, a small wooden night stand with a candle resting next to the bed with a chest underneath one window and another on the end of the bed.
I slowly turned my head to where the desk sat next to one of the windows and there was a pot with Red Dragon Tounges resting on the right aide of the desk. Red Dragon Tounges are a flower that grows on the floating lands of Haven in the sky. A medium sized flower with a black center ombred to a orangy red on the tips of the pedals and the seed pods tests all on one side like a dragon tounge. I've only seen drawings of those flowers but never seen them in person they are breathtakingly beautiful up close.
The sound of a quil moving on a sheet of parchment caught my attention away from the flowers and found a guy sitting in front of the desk. When I sat up the guy turned his head and smiled. "Your finally awake."
"Where am I? How long have I been out?" I asked.
"You've been asleep for going on two days now. Also your in one of the guest quarters of the Castle."
When the guy said the word castle it made me freeze and my eyes went wide with surprise and also fear. "How...w-why?"
"I'm not sure I'm only the Doctor you have to ask him that question. I'll go get him." Before I could protest the Doctor was out of the door and completely out of sight.
I sighed. Turning around towards the edge of the bed and to my relieved mind I was still wearing my clothes, the only thing that was not where I had it around my neck was my clear crystal with enchanted dust within it was missing. I looked around another sigh of relief escaped my lips when I found it on the desk, I was on the verge of grabbing the necklace until my reflection in the mirror caught my attention mostly my neck. "Damn the rope did one hell of a number on my neck." Where the rope was strangling me there was a deep dent that was badly bruised.
"Yes it did. Just glad we made it in time."
I jumped and twisted towards where the voice came from and it was the Prince. I half bowed. "Your highness."
Leon smiled shaking his head, he touched my shoulder. "You don't need to bow Ares. And just call me Leon no formalities between us."
I stood straight up again folding my arms. "Ok Leon, I've got a question for you. Why did you save me? More importantly why did you bring me back to the Castle when you know I'm a wanted criminal for a crime I didn't commit?"
Leon closed the door behind him, he leaned against the door with his arms crossed she instantly noticed how truly handsome he was from his brown colored tights to his loose fitted white silk shirt, from his stunning forest green eyes to his long blue tied back hair.
"Well I thought you might wanted a chance to prove your innocence not just to the people but also to the residents in this castle. Besides I also needed your help."
I stared at this Prince right in front of Me skeptically. "My help? Why would a royal such as yourself need my help."
"Nervana is my home as much as it is your home Ares. Something is growing in the background and its not good, I know you can feel it. This thing is effective my father as well he's not thinking clearly anymore, he's the type of man who would find the truth before convicting."
"Leon is right something not right something...darkness is coming. Though no one knows what it is."
Leon and I glanced over at the now opened door with the Prince's right hand man standing there. "Hajime, what are you doing here?"
"Well isn't obvious? I came to check in our Elven guest as well." Hajime walked up to me and stopped. "May I check your neck?"
I stared at him skeptically. Obviously Hajime caught on my look pretty quickly.
"Don't worry I won't hurt you I promise, you can trust me." A caring, concerned and trustworthy smile shown on his lips. I nodded my head slowly and tilted my head up a little with a small grunt escape my lips. The Dragoon gently touched my bruised neck. "The skin is knarled and going to be bruised for a few weeks till it fully heals."
"Um thank you...doctor." I said with a little less breath that I had before...what the hell is wrong with me? I stepped away from him until his hands are away from my throat. "So your highness what are we going to do first?" I looked over at Leon.
Leon smiled and nodded his head once. "There is a woman we need to go seek out someone who we need to convince to help us, but mind you she is blind."
"Wait are you talking about that bitch from that cult in the..." Hajime stopped himself from finishing the sentence he was thinking.
"Yes Hajime the Witch in the Dead Wood right past Jackles Cave." He took out a map and pointed in the direction of the Cave he spoke of.
"Then let's go get this blind Witch." I folded my arms and nodded my head. They both stared at me and looked over at each other, nodding their heads in unison.
"Alright I'll come get you in an hour." Leon smiled then they both walked out of the room and Hajime closed the door.
"Ok." Then I went over to the mirror realizing how bad I looked. The skin really is knarled around my throat from where the thick rope was being pulled and tightened. I sighed deeply feeling very drained and my body was still in a lot of pain.
An hour has past within a blink of an eye and Leon and myself met Hajime at the giant wooden gate behind the Castle's door then we were off to the Dead Wood to quit possibly danger that we really don't need right now.