The King

In that moment, Brian remembered back to the day of his father’s death. He remembered how Bartholomew had so quickly found him in the throne room by his father’s side. How he’d so wickedly tricked him into leaving. He realized that he had been there all along, and had just killed his father moments before his arrival. The thought made him sick, his blood boiling under the surface of his skin.

Rage filling him so deeply, Brian felt such a surge of energy that he raised his fist and in a flash had punched him square in the jaw, following it with a hard push as Bartholomew reeled back with a shout. Stumbling, Bartholomew landed on the cold stone floor, looking up at Brian shocked as he held the sword out above him.

“You’re the murderer! Tell them the truth!” Brian yelled, not noticing the gasps of startled looks of those surrounding them. Even the guards had stopped in their tracks, unsure of what to do.

“But, you see, the truth is in the eye of the-“

But Brian didn’t want to hear more. He stepped forward and poked the tip of his sword in the hollow of Bartholomew’s throat.

“Alright!” he barked, trying to back away from the blade. “I killed King Brian!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the people of the king’s court drew their swords, ready to attack any assailer in their way. The Renegades rushed forward and surrounded Brian and he tried to jostle them off as best he could. He was a better swordsman than they, so the challenge wasn’t too much for him for now. Lyndsey pulled her own sword out and reached the nearest Renegade, swinging the blade and clashing it against her opponent’s blade before she swung again and sliced a gash through his side. She hardly had time to marvel at her accomplishment before she was battling another.

Matt and Zach found their way back to the throne room just in time to join in, using their dirty fighting tactics to overthrow one after another. Matt tried to catch a glimpse of Brian, and laughed triumphantly as he watched Brian slay those around him.

Somewhere in the melee of bodies and shouting, Bartholomew snuck his way toward the door. Brian could hardly catch a glance of his traitorous uncle stepping out the door, but tried his best to follow him, weaving and battling his way through the crowd and out the door. Brian felt bad leaving the others to fend for themselves, but he knew he needed to catch his uncle, and win back the kingdom.

Following quietly down the corridor, Brian followed Bartholomew out onto one of the higher stone balconies. Realizing he’d trapped himself, Bartholomew turned to head back inside, stopping when he saw Brian standing there.

“Murderer…” Brian growled, his sword still drawn as he took a slow step forward.

“Brian, I… please… Have mercy, I beg you,” Bartholomew pleaded, but Brian was disgusted. He couldn’t fathom killing a member of his own family.

“Why? You showed my father no mercy when you killed him, I imagine.” Brian took another step forward, feeling drops of rain begin to fall from the sky.

“But I… I’m family, Brian. It was the Renegades’ idea from the start. They should be the ones you’re after, not me,” Bartholomew cowered.

“Why should I believe you?” Brian spat. “Everything you ever told me was a lie. You told me about Renegade Alley years ago knowing I’d go and end up hurt, or worse… Nothing you’ve ever said or done has been for the well being of me, or anyone else. All you care about it yourself.”

“What are you… going to do? Lock me away? Kill me? You wouldn’t kill your own uncle, would you?” Bartholomew asked, planning ways to bargain his way out of the corner he’d trapped himself into.

“No… and do you know why?” Brian asked, not waiting for a response. “Because I’m not like you.”

By now only a few feet of distance came between Brian and his uncle.

“Just like your father. Always so noble… always doing what is right…” Bartholomew sneered, trying to give Brian a real smile.

“There’s just one thing I ask of you…”

“Oh?”

“You must leave the kingdom. You can never return here else you will be beheaded for treason and murder,” Brian demanded, his heart pounding as he waited to his uncle’s choice.

“Yes… of – of course,” Bartholomew stuttered, making a little bow to Brian as he tried to slink away. “As you wish, your majesty.”

At the last second of his agreement, Bartholomew lunged forward, pushing Brian back by the shoulders. Brian nearly slipped on the wet stone of the balcony, his body becoming drenched as it started to pour, lightning flashing all around them. Bartholomew drew his sword, advancing on the younger man, but Brian deflected the blow, advancing toward him after that. He tried to get a side jab in, wanting to wound Bartholomew and cause him as much pain as possible, but his uncle was much stronger with a sword than the Renegades had been.

The two didn’t use their swords for very long. One hard swing from Brian and Bartholomew dropped his blade, watching as it skittered away down the balcony, too far for him to risk picking it up. In a swift move, Bartholomew kicked Brian in the knee, causing him to buckle and drop his sword that Bartholomew kicked away from them, leaving a fair fight.

Brian hardly had time to register that Bartholomew had punched him in the jaw, but he felt the searing pain in his head afterward. He quickly sent a right and then left hook, Bartholomew ducking from the first and getting hit with the second. His head was spinning so fast and so hard he hardly noticed Brian was edging them closer and closer to the railing of the balcony.

In one last-ditch attempt to knock Bartholomew out, Brian swung hard, upper-cutting him in the chin. It all seemed to happen so slowly as Bartholomew stumbled back, hitting the rail with so much force that he toppled backward over it, screaming as his body fell rapidly toward the ground.

Hearing a thud and a crack, Brian leaned over the rail down to the stone courtyard. He saw his uncle’s body laid broken below, blood spilling onto the light gray stones.

Stepping away, Brian could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his breath coming in short gasps.

“Brian?” he heard called out behind him. Turning, he watched as Lyndsey raced to his side, pulling her into a crushing embrace as she was pelted with rain.

“He fell… as we were fighting. He fell over the railing…” he tried to explain, but she just silenced him with a kiss.

Their arms around each other, the two walked back inside, knowing they had won.