Stirring from an uneasy sleep, Kardone roused slowly. He had not slept well after the mixed reports he had received from his scouts the day before. Six companies of men had been sent to secure the Nearlands. The cleansing of his castle and city had gone off relatively smoothly. In contrast, heavy losses had been sustained on the eastern coastal settlements and had left him agitated. Perhaps he had been hasty in sending men along the coast where the sea-faring elves had many allies. “Dirty knife-ears.” He muttered as he rolled from his plush comfort. Kardone walked quietly to his full length mirror and dressed for the day.
The sun streamed through the curtains. The castle was quiet, and in disarray. Little help could be found with the upkeep of the castle, as most of those positions had been filled by Elven hands. “Good riddance…” he muttered again. The servants that remained struggled to handle the extra work, and the kitchen hearth had been cold for a full day. “Jesse, come in here.” Kardone said loudly. Quickly and quietly, Jesse entered the warden’s chambers. He carried with him roughly sliced meat and bread. It would have to do for his breakfast today. “Cold breakfast again?” He said, irritated at the low morale that had been festering within the castle. “Cold again today, but I think our stores will last for quite some time. Men were sent out last night to gather the extra hands we need around here.” Jesse said, as he set the fine silver tray he carried roughly on the bed.
They carried out their morning ritual of armor fitting. Leaving his quarters, Kardone and Jesse filed past the guards who stood sentry outside. The king’s advisor, Leif, crept from a nearby hallway, where he had remained unseen waiting for the presence of his warden. “Have any more messengers returned in the night?” Kardone asked. “None, sir.” Leif said in his spastic manner. The warden and his companion made a heavy jingle with every step as they strode down the grand corridor. The advisor who crept beside them made no sound that did not come out of his mouth. “Send a message to the East. Have every man return. We will regroup and ride as a single army. Overwhelming force to stomp flat the elven supporters. What kind of man would shelter an elf, anyway?”
“No man, only worms.” Leif replied. The warden seemed pleased at the comment. Together, the three men walked and talked as they made their way to the great court. The warden had a great deal of kingly business to attend to. There were the matters of replacing the lost servants in the castle, as well as disputes over who should have claim over the forfeited elven property. These were just the matters within his own city. Far and wide, many sought the warden’s decision. As a ruler, we had been known to be firm and fair, as it pertains to human affairs. The day rolled on as people shuffled about the court. In and out they came and went. The warden slumped further in his chair as the day drew on. It was as though the weight of the decisions he made weighed upon him literally, as his thoughts strayed to the battlefields past and future. Those were places where he would much rather be.
At midday, the court took a break. The warden retreated to his massive dining hall. Although it was large enough for two hundred men, he sat alone. Jesse stood sentry nearby and several of his guard littered the great hall. Although the warden spent most of his day with Jesse, Kardone could not remember the last time he had seen him eat. He would not trouble himself with silly thoughts like that now. Many matters were settled, but many more would be resolved by the end of the day. Kardone chomped loudly on his fine meal and drank deeply from his heavy iron mug.
Without warning, there was a great tussle outside of the western doors of the great hall. Kardone quickly wiped his face and took to his feet, racing to the sound of the commotion. Jesse drew his sword and flew to the door. Before he could reach it, the great doors slammed shut. Jesse hit it with his shoulder, but to no avail. Outside the door, there had been piled the bodies of several guards, and the slamming of heavy furniture rang inside the dining hall, assuring that it would not be opened.. Turning about, the warden and his companion watched as several guardsmen shed their heavy armor. Beneath the metal helms were elven faces, and the warden noticed that several other guardsmen already laid unceremoniously across the floor slain.
“Kardone!” Jesse’s voice rang out in the hall as the false guardsmen made a dash for the warden. They assumed a reckless charge with swords raised above their head. Standing his ground, the warden easily parried the first, running him through an sidestepping as the elven body landed lifelessly on the cold stone floor. Resetting himself, Kardone prepared for the next attack. Before the next few could arrive at their mark, Jesse had reached the warden and in a great arc he expertly swung his sword. The heads of two elves were freed from their shoulders and made a light plop upon the ground an instant before their respective lifeless bodies crumpled down.
With a great commotion, many guardsmen poured in running from the eastern door. A good number of them already had the look of battle weariness, and shouted for their warden. Jesse and Kardone looked up and brought them to a walk as they walked towards them calmly. Shaking his head and spewing insults, the warden berated his soldiers for their poor performance. He shouted orders to secure the western door immediately, and many men were off to make the long walk around. “Come Jesse, there are spies among us. How is it possible that they penetrated the guard?” The two walked out, leaving the many lifeless bodies sprawled here and there to be cleaned up. The warden brought his boot to one of his own guardsmen who laid outside the western door. “Wretch.” Kardone said disapprovingly.
Ricky Hurlich Shorts 