The Challenge

King Dreyfus challenges his son to burn a town to the ground. What will happen with the prince sets his sights on Josslyn.

All the people stood in front of their homes waiting for the attackers to be upon them which was in a minute. The attackers slowed for a moment allowing their archers to retrieve there bow and arrows. The arrows released into the sky like three massive waves of black clouds that hovered over the village. Although the villagers had weapons they weren’t trained in combat only a few of them knew how to properly handle a sword and it was a few hundred against a few thousand. The arrows took down half that number and the rest of the villagers scattered running around or into homes. The first wave of arrows landed into the homes mostly so that didn’t scare the villagers. It was the second and third wave that came back to back puncturing villagers in their heads, chests, arms and legs. It was especially horrifying when after the second attack villagers starting running away so by the time the third wave came arrows were knocking people in the back of their heads. It was horrifying for villagers to see their friends and neighbors falling into the dirt. The riders didn’t wait for the arrows to launch. While the second and third waves were coming down the riders descended upon Lord Jonathans land. The archers stayed back to use their bows on unsuspecting villagers who probably wouldn’t see them.

            The men on the horses came and while everyone was still scattered about the men held out their swords slicing people as they whisked by. The village wasn’t a battle zone it was slaughter no one was fighting the riders. People were running around screaming; some with arrows in their limbs others with huge gashes on their backs laying on the ground waiting to die. Those who made it into their homes were set on fire with flaming arrows and when they tried to run outside to escape the smoke that threatened their lungs. They were greeted with either a flaming arrow to the chest or a sword through the heart. The people begged for the life of their children who weren’t able to take a ride out. The men just slashed at everyone. Some of the people who were on the ground still alive from the arrows or being slashed at with the sword looked up in horror as they found King Dreyfus walking throughout the town.

            “Sir. A servant in the Lord Jonathans home says he frequents Lord Bartholomeu’s brothel.” A bloodied soldier said while running up to Dreyfus. It wasn’t his blood from the way he moved he wasn’t experiencing any pain. The blood was from those he killed and like the other soldiers he didn’t seem phased by the dead bodies around him. A soldier to his right had begun going around to those on the ground still squirming and stabbing them through the heart. An action that neither Dreyfus or the soldier acknowledged or cared about.

            “Son. Where’s my son? Where is Travis?” The king said looking around for his boy. A person would almost think he was panicking. When the truth is it was more from annoyance than anything else.

            “Here. I’m Here father-King.” Travis approached with his disheveled hair and uniform that appeared to be wet. He hoped they wouldn’t be able to tell he threw up.He could see the annoyance when he slipped up. Dreyfus hated to be called father.

            “Lord Jonathan is at Lord Bartholomeu’s.” He said staring into his sons greenish brown eyes. “I need you to take the left unit go there and burn it to the ground with both of them in it.” He saw the way his son switched his footing. He had tried to bring him up a strong man. On the inside he felt a failure as a father for raising a coward. On the outside he was the king and he would kill anyway who stood in his way even if that meant his own son. To him his son had better start becoming a man and that meant by spilling blood for their cause. He knew that when the attack started his son stayed far away. “Bring the beautiful women back for the men and kill all the rest.” His son seemed to feel uneasy with that as well letting his blondish brown hair sway in the light wind. Dreyfus wondered if he was gay then thought better of it. He would kill him now if that was the case. “Jacob is coming with you.” In the end it was better for Dreyfus that way. That way he would have the peace of mind that the job would get done.

            Travis only nodded to his father. He called on the the second and third unit and they all rode to Lord Bartholomeu’s place. His land was always a pain to pass because they couldn’t risk the mountains because they were unstable. They had to take the long way around. He didn’t stop for rest he knew that since Jacob was with him he had to act tough. He knew word would get back to his father and that was a bigger fear to him than killing all those people.

 

 

            Erik and Zeke don’t make it far. As soon as they get a few miles past Lord Tomas’s land. They see a bunch of people on horseback heading there way. They were going pretty fast. The people arrived on Erik and Zeke so fast they quickly equipped the swords not sure of what was going to happen. It was like slow motion the people were hectically riding past them some of them screaming and crying. Erik and Zeke only could only look around with concern and questions.

            Finally Erik yelled. “What’s going on? Why are you running?”

            Most of the people didn’t say a word. Finally a young man with his young son in front of him riding the horse stopped in front of Erik. “They attacked. We had no warning. They attacked. We could see the smoke. We ran we just ran.” Tears began to stream his dirt face and he took off riding the horse past Erik letting his eye length hair blow with the breeze.

            “We have to go back and warn the king.” Zeke said he didn’t like this one bit.

            “The king knows, but yes you should tell him. I’m going forward.” Erik said because this was his land and he wasn’t going to sit in the shadows and wait.

            “The king said we weren’t too interfere.” Zeke said he knew the kind of man Erik was.

            “I’m not going to interfere. I just want to look the son of a b***h in his face.”

            “Then I’m coming with you.” They both exchanged glances and then rode there horses further to get to the bridge that would take them to Jonathan’s land.

 

 

            “Sire do you want to go forward into Tomas’s land?” A soldier asked the king as other soldiers were piling bodies into the center of the village.

            “No we wait for the other units to burn Bartholomeu’s land to the ground first.” The king didn’t want to say it, but he secretly wondered if his son would be able to do what he asked. All the bodies were piled into the center it was a huge messy circle of carcasses. One of the soldiers shot a burning arrow in the center. All the men including Dreyfus got on their horses and left back to his land so they could camp near the bridge on his territory. He made sure he had lookouts checking to see if anyone would come through. Though he knew king Maric would never come through the bridge. That would be too easy. This way he would have all the fun. He smiled as his soldiers set up camp.

Author's Note

Hope you like it. I'm going to have to work hard. It'll take me awhile to get the next part to you.