THE ENDING

THE BEGINNING

The Old Ones that always spoke of dark times were often ridiculed. Some of them were branded as just a few ogre-shit crazy elderly, who had simply lost their minds.... No one wanted to listen to some old wives' tales fed to children before bedtime. What loving mother would plant such nightmarish seeds into the vulnerable imaginations of the young. Maybe it was done out of love? But oh, those poor children... Many would have feverish nightmares during the night or pissed soaked sheets to greet their mothers in the morn. Fear is powerful force that we all must deal with in some way of our own accord. The very thought of something so vile and dark unleashed upon these peaceful lands seemed unimaginable. It came like a frosty-winter wind, running its frozen fingers along a bare neck. A feeling that took one's breath away. A good ruler would have prepared his people from this impending disaster. We had no such thing. The King was a fool that ignored the counsel of the Old Ones. He particularly despised Aarkaneus The Wise. An old man well-traveled and well versed in all disciplines of science and the forbidden arts. A disheveled second-hand robe, complemented his wispy grey hair teasing the top of his narrow shoulders. Tiny glasses perch ever so lightly upon the bottom half of sometimes flaring nostrils! Milk-pale skin remained concealed under that robe. It was a reward for staying indoors during the day and only venturing out occasionally. This magus refused to honor his majesty's request to reveal his future. Aarkaneus knew many things and he believed in the natural law of "Counterbalance" faithfully. Any great gain must be equally balanced with a loss of equal value.... In laymen's terms basically, nothing is for free.

He had gained his vast knowledge through decades of studying and meditation. And this so-called king just wanted some insight into his future just handed to him on a gold serving tray. The premonition of doom glowed with aggression in the night sky. A horrible famine and a drought would follow the blood moon's lunar eclipse, bellowed those old scholars and soothsayers. But King Duncan only laughed as he drank more wine and chased chambermaids about the castle floors. He acted hardly the part of a king and yet less than that of a married man. His better half was the queen...... She often scorned him and corrected the countless mistakes that he made. Queen Viola was a wise woman, but her life was short lived, due to a mysterious illness that suddenly afflicted her. She bared no heirs to the throne but loved all children as if, they were her own. Many a banquet honoring the poor were planned and financed by Queen Viola. Her death saddened all of those who had a heart. Rumors quickly spread throughout the kingdom and neighboring lands. Perhaps it was the King who poisoned her or maybe his favorite chambermaid.... It was very unnatural for a healthy woman to be playing with children one day and then to be bedridden the next. The Queen's body laid in repose for 4 days as royalty and every level of hierarchy came to pay their respects. Aarkaneus wanted to examine the body but the King forbid him from doing so. This only added to the already suspicious circumstances of her death.