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In the dead of the night, the wind is howling through the empty streets. The castle looms over the
kingdom, outlined by the moon in the sky. A figure quickly and silently makes their way through the
winding streets. Keeping close to the walls, hidden in shadow. Fastly putting distance between them and
the castle. The castle, more like a prison. Footsteps sound ahead and the fleeing figure quickly ducks
into an alley. The clanking of metal confirms his suspicions. Kingdom guards. Probably doing a nightly
patrol of the streets. Waiting for them to pass felt like half the night. But once the clanking of their
footsteps faded the figure adjusts the bag on his back and quickly resumes their way.
On the very edge of the kingdom. The buildings started looking run down. Crumbling walls and cracked
windows. This area didn’t get patrolled by any kingdom guards. Maybe that’s why he came here. To get
away from the smothering castle. Where he had to do as he was told. Where he had to pretend he was
someone who he was not. Playing Prince in the castle was not the life he wanted to have. Especially in
this kingdom. Typically you would be proud of your heritage, and love your kingdom. But not this. The
king, his father, was an awful ruler. Unfair to his own subjects, that was clear from one glance at the
outer edge. If the kingdom was ever under attack from another invading kingdom these would be the
first places to be hit. And without protecting then the citizens wouldn’t stand a chance.
The prince slowed down as he approached a small encampment. Using as much caution as he could he
removed a wooden board that covers a gaping hole in the wall of the building and quickly enters,
replacing the board once he’s inside.
“Hey! Uncle Kondor is here!!” a shrill voice calls. A moment later the rushing of tiny footsteps fill the
room.
“Hey kids, good to see you again,” he smiles and kneels down, opening his arms as one of the kids
rushes forward to hug him.
“Did you bring us anything?” another kid asks eagerly.
“Of course I did,” he smiles and as the kid lets go his slides his back over his shoulder to his lap and sits
down. “I brought everyone food. Some blankets, even managed to snag a brand new one.”
“No not that stuff,” the boy who spoke earlier pouts.
Kondor chuckles. “yeah I know. I brought you art supplies too.” He pulls out some paints.
He passes out the art supplies to each of the kids. “Remember, you have to share, there’s enough for
everyone if you share it. Oh and Kony, I got the pastels you’ve been asking for.”
The boys face lights up. “Really?! Thank you uncle Kondor!” he hugs him before taking the pastels and
nudging a little girl who stood by him they ran off towards the fire pit in the middle of the room.
“Come on, let’s follow them,” Kondor says and stands with his bag. He and the kids go over to the fire to
join the two kids who were eagerly starting to draw with their new pastels. All the kids settle down
around the light of the fire. Kondor sits among them. Looking around he can’t help smiling fondly at
them as they excitedly chatter and discuss what to create.
These kids were orphans. They had no home and no family besides each other. Kondor visited them as
often as he could. He brought them things that he managed to sneak out of the castle. Food that would
have been thrown out and wasted at the castle. Old blankets. Sometimes he managed to bring them
toys but vary rarely as he was rarely allowed to leave the castle, he was only allowed if it was for
diplomatic reasons.
“Thanks so much for coming again Prince Kondor, the kids have been going on non-stop all day about
you coming,” Kondor turns to see a young man with dark gray-blue hair. He was the caretaker of these
kids. Kondor moves over a tad for him to sit by him.
“Hey Lionel. You know I’d never break my promise to come. I should be able to come again in exactly
one week,” Kondor informs him.
“That soon? Are you sure? You’ve been coming a lot lately. What if you get caught,” Lionel asks
worriedly.
“Don’t worry about me. Haven’t gotten caught yet have I?” He shrugs, smirking at him.
“You’ll be the death of me, worrying about you.”
“Even if I do get caught, they could only ground me. Then I’ll just come a bit late next time. No biggie,”
he says.
“I guess…but we don’t mind. We’ve got plenty of supplies thanks to you. We can last for a while with
what we have right now. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“I know. You’re such a worry wort,” he turns to the kids coming up to him. It was Kony and the little girl.
Kony gently nudges the girl forward. “Go on and show him Hana,” he urges gently.
Hana shyly turns her sketchbook around to show Kondor what she had drawn with the pastels. It was
rough, as a childrens drawing it was pretty good. The picture was clearly of Kondor, with smaller people
drawn by him. Names were crudely spelt by each drawing, some of them spelt wrong.
Kondor smiles. “Wow, this is so good Hana. You’ll be better than me soon enough. And look at that! You
learned to write everyone’s names?” he reaches over and ruffles her hair affectionately.
Her eyes seemed to glow at the praise. She nods. “Lionel taught us. I’ve been practicing,” her voice was
soft and sweet.
“Uncle Kondor, you promised you’d draw me next time you came, it’s next time,” Kony says.
“Hm did I say that?” he hums teasingly, putting on a thinking face as if he was trying to remember.
“You promiiiised!” he whines.
Kondor chuckles softly. “Oh, so I did. I remember now,” he reaches for his bag and pulls out his
sketchbook and some charcoals. “Can you sit still long enough?”
“Of course I can!” he moves and quickly seats himself in front of Kondor. “Get my good side”
Kondor smiles and flips through his sketchbook before finding a blank page. He starts to rough in the
shapes. So focused his doesn’t notice Lionel leaning over to watch him.
The charcoal moves quickly. His trained hand easily copying what he sees onto the page. It takes him
only 15 minutes to complete the portrait.
“That’s faster than last time,” Lionel comments.
“Are you done?” Kony eagerly stretches his legs out before standing and hurrying over to look. “Wow!
That looks just like me! Uncle Kondor you’re so good at drawing. I’m jealous.”
Kondor smiles fondly at him. “I’ve had a lot of time to practice,” he rips the page out and hands it to
him.
“Thank you!” he runs off to show everyone. Hana runs after him.
“They sure are attached at the hip huh,” Kondor hums. “I can’t stay long tonight. I have fencing practice
in the morning.”
Lionel sighs. “Kondor I swear.”
“I know I know. But I said I’d come tonight. This was scheduled recently. I’ll be back in time for it. I can
probably stay another hour.”
“Alright fine, but I’m holding you to that,” Lionel warns.
And so he did. Exactly one hour and Lionel and urging him to leave. The kids had all fallen asleep by then
anyway. Lionel and Kondor leave quietly and stand outside.
“If you can’t make it next week don’t force yourself to come. We’ll be fine,” Lionel says.
Kondor looks like he’s about to argue but sighs. “Yeah sure. Whatever Lio. I’ll see you. Keep the kids out
of trouble.”
And with that he was off into the night. Heading back to that accursed castle he was supposed to call
home.
His room was several floors up. Kondor made his way into the garden. Getting to the wall he looked up
before starting to climb. Scaling the castle walls was easy for him. He’s done it so many times he could
probably do it with his eyes closed. He knew exactly where each foothold was. Every ledge and nook. It’s
a good thing too considering he had to do this in the dark.
Reaching his window which he’d left open a crack he quietly pushes it further open and pulls himself up.
Swinging his legs around and touching ground inside his dark room. He throws his bag on the floor and
kicks it under his bed that was too large for one person and flops face first in it and tried to get some
sleep.
--
The week passes slowly. Kondor had to suffer through meetings upon meetings of absolute boring
nothingness. And when he wasn’t he was with his private tutors or training his swordplay. It was all so
suffocating, they wouldn’t leave him alone for a moment to have some down time. These are reasons
why Kondor made sure not to break his promises to visit the orphans. It was his escape. The only time
he got to go out and be himself.
Night couldn’t come soon enough. There was no moon tonight. Kondor quietly opens the window. His
foot steps on the ledge and he freezes as light suddenly fills his room.
“And where do you think you’re going this late?”
Kondor slowly turns, his father stood in his doorway, strong and imposing, arms behind his back. Two
guards with him, one on each side. One in the motion of pulling his hand away from the light switch.
“Do you truly believe I haven’t noticed you leaving my castle? I’ve known for quite some time. You will
not be going to see them again.”
Kondor’s heart sank at the mention of a them.
“You…know where I’ve been going?” he asks hesitantly.
The smirk that spread itself on the kings face sent a chill down Kondor’s spine. “Why don’t you take a
look?” he motions a hand calmly at the window.
Kondor slowly turns. His eyes widening as he saw the faint orange glow and smoke rising into the sky in
the distance. “What….what did you DO?!” he whips around to face his father. Rage and fear evident on
his face.
The king smiles calmly at him. “I’m just looking after my son. We can’t have the prince contracting
diseases from those dirty peasants.”
Kondor whips around and makes a move toward the window.
“Stop him!” the king yells and the guards surge forward.
Kondor kicks the window open and swings himself out. Quickly and clumsily making his way down the
wall. His foot slips several times and he jumps the last several feet, stumbling as he hits the ground and
running through the garden with no regard to the flowers he tramples. He jumps the fence and speeds
toward the edge of the kingdom. He here’s yells behind him as he leaves castle-grounds. The journey
there feels like an eternity. Even though he’s sprinting at his full speed it feels like the smoke never gets
any closer until he starts the smell it. There’s another smell, barely there compared to the smoke but
still strong nonetheless. The smell of blood.
Kondor picks up the pace. The building he was at just a week before was hardly standing. The blaze had
weakened but done it’s damage.
“Kids!!! Lionel!!!” Kondor yells, pushing his way through the lingering flames. The sight stops his in his
tracks. It was a slaughter. Red. There was red everywhere. Kondor’s gaze flicks over to lifeless faces of
those who had been so happy and excited every time he saw them. Now faces frozen in terror forever.
Kondor takes a shakey step forward. His foot stepping on something that makes a crinkling sound. He
looks down. Hana’s drawing. It was singed from the flame and blood soaked half of it but Kondor can
still make out the drawing and the names written above each person drawn. Kondor kneels and picks it
up, his hands trembling. Rage and sadness fill him. He looks up and his eyes widen. “Lionel?” he
whispers hoarsely. His friend…his best friend was leaned up against the wall. A sword still through his
stomach. His hand was clutching onto a sword. Another sword, the same make as the one in his hand,
lay a couple feet away. Kondor only then notices that the hand that used that sword was still attached to
it, far too far away from the owner of said hand. Kondor remembers giving him those swords. They were
to protect him and the kids but Kondor had never ever hoped they’d ever be used. Blood soaked both
blades now.
Kondor staggers over and drops to his knees in front of him. “I’m sorry,” he chokes out. “I’m so sorry!”
he curls in on himself and lets out a gut-wrenching scream. Full of agony, rage, and loss.
He doesn’t know how long he stares like that before his pushes himself to his feet. He silently goes to
kneel by the discarded blade. Very gently he pries the fingers open and lifts the hand and the sword. He
brings the dismembered part back and places it by Lionel. He takes the other sword too and stands up.
“I won’t let him get away with this,” he whispers, his voice hoarse from screaming. He turns and runs
toward the castle. Seeing red, his father would not live to see the sun again.
Guards were out looking for him. Kondor swiftly kills each in one strike as he makes his way through the
gates and into the castle. Kondor doesn’t bother counting the lives he’s taking as he running full sprint
toward the throne room. He bursts in. His father waiting for him ever so calmly. It sends another burst
of rage through Kondors entire being. How dare he stand there like he’s done nothing wrong.
“My, my son. Are you quite done your tantrum yet? You’ve left quite the mess of my soldiers. Do you
know how hard that’s going to be to clean up? And look at you, you’re covered in blood. You look like a
wild animal,” he hums casually.
“You!” His voice shook with anger as he stalked toward the disgusting man, leaving a trail of blood
behind him. His swords dripping with the sticky liquid. “They were only kids. And you killed them!” He
charges forward. The king doesn’t move or flinch.
Kondor doesn’t have enough time to think about why he looked so calm when his entire body suddenly
freezes. “What?!” he was frozen in place. He only then notices the magic circle suddenly glow red on the
floor. Four people in cloaks step out of the shadows and stay just outside the edges of the widen circle.
“What is this?!” he yells at the king. Trying desperately to pull his feet off the ground by the efforts were
futile. He couldn’t move his hands either. If he could he’d fling a sword right at the kings face.
The king tuts as he makes his way toward him. “I didn’t want to do this. However you leave me very
little choice. Considering you won’t listen to reason.”
As soon as he snaps his fingers suddenly the left side of his face is burning. He vaguely sees a mage step
forward holding a staff, black smoke circles the orb at its tip. Kondor screams as the magic circle grew
brighter. His left eye felt like it was being consumed. Eventually the light grew dim and Kondor dropped
to his knees. Black smoke coming from his left eye.
“What did you do to me?” he asks dangerously quiet, venom dripping from his words.
“I just had my mages here transfer a little demon into you. You wish to act like a monster. Then I shall
make you a monster. It was dangerously close to breaking free of it’s cage. Therefore I’ve chosen you as
it’s lucky vessel. Luckily tonight was the night of no moon. The demons powers are weak. I’d have had to
have waited until the next no moon to do this so aren’t we all lucky tonight. You’re lucky I don’t kill you
as well. But then of course I’d have to find a different vessel for the demon. One full of rage, and you did
spectacularly at fulfilling that role. Though it did take a little push in the right direction.”
Kondor growls. “What makes you think I won’t just kill you right now?”
The king smirks. “If you do. Well there’s more than those orphans that I can threaten. This kingdom
wouldn’t miss that entire sector if it suddenly just got burnt to the ground. I have my soldiers on
standby. If I die then their orders are to destroy everything, no survivors. That would be on your hands.”
He looks at him challengingly. Kondor growls, his fingers clench around the hilts of his swords. He’s
starting to be able to move again. But he doesn’t leave that spot. Glaring daggers at the king, his mind
racing with thoughts. All those people. If he kills the king now then…He has no doubt that his father isn’t
bluffing. He would easily kill all those people just like he easily killed all those children.
“If you are not out of my kingdom by sunrise I will not hesitate to destroy everything. Do I make myself
clear?”
Kondor doesn’t move right away. Eventually he staggers to his feet. Still glaring at the king. He
eventually turns and runs out. Tears sting his eyes as he heads back toward the destroyed remains of
the building that used to house all the people he loved. He’d at least bury them before he left. He had
time before sunrise but he had to be quick.
The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, Kondor stood atop a hill, staring at the kingdom in the
distance. As soon as the sun started to rise into the sky Kondor staggered. A sudden rush of nausea
swamped his head. His vision blurred for a moment before the smoke emanating from his eye wasn’t
just on his eye anymore. It started to full encase his body.
Years pass. Kondor learns to control the demon lurking inside of him. Keeping it from taking control over
him. He becomes an assassin. Nobody knows who he is….who he was. That prince, the one who snuck
out and played and laughed with a bunch of orphans in the middle of the night, he was no more. That
man didn’t exist anymore. He could never smile like that again, or feel that kind of joy again.
Kondor sits against a rock in a clearing. Cleaning blood from his sword, the same sword as all those years
before. He had finished a job today. He sighs and leans his head back on the rock. He stands as a light
appears in the clearing. He gets ready to fight as a portal opens and a blond man walks through.
It takes some convincing but in the end the portal closes on an empty clearing.