The Empty Throne

Hello everyone! 
In case you don't remember me, I was the one writing Blades of the Warriors, but now I am going to start a new story. I asked Storyteller to take me off the blog for this fall because I had a lot of work to do with school, and a program called the Bible Bee. But now I'm back! Hope you like it!

Happy writing!
Hadassah

Chapter One: Racha-Traitor
It all began late one night. Such a simple thing-and yet it changed the world forever after. Racha, second in command to the General looked into the mirror. His heart became proud at his beauty, and right then and there he decided that he would kill the General and succeed him, and the world would be his! Forever man would talk of the glory of Racha and how he overcame the tyrannical rule of the General! Why should not he be in command? There was no logical reason why not. And so he plotted and schemed, waiting for just the right time. He gathered followers secretly, until a third of the army had taken up their lots with him.

A month later a young man burst into the General's office and slammed the door behind him. The General looked up from his paper work. He was middle aged with golden hair and deep, deep eyes. His shoulders were broad and his whole form showed both the outer strength of a leader and the inner quiet strength of a man at peace. The young messenger burst out, "My lord, Racha is a traitor! He is besieging the outer gate even now! A third of the force is with him!" he paused for breath. 

"My dear young man," said the General in a quiet calm voice, "Are you absolutely certain?"

He nodded frantically.

"Don't worry, Lerrod. He will be vanquished."

Lerrod bowed his head.

The king hurried to the outer gate. The fighting stopped as he mounted the ramparts. "Racha!" he cried out. "Show yourself."

"Here I am!" called Racha. "I will conquer you, General! You are not worthy to lead these men!"

"Is it true then, Racha, that you are a traitor?" he asked, compassion in his voice.

"Yes!" Shrieked Racha. His insane laughter filled the air.

The General's voice boomed out over the castle, "Then I hear and now banish you from this place! Let not man call you and yours friend for the rest of your days! The soldiers who have deserted are now commanded to wander the world with you, doing your evil deeds. They too are banished."

Racha's laughter filled the air and rose to a shriek. "Know you that the heir to the throne fights with me?"

The General gripped the edge of the battlement, his fingers turning white and fingernails breaking against the stone work. "Is it true, Dmaa?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

A small voice rose from out of the enemy's ranks. "It is true, my lord."

The General reeled and nearly fell. He steadied himself. "Then," he said, weakly, "you too are banished from this place. But perhaps one day.... one day....." he shook his head. "No, never may you enter this place again, Dmaa. But I do say this- that you have a choice before you-to follow Racha or to go off by yourself. Which do you choose?"

The small voice spoke again, this time choked with grief. "I will go off by myself, my lord, and work with my hands that I may make atonement."

"No, Dmaa. You can never make atonement. But go and do as you say, work the ground. It will teach you."

A sob rose from Dmaa. Then he grabbed the nearest horse and galloped away into the wilderness, weeping.

And so it was that the heir to the throne was banished from the castle of Deeine. And Racha was sent with his followers to wander the world and to do what he could to take revenge on the one who, or at least he thought, had wronged him. He sought for Dmaa, but could not find him. 

The world of Thevann became a dark place and the General's forces had all they could do to keep Racha down. The king wept over Dmaa, the one he had loved, and resolved that, somehow, someday, he would find a way to restore him.