Unvanquished: The Tale of Two Sisters
R. D. Blake
- King
- Sylvian
- Jolivet
- slowly
- rose
- from
- his
- prostrated
- position
- before
- the
- icons
- of
- his
- faith.
- Despite
- the
- past
- hour
- of
- baring
- his
- soul
- before
- his
- Lord,
- he
- felt
- little
- peace.
- He
- had
- allowed
- no
- priest
- to
- accompany
- him
- or
- to
- act
- to
- intercede
- on
- his
- behalf.
- There
- were
- secrets,
- no,
- not
- of
- the
- kingdom,
- that
- he
- wished
- no
- clergy,
- no
- wife,
- no
- man
- or
- trusted
- advisor
- to
- be
- privy
- to.
- These
- were
- to
- be
- kept
- within
- his
- own
- heart
- and
- shared
- only
- with
- God.The
- king
- stood
- staring
- at
- the
- sacred
- emblems,
- willing
- himself
- to
- believe,
- to
- have
- faith,
- to
- find
- the
- inner
- resolve
- to
- carry
- on,
- to
- not
- lose
- hope.His
- world
- was
- changing.
- No,
- that
- was
- not
- true.
- It
- was
- reverting
- to
- what
- it
- had
- once
- been.
- Mankind
- had
- gained
- ascendancy
- millennia
- ago
- in
- this
- world
- and
- had
- ruled
- unopposed,
- but
- that
- was
- very
- much
- in
- doubt
- now,
- perhaps
- had
- always
- been.
- Those
- creatures
- believed
- to
- have
- been
- defeated
- and
- later
- obliterated,
- were
- now
- reappearing
- in
- pockets
- about
- his
- world
- and
- on
- this
- continent,
- even
- within
- his
- own
- kingdom.Was
- that
- not
- why
- he
- had
- agreed
- to
- what
- he
- had
- with
- his
- daughter?
- With
- Kara?
- Initially,
- the
- king
- had
- brushed
- off
- those
- words
- of
- the
- seeress,
- believing
- them
- sheer
- foolishness,
- but
- the
- advent
- of
- the
- trolls
- in
- the
- northern
- mountains
- had
- begun
- to
- cause
- him
- to
- waver.
- At
- word
- of
- the
- return
- of
- another
- ancient
- threat
- in
- the
- fastness
- of
- far
- distant
- Skäneland,
- he
- had
- sought
- out
- the
- seeress
- once
- again
- and
- had
- taken
- her
- counsel.Still,
- the
- king
- didn't
- understand
- it.
- His
- daughter,
- his
- head-strong,
- mannish
- and
- difficult
- child,
- Kara,
- was
- predicted
- to
- stand
- at
- the
- fulcrum
- of
- what
- was
- to
- come.
- And
- the
- irony
- of
- it
- all
- was
- that
- he
- had
- granted
- her
- her
- most
- fervent
- wish.
- He
- had
- agreed
- to
- her
- training,
- though
- he
- had
- insisted
- that
- she
- be
- kept
- ignorant
- of
- the
- reasons
- for
- his
- acquiescence,
- not
- that
- he
- truly
- comprehended
- what
- she
- might
- ultimately
- face.A
- bitter
- and
- rueful
- smile
- crossed
- the
- king's
- face.
- He
- had
- grudgingly
- acceded
- to
- surrendering
- his
- one
- daughter
- to
- a
- prophecy,
- but
- in
- no
- way
- had
- he
- agreed
- to
- sacrifice
- his
- other
- child,
- Margaux.King
- Jolivet
- moved
- to
- grasp
- the
- handle
- to
- the
- door
- into
- this
- room
- that
- seemed
- his
- only
- remaining
- sanctum.
- He
- had
- prayed,
- begged,
- pleaded.
- Still,
- he
- had
- no
- found
- no
- boon
- of
- calmness
- here
- before
- his
- Lord.
- Disarmingly,
- he
- discovered
- he
- was
- a
- mere
- man,
- as
- every
- other
- within
- his
- kingdom,
- holding
- little
- faith
- and
- less
- trust.
- Yet
- he
- must
- find
- the
- means
- to
- instil
- it
- within
- the
- hearts
- of
- all
- the
- men
- and
- women
- dwelling
- within
- his
- realm.
- He
- felt
- a
- failure,
- inadequate
- to
- carry
- out
- what
- a
- king
- and
- a
- leader
- must
- do.But
- foremost,
- in
- his
- heart
- and
- in
- his
- soul,
- he
- was
- a
- father,
- a
- father
- who
- had
- abandoned
- his
- two
- daughters
- to
- a
- vague
- prophecy
- and
- to
- a
- fate
- worse
- than
- that:
- to
- Darkspur,
- the
- black dragon.
