King Arthur and the Three Ravens
by
Neil Abrams
Above the grand kingdom of Camelot flew thousands of Ravens. Their black, feathered bodies darkened the sky, blocking out the sun. The ravens’ sharp, glowing golden eyes peered down onto the townspeople, as if watching their prey. Then without warning, the demon birds struck relentlessly, skydiving towards the people, tearing them apart limb from limb with their sharp beaks. They were destroying Camelot, the infamous town of legends. They were destroying his town.
---
A dark figure rose suddenly from his slumber, heart pounding and sweat pouring down the man’s face. Peering around in the darkness he began to recognize that he was in his bedroom, the dark crimson curtains drawn around the luxurious bed he was moments before sleeping in. The man rose and opened the curtains, his bare feet touching the cold, stone floor. He stared out from the large glass window, memorized by the haunting image of the cold wind moving between the trees, as the bright moon shone from behind.
Unexpectedly, there was a knock against the frail, wooden door at the opposite side of the bedroom. The man turned to face the door, quietly whispering for the guest to enter the cool room. A woman came clumsily through the door, either from tiredness or the shock of seeing the man. Upon entering, she quickly spoke, her nervousness growing with every word.
“My Lord, King Arthur, I heard you wake. I~Is everything in good health, my liege?”
The servant bowed quickly after speaking, as if almost forgetting what respect she must show to the King of the Brits. After many moments, Arthur finally nodded and smiled uneasily.
“I am fine, thank you. You may leave now.”
Arthur spoke with an intimidating voice, echoing through the room, although this night his words wavered. Finally, the King shooed away the servant, and turned to face the window. Sinister clouds slowly began to cover the yellow moon, leaving Arthur in the obscurity of the night.
---
As the sun rose past the gloomy mountains in the distance of Arthur’s kingdom, Camelot, the King himself rose from his bed. After the night’s occurrence, he could not return to his sleep. Once the bright sun shown into Arthur’s bedroom, he quickly dressed himself and ran down the spiral stairs that led from his personal chamber.
Pushing through various servants, he finally made his way to the lower levels of his castle. Although he was getting strange looks, the result of wearing nothing but his royal robes, it did not seem to bother Arthur. The King scanned the crowd in search of his old friend, knowing his assistance would be needed once again.
After a few moments, Arthur spotted a cloud of smoke rise into the morning sky, outside the castle’s gates. However, this cloud of smoke was from no ordinary fire. Sighing, Arthur moved through the castle until he reached the edge of the perimeter. Coming to the massive, iron gates, Arthur looked up to the gate keeper, resting in his raised perch above the gates.
Calling up to the meaningless peon, Arthur ordered for the gate to be opened. Upon hearing the King’s words, the gatekeeper opened the heavy gates, letting Arthur return to the outside world for the first time in many years. Breathing in the air, Arthur turned to the right and began to walk towards the origin of the smoke.
Arthur cautiously walked towards a rocky area, beginning to hear low hymns and spells. Suddenly the rock pile in front of the British King vanished into a green cloud of smoke, the embers flying about through the morning breeze. Smiling, Arthur walked forward through the smoke to finally see the most renowned warlock of all Camelot: Merlin.
“Merlin, my old friend, how are you?”
Arthur smiled to the wizard, as if nothing was wrong, however Merlin was not so easy to be fooled. The wise mad squinted towards the king, showing his rotting yellow teeth to Arthur.
“You can not fool me Arthur. You would not come for me if you were not in need of assistance.”
The wizard’s voice cracked as he spoke to the King. While watching Arthur, Merlin’s fingers moved back and forth, his bones cracking with every stir.
“You know me well Merlin, as in fact I do need your guidance once again.”
So King Arthur spoke to the elderly magician about his dream the night before. Minute after minute passed by as all the details were spoken from Arthur’s lips. The wizard listened intently, never taking his old blue eyes off of Arthur, as if trying to peer into his soul. Finally, the King’s story ended, and Merlin turned his back to Arthur, scratching his bony chin.
“A very chilling account indeed, Arthur... I would suggest for you to return to your castle, and wait to see if this disturbing dream occurs again.”
Arthur nodded and thanked the magician, then quickly returned to the castle. Later that night, the King climbed into the comfortable bed in his private room, the waved the servants out of the room. Although his mind was buzzing with the thought of seeing the vision again, the King was asleep within moments.
---
The kingdom of Camelot was bustling with townspeople on this searing morning, the sun beating down relentlessly. At midday, the heat became even more unbearable, sending people into their homes, forcing them to stop working for the day. Even the crops in the farming fields and any other plants were beginning to fade in color from the excess heat.
However, within moments of everyone’s flee into their homes, the sun disappeared, instantly dropping the temperature. The sky turned black, as the townspeople returned outside out of curiosity. As more and more people exited their homes, the darker the sky was becoming, until at one moment in time, they dropped again. The ravens...
The black birds dropped towards the massive town, as if ready to repeat the slaughter from the past. Instead, the ravens flew skillfully throughout the streets, the townspeople oblivious of the masses of birds. Within seconds, the demon birds pulled up out of the roads, began circling in the sky, as if waiting for something. Then, suddenly there was a blinding light.
After a moment, three figures stood still, looking forward blankly. They were so familiar and close, but yet continuously moving out of view to recognize who they really were. Then the dark birds returned, finding their new prey. Within seconds, the three figures were completely gone from view, as the ravens had already torn them apart, piece by piece.
---
King Arthur’s eyes opened quickly, then quickly rose and pushed aside the hanging curtains. He walked to his wardrobe and donned his night robes, then moved down through the stairs and out towards the castle gates. He could not wait until the morning; Arthur had to speak to Merlin now.
The King made his way out of the castle to the same rocky area as before. Quietly, he stepped through steaming rubble and noticed Merlin sleeping against a rock. Kneeling down, Arthur spoke into Merlin’s ear, attempting to wake up the wizard. Finally, Merlin opened his eyes and looked to Arthur.
“Another story for me to hear?”
Arthur nodded, and then began to speak quickly about the second dream, not missing any details. Finally once the nightmarish story had ended, Merlin stood and pointed far off into the distance.
“You must travel far to find the answers you seek. Through the dark forest and past the rugged mountains, you will find Dagon. He will help you. Arthur, you must leave immediately.”
And so King Arthur returned to his castle, notifying his most trusted staff of the journey. After a long discussion, it was decided Sir Lancelot of the Round Table would accompany the King on his trip. The temporary king was decided to be Morden, Arthur’s sun. So, as the sun rose in the distance, Arthur and Lancelot were off on their journey.
The two traveling men set out south, towards the forest that tainted the lower grounds of Camelot. As the King and his knight approached the outer areas of the woods, they could almost feel the darkness creeping through their souls. Finally, without taking a look back, the two brave men entered the forest, ready to expect the unexpected.
As they took the first few steps into the wooded grounds, they felt as though instantaneously something was watching them from all angles. The two began their first step of the quest, as they moved through the thick forest, cutting through shrubs and trees with their heavy iron swords.
Finally after what seemed to be many days of hacking and slashing, the two friends saw light at the end of the forest, their way out. Lancelot ran ahead of the king, ready to leave the terrible woods. However, a small reflection of light caught his eye, stopping him in his tracks. A second later, a silver arrow stuck from the ground, nothing more than centimeters in front of his feet. Arthur and Lancelot, swords and shields at the ready, looked around the tree tops, searching for the archer who shot the arrow.
“None shall leave the forest. Alive, that is.”
A booming voice echoed throughout the forest, as a chilling wind blew through the trees. Suddenly, shadows began to form underneath the two men, and upon looking up, the two could see arrows upon arrows raining down towards them. Instinctively, the two men quickly placed their shields over themselves, protecting them from the flesh-piercing arrows.
After a few seconds, the intense barrage had ended, so Arthur and Lancelot relaxed their shields, looked at each other. However, when Arthur turned to see his friend Lancelot, his eyes widened with fear. The archer was standing directly behind the knight, arrow and bow ready, aimed to the back of Lancelot’s skull.
With a loud yell, Arthur thrust his sword towards the archer, knocking the bow from the fiend’s hands. Lancelot turned to see the shocked man, then slashed his own sword at the man’s throat, instantly beheading the archer. With a thunderous thud, the archer’s body hit the dirt ground, dead.
Arthur and Lancelot looked to each other, their hearts beating heavily. After taking a few seconds to recover, Lancelot returned the King’s sword to it’s owner, then the two men cautiously walked out of the forest.
...
that's it so far.
basically what'll happen next is Lancelot and Arthur will continue through the mtns to find Dagon. then Lancelot will go back to Camelot, where as Arthur goes on to find Dagon. Then Lancelot, Morden, and Merlin will be killed from the Three Ravens. They will "shapeshift" into their figures and await for Arthur's return. Then arthur will kill them I suppose, and of course it'll be a "Happily Ever After"
any comments?
by
Neil Abrams
Above the grand kingdom of Camelot flew thousands of Ravens. Their black, feathered bodies darkened the sky, blocking out the sun. The ravens’ sharp, glowing golden eyes peered down onto the townspeople, as if watching their prey. Then without warning, the demon birds struck relentlessly, skydiving towards the people, tearing them apart limb from limb with their sharp beaks. They were destroying Camelot, the infamous town of legends. They were destroying his town.
---
A dark figure rose suddenly from his slumber, heart pounding and sweat pouring down the man’s face. Peering around in the darkness he began to recognize that he was in his bedroom, the dark crimson curtains drawn around the luxurious bed he was moments before sleeping in. The man rose and opened the curtains, his bare feet touching the cold, stone floor. He stared out from the large glass window, memorized by the haunting image of the cold wind moving between the trees, as the bright moon shone from behind.
Unexpectedly, there was a knock against the frail, wooden door at the opposite side of the bedroom. The man turned to face the door, quietly whispering for the guest to enter the cool room. A woman came clumsily through the door, either from tiredness or the shock of seeing the man. Upon entering, she quickly spoke, her nervousness growing with every word.
“My Lord, King Arthur, I heard you wake. I~Is everything in good health, my liege?”
The servant bowed quickly after speaking, as if almost forgetting what respect she must show to the King of the Brits. After many moments, Arthur finally nodded and smiled uneasily.
“I am fine, thank you. You may leave now.”
Arthur spoke with an intimidating voice, echoing through the room, although this night his words wavered. Finally, the King shooed away the servant, and turned to face the window. Sinister clouds slowly began to cover the yellow moon, leaving Arthur in the obscurity of the night.
---
As the sun rose past the gloomy mountains in the distance of Arthur’s kingdom, Camelot, the King himself rose from his bed. After the night’s occurrence, he could not return to his sleep. Once the bright sun shown into Arthur’s bedroom, he quickly dressed himself and ran down the spiral stairs that led from his personal chamber.
Pushing through various servants, he finally made his way to the lower levels of his castle. Although he was getting strange looks, the result of wearing nothing but his royal robes, it did not seem to bother Arthur. The King scanned the crowd in search of his old friend, knowing his assistance would be needed once again.
After a few moments, Arthur spotted a cloud of smoke rise into the morning sky, outside the castle’s gates. However, this cloud of smoke was from no ordinary fire. Sighing, Arthur moved through the castle until he reached the edge of the perimeter. Coming to the massive, iron gates, Arthur looked up to the gate keeper, resting in his raised perch above the gates.
Calling up to the meaningless peon, Arthur ordered for the gate to be opened. Upon hearing the King’s words, the gatekeeper opened the heavy gates, letting Arthur return to the outside world for the first time in many years. Breathing in the air, Arthur turned to the right and began to walk towards the origin of the smoke.
Arthur cautiously walked towards a rocky area, beginning to hear low hymns and spells. Suddenly the rock pile in front of the British King vanished into a green cloud of smoke, the embers flying about through the morning breeze. Smiling, Arthur walked forward through the smoke to finally see the most renowned warlock of all Camelot: Merlin.
“Merlin, my old friend, how are you?”
Arthur smiled to the wizard, as if nothing was wrong, however Merlin was not so easy to be fooled. The wise mad squinted towards the king, showing his rotting yellow teeth to Arthur.
“You can not fool me Arthur. You would not come for me if you were not in need of assistance.”
The wizard’s voice cracked as he spoke to the King. While watching Arthur, Merlin’s fingers moved back and forth, his bones cracking with every stir.
“You know me well Merlin, as in fact I do need your guidance once again.”
So King Arthur spoke to the elderly magician about his dream the night before. Minute after minute passed by as all the details were spoken from Arthur’s lips. The wizard listened intently, never taking his old blue eyes off of Arthur, as if trying to peer into his soul. Finally, the King’s story ended, and Merlin turned his back to Arthur, scratching his bony chin.
“A very chilling account indeed, Arthur... I would suggest for you to return to your castle, and wait to see if this disturbing dream occurs again.”
Arthur nodded and thanked the magician, then quickly returned to the castle. Later that night, the King climbed into the comfortable bed in his private room, the waved the servants out of the room. Although his mind was buzzing with the thought of seeing the vision again, the King was asleep within moments.
---
The kingdom of Camelot was bustling with townspeople on this searing morning, the sun beating down relentlessly. At midday, the heat became even more unbearable, sending people into their homes, forcing them to stop working for the day. Even the crops in the farming fields and any other plants were beginning to fade in color from the excess heat.
However, within moments of everyone’s flee into their homes, the sun disappeared, instantly dropping the temperature. The sky turned black, as the townspeople returned outside out of curiosity. As more and more people exited their homes, the darker the sky was becoming, until at one moment in time, they dropped again. The ravens...
The black birds dropped towards the massive town, as if ready to repeat the slaughter from the past. Instead, the ravens flew skillfully throughout the streets, the townspeople oblivious of the masses of birds. Within seconds, the demon birds pulled up out of the roads, began circling in the sky, as if waiting for something. Then, suddenly there was a blinding light.
After a moment, three figures stood still, looking forward blankly. They were so familiar and close, but yet continuously moving out of view to recognize who they really were. Then the dark birds returned, finding their new prey. Within seconds, the three figures were completely gone from view, as the ravens had already torn them apart, piece by piece.
---
King Arthur’s eyes opened quickly, then quickly rose and pushed aside the hanging curtains. He walked to his wardrobe and donned his night robes, then moved down through the stairs and out towards the castle gates. He could not wait until the morning; Arthur had to speak to Merlin now.
The King made his way out of the castle to the same rocky area as before. Quietly, he stepped through steaming rubble and noticed Merlin sleeping against a rock. Kneeling down, Arthur spoke into Merlin’s ear, attempting to wake up the wizard. Finally, Merlin opened his eyes and looked to Arthur.
“Another story for me to hear?”
Arthur nodded, and then began to speak quickly about the second dream, not missing any details. Finally once the nightmarish story had ended, Merlin stood and pointed far off into the distance.
“You must travel far to find the answers you seek. Through the dark forest and past the rugged mountains, you will find Dagon. He will help you. Arthur, you must leave immediately.”
And so King Arthur returned to his castle, notifying his most trusted staff of the journey. After a long discussion, it was decided Sir Lancelot of the Round Table would accompany the King on his trip. The temporary king was decided to be Morden, Arthur’s sun. So, as the sun rose in the distance, Arthur and Lancelot were off on their journey.
The two traveling men set out south, towards the forest that tainted the lower grounds of Camelot. As the King and his knight approached the outer areas of the woods, they could almost feel the darkness creeping through their souls. Finally, without taking a look back, the two brave men entered the forest, ready to expect the unexpected.
As they took the first few steps into the wooded grounds, they felt as though instantaneously something was watching them from all angles. The two began their first step of the quest, as they moved through the thick forest, cutting through shrubs and trees with their heavy iron swords.
Finally after what seemed to be many days of hacking and slashing, the two friends saw light at the end of the forest, their way out. Lancelot ran ahead of the king, ready to leave the terrible woods. However, a small reflection of light caught his eye, stopping him in his tracks. A second later, a silver arrow stuck from the ground, nothing more than centimeters in front of his feet. Arthur and Lancelot, swords and shields at the ready, looked around the tree tops, searching for the archer who shot the arrow.
“None shall leave the forest. Alive, that is.”
A booming voice echoed throughout the forest, as a chilling wind blew through the trees. Suddenly, shadows began to form underneath the two men, and upon looking up, the two could see arrows upon arrows raining down towards them. Instinctively, the two men quickly placed their shields over themselves, protecting them from the flesh-piercing arrows.
After a few seconds, the intense barrage had ended, so Arthur and Lancelot relaxed their shields, looked at each other. However, when Arthur turned to see his friend Lancelot, his eyes widened with fear. The archer was standing directly behind the knight, arrow and bow ready, aimed to the back of Lancelot’s skull.
With a loud yell, Arthur thrust his sword towards the archer, knocking the bow from the fiend’s hands. Lancelot turned to see the shocked man, then slashed his own sword at the man’s throat, instantly beheading the archer. With a thunderous thud, the archer’s body hit the dirt ground, dead.
Arthur and Lancelot looked to each other, their hearts beating heavily. After taking a few seconds to recover, Lancelot returned the King’s sword to it’s owner, then the two men cautiously walked out of the forest.
...
that's it so far.
basically what'll happen next is Lancelot and Arthur will continue through the mtns to find Dagon. then Lancelot will go back to Camelot, where as Arthur goes on to find Dagon. Then Lancelot, Morden, and Merlin will be killed from the Three Ravens. They will "shapeshift" into their figures and await for Arthur's return. Then arthur will kill them I suppose, and of course it'll be a "Happily Ever After"
any comments?