The next morning, Dragor and Bessie were woken up early, and taken to the Throne Room. BlackHeart and White Death were waiting for them.
When WhiteDeath smiled, a chill went through Bessie's and Dragor'd hearts. The smile was a cruel smile, even though it was an incredibly beautiful one. Unlike BlackHeart, who's mouth was filled with sharp teeth, WhiteDeath's mouth was filled with regular teeth. She was incredibly beautiful, but she inspired dread, not love in all but BlackHeart.
"Come, my pretty one," she said to Bessie. "Sit with me, and your lover over there can sit with BlackHeart"
"The story", began BlackHeart, "is over one thousand years old. It took place at a time when there were many wars, and new battle lines were being drawn. The wars would result in the annihilation of many people, and would signal the rise of Threye as the undisputed power of the time. There were all sorts of creatures in the various battles, and some were very strong indeed. Threye was discovering the powers of his magic, but had not yet learned to control it with the finesse he posssesses today"
"There was, I remember, a battle for the eastern shores of a land far from here. The land was populated by huge giants.."
"The Matted Giants?", asked Dragor, wonder written all over his face.
"No, the Matted Giants are little creatures compared to these ones. They were fierce, and they were bloodthirsty. Yet, they liked their food and they liked their drink. Early one morning, when they were still sleeping, after a drunken orgy, Threye and the Mrodics attacked them. They had landed quietly on the eastern shores, and had made their way to the centre of the island where the giants lived. This is where they attacked."
"The injuries inflicted on the sleeping giants were fierce indeed. Threye was drunk with the power of his magic, and the Mrodics were following him, laughing, drunk with the power of the moment. They slashed and cut as they moved through the sleeping Giants. Threye was discovering the power of the bolts of fire he could shoot from his hand, and the fire burnt the wounds of the Giants."
"After a while the Giants started to wake up. Their rage, it seems, was terrible to behold, as they picked up the Mrodics and started to manhandle them. Many were eaten straight away. Others were trampled under foot, and the destruction, I have been told, was terrible to behold."
"They were then driven back. Those that managed to escape and hide made it back. They were in terrible disarray, and Threye himself was severely wounded in the carnage created by the Giants. They reached the eastern shore of the Giant's land, and wondered what to do. After much debate, they decided to return to Mrod, to recoup, gather new allies and to make another attack. They left, but only barely. Their boats left at night, as the Giants had destroyed all their ships. It was months before they returned home, and a sorry lot it was that returned."
"Those days, there was another king of Mrod. Slather was his name, and he put Threye in chains, for returning in shame. Threye was shamed, and as he burned in his ignominy, he plotted his revenge. At this time, Threye learned the art of soft seduction, and with some winning arguments, he managed to escape the prison. In the dead of night, he approached Slather's home, and after slaughtering the guards, he slaughtered Slather and his family. He then pronounced himself the Ruler of Mrod, and has remained so ever since."
BlackHeart paused. There was silence in the room. Then IcyDeath continued the story.
"Soon afterwards, Threye came across to our land, and petitioned our help. We were promised the lands of the Giants, and we were promised much more besides. We only had to help him win dominion over the land of the Giants."
"Simple as we were those days, we agreed. We soon formed an army, lead by the Mrodics, and creatures from other lands. We landed on the Eastern shore of the land of the Giants. Once again, things went badly, and the armies were driven back to the eastern shore. The Giants were set to drive the armies into the sea, to perish once and for all. At that time, Threye looked at us, and asked us to form a wall, to protect them, so that they could launch a counter attack from behind us. Threye, once again, reminded us of his promise."
"We formed a hard wall, with sharp, edges. Our weapons became harder and sharper, and as the Giants dashed against us, they were bruised, and cut. For a long while they would not retreat, and it seemed as if we would crack with the strain of the repeated attacks by the Giants. Finally, we saw the Giants about to launch a giant ball at us. At that point, one of our own, my brother, broke from the wall, alnd launched himself at the Ball Launcher. The ball fell. It was heavy, very heavy, and as it fell, it fell on my brother, who had fallen back on the leader of the Giants. Both were crushed, and died."
"The distraction caused by the death of the leader of the Giants was the moment that Threye hd been waiting for, and the Mrodics launched spears and bolts of fire at the eyes of the Giants. Soon, all were blinded. The blinded Giants railed about impotently. They still managed to crush many of our army, but at length, they tired. They were then cut down, and after a month of fighting, we had won the Eastern shores. From there on, there was no stopping the Mrodics, and the island was soon theirs. Not a single Giant was spared."
"When we approached Threye for the land, he laughed and said that we had not fulfilled our part of the bargain, that they had won the battle. The land was theirs. However, we were invited to join the celebration feast. During the feast, Threye offered the first cup to my sister. She died, poisoned by Threye."
"BlackHeart, in rage, went up to Threye and said that this was the end of their association. Death would become any Mrodic who approached us."
BlackHeart continued, "From then on, we have had no contact with Threye, though we know of his comings and goings. "
Looking at Dragor, he asked, "Tell me, why should we help you? If your answer does not satisfy us, you will die..."
Posted by: |