From above, the wicked shall receive their just reward
Deep in his stomach, Kronk was disgusted. He didn’t understand the want of destruction, but he did understand the want of revenge. He knew that the tree was done, it was wracked by death even before it was set ablaze. Even if it did somehow live, Kronk wouldn’t sacrifice his own life by hurling it at the magicians. He would, however, risk taking a bite out of some pretty wings.
That is, until a vicious looking mare stepped in his path. Kronk had to admit that he was intimidated. Whose blood is that? He thought with dismay. He caught a glance at the crimson liquid running down her face and swallowed hard. But it was no matter, he had sworn an oath, and the mare seemed untrained and untried. She was vicious, but Kronk was disciplined. Gracefully, he avoided her strike, and got a long graze down his neck from her teeth, painful, but minor. He winced and aimed a vicious kick at the girl’s neck. It would be best to put this one down humanely. Like a rapid dog.
However, as disgusted as he was with their attackers, Rapscallion was almost worse. The buckskin stallion could not be his only backup, it was all too absurd. As he dodged his attacker, Kronk snarled at the other Gates man.
“You had better leave with them boy, because if you don’t I’ll hang you as the traitor you are.” Kronk had been in the Gates all of five minutes, and even he had more loyalty than that. When you joined a kingdom you took an oath, you took an oath to defend the land and its people. You took an oath to your king and queen. I would hand her over to you but I’ve never met the mare. My ass, Kronk thought to himself.
He would deal with the attackers, and then he would deal with the traitor. If only he wasn’t hopelessly, shamefully outnumbered. Desperately, he howled at the boy again (Kronk didn’t care how old the stallion actually was, anyone that petulant was a child).
“Are you going to do something or are you going to take tea with them?” Maybe, just maybe Rapscallion would realize that it was better to be a fool who took action than a fool who handed over the keys to the kingdom because the barbarians asked nicely.
Photograph by Vivacqua