Raymonde's Father

As night falls onto the city of Kram, Katrina, Llorva, Lorxan, and the man all climb aboard a wooden cart they have encountered outside the city limits, as they all get situated on the cart the man removes his hood to reveal long reddish-brown hair, a patchwork beard with scars preventing it to grow in some places and emerald green eyes, Raymonde's eyes,

"So let me properly introduce myself," he says removing his cloak revelling a black shirt with ruby red highlights, "I am Isake, former king of the Ruby Empire," before he could continue any further with his explanation Katrina punches him right on the bridge of the nose, "I do believe I deserve that," he continues, Katrina looking at him with hatred in her eyes with arms crossed,

"You damn well deserved that," Katrina roars, "you had everyone believe you were dead," she continues, resting Raymonde's head in her lap,

"I was dead," he says everyone looks at him with shock, "I was killed by none other than the New King of the Ruby Empire and my son Ace," he declares with extravagance,

"So how do you know Raymonde?" asks Llorva, holding one of Raymonde's hands,

"I do not believe I know your name," he replies to Llorva, "what might it be?" he asks her to expect a straight answer,

"Answer the gods' damned question," she says raising her voice slightly, reaching for her sword,

"Okay, okay," he replies holding his hands up to the sight of Llorva reaching for her weapon, "I am this young man's father. After all, he has the Hawkstride emeralds," he says gesturing to Raymonde's eyes,

"Hang on a second," Llorva states, "so you are telling me Raymonde here, our Raymonde, is a prince?" she asks sounding confused, "and yet he became a royal commander for Kram," she says and before she could continue, Katrina raises her hand to tell Llorva to stop talking and let Isake speak,

"Yes he was a prince," Isake replies, "but that was when I was king, now he is the rightful king of the Ruby Empire," he continues, "he is the heir to the throne," as he finished speaking Llorva looks at Katrina in awe, she nods,

"What he says is the truth," Katrina declares, "before I even knew Raymonde he-he was always escaping the palace to see the world outside the ruby walls," she continues, stroking Raymonde's hair, "the only reason my family was exiled from the Empire as well is that we knew them," she gestures at Raymonde, then towards Isake,

"It was only after Ace began to act up when Raymonde kept leaving the safety of the walls of the palace," Isake adds, "it was like he knew, one day, Ace was going to take the throne from him," Llorva and Lorxan continue to look astonished to what they have just heard, "anyway, how did you even meet him?" he asks Katrina and the rest of the group,

"Well I first met Raymonde when I was helping my mother in the markets of the Empire," Katrina starts, "he would come to our stall every day and help out when he could," she continues, "we didn't know he was a royal until some of your guards came looking for him one day," she says as a tear rolls down her cheek, "I knew when he first came and helped us out, I knew then and there that we would be together forever,"

"That's right you two were inseparable when you were the ages of ten," Isake begins, "it was the highlight of every day when I saw him having fun with the girl he loved," Katrina looks at him in disbelief, "yes he loved you too Katrina, he loved you as well," he glares over towards Llorva and Lorxan,

"Well," Llorva says clearing her throat, "I met him when I was sent to go and retrieve him from Vul," she says, "and when I got there and found him the place was burnt to a crisp, not an hour after I had found him," she continues, "so yeah that is my story," Isake looks towards Lorxan, he shrugs,

"I have only known him for a week, we meet in Xam," he says shrugging his shoulders, "I hardly know the man," he looks at the unconscious body of Raymonde,

"Anyways," continues Isake, "we should be looking where we are headed or we will become completely lost," he says as he stands and grabs the straps on the horses, "where did you want to go?"

"Mount Weystone," Katrina pipes up, "we were headed to Mount Weystone," she looks at both Llorva and Lorxan, they both nod, she glares towards Isake,

"Mount Weystone it is," Isake declares, he leads the horses towards the road and snakes towards Mount Weystone.

"Commander," a voice echoes around Raymonde, "Commander Raymonde!" the voice yells, Raymonde shakes his head to see a young Tiefling woman,

"What is it?" Raymonde replies still trying to grasp what's happening, he shakes his head again and finds himself on the front lines,

"It's the enemy," she begins, "should we prepare for an attack?" Raymonde attempts to voice a reply before the warning horn is let off, "they are here," she says, "Raymonde we need to prepare now,"

"Alright, prepare for battle!" he yells out to everyone around him, "make sure everyone knows," he tells the Tiefling woman, Raymonde turns on his heel and enters the tent behind him, in there he goes to grab his swords before a bloodied hand falls atop of his, a body falls to the ground from the shadows of the tent. Dead, Raymonde awakes screaming.

"Raymonde?" utters a familiar voice from behind him, "Raymonde are you okay?" he turns to see Isake kneeling in front of him, he scurries back before Katrina had to grab him to prevent him from falling off the cart,

"I know how it looks," Katrina begins to say, "but when you leaped out of the window back in Kram, you were rendered unconscious," she stops speaking to let Raymonde collect himself, "but he helped you, he got you out of harm's way,

"But that does not explain why he is still here," he says in elvish to Katrina, "why would he come back now?" he says while looking back and forth between them both,

"I know, but he is here to help you," she responds in the same tongue, "he is taking us to Mount Weystone to retrieve the artifact atop the mountain," she says gesturing to the large mountain in the distance,

"And it looks like we are staying here for the night," Isake adds, "and don't you forget, your mother taught me elvish, I heard everything you said," Raymonde looks at the floor of the cart his face turning pink, "don't be embarrassed son," before Isake could even continue his sentence he is cut off,

"Do not ever, and I mean ever call me son again," Raymonde roars as his eyes begin to glow red, Isake looks concerned, not of the fact of what Raymonde had said, but towards his red glowing eyes,

"How long has that been happening?" Isake asks Raymonde, "with the eyes and all," he gestures towards his eyes then towards the red highlights on his shirt,

"Glowing red?" Katrina jumps in, seeing Raymonde doesn't want to associate with him, "I first saw it not a day after I was reunited with him," she says, Isake looking more concerned, "why, what's the problem?"

"It's just I," he stops himself, "it's nothing," he diverts his vision from Katrina, and concentrates on the road in front,

"If you don't tell me willingly," she begins, "I'll have to force it out of you," she says as her hand ignites into blue flames, her arm becoming transparent blue, "the thing about being dead is, no one will know you're gone," she says with a sinister grin on her face, sweat begins to form on Isake's forehead,

"Alright I'll tell you," he says jittering, "it is the Order of the Crimson Ring," he starts, then whispers to the horses to keep following the road up the mountain, Raymonde turns his head to listen, "they use divine and unusual torturing methods," he continues, "they extract the rage from one's mind and transfers it to the eyes, so when one," he gestures towards Raymonde, "when one becomes angry their eyes begin to glow a bright red,"

"So," Raymonde begins, "the force I fought on the battlefield two and a half years ago were the Crimson Ring?" he says looking baffled,

"Order of the Crimson Ring, and yes they were," he says, Raymonde tosses his hand in the air in disbelief, "they have never lost a battle, the way they win is they infiltrate your army and take you out one by one," he continues, everyone intently listening, "until the day of battle where your forces are outnumbered three to one," Raymonde investigates the distance and spots Vul over the horizon,

"We need to stop," he says, the cart coming to a halt, "I need to retrieve something, well someone," he jumps out of the cart and heads towards Vul.