A New King

A Story by little_k

just a fiction im trying to write, most likely a bunch of mistakes bear with me.

1
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It was a time of civil unrest in the kingdom of Linthis, for the rule of King Bradfeord was harsh.  He was an unrelenting ruler, caring more for his riches than for the prosperity of the common person.  Under his rule, taxation was higher than it had been since the days of the last great revolt.  Items of warfare and food were taxed most heavily of all, giving the common citizen little ability to do anything to resist his oppressors.  Thus, many forges and smithies had lost their means of practicing their craft.
There was a rebellion growing in those days, one that the king and his spies were less than blind.  Though rewards were posted for the names of the insurrectionists, and stiff penalties were brought on those who harbored them, the rebellion continued to grow and evolve as more and more pressure was applied to bring it to an end.  In a way, the rebellion was being refined and forged, in a very similar fashion that a blacksmith forges a sword.  One such blacksmith was just in the process of creating such a sword…

Only one sound can be heard resonating through the blistering, arid forge; the sound of steel on steel. Sparks fly as the master blacksmith finishes striking the once white-hot blade of steel. He grunts as he turns to throw it in the blazing furnace. He sets the hammer on the large anvil still warm from the blade.just As he sits, he hears the sound of chain mail and heavy armor approaching the forge. The blacksmith rises to his feet and looks around in panic,the thought of another raid sending a shiver up his spine. Then two burly soldiers walk in and split to reveal one of the king's scrawniest captains. He was not only short but also known a pansy when it came to a fight.
"Is the sword for the king ready." yells the captain trying to scare Thor.
"Please captain I need one more day to finish the sword" Thor says trying to keep a strait while trying not to laugh at the small man. The captain then motions for his guards to go outside.
"You sorry heap of a blacksmith, if I can only know why the king likes you..."   He stops as he hears shouts outside. He looks back outside to see one of his guards falling to the ground, an arrow through his chest. "What...what is this? Who's out there?" He looks around frantically, then taking the blacksmith by surprise pins him against the wall. "What is happening? Whom did you hire?!" shouts the captain going through a full range of pained expressions, he then thrusts a dagger into the blacksmith's waistline. Just then, a hooded man walks into view with a bow in hand; he sets an arrow and lets it fly.  The arrow takes the captain by the side causing him to crumple to the floor. The newcomer then takes the blacksmith and quickly bandages his wound.
"Get up. We must leave" the archer says calmly.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" The blacksmith says in a daze
"No time for that nonsense right now, let's get a move on." The archer pulls the black smith to his feet, takes one good look at him and sighs. "They didn't say you'd be this pathetic."
At that, the blacksmith straightens himself, "who are you calling pathetic? I'll let you know I'm Thor, the best Blacksmith in this land," He says trying to pull as much of his dignity back as he could. "And who do you think you are and why did you come?" staring the archer down, but throwing quick glances at the captain who was now dead on the floor.
"Once we get to safety I'll tell you who I am and any other details you want to know." The archer says looking out the door clearly looking for something.
"Why are you so intent on leaving? You killed the guards and the captain and nobody's around to hear or see." Thor says trying to act just as calm as he sits down to take a breath.
"Well it's a bit more complicated then that you see one of the guards escaped"
"Escaped! How in the bloody hell, did he escape?" Thor says giving the archer a nasty look. He gets up and looks outside sure enough there was one guard missing
"I let one go so you would be more persuaded to come."
"Well if it's going to be like that then let's get a move on, but this doesn't mean I'll be happy about it." Thor says a little perturbed, he then bends down to pick up the captain's dagger and slides it in his belt, and starts out the door.
"Didn't expect you to" the archer mutters to himself. They head through the alleys toward the gate on the west side of the city as they pass by some running guards the take a turn towards an old mill they are approached by a scraggly man in tattered clothing. The man looks closely before he speaks.
"Change for a weary soul." He asks.
"The only change I have is the change of a new king." The archer says looking at the ragged man.
"Then you are welcome to the storehouse." The man says while making a motion for them to follow, leads them into the mill and down a trap door.
in the middle of the room to a torch lit cavern. All around them are weapons, small anvils and a single furnace. Thor looked to a couple of anvils in the back of the room and there was a blacksmith diligently working on a set of short swords.
"Okay, so who are you and what did you bring me here for" Thor asks the archer looking at him impatiently.
"Well now that we're safe for the most part, my name is Dral. And my mission is to help the rebellion recruit new hands" Dral says walking to a tunnel about the height of a small tree that was carved into the side of the wall; it had a strange look about it. Suddenly out emerged two dwarf-sized men holding picks and shovels.
"Dral, who is this newcomer," one of the miners says looking at Thor smiling
"He is a master blacksmith that has now joined the rebellion." Dral says looking at
"Wait…wait don't I get a say in what I do whether its join the rebellion or not." Thor says just a little angry from being dragged into this mess.
"Well now that you've seen this place I'm afraid not." Dral says a bit too calmly as he turns back to the two miners. He starts chatting with them leaving Thor to think of the mess he had been dragged into. Thor walks towards the blacksmith working on the two short swords. He notices the work of the others in the room practicing swordplay and archery.
"Where do you keep the metal for crafting?" Thor says while looking intently at the blacksmith's work noticing an unfamiliar inscription on the blade.
The blacksmith looks up from his work and waits a second before pointing to a large pile of bars over in the corner of the room Thor heads over picks up a bar of steel then walks to the furnace on the other side of the room and places the bar into the furnace. As he waits, he takes a closer look around the shop. He stops at an armory that holds a few short swords and a few daggers, but nothing like what the blacksmith in the corner was working on. He then slowly walks to the blacksmith who was working on the set of swords
"So who are these beautiful swords for?" Thor asks staring at the inscription that was in a tongue not from his land.
"They are for a new king the great General Benji the fearless leader of this small rebellion." The blacksmith says not even glancing up from his work this time.
"What is all this talk of a new king and a rebellion?" Thor snaps.
"This rebellion is against the tyrant king Bradfeord. And the new king is general Benji, who was the only kind soul that has lived to get out of the kings guard." The blacksmith says not sounding the least bit offended by Thor's questions. The blacksmith looks up revealing the scars on his face. His face had to long scars across a empty hole where his eye should have been and yet the other side was perfectly fine. Thor jumps a little, startled by the blacksmiths appearance.
"What happened if you don't mind me asking?" Thor asks in a whisper
"The king sent his guards to put me out of business but little did they know, I train with my swords. I survived the wound and then I left and set out for the rebellion."