The Book

The swords clanged as steel connected with steel. I switched the TV off and took some notes on what I’d watched. That ought to do it. Now, where’s my book? I retrieved my half-completed story, then went to the study to continue from yesterday. What should I put here? I read the sentence aloud and changed it to my liking. That sounds much better, I thought. I wrote for hours and became so engrossed within my story that I lost track of time. I might as well stop there for today.

I ducked under the frame and made sure to close the door behind me. The rest of the night, I lay back and had food. After a while, though, I realised it was getting late. I should get to bed. As I was going up to my room, I noticed that the study was open. Maybe I forgot to shut it. I didn’t think much of it and closed the door. As I lay down, I couldn’t help but think about how my story would turn out, and when I drifted off, I dreamt of the famous knight William and his king, Edward. Crash! I woke, startled. What was that noise?

I got out of bed and slipped into some clothes, then left the room. As I walked down the corridor; I grabbed a nearby plant pot. The study door was ajar, and a purple light seeped through the gap. I waited, but there was no noise. The intruder must know that I’m here. I pushed the door a bit wider and gasped. My book was floating, and the light came off it like mist. This must be a dream. I pinched my arm and winced. How is this possible? My curiosity got the best of me, so I edged closer and reached out to touch it.

As my hand brushed over the paper, I felt a jolt as I was dragged in. I closed my eyes, afraid of what might happen to me. However, after what felt like hours, I collided with the ground. I kept my eyes shut for a while longer, then opened them. The first thing I noticed was that I was no longer in my study, but a medieval city, then I realised I was dressed in royal clothes. Where am I? I stared around and gaped in horror as I realised what had happened.

How is this possible? How have I ended up here? King’s Passing looked the same as I’d imagined it, but I’d never expected to see it in person. Horror turned to amazement as a familiar soldier appeared, atop his grey stallion. “William!” I exclaimed. The man stared at me, and a look of surprise spread across his face. “Master? What are you doing here?” I was taken back. He knows who I am! I was speechless, but after a while I found my voice.

“I don’t know. I went going to bed, then I woke, and discovered my book was floating and a purple light came from it. when I touched it, I was brought here.” I thought for a while, but I couldn’t think of anything to explain what had happened. “I think I’ll have to speak to the king about this.”

“That won’t be an issue. Just hop on and I’ll take you to him.” King Edward might have some answers to why I’m here, I thought, as we rode to his castle. William spoke of things I’d forgotten over the years, and I was glad to hear of his victories. When we arrived at the castle a group of stable boys took care of William’s horse, while we walked up to the castle. The other guards greeted us and gazed at me. The attention was becoming too much, but I continued to walk, nevertheless.

“My god!” King Edward exclaimed when I entered, William at my side. “Is it really him?” He asked William, who gave a nod. Edward stood and knelt before me. “I am at your service master.”

“There’s no need to kneel, your grace. I may be your creator, but you’re the king in this realm. Not me.” Edward stood back up, a look of astonishment in his eyes. “And I’d prefer to be called James,” I added.

“How did you end up here?” Edward asked as he took his seat.

Before I answered, William spoke. “It was a magical book. He touched it and it brought him here. That is the reason we have come to you. We hoped that you might help him.”

Edward thought for a moment but shook his head. “I’m sorry to say that I don’t know what to do. Unless you’ve got a purpose here, I can’t suggest any other reasons for your appearance.” I sighed, a sense of dread flowing through me.

“Are you sure there isn’t a way to get out?” I asked.

“As I have already said; the only way might be to do a certain task.” I thought for a moment, then a great idea came to me.

“I’ll be back when you need me. I have a plan.” William followed me, and as we were leaving, a servant entered, a letter in hand. I didn’t think much of it and continued to the stables. However, as we were ready to go to a bar, one of the king’s men appeared, a look of horror upon his face.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said. “Tamworth has been attacked by a dragon, and Lord Alexander is begging us to help.” This is my ticket out of here, I thought. William decided on going and chose men to bring along. “I’ll go as well,” but William shook his head.

“Sixteen is an unlucky number,” he said. “You should know that.”

“Then I’ll replace one of your men. I think this is the way I’ll be able to leave.” William realised what I was getting at and allowed me to come. “If you die though, I’m not going to be blamed. I’m just warning you.”

“This isn’t the day I die,” I replied, a confident smile upon my face. However, William looked doubtful. He’s afraid his story will stay uncompleted. We had two days to prepare, and I was the best at sword fighting as well as archery. everyone praised me for it, which I was pleased about. However, William was far better than me, but I didn’t mind. I wanted it to stay that way. I got to make friends with the other soldiers and know a bit about them. This could be perfect for my story, I thought as I finished talking to a man known as Scott.

The day to leave arrived, and I was nervous to go. What if I die? How will I finish my story? I tried not to think about it, but it continued to bug me. we set off in search of the dragon, and we were in luck as one of Lord Alexander’s men appeared after speaking to him, we decided to follow him to the hideout.

The dragon’s lair turned out to be in the mountains in a cave, that used to belong to the dwarves. I was hoping that this would be my way home, but part of me wanted to stay here. This is my world. I could rule here. However, I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to continue my life of writing stories. We rode in silence, but William broke it by starting a conversation. “So, John. How is it you ended up writing?”

I thought about it, then answered. “I’ve always loved the thought of writing, and reading books helped motivate me. I started writing at fifteen and published my first book at the age of twenty. Now that I’m twenty-eight, I’ve realised that my characters are my true friends.” I noticed William smile as I said those last words.

“We’re almost there,” the scout said. “We’ll have to go the rest of the way on foot, since the horses can go no further.” We had Scott watch the destriers, while the rest of us went to the cave. The walk was longer than expected, but once we made it, I felt better. We stayed quiet and peeped inside the cave and my heart dropped. I gazed at the dragon, a sense of dread filling me. It’s so big, I thought. It sat and gnawed at a goat’s body. This is going to be hard. Crunch! The beast dropped the body and turned in our direction.

It roared and ran in our direction. “To arms!” William yelled. I stood there, frozen with fear, whilst men unslung their bows, and others drew swords. Twang! A group of arrows flew through the air, striking the dragon’s flesh and scales. It roared in pain, and breathed a line of fire, incinerating two men. It slashed, knocking William, who crashed into the wall, and sat there, forgotten by the other men. A rage surged through me. I charged at the dragon and swung at the dragon, slicing its arm open. Its attention turned to me, and it didn’t notice the bowmen.

“Aim for the eyes!” I yelled. “Aim for the eyes!” They understood, and seconds later, another group of arrows sailed through the air, piercing the dragon’s head. It roared, and breathed fire into the air. I stabbed and slashed, along with the help of others, then the dragon groaned, and taking one last breath, crashed to the ground. I rushed over to William, hoping for the best, but he wasn’t. “Come on, old friend. You can’t die. You’re not meant to die yet.”

“This is where my story ends,” he said. “There’s no need to deny it, James. I’m dying. You know it.” I cradled him in my arms, tears streaming down my face. William gave one last sigh and spoke no more. It took two of the men to pull me off, but I continued to mourn over my friend. He wasn’t supposed to die this way, I thought. I carried William’s body back to the horses and hoisted him over my own destrier. The ride back was silent. The scout had died and so had three other men.

When we returned, the city folk broke down in tears at the sight of William’s body. I buried William, with the help of his family and the king. Once it was done, I turned around to see my book, and a pen. I grabbed hold of it. I have to rewrite the ending. I was allowed entry to the castle, so I went to the guest’s bedchamber and changed the story. Knock! Knock! “Come in,” I said, rushing to wipe the tears away.

I turned to see who was there and jumped from the chair. “William! It worked! You’re back!” He smiled. “I think you should get back home. Your story needs publishing.” I shook his hand. “I hope to see you again, Master.”

“Call me James,” I said. “I’ll be sure to visit again, if I get the chance to. Till then, try not to get yourself killed.” I stared at the book, then placed my hand upon it, vanishing from the room and back to my study. Now, I must get on with editing this story. I sat down, grabbed my pen, then wrote.

1892 words.