A Fallen Knight Part 1

"In the name of King Andareus I will slay you oath breaker!" an armored man cried out to the lone bearded figure walking out of the inn. It was just after midday and the sun was hanging heavy in the sky and the air was think with the heat. It had been a long and hard summer for the farmers in the realm. It had been even harder on the man Haramus had been sent to find. He wasn't armored and by all means Haramus should just run him down with his horse, but a pang of love for the disheveled man he once called brother. The brown haired man froze as Haramus called out to him.

Jacin sighed as he turned and stared at the man who called out, sitting there on a massive warhorse, a head taller than the two squires near him, his shinning silver armor glinting in the sun. Jacin could almost see the heat rising off of the armor, this massive would be killer was pointing at Jacin with a red bladed broadsword.

"Haramus hear me! I have no quarrel with you! We were friends Haramus! Turn around and go back to your King and tell him to leave me be, I had reason for leaving his service! It was not I who broke my oath Haramus. Andareus slew my wife and child! In their beds! He came into my home and slew them simply because she wished to remain faithful to me! My own wife murdered by her own brother because she wanted no part of his incautiousness!"

"Hold your tongue Jacin! I will hear none of these lies from you! True we were friends you were like a brother to me. But you deserted the Brotherhood, by that reason only I am sworn to kill you! But spreading these falsities about our beloved king! You go to far Jacin!"

"You know not what you speak Haramus! I do not wish to hurt you my friend!"

Haramus dismounted from his horse and hefted a shield from one of his squires. Jacin could only shake his head, "Haramus I implore you leave now you cannot defeat me! You never could!"
Pulling the visor of his helmet down Haramus' only response was a deep and hate filled growl. Although Haramus was nearly twice Jacin's size and fully armored, he still advanced slowly. As Jacin drew the deadly curved long sword he was. He was no ordinary man but Sir Jacin the Talon, Former knight of King Andareus and truth be told his brother by marriage. He was an expert with the long and heavy curved blade with which he fought. His ancestor father had brought it from a war he fought against the pirate king who ruled over the southern islands. It had been passed down through his family and it would have been passed onto Andareus his soon. He even named his son after his king his brother through marriage, the very brother who proclaimed his love for him in front of their entire brotherhood of knights as he was married to the king's own sister. Yet four months ago the drunken king after being rejected by Jacin's wife his own sister, and so he had stolen into Jacin's room and killed both his wife and son. Jacin had no choice but to leave after that fore he knew what had happened he could read it in his king's eyes. Taking his blade the clothes he had on he left the castle forsaking his brotherhood and his king whom he was sworn to protect.

Now he was a hunted man and was even now facing one of his own, Sir Haramus of the Red Blade. Haramus who had been one of his closest friends, they had grown up together and they had risen through the ranks to claim two of the highest positions in the Brotherhood.

"Haramus my brother, please! Don't do this please don't do this," Jacin could only whisper.

"You have lost the right to call me brother Jacin! I have sworn an oath to our king that I will not return until you are dead! I have tracked you down for a month and here I find you traveling towards the northern country into the lands of our enemies! You should not have left Jacin we could have dealt with this together like we always have! Now I have no choice!"

"You have a choice Haramus! Turn around and do not fight me for I cannot lose! I will not! If you serve Andareus I will be forced to slay you! I have already lost my wife and son. Do not make me loose my brother!"

"I am sorry my friend," was Haramus' only reply before he charged the red blade raised high. The sun shined off of the blade casting pale red light on the ground. The light still shone even as Jacin's whole body spun away from the swinging blade and Jacin's own heavy curved sword swung down crashing into the shoulder of Haramus, the curved blade shearing through the metal armor and cleaving into his body.

Tears filled his eyes as he fell to the ground and rolled his long time friend over. Jacin pulled off the helmet and stared at the shocked face of Jacin, "I didn't know you could do that."

"Shhh my brother save your breath, I am sorry but you left me no choice. Please forgive me brother."

Haramus' mailed hand raised and patted Jacin's cheek, "I should have listened to you I never could beat you were too fast."

Jacin grabbed his upraised hand and held it tightly as the big man coughed spraying blood onto Jacin's face and onto his own armor, "I am sorry I should have believed you. Can you ever forgive me brother?"

As the Haramus expelled his last breath Jacin could only respond with tears in his eyes, "I forgive you my brother."

Slowly Jacin rose and turned to Haramus' squires, "Return to your king and tell him! Tell him this is what will happen to any knight he chooses to send after me! He made me do this and I will hold him to this act! On my brother Haramus my own mother's son! I will return to slay Andareus with a great army at my heels! Andareus' rule will end by my hand! Go back to your king and take my brother with you and you tell him that!"

Jacin wrenched the curved blade from his brother's body and turned to continue his lonely trek north with an even heavier heart.