A Tale of Two Kings
By Ruby Mead
My eyes open slowly, but I hear no sound. Why is it so quiet? Where is everyone? I slowly look down to the muddy floor and see bodies covered in crimson blood. I start to feel a severe pain in my back and then I realise that nothing will ever be the same again. Sadly, most of my friends are no longer here. Why has this even happened to me? Struggling in pain, I stand up and look up to the sky. As I finally get to my feet, I notice the sky is no longer light-blue with clouds. Instead it is completely pitch-black.
Life has changed a lot since King Charles came into power. The happiness, that once swept the village, is no longer. When King Arthur was King, the villages were filled with joy and happiness. Now we have a new King, who is evil and jealous of King Arthur and how much all the villagers loved him. King Arthur was kind to the villagers and he shared his wealth. When I walk into King Charles’ castle to work, I get my brush out and start sweeping up the dirt. Every day on top of the hill, I see knights training ready for the battle, which is between King Charles and King Walter. King Walter, is from a neighbouring village, who wants to help us get our freedom back. I am worried that King Walter won’t win and that we will be stuck with King Charles. Without hesitation, I nervously walk up the hill and then ask him, “Can I join your cause?”
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A few days later, after hours and hours of training with the knights, King Walter approaches proudly. I have a feeling that we would win this battle. I just knew this was the moment we have all been waiting for. “Let’s win this battle!” King Walter shouts.Loading...
That night, I could not get any sleep. All I could think about was the battle and how many relatives and friends I would lose. The night was long and I can’t remember if I actually fell asleep. Eventually, it was time to battle so I went to the castle and got my crossbow, which was waiting there for me (it has a trigger and takes minimal skill or strength to fire). As I was walking to the battlefield, I felt courageous and powerful but at the same time, nervous. I thought to myself, am I even going to get back home?
It is a mild spring morning and the dew on the grass is starting to disappear. Under the armour, I can feel sweat dripping off my body. I hold the crossbow as tight as I can. My hands start to shake. I think to myself, have I made the right decision by asking King Walter if I could join his cause? As the two armies face each other, it fell silent. Both King Walter and King Charles stare at each other viciously. King Charles’ army start on top of a hill, which I thought gave them a slight advantage. As we wait, King Walter shouts fiercely, “Attack! “ From this moment on, I knew everything was going to change.
As both armies charge at each other, the two walls clash. I hold my hard wooden crossbow as tight as I can. I feel weight of men pushing in from the front as well as the back. I can hear swords clashing against shields. I fire my crossbow at a bruised man from King Charles’ army and knock him out. In the distance, I can see King Charles charging towards me. He stabs me with his sword and bright-red blood drips from my body. I can’t see a thing.
My eyes open slowly but I hear no sound. Why is it so quiet? After what feels like a lifetime, my vision slowly starts to focus. I stumble to my feet and look around at the battlefield. I see piles of dead knights lying on what used to be yellow grass, some from King Walters army and some from King Charles’ army. One question is left unanswered, who has actually won the battle? In pain, I begin to walk back to my village, hoping that King Walter is now our leader. As I reach the village, there are many in tears as they realise their loved ones won’t be returning home. I start to believe we have lost the battle. In the distance, a man appears with a crown on his head. Finally, as I stop to focus all of my attention to the man, I realise that it is King Walter. The rightful ruler has won! Peace has been restored to the village.