"The Maid of Ycha" Presented by iWrite Co

I felt myself being dragged across the stadium floor by a pair of hands holding tightly onto my ankles. I could hear the curses and laughter of two men. One of the men was dragging me while the other dragged another body to my right. I hadn't opened my eyes yet so I had no idea whether it was Jorus or Horan that was being toted beside me. I slowly opened my eyes and could make out the two men walking side by side in front of me. Their backs were turned to me so I quickly glanced to my right and saw the lifeless body of Horan being dragged beside me. My heart leaped and I felt a smile touch my lips. Jorus had gotten his revenge and managed to survive the duel. I felt cold steel brush my side and instantly reached out and grabbed the hilt of a long sword laying on the stadium floor. As much as I hate running a sword through a man's back, I had no choice at this moment in time. I could feel the massive blood loss from the great beast's bite had weakened me so I had no choice but to strengthen the odds in my favor by taking out one of my adversaries before they could even draw. I quickly leaned up and drove my sword through the man dragging me. He barely made a sound as he collapsed to the ground due to a punctured heart. His companion wasted no time in drawing his weapon as I rolled onto my feet. He looked at me and I could have sworn he would have fainted from fright. I ran towards him as I pulled my weapon from his companion's back. His fear quickly faded as our swords clashed. This man was a very strong antagonist with a sword but I was fighting for love and the urge to free Jorus from his cell. I parried his strikes easily and it was obvious that, although weak from loss of blood, I would eventually step out of this fight as the winner. Unfortunately, I didn't have forever to draw out this fight and I truly hated to end the fight so quickly but I had no other choice. I parried a strike of his sword and rushed at him, catching him off guard. I ran him through without a word. I pulled my sword from his body and wiped the blood off on his trousers. I sheathed my sword and picked up the man's sword that I just killed. If I managed to find Jorus then he would not be unarmed. I then set off in search of my love, Soros, and my friend, Jorus.

 

Thankfully, I hadn't met a single antagonist during my search of the pits. If I had, I doubt I would have survived. The racket of two swords clashing is nearly unbearable in close quarters with walls made of stone. Someone would have surely heard us and my life would be snuffed out before I could even see my love's beautiful face again.
It seemed as if I had been searching the pits for days even though I knew it could have been no more than a few hours. The darkness made it nearly impossible to see more than a few feet in front of my face so I had to progress slowly, sword ever at the ready. I would look into the cells as I passed by them and whisper Jorus's name, hoping he was awake to hear me.
I soon began wondering why the pits were deserted. It seemed strange that I was able to freely traverse this underground labyrinth and not run in to a single guard the entire time. Whether it was odd or not, I was still thankful. Even more so when I came across a dark cell near the center of the pits. I had almost given up all hope of finding my friend when I got a reply to my call. I stood completely still and looked around, making sure no one was in sight or close enough to me to hear. It was pointless caution, for no one was even within eyesight of me.
"Jorus?" I whispered again. There was a brief pause followed by the shuffling of feet closer to the cell door and the reply, "Gnath?". My heart almost jumped out of my chest with joy when I heard my own name being whispered back to me. "Friend, I must get you out of here," I said to him, grasping his arm as he was close enough to the door for me to do so. I saw him smile back at me in the dim light and noted a single tear run down his cheek. "It's no use," he said, "these cell doors are made of the strongest metal and are virtually impossible to break."
"Is there no way to work the hinges if you had a strong sword?" I asked slyly.
"Well I suppose one could if he beat down on it hard enough." he replied, "Why do you ask? And what is that look you are giving me?"
"I happen to have two strong swords with me now and I believe we can make short work of these rusted hinges." I said as I pulled one of the swords from behind my back and unsheathed Jorus's sword and handed it to him. He smiled back at me and turned towards the hinges on his left. He raised the sword above his head and lowered it with the strength of a true fighting man. It was a swing that both impressed me and brought a feeling of horror over me, for as soon as the sword came in contact with the hinge, a loud clang sounded throughout the pits. I froze as I stared at Jorus's horrified face and felt my blood run cold. In our excitement we had not thought of the sound that would inevitably follow metal striking metal.

 

We waited in tense silence and anticipation for the sound of rushing footsteps and the clanking of swords against their scabbards. It seemed like days had gone by while we stood there in the dim light, both of us afraid to make another sound. No one came. I looked up at Jorus and each of us noted the look of concern on one another's face. I had found if curious why I hadn't crossed paths with anyone on my way to rescue Jorus but had simply thought of it as luck. Now I realized something was very wrong. "What occasions would constitute the complete unmanning of the cells?" I asked my Acrutian friend.
"Only two reasons that I can think of." he replied. "Either the execution of a member of the royal family or the wedding of one." My mind pondered on his answer for a few seconds and then it dawned on me. I quickly brought up my sword and brought it crashing down with all my might on the middle hinge of the cell, completely breaking it off in one strike. Jorus looked at me in disbelief. "We must hurry and set you free," I said to him. "For I believe Hijus is in the process of marrying one of our loves."
He didn't say a word of reply but turned back to the lower hinge that he had initially struck.
We had made short work of the hinges and were running as fast as we could to get to the conference hall that I had been led to before. This is where Jorus said Hijus would most likely be married due to it's large size and the ability to protect him from assassins. The tunnel seemed much shorter than before as we reached the end of it and found our way to the building without incident. We decided to walk around the building from the outside, both of us going in different directions so we could meet up at the back of the building. This way we could make sure no guards were placed outside and surprise us from behind.
We met each other at the back of the building, neither of us having ran into any trouble. We walked back around to the front and slowly marched up the stairs leading to the huge doors of the building. I looked at Jorus and smiled as I pushed the door open and stepped into the crowded conference room.
At the sound of the massive doors opening, every head in the building turned and looked at us. My eyes searched the entire room until they finally rested on Hijus standing on a platform dressed in his finest tunic with a woman standing next to him. Her back was turned to me at first but when she did eventually turn around I couldn't make out who she was due to the large group of fighting men rushing to reach us at the door.

 

Two swords clashed against many that night. Jorus and I fought back to back against countless warriors in Hijus's guard for what seemed like hours. Every time my sword would puncture one fiend's heart, two more would take his place. I had tried to steal glances of the woman standing beside Hijus but I could not make her out due to the many bodies standing in between us. A rather large brute almost ended my life several times with his magnificent sword play and strength before I finally dispatched him to his ancestors. As soon as the brute's body hit the ground I was able to make out Zana, Jorus's wife, standing beside Hijus. Judging by the increasing sounds of metal and the thud of bodies hitting the ground, Jorus had stolen a glance and seen her also.
What happened next surprises me even to this day when I think about that eventful night. When all hope seemed lost and my body felt like I could barely move it another inch, Jorus raised his sword and yelled, "I hereby challenge Lord Hijus of Acrutia to single combat to the death!" The men all around us lowered their swords and glanced up at Hijus. I turned to Jorus and asked, "Does any man have the right to challenge a king to single combat in Acrutia?"
"No," he said. "Not any man."
"Then how do you?" I asked.
"Only a male member of the king's family may challenge him. Hijus is my cousin."
I could hardly keep my mouth from dropping to the floor at this news. Slowly it dawned on me why Jorus had been so confident and unafraid to admit that he would kill Hijus when I first met him. I noted Jorus staring intently at Hijus and could feel the tension mounting. If Hijus denied Jorus's request then all would be lost, but he would possibly lose the respect of the fighting men in his country and face a possible mutiny. If he accepted and perished at Jorus's hand then Jorus would become king the second his cousin's lifeless body hit the floor. Hijus stared straight into Jorus's eyes, his mouth turning up into an evil sneer. "I accept your challenge of single combat to the death, Jorus of Acrutia."

 

All at once the crowd surrounding me and Jorus dispersed, attempting to make room for Hijus to make his way down to his cousin. It was at this moment that my eyes fell on my beautiful Soros. She was being grasped tightly on the arm by the cruel Shihad. Hijus commanded Shihad to grasp Zana with his other arm and he did so, much to Zana's displeasure. Jorus stood patiently in the middle of the clearing, waiting for Hijus to taste his sword's vengeance. Never had I seen more noble a man than Jorus at this moment in time. Though he had been living for weeks in an underground cell, his royalty and nobility shined through the grime that covered his body.
When Hijus finally entered the small clearing the crowd had made he wasted no time in clashing his sword against Jorus's. Evidently, his plan was to catch Jorus offguard by the shear suddenness of his attack; but Jorus treated it as if Hijus had told him of his battle plan before they even began. I could barely keep up with Jorus's sword as he struck and parried the King of Acrutia's vicious onslaught; I was certain no one else in the room could even tell much of what was happening. Jorus seemed to play with Hijus as does a cat to it's prey. He would allow Hijus to make several steps towards him and make a few slashes with his sword, but then he would return the attack ten fold. Soon it became to clear to everyone in the room that Hijus would soon perish and a new king would be crowned, it was especially clear to Hijus. I shall never forget the look of fear in that former king's face for as long as I live. Finally, the moment came when Jorus ended the duel, thrusting his sword into the heart Hijus, the former King of Acrutia. My heart leaped with joy as the realization of what just occurred crept into my mind. There was a shout of applause from the crowd and as soon as Hijus's lifeless body hit the floor, so did every knee in the building. The entire crowd pledged their devotion and undying loyalty to Jorus. During this time of great happiness my attention was drawn to the other side of the room by a woman's scream and the sound of a confrontation. I looked in time to see Shihad push Zana to the ground and drag Soros through a door at his back. I immediately ran over to Zana with Jorus close behind me. "Leave me I'll be fine!" she yelled. "Rescue Soros from the clutches of that evil man before-" I did not wait for her to finish her sentence for I was already through the door and heading up the stairs that Shihad must have gone through only seconds before me. I grasped my sword tighter and felt my adrenaline pumping through my veins, compelling me to run faster than I had ever thought possible. I entered a room at the top of the stairway and found Shihad waiting for me. He thrusted his sword's point towards my heart as soon as I reached the doorway. He would have undoubtedly struck me dead had it not been for Soros leaping on him like a mad woman as soon as she realized his goal. He dropped his point and struck me on the inside of my left arm, nearly severing my bicep in half. He threw Soros to the ground and turned his attention back towards me with a look of insane rage on his face. As our swords met, my first goal was to protect the woman that I love at all costs. I easily manuevered my way between Soros and Shihad, then pressed him until mine and her's backs were towards the door. Shihad fought with all of his might and fought with the desperation that only a man about to lose his life fights with. I, on the other hand, fought for love and the woman that my love was directed to. During our battle he did not raise his sword in defense a single time, choosing instead to thrash at me until he either created an opening or struck me down due to luck. I parried each of his strikes and planted several deep cuts on his arms, face, and chest with my own attacks. Soon he was bleeding from cuts all over his body and appeared to be on his last leg. In an incredibly desperate attempt to sever my head from my shoulders by swinging as hard as he could from right to left he granted me an opportunity to strike him down quickly. As he swung, I ducked underneath his sword and plunged mine deep into his chest, burying it up to the hilt and piercing his heart. He was dead before he even hit the ground. I turned and my eyes met those of Soros's, filled with tears. I smiled at her and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Soros, I have a confession I must make to you." I said.
"Yes?" she replied, regaining her composure. I stared deep into her eyes and felt my heart beating faster. "I am in love with you, Soros." I said, "I have always been. I spend my days thinking of you and my nights dreaming of you. I-"
Before I could even finish she jumped into my arms. My lips touched hers as she threw her delicate arms around my neck. Our lips seperated as she looked up into my eyes and said, "I love you too, my dear Gnath. I have come to realize that by spending weeks without you. You were all I thought about and I prayed to my ancestors that I would be able to see your face once more before either of us died." She closed her eyes and brought her lips to mine once more, filling my body with the warmth of her love.

 

EPILOGUE:
Soros and I spent many weeks in the palace of Jorus and Zana, the new King and Queen of Acrutia. They were the happiest weeks of my life at that time and I enjoyed every second I got to spend with Soros in my arms. When we did finally leave Acrutia to return to Ycha, we were accomanied by a full regiment of soldiers as well as Jorus himself. They marched with us into Ycha and up to the palace like a grand parade and was only halted once at the main gate until the guard noticed the flags of peace being carried by the front line of men that accompanie us. When we arrived at the palace I immediately requested an audience with the king and was quickly led to his throne room, followed by Soros and Jorus. I was preparing to explain all that occurred during our adventures in Acrutia, including our kidnapping by Toroth's men from the palace gardens that far off night. Before I could even speak he raised his hand to silence me and informed me that Toroth had come clean with him about the kidnapping and that Toroth had been punished accordingly. He said that he was just relieved to have such an incredible beauty and fighter returned to him and that we weren't dead, like he and everyone else believed. He then informed us that while Soros was away, Toroth had fallen in love with a woman from a far off land and had left to be with her, completely eliminating Soros's obligation to marry him. This particular bit of news delighted Soros and myself; Jorus even smiled at us to show his happiness for us.
Later that day, Jorus and the King of Ycha decided to form an allegiance with one another. Forever proclaiming a friendship between the two, once warring, countries. Jorus soon after returned home to his wife, Zana, while I wed the love of my life that I had nearly fought an entire country for, Soros, the maid of Ycha.

 

Bump for personal reasons.