Part III

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If you have not read either of the last two posts STOP RIGHT HERE, do not go on, this is part three of a three part story, you need to read the other two parts first. Also, please leave a comment if you read this post, just click on the link that says _ Comments.

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Enjoy

"M'lord, an army has sprung up in the wilderness, they have no point of origin, they just appeared a few days ago." said the scout to his king, Iotorth.
"What are they made up of?" asked the king.
"Not men, it appears as though it is an army of demons and monsters. There is a man at its head, but no other person."
"What are they doing?" Iotorth asked further.
"It seems as though they are waiting for something, they have not moved since they appeared. We will report back with any further news." The scout said before bowing and leaving the room. Iotorth turned to gaze out his window, he had been king for sixteen years, never once had he been threatened, but the sudden arrival of an army worried him. He knew his long dead cousin, Octolivius, had been married, but he had heard nothing of child, a child who would have grown up hearing of his father's untimely death in a faraway land where he should have been king, a child who would despise Iotorth.
Iotorth's thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door, a new scout entered.
"Sir, Kingston Arley has surfaced again." he said.
"He's not dead yet? Where is he?" Iotorth demanded, his hand at the scout's neck.
"Marching north with an army." came the choked reply. Iotorth released the scout.
"A demon army?" he feverishly inquired.
"No, his army is all the people we've been trying to find all these years. However, it appears as if they are going to meet up with the demon army."
Iotorth cursed hard under his breath, "Alert the general to ready the troops, we sally in an hour."
The scout did as he was bidden lest he be strangled again, while Iotorth hurried to don his armor. Arley's sudden emergence could only mean that he had found Octolivius' son and convinced him to act. A quarter of an hour later Iotorth rode before his army as they departed to meet the army in the wilderness.
* * *
Kingston Arley rode through the masses of resting demons to the only tent erected in the camp, Inger's tent. A great leathery body with a tusked face guarded the entry to the tent.
"Kingston Arley, I expect that you have come to see the lord Inger." Manifeithel said.
"Why, yes… yes I have." Kingston replied.
"Then enter." Manifeithel said as he shifted out of Kingston's way.
Inger sat at a table reading over a map of the surrounding regions and his mother lay resting in the corner.
"Ah, Kingston, you've come." Inger said when he noticed his visitor.
"That big fellow out there, is that Manifeithel? He seems to know my name." Kingston asked.
"He seems to know everyone's name, but yes, that is Manifeithel."
" It seems then that you succeeded," Kingston said, then thought of the other demons, "and then some."
"Yes, I did succeed, but what of you, Kingston?"
"I managed to find a little less than a legion for you."
"Good, thank you Kingston, I …"
"Sir, the enemy has moved out from the castle." Manifeithel cut across, Inger stepped outside, "It is time to lay your plans."
Inger walked off with the great beast, and Emmalynn joined Kingston at the entrance to the tent.
"He's not just a boy anymore, is he, Emmalynn?" Kingston asked.
"No, he's no longer my little boy, he's grown into a man, and he's coming into his father's inheritance. After the battle he won't be mine any longer, he'll belong to Dearst." She said as she watched him consult with Manifeithel.
"Then a small piece of him will belong to you, your part of Dearst." Kingston offered.
"No, I'm not a part of Dearst, I'm barely a part of my father's kingdom as it is. I can't stay here, I'm exhausted, I'll make my final journey across the sea to reside in my homeland, and Inger will rule here." She said pensively.
Kingston did not question her further, he knew she believed what she said to be the right thing to do.
* * *
"Send for the sirens to come up the river here, they know the rest of their work." Iotorth said to his general as the deployed their troops across the field, "The boy, I will take the boy."
* * *
Horns welcomed dawn, and sent the two armies into battle. Inger stayed back to direct his troops from a nearby hilltop.
Iotorth's troops in their shining armor fought desperately against the demons from Annonia, and for a while the battle was evenly matched. It raged for the better part of three hours, the tide tossing any which direction it willed. But, Iotorth had the sirens to end the battle right then and there. Manifeithel did not take part in the battle, he had a more important job to do.
Just as they had done with the moon years before, the sirens had to wait for the sun to be in the perfect position to begin singing with out harming their master's men. Two minutes before they were to begin singing the sirens noticed movement in the woods beside the river. Before they could do anything Manifeithel burst out from the trees and set into them.
Iotorth heard the screams of his sirens and hurried to find out what was wrong. He arrived in time to see Manifeithel snap the last one to pieces in his powerful jaws and set off for the battle. Iotorth tried, and failed, to return before the great beast could reach the battlefield, and so he rode down to try to slay the monster.
Inger saw Iotorth's charge, and before his captains could stop him, rode out to meet his father's cousin.
Iotorth spotted Inger and changed his course. They rode at each other and Inger was knocked from his horse by a well-placed blow from Iotorth, who immediately dismounted to fight Inger one on one.
"I expect that you'll want to know why your father's dead before I kill you." Iotorth said to Inger.
"Why?" Inger asked.
"My father had the unfortunate fate of being second born, so I was not in line for the throne. But I looked every day upon the throne your father would some day have, and I began to envy him, when my father died I promised my self that I would sit in the throne someday, what ever it took.
"So first I killed my uncle and framed your father, but I forgot he was away that night. I ensured that piece of evidence was suppressed and he was run out, five years later I was all but sitting in the throne, I controlled your uncle, all that was left was for him to die. When your father returned his brother killed him, then I killed your uncle and proclaimed your father's innocence and set up your uncle as the killer, and justified his killing.
"I have ruled for sixteen years, and I will not let you take it from me, boy, draw your weapon."
Inger drew his sword and did his best to defend himself from the much larger Iotorth. The battle raged around them, slowly turning to Inger's army after Manifeithel's entrance. Iotorth bore down upon Inger relentlessly striking until Inger tired enough to allow his arm to slip, Iotorth took that moment to cleanly sever Inger's arm inches from the shoulder. Inger fell to the ground weaponless and Iotorth stood over him, ready to kill his final rival.
A shot rang out clear above the tumult and the battle halted, all eyes turned to the sound.
Iotorth looked down at the hole through his chest and back up to his shooter, who cocked the hammer on the second barrel of the pistol and cast Iotorth's body into the dirt with a bullet between his eyes.
Emmalynn cast aside the empty pistol and walked up the hill she stood on towards the sea.
The battle ended there, the soldiers surrendered and hailed Inger as king, Manifeithel healed Inger's arm, but it remained a stub. Inger took the throne when they all arrived at the capitol. At his formal coronation Inger called for the body of Iotorth to be entombed with the kings, he ignored all objections holding that Iotorth was still a king and deserved the respect a king demands. Manifeithel swore an eternal oath to serve Inger's bloodline before all, and Inger promised that the demons should be free to roam, so long as they let the people be.
Kingston told Inger not to look for his mother, that she had returned to her home so that he could rule his father's land, he obeyed but he never stopped wondering where she went.
The land prospered under its new king and his bloodline for years to come, and Emmalynn lived out her days in peace alone.

The End

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