Pendragon

chapter 5: I don't care

‘Humans...’

‘...are cruel.’

Alex's head bobbed from side to side as he was continuously dragged through the streets. People lined either side of him, held back by an impromptu barricade of knights.

The once-busy roads had been brought to a standstill. Market stalls stood abandoned, merchants peered over their counters, children sat on their parents' shoulders, and nobles watched from the balconies overlooking the streets. Every pair of eyes followed him as though he were some grotesque spectacle put on display.

Most remained silent. They simply watched.

Others were less reserved.

“Murderer!”

“Monster!”

“He killed his own family!”

“Kin slayer!”

“He deserves worse than death!”

The insults came one after another, louder than the last. Some spat in his direction, while others threw rotten fruit and pebbles that bounced harmlessly off his bruised body.

Alex kept his head lowered.

His filthy blond hair hung over his face, hiding his hollow eyes from the crowd. Whether he did it out of shame... or because he simply couldn't bear to look at them anymore... even he didn't know.

‘They waste no time turning on one of their own to justify their own wickedness as justice.’ He kept his eyes glued to his dirty, bloodied feet.

‘Mama said that humans were loving by nature... she lied.’

‘What in this is loving?’

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a girl, around his own age, with a stone in her hand, ready to throw it at him.

When she saw his eyes, she dropped the stone in terror.

“He just glared at me!! He's going to kill me?!” She pointed at him hysterically. The people around her hugged her while glaring at him in disgust.

‘She had no right...’ He clenched his teeth. ‘She had no right to tell me to believe in humans when she herself wasn't even here to see all this!’

His thoughts wandered to his mother. He found himself thinking about his family at every waking moment.

He remembered her soft touch, her hands on his cheek while he sat safely in her lap.

“Alex, people are social creatures. They cling to each other because they have to. No one can survive without help from their own. And the only way to have people of your own is to open up...”

“Open up to people, and they open up to you.”

The thought of those words made his heart burn in anger.

‘These people... They're making Mama's words a lie! I opened up, I cried out, I sought help, and what did I get?’

‘Death!’

Alex stumbled as the knights dragged him onward.

‘Is this it? Is this my fate? To die like a common criminal?’

Familiar streets passed by in a blur. The market stalls, the old fountain, the towering buildings draped in Avalon's banners... places he had walked through countless times.

‘F*ck fate!’ His thoughts grew louder. ‘I'm not going anywhere till I find who killed my family.’

His messy blond hair hung over his face, forcing him to look through loose strands as his eyes wandered ahead with new fire behind them.

‘And kill them all!’

Then they stopped.

Excalibur.

The legendary sword remained embedded in its ancient stone, untouched for over three centuries. Its golden hilt glimmered beneath the afternoon sun, while its flawless silver blade stood as proudly as the day King Arthur had left it there.

And behind the legendary artefact stood the one person who made Alex's blood boil.

The man who had condemned him.

The King.

Lucius Pendragon.

“Alexander Del Perde, first of his name,” the King announced with the same regal air he always possessed, standing with straightened posture on a makeshift podium. “You have been given the death penalty for your despicable actions.”

“Mass murder. Patricide. Matricide. Fratricide, sororicide, and kin-slaying.”

He paused to let the crowd settle down before continuing.

“Do you wish to speak for your crimes?”

Alex didn't reply. He looked up to face the King, and his eyes told only one emotion.

Hate.

King Lucius' lip twitched into a scowl for a brief second, but he composed himself.

“Very well. Among all others, the Perdes were the most loyal to my house, the Pendragons. So, to honour the bond shared between both our houses, I have taken it upon myself to pass down judgement before the great symbol, Excalibur.”

Alex glanced at the sword as Lucius spoke.

‘Excalibur... they say you lie in wait for someone pure of heart.’

“Come,” the King invited him onto the podium. But it was just for formality, as the guard behind him pushed him harshly forward.

‘I'm not a good person. And I don't care. I don't care if you're a legendary sword, and I don't care about your stupid criteria...’

He slowly moved forward, keeping his eyes fixed on the sword. The guard behind him moved to push him again. But with a burst of newfound energy, Alex bent down and crawled between his feet. Then, using the chains attached to his restraints, he quickly looped them from the guard's groin all the way across his neck and pulled.

‘I don't give a sh*t that you're waiting for a hero.’

The crowd gasped in shock at the sight. Other guards rushed to help, but the choking guard stopped them. He quickly cut the chains with his sword.

But this was his plan.

The moment the chains were cut, Alex leapt onto his back and bit his ear with all the force he could muster.

‘I don't care if you're a symbol of peace, I don't care if you're supposed to be used for good.’

He bit off the ear immediately, but he was pushed off and landed harshly on the ground. He looked up, only mere inches from the sword in the stone.

Without a second thought, he spat out the ear and lunged forward, wrapping his teeth around the hilt of the sword.

‘I want revenge! I want to kill them all!’

‘And you're helping me do it!’

Guards reached him and tackled him away from the stone and onto the ground.

For a moment, silence.

And then. Boom!

A wave of immense power rippled from the stone, spreading out in a split second, pushing everybody to the floor. Even experienced knights fell like pieces of paper. The power not only shook the kingdom but also continued spreading far beyond it.

King Lucius was immediately surrounded by guards who helped him stand up, but he pushed them away.

“You idiots! A kid! How could a kid best you?!” For the first time, his royal air was cracking.

“Where is he?!” The King looked around through the crowd on the floor until his eyes found what he desperately searched for.

Alex, with the legendary sword Excalibur in his mouth, and a dead knight in front of him.

“H-how?” The King's mouth opened in shock. Not just his; the entire place was quiet.

No one could speak. They all stared in disbelief.

300 years.

The sword had been in the stone for 300 years. And now they all witnessed something that they never thought would happen in this lifetime.

Alex's chest heaved in and out rapidly. His hands were still bound, saliva ran slightly down the sides of his mouth, and his eyes were fixed on one man.

Lucius.

He wanted nothing more than to kill this man in front of him and everybody else here. But he wasn't stupid. It was only a matter of time until the adrenaline rush he felt disappeared, and if that happened, he'd be back where he started.

He bit the hilt of the sword harder in anger. He had only one option.

With a heavy heart, he turned around and ran.

Neither the guards nor the crowd followed him with their eyes, but no one moved. Some hadn't even stood up from the ground. They all just watched. History had just happened in front of them.

The first to snap out of the daze was King Lucius.

“Stop him!” he shouted at his knights, even slapping one of them across the face. “You idiots, stop him!”

The guards didn't move. Their eyes lingered for a few more seconds. It was only when Alex was out of sight that they realized they had just let a criminal get away.

Quickly, they all dashed after him, moving at a speed that didn't seem possible for normal humans.

“Mages! Use everything, any spell you can. Find him! And bring back my sword!”

Mages who had initially stood guard as an extra precaution bowed slightly and dispersed.

The King walked back and forth on the podium, running his hand through his hair in frustration. He suddenly stopped and looked forward, noticing that people still stood there looking at him.

“What?!” he snapped. “Is there nothing better for you all to do? Leave.”

Murmurs began to spread. Only a few people left; the rest still stood and watched the King. They had never seen him so... undignified.

“I said leave, d*mn it!” he snapped again, causing them to quickly disperse.

He sighed in anger. Then he turned and alighted from the podium, walking furiously towards a beautiful carriage that was connected to two stunning white horses.

A man bowed as he opened the carriage door for the King. It was his steward.

“Contact Evergarden. Tell them it's of utmost importance,” he said briefly and entered the carriage.

The steward nodded and went towards the front, driving the carriage back to the castle as the whole kingdom was in disarray, everyone asking the same question.

What just happened?