Long before everything happened...
Before the mist turned hostile…
Before the screams, the blood, the tearing of worlds.....
King Alric stood at the edge of the stone path, watching.
His gaze followed a single figure riding away from the gates.
Garron.
His brother.
The horse's hooves struck hard against the ground as Garron rode forward, cloak pulling behind him as the distance slowly claimed his form
Closer to the cursed forest.
Closer to something unknown.
Behind the King;
Bootsteps approached.
Measured.
Disciplined.
Ser Arthur Dungen stopped a few paces behind him.
"My king," he said, voice steady, "shall I accompany him?"
Alric didn't turn.
His eyes remained fixed on the horizon where Garron was already becoming smaller.
"No."
A quiet answer.
Firm.
Arthur frowned slightly.
"He rides alone into cursed land," he pressed. "Allow me to"
"The city needs you."
Alric cut him off.
Not harsh.
But final.
Arthur fell silent.
Alric exhaled slowly.
"Especially now."
Only then did he shift slightly, his gaze lowering from the horizon to the stone beneath his feet.
"If something goes wrong…"
A pause.
"…I need strength here."
Arthur understood.
Even if he didn't agree.
His hand tightened slightly at his side.
"…as you command, my king."
Ser Arthur Dungen stood in silence for a moment, then spoke again.
"…Sir, I have another concern."
Alric didn't turn.
Arthur continued, more carefully now.
"General Darius Vorn is already worried."
A pause.
"He lost his wife on the battlefield."
His voice lowered slightly.
"If something happens to his sons… Frauner… Mauris…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Didn't need to.
"…he will break."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
The wind moved faintly through the open gates.
Alric's expression hardened.
Not in anger.
In thought.
"…don't tell him," he said quietly.
Arthur blinked.
"My king....."
"Not yet."
This time, Alric turned.
His gaze met Arthur's.
Calm.
Certain.
"I won't take hope from a man who has already lost too much."
Arthur hesitated.
Then lowered his head slightly.
"…understood."
Alric looked back toward the horizon.
Where Garron had vanished.
"…I believe in him."
The words were simple.
But they carried weight.
"I'll speak to him," said King Alric quietly.
Ser Arthur Dungen gave a small nod, stepping back.
"As you command, my king."
For a moment...
Neither moved.
The gates stood open behind them.
The road ahead stretched empty where Garron had vanished.
Then.....
Alric turned first.
No more words.
His cloak shifted as he began walking back toward the city, his steps steady, measured, carrying the weight of what he now had to face.
Arthur remained still for a breath longer.
Watching.
Then he turned as well.
Falling into step behind the King at a respectful distance.
The sound of boots against stone echoed softly as they passed through the gates.
Inside,
The city breathed.
Unaware.
People moved through streets, voices rising in normal rhythm, life continuing untouched by what was unfolding beyond the walls.
Alric walked forward without slowing.
Toward the inner keep.
Toward duty.
Toward a conversation he knew would not be easy.
Arthur's path shifted slightly as they moved deeper.
At the first crossing.
He stopped.
His gaze lingered briefly on the King's back.
Then he turned away.
Toward the barracks.
Toward preparation.
Toward readiness;
For whatever might come next.
Behind them;
The gates remained open.
And far beyond;
The forest waited.
The courtyard was already alive with movement.
Armor clinked.
Boots struck stone.
Orders cut through the air.
At the center of it;
General Darius Vorn stood among his men.
Older.
Grey hair pulled back beneath a half-worn helmet. His frame still strong, still unbending, wrapped in polished armor that had seen too many wars. A long spear rested across his back, its presence as natural as his breath.
"Search every district," he ordered. "They don't just disappear."
Soldiers moved.
Fast.
Precise.
Then...
A shift.
King Alric stepped into the courtyard.
Darius saw him.
Immediately.
"My king."
He walked forward, removing his helmet completely now.
Alric stopped a few steps away.
For a moment.....
Neither spoke.
"I assume you've heard nothing," Darius said.
Straight.
Direct.
Alric's silence answered before his words did.
Darius let out a slow breath.
"…that's not like them."
His eyes lowered briefly.
"Frauner doesn't miss formation. Mauris doesn't wander without reason."
A faint pause.
"And the princess…" he added, quieter. "She was with them, wasn't she?"
Alric didn't respond.
Not yet.
Darius gave a hollow exhale, shaking his head slightly.
"I've seen men vanish before," he continued. "Battlefields. Ambushes. Fire and steel."
His grip tightened around his helmet.
"I lost my wife on one."
A beat.
"Both my brothers on another."
The courtyard noise seemed distant now.
Muted.
"I buried them with my own hands," he said.
Not loud.
But heavy.
"And I kept standing."
His voice didn't break.
But something inside it shifted.
"…because I still had my sons."
A long silence followed.
Then.....
His eyes lifted.
Locked onto the King.
"So tell me," he said, quieter now. "Where are they?"
Alric held his gaze.
Felt the weight behind it.
The truth pressing forward.
"…they were last seen near the forest line," he said first.
Darius stilled.
"…the forest?"
Concern crept in instantly.
Alric saw it.
And this time.
He didn't hold back.
"They're inside."
The words landed.
Hard.
Final.
Darius didn't move.
"…inside…" he repeated.
Barely.
"Garron has already gone after them."
Silence.
Everything around them faded again.
Darius looked away for a second, his breath slowing, his thoughts catching up;
Forest.
His sons.
The princess.
Gone.
His fingers curled slightly.
Not trembling.
Holding.
"…you sent him alone?" he asked.
"He chose to go."
A pause.
"And I let him."
Darius closed his eyes briefly.
Just a second.
Then opened them again.
Clear.
But heavier.
"My sons…" he said under his breath.
"And Leah," Alric added quietly.
That made him look up again.
Sharp.
"The princess was with them."
Another silence.
This one deeper.
Darius's jaw tightened.
Everything lined up now.
Too clearly.
"…then this isn't just a search," he said.
"No....."
"It's a risk..."
"Yes."
A breath.
Slow.
Measured.
Darius straightened fully, placing his helmet under his arm again.
"…then I'm going," he said.
Immediate.
Resolved.
Alric stepped forward.
"No."
Darius's eyes hardened.
"My king !"
"If you go," Alric said calmly, "you leave this city without its general."
"I don't care about the city right now."
"I do."
The words struck.
Firm.
Controlled.
"They are your sons," Alric continued. "And she is our princess."
A beat.
"But this kingdom still stands because you stand here."
Darius didn't reply immediately.
His eyes drifted.
Toward the gates.
Toward the unseen forest beyond.
Then back.
"…I've lost enough," he said quietly.
Not anger.
Not protest.
Just truth.
"I won't lose them too."
Alric held his gaze.
"…you might not."
A pause.
"I believe Garron will bring them back."
Silence stretched between them.
Darius inhaled slowly.
Darius's jaw tightened, eyes burning with determination.
"I won't sit around doing nothing, my king," he said, voice low but unwavering.
"They are my sons… and the princess. I will bring them back, or die trying."
Alric remained silent for a moment, lost in thought. The wind shifted slightly, carrying faint echoes of the city's clamor, but in his mind, only the forest and its unknown dangers existed.
"…Darius," he finally said, voice calm but firm. "You know the risks. The forest… it's not just any land. Be careful. Do not underestimate what lies beyond those trees."
"I know, sire," Darius replied, gripping the reins of his horse. "But I will not stand idle while my family...my sons, my princess....are in danger. The city can wait. I cannot."
Alric exhaled slowly, weighing the weight of his words against the resolve in Darius's eyes. "…Very well. Take your men and search. But report back. Every hour. The city cannot be left completely unguarded."
Darius gave a curt nod, mounted his horse, and signaled his men. Steel clinked as armor shifted, reins tightened, and the column of soldiers began to move. Horses stomped against the stone courtyard, their hooves striking in a rhythm both determined and ominous.
Alric stayed at the edge of the gates, watching them leave. Dust rose with each step. The clamor of hooves slowly faded, replaced by the distant whisper of wind through the city streets.
Moments later, it was just the echo of their departure; the finality of heavy hooves fading into silence, leaving the king alone with the weight of what had been set into motion.