Excerpt
The light glistened off the sword of his forefathers as Luke lashed out wildly with rage, born out of frustration rather than anger. Why was he always thrust into situations not of his own making, rather than being left in peace. Peace was all that he had ever wanted, and yet conflict followed him like an unfaithful companion. For longer than he could remember he had felt this way, and this morning’s events were still welling up inside him. He let out a deafening roar just like a lion stalking his territory, although this particular lion had now been forced to leave his. He knew that his father was a good man at heart, and yet being the second son he always felt as though it should be his elder brother that should be taking the lead. Looking back at the flames billowing out of the castle window perched high in the keep he felt the pains of guilt rising into the air like the smoke rising in the distance. His father always described it as the rage of destiny, which burned in his soul exploding out when it was ignited. It had certainly been today, and those that knew him were keeping their distance until the waters of emotion finally quelled the raging fires within.
A rumble of thunder rang out across the prairie as even the gods shared in his frustration. More than anything he wanted to disappear into the mountain peaks with their swarthy layers of heather, but he knew that he would have to return to the castle, but not before he had come to terms with what had been said.
Luke held his sword up defiantly against the approaching storm, almost tempting the gods to strike him down with a thunderbolt, to finally put him out of his misery. He knew deep down that this was futile as they always protected him and he had a reputation of being invincible. This frustrated him even more as he knew that death would bring him the peace that he desired.
Every battle that he had ever fought had been thrust upon him as justice reigned supreme in his soul. There was always someone in these unsettled times who crossed his path seeking something that they were not morally entitled to. Tyrants subjected the people to untold cruelties in the great lands of these islands, and it was as though they sought him out as some kind of a test, and he had lost count of the number he had dispatched. This had brought him rewards greater than most could imagine, and the more he tried to refuse them, or give them away, the more they had seemed to accumulate. Luke really hated power, and his father’s kingdom had grown steadily, particularly over the past few years due mainly to his conquests. He had never sought to conquer, it was just that the surrounding war lords had desired his father’s kingdom and when defeated their lands had fallen under his father’s rule which now stretched from the mountains all the way to the great wall of the Romans.
Luke stopped resting for a moment as he tried to compose himself. Never before had he faced such a situation and although he longed for sanctuary he knew in his heart that it was his destiny to follow his father’s orders. Looking up at the darkening sky he realised that although in his heavy heart it was the last thing that he wanted to do, and running away was not an option. He had never run away from anything, always meeting everything that had been forced upon him. If he did then it was only a matter of time before events caught up with him. If he stayed on his father’s land then he would be sought out and eventually brought back to his father, and although he was a compassionate man for these times, he was the King and his word was law!
Reluctantly he turned around and headed back towards the castle to meet his fate, although there was one special place that he would be visiting before he did embark on his journey.