• BLACK AND WHITE THE GREAT WAR OF OBLIVION


    Chapter 1


    How it all started


    A bee landed upon a white rose, scurrying around in search of the flower's sweet nectar. Unexpectedly, a shovel ripped through the surrounding air and crushed the flower. Fortunately, the bee escaped harm and flew off in search of another flower
    “Von!” the girl yelled, “You’re going to destroy all of my mothers’ favorite flowers if you continue doing that.”
    “Ah, my dearest Kellan,” said a deep voice echoing through armor. The girl turned around. She looked up to see a man in full plate towering over her on his white majestic stallion. He took off his full plate helmet that was trimmed purple and stepped down off his horse.
    The girl took off her gardening gloves and tied back her dark red hair with a black ribbon. “King Narcissus. What brings you to my home?”
    Von stepped next to her. He rolled his sleeves up over his elbows, and pushed his white hair out of his eyes. He opened his mouth and was about to say something. “Hey, farm boy,” King Narcissus crudely interrupted. “Secure my horse,” he then opened the door to Kellan’s house and walked in, followed by another man in full plate that was also trimmed in purple. “Jonas, my good man,” he said as he stepped inside.
    “Mi lord,” Jonas bowed. “Molly, show some respect to your King.”
    A young girl stood up from the chair and scurried to Jonas. “Father, why don’t you ever treat me as well as you do Kellan?” She whispered as she bowed.
    King Narcissus chuckled, “Ah, my future sister. It’s so wonderful to finally meet you,” his blackish red eyes were half covered by his midnight black hair.
    “Molly!” Jonas snapped.
    “Yes daddy?” Molly looked up, her light brown hair covering her dark green eyes’.
    “Go fetch us some drinks.” He barked.
    Molly sighed and headed to the kitchen.
    “Drakord is my new right hand man.” King Narcissus said pointing to the other man in full plate.
    Drakord took off his helmet, bowed his head and faked a smile.
    Molly came back with four cups filled with water. She placed them on the table and sat back down on the chair.
    King Narcissus nudged Drakord. He picked up one of the cups and stealthily poured some sort of white powder in it and handed it to Molly.
    “Molly, I have something for you.” King Narcissus snapped his fingers and Drakord pulled out two journals and handed them to King Narcissus. “Here is something to record your most secretive thoughts,” he handed a blue journal to Molly.
    Molly smiled; she ran her hand across the wooden cover. Her fingers traced the engraved letters that spelled out her name. “Thank you,” her dark green eyes sparkled. She took a sip of the water that Drakord handed her.
    “Don’t waste your kindness on the one who isn’t deserving.” Jonas said eyeing Molly.
    King Narcissus chuckled evilly. “Nonsense, I will treat Molly just as well as I treat my beautiful Kellan.”
    Jonas huffed in frustration, “Kellan deserves best, not Molly.”
    King Narcissus smiled. “Well I should get going,” he stood up and walked out followed by Drakord.
    “Here comes’ your doom,” Von grunted to Kellan. She looked up to see king Narcissus walking out of her house.
    Kellan shoved her shovel into the earth and leaned on it, “Didn’t enjoy your stay?” she smirked.
    King Narcissus walked over to Kellan. He grabbed her hands and looked deep into her bright green eyes. “I have changed the name of this town to Locbread.”
    Kellan faked a smile, “This is such an honor,” she said not really meaning it.
    “Also, I am having a mansion built for you by only the best wizards and sorcerers in all the realms, and I have something for you,” he handed her the other journal.
    “Thanks… I guess,” she looked at the journal. The cover was metal painted purple, and her name engraved painted black.
    “I also had the Empires banner changed to purple, yellow and black, just for you,” he rubbed the back of his hand with his gauntlet covered hand against Kellan’s face, and traced her features with his figures.
    “Great,” she said pulling away.
    “Wonderful, then I shall see you in one week to plan for the wedding,” he put his helmet on, got on his mount and road off with Darkord directly after.
    Kellan threw her journal to the soil and kicked it. “Why me,” she sat in the dirt almost on her flowers and cried. “Mother sought to bring this to an end. I know King Narcissus sent assassins to kill her while she was on her way to the capital,” she buried her face in her hands.
    “They didn’t find her body?” Von asked. He put his arm around her.
    Kellan shook her head. “I think he hid the body.”
    He sighed heavily, “I’m sorry.”
    Jonas swung the front door open. “Von, it’s time for you to go home.” He commanded.
    Von rolled his eyes and gave Kellan a hug, stood up and headed home.
    “Kellan, you know that I don’t like it when you hang around that boy,” Jonas grunted. “Now, come inside.”
    Kellan rolled her eyes and walked in. Faint music echoed throughout the house. “Molly.” Kellan grunted under her breath. She ran to her room. She saw Molly sitting on her bed with her music box on Molly’s lap. Kellan stood at the door way and crossed her arms; she cleared her throat.
    Molly looked up. “I’m sorry, I just miss mommy so much,” she said as tears ran down her face.
    Kellan sighed and sat next to Molly, Kellan wrapped her arms around Molly. “I miss mom too,” she said forcing back tears. She took the music box from Molly and gently placed it on the nightstand next to the bed. “Now, get out of my room,” Kellan said playfully. She lightly pushed Molly off her bed.
    Molly looked back at her older sister. “Do you really want to marry King Narcissus?”
    Kellan cracked a smile, “By all the living Gods! Are you crazy? I would never lay a hand on that unattractive bas…” she paused realizing what she was about to say. “Thing.” She finished.
    Molly smiled. “He is kinda cute, but I don’t like him one bit,” she said, and skipped out.
    Kellan chuckled lightly and shook her head.
    Later that night, Molly was up all night coughing and throwing up.
    Morning came and there was a knock at Kellan’s window. Kellan turned her head towards the window and saw Von standing there. She lazily rubbed her eyes and opened the window.
    “I heard Kind Narcissus talk to one of the town guards.” Von hurried to say, “He poisoned your sister,” he said in a worried voice.
    Kellan rubbed her eyes, still half asleep, “What are you talking about?”
    “I was working down at the Grey Tavern when King Narcissus came in and he told one of the guards that he had Drakord Poison Molly.”
    “What? No, no, no, impossible.” She ran to her sisters’ room. Molly was sleeping in a pool of her own blood. “Molly!” Kellan shook her.
    She coughed blood all over Kellan’s face. “Kell--an, I don’t feel well,” Molly forced out.
    Kellan hugged Molly close. “Daddy!” Kellan screamed.
    Jonas came running, “What’s the matter?” he asked trying to catch his breath.
    “Molly… she’s…” Kellan couldn’t speak. “Dying.” She managed to force out.
    “Nonsense, Molly’s fine.” Jonas said walking out.
    Molly threw up blood all over her bed. “Kellan,” Molly cried. Kellan hugged her tight.
    “Daddy, we have to do something.” Kellan said.
    “Leave her, she’s just sick, she’ll be fine.” Jonas said from down the hall.
    Kellan gently laid Molly down and ran outside. “How is she?” Von asked.
    Kellan began to cry. “She’s very ill. I have to find some way to help her.”
    “My boss knows about a wizard,” Von said. Kellan quickly got dressed and headed out the door to the Grey Tavern.
    The tavern was painted grey on the outside. Inside it was polished lumber. Across from the entrance were stairs covered with a grey carpet leading to a wooden door. To the right of the stairs was the dining area with fifteen tables. Only a few tables were full. To the right was the bar, mostly full of drunken dwarfs, orks, halflings, male drow and humans.
    “Von, me boy,” said a dwarf from behind the counter cleaning his musket.
    “Kellan needs to speak to the wizard.” Von said in a rush.
    “Ah, well no one has seen ‘em in over a century.” The dwarf said stroking his long grey beard.
    “But you were talking about him the other day.” Von exclaimed.
    “Ah, yes I see, but that was a long while ago. What seems to be the hurry to see thee old man anyway?”
    Kellan motioned to the dwarf to lean over the counter. “King Narcissus poisoned my sister,” she whispered in the dwarfs’ hairy ear.
    The dwarfs grey blue eyes widened. He leaped on to the bar and aimed his musket into the dining area. He showed his brown teeth in anger, unleashing the smell of ale from his encrusted mouth. “I will get you King Narcissus and your little minion too!” The dwarf roared. Two men wearing chain mail got up from the table in the dining area and walked to the bar. They carefully pried the musket from the dwarf; they pick him up by his arms and gently put him on the floor in front of the bar.
    “Well do you at least know anyone that can help Molly?” Kellan asked the dwarf.
    The dwarf shook his head. “However, I do know something. It’s not guaranteed to work, but it might help to ease her pain,” he walked in the back room behind the bar. He came back with a bag of herbs and a mortar and pedestal made of marble. “Now grind up one ounce of herbs and mix it into her drink. Do this each day until she recovers.”
    Kellan hugged the dwarf. “Thank you so much, how much do I owe you?”
    “Notta thing.” The dwarf smiled. “Just pleased to help.”
    A week quickly passed. King Narcissus barged into Kellan’s home. “Where is my lovely bride to be?”
    “She’s in her room getting ready,” Jonas said.
    King Narcissus walked down the hallway to Kellan’s room. He walked passed Molly’s room, where she was coughing and throwing up. King Narcissus smiled with pleasure. He opened the door. Kellan and Von were sitting on the bed talking. “What is he doing here?” he said with an unsatisfied tone.
    Kellan looked up. “Oh, by the Gods, what are you doing here?” She muttered.
    King Narcissus crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “Well, are you going to respond?” King Narcissus said furiously.
    Vons’ blue eyes grew red with fury. He firmly clutched his fists, blood dripped from his hands onto the floor, as he eyed king Narcissus hatefully. “What do you want?” Von said threw his teeth.
    “My love today is the day you move into your new home.” King Narcissus smiling as he ignored Von. “And the day you get fitted for your wedding dress.”
    “But Molly is not well. Her body wouldn’t be able to handle a drastic change.” Kellan informed.
    “Nonsense, we’re moving your things out as we speak.” King Narcissus said with an evil smile.
    Von stepped forward; King Narcissus clapped his full plate gauntlet covered hands. Two guards came rushing in. “Take this farm boy out of my site,” he commanded.
    The two guards rushed passed King Narcissus and grabbed Von by his arms, Kellan ran after, but King Narcissus caught her before she came close to the guards.
    They drug him outside. He skidded in the dirt and dust filled the air, the guards stood on either side of the door making sure Von doesn’t sneak in while the movers are walking out.
    “Now, since we got rid of that pest, we can finally be alone,” King Narcissus said as he sat Kellan on the bed.
    “Why,” Kellan said, she put her feet on her bed and hugged her knees, “Why are you doing this?”
    King Narcissus looked at Kellan and grinned. He placed his helmet on the side of the bed, put his hands behind and laid down, “It’s because you are the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom.”
    Kellan rolled her eyes. “If you love me so much, then why are you trying to kill my sister?”
    “Trying to… Kellan, I would never do such a thing,” King Narcissus said acting confused as he lifted his head, “Kellan, why would you think that?”
    Kellan shook her head, “Yeah, like you’re going to going to tell me the truth,” she said under her breath.
    King Narcissus got up, kissed Kellan on the cheek and walked out of the room. He walked passed Molly’s room and saw her lying on the floor where her bed used to be. He chuckled softly and walked outside.
    “You can’t do this,” Von said furiously.
    King Narcissus stopped near Von, “Ah, now that’s where you’re wrong. I am the king of this empire, the Nacres Empire, and I can do whatever I please,” he smiled evilly
    “Kellan would never merry you, and she will never fall for one of your tricks, she is to strong mind.”
    King Narcissus ignored Von and walked to the wizards who were moving the furniture out of the house, “Just teleport all this junk into the mansion.”
    “I will not let you lay a hand on my best friend!” Von exclaimed.
    King Narcissus turned around and laughed, “Kellan, your best friend?”
    Von clenched his fists. He was just about to swing at King Narcissus when his helmet came flying at King Narcissus, bounced off his head then fell to the ground. Von looked to where it came from, he saw Kellan standing at the door way, glaring at King Narcissus, “You left this in my room,” she said crossing her arms.
    “Oh, you little b- -“King Narcissus was about to finish but was interrupted.
    “Mi lord,” one of the wizards said, “We have a problem.”
    King Narcissus angrily turned towards the wizard, “Well, fix it.”
    “Umm, o- - kay,” the wizard said walking away scratching his head.
    Drakord ran up to King Narcissus and whispered into his ear. King Narcissus sighed angrily, picked up his helmet and headed off towards the tavern with Drakord closely behind.
    Von rolled his eyes, “Just when I have to go to work, that war mongering whore is there. Well I guess I’ll see you in a few hours, Kellan,” Von sighed as he walked to the tavern.
    “By the time you get off, we’ll be in the mansion,” Kellan hollered.
    Von waved as he headed down the road.
    “Kellan Loc, You better get your lazy a** in this house right now.” Jonas yelled from the door way.
    Kellan threw her head back and sighed. “Coming, father.” She slowly walked into the house.
    “Kellan, you know that I don’t like you hanging around that kid.” Jonas said angrily.
    Kellan sighed and walked into Molly’s room. “Sis? Are you okay?” she said peeking her head around the corner of the door.
    Molly lifted her head off her pillow. “Kellan?” Her face was pale and her eyes were blood shot.
    Kellan smiled and sat on her bed. She stroked her hair and kisses her forehead. “Molly, we have to leave soon.” Kellan sighed, “The people are already moving the stuff out of the house and into our new one.”
    Molly coughed and held her stomach, “Kellan, I don’t feel well. I think I am going to die.”
    Kellan’s eyes widened. “Molly! Don’t say that!” she yelled. She held her sister close. A tear gentle slid down her face as she herd Molly say that.