The Shadow Of The Ice Kingdom
Part 1: Treacherous Shadow
In a kingdom high up on a mountain in the Ice nation, a king dead on the ground as blood drips from a knife, pooling in small puddles as the king's vision blurs, and his ears are no longer able to make out the sounds of his surroundings. The perpetrator runs to an open window, pulls themselves up, then swings their body out of the building. He landed on his feet, and disappeared on a black stallion. Guards rushed into the king's bedroom, a guard who first noticed the scene yelled, "Somebody murdered the king!" The rest of the guards began to search the room for clues. With no luck, they reported to the dining room. The queen closed a drawer in the kitchen, sat down with a sandwich and a glass of red wine. A guard approached her, "Madam, your highness the king was found dead in the bedroom. We don't know who did it, nor why." The queen dropped her glass of wine, and started to cry. The guard escorted the queen to a safe house. The soldiers began to scour the town, and the outskirts of the territory. Leaves fly in the air, a young lady and a young man are running through the woods. A small boat lies in the river, floating near the edge of a small pier. The couple stepped on to the boat, they removed the rope, the rowboat paddles moved back and forth through the water. The boat heads off in the direction of the East. Soldiers rendezvous in the castle courtyard, a Royal General speaks up, "The king may be dead, but the killers will be found and burned at the stake. The Royal Guardsmen are investigating the crime, just in case the queen is the next target. We will surely catch the culprits." A boat docked at a pier on a small island located in the Southern Sea. A young couple proceeded towards a large castle as they are approached by a large entourage of Royal Knights. The knights escort them to the castle throne room. The young man kneels on the ground, "Father this is my bride. We want to get married as soon as possible!" The guards escort the young couple to a church nearby. A priest marries the two of them, they then kiss and head back to the castle. Back on the mainland, the queen sits on the throne. She says, "Did you find my daughter?" The Royal General replies, "Your highness, I believe she was kidnapped. We found no signs of a struggle, nor does anybody know where she is. Don't worry madam we will locate your daughter and punish those responsible."
The soldiers and guardsman kick open the door to the peasants' house, "Get down on the ground, lie there as we search your stuff! If you move once or try to resist, we will have your head!" The guardsman places his foot on the head of a young child. He pulled out his sword and held it to the child's throat. A few guards arrive with a knife covered in blood. The guard in charge smirks, "Well looks like we found the culprit. Take everything and arrest the entire family as traitors!" The father in the kitchen stood up and took out another knife next to a boar, causing blood to drip from a large gash into a pale located under the boar, stabbed the guard repeatedly. The father quickly ran to the other guard snapping the guard's neck, then throws the knife at the guard standing on his child. The three guards lay dead on the ground. The father and his family quickly pack up, they take a small amount of food, and water, running from the village. In the distance, soldiers wander through the woods. The father and his family are scared, he lays down on the ground, "Listen lay down and crawl with me past the soldiers. Don't make loud noises, don't speak, sneeze, cough or do anything to get their attention. The river is just a little ways away from here. My fishing boat is docked there, we can take it to safety." The soldiers end their search of the wilderness, they head back to the castle. The family ran toward the river, the father freaks out, "What the hell happened to my boat? This is bullshit, we now have to follow the river to get to another village." The family traveled for several days up the side of the river. They reach a village, then proceed to buy a new home. The father hunts down wild animals for a living, the wife skins them and designs clothing from the fur and hide. The soldiers at the queen's castle report, "We found three of our guardsmen dead inside of Sam Belthor's house. He seems to have ran from the village with his family. We set up wanted posters throughout the village, and will be notifying our allies, and other villages about them. I promise you, my majesty, they won't get away with assassinating your husband and your court guards."
