Veldred ran through the stone halls of the Sunfall as soldiers celebrated the retreat of the Shadow Lord's forces.
*Sarqen and Rota held the Western tower for the entire battle!*
His face was wet with a mixture of dirt, blood, and tears. Soldiers and civilians in the castle cheered as he passed.
*The Heroes of the Sunfall!*
He watched as people embraced each other, laughing and smiling.
*Bigsby held back a whole wave with just a bow!*
As he turned a corner, he stopped and watched as two children were crying in front of a crouching soldier.
"Your mother... She saved all our lives," the soldier said, putting a hand on the young boy's shoulder. "She gave it her all to make sure you both were safe."
As he watched, he remembered his own childhood, and his own crouching soldier. The soldier told Veldred and Blythe about the late night raid made by the Northern Forces and how their father had tried his best to make it back to them. That's how they learned they were orphans.
They were passed back and forth for years before they found themselves in the care of an old drunk who took them in for help on his farm. Life was hard there. Too hard. It was Blythe that found Veldred dangling from the rafters of the old bastard's barn. She cut him down and held him until the crying stopped. She left him briefly and came back from the house with enough supplies to sustain them for the journey back to Four Roads. She was the reason he was still there. And now the image of her bleeding on the steps of the castle was burned into his mind.
He was pulled back into reality by the sounds of more cheers as the other Heroes were approaching the building. He turned his gaze from the orphans and continued down the hallway to the double doors of the throne room. He yelled at the guards to open the door, and just as he entered, he saw the Shadow Lord, his blade buried deep in the Sun King's back.
The room was littered with the bodies of attendants and guards, looking as though they were ripped apart by wild beasts. Their blood painting the walls.
Veldred ran forward at his enemy, but was stopped in his tracks by a spell cast from the Shadow Lord's hand. Veldred realized he couldn't breathe and brought his hands up to his neck, grabbing at a rope that wasn't there. The Shadow Lord smiled as he kicked the king off his blade.
"Now, should I end you too?" the Shadow Lord said in a mocking tone. "No... no. I think I'd rather you live knowing I killed your Lord and your sister, and you were powerless to do anything about it."
Veldred gritted his teeth. His feet were locked in place as he felt his eyes pulsing from a lack of oxygen.
"And to think if you had your way in the barn..." the Shadow Lord let his voice trail off. "Well, they'd both still be alive, wouldn't they?"
Veldred dropped to his knees trying to breathe.
"I leave you now. I've made my point. My kingdom no longer works or bleeds for this place," he said, putting a hand on Veldred's cheek. "And if you come to kill me, come prepared. Because nothing on this mortal plane can stop me."
Veldred collapsed to the ground as everything faded to black. And as he lost consciousness, he saw horns form on the Shadow Lord's head as he walked away. All along hearing the cheers of victory from outside.