The Former Free Cities

As the king approaches Leiutenant Jennifer with around ten knights rides out.

"Hail King Stephen, I am Leiutenant Jennifer of the Order of the Spear. Will you allow us to escort you in?"

Sophia

It was the dead of night, Sophia slept under a rocky outcropping, determined not to dream. She did anyway.

She also a deep, dark cave with a light coming from within and next to her was a huge man. There were no traps, no monsters they simply walked down the cave. There was light at the end of it, but it wasn't the sun.

She entered a massive chamber with high vaults and a single pedestal in the middle. Inside the pedestal was the sword. The very one she had been looking for.

"GO!" The man behind her shouted, she turned and to her horror saw that he was changing.

"GO!" She ran for the pedestal, the man finished changing and took the form of a massive wolf, he bounded after her.

She held out her hand and-

A noise at the edge of camp woke her with a start. "Who's there?" She asked retrieving her sword. "Answer me!"

After a long moment a massive man dressed in furs came from behind a rock and stepped forward.

"Apologies miss, I didn't mean to startle you."

He had a feral look in his eye, "You're a Lycanthrope," Sophia said automatically, those freaking images needed to stop entering her head.

The man was taken aback, "How?"

She shrugged, "You smell like one."

The man roared with laughter, "I smell like- What's your name girl?" "Sophia," "Well Sophia, call me Thomas. Regardless, the night is cold, will you let me rest by your fire?"

Sophia was too tired to argue, so she nodded instead. Thomas sat across from her, they spoke for a time and Sophia had enough to go on. Thomas was the huge Lycanthrope terrorizing the countryside, but it wasn't really his fault. The full moon drove him insane.

Of course, she couldn't be certain that her instincts weren't just insane delusions, not until she found the sword. Thomas fell asleep first, according to him he'd been travelling all day, probably trying to get away from people. It would be so easy now, to simply slit his throat, to end it all. But the code rang in her skull,

"A knight is no executioner, he may never kill a helpless opponent."

And after a time, she fell asleep as well.

The Next Morning

When Sophia awoke, Thomas was gone, for the best she supposed. She heard footsteps coming closer, she drew her sword. Thomas came into the rocky alcove this time carrying two rabbits.

"A thank you for not slitting my throat in the night, Sir Sophia."

"So you knew."

He nodded, "In truth I'd hoped you'd kill me, your cowardice would reflect poorly on you in the afterlife, but not on me."

Sophia raised an eyebrow, "But you'd be dead."

"Yes and with Father Halasht's horde, running the fields with my ancestors. I can think of nothing better."

"You seek death then?" "All Ice-kin do we seek out the foe who can kill us and when we finally do die, we struggle with the greatest warriors who ever lived in Father Halasht's horde. Not the clumsy men with sticks here."

"Are you talking about the knights?" "No, knights aren't clumsy, just very loud."

He began devouring his rabbit as Sophia cleaned hers. She tried not to look at the disgusting display in front of her.

"What brings you up here Sir Sophia?" "I'm looking for a certain item."

"Hmm and would this item be a sword by any chance?"

"You've seen it!?" "Yes, these mountians are my territory, I'll take you there on one condition."

Sophia's heart sank, "And what is that?"

"When we find it, you use it to kill me."