A Swordsman's Tale
Chapter 1. The Revolt and The Roveul
There is a tale in which I am about to tell you. It is, well as it's named, a swordman's tale. The beginning started before the birth of the "swordsman." It started a long time before. You see, back in a medieval kingdom, there was a queen, and there was a king. They were feared and respected, they were also kind and generous. They treated their citizens well and struck fear into the hearts of their enemies. They the best hopes for a king and queen.
Some didn't think that they were, they thought they could do better. As it would seem, this group turned into the Ulver rebellion. Ulver means wolves in the language they spoke, and that was what they intended the rebellion to be like. Ruthless apex predators that destroyed their enemies with their numbers. But there was another group. They intended themselves to be the crossfire and wipe out the kingdom from behind. Being in the shadows, to be in hiding and to slowly expose themselves to their world.
The kingdom did not see these rebellions coming, and at a battle at Jackmen Mill, the Ulver rebellion won, wiping out the kingdom almost entirely. There were a few survivors, which included, a small band of thieves and the ten-year-old prince of the kingdom. The second rebellion watched, waiting for their opportunity. When they found it, they hid all their children and a few people to care for them away in the mountains. They also hid all their sick people and weak people. In this group was a child, which would grow up to be the swordmen you already know about. Once this was done, the second rebellion struck the Ulver rebellion. They fought them in the plains next to the mountains of their land.
The second rebellion lost, and the Ulver rebellion lived on. Though now they called themselves the kingdom of Ulver. Their children and all that went with them were found by the Roveul. The Roveul were expert swordsmen and archers in that day. They were a dying breed, but a good one to have around. They were mountainous people, mastering the art of staying hidden and climbing the rocky terrain. I am sad to say that six of the ten people sent to the mountain died when they reached the ever-moving village of the Roveul. But of the four that survived were strong. They included a woman that specialized in childcare, little girl named Linnea, a three-year-old boy named Isai, and a boy named Alexander. That name you might want to remember.
The children turned thirteen becoming these things, Linnea trained as a writer and an archer/swordsman, Isai turned into an archer, and Alexander became best friends with Isai, becoming the swordsman that protected his back. The Roveul trained them intently, making sure they didn't fall behind in any lessons they had to teach. Anyone that was young enough to not remember their arrival didn't know they weren't Roveulian. And that is exactly how Alexander, Isai, and Linnea first got in trouble.
Chapter 2. Mountain Lions
The lion was a big one. It started Alexander in the face with its teeth barred and hackles raised. The fur on it was tan, with little spots of skin showing through his scars. There was a notch in his left ear, and one of his eyes were white from the pink scar that ran down it. Its tail twitched back and forth, and its claws dug into the ground. A dead mountain lion lay at its feet, with Alexander's stab wound still in it.
"What happened to it?" Linnea asked, her hand shaking as her knuckles turned white on her saber.
"I, I don't know," Alexander replied, trying to keep his voice firm. The lion growled again and Alexander prayed Isai was still in the trees keeping an eye on them. A thrum sounded from the trees and Alexander's prayer was answered. But the creature inches from their faces wasn't the one that went down. Instead, a cry of pain sounded in the trees and another lion dropped from its hiding place. The lion didn't look back at its lost companion. As Alexander wondered how many were in the trees the creature lunged. Springing from its hind legs like a bird into flight, it came down on them. But that was its last breath.
It landed on them all right, like a giant stuffed animal. As Linnea and Alexander cried out in fear, a red fledged arrow plunged into the heart of the beast. The crushing weight of the creature knocked them down, but it didn't cause them any harm. Alexander's sword was thrown from his hand, and the silver blade crashed onto the dirt. Linnea let out a cough as the two-hundred-pound beast knocked the breath out of her.
They heard moment behind them, and they turned around, expecting the worst. "Terrible! What were you thinking!?" Their trainer Elijah scolded them. "Do you know how long it took to capture four mountain lions?" Elijah was a tall twenty-three-year-old, with dark blue eyes and dark brown wavy hair. They looked down, expecting to hear their punishment.
A woman walked to his side, her sword playfully bouncing on her hip. Her bow was made of a light wood, and they arrows' fledglings were hawk feathers. "Eli, there were only three," Vilde reminded him with a chuckle in her voice. She was their other trainer. She had emerald-colored eyes and was a strawberry blonde. Her hair hung loosely at her shoulders, freer than Linnea's dirty blonde hair which was mostly kept in a fishtail braid.
Elijah looked at her sidelong, "You're almost as bad as them." Then he reached over his shoulder, pulled out an identical arrow to the one that shot the mountain lion, and knocked it in his dark colored longbow. He didn't seem to aim as he pulled it back and let it fly. It stuck another mountain lion that fell from the tree right above them. Linnea jumped when she saw it and went behind Alexander.
"Eli! That was not the plan! How do you expect to them to attack four mountain lions?!" Vilde slapped him playfully on the shoulder.
"They should've known I'd be hard on them," He muttered. Vilde shook her head at him and glanced around the trees, obviously waiting for someone. That's when Isai came into the clearing. Alexander's sandy-haired friend came out of the forest looking nervous when Elijah glared at them for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. His green fledged arrows were visible through his broad shoulders, and so was his longbow.
He smiled at them, but none of them smiled back. Elijah said something to Vilde and she nodded. Soon they were walking back to camp. Isai looked at Alexander and started to open his mouth to say something. Alexander his head ferociously and nodded his head towards Elijah. Isai seemed to understand and looked down at his feet again. This caused him not to look at the branch heading for his face, and it smacked his nose hard. Not hard enough to break it, but enough to make Linnea and Alexander crack a grin. Isai held it as the blood started to flow. The two friends had looked away for a moment, and when they looked back, they saw Isai with his collar stained with blood. Shock flooded Linnea's face as she tore a piece of fabric off her dark grey cloak. She handed it to him, and he started to clog his nose with it.
Isai coughed and whimpered in pain, which made Elijah turn around. "What is going on back here..." His voice trailed off. He tapped Vilde on the shoulder and she turned around, annoyed. When she saw Isai, her eyes widened.
"What happened?" She asked. The friends started to answer, but none of them could get it out. "Save it! Eli, do you know where to find a creek?"
"Yeah, but it's a half a day's walk from here, I think we just go back to the village," Elijah smirked. She nodded and started to walk forward again, a little faster than usual.
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