Illarion.org

Posted: **Fri May 14, 2004 1:03 am**

Alakdal sits in the dark woods hidden from civilization. After polishing a necklace that has a purple-blue stone melted into it with a cloth, he lights a pile of sticks on fire and stares into the flames, deep in thought. Strange words escape from his old lips, words in some other language. He mumbles to himself as he tries to remember..... remember what had happened to him, what had happened to the world.

Alakdal seems to drift away into a daydream.

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War cries are heard... Warriors get ready for another battle. They gather their weapons and armor in ruins of a city. A man steps onto a stone table and the warriors look to him.

"We have destroyed another one of their cities! More of their blood is spilt! We only have one more objective, only one thing to do."

The man stops as he looks upon his brave warriors. Many of them look very exited. All of them show a little fear. The man continues,

"We must take over their main city, the city of Dèl'Ălam!!"

The men cheer and after a while the man raises his hand, telling them to be quiet.

"Dèl'Ălam will not be as easy as the other cities like Dèl'Ćînaar was. This is the capital of Ălam. We may lose many lives in this final battle, but we MUST win!! This is the final step to freedom, my brothers! We must win, or we will be slaves forever...."

The man stops for a minute and he thinks to himself. He speaks again,

"I can see it now, mothers will tell their children of this story. Generation after generation will remember this great war we have suffered through. The Ārdãlíkåns will be remembered forever, and how they climbed the mountain of Dèlès and defeated the Ălam to regain their freedom! Today we fight! Today we destroy Ălam! Today, our freedom will begin!!"

The men raise their weapons and cheer. The man on the table gets down and gets his warriors ready....

A tall, muscular man at the age of twenty six walks towards his brother, Ólö.

"There you are, Àlâk. Ready for the final battle?" Ólö says as he sees his brother.

"I am as ready as I ever will be."
"I can't wait till it will be over. Finally we will be free! Finally we will be able to walk around freely, and we will no longer pay for ever single thing we do. If only Mom or Dad were alive to see us now."
"Yes..... Mother.... Father..... The Ălam will pay for that!"
"Yes.... I want to be there... I want to see him, the king of Ălam... I want to see them kill him. I hope I will witness the death of that horrid man...."

The two brothers follow the army that has started to move up a gigantic mountain......
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Alakdal comes back from his daydream. He looks out into the old forest and then looks down. The fire is almost dead. Alakdal drops a few twigs into the fire and he slowly falls into another daydream.....

Posted: **Fri May 14, 2004 4:17 am**

The daydreams continue.....

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Hours have passed.

The army can see the fortress of Dèl'Ălam atop the mountain they are climbing. They draw their weapons and prepare for battle.

Àlâk and Ólö are in the back of the army. The general in the front is shouting something, but the two brothers cannot hear him from where they are. Ólö pulls on Àlâk's sleeve and pulls him towards the front, where the general is.

Once they are near the front, they can hear the general.

"....Now, my soldiers, let us march to Dèl'Ălam! Let us march to victory! Let us march to freedom!!

The army cheers and they follow the general up the mountain.

The warriors of Dèl'Ălam see the marching army and prepare their defenses. Archers appear atop the castle walls and warriors prepare their armor below by the gate.

"They have spotted us! CHARGE!!!!!"

The army begins charging at full speed toward the castle.

Archers on the walls of the fortress aim their bows to the oncoming army. They are told to fire. A volley of arrows flies from the walls into the army and many men fall dead. Another volley of arrows, and more men are slain. Bowmen in the attacking army fire their own bows at the walls, killing some. This arrow firing lasts a while, until the warriors with the battering ram reach the gate and begin to ram it.

Àlâk and Ólö are behind the ram. they watch as it rams the gate over and over and over again.......

An arrow flies from the walls towards Àlâk and Ólö. It pierces Ólö's heart. The two brothers cry out. Àlâk drags Ólö to the wall itself and leans him against it.

"Ólö!!" No! What have they done?!" Àlâk cries out.

"Àlâk...."

"You're going to be alright! Everything is going to be fine!"

"No, Àlâk. It won't be.... My end.... it is near..."

"Ólö.... Y..You will be avenged...."

Tears fall down Àlâk's face. His brother is dying, the only family he had left. His parents were slaves and they were killed. His only sibling was his brother.

"I wish I.... I wish I could be there, Àlâk.... I wish I could be there when they kill the king of Ălam..... Please, Àlâk... please..... please be there.... be there when he is dead.... I wish... I wish I could see..."

"F...For you, Ólö, for you I will kill him myself!" Àlâk shouts.

"Àlâk..... I... I will be waiting..... Waiting for you..... Waiting for you to come.... b...but that does not mean give up! T..that means.... try your hardest. D...do not give up.... I will.... I will wait for you, Àlâk, no matter how long it takes..... N...no matter....how long.... it....."

Ólö died there, in his brother's arms. More tears fall from Àlâk's face as he lets go of Ólö.....

The rest is very cloudy.....

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Alakdal tries his hardest to remember, and he remembers sections of what happened.....

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The top of a tower......

Àlâk has his brother's sword in hand.....

The king of Ălam's sword is drawn also....

A great sword fight.

Àlâk slays the king! As proof of his deed he takes the evil king's necklace and wears it......

.......

........Silence.....

Suddenly everything is silent. The one instant that Àlâk took the necklace and put it on his neck, everything became a white light. There no longer was a tower, there no longer were any soldiers, there no longer was anything..... Nothing but Àlâk and blankness.

"H...Hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone help me? Can anyone hear me?!"

"I will help you." a voice calls out.

"W-who are you?" Àlâk calls out.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is what you know. Remember the old times. Remember where you are from. You are the only one left. From now on you are Alakdal Oakenshade."

"What? Old times? I am the only what left?"

Suddenly the light is gone, it is all dark now. Àlâk wakes up, he is on beach. Birds sing in the air. Àlâk, or now Alakdal, has no idea where he is. He looks into the ocean and almost faints at what he sees. He is no longer young and muscular, but now he is old, wrinkled, bent, and weak!! He cries out, his voice is lower, older. He is confused......

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And that was a few years ago. Alakdal still does not know what happened. He cannot even remember the whole story. Where is he? He rarely ever saw the beach when he was young. He found this isle when travelling with some sailor, and has lived here for a few months now, but still, he does not get where he is. Alakdal goes back to town to do some research on what might have happened.

Illarion.org

Trying to remember....

Trying to remember....