Prologue: A boy with a new name

Prologue: A boy with a new name

The knights rode on their horses through the village behind a white stallion. The rider, clearly a skilled war rider, moved at a blink of an eye leaving the knights moving at an impossible speed in an effort to catch up. The blue banner with a yellow dragon sigil was a dead giveaway on who was on the white horse.

The only knight that moved ahead of the white horse yelled for villagers to clear the pathway hence they were crushed to death by the war horse. Everyone acted accordingly, children sought the comfort of their mothers and mothers tried to shield them as best as they could before dropping on their feet and lowering their heads.

 Eventually, the stallion slowed down and came to a halt in the middle of the village market. He didn't alight instead he stared at the villagers.

"His Royal majesty, Aldous Festus Raven, King of Zurich and over the southern hemisphere. All hail the king!"

"All hail the king!"

It started as a slow chant and then it soared with voices louder each time than the last. When king Aldous raised his hand up everywhere fell silent. It was like a veil of heart wrenching fear covered the villagers all at once like they were afraid to breathe properly. They were merely a village of peasant farmers and locksmiths and in over a hundred years, a monarch had never crossed their village before.

King Aldous could hardly be called an average man. He was tall but one couldn't in good conscience call him a giant. He had strong facial qualities including a scar that was still bleeding that ran across his ear to his cheek. If one could overlook his cold eyes and his grim demeanor, and the fact that his tyranny was no secret to the southern hemisphere and beyond, he had endearing facial qualities and must have been a handsome man in his youth.

He wore his regalia like it was a second skin, his sword and his armor attached to his horse instead of his person like it was a dare - only a mad man could attack him. He was the greatest warrior king the nation of Dakra and the four hemispheres had ever seen. King Aldous was the devil of biblical consequences and everyone knew it including the subjects in front of him.

After a few glances, the white stallion rode off again and behind him were his knights. Soon they approached the castle; the sound of the bell announced their arrival to all and sundry.

King Aldous stopped his horse when he entered the inner yard of his castle, twenty men all dressed in black stood by the entrance with a sour expression.

King Aldous turned to the knight beside him and he spoke in a soft voice.

"Someone bloody tell me what the lords of noble houses are doing by the entrance of my court"

"I summoned them. The kingdom must mourn immediately, Sire"

King Aldous looked at his lead Knight, Sir Darken and he held his gaze. The younger knight didn't cower or lower his gaze; one couldn't attain the position of the right hand of the king and second most powerful man in the land by being a coward. He was a bright-eyed warrior with both the curse and blessing being in direct contact with the king for as long as both of them shall live.

King Aldous moved closer to him.

"One of these days, Sir Darken, I am going to order for your head to be placed on a pike"

Sir Darken lowered his head in respect and submission but he didn't take a step back. This wasn't his first threat.

"Very well, get on with it! Let the kingdom mourn and as for me, I will have my revenge. Bring me my prisoner!"

Sir Darken nodded and turned around with one of his knights following him on cue. Soon, he was standing in front of a little cage guarded by another knight.

He stopped walking, hesitating for a brief second before speaking.

"The King wants the prisoner. Bring him at once!"

 The knight guarding the cage looked uneasy but he didn't move. Sir Darken cleared his throat like he was buying himself a few precious seconds, like it was enough for the insolent knight to obey his order but so wasn't the case.

"Sir Chad!"

Slowly, the knight unlocked the cage and pulled out the prisoner.

"Hand the prisoner over to me, Sir Chad"

Sir Chad once again hesitated.

"Sir Chad?" The lead knight's voice thundered.

"My apologies, Sir but the prisoner is a six-year-old child! Or are we pretending he is not?"

Sir Chad pulled away the cloak that kept the child hidden. He was a little vicious thing that growled at them. He looked well-kept except for the bloodstains on his hands and the blood dripping down his head.

"He is a child" Sir Chad whispered this time around.

"And he is the bloody King!" Sir Darken yelled. "You don't get it, do you? The Princess Mia-Margaret is dead! And his majesty must have someone atone for that sin…it is quite unfortunate it has to be him. Now, hand him over before you perish by my hand, little brother!"

Sir Chad's face softened. He has never envied the position his older brother occupies in the land, heavy was the head that enforces a tyrant's rule.

"He is a little boy, Aaron"

"He is a prisoner; Chad and you are a knight of the realm sworn to the king. You will hand him over to me or face the consequence!"

"This isn't right, brother" Chad let go of the child reluctantly but he kept his eyes on his brother like he was expecting Aaron Darken to suddenly go against the king in favor of the right thing.

He didn't.

The little vicious thing growled at him and tried to sink his fingernails into his stomach; he jumped out of the way but did nothing in retaliation. Sir Darken almost felt sorry for it.

"Take him to the king, I am right behind you"

The knight behind him grabbed the child and started walking away.

"Aaron" Chad whispered like he was once again trying to remind his brother of the right thing.

"The knighthood is no place for you, little brother. You should have stayed home, Chad" Sir Darken told him.

"Because I have a conscience…"

"No. Because you are weak and you are going to get yourself killed or worse, the knight next to you in battle"

With those final words that slashed through Chadwick Darken, the lead knight turned around and left but he was in time to watch King Aldous slap the child across the face before grabbing him and pulling him closer to himself.

"Your new name is Abbott Raven. Learn it and accept it because the alternative is death"

"My name is Abboti Barash…son of Alpha Gillan Barash and….." the boy yelled in Romany as a second slap landed on his face.

"Say it!" King Aldous ordered.

"No!" he yelled.

Defiance flashed through the eyes of the vicious little thing as he tried to take a chunk out of the arm of the king causing Sir Darken to intervene but before he could, King Aldous picked the little boy and tossed him like a bag of hay and he landed on Sir Darken's feet.

"You are Abbott Raven…. say anything less than those names and I will hunt your whore of a sister down and set her on fire!"

Sir Darken watched as the boy clenched his fist, he was no doubt a fighter and he had a warrior's heart but he was no match for King Aldous, a man who never lost a fight or left his opponent alive and he knew instantly if he didn't intervene the boy would be joining his dead parents soon.

"Don't" He whispered in Romany which caused the boy to look at him with an astonished expression. It was a tongue he learnt from a scholar, his great uncle Robert. "Live to fight another day, boy"

He lowered himself to the ground and pulled the boy to his feet.

"I know you, sir. You set my Papa on fire; you will burn for it" the boy told him in English devoid of any kind of accent. He was like a chameleon, able to switch on and off his accent.

Sir Darken straightened his collar "I reckon I will burn for a lot of things, boy but not today….so, if you want vengeance, bend a knee to his majesty…stay alive and maybe one day, you will get a chance at slitting my throat or setting me on fire"

The boy blinked back tears as he turned around to face the king.

"Years to come, I will plunge my dagger into you and I will gut you like a pig…for mama and Papa…for my sister, Dream…for my slaughtered pack!" he yelled in Romany.

 Sir Darken tapped his back with the hilt of his sword. The boy might be righteous in his anger after all they just slaughtered his mother and set his father on fire alive but child or not, threatening the king gets you a place on the pike. "English, boy or I will cut off your tongue!" he ordered instead before thrusting him forward to face the king.

Boti moved closer to the king and he bent a knee in submission.

"Say it!" the king ordered.

"My name is….My name is…Abbott Raven." He stuttered.

Aldous stood up and grabbed his chin roughly. "Cheer up rat; you are now Heir to the throne of Zurich and Southern hemisphere. Long live prince Abbott Raven of Zurich!" he said it with so much hatred that the boy looked at him.

"Why are you doing this?" Abbott asked him.

"Why else? Your abomination of a father took my heir away from me and now, I am taking his. Go against my wishes and your sister will be hunted down…and I will make you watch as she is torn apart by dogs, Abbott" He let his chin go "Settle in, rat…I am going to enjoy making your life a living hell"

Aldous walked away with the rest of his knights while Sir Darken took another glance at the boy before lowering his head slightly.

"Your royal highness" he whispered, ignoring the visible hatred in the boy's eyes, he walked away.

Abbott found a corner and he sat down, pulling his knees up, he buried his face in it as sobs tore through him.

"My name is Boti Barash…Son of Alpha Gillian and Maggi Barash…brother to Dream Barash. My name is…"

The boy must have said it a thousand times before succumbing to the deep slumber as an escape. He was Boti Barash but for now…all hail Prince Abbott Raven of Zurich, heir to the throne…future ruler of the seven kingdoms of the southern hemisphere of Dakra…. lost alpha of the wandering bay pack.