Legends of Marithia: Book 1 - Prophecies Awakening: Uncut and Extended Second Edition Read Online Free Page B

nothing to lose. I must try to
warn the king, no matter what the consequences are.
    “Your Highness, I received no such warning
from Prince Derian. Surely with your wisdom well beyond your years,
you can see clearly when you are being fooled. Can’t you see that
the prince longs to sit in your place as King of
Greenhaven?”
    Vartan shifted his gaze to Derian and pointed
in his direction, his face turning grim as he growled the words of
his accusation. “King Arman - Your Grace. It pains me to be the one
to tell you that your own flesh and blood is the traitor, and that
the gutless coward sits right beside you. His lies taint this very
room, and poison your royal blood with his corruption and
betrayal!"
    Vartan smashed his fist into the ground in
anger, the force of the blow sending shudders through the walls of
the room. “Will it take the death of our beloved princess to make
you see that Derian wants you dead?”
    The prince’s calm smile turned instantly to a
vicious scowl as he exploded from his seat. His voice broke and his
body shook as he screamed, “These are all lies! How dare you
accuse me without a shred of proof of this supposed treachery?”
    He turned to the king. “Father, I demand that
Sir Vartan be reprimanded immediately! I would never harm you, and
if granted permission, I would kill Vartan myself for simply
uttering these words.”
    Arman gestured gently with his hand for
Derian to sit back down before returning his gaze to Vartan. “I am
afraid you have left me no other choice, Sir Vartan. However, your
service to my throne is well-recognised by us all, and as such I
will show you an appropriate amount of leniency. Guards, seize him.
You are hereby banished from the city of Greenhaven, and are never
to return. If you choose to ignore my order, you will face the
executioner. May peace be with you always.”
    Two towering guards approached and pulled
Vartan up off the ground, marching him out of the throne room and
towards the gates that led out of Greenhaven. His mind again filled
with the dragon’s powerful words.
    "My king! Remember my words!" cried
Vartan.
    Until we meet again, young knight… You are
very brave indeed.
    Meet again? Who and what are you? thought Vartan. His thought echoed in his mind as if it had been
suddenly emptied.
    The golden walls shook ferociously as Nymira
launched herself off of them to dive freely into the humid air. She
stretched out her wings to glide gently toward the earth before
flapping them hard to begin her long flight back to Trahoterra, and
a huge gust of wind blew past the guards escorting Vartan.
    One of the guard's eyes widened as he
blurted, “What in the name of Marithia was that ?”
    After a long pause with no answer, they both
shrugged it off and continued on, letting the bustling sounds of
the busy city drown out their concern. As they reached the main
gate, other guards already had a horse prepared for Vartan, and
sacks packed with supplies. A crowd had begun to build from all the
commotion, and people stopped what they were doing to watch Vartan
being taken to the waiting horse.
    “Sir Vartan, you really must leave Greenhaven
immediately, as we have to follow King Arman’s orders. But know
that you leave the city with honour.”
    Vartan nodded appreciatively to the men and
swiftly mounted his horse as the main gate was gently lowered by
its heavy chains.
    “Vartan, you forget your armour,” said two
guards in unison, displaying friendly smiles.
    One of them held up his bloodied silver helm,
and the other threw him a shiny new sword. He caught it with his
right hand and brought it up to his face to admire the gift. Vartan
tapped the blade against his helmet in customary acceptance and ran
his fingertips over the weapon. The sword was still warm to the
touch, and felt strong, but agile.
    This is not the sword I thought I would
leave Greenhaven with, thought Vartan as he let out a
submissive sigh.
    Vartan cocked his head and asked, “This is