"A Fool And His Sword"

A Fool And His Sword
By Bryan Martin

Avis Linter sat impatiently in the great corridor of king ramuel the third, and fidgeted with his shoes. They were too tight and he had told his father that before they had left for the castle two days ago. But his father, the great faran the second, was too obsessed with getting to the tournament of fools to care. Much rode on the winning of this competition for his father and their family. The war to the east had come close last spring and food was scarce. At least within the walls of the city castle a man could breathe easier. And if you could make the king and his court laugh, well you just might get to stay in the royal house itself. But avis hated being a fool. He hated the jokes, the clothes, he even hated, although he would never say it to his father, the funny twinkling bells on his tight shoes. For generations the Linter’s had been fools. And they were generally proud of it too. His great uncle, shervas had actually saved a nobleman from choking to death. But Avis was a dreamer and as luck would have it he really wasn’t that good at being a fool. This embarrassing secret was something that his father did well to hide. “You will grow into it son.” He would say nervously every time Avis would miss the punch line or drop his funny hat. His father would train with him for hours. But Avis longed for a different path in life. He actually found himself longing to be a royal knight. “ Your too short to be a knight” His mother would say. Avis was not convinced, even stealing away from his juggling training to watch the jousts and the mock battles of the royal guard. Once he even handed a knight his broadsword which had fallen as he climbed onto his horse. And now sitting with thirty to forty other fools he found himself watching the royal guardsmen with much more interest.
They stood taller than the rest of the crowd. Shiny polished steel with black ostrich fur running the length of their backs. Their helmets covered almost all of the face, twisting their image into a bird like profile. But Avis was most drawn to their sword. It was a huge broadsword crafted by the local druid guild. It was razor sharp and deadly if wielded by the right person. Once an entire battalion of royal knights had defended the city state of Narket against an assault by King Osrec and his nobles. For two weeks they held firm until help arrived. It was a legendary story that Avis could recite by heart.
His daydreaming were soon interrupted by the flourish of trumpets and the opening of the arena gates. Following the barking commands of one of the knights Avis and his father along with the other fools walked quickly into the burning sunlight of a hot high summer morning. The arena was constructed by king Ramuel’s father out of white marble. The floor was sand mostly although the outer ring was bound with hardened pine.The sand often stained red with blodd was imported from the nearby islands of the southern coast and the wood was said to have been bought directly from the red elves on nianthep. Stretching out and above the far end of the arena was the royal box. It was made out of blackened granite and stood twenty feet high. The huge dragon banners of the kingdom flowed down the front of it, like a waterfall. Avis was in awe of the spectacle. Milling around were various nobles some of whom could not or did not have the money to sit with the king to view the show. They mumbled and grumbled through the small crowd of street vendors and entertainers grimly. The open air arena was saturated with the smell of cooking meat and body odor. Avis wondered what it smelled like in the box.
“Alright amateurs to the left and veterans to the right!” Shouted a rather tall individual who held a long list of names on his scroll. They shuffled to their respected spots and began to rehearse. Avis knew his real skill was in juggling so he began to practice this first. He had been doing it since he was a small toddler. His specialty now was juggling long knives. He could do three and then throw an apple straight into the air and catch it on the tip of one of the knives. This little trick had gotten them this far in the competition. But it really was no big deal to Avis. His weakness was distractions and here among the shiny broadswords and helmets of the royal guard he was very distracted.
“Alright. The king has commanded that the competition begin.!” shouted the man with the scroll. There was a deafening chorus from the crowds now huddled close around the outer ring of the arena.Avis felt a twinge of fear but it soon vanished and he waited his turn to perform. They were about to begin when the door to the arena burst open and six red hooded and grim faced individuals came rushing in. Two of them were carrying a small chest. The royal knights had surrounded them but they were only helping the men get through the crowd. There was a sense of urgency to the pace of the men and confusion mixed with curiosity was rippling through the performers. The robed men placed the box at the foot of the royal viewing wall and one of them began to speak to the direction of the king.
“My lord, the order of the dragon has produced for you this day a most magnificent and magical Talisman. Contained within the talisman is the power to grant the wearer magical armor and weapons when he chooses. Armor which will obey and appear almost at will. This Talisman will be wielded by your best champion knight. It will appear only at his command and once the battle is over it will disappear. This is the mightiest weapon that our wizards guild have ever created. It is yours to do with as you wish.” They were about to open the case when there was shouting from the archers on the guard towers of the castle. The air seemed to become harsh with the stench of suffer. There was a sense of growing fear and even his own father was now whispering words that everyone was loather to hear. “Sorcery”.
The arena center exploded in a series of fiery sparks and there was suddenly an armed assortment of warriors dressed in the red tinted armor of the sorceress Dalian. From the door of the arena and the royal box there came a frantic pounding. They were all now locked inside with the sorceress herself now appearing before them. She was dressed from head to toe in her grim black and red leather armor. Her raven hair flowed down her back like blood. Her eyes were like fire to gaze upon them. The king’s bodyguards as well as several nobles just dropped to the floor as if they had fallen asleep. She approached the wizards and their magic talisman.
“So you have created what my minions could not. Armor to topple the empires of the world.” Her voice was like ice and as she spoke her soldiers took their positions around her. Suddenly the king himself stood up and yelled down to her. “ If you are going to kill me then get it over with dalian. Other wise be gone from these walls, your filth is infectious.”
“ Brave words good king but remember this that I could kill you now with a wave of my hand. “ She was looking up at him now the sun gleaming off of her armor and into his eyes. “ But I will rather watch you die slowly as I strip away everything you have. You should have married me good king. But alas it was never meant to be. Pity because now I will take your weapon and reap havoc on this world and when I am done you will beg me to be your queen. But I will make you my slave instead.” There was a rush of movement and several of her guards ran for the case. But the wizards lifted the case above their heads and were running as well, when one of them tripped and the Talisman went sliding across the arena right towards Avis and his father. He knew it was his one and only chance to prove himself to the king that even a fool could be a knight. Almost without thinking Avis lunged for the amulet. Grasping it firmly, he placed it over his neck and ducked and rolled underneath the gleaming battleaxe of one of the sorcerer’s henchmen. The huge leather clad ogre raised his axe to cleave his head in two, Avis found his entire body suddenly covered in armor which appeared heavy but was light as a feather on his skin. He also held a huge gleaming sword which seemed to buzz with power as he put the ogre’s swing in check. His new found weapon seemed to direct itself as his arm thrust upwards and sliced the hapless ogre’s stomach wide open. Avis was in shock it was as if the sword was controlling his every move. “I am. Now move it if you want to survive this.” The words were in his mind and yet he knew somehow that it was the sword and the armor doing the talking,but the voice was suprisingly femine. But with other henchmen bearing down on him, Avis decided to follow it’s advice. Rising swiftly he charged back towards the line of open mouthed nobles. His plan was simple enough grab the talisman for the king and get the hell out of there but before he could do that two more ogres stared him down. There was a flash of blades and two more bodies hit the ground. Finally the royal knights had breached the doorway and were pouring in.
Dalian had already lost three of her men and her spell to block the door had failed. She gave an icy glare towards Avis and then turned and faded from the arena in a mist of sulphurous ash. Instantly the sword disappeared from his hand and it was gone, yet somehow Avis could still sense it’s presence.His armor faded away as well. The talisman hung around his neck tightly almost He thought like a leash or a chain. There was a resounding roar of approval for the boy from his peers and brief smiles and nods from the nobles but the wizards appeared white faced as if they were looking at a ghost. They were muttering to themselves and glancing from time to time back and forth between the king and Avis. They looked extremely worried. Finally it was the king who spoke first.
“ Well then our kingdom has a new hero. Please join me and my wizards guild members in my audience chamber.” Avis felt the presence of two knights behind him as well as the wizards. But it was the talisman that compelled him to move forward. “ You must appease the king so that he does not suspect that you will turn on him. Once that is done then you and I will conspire to get out of this castle.” Moving into the audience chamber Avis thought to himself. “ How can you talk in my head your just a necklace.”
“ Not just any necklace, master, I was forged from the blood of a thousand warriors and created to obey the first one who lay their hands on me. You are the chosen one.”
“But how did I move like that back there.? Avis wondered.
“My energy flows through you now. We can never be parted. I am yours and you are now mine.”
The talisman shouted inside his mind. “Now don’t look weak or they will all try to kill you now. We must get away from the castle and these wizards. Even now they conjure ways to release you from me one way or the other.”
They had arrived in the king’s private audience chamber. It was lush and candle lit. The floor made of polished black marble and the throne covered in exotic wood and jewels. Avis stood in the center before his king his head slightly bowed. The wizards as well as a few nobles and as many knights as the room could hold were gathered in a semi circle in front of him. He could feel the weight of the room upon him. Finally the king spoke.