Furmore galloped away from Hadifur as quickly as his horse could carry him. He wanted no more of Hadifur’s poisonous word penetrating his mind. Furmore rode until he reached the city of Rineland. There he finds three men, who were brothers, farming a field of corn and shouts to them, “Come and be my companions, for I am to defend my father’s name and so require assistance.” As soon as the word had left Furmore’s mouth the brothers; Gorther, Sissilo, and Boralin, dropped their tools and mounted their horses to ride with Furmore. The four companions trotted off to the next town, Corballus.
There they find a good-hearted man who had been living a false life because the Duke of Youkar had deceived him. Furmore told he man the truth and freed him of the lies that masked the truth. The man thanked Furmore wholly and begged to be allowed to be one of Furmore’s companions. However, Furmore insisted he tell everyone about what he had done for him and about the greatness of King Abba. So the man did what he was asked and spread news about how Furmore had freed his mind. Furmore continued to ride country-to-country saving people from the lies passed on by Hadifur. He freed many from the cloud of deception Hadifur had drawn over their eyes, blinding them from the truth.
When Furmore reached the Land of Hockdon he found nearly everyone under the spell of Hadifur. Furmore went strait to work, freeing their minds, when the Duke of the land rode up to Furmore and yelled, “What on earth do you think you are doing hear? You do not have authority to speak these lies to my subjects.”
“You are wrong for two reasons,” responded Furmore. “First, these are not your subjects. They are my father’s and he has sent me to claim them. Second is since I was sent by my father, the true ruler of Relinous, I do have authority to tell them that which my father wants them to know.”
The Duke was shocked at Furmore’s response, but said nothing because he knew it to be true. Instead, the Duke went home and plotted how to kill Furmore. He spoke to Hadifur and decided to attack the village Furmore was stay at. Hadifur’s army was almost strong enough, at least in his mind, to take the kingdom from Abba. Hadifur’s legions amassed and planned their attack on Furmore.
It was mid-afternoon and Furmore was asleep in his room when Furmore’s companions spotted the army of Hadifur advancing over the hill and making its way strait for the village. Gorther rushed from door-to-door screaming for everyone to flee for his or her lives. Sissilo yelled with panic to Furmore “Master, an army is coming over the hill strait for this village.”
Furmore awoke slowly and spoke extremely calmly to Sissilo, “Calm yourself, I will save us.” Furmore gathered his companions and snuck them out of the village and to safety. It was not the case for the people who had not enough time to escape. The village was burned, homes and people in all. As Furmore and his companions fled they saw the smoke rising to the sun and heard the screams of those who did not elude the soldier’s wrath. They could smell the burnt flesh on the other side of the meadow. Furmore then learned the true evil of Hadifur as he had witnessed such devastation. It was then Furmore realized that he must unite the true followers of his father in order to hinder Hadifur’s advances on the free lands of Relinous.
Most of the people who escaped Hadifur fled to the town of Gilmesh. There, Furmore unified the first of his army. They would make up the core of his army when they were to do battle. Furmore and his then named Army of Abba rode gathering soldiers to confront Hadifur. Hadifur had been doing the same and his army possessed four times the amount of men as the Army of Abba did.
Furmore marched with the Army of Abba to a stronghold, Hornwall, which was in between where Hadifur’s army was grouped and the Kingdom of Abba. Hornwall was a wall erected between to cliffs with a large wooden door in its center. The wall was eleven feet high and topped with battlements. Boralin was not present when the Army of Abba reached Hornwall. He claimed to be trying to get his father out of Hadifur’s territory, but in fact was making a deal with the Duke of Hockdon.
“So you will betray Furmore for what cost?” inquired the Duke in his dining hall.
“I ask to have at least have a carriage load of gold,” responded Boralin.
“Then we have a deal,” said the Duke, “you will give me Furmore and I will give you your gold.” Hadifur’s tricks reached even the closest to Furmore. Boralin planned to injure Furmore so he would easily be captured when Hadifur’s army started to overtake Hornwall, as it surly would with its enormous size advantage.
Boralin rode to Hornwall and spoke defensively to the inquires to why he has come without his father, “The stubborn old man would not leave his treasured home, so I left him there.”
“How could you ride all that why to leave him there for his stubbornness?” asked Gorther.
“I can’t force him to do anything,” snarled Boralin. Shocked at his defensiveness, everyone dropped the issue at once.
Night was falling over the hills when Furmore got up on the wall and spoke to everyone, “Hadifur will have arrived before the sun sets tomorrow. We will be ready to stop his advances in Relinous. We will not stop fighting until he is defeated in the name of King Abba. He will never reach the kingdom he wishes to claim for himself. If Hadifur proves too overwhelming we must retreat and regroup to meet him in battle again. He will never succeed, and that will be due to each and every one of your efforts.” All the men stood in awe of their leader and then all at once began cheering for Furmore.
The next day each man was armed with his sword and a bow. Most did not own full suits of armor but wore shirts of chain mail and leather armor and even fewer owned horses. The men were getting into position when Sissilo spotted men marching over the hills to the west, heading strait for them. “I can see the army over those hills!” shouted Sissilo pointing out at the army. Fear ran down the spines of each man as he knew his fate was soon to be decided. Their adrenalin pumped through their veins and each man readied his bow. Furmore’s commanders readied their archers to fire. The air grew musty and sweat adulterated the evening’s air. Hadifur’s army was nearing as the sun set over their heads. The soldier ranks extended further then the eye could see. Hadifur had not the guts to show up himself.
“Hold!” shouted the commanders. “Hold!” and when the soldiers were with in range the commanders gave the archers the command, “Fire flank one! Fire flank two!” Arrows flew over the head of the men who stood one the ledge behind the wall. The arrows cascaded down like a hailstorm on the heads and necks of Hadifur’s soldiers breaking the first five ranks. They returned fire and killed many men on the wall and standing behind it. The archers kept firing as the dark soldiers reached the wall. The soldiers stood up ladders to climb over the wall. Many attempted to fight their way over the wall but most of their attempts were foiled. Soon the number of ladders was overwhelming and the soldiers began pouring over the wall. Most of the men on the wall were slain and the rest retreated to the ground. Furmore’s army of Abba was being pushed back when Furmore charged forward on horseback in mail armor and with Norlissa, the sword Tristel gave him, in hand. Furmore struck down many soldiers on his charge and was displaying no sign of tiring.
Several of the Duke of Hockdon’s Dark Horsemen rode with black armor through the army to meet Furmore. Furmore spotted their approach and prepared himself to take them all on. The first to meet Furmore charges hard and clashes swords with Furmore. The collision shatters the Horsemen’s sword, but Norlissa remained intact, just as Tristel had promised. The next knight came clashing swords with Furmore when an arrow struck Furmore in his right hand causing him to drop Norlissa. Furmore’s back was to his own army; looking over his shoulder he saw Boralin fire another arrow at him. This one struck Furmore in his shoulder and caused Furmore to fall from his horse. The Hockdon Horsemen surround Furmore and made him surrender. Gorther and Sissilo galloped to Furmore with swords drawn and attack the Dark Horsemen.
“Let them have me,” Furmore pleads.
“Never!” roared Gorther. “I will never let them take you!”
“It is what is meant to be. Tell the army to retreat to fight another day, for this will not be the last time we meet,” Furmore desperately announced.
The Dark Horsemen took Furmore and the Army of Abba retreated leaving Furmore to the fate decided by the enemy. The Horsemen made their way back to the Duke of Hockdon with their prize, Furmore. When they reached Hockdon they gave Furmore to the Duke. There the Duke asked his subjects how Furmore should be put to death. The people chanted, “Hang him! Hang him!” So it was decided, Furmore would be hung.
Boralin who had abandoned his army and went back with the Horsemen was now grieving for he did not know that the Duke would put Furmore to death. In his sorrow he returned the gold and rode away from Hockdon to kill himself.
The Duke of Hockdon handed Furmore over to his soldiers who took him and locked him in a dungeon until the Garrote, the hanging structure, had been prepared. Every hour Furmore’s guard would open his cell to whip him fiercely. After a day and a half in the dungeon Furmore was tied to a Rack, a torture device used to stretch out a prisoner often dislocating joints and if pulled tight enough, tearing people’s arms and legs off.
He was paraded around the courtyard for everyone to see. People threw stones and spat on him. The son of King Abba was mocked for having no friend or servant to save him. Furmore was taken to the Garrote and was tied around the neck with a noose. The command was given and Furmore was dropped, not quite killing him with the fall, he dangled there beaten beyond recognition strangling to death. As Furmore drew his last breath he yelled, “Father why have you left me?” It was then that Furmore passed on. However, he did not die in a human sense. Furmore was taken beyond time and reality. He lay in a suspension of life beyond life.
When King Abba had heard of his sons murder he was put into a fit of rage. He sent out all his knights to find his son and kill Hadifur. The most glorious knights that had ever been seen boarded hundreds of boats to make their way across the sea. After they reached land they rode out to find Furmore. They made there way to Hockdon and discovered Furmore’s grave. Sir Gladrock uncovered Furmore’s body and spoke a spell in the tongue of King Abba. The life returned to Furmore. He mounted his horse and picked up his sword. Furmore led the knights on an attack on the rear of Hadifur’s army. Furmore swung Norlissa right and left striking down many foes before any knight had laid his sword into anyone. Even the knights were encouraged by Furmore’s prowess. As the knights charged they left not one man standing. The Army of Abba saw the knights and soon had a renewal of hope. Their courage was restored they fought on. The army of Hadifur was unable to fight a battle on two fronts and was quickly defeated. There was no one who stood that apposed King Abba.
The knights left Furmore with the army and tracked Hadifur to wherever he might be hiding, since he was too much a coward to fight with his army. Sir Vanguard discovered Hadifur in a cave in the side of Mt. Mockdin. All the knights were notified of his location and lunched and assault on Hadifur. A hundred knights surrounded the cave as twenty-five went in to flush out the Dragon. The first were pushed out in a wrath of fire. Hadifur stayed in his cave as a coward hiding behind his fiery breath. Many knights grabbed their bows and shot in the cave hoping to injure the dragon. The fire did not stop pouring out of the cave, so the knights took up huge shields to deflect the burning mouth of Hadifur. They forced their way in and meet Hadifur with the points of their swords. Hadifur knocked knights to the ground and flew out of the cave. On his way out he met a hail of arrows all bouncing off his impenetrable scales. The dragon hovered overhead preparing to make a sweeping attack on the knights. The dragon swooped down and roared with rage and fire when Sir Vanguard launched an arrow into his open mouth. The blow took Hadifur out of the air making him plummet harshly to the ground. The knights charged as he hit the ground pushing their swords between his scales and Hadifur was slain.
The knights jointed Furmore and his army and made their way to Abba’s Kingdom. At the shore waited 5,000 large ships to carry the people to the island. They took no weaponry or supplies, for the kingdom had everything they would ever need. The ships set sail never to return to the barren land. Furmore and his father were united once again.
Author : (),
Submitted by Patrick Morrow (),

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