As the sunlight streamed in through the narrow stone windows, the captain sat in a tall, intricately carved chair pondering the events of the night prior. The blue crushed velvet cushion still felt foreign to him, despite his time as acting steward of the proud city. A loud knock came from the door. “Enter.” Kardone spoke with authority. Various staff quickly and quietly entered, one with fresh linens and one with a tray of fine breakfast meats and fruits. “Will the lord take his breakfast in his chambers?” An unnamed woman asked politely, nary raising her eyes to meet the captain. “Indeed, there at the table. Thank you.” With a quick shuffle, the bed was made anew and a beautiful spread was laid out. The servants withdrew as quickly as they had entered and the captain sat to enjoy the small feast laid before him. Aromatic sausage links and boiled eggs accompanied the finest breads and juices, with a side of excellent cheese. “Fit for a king.” The proud steward spoke gently under his breath before devouring the meal.
Stepping away from his breakfast, Kardone called for his hand, who had been hidden faithfully behind the door to his room. “Jesse, come along.” Swiftly, Jesse entered in full armor, shimmering white and blue. “Yessir, right away.” Jesse calmly said, and together they met at the armor stand. Helping him into his regal breast plate, Jesse pulled each strap carefully, adjusting for comfort. The plate mail that was common among the guard paled in comparison to the intricate metalwork, rivaling the oldest elven finery. The armor set Kardone apart, and nobody in the city had known a ruler who would carry himself in full battle gear. Kardone thanked his companion and they strode in unison out of the grand bedroom, down a magnificent mountain of stairs and proceeded through the vast hallway that ended at his room. A mousy little man crept up to them, keeping pace and carrying parchment with his usual wiggling gait. “You have quite a busy day, good steward. In fact, there is a dispute awaiting your decision in the court as we speak. The pointy-eared rats have been up to no good again, and today they have the nerve to ask for an audience.” the little man explained excitedly. “Leif, their petty squabbles can wait. Any word from our king?” Kardone inquired, without expectation.
“None sir. However, your lieutenants have gathered in the war room. They too are hopeful for an audience.” The rat-like little man scampered off with a wave of the captain’s hand and out of the way, as it was commonly known that the standing steward was not one to leave his lieutenants waiting long without orders. Stone-faced, Kardone and Jesse made their way to the war room, where twelve men in full dress were in an uproar. “The patrol has already been doubled! I say we kill them all, and purge this blight from our city!” a relatively short but commanding figure bellowed. “Nic, we can’t just indiscriminately start killing the knife-ears in the street, we will have a riot on our hands!” a much taller, broad-faced lieutenant responded. “Well, let them riot and taste our blades, Joseph was one of my best men, and he’s been made lame!” Nic continued, becoming louder and redder. “Men!” Kardone bellowed, and a quick silence fell over the long room. “I know that tempers are high. I feel the same, as it was my man as well as yours Nic.” “Public support has never been higher, sir. Perhaps it is time to rid the city of the elven aggression.” Jesse interjected. The room was filled with agreement.
Kardone took his proper seat at the head of the long table. Slowly he pondered this way and that. After some time, in awkward silence, he cleared his throat and addressed the room. “I have been in deep thought through the night. Ever since I received word of the attack, I have pondered. One thing has been made exceedingly clear. The elvenkind are less than human. They do not follow the rules of engagement, and attack under shadow and smoke. So my decision is this. Let no elf consider himself the level of man. The knife-ears no longer have a place in Nearborne! As warden of this great city, and with you great men, I will drive the elf menace from our walls, and in time, our kingdom!” With Kardone’s last word, the hall erupted in agreement. “Guardsmen, with me!” He shouted with authority, and each man formed upon the captain. “We have business to attend to in the court!” Kardone exclaimed. Leaving the war room, the lieutenants formed up behind their captain and Jesse, four abreast marching through the castle’s hallways. Onward, they marched to the grand court.
Bursting through the doors and entering the hallway that leads to the grand court, Kardone and his company received the shocked looks of a dozen or more. Man and elf alike sought the decision of the warden. A dozen more guards lined the room in their presence. “Guards!” Kardone ordered. “Seize every elf!” In an instant, ten or more pathetic city elves were in custody, with several of them already bound and taken in for the court’s justice originally. Kardone approached one such elf, a lowly beggar in chains, likely brought in for the petty theft of a loaf of crusty bread. “Please good sir, I only meant to feed my child! I’ll never do it again.” With those words Kardone raised his chin and spoke plainly. “No, you will not.” he said, and in an instant ran the poor elf through. His lieutenant’s and guards followed suit and with haste, there lay the bodies of ten elves in the hall, with deep crimson pools forming about.
Kardone cleaned and sheathed his beautiful sword, with a strange gleam in his piercing blue eyes. Stepping from the bodies, he walked into the grand court and up the stairs to his monumental throne. “Under the command of your king and warden, let no elf remain in this city by the fall of night!” With Kardone’s command, there was a great uproar in the court, and indeed the whole castle. Many servants ran for their lives, darting this way and that as the household help tended to be the lowest classes of people. Marked for death, each elf took to the streets to warn their kindred in a panic. Terror and panic overwhelmed the streets and the luckiest made it below the portcullis before it closed violently and condemned the trapped elves to slaughter. The warden-king took to the walls of his high keep. “The time has come.” he spoke eerily, more to himself than to Jesse. “Indeed, great warden.” Jesse replied, and he seemed to share in the warden’s bloodlust. Below them, the whole town scrambled and screams echoed down every road.
Ricky Hurlich Shorts 