Isic kissed Princess Felonia goodnight on her forehead as he tucked her in bed. Then he started walking to his room and Dim torches lit up the stairway down to his quarters. But something was oddly off. He felt like he was being watched. He turned his head to look behind him, then turned back around and the Queen was standing there in front of him. "Isic," she said. "How are you?"
"Well your highness, and you?" He asked while bowing.
"Oh, it's not about me right now Isic. It's about you. I need you to stop, and listen to me for a moment. My daughter may have feelings for you, and may eventually want to marry you. But I refuse to have her marry some low life from some scrub town I didn't even know existed. You're gonna have to earn the right to marry her."
"I have faith from God, you'll look past this. Tell me the truth, why am I actually staying here. I know it's not just for the Princess, you must want something from me. Tell me the truth, my Queen."
"Oh deary, you may not be able to handle the truth. It won't be a good enough answer, you'll question it. And your faith will be tested."
"Well, sometimes truth isn't good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."
"This is bigger than you or I." The guards started coming from all sides surrounding him. "There is a war coming, from deep underneath, and it needs to be stopped, otherwise life as we know it will fall."
"This is a set up. You're taking me!" The guards grabbed him as he lunged towards the Queen, she didn't flinch. The King appeared from behind her.
"Yes we are, you will fight this war, and end it. And if you survive, there might be some honor to your name, enough to let you marry our daughter. No matter what you're going. You will train, you will enter the demon's gate, you will slay him, and you might return. Understood."
"You bitch!"
"Take him, we'll tell her he volunteered for the job in order to keep her safe, and marry her. It'll sound noble, with a noble death."
A guard came from behind and clunked Isic on the back of the head, knocking him out, and they dragged him away.
"Damiel," The Queen said, "Felonia will not be happy with us if she hears the truth. If Isic survi-"
"I'll make sure he doesn't survive." the King said.
"Some of the hardest choices require the strongest wills, my love." She turned his head from Isic and kissed him before she went to bed.
"Embrace your dark side," said the voice in his head. The voice sounded dark and evil, much evil.
"Go away." The King mumbled walking to his room."
"You may be pushing to get rid of me. But you're not fighting to keep me away. You may try to keep me at bay, but your soul is mine, you sold it to me a long time ago. I let you become king, so I can plan this out perfectly. Time's up. Watch the city burn."
Isic woke up in the dirt in a strange place. his face was in the dirt and the back of his head hurt. He grunted in pain and he slowly stood up and saw other standing up to. All confused. Hreg stepped out and introduced himself. He explained how they were going to train and be the elite team to enter the demon's gate and stop this war. Most, or all of them probably will not survive. They introduced themselves. Yeven a skilled knight and religious leader. Calogne a foreigner, criminal, and lowlife with nothing better to do with his life. Noviah, a not so special soldier in the king's army. And Isic, the unskilled. All of them except for Isic saw it as an adventure of a life time. Giving them legendary names. Hreg the Brave, Calogne the Redeemed, Noviah the Loyal, Yeven the Holy, and Isic the Unskilled. He was laughed at and pushed around. Hreg began training. Isic refused to train.
The training area was a secret place. Regular peasants walked in and out of their space, only a certain few knew who they actually were. Isic sat down after arguing with Hreg refusing to train. There was a darkness building in him. He was taken from his love with no way out. Hreg pulled him over to the side. He knew his deal with the Queen, and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure he makes it back to marry Princess Felonia. But he has to go and come back with him. The little light that shinned in Isic agreed to train. It was going to be to fight his way out, and to claim what is his. To make his name remembered. Expose the king and marry Felonia.
That evening he sat with the others and joined them for dinner accepting his fate. A priest sat with them. His job was to comfort them, and pray for them on their journey. His name was Father John. He read a letter from the King, it said they had 21 days to prepare themselves.
