Familiar Faces

Melissa slowly walks back in shock from Arthurs words "you wouldn't kill Leo would you.?"

Arthur simply sits holding Lisa as she cries into his arm "depending on what you are asking to save one person and let the rest of the kingdom fall or kill the one person to let the others live but this is nothing like that it's either the threat or the victim."

Melissa stands in shock, she clenches her hand rolling it up into a fist "you would just kill Leo, just like that?, HAVE YOU NO SOUL ARTHUR OR HAS FATHER TOUCHED YOUR HEART WITH A CURSE!"

Arthur again sits there with Lisa but he looks at the wall with a blank look. "If you haven't noticed we suffered a major loss quit your bickering, Sivick is gone; Leon killed him, I can no longer wield the sword without anything going wrong in other words you dare try to lecture me how to be a lord while we have lost one of our greatest allies I thought I could look up to you Melissa but it looks like you've turned into a bigger child than I."

Arthur lifts Lisa up into his bed tucking her in "I have some business to do," Arthur looks over at Leo who lays on the gold gravel ground still unconscious Melissa holds Leo in her arms looking back at Arthur, he takes his leave not after putting Ascalon back in the scabbard. "take care of her you two, from now I have dismissed you two of your duties until I say you may return to your post"

Arthur then makes his way toward the war room where the Commander and General sit. "My you took your time young lord" Arthur sits down in his seat he tries to think of the next plan until something popped into his head. "General, get every soldier in the kingdom to training and send the scouts to Pantemma we shall find out their next move and do what we do best, strategize."

Arthur stands out of his seat looking at the two he says confidently, "men we are going to win." After the meeting the Commander and General gather all the men they go to Arthurs dorm where Leo Melissa and Lisa lay, Leo now awakened to face the General to say to him that they have been dismissed until told to come back.

Later that day every soldier on horseback every Archer, everyone that could pick up a sword axe, or lance trained. Three royal decrees were made for the knights to follow in the time, one, be chivalrous, two always show respect, and the third decree was to never be selfish or poorly mannered show honor till death, all of this carried on for half a year but every night was sleepless for Arthur, Sivick is dead but his soul remains every night Sivick would tell him "the light seeks you Arthur but the sacrifice will be great you have the catalyst you just need to fill it."

Every day to the night he thinks upon the words that Sivick tells him he can't just forget the words his voice is in his head like a preacher, preaching the same thing every ten minutes, almost everyone's lives are happy and hard working the but looking more lively than it was before, Arthur tells the Commander before leaving that he is going to the mountain of times past, without question the Commander sits there and nods his head and in secret, Arthur mounted upon his horse and left the kingdom in the Commanders care.

Arthur leaves off to the mountain of times past the, going by and seeing the decaying bodies of the great battle, from nights to days now piled onto weeks he makes it to the first location, the chasm of voices the only trail out of the giant crater where the four kingdoms lay, in the archives the last team to step foot in the chasm fell mad one of the poor souls who had deceased a week after the expedition said that he heard the screams of his wife and his two little boys and his older daughter.

Arthur without hesitation ignoring the facts even if they were true its the only way to get to the mountain, he rides on into the chasm no second thoughts up ahead not even halfway into the chasm he sees an isolated village that seems oddly familiar no one to bother the village, not even a little mouse, Arthur travels through the village slowly as familiar kids frolic in the streets Arthur makes his way to a tavern latching his horse to a nearby fence.

Arthur opens up the tavern door slowly peaking in to see such a lively and friendly place beautiful waitresses and young and healthy men talking about the great times of battle and youth while the elderly faced each other in arm wrestles competitions, Arthur enters the tavern and takes a seat at a table with next to a man with a hat atop his head, the man calls out to a waitress "may I have a beer for two." the waitress winks at the man and leaves off to get the beers.

Arthur stays quite with the damaged Ascalon at his side, the man takes a quick glimpse at Ascalon and smiles "my that's a mighty fine looking sword you got there looks just like mine" the man unsheathes the sword and places it down on the table Arthur looks at the sword and even it was enough to get his mind going with questions, the man slouches over to Arthur squinting his eyes "ya know boy you kinda look like my son." The waitress comes back with the cups of beers and places them on the table "alright don't be getting too drunk you two and I expect payment later."

Arthur looks at the man in shock as he stops to think for a moment the village the children that were playing in the streets this man it's all from the day before he passed on, this was the village Leo, Melissa, Arthur and Lisa grew up in, Arthur pushes out the only words he can say, "father."