Alright, I'm just going to post the Chapter 3, and if anyone wants to proofread, go ahead:
Chapter Three: A Message From Vash
Cole sat in the wooded alcove peacefully. He could hear yelling, swords clanging, and the sounds of
warfare, but amidst all of the destruction he felt like he was born anew. Cole looked down at the jewels and royal attire that lay in the dirt. That’s where it belonged, not on him. The sky overhead began to grow a brilliant purple, as day once again fled to night. Although darkness persisted as with every other night in the history of time, the sky remained lit up by the flaming city.
Cole got up to his feet and noticed something strapped to the back of his shirt. It was the sword he had
been practicing with only a few hours ago in the royal courtyard. He pulled it out of it’s sheath, pulled his hood onto his head, and ran into the darkened trees, where the flaming streets were located ahead. He walked briskly, stepping over the fallen trees until he saw where he was, a small patch of trees on the outskirt of the poor section of Falchion.
Suddenly a man dressed in white armor ran in between two buildings, a little way away from Cole, but still clearly visible.
“Who’s there?†The man shouted.
Cole threw himself to the ground and rolled behind a small stump. The man was just a dark shadow among the bright fire behind him. Cole sat breathing heavily, his back turned to the intruder. He heard stepping closer to him…how close was the man? It was unknown to Cole if he was in clear view or not.
“What the hell!?†The man screamed.
The sudden vocalization made Cole jump. What happened to the man? He couldn’t see what was going on from his position. He shuffled slowly to the side of the stump. It was impossible to see over the side of it without being noticed, but he had to know what was going on, and if he could escape. Cole slowly peered around the corner. What was that?-
“It’s okay, son.†A voice bellowed.
Cole leaped away from the large shape of a man, standing just in front of his hiding place. The brute’s silhouette blocked out the commotion from behind him. Cole grabbed his sword, but he couldn’t get a grip on it and it fell with a clang to the ground. He crawled away swiftly. The man didn’t seem to move.
“It’s okay, I’m not one of them.â€
Cole picked up his sword while moving away from the man. He was wary of anyone from Falchion…he had never talked to non-royalty before. “Tell me your name!†Cole shouted.
“You can call me Mike.†The man had a gruff, but wise voice.
“What do you want?â€
“Come with me, I’ll protect you from the outsiders.â€
Mike stepped closer to Cole, but this only made him move away. Cole didn’t want to let himself be fooled by anyone. The man extended his hand towards him. Cole hesitated.
“It’s okay, I know a place where you can stay…â€
Cole looked at him up and down. Could he trust this man? There was no where else to turn. He nodded his head. “Okay.â€
The man grabbed Cole’s wrist with great force and tugged him towards the streets. As Cole got closer, he heard the violence in the city clearly. The city was so much different from where he usually saw it. The clock tower loomed over the other buildings, untouched by fire. The townhouses were ablaze however, with men and women running around in distress. There were more men in white armor, carrying spears, swords, shields, and weapons he had only read about in books. Equal in number were the Falchion knights, defending the women and children from these intruders. Down the main street were machines setting buildings on fire with an ethereal breath. They stood by like terrible steel beasts, creating destruction everywhere.
With a noise like a bear, Mike grabbed a man in white armor and threw him against a building. A large crack was heard, Cole couldn’t determine if it was bone or armor shattering.
Mike dragged him to the opposite street and through a narrow alley. They ran over the charred cobblestone, the tall buildings blocking any escape routes. Cole felt dizzy, where was he? He looked back, but couldn’t see the castle. They turned another corner. And another. They ran into a dark passage. They turned around again. This was so disorienting…
“Stop right there!†A built man in armor pointed a lance at Mike. Cole cowered in fear away from his enemy. Mike walked briskly, grabbed the lance, and tore it in two. The large man tried to fight back as Mike smashed his head into the ground.
“C’mon.†Cole was beginning to feel more frightened of this giant man than the white-armored intruders.
They ran farther through the passage until a ladder was reached. Mike climbed up it quickly, leaving Cole behind. Cole was weak and fragile, he barely ran at all his whole life, and he was out of breath and panting. Cole climbed slowly. Where was Mike? He couldn’t hear anything. He couldn’t see anything. Cole climbed over the top of the ladder onto some kind of plane. The breathing overwhelmed him and the prince of Falchion fell to the ground in pain. With a glance up, he saw the large shadow of death coming towards him.
* * *
“Wake up! C’mon, what’s wrong with him?†A commanding voice spoke to him beyond the darkness of space and time.
“Stupid boy. He can’t even run with collapsing.†The other voice felt familiar, was it his father?
“Is he hurt?â€
“No.†Cole felt something…what? Who was Cole? He was Kylink. Yes, that was his name, Kylink. Kylink opened his eyes quietly.
“Hey! I see movement! His eyes are opening!†A female voice exclaimed.
Kylink opened his eyes and saw an array of people staring at him. He could see a young woman, clutching a very young boy. Beside her was a tall man, not over twenty, with facial hair. Behind them was an extremely large and tall man that filled the room. He had a thick beard and moustache that made him far less threatening than when Kylink had met him before…before? What happened before? Who was Kylink, anyway?
“Son, are you alright?†The young man spoke.
“Uhh…yeah.†Kylink managed words.
“So, you aren’t hurt?â€
“Uhh…no.â€
“I saw him near the woods. He was being attacked by one of those white-armored guys. I…dispatched him.†The large man said in a low voice.
“What is your name?†The man questioned.
“Kylink.â€
“Kylink. That’s an odd name-â€
“Knives. Vash…sent me.†Who was Knives? Vash? Kylink didn’t remember anything.
The man leaned in close to Kylink as if to speak in secret.“…How do you know Vash?†Kylink didn’t answer. There was no answer he could say.
“Go upstairs and get some rest. I’m going to keep the boy company.†The woman and her son came over and he kissed them both goodnight. He hugged the little boy and ruffled his hair. Was he his father?
After the footprints had subsided up the rickety staircase nearby, the young man leaned in close to Kylink, “That’s me, I’m Knives.â€
So this man was Knives? He looked too young to be someone his father would know. Kylink didn’t know what this meant, but he had a sudden compulsion to reach into his pocket. There was supposed to be something…there. Where was it? The stone that his father had given him? His father…was…the…It made sense now, he was Kylink, prince of Falchion. This brought urgency to the situation. Kylink had to find the stone his father had given him, it was the king’s wish.
“Oh no! I have to leave!†Kylink burst off of the chair that he was laying on, knocking Knives to the floor. The man scrambled to his feet, trying to catch the boy. Kylink ran through the dark passage, and started to make his way down the ladder. He ran and ran with a new drive towards a goal. He needed that stone, it was the last memory of his father…his father was most likely dead.
Through the passages, down the alleys, past every twist and turn. Kylink no longer heard the shouting of violence. The fires still burned, but they had been subdued. He ran over the cobblestone alleyways meeting no one. As he entered the main road of Falchion, he saw no one. No knights, no men in white armor, no women or children. This change of atmosphere disturbed him. Kylink looked to the brick wall by the entrance to the woods. Even the white-armored man attacked by Mike was gone. Kylink ran to the woods. It seemed harder to find where he previously was. Everything seemed so much more calming before.
His feet ran over something soft. Kylink stepped back and saw his clothing there as it was before. Clothing befitting a prince. That’s what Kylink was after all…his memories were coming back quicker every second. He rifled through the clothing and came upon the familiar red jewel. He looked over it longingly. What did it mean? Why did his father entrust this jewel to his son, even though he had no clue as to what it did? Kylink sat down on the nearby wooden stump.
Looking up at the castle, it seemed so long ago. Everything had changed so quickly. He was once a spoiled prince, constantly guarded by everyone like a fancy trophy. That’s what he was, no human being, just something that could be invested in with knowledge and richness so he might become King once. No one every chose to be his friend, or be genuinely nice to him. He closed his eyes and recounted the memories of only a few nights before.
He was walking out of his study room when a pupil of his came up to him, surrounded by three other nobles.
“Where are you going pretty boy?†The teenager sneered. The boys behind him laughed.
He walked quicker. He couldn’t stand up to them, he had places to be. “Aww, running away, pretty boy?†They cackled.
He turned around and looked at the leader, “What do you want, Sora?†The boy drew a wide smile. “Why don’t you run away to your room, pretty boy?†This drew great laughter from the assortment of boys behind him. It didn’t matter if Kylink was a prince, no one really respected him. He ran to his room, just like the coward he was.
Kylink was in the middle of the woods, snapped back to reality by a sudden cry, “Help!†Kylink ran in the direction of the noise, the red jewel in his pocket. As he got closer to the noise, he saw a boy, no older than he was, lying crippled on the ground in a pool of blood. Kylink had a look of disgust and fear on his face as he ran towards him. He had brown hair, a white robe covering his body, and most odd of all were the two tiny wings on his shoulders, one white and one black. The boy squirmed in pain, due to a large gash that had been inflicted onto his chest. Blood poured out of it, blackening his white robe.
“Help…me…†With an exasperated voice, the boy fell into unconsciousness. Kylink looked around in panic. He tried to pick him up…but he couldn’t. There was no one around, what could he do? He finally picked the man up, and was able to because his frame was light and he wasn’t very tall. Kylink shuffled towards the city, holding a dying man.
He walked as fast as he could, his arms shaking. He couldn’t just leave him there, and Kylink had a responsibility to the man to get him to someone who could heal injuries. The darkness of night started to disappear and it became lighter out over time. This reminded Kylink of his own disabilities, how long had he been awake already? Kylink walked like a zombie, unable to move properly, but kept in a state of motion that he couldn’t stop. He trudged through the thicket, and down the alleyway into the main street. He went past the main street, through the alleyways, over and over again. It became so similar to him.
Kylink got to the ladder and placed the boy gently on the ground, the fragile person who still didn’t make any sounds. Kylink went up the ladders, his arms on fire with pain and fatigue and his clothing stained with blood. Kylink shuffled towards Knives standing by a now awoken Mike. He reached into his pocket.
“A boy…hurt…bottom of the ladder.†Kylink fell on the dirty floor, the jewel of his father rolling to the feet of the bewildered men.
Edit: So, Anyways, I think Part 1 of the story will be done around Chapter 6. And then I will post all of the chapters up until that point on the first post.