The Iron cause:
By Taylor dicker
Introduction: Orathion
Orathion had been working against the odds since the very day he was born. For he was the result of an affair between a common Tavern wrench and a high king, anyone in these circumstances cannot expect any less than a swift cut of a sword BY THE king SEEKING TO SAVE THE POSSIBLE STIGMA FROM HIS NAME. But orathion’s mother was lucky enough to smuggle him out before detection. For the first 15 years Orathion’s existence was unknown to king fragone bohinn, but that was all changed THE DAY THE REBELLION BROKE OUT.
Chapter 1: The merchant’s boy
“Quickly we must move my son before the first lights of day” said Anne cirend. The two men in the brown, troy and carter, were merchants traveling through willinton on the day Anne gave birth. Once word got around town of the birth Anne knew it would only be a matter of time before king fragone found out. And she knew full and well what the consequences were for being an illegitimate child of king fragone was. For she was not the first to be impregnated by him, the other women’s children and eventually the women were killed. The bodies were found in the ditches on the outer parts of the town, children no older than 2 years of age slaughtered without a hope of survival.” Do not worry we will take him” said troy. “Oh gods be good bless you both, but you must hurry its likely his kingship’s men are already on the way” said Anne. “Then I guess this is Farwell mi lady”. Troy grabbed Orathion and walked to the door, BUT BEFORE LEAVING TURNED TO ANNE AND SAID,” May you walk with god,” she nodded with a look of complete misery. As the two men left the tavern troy couldn’t help but think about what he has gotten him and carter into. For he knew king fargone was not a forgiving man and if caught smuggling his bastard seed the punishment would be a long and drawn out death, but troy heart would not let him stop. “We must hurry and put as much ground between us and willinton as possible before the first lights,” said troy and carter nodded in agreement. “How will we feed a new born baby?” asked carter with a bit of a confused look. “We will find a way but right now we have bigger concerns,” said troy. As the men mounted their palfreys Anne came out of the tavern. “Wait, take this it is all I possess,” Anne tossed a little brown sack to troy. “Now both of you leave and don’t look back.” Anne slapped both of the men’s palfreys on the buttocks and sent them into a full gallop. The men rode hard for many hours and as the sun began to rise troy decided it was best if they stick to the woods during the day. Once troy and carter dismounted, they lead their horses to a stream deep in the gosure forest and began collect firewood. “Don’t you think we should find some milk for the baby?” said carter and troy patted his pack and said, “I have plenty of milk in this flask but I don’t know how long it will last in this heat.” Troy ripped a piece of his undershirt off and began dipping it into the milk and letting’ the baby boy suckle the milk out of it. Carter watched in amazement,” that is absolutely genius,” troy explained that when he was a young boy himself he had to care for his infant brother after their mother died from child birth. He held the baby so tenderly that you would have thought he was his own child. When the baby had its fill of milk he fell into peacefully sleep in Troy’s arms. Troy gathered some scrap clothes he had in his pack and laid the baby ever so gently on top. “You should get some sleep I’ll take the first watch,” said carter and troy yawned in agreement. Troy was woken by the cries of little Orathion and got up to calm the child. “Go rest carter I will take it from here.” Once it started to darken again the men and the child departed again. They rode many nights and slept during the day, stopping in towns only to refresh their supply of food and milk for the baby. They were heading to the town of hardinburg, where the men had grown up. They knew it was a place out of fargone’s cruel grip. Once they made it to the town they returned to Troy’s home. Exhausted from the long and stressful both men slept while Troy’s wife, Bella, cared for the tiny infant. Bella was a barren woman, she and troy have tried many times to have a child of their own but never could. She sung a sweet lullaby to the child and soon both slept peacefully in each other’s arms. Troy and Bella raised Orathion like their own child and for many years Orathion did not even know he was a bastard, but one day troy was force to explain to Orathion what had occurred during his birth but left out the part about who his real father was. Orathion was a large child for only the age of 15 and he had brown hair and piercing green eyes. He was an amazing 6 foot 4 inches at 15 and still growing. Troy was a smaller man, but was a fine swordsman out of hobby. He taught Orathion everything he knew and soon his son soon surpassed him in many skills. Orathion was a quick learner and showed much promise. One day while out in the yard practicing his strikes the lord of hardinburg, Walter, happened to pass. “That’s an impressive strike you have their lad,” said Walter, “thank you milord I been practicing for many years.” “and who has taught you these skills?” asked Walter, Orathion proudly responded,” my father, troy, he is a fine swordsman.” “You have the potential to be a knight one day,” said Walter. “Thank you milord,” said Orathion with a bright smile. One day while Orathion was in the wood out back he heard he mother’s unmistakble scream. Orathion ran fast as lightening and was at his house in no time. His father was surrounded by 5 men-at-arms with his sword drawn. Troy saw orathion and yelled,” take your mother and run!!!!” the instant he said that the men rushed him. Troy nimbly dodged the first man and with a quick stroke of his sword cut deep into the man’s neck. Troy then cut down two more before he was overwhelmed, but he had given Orathion and Bella the crucial time they needed to escape into the woods. As Orathion ran carrying his mother he could help but worry about his father. Thoughts ran crazily through his head. “Why did those men attack my father?” Orathion thought through tears for he knew his father was most likely slain. All Bella and Orathion had with them were the clothes on their backs and orathion’s sword his father had specially forged for his 15th birthday. Bella sobbed uncontrollably on orathion’s back,” they killed him, I know they did.” Orathion had tears in his eyes as well, but his muscular legs continue on with amazing speed. His heart pounded, but he ran and ran and ran until he knew the men were no longer a threat. Orathion gently laid he mother in the grass and began collecting some edible herbs around him for a small supper. Orathion had grown up in these woods and could survive very easily if necessary. Bella had cried herself into a restless sleep, tossing and turning as if in some horrible nightmare. Orathion watched she sleep and thought, “I may have failed my father but they will not touch my mother.”
Chapter 2: I will have my revenge
After a few days of living off the land, Orathion decided to see what had become of hardinburg. At first bella sobbed and begged orathion not to go. “they will kill you too if discovered,” cried bella and orathion looked at his mother and said,” who is they mother? You mean to tell me you know whose men-at-arms they were?” orathion had seen the men’s sigils but could not make them out. Bella went into a fit of uncontrollable sobs and then calmed,” yes they were king fargone’s men, they have been sacking all of Lord Walter’s lands since he refused to pay an increased tribute to the king.” Orathion’s rage boiled at the thought of his father’s death being solely for loot. Orathion said,” Stay here I will return before dusk.” He left his mother at their makeshift home and stalked off. It was a bright morning and the tall pines surrounded him as he walked towards his old home. As he neared the town he could see smoke rising in the distant sky and his rage returned. Once he emerged from the woods into the town everything had been burned to the ground. Desolation was everywhere Men, women, and children alike lay rotting on the ground. Orathion could not help but break down at the tragic sight. He walked to his old home and it too was burned to the ground. His father and three dead men-at-arms lay in the very same spot they had dropped dead. It sickened him to look at the mortal wound on his father’s abdomen; his guts were spilled onto the ground. As he was going through the carcass of the place he called home for some many years emotions surfaced and he wept, but after a long cry orathion cried all the tears he had and what was left was rage. As orathion was about to bury his father he heard men approaching. He quickly ducked inside the shell of his home. “Aye, looks like someone was trying to bury the old bastard,” the armed man laughed. There was three of them and the middle one replied,” That bastard killed three of our men,” he spat on the corpse. Orathion rage boiled over at the discretion of his father’s body. his body moved by itself and before he knew it he was standing up yelling,” back away from my father scum!!!!” the men laughed and drew their swords, “what are you going to do about it, boy?” orathion drew his sword as well, “I’m going to stick this sword right into your chest and turn it slowly until I’m drunk on your blood.” They men roared in laughter. “Are you stupid or something, boy, there’s three of us and one of you,” said the man with the red bread. The black breaded one yelled, “I’m going to gut you like I gutted your pathetic father!” the man then kicked Troy’s corpse in the head, The moment this happened orathion picked up a rock with lightning speed and hurled it into the middle man’s face. He dropped like a sack and before the men knew it orathion was in front of them hammering them with blows. Orathion hamstringed the red breaded man, which put him out of the fight as well. It was just him and the black breaded scum. A look of sudden terror came over the man and he backed away with his sword ready. Orathion rushed him, the man lashed out violently but missed and orathion sunk his sword right through his chain mail armor in his chest. It was like stabbing butter with a knife, the blade slid right in. The man laid there coughing up blood and cursing. Before orathion twisted the blade and finished the man he looked into the man’s eyes and said, “This is for my father, look at me, look at me!!!!” he screamed, “I am the last thing you will ever see in this world.” And with a quick movement twist and torn the blade free from his flesh. The man let out a scream but quickly died. The red breaded man was frantically crawling away, but orathion stalked after him.” Please have mercy!!!” orathion kicked the man in the face with a sickening crunch and then placed his boot on his chest. The man’s nose was noticeably broken and orathion kneeled down to the man and said, “You and your men have taken everything I hold dear and crushed it in your hands and you ask me for mercy??” “Please, please!!” the man sobbed and orathion said, “Save your petty pleas for the afterlife you will surely need them where you are going.” Orathion then, with one strong strike, sliced the man’s head off. Orathion breathed regaining himself and as he looked around he was shocked at the carnage he had created. These were the first men he had ever killed, but he suddenly remembered the one he had knocked out with the rock. He looked up from the gruesome scene to see the man sprinting away. “Damn,” he cursed and then he quickly gathered what valuables the men had and returned to his mother deep in the woods.
Chapter 3: A fearless fighter is born
Orathion was shaking with rage as he trekked back to his mother. He had failed to slain all three and the other would surely return with more men and take up a search. He knew he and his mother must continue on for before long they would be discovered. Once he neared the spot he had left his mother he instantly knew something was terribly wrong. He emerged from the thick brush to see that his mother was gone. Panic set in and orathion frantically search the premise for any sign as to what had befallen his mother, after a long and failed search orathion plod down in defeat. Many thoughts ran through his head, and orathion felt very alone. “I should have listened to her, I could have protected her if I was here,” he said to himself in tears. The only thing orathion had discovered was a torn piece of his mother’s blue dress on the brush to the north of their camp. So he decided to continue north in search of his mother.