The Chosen Few

Chapter one- memories

The breeze blows through the feathers of a lone falcon perched atop a great tower. Looking down at the castle below, its gaze drifting over to the city, which during the night looks like an empty shell void of life. Only a few guards patrolling the streets who look like ants from this great height, eventually its eye’s rest upon the group of building that look the most extravagant. The bird gives a quick twitch of its head to the side before lifting up its wings, bringing them out to their fullest extent. The moon shining off the back of its feathers like a black diamond, the falcon leans forward loosening its grip on the wall that it’s perched on. It falls forward and begins to glide through the air, the deafening sound of the wind blowing past its ears. Brining it self into a dive the bird pulls its wings against its body, making its decent even faster. The rush of falling so fast and knowing this could be the end with one mistake, with this thought on its mind it lifts its wings back up against the wind. Its decent slows as it is just above the buildings having a near miss with a chimney, moving down into the streets tilting its body to turn through the streets. Swooping past a guard into an alleyway, between two of the large houses that it saw but moments ago, the falcon lands on the stone floor but feet away from a murky puddle. It looks to the left to see a barrel against the wall and the end of the alley, to right the opening to the street nobody is around so it turns to the wall opposite the barrel. The falcon begins to grow with its feathers falling off, its head grows and changes shape its beak shrinks into a mouth and nose. Ears grow on the side of its head along with hair sprouting all over the top of its head, its wings shrinking into arms. After a short while a naked man with jet black ear length hair was standing where the bird was, his features darkened by the shadow and yet were still very prominent. He turned to the barrel and picks up the lid to reveal a black cloak inside the barrel.

The man quickly slides on the cloak over his muscular form to avoid further exposure to the harshly cold night air, the man turns back to the wall he was facing. He proceeds to knock on the wall, a few moments later and a knock comes in response from the other side of the wall. He quickly looks both ways to see he is still alone and all is silent, his right hand begins to glow a light green. He places his glowing hand upon a crack on the wall were he knocked. His hand glows brighter for a second and the wall slides back and move’s to the side; it does this with virtually no sound. Behind were the wall was there now stands a man also wearing a black cloak, with his head held low to obscure his face. “You know how risky it is to go through this entrance, what is the reason for urgency?” said the man behind the wall. “Well I can’t say much here, but there is one of us in the castle!” whispered the man in the alley, as he walks into the building with the wall closing behind him.

*      *      *

Alone in a circular room dimly lit by a few torches a baby was sitting, playing on the cold stone floor with an arrangement of toys, some horses, and little knights. The baby giggling was the most prominent sound but, it could also hear the clattering of metal and wood as though a feast was being prepared. The baby looks up as the wooden door creaks open, a man wearing a full set of armour made of a shiny polished silver metal and a man of a large build who was wearing fine black clothing with a golden trim. This mans long brown hair touched his shoulders, and his facial features very fair with calm looking blue eyes. They both entered the room speaking “My liege why must we kill them all, they have done nothing wrong.” Pleaded the man in armour, both stopping in the centre of the room and turning to face each other “Are you questioning me?… I have told you what to do now get it done” the second man replied sternly. “Yes sir” the first man says and quickly looks away, “why does my child just sit and play, at the age of two he should be doing more than just sitting there” the finely dressed man says in a sad tone, both of the men now looking down at the baby who sat playing. “It is a mystery my lord, he should be fine soon. He is your son, illegitimate he may be but still your son” the man in armour spoke each word hoping not to annoy the finely dressed man. “Yes… remember nobody must know of him, until I can find a way of making it seem he is fit to take my throne, and not illegitimate” said the finely dressed man while turning around to face the door. “No one will know you have my word” said the armoured man. Both now at the door, they walked though it and stood with the door ajar behind them. Under their legs a cat prowls past them down the hall way, looking back it sees them closing the door and walking down the hallway towards it. With haste it dashes though the halls, down the winding staircase. Into the hall where it jumps onto a table were chicken lay ready on a plate, servants rushing around carrying large amounts of different foods, the smells of which filled the room with enticing aroma’s, they are placing the food in the middle of the tables. The cat looking around, trying not to be noticed it grabs some chicken and jumps under the table, eating the chicken while walking along back through the hall towards the stairs. It stops at the end of the table, watching the servants feet fly past it, each step softened by their leather sandals. The room was now getting quite full, more people flowing through the large doors that reside behind the cat. The noise of clattering cutlery and people making conversation filled the air; the cat makes a dash for the spiral stairs from which it came. Prowling and leaping past the people walking around, it makes it to them, quickly making its way back up them.

*      *      *
“You are crazy Garose that will surely get us all killed,” exclaimed a black hooded man.
”Well I am going to get that baby, I just have to… you didn’t see what it did” said Garose
Both pacing up and down the dark room, lit only by a few torches on the walls. “You come here at this dangerous time, claiming valuable information and now your going to do this!” exclaims the black hooded man. Backing towards the window Garose says “you don’t know what I have seen, I am not crazy… you will see it for your self Belamore”
”you can’t go though with this” screams Belamore. As he finishes Garose dives out of the window, plummeting at great speed towards the ground. He shrinks and wings sprout from his back, 10 feet from the floor he is a falcon once more. Swooping upwards out of the hood his cloak; which flutters down to the floor and settles in a pile. Continuing vertically to gain height towards the castle tower, with the cold night air blowing past him he looks down at the dim lights below of the guards who were still patrolling for any disturbances. No sound can be heard other than the wind blowing past him as he gains altitude. As he reaches the top of the tower he dives towards a window, mid way up the tower slowing before reaching it he lands softly and perches on the window. Looking in he sees a baby sat on the floor playing with its toys, and the king stood above him trying to get the baby to talk or walk. “Common son, please just speak. Say daddy” the king says softly to the baby, which continues playing seemingly oblivious to his words. After more attempts to get the baby to talk, the king walks out the door in a huff, and slams it behind him.

Garose flies into the room and lands beside the baby, looking at its fine clothing which resembles that of the kings. Garose jumps up and lands on the baby’s back, and clenching its clothes lifts with all his might but to no avail the baby moved but an inch. He begins to grow larger, the gracious falcon he was a moment ago is now losing some feathers, and has now become a vulture. He tries again clenching the baby’s clothing this time lifting the baby off the floor, he flies towards the window very slowly and wobbling in the air, as he just gets through the window the door in the room swings open. The king walks in absentmindedly looking at the floor, “so lets try again shall we son” looking up to see his son being took out of the window, his face fell full of shock he screamed “guards… guards, get the bird” as he says this he lunges for the window trying hopelessly as Garose gets away with his child. Garose now trying to increase his pace, slowly and loosing altitude as he begins to stain under the weight of the baby. His grip loosening, slowly making progress towards the wall which separates districts, across which he could change back and find refuge, this was his thoughts as his grip loosened and the baby slipped away, plummeting towards the ground noticing this he knew he had but moments to act diving wings as close to his small body as possible. Slowly gaining on the baby who was giggling as it fell towards the floor, a houses distance from the floor the baby let out a giggle that turned into a squawk moments later as it changed into a small bird. It fluttered it wings to slow down before coming to a stop before hitting the ground, and changing back to the baby it falls the last foot onto the floor on top of it’s clothing.

Garose lifts the baby up once more carefully dragging it towards his discarded cloak that lay on the floor, places the baby a few feet from it and hovers 3 feet above the cloak. He gives the area a quick check for guards or any watching eyes, the cloak lifted up into the air over Garose, it then inflates as if a person is wearing it. Garose now changing back to human form, his body fills the empty hovering cloak. He lands on the floor giving his cloak a quick rubbing to try and get off dirt, while walking over to the baby. The baby sat there naked laughing while playing with its clothes, looking up at Garose with a big smile on its face “birdie” the baby said in-between its laughter. Garose picks the baby up cradling it and hiding it under his cloak, making his way into the alley. He stood there on the cold dirty floor of the alley, baby still giggling under his cloak he puts a hand against the wall. With his palm glowing but this time with a lime green light, Garose closes his eyes to concentrate, the bricks on the wall all slowly move backwards and separate. The bricks now laying them selves in a two neat piles on each side of the hole, Garose staggers back steadying him self he enters the hole in the building. He walks towards a chair by the lit fire place. In which he sits down in with tiredness setting in, his eyelids feeling heavier. He hears a man coming down the stairs; struggling to keep his head up even with the baby’s continuous laughter. He hears the man speak only understanding a few words before nodding off. “Garose…you fool…baby…hole”

*      *      *

”Urghh” moaned Garose trying to lift his body up of the floor; observing the small circular room he was in, the smell of burning oak filling the air. Moving his hands across his body as if to see if he was still in one piece, feeling that he is only wearing trousers, while moving across his head he let out a small scream of pain, as he touches a large lump on the top of his head. He attempts to stand only to fall back onto the bed, he cups his head between his hands and letting out a small moan. Garose takes another looks around the small room, and realises it is not just a room but is actually a small hut. He notices this, as his eyes come across a small table in the middle of the room; on which there was a bowl placed in front of a chair with a knife and fork laying either side of it. He tries to stand once more, this time managing to stay on his feet. Stumbling towards the door to exit this strangely familiar place, he pushes on the door and straining against his fatigue greatly to do this.

As he opens the door a blinding light hits his eyes he steps back covering his eyes with his palms, standing still for a few moments struggling to see, things slowly becoming less blurry. As he regains his vision he looks out the door, to see a lush green forest surrounding him, looking up at the sunbeams coming through the top of the trees. Taking a step out he feels the cool wet mossy floor of the forest, on his bare feet wincing at the feeling. He looks downwards to see the deep blue eye’s of a pure white wolf sat staring at him, fear setting in he walks backwards not breaking eye contact with it. Backing up a few more steps he bumps into something behind him, looking behind him he sees yet another wolf this one white and grey. Garose lets out a quick scream before darting to the left, running with all his might avoiding the giant roots from the tree’s which towered above.

Gazing back to see both wolves pursuing him, dodging and swerving though the trees, his heart was racing as quick as the wolves were gaining on him. He was now running as fast as his legs would carry him, jumping in the air trying his hardest to get away from the inevitable death he perceived to follow shortly. Wings sprouting out of his back, lifting him up and propelling him a few feet forward uncontrollably. After a near miss with a tree he looks down on the slope below, Feathers beginning to sprout before quickly returning from were they came. The wings shrink and disappear, moving a few more feet forward before falling back down towards the slope. The ground approaching him quickly he tries to put his hands out in a futile attempt to lessen the blow, his body smacks onto the muddy slope rolling down it sideways. Catching glimpses of the wolves that were approaching him from behind while he continues to roll downwards, He hears one of the wolves make a noise. Which he thinks sounds like his name but he dismisses it as him hearing things, he gets dizzier from the seemingly endless rolling. The trunk of a tree abruptly stops him, clutching his side he tries to stand. He manages to stand after wobbling for a few moments, limping now he moves towards an amalgamation of rock that reached high into the sky, as he got closer he noticed it reared above him. Now realising that this was not simply a rock, but in fact it was ancient structure, worn by the weather over time leaving only a half arch standing. Turning around and backing up to this half arch, trying to find shelter from the two oncoming predators. The wolves prowling towards him, barking noises which sound like his name again.

Garose now crouching up against the wall, “get away from me” he screams after which he covers his face with his hands “what do you want, what’s happening to me”.

“Garose” growled the wolf again; Garose stood up and tried to run behind him, only making it a few feet before smacking into the wall. Quickly cupping his hands around his nose, stumbling back and with his vision blurry he turned around. Warm blood trickling through his fingers and down his arms, squinting at the wolves barely able to see them. Garose to his knees, he sees a third blur appear much bigger than the others. All of these shapes’s calling his name in a strange animalistic way, the shapes advancing and changing to all stand on two legs. Garose’s body is wobbling and shaking, blackness circling around his vision, he just feels the cold muddy floor hit his face just before everything becomes black and silent.

*      *      *
Garose is struggles to hear, mumbling coming from above him, unable to open his eyes.
Laying here in the darkness, aware of all but understanding nothing, was the weirdest feeling he had ever had to memory. He could feel a tingling feeling on his head and chest, but couldn’t figure out what it could be. Trying his hardest to open his eyes, only to see such bright light that he had to close them again. A few more attempts later he manages to keep them open, his vision blurring in and out of focus. He sees a human shaped shadow like figure sat above him who was in dark clothing, apart from its hands were glowing a shade purple colour. When his vision comes back he notices it is Belamore sat above him, sitting up with lots of force he nocks Belamore off him onto the floor with a loud thud.

“What on earth are you doing Garose? … Trying to kill me huh” Belamore says while standing and dusting him self off, Garose was quickly observing the room “Belamore what on earth is going on” looking more and more agitated with each word “why are we here… What where them wolves doing chasing me!” he exclaims panting between each question. Belamore looking at Garose in a confused way, “Errm that hit to the head has done some serious damage to you” Belamore says while sitting next to Garose and putting on a serious but concerned face “you really do not remember much do you?” Belamore says, then putting his hand on Garose’s shoulder. Garose was sat slowly moving back and forward with his face cupped in his hands “well… the last thing I remember is saving the kings baby, then collapsing on the chair and then waking up here” Garose says mumbling though his hands.
Belamore stands up looking slightly scared, the oak fire still filling the air with its scent.
He walks slowly to the door twiddling with his hands before replying with “Garose … my dear friend … it has been 15 years since that night” he says while rubbing his head and looking concerned.