Ortigan stood before Lord Aju, his head hung low, as Lord Aju proceeded to explain the task he was sending him on. It was a dangerous mission and he just could not understand why Lord Aju was sending him on this mission of all the knights he had at his disposal. Ortigan was but a page, he didn’t even know how to fight, let alone pick up a sword.

‘Why me, Lord? Why me?’ was all Ortigan could say once Lord Aju was done.

‘It’s My Lord, when you are addressing me,’ Lord Aju bellowed.

‘Yes, My Lord.’ Ortigan bowed in supplication. ‘My apologies, My Lord.’

‘And why you?’ Lord Aju chuckled sinisterly, a crooked grin spreading across his face. ‘You will find out when you reach the tombs.’

‘Yes, My Lord.’ Ortigan bowed again. ‘I will depart immediately.’

He bowed and left for the armoury, where he fumbled a bit, trying to get a sword’s scabbard tied to his belt.

The tombs were a dangerous place where dwelt sinister beings, he was told. It was said that any knight Lord Aju sent there died perilously. Ortigan didn’t stand a chance. Lord Aju was sending him to his death, for he had somehow failed him in his service, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to go down without at least trying to fight.

The young page took a horse and rode all day towards the graveyard where these tombs stood deserted and desecrated. Ortigan dismounted a few feet away from the gate that gave access to the graveyard.

A gloomy fog hovered above the ground, making it difficult to see where he was stepping. Ortigan stumbled forward, tripping on a large rock and stepping into a puddle. He lifted his boot and realized he had not stepped in water or mud, but blood.

A chill ran down his spine and he froze in place.

He wanted to turn back, but then where would he go? The next kingdom was days away; they were enemies of Lord Aju’s. If they let him in and Ortigan survived, he would forever be hunted by Lord Aju’s knights as a traitor. If he ran and never returned, he would be hunted as a deserter. And if he continued, he would be killed by the beings that haunted the tombs.

So Ortigan, the young page who had failed every test he’d been given to prove himself worthy of apprenticeship, merely stood there, petrified by the possibility of death.

Something in the distance moved, a figure shaped like a human. Ortigan took a step towards it, unsheathing the sword he had at his belt. A laugh reached his ears, oddly enough, a hearty laugh.

A man stepped forward, perhaps in his middle age, wielding a large broadsword.

‘Did anyone ever teach you how to even hold a sword before, boy?’

‘I…’ Ortigan stammered.

‘So now instead of sending his seasoned knights, for he knows they will not return, Lord Aju sends a mere boy?’

‘I’m thirteen, sir!’ Ortigan retorted angrily, feeling insulted. He was not just a mere boy.

‘You are brave, I’ll give you that?’ the man remarked. He studied Ortigan. ‘Did Lord Aju even tell you what he was sending you here for?’

‘He told me there was a magical artefact hidden in the tombs and that I was to retrieve it,’ stated the lad.

‘There is. It is the subject of war. Lord Aju has tried to take it before. I am one of those who guard it. Through these tombs, not only lies this magical item, but the passage to my kingdom. It is a secret passage to a hidden kingdom. Lord Aju knows this because he once came from this kingdom, before he was usurped and banished for being a murderer and tyrant. He founded his own kingdom and keeps sending knights to retrieve the magic that allows my kingdom to remain safe.’

‘Your kingdom?’

‘Yes. My name is King Tristan Draelawell. I rule the lands beyond that passage. I knew Lord Aju would send another, I sensed it needed to be me who would guard the way this night. I did not expect to encounter such a young and unseasoned fighter. I am conflicted in knowing I must kill you. Perhaps Lord Aju knew this.’

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