A scream tore from the tyrant’s throat as he clawed desperately at his killer’s legs, his once pristine silks now soiled by his own blood. The man’s voice was filled with terror as he begged for his life. But it was far too late for him, this tyrant’s own actions sealed his fate long ago. A sword was then raised high above its wielder’s head, the steel gleaming in the torchlight. That shining weapon would be the last thing the tyrant would see. The sword cut the king down in one clean strike. The kind of killing blow that possessed a preciseness only a killer could have. However, this quick death was far kinder than that tyrant deserved. He should have suffered for the atrocities he committed: the villages razed, the innocent bodies stacked up on each other, the years of torture his citizens faced under his rule. But, who exactly was the man who’d just ended the life of such a terrible king?
Kaelen.
They called him a legend, a hero, the undying hand of justice himself. But, he wasn’t just those things. He was a man with no home of his own and, above all, a man who knew hate intimately. Like his hate for these self-made gods who looked down on the world with a smile, who laughed and partied, ignoring those clinging to their feet, whose lavish lifestyles were fueled on the suffering of others. This former king had been no exception. Kaelen felt that same distain for him as well.
Kaelen soon pulled his blood-soaked blade free from the king’s crumpled body. Red pooling at his sabatons, warm and thick, staining the polished stone beneath his feet. He stared down at the corpse, not in a sense of triumph—not quite. He did feel a bit of pride, yes, but not because he freed the people of this kingdom. The pride he felt was for an entirely different reason. In his mind, it wasn’t the king who was lying dead on the floor. It was someone else, someone his blade could never reach. A someone who has long been gone from this earthly plain, someone who Kaelen has spent his life wishing he could kill. Kaelen then turned on his heels, his footsteps echoing down the quite hall. He decided he was finally done with this kingdom, that now it was time to move on and find others to liberate. Even if liberation wasn’t his goal, he just needed something to fill the aching hole in his heart. Kaelen pushed past the towering oak doors and stepped over the bodies of fallen soldiers. Outside of the tall windows that lined the castle halls, a rebellion raged below. Fires blazed and billows of smoke twisted toward the heavens. Tonight was filled with screams, the clashing of steel, and the barking of orders. It was a savage night, a bloody spectacle. Exactly the kind of gruesome show the gods will be sure to enjoy. Kaelen didn’t turn his attention to it as he continued walking forward down the hall. Because he wasn’t like the gods, he found no pleasure in watching a bloody battle. But, in this silence he began to wonder if he was not better than the tyrants he vanquished, then what was he?
“What could possibly be troubling a freedom fighter such as yourself?” a feminine voice asked, cutting through the silence.
Kaelen stopped dead in his tracks. At the far end of the corridor stood a woman, clad in iron armor and the colors of the enemy. Her blade was already drawn, although it hung loosely at her side. Kaelen quickly raised his, pointing it at the mysterious woman. Kaelen spoke flatly, “You’re late, your king is dead.”
”I know and he’s not who I came here for,” the female knight spoke, her voice steady. She seemed rather unfazed for a knight who had failed her one job. She soon stepped forward, causing Kaelen’s grip to tighten around the hilt of his blade. His jaw clenched as he glared daggers at the woman. He couldn’t read her at all, what was her motive?
”My name is Taryn,” she said as she placed a hand on her chest. “And I’m here to see if the stories are true. To see the undying hand of justice, the great Kaelen.”
Taryn smirked as she tilted her head. She observed the man before her for a moment, unbothered by his hostile gaze. She hummed softly and then spoke, “I must say, I never expected such a great hero to appear so uncertain.”
”Leave,” Kaelen warned.
Taryn smiled at Kaelen, “I refuse.”
Then, Taryn made her moved. She was faster than Kaelen had expected, he raised his sword to guard and their blades clashed. The loud sound echoed through the corridor. He pushed forward and parried Taryn’s sword, causing her to back off. However, Taryn persisted. She met each of Kaelen’s strikes, yet it seemed like she had no intentions of killing him despite her having the skill to. Kaelen had finally met his match, because Taryn had something Kaelen didn’t have—clarity.
”You question far too much and that is why you’ll lose to me!” Taryn said as she swung wildly. Kaelen attempted to deal a deadly blow as Taryn attacked but, Taryn parried causing him to falter. Taryn took advantage of this and knocked Kaelen’s blade from his hand, the weapon clattering to the ground. Taryn pointed her blade right at Kaelen’s neck, thrusting it which caused him to back away.
Kaelen raised his voice and demand an answer, “Why defend a cruel man like him?!”
”I’m not,” Taryn answered, shrugging her shoulders.
Kaelen stared perplexed at the woman before him, feeling far more confused than before. He had lost for the first time in years and yet, he did not feel anger. It was a strange feeling that he could not describe but, he didn’t like it. What was this woman getting at? Why had she come to challenge him?
”I took no pleasure in serving that man, but I did what I must in order to survive in this world. I’m not ashamed of that,” Taryn said, her tone unwavering.
Kaelen glared as he spoke in a low voice, “You should feel ashamed.”
”Why?”, Taryn questioned.
Kaelen open his mouth to speak but, no words came out. He could preach about righteousness and heroism however, he possessed none of those qualities. He killed to calm his rage more so than to liberate others. He was no hero and Taryn knew that. Yet, her stare was not filled with any judgement.
”I don’t feel the need to pretend I’m good because I know who I am, do you?” Taryn questioned.
Her question left Kaelen stunned. Once again he didn’t have an answer for her, he only had questions. How could one be so self-assured? How does she not fell ashamed of her past?
He took a long pause before making an attempt at an answer, “I kill monsters.”
”And what happens when there are no monsters left, who will you be then?” She asked.
Kaelen stood silently with his jaw clenched, “There will always be monsters to kill.”
Taryn smirked as a tiny laughed escaped her lips, “I see now, you don’t care about justice because there is only one real monster you care to kill.”
Taryn jabbed her steel blade in his direction, pointing it accusingly. Once again she saw right through him. Not once in his life had Kaelen encountered a person like the woman who stood before him. It was as if Taryn could read him like a book, and he hated it.
”Now tell me,” Taryn spoke once more “What is it you truly want?”
”The one thing I truly want I can never have,” Kaelen admitted in a low voice. The man gritted his teeth as he looked at the woman before him, Kaelen was growing tried of this constant interrogation. But, with a sword pointed at his throat he didn’t have much of a choice.
”Vengeance on that dead king, the who destroyed your home land?”, Taryn questioned.
Kaelen’s eyes went wide and then glared, “How did you know that?”
”I’ve admired you for quite sometime,” Taryn admitted with a smile, recalling the day she heard her first story about the oh-so great Kaelen. However, those stories were inaccurate. The Kaelen who stood before her was just like any other man who has lost his way, whose lost his passion.
Taryn sighed, “But, I fear I cannot admire a man who lies to himself.”
They stared at each other for a long time, their eyes locked onto one another’s. Kaelen refused to answer but, Taryn wouldn’t accept his silence—she was far too curious.
”You know why you lost?,” Taryn asked Kaelen “Because there’s nothing that drives you.”
”I don’t need a drive”, Kaelen scoffed.
”Everyone needs something to drive them, a dream to keep them pressing forward.”
Taryn cut in, her tone far more serious. Kaelen sighed, he didn’t understand what this woman wanted from him. He was no hero to be admired nor was he a man who needed a dream. Those were for children, he had left foolish thoughts like that behind years ago.
”Home”, Taryn spoke suddenly. Kaelen raised a brow, confused by what the younger woman just said.
”You need home,” Taryn spoke with a small smile, “I can see it on your face, you’re tired.”
”You don’t know what I need, and there’s no home for me anyway!”
Kaelen raised his voice, Taryn had touched a nerve. Deep down home was exactly what Kaelen had been longing for but, his home was destroyed by war many years ago. There was no point in returning to a leveled city that’s been reduced to nothing but ash.
Taryn rolled her eyes, “Then just make a new one, find a place to settle down. Somewhere you can call your new home.”
It was so simplistic, ‘find a new one’. As if it were that easy for a person to just pick a place and for it to be their home but, perhaps it was that easy. Had Kaelen’s negativity been holding him back from finding home?
”There’s no place for me,” Kaelen scoffed, “Not after everything I’ve done, I’m not a man suited for home.”
”We are who we make ourselves to be. By thinking your some kind of monster, you will become that.”
Taryn spoke up, frustrated by Kaelen’s mindset. “If you long for home, start by thinking of yourself as one who deserves it.”
”It’s not that simple!”, Kaelen argued.
”Isn’t it?”
A heavy silence followed after Taryn spoke those two final words. Kaelen balled his gauntleted hand into a fist. At heart, he knew he was only angry because Taryn’s words were true. He spoke about an uncontrollable rage within him and yet, he was the only person not allowing that rage to subside. Perhaps he was envious someone younger than him held so much more wisdom. His gaze fell upon his sword, the torch light giving a glow as it laid on the polished floor. A faint memory replayed in the back of his mind. The sound of laughter echoed in his ears as her recalled a younger version of himself, a boy who would race his brother to his mother’s open arms. A version of himself who picked up a sword for a different purpose.
Kaelen swallowed the lump in his throat as his eyes began to wet. He missed his family, he missed home. His chest tightened as he lifted his gaze up towards Taryn. He took a deep breath and then spoke, “I don’t want this anymore.”
”Then leave your sword and go,” Taryn replied.
Kaelen nodded, taking one final look at his bloodied blade before turning away. Taryn lowered her weapon, allowing Kaelen to pass. Each step forward for the man felt strange, unfamiliar. Nonetheless, he didn’t look back. Behind him, Taryn sheathed her blade.
”Find it,” Taryn called out to Kaelen. “Go find your peace.”
A smile spread across her face, “And when you do, come find me again.”
She turned, walking away in the opposite direction. Not looking back as she spoke her final words.
”I’d like to see the man you become.”
Reflection
Writing this was so much fun for me, I was able to explore topics I like and make characters I’ve fallen in love with. There is so much story still here and it’s inspired to begin writing as hobby again. This story I’ve loosely inspired the dynamic of Franky and Robin from One Piece. Robin being Kaelen, the both feel like monsters and both have wishes they deep down want fulfilled. Franky is of course Taryn, the both of them are confident in the choices they’ve made and are not ashamed of who they are. I’ve really grown to love this character dynamic, where one show the other how to forgive themselves and not regret the choices they’ve made. I really wanted this piece of writing to be immersive for the reader and have the narrative technology of Almighty Heart. I have never taken a creative writing class so honestly I’m not sure if I did this right but, I had an amazing experience with this final and I’m so glad I chose it. It may not be perfect but I got to explore and discover so much about my writing. I just hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
