Naofumi

Ash burned and stained the town, flowing and seeping through windows and doors. Scarred and suffocated lungs could no longer scream for help. This ruthless plague seeped into the kingdom with eery warmth from the Northern wind.
Upon a high castle tower, a lone scream ricocheted. At once, the Castle kicked into life. What had caused the cry of distress? Where did it come from? What's that coming from the sky? Screams permeated the halls!

A simple guard commanding with more authority than his simple frame held. "Don't touch the ash! It's poisoned!" His fingers swelled a sickly purple, sweat pouring from his forehead. All his body was telling him to get out! But there were people in need!

It came over the North mountain like a soft snow, warning bells were tolled, and word of mouth ran as fast as it could to tell the kingdom to escape! They had been infiltrated!

Pouring through Southern corridors, through Southern walls, through Southern streets and fields. Helpless numbers ran, vain wagons, improperly strapped to cattle and horses, were all too slow.

"Prince Noga! We must get you and your daughter out of here! People are fleeing!"

Cursing under his breath, Noga rummaged through every poor contingency he'd fought so hard to obtain. The drum of cannons in the castle air marked war.

"Is it the knights! A foreign land! I cannot leave these people! Tell me now, Goodrich!"

His advisor stumbled. Don't be so prideful; now wasn't the time to fight back. We need to leave!

"Your highness, you have no call in the military actions of this kingdom; your father lives, and we must retreat!"

"My father is dead."

The drumbeat steadily reverberated the walls. Goodrich started for words. "Your father slumbers in his chamber! Do you remember nothing of what your mother requested? That you would watch over him!"

"That's all I've been able to do! The state of our Northern borders! Calidonia itself! It's gone to ruin, and our name with it! With nobody to take action, we've squandered everything his generation did to keep us safe! Now tell me what's at our door!"

Appalled by the Prince's lack of respect for his very own aristocracy, Goodrich came at him again!

"Your father lay ill! You are a Prince! Nothing in comparison! You have far weightier matters to attend to, but you won't unless we leave, right now!"

"He is DEAD! That old man has lain in his grave for too long! He's dead to this kingdom, he's dead to the family he's abused, and he's dead to these People!" 

Drawing his sword, his intent was clear. Goodrich stepped, ready to retreat.

"Go Goodrich! Take my daughter and go. I have failed these people. I will not fail them any longer, and I am willing to atone for the sins of our family! As the Monarch watches, I will give my life if it means even just one more of our people makes it out alive. Now give the call, the king is dead, and Noga rises in his place! Warn the southern countries! Go, Goodrich, take Naofumi and live!"

Goodrich felt much in his heart for the Prince; all their hands had been tied, and he, too, was just another spectator at the kingdom's downfall. He had far more thoughts than the moment provided to share.

"Sire, Gomorrah, is at our door."

With a courteous nod and the brief words spoken, Goodrich left the new King to die.

...

Mages stood at the ready following the call of a great wizard. Those that lined battlements, conjured tempests, in desperate attempts to sweep the spores back up the mountain. Lines of soldiers spilled through the city streets, armed with amulets and lockets. Both to stave off infection and to remind them of what they would condemn if they chose not to fight.

Prayers rose to the Monarch above. Cannon fire challenged the first of the enemy who encroached on the castle.

Imp-like creatures, flooding towards the castle, poured from alley to street to staircase; they too were not spared from the ash that burned and blistered their skin. In opposition to any hope, this would give the heroic forces defending the castle and the fleeing kingdom that lay beyond it. The creatures buzzed, as swarms of bugs unbothered by it, and they were terribly hungry.

...

"What's going on, Goodrich? Tell me?"

Naofumi was still only a young child in his eyes; would she really understand if he told her?

"We must leave, Naofumi! The king has ordered us to live! Monsters are at our doors, and the king is prepared to give his life to let us escape. Come, let us give thanks to the Monarch for sending us a king so brave."

Grandpa! No! It broke her young heart to hear of her grandfather's great deeds. But she promptly followed Goodrich. Besides her father, there wasn't anyone she trusted more than this portly man.

"Goodrich, where's my father?"

He gave no response as they flashed into the kitchen. Spending time dressing up and visiting the bakers who worked in the castle. The moment almost felt ordinary, but it scared her now, how frantically Goodrich packed and tossed food into the large knapsack. It was sure to be smashed and ruined.
Yanking her hard, she was lifted off her feet and into a run. Passing officials where a bow was usually required, Goodrich gave a nod and an order to follow the king. Further down the castle they went.
Reaching the stables, Goodrich let go of her hand. Without his support, the force of being tugged along caused her to smash forward into the ground. Tears and cries welled up. But she was given no room to use them. Lifted from the floor, she was tossed haplessly onto the saddle. The knapsack mirrored her, as it had been crudely strapped to the back. The white horse under her was the king's. Her crying felt pointless, with the bucks and bumps that came with them storming off on horseback, the sound of cannon fire loud in the air, and screams from the ground. Goodrich's large hands gripped her tight and, in a passing motion, pinned her to the saddle in front of him. Crouching over her, she could only see a blur as the king's horse bounded past house and people alike. Her head unpleasantly smacking against the saddle as the horse prompted to bound over items strewn throughout the street.

"Goodrich, please! You're hurting me!"

An unpleasant thock was heard. His arms grappled her as they now flew, her head cushioned against his chest. They carrened into the stony path. Goodrich gasped in pain, all air shoved from his lungs. Her head hurt, and her jostled wimpers helped none.
Glancing up, the white horse lay on its side, a large black arrow stuck in its shoulder. It kicked and squeeled as it planned to stand up. Her head hurt too much; the noise of it all stung.

...

Back upon battlements, facing the darkened skys and smoke like mists that consumed the mountain down to the surrounding city. Awe had befell the king and his men. Terror raged in their hearts. A sound from their nightmares commanded all attention. A droning maw, with the hiss of a snake, it called out to them. To the kingdom before it and commanded it all to die. The dreaded black dragon Gomorrah.

The mountain was claimed by shadow as Gomorrah erupted over its peak. Its wings dragging a seal of darkness across the sky. Motionless, merely gliding over, it thundered its droning call to the small souls below. There seemed to be no end behind it as it continued like a blanket to cover the sky. Ash, so much ash spewed from under its wings. A flurry of black snow that ate at all it touched. The sun merely vanished, as those great, dragging wings closed off its light to everything below.

Surging the highest battlement, Noga smashed through the hatch and hoisted himself onto the platform. His imposing figure was only heightened by his bold, polished armor. The large oval shield carried at his side made good friends with his family's Fulgurite lance, blessed by the Monarch to his predecessors long ago.

Down to the city below, a wake torn into the buildings revealed an awful truth. Its eyes found his, even at such a distance. Rumfas, the High Knight, sat atop his black steed. The polished lance to his side sat impervious to the damage it caused.
Noga wished to sink to his knees. This was impossible; not even the dragons wished to side with the demon king. The fate of the world shifted with that knowledge. Gomorrah was aiding the High Knights in a conquest of the world. Who else had bowed down?

This wouldn't stand in his kingdom; this was an abomination! As King, he refused to bow; for the sake of his people, he would set a standard. Below him, he could see most of the troops had lost their will to fight and were now on the retreat; he didn't envy them or feel anger at their plight. This was a King's burden and a King's alone.

"Rumfas! Gomorrah! As an affront to the King and the people of Calidonia, you are sentenced to die by my hand!"

Gomorrah was close to cresting the castle when its interest piqued. Something down below, an immense power caused the air to spark.

...

"Goodrich! Please, get up! Get up!"

Noise was muted for a time, not much else was felt, except a searing pain that planned to rage if he moved much more. Naofumi pulled at him, frantic and scared, the best he could do was pull her close. Above the castle, an odd scene was unfolding. A Pitch black curtain was being drawn across the sky. More ash came from its sickly drapes. Eyes focusing, a head pulled the curtain along. Goodrich had only ever grown up hearing stories of dragons. The words he spoke stayed muffled, but the fear that was in his mind was clear.

"Monarch, save us all..."

Naofumi turned her head to see.
Brilliant lightning! Everything flashed white, the image of the bolt staying in her vision wherever she looked. A second seemed to pass, something burned in the sky. A visible rumble ran down the stones of the castle. Knocking down houses with it. Before she could act, sacrificial hands covered her ears. Everything was flung, thunder echoed, and a great snake droned on. They were like warhorns, shaking her to the core.

Regaining consciousness again, she found breathing to be almost impossible to keep under control. The earth rumbled as she looked up. A dragon pulled from the sky was colliding with the ground, its wings carving into the castle and city below. Shaking grew as she felt the ground under her buckle and rise with the titanic beast, forcing the city to move under its weight. It was overshadowing her now, as it tumbled, she would be squashed along with the innumerable houses surrounding.

"Move, lady Naofumi! Get to the horse!"

A simple guard was racing her way, bloodied, his hand deformed and purple. Hands from behind propelled her in the right direction, as they always did. The white horse was spotted red as it rolled back onto its feet. It looked for her and stood ready.

"Goodrich." There was longing in her voice as she turned to look. Her father was a good man, devoted to his duties as Prince, but on more unfortunate occasions than once, it had been up to Goodrich to read a book with her at night, to attend her coronation as a young lady, and hold her hand at her mother's funeral.

Swept off her feet, she never got to thank him.

"Keep your head down, Princess Naofumi! Just hold on, and don't let go!"

Once again tossed and moved around like a rag, she was back on the horse, the simple guard held her tight as the king's horse spurred into action. The symphony of hooves, met by improvised disaster behind her, the shadow of the dragon chasing them down the road South.

...

Turning to glance at Gamorrah, he witnessed it cut through his castle and roll through his city. There, along the road South, a white steed, the king's steed!

"Naofumi!"

Dread radiated from behind him, swinging with abandon, steel clashed, smashing though the stone next to him, the lance of Rumfas shone spotless. Noga's shield carved and dented from the swing. How had he gotten here!? He looked to be immovable atop his obsidian black steed.

"Naofumi? Who would royalty know, other than more royalty? She may run South, but so will we. I hunger for Noga blood!"

With a warrior's shout, Fulgurite was launched, its call to deliver divine punishment.
Parried, Rumfus looked on in disapproval. Embedded into the floor of the tower, pinned again by his dark lance. Fulgurite discharged. Brilliant light misguided, split the castle in two. The following thunder tore what stood in its way to pieces.

"The gods give many playthings to children unworthy to hold them. In the hopes their battles will be fought for them."

Nogas broken stance was weak. The tower below, beginning to give way. With a chance only to breathe, a lone whisp of ash, fell from the dark cloud and kissed the side of his face. The poision set a flame the side of his face. Spitting blood, he knew this was no longer a Kings battle. Something more was taking place. Regardless, he had lived a life as best he could; the king of Calidonia would set a standard. Now wasn't the time to bow.

...

The flashes of lightning blanketed the land ahead with white and purple, thunder coursed across the plains. Both could only think to look forward and breathe, the horse underneath doing much the same. South, further South, keep going and don't stop!