1 What is Owed

"I'm flying, I'm really flying" Grimwald shouted with glee as he soared through the clouds. As he shouted the words, a feeling of unease crept into the back of his mind as he slowly realized there is no way that he could be flying, he must be dreaming. As soon as that realization dawned on him, he began to plummet from the sky. The ground rapidly growing in size as he descended down, he awkwardly flailed his arms terrified. Falling, falling, falling ever so quickly, he thought to himself "what happens when you die in a dream?", but the instant he hit the ground, he gained consciousness.

He awoke with a jolt and sudden movement as it felt as if he was still falling. As he adjusted to the room something felt very wrong. His room in the castle was very hot and humid whereas normally the airways in his fathers castle kept it cooler in the nobles quarters. He looked around the room searching for the cause of his weariness, his eyes darted to each corner of his room looking for something, anything. The torch near his door was just barely glowing and the shadows it gave off were menacing as they twisted and turned across the floor and walls.

He brushed back his dark black, ragged hair out from his face and took a deep breath to calm himself. That's when he saw it. The young prince froze in fear as his eyes rested upon the arched window and saw the silhouette from what could only be from a huge inferno. In the same instant he realized what had made him feel so uneasy, the air smelled like charcoal. Then the screams pierced through the night into his room echoing off the walls of stone and marble.

Petrified and dazed, he laid in his bed staring at the window too afraid to move and accept that something very bad was happening. "Get it together Grim, you are a knight now and the prince at that, get your ass up and find out what is going on" he thought to himself as the marching of troops thundered down his hallway. A loud booming voice came through the solid oak door "Protect the prince with your life!!", the door flew open and six knights surrounded him. He caught a glimpse of the owner of the voice as the last knight came in and the rest of the guards marched on down the hallway. It was the King who had given the order as he led the charge down the hallway with his royal guards in tow.

The glimpse of his father brought him back to reality. In one fell swoop, he threw back the fur quilts, jumped from the bed and landed in his greaves. Turning towards the armor stand next to his bed he thought "No time to put on my full armor now." He gripped his chain mail and slid it over his head onto his torso, grabbed his scabbard with his sword in it and fastened it to his trousers. As he reached for his shield he noticed his reflection on his armor and he did not recognize himself.

His dark hair was almost down to his shoulders, his beard was patchy and ruined the goatee look he was going for, but his rugged jawline made his normal features into something more. His eyes were a dark gray and bloodshot. Training with the master of arms in these last few months to prepare for the time when he was to become King had consumed him. His face was not the only thing that had changed, he was no longer the skinny privileged kid he once was. He had a bulk to him now, coming of age and all of the combat training had been rough and his body adapted.

His hand almost grasped the lacing on his shield, but he never got the chance. The adjacent wall burst apart and tore into the guards that were at the edge of his bed. The roar of the explosion echoed in his room and disoriented everyone inside. Dazed and confused, he witnessed two dark figures step through the opening that was just made.

"Now, now Oswald. We had a deal, you would hand over your firstborn as he came of age. Did you really not think we would come for the heir simply because of the queen's death during childbirth, or that you refuse to marry to have more heirs?"

The voice sounded like a whisper but it echoed and grew in loudness the more the first figure spoke. The man it came from wore a dark robe with Golden rimmed spectacles that were shaped like half moons. The eyes behind sparkled red and flames seemed to be coming from his pupils. His beard went down to his breast and was as black as his robe, the only way it was distinguishable was the tinges of energy that would flow down in waves appearing as if it was burning.

The King never missed a beat, he had raised his shield the moment he came into the room. It protruded a white glow around him and his son protecting them from the rubble and shrapnel from the blast. Oswald Lightbringer, the King of the Crystal Castle glared as he heard those words. His worst fears were realized after so much time had passed.

He shouted back just as soon as the stranger had finished his last word. "Kyriel, it has been too long since we last met, but alas not long enough it seems. I will not let you take the boy. He is my only heir and would be the last of my name. The law will not allow-"

"The law and the High King both side with me on this matter, which is further backed by the Covenant." Kyriel interrupted the King and his feeble attempt to play politics. "You swore a blood oath infused with both of our mana all those years ago. A deal is a deal. We saved your kinsmen and your kingdom, and we will receive what is owed."

Grimwald didn't understand what was happening. Not one bit. The stranger's words scared him almost as much as his appearance and the power that radiated throughout the room, seeping past the barrier making him breakout in a cold sweat. He unsheathed his long sword readying to support his father.

Noticing his sons movement, Oswald lowered first the barrier then the huge tower shield. His expression was filled with sorrow and regret. "If what you said is true, then there is no need for further bloodshed. Let's end this before more of my people are hurt due to my negligence."

With a nod and a bow, Kyriel walked past the king and the prince, being careful to step over the bodies of the guards that scattered the room, reaching the arched window. With a wave of his hand the huge window swung outwards as if on hinges. A staff almost as tall as the man appeared from nowhere, floating next to him until he grabbed it. It was just as black as his robe, but yet it was somehow translucent as if it was made of shadows. The bottom of it had a small bezel in the shape of a hexagram, each ending in sharp points. Halfway up two more hexagram guards were separated by a handle with golden inlays and various runes. From the top guard, a thick blade protruded making up the last third of the staff, the metal was a swirl of darkness that had streaks of gray throughout it. Only the edges of the blade shone white giving off a sharp and deadly vibe.

When his second hand gripped the staff, a rune on the hilt lit up, to Grimwalds surprise the same rune came alive on the base of the blade. A bright light was emitted blinding the room. A roar of flames came gushing towards the staff from below, the rune was the focal point soaking up any tinge of heat or fire that was employed from its master previously. As quickly as the window swung open, it returned back to normal as if nothing had happened. The wizard strolled back to the entrance he created just as if nothing had happened. His face and beard no longer glowed red or bristled with mana, yet there was still a dangerous aura that surrounded him as he focused his gaze back on the king.