The Pendant

By: Ryan Hinton

At a time when no can now remember the kingdom was prospering, with huge castles towering above the clouds and glittering walls that reflected the sun’s rays. Food came in from the farms that went on for miles and miles as far as the eye could see glittering warmth and wheat to all of that kingdom. The food that came in to the kingdom fed the citizens and all people that lived there. All kinds of people lived in the kingdom and did their part.

But now the kingdom was dying. The king was dead. The farms stopped producing. The hunters couldn’t hunt. The animals all seemed to just disappear. Now that the kingdom was failing the people that had come from all over the world left to return to their homes. The Queen of the kingdom was scared for the kingdom and that it may decline so much that the kingdom would simply cease to exist.

One day Conner the son of the dead king and son of the still alive Queen sat at the table of the Grand Hall where the ministers and the Queen ate. The Queen knew that she would have to take action and walked over to her son and told him “Conner my son, you are the only person that can save this kingdom.”

Conner being confused asked his mother “What do you mean mother?”

“Conner when you were born the evil magician Gorgeousman said that 19 years after you were born the kingdom would go into decline and eventually fall. He said the only way to stop it was for you to get the pendant of our kingdom back,” she explained. “Your father tried to stop him and prevent the decline of his kingdom and our lives,” she hesitated for a moment before continuing “the magician killed him my son, he killed your father.”

Conner nodded and understood what he would have do to, he would have to go and beat the magician. What his father wasn’t able to do in his life time was what Conner would do in his.

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Setting out at night with some guides and a few bodyguards Conner went on his way, a short while from the castle is where he started to doubt his quest, why would he be able to stop the magician when his father could not. As he was thinking they approached a bridge where a troll stood unmoving nor swaying in the wind.

“WHO GOES THERE!” Said the troll at the edge of the bridge.

“IT IS THE KING OF THE KINGDOM THAT YOU GIANT, LIVE IN,” boomed one of the king’s bodyguards. After saying that he rode his horse right at the troll attempting to stab the troll with his lance or knock him away from the bridge. He charged his horse straight at the giant’s leg, but in one fell swoop the giant swung his club and it hit the brave knight and his horse sending them flying into the trees with a loud smash. This result caused the king and his bodyguards to pace back a few steps on there horses trying to think of something to do. The king and one of his guides hurriedly talked about if there was another bridge or even a ford somewhere down along the river. When the guide told the king that there was known he slowly nodded before dismounting of his horse and facing the troll.

“Troll, what do you require of us before you allow us to cross this bridge?” The king questioned.

“There is nothing that I desire to bribe me from my duty of stoping all from crossing this bridge,” the troll replied sternly. The king realizing what he had to do slowly approached the troll and continued questioning him until he was just inside the hit range of the troll’s club. As the troll took a step back the king drew his sword and rammed it into the large flesh filed center of the troll’s stomach. As the troll screamed out in agony the king ripped out his sword and stabbed it again this time the giant’s neck. After this strike the troll fell to the ground with a loud grunt before he stopped breathing and died.