Steeds of Hell

A beginning-Chapter three

Chapter Three

(A beginning)

He was awoken the next day by three knocks on his door “My lord,” a guard called in a low tone. He was careful not to upset the prince. Isaac opened his eyes and sat up, he sat on the edge of the bed with his legs hanging off. “What?” he said, he hadn’t gained his voice yet from sleeping so it was rough. “Your brother sent me to summon you to the docks where he awaits you” the door between them made the voice even lower. “What did you say? Speak up.” His eyebrows dropped and he listened closely, “My lord, the ships are waiting for you.” This time he said with a much higher tone. “Are you yelling at me, servant.” Isaac said, with a silent smile on his face. Isaac stood up and stretched and cracked his back, he growled a little while the guard outside the room stayed silent. “So you ignore me?” the prince asked. “Oh. I’m sorry, I was just…” he began to mumble. “Oh save it.” Isaac began to laugh, “I’m only joking. Tell my brother I’ll be with him shortly.” “Yes, my lord” the guard then left the prince’s door. Isaac walked to a table, which held two small swords. They were not much bigger than daggers, but not much smaller than the standard sword he carried. He picked the belt up which held both the blades and put it on over the belt he already had on, the one that held his sword. Each blade rested on each of his hips, they were meant to be in each hand while using them.  He fastened the belt just enough so it could stay on, one part rested on his hip while the other hung down and rested on his his upper thigh. He looked out the window behind the table; out side of his window was a view of the sea. He looked at his brother’s ships in the distance while he grabbed the small bag with all his stuff in it. He swung it over his shoulder and exited the empty room. He left the castle and walked through the city and to the docks to find Bryce waiting for him. Bryce stood, angry and with no more patience. Isaac tried to ignore the unpleasant look on his face and walked right past him, but no sooner was he greeted with a smack to the back of the head than the loud clap it made, “What took you so long?” bryce shouted, he didn’t really expect an answer from Isaac but he asked anyways. “Get the fuck in your boat.” he said before the young prince could answer. Isaac hurried to the rowboat, which would take him out to the large ships. He was embarrassed and wanted to get away from his brother as quickly as he could. In the boat waited twenty knights. They were the most elite in the army, well, other than the two princes. They wore the finest black armor and red cloaks; their shields were rested on their backs.  They are known as the knights of Hyll. King Lewis Alard invented the elite group. Not a single one has been killed in battle during their forty-year existence. All one hundred of them are sworn to house Alard. They are the ones who brought the two princes to the black cliff after king Lewis was killed. Isaac stepped in to the little boat; it rocked from side to side in the water when he sat down. “Remind me, how long will it take to reach Vygas.” Isaac asked as two men began to strike the sea with their oars. The boat glided above the black water toward the ships, slowly. “Three weeks.” A knight who wasn’t much older then Isaac turned around and answered. His black hair barely hung over his forehead, a little scar sat just beneath his left eye. He seemed very excited. Isaac never knew someone so young could be one of the Hyll knights.

“What’s your name” Isaac asked.

“Sir Miles Seville, son of Sir Alister Seville” he answered with pride.

“You’re the lieutenants son. The fact that your of the Hyll knights doesn’t shock me anymore” Isaac confessed.

“And what is your name, you must be of high status”  sir miles said.

“I am prince Isaac of house Alard.” the smile left the young knights face and he bowed his head down. “Forgive me. I would have greeted you differently if I knew you were the king Bryce’s own brother, my lord” Miles said

“I prefer not to be greeted like a prince, pick your head up, knight” he than began to chuckle, “since when is my brother a king?” Isaac asked the knight. He never heard someone call Bryce a king.

“I don’t know, the first time I heard was about five years ago. How absent can you be.” He said just before laughing loudly, when he started laughing the young princes smile fell from his face, he just stared at Sir Miles, with a disappointing look. No one has talked to him that way in a long time other than his brother. The moment sir Miles noticed the prince’s disappointment the laughter stopped and his head fell low for the second time, “Pardon me, my lord.” He said just loud enough for Isaac to hear, it was silent. Isaac still looking at him burst out laughing, “Oh god, I love doing that, I’m just fucking with ya” sir Miles was a bit embarrassed, but that didn’t stop the smile that broke across his face. The noise of the two young men echoed as the fog that rested beside the ships swallowed them. The early morning sun along with the grey fog made the many ships silhouettes. But the black shapes soon became sails and keels when the little boat came close to them. All of the men boarded one of two hundred ships; the one Isaac got on held the knights of Hyll and all of the other important men. Isaac turned towards the city of Black Cliff to look at it for the last time but he only saw the thick grey fog and a great shadow. When he and all of the knights were all aboard, Isaac scanned the large ship with his eyes. He saw the great sails, on them sat a large red eagle, spreading its wings wide and looking fiercer then ever before. The red eagle has been the banner that represented house Alard for thousands of years, ever since Balon Alard the Mighty and first of his name, left Black Cliff to sail to Vygas and create the greatest continent in the world. He conquered all seven kingdoms and made their kings all bend the knee to one man, and uniting them like never before. Isaac also noticed all the other ships behind the one he stood in, which were sailing to Vygas with them. The blood red eagles on the sails stood out more than everything else in the thick fog. Isaac wandered to the front of the ship and looked into the grey void that the fog created, while Bryce and the last of the knights boarded onto the great ship. He stood holding his bag over his shoulder with his right hand and his left hand resting at the handle of his sheathed sword. A loud horn sounded off and shortly after the ship began to move. “Where’s my bedroom?” Isaac inquired. He was alone and knew no one would hear. He turned around to find the black of armors swarming the deck. He searched below the deck until he found a place to put his things. Then quickly returned to the spot he had stood in. the ships pierced through the fog not long after they began their sail, it was no longer present, just a cloud in the distance hiding the city of Black Cliff. The sun beamed down on the ships while they sailed underneath the clear blue sky. This was Isaac’s first time riding on a ship since he was brought to the Black Cliff, but he was too young to remember. He spent most of his time above the deck watching and joking with Sir Miles as the days passed on. He grew bored after the tenth day and began fighting the knights with dull swords, “it’ll be practice,” he always said. Doing that made the trip go by fast and before he knew it they met the last day of their journey aboard the ship. The red eagles sailed into the setting sun while they got closer and closer to Vygas.