the beasts over the crown

The dawn of that day arrived cold and silent over the castle, and the sky had not yet opened its golden and illuminating eye .

when both the witch and the two guards assigned to watch over the hunter and Sir Declan in his green coat stood mounted on their horses in front of the massive castle gate, while the hunter was bound at the hands and riding with one of his guards, accompanied by a quiet young boy no more than ten years old, with bright yellow eyes like gold, riding beside the witch.

Ser Declan was one of the king's five guards and the best among them; he was a slender man with a serious demeanor, speaking little and holding a fanatical faith.

His faith was put to a difficult test today when the king ordered him to accompany this band of heretics and devil worshippers to fulfill their purposes and ensure their safe return.

The knight had persistently urged his lord to excuse him from the sin of this task, to no avail, and finally he reluctantly yielded to his king's order to protect the two lowest individuals he had encountered in his life.

The gatekeepers struggled to raise the heavy iron portcullis slowly, while many of the wall guards gazed at the witch with enamored, wandering eyes.

They then lowered the drawbridge, allowing the horses to gallop freely into the winds, dashing through the almost deserted narrow alleys of the city until they crossed its walls and found themselves on a wide road that connects the west to the east, known as the Blue Road, while the easterners mockingly called it 'the Blue Devil's Tail'.

The East had not been part of the kingdom until recently; it was annexed due to the glorious conquests of King George's father. To impose his rule on the newly acquired regions and to secure himself against the treachery of its inhabitants—who were diverse in beliefs and traditions—much like any wise king would do, he ( king George's father ) took a stronghold in the heart of the East as his - and his household - residence, and left more than a third of his army guarding those areas, as he ordered the construction of new fortresses.

However, once King George ascended to the throne - after his father abdicated it to him for reasons known only to himself and withdrew to a fortress in the northern part of the kingdom -,at that time he was only seventeen, he ordered the withdrawal of most of his army from there and returned with them to the Blue King's castle. It was said that the reason for the young man's desire to return to the capital in the West was due to the abundance of brothels and the beauty of its women.

The King of Riverspears exploited this slip, as rumors suggest, and stirred feelings of resentment and hatred towards the new king. The people of the East rebelled, and several revolts broke out all at once that George failed to quell, forcing his advisors to seek help from his father.

The young man reluctantly abdicated the crown in favor of his father after only a few months of his coronation. The conqueror succeeded in establishing security and asserting his control during the five years following his accession to the throne, even seizing several new regions and fortresses. This instilled fear in the hearts of his enemies and restored the kingdom's prestige among the realms.

Then, unexpectedly, when the fifth year was in its final breaths, he decided once again to abdicate the throne to his son and legitimate heir.