Dravins Sorrow Ch. 01

Turning his golden eyes towards his home, the Prince took in the buildings. They were all built of thick wood that all seemed to gleam in the golden light of the sun. There were guards in leather armor and carrying heavy weapons walking up and down the streets. Because of those guards, the streets of the Amazon village was nearly devoid of any crime.

Besides that, there was the special warriors that lived within the village. One of those happened to be his uncle, Pool. The Amazon King was a mighty warrior and could cut down just about anyone. There were very few people that he knew in Aries that could cut down a warrior of his uncle's prowess.

Shaking off that thought, Dravin made his way towards the village. As he grew closer, people looked out towards him. Because the village was built within a clearing, it was easy for the populace to spot him. A splotch of black against the greenery of the High Forest.

As he reached the outskirts of the village, the Amazon noticed that more than one person was looking at him now. Just as he'd thought, they were looking at him with suspicion. A few of the guards were already reaching for their broadswords.

Damn it, the Prince thought to himself. He knew that there was only one way to put the guards at ease. Reaching up, he took hold of the cowl. Staring at them, he pulled the cowl down, revealing his features to everyone that was looking. Which by now was the majority of the village that was on the streets.

Just as he thought would happen, the Guards' eyes widened in surprise. They recognized that he was one of theirs, but they probably weren't sure exactly who he was. However, his features were of one that came from the Amazon blood lines.

Feeling more confident, Dravin strode forward into the village. Everyone watched him with close eyes. But he wasn't about to do anything that would set off the guards and have them draw their weapons on him.

That wouldn't be good for the guards or their careers. He wasn't going to ruin someone's life with his return home.

It wasn't long before the Prince found himself in front of his childhood home. It hadn't changed in the twenty years that he'd been away either. Uncle Pool kept it simple it seems, he thought to himself with a light snort and a fond smile that lit up his golden eyes.

The Amazon didn't even bother to knock on the door. Instead, he opened the door and walked right through. Stepping into the living area, he looked around, frowning at the sight of the inside. Once again, nothing had changed. The room was large and circular in shape. The floors were simple wood and there were a few oil paintings on the walls, but nothing fancy. That was how his uncle was. Simple, plain. Very unlike a King of any people. There was a large, green couch in the middle of the room and a plain wooden table right in front of it. Off to the side was a hallway that would lead to the bedrooms.

Feeling that he needed to see his uncle, Dravin made his way down the hallway. Stopping in front of the room of his uncle, he took a deep breath. He hadn't seen the man in twenty years. There was little doubt in his mind that he'd changed, but he doubted that it was very much.

The Prince opened the door and peered inside. The room was dark, the curtains drawn to drown out any sign of sunlight. Frowning, he shook his head. That's unusual, he thought to himself as he stepped inside. Uncle Pool is normally up at this time of day. Hell, I've never known him to be sleeping when the sun still hadn't come up in the morning. Then again, it's been twenty years. Maybe things have changed with him.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the Amazon heard it. The slightest creak of a wood board right next to him.

Eyes widening, he stepped forward, avoiding the dagger that would've stabbed right through his skull. Turning, he could see the outline of a man lunging towards him once again, stabbing at his chest.

Cursing under his breath, he reached out and caught the man's wrist. He twisted it to the side and heard the sound of the man cry out in pain. The wrist felt rather large, but brittle under his hand. That was a clear indicator of age and left little doubt in his mind just who this man was.

"Uncle, it's me. It's Dravin." Dravin called out to the older Amazon, hoping to cease the struggle. "I've come home finally. Please, stop this."

A second later, the figure stopped moving and his body stiffened. As the younger Amazon was able to turn, he saw that it was indeed his uncle who was staring right back him, his eyes wide in shock.

Pool was tall, standing at six foot two and slightly soft due to his old age. He had long dark red hair that he wore in a loose ponytail down his back but it was streaked with a generous amount of grey and dark blue eyes set in a lined, but handsome face. He wore a simple green tunic tucked into brown linen trousers and black leather boots on his feet.

The older Amazon stared back at him, shaking his head from side to side. There was the slightest bit of a red stubble on his chin, showing that he'd missed a few places when he shaved last. However, he still looked like the same uncle that he'd known twenty years ago.

"Your back." Pool croaked out, his voice sounding quite different. It sounded like it had been damaged by smoke, but he wasn't going to ask about that. Not now anyway. "By the gods, your actually back!"

With that exuberant cry, the Amazon King lunged forward and wrapped his one free arm around his nephew. Grinning, the Amazon Prince allowed the older man's other hand its freedom and that arm joined its brother around him, squeezing him tightly. Much tighter than should've been possible for a man his age, but he was still the King for a reason.

Laughing, the younger Amazon hugged him back. Closing his eyes, he relished in the feel of his uncle hugging him so tightly. He hadn't had family to hug for many years. True, the Andarians had attempted to pretend to be his family, but no one could replace his real family. No one.

"Aye, I'm back. I'm finished with my training and I've come home to stay." Dravin told the older man. He pulled back from the hug, staring down into the eyes of the older man.

"Let me look at you." Pool said with a light chuckle and took a step back. His hands came up to grasp the younger man's upper arms and his bright blue eyes worked their way over his body, taking him in. They seemed to miss nothing despite his age. Finally looking back into the eyes of his nephew, he grinned widely, revealing his still perfect white teeth. "Boy, save for your eyes, you are the striking image of your father. You look just like Dragan."

The Prince felt a tightness in the back of his throat at that declaration. He had never been compared to his father before. Not to be surprising considering that the Andarians had no idea who his father was. They wouldn't know whether he looked like his father or not. None of them had ever met the hero of the Amazon people. No one had ever met the Manatheran Elite Guardsmen other than the Amazon people themselves.

"Come, we will have a feast prepared to welcome you home and you shall tell us of your experiences." Pool told him with a grin. Taking a firm hold of the younger man's shoulder, he guided him outside and was obviously not going to give him any choice.

He stepped outside, a smile on his face. Dravin was very happy to be home.

Later that night, Dravin weaved his way down the hallway of his uncle's home. He could feel the world spinning around him and he tried to orient himself. He knew that he had drank too much, but he didn't care. It had been a party and one hell of a party at that!

Everyone had been in attendance to welcome the young Amazon home. Everyone had been happy to see him and had insisted that they drink with him. They had feasted on deer that had been recently felled and even the delicacy of roasted rabbits legs. There weren't much meat on them, but what meat there was, was rich with flavor and spices.

The young Prince had told them the stories of being in the charge of the Andarian people. He told them of how the Andarians seemed to be in different caste systems, but that each caste was respected. Warriors, archers, politicians, hunters, blacksmiths, etc. were all the different kinds of castes. He was sure that there were even more, but he hadn't been there to be trained in the culture of the Andarian people. He'd been trained to kill like them and he'd picked up those skills quite nicely.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Dravin staggered back towards his room. He could only hope that he would find his way into the room with no troubles. Pushing open the door to the bedroom, he stumbled inside. Then, he slammed the door closed and cursed inwardly as he heard how loud it sounded in his mind. He might have just woke up the whole house if anyone was asleep. He really hoped that he hadn't though. This was his first day home and he didn't want to piss anyone off.

When no one moved to come to the room to see if he was alright or what was happening, the young Amazon sighed happily. Good, he wouldn't have to deal with anyone else tonight. Honestly, he wasn't sure that he could deal with anyone else for the rest of the night. He'd had a headache for the past hour and that was why he'd begged off of the rest of the night. Fortunately, about the time that he did that, he learned that the whole party was being suspended for the night.

After all, he was the star guest, and with him gone, the party shouldn't continue. The party had wound down and the Amazons had left the home of their King, returning to their own.

No doubt the Amazons would be speaking about this day for a long time.

Shaking his head, Dravin looked around the room. It hadn't changed much from when he was a child. In fact, the only thing that was really different was the bed of which had been smaller had been replaced with a larger bed and new sheets. The floor was covered in a thick green carpet and the walls were completely bare. There was a small dresser against one wall and a nightstand was right next to the bed.

Yawning, the Amazon blinked his eyes lazily. He could feel the blackness washing over him and he knew that he was going to pass out soon. If he didn't make it to the bed, he was going to pass out on his feet.

Reaching the bed, the Prince plopped down onto the bed on his behind. He rested his face in his hands for a moment, trying to right his orientation. When he had done that, he pulled back and groaned. Reaching for the clasp around his neck that kept his cloak closed. Pulling the clasp open, he pulled the black cloak from around his body and dropped it on the floor next to the bed. Then, he kicked off his boots, and after some quick maneuvering, he found himself naked in the bed, the sheets pulled up to his chest.

He lay there on his back, staring up at the roof of his uncle's home. He smiled. It was sure nice to be home. With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and soundly fell asleep.

XXXXX

Pool stood in his own bedroom, staring out the window at the sleepy village before him. It had once been much smaller from what he understood. Hell, in the last twenty years, the village had grown with more and more people. Something told him that at their core, the Amazon people would never change though.

That was something that the King was dearly proud of.

His people were dangerous and deadly warriors. They were feared by those in Aries and even some without. They were considered one of the most powerful forces within Aries. In fact, the only thing that was known to be more powerful were the Shadowblades that Nykrian himself commanded.

Thinking of the Indifferent King, the Amazon closed his bright blue eyes. Nykrian was one of the most powerful beings in all of Aries. Not just politically, but physically. He was by far only second to his own father, the former Assassin King Acheron, in power and skill.

Pool had been there when the Indifferent King had been coronated after the Abdication of his father. Acheron was still in the Capital, staying close at his son's side to assist him with political matters. However, it seemed to most that the new King needed little help in those matters. He was quite adept and eager to come up with ways to benefit both sides during an issue, but if he couldn't, he would favor one side in the end.

That was just the way of things.

Opening his eyes, the King smiled a little bit. Besides the Second King and his Queen, there was also the Mind Princess of whom happened to be his sister, Jessica, and commander of the Bezerker Unit. It was a powerful unit and one that would make a powerful enemy against any nation that would dare to attack them. Besides them, there was more to that. There was also the youthful, early twenties Prince Maverick, son of Nykrian and Mystra. He was said to be a genius and many were already calling him the Professor Prince because of his analytical, tactical mind.

Shaking off his thoughts, the Amazon King turned away from the window. He stared at his bed, but felt no need to sleep. Yes, he'd been up very early and he was an old man now. He needed his sleep. However, he had no intention of going to sleep just yet. He had a lot to think about in his life.

His nephew Dravin was home. That meant he had nothing to be worried about anymore. He could finally admit to what was plaguing him and had been for the past few months. Something that he'd been hiding from the villagers, but would no longer need to. Not with his nephew returned. Not with his heir ready.

Just as he thought that, he felt the normal rattling in his chest with his breathing. Chest tightening, he raised his hand to his mouth and began to cough. His body shook with each racking cough and he knew that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon. After about five minutes of coughing, it finally finished. Pulling his hand away, he felt the wetness on his palm and he knew what it was before he looked. Staring at the crimson liquid of his own blood, he sighed.

His time was growing close. He just hoped that his nephew was ready to lead.

With that thought fresh in his mind, Pool turned from the window and made his way down the hallway. Time to get some sleep for what was rest of the night. Something told him that he was going to need it.

XXXXX

Darkness ruled in the High Forest in the middle of the night. Nothing could be seen in the shadows of the trees, not even the light of the silvery moon overhead. At least, not in this part of the forest. It was thick here, a path that was rarely ever used.

It was the path towards the headstones of the two greatest heroes that the Amazons had. Moving down that path was a single figure, but one couldn't quite make out just who the figure was.

The figure wore a long sleeve black tunic, tight black pants, knee high black leather boots, a black leather belt, and a black cloak that flowed around its body. It had a cowl up, covering his face and hiding what he looked like.

The figure had a plan and one that was going to work towards the end of the Amazon people and all others that lived within the High Forest. That included the Wood Elves and the Wolfians. They were all the enemy and they would be utterly destroyed.

With that thought in mind, the dark figure stepped into the clearing. The moon light was pouring down into the clearing, revealing the contents of that clearing. Two simple headstones, both carved with names and dates within it.

'Heroes make the best martyrs.' the figure thought with a smile on his face under the cowl of his cloak. Clenching his hands together, he stepped towards the two headstones and crouched down in the middle of the two of them. Sliding his hands through the dirt, he felt the power of the soil and smiled a little bit. It was time to get started. He had a long night ahead of him.

Bowing his head, the figure reached into his boot and pulled free a ceremonial dagger. The weapon glinted in the low light of the moon and he grinned. Drawing it across his free palm, he drew his own crimson blood. Pulling the blade away, he allowed blood to drip freely of his palm and painting the dirt in his crimson.

'So it begins.' the figure thought with a smile and continued the ritual that he started.