The League of Kingdoms- Arnav Rayaprolu: Pen-Magic ( Term 1- Short Story)

 

THE LEAGUE OF KINGDOMS

Arnav Rayaprolu: Pen-Magic Club

The streets of Salawar, the capital of Vahyaj, were full of chaotic excitement. People were hustled over at any corner, bakery, shop, or stall that were visible. The only noise that could be heard was the chatter and gossip of citizens. “Did you hear? The orb was stolen last night.” “I can’t believe it…how could it happen?” Newspaper boys ran around eagerly, knowing that today they would be able to afford those candies they longed for. The gates of the palace were crowded, and rocks were being thrown for the first time in 100 years. Nothing could be done. The orb, the holder of peace, of alliances, was stolen.

“My king…12 local guards have been reported killed in action. 5 Treaty Keepers have been fatally wounded.” 

“The Treaty Keepers too? This is bad. It slipped right under our noses. The question is, who would’ve done it?”

The king of Vahyaj hurried to his chamber. He always began his day quickly. At The Crest, no member of the League of Kingdoms tolerated laziness or procrastination. It would also make a bad impression given that he, infact, had been a very successful host, and then this happened.

But that day, going to the magnificent structure that held extreme importance, that probably outdated anyone or anything on the very planet, was a mistake. 

…..

The Crest was full of kings shouting and making noise. The room was the definition of mayhem. Officers ran from one room to the other, passing messages from one kingdom to another. It was abuzz with violent shouts and rare sword fights, immediately put out by the Treaty Keepers. They were serene, mythical humans, enlisted from all around the world. People who held magical powers far greater than anyone, which could be harnessed from their special staff, a simple piece of wood that held the mighty powers of the elements: Water, Fire, Air, and Earth. Each Treaty Keeper usually specialises in one of the elements. 

The door banged open, and guards introduced the mysterious character, “His majesty, Talen Wabrow.” The king strided into the room, a silent hush following his footsteps. A literal pin drop could have been heard. The Treaty Keepers nodded in salutation. He walked up to the podium, the front of the room, a stone slab slightly higher than the floor, somewhere everyone could see him. 

“Greetings to you all. I hope you have made yourself comfortable here.” The response came in grunts of disapproval. “Before I begin, I shall make the pledge of allegiance that was said 100 years ago. And even if the orb is not here anymore, I shall always stand by my principles of trust, honesty, and diligence.” 

He took a pause, and noticed that few of the people in the room started to nod in agreement, the air of nervousness slowly vanishing. He began the pledge. “Vahyaj stands with the League of Kingdoms. Our allegiance lies within the hearts of the citizens of Earth, whether they be men, women, or children.” The room repeated what he said in a monotonous voice, but with their respective kingdoms. Talen stood with his head held high, satisfaction written in every aspect of him. He continued, “We gather around because we are in a time of despair. The orb has been stolen. We all know its importance. But for the young who don’t, and for those who have forgotten, let me remind you.”

“100 years ago, the beasts of Earth, dangerous creatures who killed anyone in sight, troubled the people of Orreller, better known today as the Treaty Keepers. Though the people of Oreller held magical powers, the sheer number of beasts easily overpowered them. They retreated and asked the help of the kingdoms. But back then, we had been squabbling over power. We were drunk with pride, and didn’t care about helping anyone but ourselves. The Orrellerians begged us to fight with them, but we refused.”

“Just 1, small, just kingdom agreed. The thing was, 1 human could kill a 100 beasts, because of a weakness we still do not understand. With the help of a human army, they drove the beasts to the deepest corner of Earth. The Orrellerians and humans celebrated. To show their gratitude, and to return the favour, the Orrellerians gave that kingdom an orb. The orb held great power, because whoever wielded it gained immortality. The kingdom, and I’m proud to say, Vahyaj, realised that this orb could be easily used in wrong hands. And suddenly, the king, I’m proud to say, my grandfather, got an idea. 

He sent for all of the kings to be brought to his palace, none knowing that the others would be there. When they did arrive, they were enraged to see that their rivals were standing right across them. They took their swords out, but the mere pieces of steel stood no chance against the staff of the Orrellerians. They shouted out, 

“What tyranny is this! I thought you asked us for your help!” 

“How dare you! I never agreed to this!” 

These were just examples of the kings’ stubbornness. It would be difficult to get them together. But, my grandfather never thought anything was difficult. ‘Difficult’ was just a hurdle that takes time. Like today, in this very room, he stood up to this stone slab and demanded, “Silence!” 

The kings of the room were shocked. A puny king of a kingdom like this, ordering them to be silent? The king continued, “I’m sick of this fighting that ensues among you all. Small children are more civilised than you.” The kings looked down. “Why can’t we open trade routes? Learn cultures? Understand each other? Why is it that you all just want power? I’ve had enough of this.” The plan began.

The Orrellerians swung their staffs, and the orb was placed in the center of the room. “This orb gives immortality for those who deserve it.” One of the kings, a greedy man, lurched forward to grab it. He instantly vaporized. The room gasped. “And death for those who don’t. I shall make a deal. The powers of the orb shall forever illustrate your kingdoms, if you agree never to wage war on one another. If, by chance, you do break that treaty, you shall be banished from the alliance, the League Of Kingdoms.”

“Thus came to rise one of the greatest chapters of history. Pacts were made. Resources shared. Some of the Orrellerians volunteered to be known as the Treaty Keepers. But then, we fast forward to today, , for some reason, the orb has been stolen. The powers it shared are disappearing by the minute. Unless we find this culprit, I’m afraid, we shall go back to the way of the Dark Age, with war and destruction engulfing our planet.” Those whose grandparents had told them first hand experiences of that age shuddered in fear. “So, I suggest-“ 

“Hello everyone!” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Um, sorry for interrupting, but coffee is ready! Grab at it if you like! I’ll, uh, be making bagels! Sorry sir! You may continue!” 

A young Treaty Keeper, near the corner, his eyes gleaming and his face stewn with excitement was jumping about, yelling updates to the room. Talen shook his head in disbelief. 

“What in the world- I - I don’t need your permiss- nevermind…

As I was suggesting, we- what is it now?” 

“Oh, uh, um, the bagels are ready too! And feedback would be appreciated! Thanks! As you were saying…”

“Can you please stop!”

“Sorry sir!”

“Thank goodness. I suggest that we gather the best of the officers of each kingdom, and create a team designed to solve this obstacle!”

The room gasped, some of the intelligent one’s glasses shining, as if it was their cue to walk up. 

“I agree!” an officer approached the slab, head held high, uniform decorated with plentiful medals. Slowly by slowly, officers of kingdoms all over the globe started making their way to the center, acknowledged by the nod of their king. 

“We shall bring back the orb!” Talen yelled at the top of his voice

“Aye!” a resounding cry of agreement filled the room.

“What do you think you were doing back there, Sam? It would be an understatement to say that the king was practically furious!” Reginald Valker was an officer of the Treaty Keepers, the one in charge of the person who caused the outburst.

Sam Patrik, member of the 34th Corps of the Treaty Guard, was a bright young man, keen to express his will to the world. He was skilled in archery and specialised in aquatic sorcery, a form of wizardry that focused on water. He was usually very balanced, his emotions never getting ahead of him, except for those times when he was excited. 

He was one of the recruits born outside of the lineage of the Orrelians. That meant that he was one of those who hadn’t been exposed to the war against the beasts, since no Orrellians died of old age. In that sense, they were immortal. But not invulnerable. 

“What do you think, I was actually that mad? I sensed disturbance between a few of the kings, those who didn’t agree with King Talen. My plan was to silence them using a different technique.” Sam sighed with exasperation. The feedback received on his bagels were, quite, quite rude.

“Anyways, I’m gonna head off”

“Alright, I’ll see ya later. Where are you going?”

“Oh, just sweeping some rooms.”

“Not the rooms of the people who caused…disturbances?”

“You know me too well, Reginald.”

“Sam? Sam!”

Sam waved his hands as he walked to the upper floor. 

Not all Treaty Keepers got to go in the line of action. Most of them, actually, were in charge of maintaining The Crest. Regardless, they all were equally important, and in Sam’s young words, “They all get a staff?!!” 

Back at the officer’s convention, some of them were starting to get nervous. King Talen spoke up, “We need to devise a plan.”  Everyone started gathering together and the scheme was in action. The Council of the Orb, A coalition of forces designed to retrieve and protect the priceless object was created. Once in a while, officers chimed in with the usual “I have a plan!” immediately razed by the criticism of the King. 

One brave officer insisted that he be removed from the team. That officer was later seen muttering in the halls, his self esteem crushed at his dismissal. Finally, they got something. “We shall be divided into three groups. Each group shall search one sector of Salwar. The capital has been in lockdown, so I’m pretty sure the thief didn’t get far. I shall be the lead group, along with the nations of Krigso, Warewaq, and Pluper. We shall be assigned to the Gruk sector. Team 2 shall be headed by the nation of Jugin. It will also consist of Fleis, Qulai, and Bhrol. They will patrol the Nurai district. Finally, the 3rd team shall be headed by the nation of Hutal. It shall consist of Pawa, and Chint. They will patrol the region of Mungo. Each team shall be equipped with the usual bow and arrows, along with swords. 3 Treaty Keepers shall be put in each group to keep you safe. Any questions? No? Alright. Godspeed.”

Back at the quarters, Sam was extremely bored. He had thought he could find a clue to the mystery, whereas all he found was messy rooms. ̇Weren’t kings supposed to be civil? He exited the room of the king of Bhrol. The corridors were silent. Most kings were out taking a tour of Salawar, more of an undercover operation to assess the situation. 

Some of them had stayed behind, and were talking in the lounge. He closed the door, and turned around, rolling his eyes, annoyed at himself for raising his own hopes. And then, suddenly, he heard a noise. It was coming from a room around the corner, the only one, meaning the king of Hutal. 

At first, the sounds were whispers, and were inaudible. He could hear around 3 voices. Naturally, Sam advanced towards the room. He carelessly jogged towards the corner, not expecting what would happen if he was seen. Suddenly, he fell down, flat on his face.

 “And what are you doing here? If I see your face once more, I’m applying to the committee of Treaty Keepers to sack you. Disgusting little boy.” The king of Qulai scrunched his face, and then gave a sly smirk. “Get going! We didn’t wait for room service forever!” Sam shook his head nervously, and silently scolded himself. What was he thinking, rushing into a situation like that? One of the most powerful kings was there, and as he said, he could easily appeal for him to be kicked from the Treaty Keepers. He went inside the room, but was surprised to find no one else there. It was empty. He thought and thought again. “But…I’m pretty sure there was someone else here!” he told himself in confusion. He shook his head, swept the room in a hurry, and exited.

The teams were done sweeping their assigned areas, going into each house which they found. The only peak of their ‘adventure’ was a monkey stealing an apple from a shop owner. Talen yelled in frustration. They were back at the auditorium at The Crest. “We searched everywhere and there’s nothing?” 

“Sir, there’s the possibility that the thief had escaped Salawar.”

Sam entered the room, greeted by blank expressions on everyone’s faces.

“You’re the last person I want to see today!” yelled the king

“I’ve been told that throughout the day. Yet I am the only one who’s figured out what’s happened here.”
The king of Qulai opened his eyes, and screamed, “He’s lying!”

Sam raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t even mention anything…”

The Treaty Keepers went around the room and put cuffs to the hands of 3 kings. Qulai, Hutal, and, to the room’s surprise, Vahyaj.

“What nonsense is this! Please explain!” Talen was a formidable foe to make. His eyes were ablaze in fury. “How dare you!” 

“If you’d give me a chance, I’ll explain. But before that…”

Sam held up the orb for the room to see. The people in the room gasped. Everyone stood up with uncertainty, immediately put down by Reginald Valker and his squad. 

“I don’t have much time, I believe my presence is needed somewhere. But to sum it up, I was cleaning up the quarters, when I heard a few voices from King Hutal’s chamber. I decided to investigate, and when I went forward, only the king of Qulai came out. I was suspicious, so I entered the room. To my dismay, no one was there. I went out of the room, but out of curiosity, came back in. Due to my eccentric nature, I tripped over an object and fell. But I realized that the floor wasn’t cemented, like any other room. It was hollow. I knocked around for a couple of minutes until I found what I was looking for, a secret trapdoor. I entered, and lo and behold, the orb. I was shocked as you all are now-“

The room shuddered, and the lights went out. The Crest’s walls crumbled, and a group of people entered. But instead of being humans, they were different.

“Beasts!”