Chapter - 1

The streets of Valerna were filled with joy. Flowers rained all over. It was a great occassion for all the citizens of the greatest kingdom ever built. Today was a great day a day to remember. No night can pierce the lights of the city on this day. This day it was when the greatest king of men,Aldrun was born. The people loved him. He was a father figure. A tall handsome man his age nearing fifties. Men used to say he inherited his features from the elves, the people of the gods. His girth and his face when beheld woke terror in the minds of evil and hope in the good. He had kept his empire fair. He had fought many battles against smaller kings and evaded all the evil moves on his world. He was a king all would remember.

The palace of the king had seven gates each of which built of mithril. It had a high history.Built on the plains of Kharzoum he built a city white and fair the city of valerna. He had men build the city so elegantly that none of the other cities matched its art except those of the roumored cities of the dwarves and the elves. Among men it was a marvel. The wallls around the citadel were seven. Each wall higher than the other. The walls circled around the citadel in the center. At every turn of the wall there were huge towers that were lit with fire in times of evil and need. The towers were so high that any person could behold those even if he were on the other side of the mountains. The gate was intrically carved. It was strong that it could not be crushed unless the rumoured dark lord came to it. Yes, a dark lord. He was not one before he was a king driven from his home by aldrun's ancestors for he was tormenting the citizens. The ancestors had freed the valerna from evil. The dark king wandered moaning that one day he will seek revenge and he will strike when the appropriate time comes.

The gap between the walls were so huge that in between them were many houses and gardens and tree. The land was so green and fair that it drove the turmoils of the earth far away.the people could see a great mountain satand aloof far away. The legacy of this city was thus. Nobody knew who the great lord inherited from. Noone knew his line. But he was fair as the elves they said and maybe his line was a seedling from a elvish king.
Aldrun stood his legs in the tower of the citadel and looked at the city on the entirety. Though the city was celebrating the city was guarded by efficient soldiers day and night. The walls had ten lines of archers all around and swordsmen moved here and there. All was fair. People were happy. But the doom was approaching.

Slowly the night became so dark that even the lights of city were dimmed. The celbrations stopped. Everyone wondered. They said at last the evil had found them.
The darkness had returned.

the darkness engulfed all the lands. No stranger would even see the great city.The lights of valerna were no longer visible. In the dark night, The king and his men gathered all his forces and set them on alarm.This day they would fight.But whom?against the unseen forces?against supernatural powers?whom?nothing could be seen.just a dim light in the sky.one last portion uncovered in the west.The people wondered what is happening. Suddenly came the sound of drums,the sound of horns,the sound of feet.many feet,thousands of them running towards the city.Their doom had come.

The king had a l son.A twenty year old prince.He was as fair as his father and as brave as the kings. He was tall like the gods of old, he was a student of magic. He could weild both spear and sword and bow and arrow. He was expert in the field of politics and strategy.He was a great horseman and it was he who rode at the helm of the king's cavaliers. He didnt fear the darkness. He knew the history of the city and he knew that it was the same evil that his ancestors had faced. Yes he knew that this was the rumoured dark lord, fiery in power,gifted with the arts of the dark world and a commander of the supernaturals.

The plains of the city were lit by enormous fires. The enemy had camped far enough from the city to avoid getting killed. they would not do war yet. Their lord had not arrived. Night turned into day but the daylight was grey and dimmed. The clouds still hung over. Far in the distance could the king see great creatures evil looking, the devils had descended upon the earth.

Earth quaked,trembled under the cursed feet. The devils marched towards the city with great vigour and strength. But yet they would not wage war. The great lord whom they worshipped had not appeared yet. They gathered together chanting war songs. From what were these devils made of? It was said that these devils were the very souls of the king's guards, the evil king who had been driven from his land. He had returned to take his kingdom back from the usurpers he called them.

The king and prince stood high in their citadel watching doom approach slowly. They heard croakings and barkings that their enemy swirled at them.
King-"This is the day we all fight together men.Today is the day of doom. The day which all will remember. The day which all will respect. The day which all will admire. Come lets take our swords and fight to glory, to death."
Prince - " may the day never come when we crumble underneath the evil."
King-"Even if we do crumble,,one day good will come over evil however strong it be. so let us not lose hope. We will fight our best."

Suddenly in the far distance,a red light became visible. As the light came near and near,it could be seen. a vast gigantic bird. Its shadow could be cast over an entire city. People trembled ran hither and thither. The great bird let out such a devastating cry that people cowered under. the soldiers put their sheilds on their ears. The bowmen fired arrows at the bird but nothing seemed to happen.

As soon as the first volley touched the bird, a man he seemed to be, saw his city,his would be city, the city he would turn into hell. He had an iron mask,an iron mace, a long sword hung on his belt. He removed his mask and then the king saw him...yes this evil was indeed him who had fled and had come back to take his own. The devils cheered. The evil army started moving. The people when they saw the dark lord felt gloomy and knew that this was their end. Either they die or become slaves.

War had begun.

as soon as the king saw the face of the dark evil,ancient meories flooded his head...stories told by his father..but this was a grim story.

The dark lord was not initially evil...he was a friend of the fathers of aldrun.He had this city built and called it valerna. some leagues away there was another kingdom across the mountains led by the ancestors of aldrun. They were friends close friends once.long time allies.What exactly happened the king as yet did not know. Only story told was that the king had slowly resorted to dark magic.He became so powerful that he used to torture and terrorize and sacrifice people to increase his power. Who he learned the dark powers from nobody ever told. only it was known that it was from a priest skilled in magic and its uses. Some say it was a plant by his enemies. AS he became more powerful he became oppressive. Seeing the chances his enemies attacked him..but he drove them off. He used his dark powers to control the enemy and killed them just by moving his hands.The enemies driven could not understand how.They had planted the priest to teach him dark magic and to tell him to side with them and defeat the kingdom across the mountains.There were rich rewards for aldrun's ancestors held vast resources at their behest. This happened because the priest loved the evil king and turned traitor to his enemies. He thought him such subtle uses of magic that he was too powerful. His people began leaving his land. The king when he came to know of this prosecuted any whom he heard as leaving. Some people who escaped came to the ancestors of aldrun.They explained their plight their sad state. The king there sent his brother to valerna. the brother pleaded with the dark king to return back as their once upon a time friendship and behold his ancesotr's oaths. but the dark king brutally murdered him. he sent his head back to his kingdom. When the king saw this, he vowed revenge..but before he could he lay dead.His son took the forefront and led his army to valerna.There was a great fight.

the dark king's army either lay dead or tunred over to aldrun's ancestors. This great son he executed all the king's guard all by himself. He planned sucha maneuvre that even the priest lay dead. He was a brilliant commander a strategic marksman. he was a class in himself. When valerna lay in ruins and the army was savoring their victory the dark king came. He by his dark magic uinleashed his terrible weapons against them.Tornadoes,hailstones trees all came battering against the army.Many people lay dead.When he was busy thus the great son of the king came up from behind and pierced his heart. With this the dark king's powers melted and he fled.but before fleeing he cursed the son that his kingdom would not perish until he himself came to destroy it.
Then they rebuilt the city.The city became fair and populous and it became a well known city. The life went on until this day when the time drew near for the curse to take its toll.

These thoughts flooded the king's head. When these thoughts perished he looked down upon the city. Now the fires sprung in the outer walls.People were running.The gate was in peril. And suddenly he looked up. There was the great evil in fron of him looking at him piercing its evil eyes on him.

Evil air seemed to take upon the city.The army wass losing its ground.Bowmen fired their arrows but nothing seemed to happen.Suddenly the prince came with his cavaliers and killed the enemy which had dared to come inside.Whenever the prince came near hope arose among men and they fought valiantly.the creatures came first.They were small , globules were all upon their face their armor was fitted with dark iron.The prince led charge The creatures were killed.Then they came the evil guard.They swept the army of the city.One arm was enough to sen fifty men flying.The prince azrud fought and fought bravely.But nothing could stop them.
The gate was in peril.Battering rams,horsemen were all tearing the gate down.In a few seconds it would fall and doom would be wrought.Meanwhile ladders sprung over the walls the the enmy crawled up.The archers did their best.Walls were torn down.Tebuchets were launched.One shot and the enemy approcahing the walls met death.the army was about to savor their first victory when three birds came and dismantled the trebuchets.They breathed fire.
The dragons were upon them.