Chapter Two.

Chapter Two of the epic tale, enjoy!

II.

   

 

    Stepping out into the courtyard, within the rear of the castle, his eyes wander the green slopes of the kingdom’s backyard.  The sun barely clings to the horizon, gently sinking beneath the line of trees in the distance.  Xytas walks down the smoothly paved brick path, which neatly intrudes through a divided garden.  Wild flowers bloom through the rich soil, blending vibrant colors of blue, and red, and yellow.  They sway gracefully, like a ship rocking in a calm bay, from the caressing of a soft spring breeze.  Past the gate of the courtyard, and into the open trail through the woods.  The lush garden has come-and-gone.  The bright blue sky littered with puffs of white, is obscured by the colossal green trees that stretch high above his form.  A dark, cool shade completely coats the forest he walks through.
    Toward the end of the trail’s stretch, the trees are small and barely litter the ground.  The brush has lightened, and once again the view widens into an open field.  The grass runs short, and soon Xytas is walking across a solid slab of gray rock.  He steps to the edge of the rock, any further would have him free-falling off of a thousand foot plateau.  For miles in almost every direction, he can see.  Far off in the west, through the endless valley of trees lies a great sea.  To the north, the farthest he can see before a jagged mountain reaches higher than he, and blocks out the other side of this land, is the large city of Rumfulk.  Silently resting in the east, lies a vast unexplored territory.  Bogs and swamps.  It is a no man’s land, known as Deilon-Dei.  Far beyond that vast stretch of mixed land, lies an entire empire, like this one.  The only thing preventing the harsh wretches of war… Deilon-Dei.  Most men do not even bother to attempt a march around it to wage battle.  That mystery shall cease the expansion of the empire any further.

    “Xytas.”

    He knows that voice from anywhere.  So calm, so suave.  Able to talk a woman from her undergarments without a hassle.

    “We have to talk.”  Rillin says.

    Xytas is quiet.  He has no plan to initiate the conversation any further.

    “Brother!  Disregard our personal feelings.  You are in danger.  Father has se-”

    “Father has done what?  He has taken my threats truthfully?  For I tell you without reluctance, they were indeed, so very true.”  He turns to face Rillin.

    “Xytas..  I will set aside the weight of your threats.  I care more about the sake of yourself.  Father has called for another council meeting, and it persists as we speak!  He tells the council you are dangerous, and must be taken care of.”
    Xytas stares blankly at his brother.  “Taken care of?  What, are they going to send me to my room?”

    Rillin lets out a groan, “I did not stick around long enough to hear the consequences of your meandering threats, but I tell you this, it will not be taken lightly.”

    Xytas snares at his brother, and quickly runs back toward the castle courtyard.  He sprints with trained athleticism through the forest, and up the walkway into the castle quarters.  His footsteps pound echoes through the dark hall, and he slams through the doors into the council hall.  The room, littered with men of the council.  Standing, and sitting.  A few guards line the far walls of the large room.  His eyes draw down to his father’s, whom is sitting in his chair at the other end of the table.

    “Xytas.  I am sure you have heard-”

    He cuts his father off.  “How dare you bring about our personal remnants with the duty of this court!  I told you once, you were a filthy man and now you have proven it to all of us!”

    Everybody is silent, as if dismembering the situation.  “Xytas.  You have gone out of line, time and time again.  The council, as well as I have been witness to it many times.  We have seen through it, and ignored it.”  His voice is calm.  “But you dare defy my rule with your petty threats, and to your own father of blood as it is!”  The weak old man’s voice reverberates through the room, like thunder.

    “What will you do father, put me in the dungeon for a week?  A month?  I can handle it, you know this as well as I do.”

    The king leans toward the edge of the table, resting his skeletal hands upon.  “Oh, my boy.  And yet you call me the ignorant one.”  The king rests his words for a moment, and through the male’s eyes, Xytas feels a chill.  “You will be removed from the royal family, and dispatched from the holdings of the castle.” 

    “WHAT?!”  Xytas’s shout of disapproval is out-weighed by the sudden chatter of the councilmen.  “You cannot remove me from the family!  You have no right!  Mother would not stand for this!  I will not leave th-”.

    “Your mother is dead my boy.  Long, long ago that came true.  You are no longer welcome here, young man.  For I shall no longer have the burden of calling you my son.  Ah.. No longer..”  A smile perches upon his old, vile face.  “Guards, take him out of here.  Leave his stuff in his room, for it is no longer owned by this unruly child.”

    The guards position themselves around him.  The room goes silent once again.  A guard moves closer, cautious.  “Ah!”  Xytas yells out as he punces the guard in the face.  The large man stumbles back a step, and the ex-prince’s arms are caught in hold, and he is pulled out of the chamber.  His feet slide along the floor, as he wildly flings himself around in the unmerciful grasp.  As he is pulled out of the doors the last time, his eyes fall upon his father.  “I WILL KILL YOU!”  As the doors close one last time, the laughter falls into silence.

   
   
 

Author's Note

This one is short, but sweet. I wanted to keep it short, to give a nice flow to the fast-paced action of the chapter. It also seems kind of compact, and is not supposed to be a long one. Hope it was well enjoyed.