The King's Royal Guard

Liam

Blood, there is so much blood. So much so that it seems to soak the air. It is so pungent I can taste it. Meanwhile, black billows of smoke create giant clouds that rain ash down everywhere. Everything is burned, everything decimated. With no other option, I walk through the hell before me. Or what I imagine hell looks like. What was once a kingdom with a flourishing city is now reduced to rubble and ruin. Bodies lay scattered in the streets, their faces frozen in shock and twisted in pain. The buildings are charred, their walls crumbling down in a heap of dust and ash. The sky is violent crimson, a reminder of the carnage I’ve encountered on my way here. The smell of death and destruction fills the air, an omen of what is to come.

Cypress Kingdom fell decades ago, but those who survived, refused to leave this wasteland. The Valkyrie Kingdom and the Landeena Kingdom offered a home to the people of Cypress. Yet, stubborn and loyal to their kingdom, the people refused. And look where it got them.

I shake my head. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Even so, I strayed after noticing the smoke. Kyson should know better than to send me off with the guards. Just as I have now, I tend to wander. Staring at the devastation before me, I listen for any signs of life. This fight had already been fought and lost. The rebel hunters have long departed. Nothing remains but flaming rubble and burning flesh.

As I navigate between the homes, keeping my eyes alert, I notice the windows of the house beside me are all smashed. Blood stains the walls.

What happened here?

Then, there’s the sound of something crashing, followed by what sounds like the floor creaking. Any sign of life, of movement in this dead city is perturbing. I listen for movement but hear nothing until I reach the rear of the house when I hear a thump. My gaze darts to the corner, noticing the horses on the blowing curtains. The thumping grows louder and faster as I step closer to the weatherboard home. Like a hummingbird’s wings, the sound grows faster. Leaning closer, I press my ear against the thin wood. I can just make out the sounds of breathing, the sound of a heartbeat.

Yet before I can investigate, a war cry sounds behind me. Foolish of them. He has given himself away long before he reaches me, and with that noise, I spin. In one swift movement, I grab the blade from my hip and thrust upward. It hits the mark just as my assailant’s blade pierces through my shoulder. I barely register the burn from slicing flesh and muscle as I stare into the bewildered eyes of a man. My blade, stuck under his chin, pierces through his mouth, and I can see through his parted lips as he screams silently. I rip my blade out. The man’s eyes