The Dark God's Corruption: Epilogue

***(Author's Note): I had to change the title a bit, because I keep hitting the limit. This is the Epilogue to my Corruption of the Dark God series, I have plans to continue the story in the future and would probably focus on another character: Gabrien. I'm also planning to revise and edit the entire series when I have the time.

**Thank you for reading.

The affairs of the Princess Avelina was a popular topic among the common folk realm, since coming of age, she retained a reputation for being hot tempered compounded with the fact that she formed her very own Knightly Order, without the blessing of the Royal King and Queen. The near constant arguments of her royal parents and the princess was a usual talk among the populace of the realm, be they highborn or commoner.

The princess who had taken the way of the sword, almost like from the songs of old as the minstrels and romantics would like to put the so-called fiery warrior-princess. Her fellow knights however, weren't unified in this view of their Royal benefactor. When the Princess Avelina used her resources and influence as a princess of the realm, many Knights flocked to her banner for a great array of reasons, ranging from personal ambitions to noble causes.

Wandering Knights Errant answered the call, to see for themselves and measure the character of the so called Warrior-Princess.

Ancestral Knights, those who were born from knighthood, be they from great and wealthy families or near-destitute insignificant names, flocked to her to prosper their own names.

And once more did her name was so uttered

There were those who were endeared by her fiery and almost uncouth manner among the more rugged of the knights.

While there were those who disliked her glory-hounding attitude, fearing it would bring disaster to herself and to others. One such rather well-known critic was a fellow knight, Gabrien Fyste. One might say they were friends to an extent, having known of one another long before were either knighted. Gabrien hailed from poor house, whose grandfather had been a knight of no great renown. His family didn't hold much land, and were just a step down from being commoners. Gabrien had to fight and toil his way, training with his grandfather in swordfighting. He was tired of seeing his parents scrounging up from their meager lands and thus joined tournaments and tourneys to earn prize money.

He became eventually a Knight Errant, wandering the country side, helping common folk from whatever that ails them, from toiling on the fields, to going up against Outlaw Bands by himself. Come the age of twenty four, he was reputed to be a paragon and protector of the smallfolk, sung by minstrels and fantasized by fair young maidens alike.

Gabrien only rolled his eyes at this foolish fancies of songs and starry eyed maidens. He was just trying to make it in life one day at a time.

He wondered how many disasters he had averted, tempering the princess reckless strategies of just charging in, swords drawn. Swing first and ask questions later. From nearly causing a border incident with the neighboring realm to leading a charge of knights right into their near demise for the sake of glory

Gabrien grows ever frustrated by the thoughtless strategies created by the Princess, to the point that he took him some sick pleasure in the thought of letting her fall for her own follies. And he cursed himself even further for even coming with such dark thoughts, and cursed the spoiled noble that was the princess. Perhaps it was time he should take some sabbatical in his family's lands, for it would soon be harvest. He grew tired of hearing the merry adventures of the Princess Avelina in pubs and taverns sung by the minstrels and common folk.

And then, almost like an act of divine punishment, gone were the merry conversations and gossips as the tragic news of the Princess Avelina's capture at the hands of vile cultists. Much of the realm feared the worst, having heard such dark and depraved practices of the servants of the Dark Gods.

For months, they scoured much of the contested territories where it was reported she was last seen. Gabrien among them, pushed by his own guilty thoughts. They had been comrades in times of battle and strife. Certainly, they had their arguments and disagreements but he never would wish upon her such a terrible and cruel fate. That just made him sick and ever more driven to rescue her.

All hopes seems to be lost, until they came upon word of the Cultist's Temple, hidden deep beneath the earth. An informant had approached them in the high road in one of their routes, bearing a woman's voice hidden beneath a ragged cloak, her face eluded the knights beneath the shadows within. Gabrien, of course, had doubts. But they have spent the better part of three months finding nothing in their search. The knights merely discussed these amongst themselves and when they turned to face the strange woman, she was gone.

With no other leads and despair setting in that they would never find Avelina, they had no choice but to investigate further.

As they neared the supposed den of the cultists, they saw strong signs that this might be it. The lair of their foe. When they have finally confirmed it is what it was, Gabrien himself was the first to lead the charge, leading the group of thirty strong, against what could be a hundred cultists.

So Frightened and surprised they were, that in the cultist's flight of panic, they have forgotten their captives behind.

They were unable to apprehend the fiends but they have indeed rescued the princess and several other women the cultists have taken from other territories. For what nefarious purpose the degenerates had in planned for them, Gabrien could not guess. Gabrien found them, of sound and healthy mind, there were no injuries or evidence of any torture, she almost looked like the very last time she saw him, not a hair out of place, thought she seemed somewhat mellow, it was in the way she spoke, but he brushed this off his mind, what was important was that she was safe and seemingly unharmed. When asked what had spent on her time, she merely stated that she doesn't remember much, and that the cultist barely bothered them from what she could remember. He wanted to pry further but was hushed as the Royal Sentinels themselves, by orders of the king and queen, made haste and took the princess with them.

She had no qualms, save only that the women that was imprisoned with her to accompany them. Stating that they had grown closer than sisters and shared a bond in their time together.

The Royal Sentinels relented to this.

The good news spread fast and much of the realm rejoiced.

******

Gabriene extended an invitation to have a conversation with the Princess Avelina, still he bore the weight of his guilty conscience and wished to bury the qualms between the two of them and start anew, he got the feeling this sense of change within her in her time within the Cultists' captivity. Perhaps it was time to bury the hatchet between them and move forward.

Dark forces were encroaching al around them, moving ever closer to corrupting the very hearts of the people. The defenders of all that is right and holy must stand together united or they will fall divided. To the north, news of dark stirrings have travelled, speaking of ancient monsters and untold horrors descending from the primordial mountains. To the east and west, powerful forces far exceeding mortal comprehension and their minions have grown bold, such as the very cultists that captured the princess.

Much to his relief, she accepted the invitation and offered to host it in her manor that very afternoon.

Gabriene arrived somewhat early and was surprised to see how quiet it was at the princess manor. He noticed little to none of the regular staff were around. At the central courtyard, which doubled as both as a garden and a gathering venue, he recognized that almost all of the women that they had rescued from the cultist were there, either tending to the flowers or off to the shade in small groups, talking amongst themselves.

He saw the Princess Avelina, sitting together on a quaint tea-table set with a dark haired woman, who by the standards of the realm to be exquisitely pretty, beneath the shade of a great oak tree.

A prickle at the back of his neck told him to be vigilant. He looked around and saw no threats whatsoever. Garbiene shook off that odd feeling and blamed it on his nerves, as he made way towards the princess.

"Seems quiet here, where are all the staff?" he asked.

"I have given them leave, I just......needed time to recover in solitude with my sisters here." said the princess, almost serenely. Gabriene would never have put the word 'serenely' and 'Avalina' in the same sentence before. It was a bit unnerving for him, to see how much she changed.

Gabriene didn't know what to make of that.

"Come, sit, we have much to talk about, old friend," Avalina gestured for him to take the seat opposite her.

"But first may I offer you some tea? It's a blend my sisters have produced with great care." Avalina offered with a smile.

He couldn't really refuse now, could he? She had been just through a great nightmare and that was no way to treat a host, despite Gabriene not being a tea-person. Perhaps a sip wouldn't hurt. He touched the lips of the cup, and took a sip.

A brow rose, "Not bad," Garbiene thought.

When he put the cup down, everybody's eyes were on him, almost anticipating. He kept his eyes from rolling, 'Women and their obsession with teas' Gabriene thought.

And so did they have their conversation, of which Gabrien realized that Avelina was more reasonable, using actual logic in their talks with one another instead of another cockamamie plot for the next adventure.

Before he realized it, it was already night time itself. Conversing was never much his forte, still he was sure he shouldn't feel as exhausted as he was. He felt his stomach grumble in the abrupt passage of time.

"Why don't you stay the night, I can have a room prepared for you," the princess offered her old comrade.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to be a bother," Gabriene hated being a guest in someone else's home. He knew he was a horrible guest, not a particularly striking conversationalist and preferring his own solitude than that of others.

"Nonsense, the ladies and I would be happy to....have you. They are quite glade to have a renowned and skilled knight stay for the evening," Avalina insisted.

At such a remark Gabriend usually scoffed or rolled his eyes at, but as he look on the surrounding dozen women or so, he felt something truly odd. A warm, almost relaxed feeling, with a hint of....anticipation is it? Strange.

He saw something. He didn't know if it was the way the setting sun and growing shadows that tricked his eyes but he almost seemed to see an ethereal glow pass in their eyes, including the princess.

Gabriene shook himself of the foolish notion, blaming his ravenous stomach for seeing such fantasies.

He sighed, "Very well.....I am in your care."

To this, the princess only smiled at him, leading him inside as her ladies in waiting shut the door for the coming darkness.

To Be Continued....