Week 9 Story: The Warring Lords

Mighty was the blade of Iondar, Lord of the Valgrim. It would glow with the pale light of the moon, and seemed the hum a song of woe that was the last sound heard by all you fell to its keen edge. From the shore in front of Iondar emerged Xilgaren, the King of Amos, at his side his wicked morningstar. For three days and three nights he had meditated in the depths of the sea for his duel against Iondar. 

The Sea (Source: pixabay)

The war had come to this. Each of their hosts had set aside their weapons, and were watching with baited breath to watch as fate chose the victor. The two combatants readied their weapons, and took their shields. Iondar's was wrought in silver, covered in intricate carvings and runes to ward off danger and protect the wielder. Xilgaren beckoned to the water, and the sea responded. The waves crashed around his arm and froze there, forming a mighty shield of solid ice. 

Their eyes locked for a moment, before they lunged at one another, each of their kingdoms on the line. The winner would be the conqueror, the other would be dead. With each blow the earth shook, though the warring lords stood their ground. Xilgaren landed the first true blow. He slipped his morningstar around the silver shield, and sent Iondar flying backwards. He sprung back to his feet instantly, and slammed his pale blade onto the face of his shield.

A burst of colorless light emanated from the surface of the shield, sending a blast of radiant energy at Xilgaren. The ground cracked under the pressure, and the King of Amos was thrown into the water behind him. The waves died down, and for a moment it looked as if the battle had been won. 

Suddenly, daggers of water flew out of the sea, turning to ice in the air and hurling themselves at Iondar. Most crashed against his shield, though a few found purchase, piercing his armor. He fell to his knees as Xilgaren rushed out of the water, his mace raised high for a killing blow. As the mace came crashing down towards the Lord of the Valgrim, Iondar thrust his sword upwards, aiming at the heart of Xilgaren. The two weapons struck true simultaneously and the earth burst asunder. When the dust settled, both of the warriors lay on the ground, motionless...

The aides for each king came forth, and the other members of their parties followed suit, coming to see what fate had befallen their rulers. When they approached the two combatants, their worst fears were realized. They had each killed their opponent. Silently, each of their bodies were taken away, and preperations were made for their burials. Their successors were identified and crowned. Eventually, the time came.

Ionvala, the daughter of Iondar stood face to face with Galsaren, the son of Xilgaren. They each drew their blades, and together they cast them on the ground. Rather than exchanging blows, they declared an end to the conflict between their nations. In the years that followed, relations between the two kingdoms grew closer, and so did the children of Iondar and Xilgaren. Ten years after the death of their predecessors, Galsaren and Ionvala announced their union in marriage, and the joining of their kingdoms. And so the Empire of Valgramos was born from the death of the warring lords...

Original Story: Duryodhana in the Lake

Source. Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913)

Author's Note: In the original tale, Duryodhana flees into a lake as the Pandavas overrun his army. They call out to him to emerge from the lake, and fight like a man. He promises to do so, as long as he is allowed to fight them all in single combat. They agree to these demands, and he comes out prepared to face Bhima to begin. Each one lands blows on the other, bloodying them up real good. Duryodhana lands a blow on Bhima's head that looks like a killing blow, but he continues to fight, striking Duryodhana in the knee. This cripples Duryodhana, although supporters of him declare this an illegal attack below the belt. The other Pandavas comply to this, declaring that if he should decide this to be a foul move, they will kill their own brother for disregarding the rules of a fair battle. Krishna stays the hand of Duryodhana's aide Belarama, who wants to kill the Pandavas for breaking the laws of combat, stating that Duryodhana had already tricked the Pandavas with loaded dice earlier.

I wanted to keep the feeling of the battle between Bhima and Duryodhana, but add in different elements to make it my own story. I gave a slightly different background for their battle, and gave each of them some supernatural abilities not attributed to them in the original story. I kept elements like my version of Duryodhana, Xilgaren, emerging from the lake and landing a blow with a mace to his opponent's head. Bhima was replaced with Iondar, and stabbed Xilgaren in the heart with a sword rather than hitting Duryodhana in the knee with a mace. I wanted to focus more on the battle itself rather than the discussions at the end, as well as changing the ending itself to be more bittersweet.