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Betrayed
Chapter I
By: Justin Glispie
On an ominous and particular rainy day, Magnus returned to his castle in Southern Germany. How he loathed the heavy rain. But he was not like the other humans he worked and killed for a living. He stood six feet five inches; he was taller than most everyone around him. His hair was cut at neck length and silver. Although he only looked thirty years old, he was actually many centuries older. His eyes were a light blue. His demeanor was not that of arrogance but one of pride.
Pushing the heavy oak doors open, he saw the main room. Its ceiling was high and of the same brick as the walls. It has a single large staircase leading to the grand hall and the bedrooms. Not seeing his butler Alexi Zhukov, he shouted “Alexi were are you?” He figured he was in the cellar again drinking. Alexi quickly came running down the steps and stopped in front of Magnus. “Yes my liege?” he said his words slightly slurred. He had a slight Russian accent. He had been drinking. Again. “Have you been drinking?” He queried. “No, sire…I…have not.” He slurred. “Insolent fool!” He bellowed. “Gather your things and leave; you are no longer welcome in my castle.” Magnus was furious, and the rage showed in his voice.
He was never this angry. His new nemesis Dante had just taken the throne. Unlike the other kings before him, Dante was not corrupt, at least not yet. This and Alexis’ drunken condition had caused this anger. “Curse you…” He spoke of Dante and Alexi. Climbing the stairs he went to the master bedroom and pulled off his shirt which had bits of dried blood and dirt on the sleeves. Although he had gotten two thousand German Marks for his last job, the Emperor’s tax collectors would be along soon. So it was time for him to leave. But first he needed some sleep. Sitting down in a chair near the bed he quickly fell asleep. But sleep would only bring the dreams of the Kingdom he was once apart of. Images of his sister and mother flashed through his mind as he slept. He awoke in a cold sweat; He had seen the Kingdom of Karroban falling into the sea. Which sea he didn’t know but it was enough to awake him. He must find a way to prevent this, but how?
He thought he heard a sound outside so he went to the window and saw that two of the royal guards were waiting at the gate to enter. “What do they want?” He muttered. Pulling on another blue shirt he hooked his crimson cape around his neck by a small golden chain. He walked promptly out of his room and down the steps. At the bottom he quickly walked to the large oak doors and pushed one open and headed down the path to the gate were the guards awaited. “What are the emperors’ lackeys doing all the way out here?” He sneered. They seemed to have ignored his comment. “Are you Magnus?” The first queried. “Aye” Magnus said. “You must come with us to see the Emperor immediately.” The first guard closed the scroll and looked to the second man. They obviously knew who they were speaking to, and they seemed a bit uneasy to be demanding anything from Magnus. “What if I choose not to go see your lord?” Magnus said. The first guard looked to the second who looked as confused as his counterpart. “We would be required to make you come with us.” Magnus began to chuckle lightly. They were going to force him to come with them yet they looked scared out of their wits. The emperor and they were fools. “Fine” Magnus said. The guards looked more relaxed now that he had agreed to go with them. “But I go on my terms not the emperors.” He walked off and then went to his stable and found his horse which he had named Storm. It was one of his most prized possessions, a black stallion with a short triangular shaped place of white hair on his forehead and a lightning bolt on the top of his leg. He put a saddle on him and then climbed on and rode out to where the guards were waiting. “Let’s go.” He said. His loathing of Dante was vast but he decided to go anyway just to engross the Emperor and his lackeys. After three days of riding they arrived at the Palace.
The Imperial Palace stood at three stories high and twice the size of his own castle. It dwarfed all the buildings in the village easily. Four towers stood at the four corners of the walls ominously watching over the empire. It had stained glass windows and a cobblestone drive. Once they tied their horses in the stable they proceeded inside. Once inside they proceeded down the long foyer and through an ante chamber to a set of red double doors. One of the guards pushed the door open and the waited for Magnus to proceed and they followed behind him. On the throne sat a young man, he had short brown hair. He looked like he was in a very foul mood. His skin was slightly tanned and he wore a gold crown on his head. He wore a pair of blue pants and a blue shirt with an amethyst robe over it. The first guard approached the emperor and saluted sharply and turned to Magnus and said “My lord, this is the prisoner you requested we bring in.” The emperor only nodded in acknowledgement. ‘Prisoner’ Magnus thought. It could not be possible; he did not serve this emperor or any of his fools. Now it was Dante’s time to speak he said “I am emperor over all of Germany, a very influential and excellent emperor and yet you, Magnus, want nothing to do with me or my kingdom, why?” Magnus had a terse response just waiting for this kind of question. He smiled inwardly. “I am a mercenary, I serve no one, and I have no allegiances or ties to any governments good or bad.” Dante looked on trying to gauge Magnus as more than a simple peasant but not noble by any means. “Well then, my friend why do you remain in this country?” Dante asked. “First of all, I am no friend of yours and second I feel I do not have to explain myself to the likes of you, nobility or not.” Magnus said. Dante looked in a fouler mood than he was before. “I am the emperor! You will answer me!” He roared. Magnus smiled again. He knew he had annoyed the emperor more. This is what he had hoped for. Now he would see just how fair and just this emperor was. Or had it all been a sham to win the people over? Magnus would soon find out. “So, my emperor.” He sneered and continued. “Why did you call me here, I’m sure it’s not to yell at me.” The emperor looked at him inquisitively for a moment choosing his words carefully. “You have been brought before me on this day because I have reason to believe that you killed my brother Roan. Do you deny it?” Magnus stood there his face showed no emotion nor did his stance. He chose his words just as carefully and then spoke to Dante directly. “I cannot say he’s dead or if he is alive, my lord.” Dante stared at him for a moment and then spoke. “You killed my brother Roan, therefore your life is required to pay for it.” Magnus held in a laugh and showed no emotion as the emperor spoke. He only stood there and watched. “What do you have to say for yourself Magnus?” The emperor demanded. Magnus gave a slight smile and then said “Let me explain it to you ‘my’ emperor. You see, we had been 'business partners' if you will, but what can I say I am a greedy person. Last I know Roan was still alive when we parted company.” He began. His smile faded revealing a more serious face. He let his demeanor relax a little. The emperor looked more furious now than he had before. “Guards! Take this criminal and lock him in the cell in our dungeon.” The guard came in and bowed to the emperor and led Magnus away. “This is just great...” Magnus thought. When they arrived at the cell it looked like it had not been used in some time the floor was grimy looking and the bed in the corner looked broken-down at best. The guard opened the heavy metal bar door and pushed Magnus in and then slammed it closed. Magnus walked over to the bed and looked around the cell for a moment, it definitely was not up to standards, and he had been in better cells before and had escaped from worse. He hoped up on the bed and sat down crossing his legs he began to meditate. After what seemed like an hour or so a vision came to him of the castle being raided, he smirked and decided to keep it to himself, after all why should he help the king if there were no profit in it for him? As he traveled he had heard many good things about Dante, he supposed they were true. Such a good emperor and yet he is sore over the loss of his brother and Magnus had lost his entire kingdom…foolish man. He looked out the single small window in the cell and noted that the clouds were gathering and it got a little darker by the minute. “Now’s my chance to escape.” He thought. The guard approached the cell and said “here is your dinner criminal.” He then slid a tray of cold food under the door causing a little of the dust on the floor to be kicked up and settle on his food. Magnus walked over to the door looked at the guard and then picked up the tray and walked over to his bed and sat it down and looked out the window again. He heard the guards’ footsteps echo as he walked off a slight clank as his boots hit the floor. He heard a short pause and then the creek of a door and then it slammed shut behind the guard. Magnus began to laugh quietly. The guard had just given him the perfect chance to escape, and he didn’t even know it. Once he escaped he would repay Dante for locking him in that dingy cell. But not in this rain would he attempt an escape. He had to bide his time, at least for now. After four hours had dragged by, the guard reentered the dungeon. He appeared to be carrying a staff of some kind. He stopped in front of Magnus’ cell and said “Heh. You’re going to need all your strength once out ‘expert’ arrives. So eat before I kill you myself.” He pointed the sharp edge of the blade on the end of the staff towards Magnus and walked off laughing. Magnus could only eat the food not really caring what the guard said, he was only messing with him, he reasoned. “Well I’m not going to get anything done just sitting here.” He thought. He heard a voice from another cell across the hall. It spoke saying “Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and weary. ...Quoth the Raven Nevermore.” Magnus seemed quite puzzled at this. He spoke and said “Sir, what do you mean by that phrase?” He waited in the growing darkness as a rat skittered by his foot he heard a response “Sir, It is a poem from the year eighteen forty five. You see, I am a Time Traveler from the future, and I came to tell your king of a few things and he called me a heretic and threw me in this disgusting cell.” Magnus chuckled and it echoed in his cell. “You do not believe me?” The stranger said. “How can I? Do you have any proof that you are truly from the future?” Magnus replied. There was a brief pause as the stranger seemed to be searching his pockets. “Here we go” He said and tossed a coin into Magnus’ cell. Magnus picked the coin up; it had the same weight and texture as the German Mark but the words “E Pluribus Unum” On its reverse. On the front the coin bared a portrait of a man, “Who is this man?” Magnus asked. “He was a President of the United States of America-A country not yet on your maps.” Magnus seemed puzzled by this.But now he would have an accomplice to help him escape. “What is your name Time Traveler?” Magnus queried. “Viktor Frost and yours?” He quickly replied. “Magnus” He replied. “Well Viktor, we need to escape. Somehow.” Magnus said idly. He heard a slight shuffle coming form the cell across form him. ‘‘What are you doing Viktor? And were exactly are you from?” He asked. Viktor seemed to be doing something but he couldn’t tell in the
Waning light. He heard the bars rattling and then Viktor’s response. “I am from Germany originally but I moved to the United States in 2210. Lived there and worked on my experiments with time and ended up here. How about you?” He asked. “Well.” Magnus began. “I am actually from a city in the clouds that was lost long ago. The Kingdom of Korraban, more commonly referred to as ‘Atlantis’ by the earth dwellers. I foresaw this and was unable to stop it. No one is thought to have survived the fall, but I hope some of them did.” He said somberly. There was a brief pause before Dr. Frosts’ voice broke the silence. “I thought that was just a myth, a story to entertain children. I suppose I should have done more research. But now that I have proof of its existence I will prove it to my colleges who scoffed at the notion of a utopia.” Magnus listened intently, for the moment at least, because his mind was elsewhere. “Magnus?” Victor queried. “Yes, what is it?” Magnus said half-heartedly. Then Victor continued. “Well, you said we were going to escape earlier. What do you plan to do after you escape?” There was a long silence as Viktor waited for Magnus to reply. When he didn’t, Viktor became upset and then said “Magnus!” A few minutes later he heard Magnus’ reply. “I plan to get revenge, that’s what I plan to do.” Viktor could hear the grit in Magnus’ tone and he knew this was grim. “I’m in.” Viktor said.
 Art by Angel Without Her Halo  darth acheron · Wed Jan 30, 2008 @ 07:34am · 0 Comments |
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