The Forgotten Paladins

As the fog cleared, the man raised his head and removed his helm. It was dented and the noseguard was smashed off. Groaning, he looked around. His fellow paladins lay wounded or dead around him, their armor battered and their limbs hanging at strange angles. Abandoned swords and torn red banners lay on the floor. The man groaned again and struggled to his feet, wincing as he put weight on his injured leg. As he stood, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. As he turned his head, he saw a handful of other paladins in shattered armor wielding maces and swords. He raised his hand feebly in greeting.

"Who's here?" said the man.
"Just us" replied one of the other survivors.
"What about the captain?"
The other men shifted uncomfortably on their feet, trying not to catch the man's eye. Eventually one of them replied.
"Gone" he said
"Gone? You mean dead?" replied the man, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, no, sir. I mean he's completely gone. There are no traces of him at all."

And the man sighed. After their crushing defeat against the forces of the Hoarfrost, the captain had abandoned them. The man became angry. The captain had left them all for dead, stranded in the godforsaken wilds of the Hoarfrost with few supplies. Snatching up a crimson blade from a fallen comrade, he outlined his plan to his fellow survivors, before setting up camp for the night.

As dawn broke over the battlefield, the weary paladins arose from their slumber and trudged into the field, looking for any armor that was still intact. Pulling the crimson armor from their dead comrades, the man, who was now captain, ordered them to find the blue flowers that were native to the Hoarfrost lands. They came back with armfuls of them and the captain painted blue over red. The man who had betrayed them still bore the red armor, and the men saw the red as a sign of cowardice. When the captain finished, he handed the blue armor to his men, and they marched, heading to the only place they knew they would find friends - to the lands of Rancor the Razer and his Vanished Paladins.

As night crept over the land, the Razer's castle came into view of the Forgotten Paladins. They marched faster now and began talking happily - the first time the men had been cheerful for days. As they hailed the guard, the gate opened and there stood Rancor, along with several of the Vanished Paladins. The Forgotten Paladin Captain stepped forward and greeted the Razer. After hearing their tale of the battle, Rancor allowed them to enter his castle and he accepted them among him. And so a deal of revenge was struck - the betrayed Paladins would work together to eradicate the captain, and thus began the fable of the Forgotten Paladins.

~The End~

:!: Clan coming soon :!:

 

Reserved