A Worthless Crown

Voice of Alcors Pallen:

We'd been riding all day, and the capital still felt like a distant dream. My legs ached from the lack of activity, my fingers stiff on my sheath. I was bored, but I forced myself to keep talking with Askath and Fraero. The last thing I needed was to become out of touch with all the events going on...

The road stretched ahead, empty but for the dust swirling in the late afternoon wind. Then, I saw her. Or rather, we all saw her at once.

Fraero called for the carriage driver to pull over, which he did without even a moment's notice.

A small girl stood by the side of the road, barefoot, her dress torn and dirty. She couldn't have been older than ten. Her dark hair hung in messy tangles around her face, and her thin arms clutched her stomach. She looked fragile. Scared. She looked like she didn't belong here at all.

"Help…" Her voice barely became audible.

Askath stopped first, swinging down from the carriage in one smooth motion. His sword hand remained loose at his side, but I could tell he wasn't really on guard. Fraero, still sat inside, watched with his usual air of amusement, as if waiting for the girl to suddenly grow fangs and leap at us.

"I wonder, is she a monster? Why else is a small child by the side of the road?" Fraero grinned.

I hesitated before following Askath. Fraero had a point. Something felt... wrong.

"Don't be mean, she might really need help." I gave him one scolding look before leaving. Sometimes Fraero's annoyance crossed the line and became cruelty.

Askath took a step forward. "Are you lost, child?"

She lifted her head, locking eyes with him. Then, all at once, her body jerked. A terrible sound—like a choking sob—escaped her lips, and she staggered forward.

Blood spilled from her mouth. Black blood.

My stomach twisted. I took a step back, but my feet felt rooted to the earth. The girl collapsed onto her knees, her body convulsing as more of that thick, unnatural liquid poured from her lips.

"Gods," I breathed.

She clawed at her throat, her eyes rolling back. Then, with her last, gasping breath, she looked directly at us—no, at Askath—and whispered:

"Greetings from Lord Vienna. She hopes you enjoy your trip to the capital... and wishes you luck in competing against her for the crown."

Then she was still.

Silence pressed in around us. Even the wind had gone still, as if the world itself recoiled from what had just happened.

Fraero let out a low whistle. "Well. That was dramatic. Who would of saw that coming, the small girl is in fact just another person reminding me of my impending doom!"

Askath, stone-faced, knelt and pressed two fingers to the girl's neck, though we all knew what he'd find. Or wouldn't. After a moment, he exhaled through his mouth, rising to his feet in frustration. "We go to the capital, just as fearless as before. Don't worry Fraero, empty threats I assure you."

"Well since these threats are all empty, I'm sure you won't mind handling all of them." Fraero laughed aloud, even though the joke wasn't that great.

That was it. No shock, no hesitation. Just cold, simple orders. He turned back to his horse without another glance at the girl's lifeless body.

Fraero sighed. "No burial?"

"No time," Askath said.

"That's rather sad..." I spoke out loud, Askath stared at me coldly.

"It's a good thing you were never forced to be an adventurer."

I swallowed hard and forced myself back into the carriage. As we rode away, I couldn't shake the image of her—the black blood, the way she had spoken with such certainty before dying.

Lord Vienna.

I had never met her, but I knew what kind of person she was already.

A cruel mistress?

A young psycho? 

Neither sounded great, but these were the kinds of people I wouldn't mind fighting. Bad people. People who needed to be defeated in order for victory to be assured. 

That girl was real... Just how cruel would people become for the crown?

We reached an inn just as the sun dipped below the hills. It was small and unremarkable, the kind of place meant for travelers who had no other options. The stable smelled of hay and damp wood, the innkeeper barely spared us a glance before shoving keys into our hands.

Fraero wasted no time finding a meal, while Askath led me to the back of the inn, where a small courtyard stretched between the buildings. I already knew what was coming.

"Draw your sword."

I hesitated. "Askath, we've been riding all day, at least let me stretch my legs—"

He turned to face me fully, and the look in his eyes shut me up. This wasn't a request.

"In battle there are no at leasts, buts, or waits. You will duel me here and now."

I sighed and unsheathed my sword, the weight of it familiar in my hands. My body was sluggish, muscles aching from travel, but I lifted the blade anyway.

"Again," he said. "Like you mean it this time."

I attempted to summon my sword spirit, it resonated on the blade, tiny but visible.

I took a step forward and swung. Before I even registered what had happened, my sword was no longer in my hands. Askath had twisted his wrist, sending my blade clattering to the ground. He barely looked like he had moved. The dragon slayer in his hands gleamed brightly under the sunset light.

I gritted my teeth and picked it up. Again.

The next swing ended the same way.

And the next.

And the next.

This wasn't training. Training implied I was learning something. This was just Askath reminding me how outmatched I was. He was simply disarming me with terrifying speed. 

"Won't you learn something, this was how my master taught me. If you can't stop yourself from getting disarmed, simply disarm them faster!"

By the time he finally stepped back, my hands were raw, my arms trembling. He studied me for a long moment before speaking.

"If you fight like this in the capital, you'll be dead before a week passes. Our enemies won't want us to even set foot. As you saw from that incident with the girl."

I said nothing. I just clenched my sword and swallowed the anger burning in my throat.

Askath turned, heading back toward the inn. "Get some rest. We leave at dawn."

I stood there, breathing hard, watching him go. After he left, I thought back to the girl. To the black blood, to the way she had been used to merely convey a message, and the fact she had to die for that... It hurt me.

It made me want to cry for her, but I couldn't. I couldn't show weakness now. Every moment since that event, I had a feeling.

I had a feeling perhaps the capital wouldn't be such a dream.

"But there's no turning back now!" I sighed, the last specks of positivty drained from my voice after that duel. Askath was proving to be not such a hero in my eyes anymore, as he welcomed me into the inn with a smug expression.

"The score today is 5-0, make sure to keep count boy. My master was counting to the hundreds when I finally beat him."