Swordmaster

Era of Death

You've grown into a fine Swordmaster, little knight.

"That was the last thing she said to me that night. Well... ever." Leandyr twined a blade of grass around his finger. He could feel Ayzel's eyes on him, but he refused to look at her, knowing he'd see pity and sorrow, and he'd had his fill of that.

"I remember you two being like mother and son," she said with a smile.

"Indeed. I grew up in this temple, and the Queen was a devout parishioner. Whenever she made her visits, I would cling to her side, following her around like a lost puppy. She used to call me her little knight. Boran used to joke that I was smitten with her."

Lady Hiroh breathed a small laugh. "Ah, I remember the High Priest."

"He and I had... well have... our disagreements. I wasn't too keen on being some magician's cape, spending my days on their shoulders. The Queen, however, never faulted me for forsaking the ways of magic. So when I took up the ways of the sword, she was my most avid supporter."

Leandyr could help but smile at the memory. "She gave me my first sword – it was much like the one you have on your hip – and let me train at the castle, with the guard. Boran wasn't too thrilled about it, but after coming home day after day with stories and new techniques to show him, he warmed up."

They lapsed into silence for a moment, only the sound of buzzing insects filling the space.

"How did she die?" She said the question as though it was meant to be a thought. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine," Leandyr said. "We were at odds with Grecia. They were trying to claim parts of our land by force. It was in the dead of night that they sent their agents to steal our Queen. The Yilmaz claimed that they used forbidden magic to infiltrate the castle. That incident sparked what is now known in our history books as the Lake War."

He heaved a sigh. "I wasn't worried about us losing the land as much as I was about losing our Queen. So when the fighting reached its peak, I slipped past the enemy lines to sneak into their city and find her." He still remembered her body hanging by the throat in the middle of the abandoned city. "She was still warm when I found her..."

The Yilmaz had shown up shortly after, and he left them to deal with the body. Or he would've killed them right then and there. "I slaughtered eight hundred Grecians that day. And while we triumphed over them, it never felt like a victory. Not to me."

"I'm so sorry..." Her voice was heavy with guilt, as though she'd tied the noose and hung the Queen herself.

"So am I. I let her down. I'm not the man or the Swordmaster she thought I was."

"Is that why you're fighting for your freedom?"

"Partially. Abydon has given me all it can. And I've given it all I can. I feel as though I've lost all sense of purpose here, and the longer I linger, the more I become a parody of myself."

"I can understand that. Even we Hirohs are not without our demons."

That gave Leandyr pause. "Is that why you're on your own?"

"Not exactly." She worried the ties of her bracer. "The Hiroh clan is no more, Swordmaster. The gods... disbanded us."

He tried, and failed, to hide his shock. The Hirohs? Disbanded? The very idea seemed ludicrous to him. The Hiroh Clan had existed nearly as long as Magika, serving the gods as their ambassadors and disciples. They were as integral to the realm as the sky and the grass.

"Why?" He bit his tongue after uttering the word, realizing that his tone was heavy with unintentional skepticism.

"Sounds unbelievable, doesn't it?" Ayzel gave a sad smile. "I'm not sure the exact reason but, Lord Chelik probably had something to do with it. He was a good leader, but he always wanted more. More Hirohs, more power. The gods were adamant about keeping our group small. You see, as their disciples, we were able to tap into their power - something they didn't treat lightly."

Leandyr stayed quiet, absorbing everything he was being told. Although his mind wanted to reject it all. It sounded like something out of tall tale.

"I don't know what he did to bring the wrath of the gods down on us but... It must have been horrid." Lady Hiroh removed her bracer and flexed her scarred hand. Her eyes became distant as she stared out at the garden."We were cursed. It's been centuries, but I still remember the words. They plague my sleep. Scattered you will remain for all eternity. Strangers to one another, never to cross paths. Cast to the far corners of Magika. And cut off from your master's power."