Prologue - Bloodling.

King Heffin stared through the window of his chamber, arms behind his back, shaking his head. Lightning danced across the sky with a flash. The distant sound of thunder was almost unheard. 'I cannot allow it, I simply cannot.'
'But Sire you must. It is the only way to keep them safe.'
‘Is there nothing more we can do Balk?’
‘I fear not. We must now move urgently.’
The King’s head dropped to his chest. There was only a season separating him from his friend Balk. Neither had any siblings and they had grown-up together as almost two brothers. When Heffin had become king, none were surprised when he named Balk as his protector and Marc of the Knights.
The Marc of the Knights was the leader of the Sundevall Order. Knights sworn to defend Sundevall and its King. The Marc was the man chosen to protect the king with his life. Known in the past to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the King, the Marc, was an honoured title, and so was not a title given out so lightly. Balk like his title, was a well respected and well liked Man.
‘So we are to flee?’ Heffin continued to stare out the window, his voice ripe with pain and helpless frustration. window to the cackling sky.
Heffin did not answer, instead he l
‘Look, how long do you expect us to be able to hold up? Our numbers are diminishing, if we don’t try and get you out of here now, it may be too late.’ Balk, was almost pleading with him now, sat at the end of the King’s high-backed chair, he waited for a response. Not too many men could speak to a King like Balk did with Heffin, but a friendship like theirs goes further than titles.
Heffin knew Balk spoke truly. For two days and three nights now, they had been locked up in Sundevall Castle. At the top of the middle tower where the main chambers were, they were kept safe, while below carnage was taking place. Under Balk’s orders the remaining Knights - less than two score - held firm at the bottom of the tower. There they had barricaded the large wooden arch doors that led to the main hall to the Castle. ‘What has happened?’ He said, more to himself than Balk.
Balk shifted from the chair and went to stand next to his friend. ‘This is darker than evil. You cannot fight such things with such numbers.’ He placed a reassuring arm around Heffin and looked out theost himself in thought. Back to barely four days earlier. To the day his son was born. A day which preparations for a grand celebration was getting ready. He was by his wife’s side on their bed along with two handmaidens, especially chosen by the King and Queen to look after their expected son.
Whenever a child is born of the King’s blood in Sundevall, it was tradition for him to choose two handmaidens picked from a list of many, to look after that particular child until the end of their teen years. Heffin already had a daughter who was nearing the end of her teens and she had the same Handmaidens since a few days before she was born, but over the last few seasons, they had prepared to leave her side and had begun to teach her the final stages of being a Queen.
Heffin’s mind however now relived the birth of his son. Stood by his wife on her right, holding her hand, stroking the back of her palm with his thumb. It felt like it was happening again. Flashes of them moments ran past his vision. He watched again as his son tore from the womb that held him. Blood released like water bursting from a dam. His wife’s screams of agony could be heard once more as all he could do was watch, helpless. For a beat, it seemed the baby was being born from the blood itself, which washed over him. Blood and baby becoming one. He landed in the arms of a handmaiden, the blood splashing off him and revealing him for the first time. His son’s first cry broke him from his trance and he looked back to his wife, she was dead.
Since that day, the world seemed darker and almost dead to the eye. The shadows seemed to grow from nothing and the sun did not burn as bright as before. Rumours were quick to spread of Dayn’s birth and the death of the Queen. Rumours of Heffin making a deal with evil spread quickly from nowhere and before they knew it, they had a uprising in the Kingdom. And now they were trapped with countless numbers at the gates wanting to be rid of the evil that Heffin was accused of spawning.
Balk knew the look in Heffin’s eyes. He had seen it a lot over the last few nights. He was lost in that day again, a day that Balk knew was set to destroy him. ‘It is time my King.’
This brought Heffin back to reality. ‘No’ he said shaking his head clear of the past. ‘I am not going anywhere.’ Balk made to argue but Heffin anticipated and continued as he moved away from the window and to the side of his bed. ‘You are to take Dayn and Alicia to Windefell, there, I can only hope that they will be safe.’
‘And what about you?’
‘My death is necessary if my children are to live.’
‘No!’ Balk moved a step towards him. ’It is my duty to protect you, I will have a score of Knights escort your son and daughter and I will stay here, to fight for you.‘
Heffin shook his head sadly. ‘No my friend, Here out paths separate.‘ Once more Balk made to argue but Heffin continued ‘Please, I can trust no other but the Marc with this task. Do not make this even harder than what it is. I plead with you to take them away, across the sea and to the Eastern Lands, where they can slip into darkness and be lost from this evil. There must be a chance for them, there must!’
There was a pause, a look of worry from both men before Balk sighed. ‘Ok. Are you sure you will not be swayed?’ A nod from Heffin gave him his answer. ‘I’m sorry my friend, but we will meet again. Balk patted him on the shoulder. A gesture very few ever get to do to a King. With a simple nod, he turned away and swept from the chamber, closing the door behind him.
‘We will indeed meet again my friend.’ Heffin whispered and he returned to face out the window.
Balk crossed the hallway, entering the room directly opposite the King's room. Upon entering, he was welcomed by the two handmaidens handpicked by the King to look after his son. They were sat in a couple of chairs in the corner of the room facing the door. One was cooing softly while the other cradled a white blanket in her arms. Balk closed the door and crossed to them.
The one with the blanket spoke first breaking the silence. 'Evening welcome Marc...'
'I need you to get the baby ready for a journey.' Balk ordered cutting her off.
'Journey? But the King hasn't said anything.'
Balk looked down into the blanket noticing the sleeping Prince. 'We haven’t got much time. I am to leave for Windefell with the baby immediately.' He said in an urgent whisper. The two women set about making preparations with a quizzical glance towards one another, but both knew better than to question the Marc of the Knights. Satisfied he retreated out the door and left to the next room where Alicia was sleeping. He went in without knocking, something he would not usually do, but in the circumstances saw no other way.
Alicia startled in her bed, half sitting up groggily at the sudden appearance. Her two Handmaidens, who were sleeping in chairs by her bed suddenly awoke with the disturbance too. Alicia squinted dazedly towards the door. ‘Balk…?’
‘I’m sorry my Princess, but you need to get dressed, we have somewhere to be. Ready her immediately.’ He called to the handmaidens by her bed before he left to see over Dayn again. He entered the room with the two handmaidens dressed, one of them had Dayn nestled comfortably in her bosom.
'Sir, we would like to come with you.' One of them said.
Before he could deny the request a clamour of voices and footsteps raced towards him. He hurriedly closed the door to and peered out of the small crack that he left. The feint glow of torchlight could be seen bouncing off the walls towards the room. There was a lot of shouting and hurried footsteps. He guessed that they must have broke through the doors at the bottom of the stairs, but what of the Knights, had they fled or been killed? He didn’t have time to find out.
'What is...?’
'Silence!' Balk silenced the handmaidens and waved them back into the far corner of the room. He turned his attention back to the corridor, where he was suddenly of three people being dragged out by a group of men. It was Alicia and the handmaidens. The shouting from the large crowd grew as some continued to the King’s door and some towards Balk. He snapped shut the door and fled into the middle of the room. 'We have to get out of here, now!' He spun around trying to find some means of escape.
'I don’t understand, what's happening.' The two women looked worried, one still held the baby rocking her arms back and forth soothingly.
Balk shook his head. ‘I don‘t know.' He paced to the window and looked out. From the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the women nudge the other with her elbow. 'What is it?' he asked spinning towards them.
'There is a way out.' The Maiden without the baby strode over to the fireplace. 'We were shown this by the King after Dayn was born. He said we should use it when things went wrong.' She bent down at the centre of the fireplace and stretched her arm into the opening. After a second, a loud click sounded.
'What is...?’ Balk was left open-mouthed. The wall to the left of the fireplace shuddered. With an explosion of dust, it cracked open. As if it was a door, it opened outwards revealing a dark passage with a faint flicker of light coming from somewhere deep inside. Balk snapped shut his jaw and nodded, too much in a rush to question. 'Alright, quickly, let’s go.' The women went first disappearing into the black. Balk made to follow. With a last look back, he made one last promise to the room and slipped into the shadows after the handmaidens. The wall cracked once more and closed inwards as he disappeared.


After they had entered the secret passage, they had worked their way down a steep staircase. Following it right, Balk had guessed on how it spiralled from the top of the castle to the streets of the town. Torches mounted the walls on the right of them as they went, flames flickering, dimly lighting the way in the dark. The women were at the front, while Balk followed them - staying behind in case someone followed them into the recess - until they found their way out into the streets.
The two women were huddled against a wall seeking some small cover away from the wind and rain. Balk was just ahead of them knelt down and peering around the corner of the wall and into the street beyond. Though he was only a few yards ahead of them he was only just visible through the downpour. His cloak was blowing out ahead of him from the wind wrapping it tightly around his form. His hood was up shielding his face, allowing him some small cover from the rain, although the wind hit him constantly, threatening to blow his hood down. He fought upright and headed back to them, his left hand holding his hood in place from the back, his right hand on the pommel of his sword, which was sheathed at his side, ever ready. His eyes narrowed against the weather as he reached them.
'There is a boat still moored. The others probably set sail once trouble started a few days ago. I can’t see what boat it is, but I have a very good hunch who it could be. He’s a true seadog, doesn’t mind a fight. He’ll help us, he’s a good man. Unfortunately there are two men guarding the peer leading to it. I can just about make them out through the rain.'
'Well what can we do? We can't stay here much longer.' The woman hugged her arms to her chest, more to keep the little figure that slept against her bosom warm than herself.
Balk knew the truth of her words all to well. It would not be long until those that attacked the castle realised they were missing and moved to search the streets. 'Alright...' he said finally coming to a conclusion. 'We make for the boat. The Captain is a stubborn sod. A storm won't stop the fool from taking to the sea. If anyone can make it through this storm it's him.' With a deep intake of breath, he spun around drawing his sword in one clean movement. 'Stay here until I come back for you.' He began to move away.
'What if you don’t come back?'
With a shake of his head and words lost in the storm Balk disappeared around the wall. Upon stepping into the middle of the road a cold blast of wind hit him, forcing his hood down and his free hand up to cover his face. His eyes narrowed through the rain just managing to pick up the two figures stood guard. He took a few paces forward. Something was wrong. The hair on his neck stood on end, and his bones quailed inside, his instincts calling to him, but it wasn't from the cold or the rain. Suddenly agitated his eyes flicked from left to right. His hand tightened around the handle of his sword. As he neared the two guards, His mind raced. Why weren't they moving towards him? Surely, they had seen him. Then it clicked. Trap! A sudden movement caught his eye to the left, a flash of steel. With the speed of a Knight, he parried the blade away from his head, which whistled over his head, stretching the man across him. Twisting savagely from the hip, in an uppercut movement he brought the handle of his sword crashing up against the attacker’s nose. Blood hit him in the face but the rain just as quickly washed him clean again. The man fell onto his back holding his nose with both hands whining pitifully. With a click of his wrist balk had his sword gripped firmly and deadly once more. A quick side step to his left saw another blade glance past his ear. In a breath, he spun his own sword in his hands and with a push backwards stabbed; the stunned man threw his chest. He brought his hands back and with it his sword. The man collapsed backwards in a heap, dead. Not wasting time by even looking at the man he slew, he turned to face the boat once more. One figure remained guard.
With a scream of revenge the remaining guard ran at Balk who stood and watched, sword held low at his side. Balk watched him all the way. He got within feet of him when suddenly the man jumped bringing both hands above his head with his sword ready to crash down on Balk. In a quick break of stance, Balk sidestepped the man who could only watch in horror as Balk swept his own sword up over his head in a circle and brought it sweeping down. The blade caught the man just as his feet hit the ground, his body carried on running a few yards, but his head rolled gently to a stop by Balk’s feet.
Only after moving away and heading back towards where he had left the women did he notice somebody was missing. The man whose nose he had broken. Where was he? There was a small pool of blood where he had been lay. He had obviously used the time Balk had been fighting to get away. Had he just ran away? A sudden shriek told him where the man had fled.
He bounded round the bend in the wall and almost crashed into the woman holding the baby Prince. Looking over her shoulder, he saw the man. His nose still bled heavily. but the man didn't try to stem the bleeding. Instead, he had the other woman from behind. One arm around her waist and the other at her neck, a dagger pressed against her throat.
'Don’t move' he snapped, blood spitting from his mouth. 'I'll kill her I will. I'll kill her!' To prove his warning he pressed the dagger deeper into the woman's throat drawing blood and a moan of pain from her.
‘Ok.' Balk sheathed his sword slowly. The man studying him hard. He felt the woman with the baby step backwards into his body. Seeking some small comfort and assurance that everything would be fine. 'What do you want?'
'The boy, give me the boy. Or I kill her!'
'I can’t do that.' Balk looked to draw on the man's fear. Hoping he wouldn't be so stupid to kill the handmaiden. The only thing standing in front of him and death. 'Now let the girl go and we'll just be on our way. No one needs to know.'
The man glanced around seeking someway out. Someway to escape from the situation but not finding one. 'I'll take the girl.' The man spat. Almost in a panic and he began to retreat, the dagger still pressed to her throat.
'No! Please No.' the other woman sobbed, and stepped further back into Balk.
He placed his arms around her. 'I’m sorry. But we must go. We haven’t got much time.'
'No, please...'
The other women choked from her position 'Please go.' Tears were rolling down her face. Clear to see despite the rain.
The woman holding the baby ran from her position against Balk and towards the boat. In a beat Balk was backing away towards the boat, his eyes fixed on the man.
'I'll take good care of her.' He chuckled as he too began to back away.
'Sorry...' And with that that the woman stamped on the man's foot and went to run away. The man's other hand tightened around her waist and pulled her quickly back into him. With his dagger hand, he stabbed into the side of her neck and released her to fall to the floor. He didn't have a chance to glance up as Balk leaped forward running his blade threw into his stomach and out his back. With a kick, he removed his sword from the man and snapped it shut into its sheath. He knelt down by the woman. Blood poured from her willingly.
'I'm sorry...' He sobbed, cradling her in his hands. but she was already dead.