For one heart-stopping moment, Gwythryn thought the end had come. The mutilated outlaw laughed harshly and raised his sword high above his head. Gwythryn screwed his eyes shut and looked away, heart hammering as he waited for the bite of the steel. The outlaw laughed again, and suddenly there came a terrible pain as something sharp plunged into Gwythryn's shoulder. Gwythryn tried to scream, but all that came out was a wheezy gasp as he felt the sword tear through the sinews and flesh of his arm. Another fiery blaze of pain followed the first as the blade was wrenched free, and blood sprayed into his face in a salty, sticky fountain. Black dots began to swim before his eyes, and Gwythryn's body began to convulse as his oxygen-starved lungs fought for air.

Then, suddenly, the pressure on Gwythryn's neck was gone. A flood of air seemed to rush into Gwythryn's chest, causing him to cough and splutter violently. His eyes snapped open, just in time to hear another shriek, this time from his would-be killer, as a great sword scythed into his head, spraying gore and blood everywhere. Illirion pulled his sword from the lipless man's skull, snarling angrily.

"~Keep your filthy hands off my son.~" he spat at the corpse.

Gwythryn groaned, and suddenly Illirion was at his side, peering at the wound, teeth gritted with fury.

"~How dare they?~" he growled. "~Treacherous dogs, I'll kill them for this!~"

Gwythryn was still too stunned to speak as his father hauled him upright. Being so close to death, even for those few seconds, had shaken him. If his father had not arrived at that moment ... Gwythryn didn't even want to think about what might have happened. The pain from his shoulder was terrible, his throat was raw and aching and his legs were shaking so much it was hard to stand. Gwythryn leaned heavily on his father's shoulder, coughing pathetically as his eyes darted around the battlefield, watching warily for any more attacks.

A flicker of movement at the edge of his field of vision caught Gwythryn's eye. He looked around, just in time to see someone raise a bow and send an arrow flying through the air towards them. Gwythryn shoved his father hard, just managing to knock him out of the arrow's path. However, he was not fast enough to prevent the shaft piercing his thigh, the head burying itself deep in the muscle. Gwythryn howled with pain and fell to one knee, twisting around to try and scramble out of the archer's range. A second arrow followed the first, this one thudding hard into his exposed side. Gwythryn collapsed with a scream of agony. Illirion snarled and twisted to face the archer, standing over his fallen son, sword held high.

"~Come out!~" he shouted. "~Come out and face me like a man, you coward!~"

"~Illirion!~" Tamlyn's voice rang out behind them. "~Look out!~"

But it was too late. The archer released another arrow, and this one found its mark in Illirion's chest. The old warrior gasped and pitched backwards, crimson blood blossoming across his chest. Half mad with pain and fury, Gwythryn twisted and threw a clod of dirt at the archer. The clod struck the side of the archer's head, and for one moment Gwythryn caught a glimpse of their assailant's face.

"~It can't be.~" he breathed.

Danail looked up and met his eyes, and Gwythryn knew it could not be denied. Danail bared his teeth, then turned and fled into the trees, vanishing just as quickly as he had come. Gwythryn twisted on the ground, ignoring the pain from his wounds as his good arm held him up, and screamed after the retreating figure.

"~Traitor! I'll kill you for this, I swear I'll kill you!~"

Gasping with pain and fury, Gwythryn dragged himself to his father's side. Illirion's breathing was harsh and ragged as he looked at his son through pain-glazed eyes.

"~I am sorry.~" he gasped. "~I am sorry for everything.~"

"~What do you mean?~" Gwythryn gaped at his father, wild eyed with disbelief. This couldn't be happening, not now, not like this.

"~I shouldn't have let them bring you.~" said Illirion, voice scarcely more than a hoarse whisper. "~If I had known it would come to this, I would have left you behind. I would never have wished you to see me die like this.~"

"~You're going to live.~" Gwythryn snapped. "~Don't give up now, not now of all times.~"

"~It is my time.~" said Illirion. "~My soul goes to the gods now. My time is over, one way or another.~"

"~It can't be.~" Gwythryn choked. "~I can't lead the clan alone, I don't know how to lead them! You're their thane, not me! You can't just lie here and accept your fate like some beggar in a gutter! For gods' sake, fight it!~"

"~Still defiant.~" Illirion smiled weakly. "~Don't ever change, Gwythryn. Your strength will be your greatest ally in times to come ... I regret I will not be there to see it.~"

"~Then don't die.~" Gwythryn pleaded. "~Don't leave me here to face this alone. I don't know what I'm doing, I need your help. I can't defend these lands, the people don't know me, how can I live up to what they expect?~"

"~They will know you.~"said Illirion, gripping Gwythryn's free hand with the last strength of a dying man. "~And they will follow you, for my sake at least.~" he smiled slightly. "~There is no better man to lead them now. And you are not alone. You are never alone.~" He smiled slightly, and Gwythryn saw the light dwindling in his eyes. "~No man ever had a finer son.~"

"~Don't.~" Gwythryn was crying now, silent tears running down his cheeks. "~Don't do this. Don't abandon me here ... father, don't leave me!~"

Illirion squeezed Gwythryn's hand one final time. "~I'm so proud of you.~"

Suddenly Illirion's grip went slack. A last shuddering breath left his body, his eyes glazed over and at last he lay still. Gwythryn didn't even have the strength to cry out. The last of his strength deserted him, and he collapsed in the dust beside his father's corpse, blood pumping from his wounds. A pool of crimson blood began to form around him, and slowly his mind began to drift into darkness. The light began to fade, and every sound he heard seemed to be coming from very far away. Distantly, he could hear someone calling his name, the sound of hurried footsteps and whinnies of panicked horses. A shadow approached, merging with the darkness that swept over him in an ice-cold wave. The last thing he remembered was the gleam of golden eyes in the dark and someone's cheek pressed against his, whispering over and over again.

"~Hold on. Please, hold on.~"

THE END

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The Aeserion Trilogy: BOOK TWO

With the Skathains driven back and the land safe again, Gwythryn and his battle-hardened men have returned to the north. Their bravery has won them great acclaim across Errion, but the land is far from peaceful.

A new law is passed by the king, and Gwythryn's Skathain blood becomes cause for treason. Soon, after escaping his execution, Gwythryn is on the run, fleeing from the very people he once sought to defend. Now, alone and outcast, he has no choice but to return to Skatha and confront the hidden destiny that awaits him there.

Meanwhile, left behind in Longhall, a bereaved Kairin struggles to cope with the consequences of the new law. However, when Bragan sends him to the great city of Tearcallon, he finds that the royal courtroom is just as dangerous as any battlefield, and the stakes just as high. The fate of hundreds of lives rest on his actions, and one small mistake could spell disaster for them all ...

Note:
Dialogue marked with the "~" symbol is spoken in Skathan.

The story begins here, in "Warrior":
http://www.protagonize.com/story/warrior

And now, the long-awaited conclusion to the tale, "Legend": http://www.protagonize.com/story/legend

updated Aug 18 '11 by SpookOfNight