LORE STORIES 4: The Mathosian Civil War - A Good Soldier
By: Laochan
*** Author's Note: In an attempt to bring the lore to life, I have decided to write stories from the different eras in the rift timeline from the commoner's viewpoint. Please note the corrections made to this story during editing of Aedraxis being king from the get go.***
Alysha nearly hit the desk when she nearly nodded off as the teacher droned on and on about the history of the Mathosian people. It was the last class of the year and she had been studying so hard for her practical test that she could scarcely keep her eyes open. Argent Glade was lovely this time of year, but Alysha tired of the trees and the forest. She could not wait to go see Port Scion once again with its bustling streets filled with elves, eth, dwarves, mathosians, and everything in between. Everyone put aside their differences to make a little profit in the center of all Telara.
The teacher rapped his knuckles hard on the table in front of him, and when Alysha finally looked up he continued again but stared at her the whole time as sh blushed and took notes again:
"Soon after the Convocation, the Eth went to live among the Bahmi who protected them. In time, the Bahmi needed protection from the sealed dragons and so the Mathosian armies moved south and brought all under their protection. Only some factions of the elves did not feel that they needed the protection and even when to far as to accuse us of trying to take over. These elves broke off from the high elves seeking equality with the gods and now call themselves the Kelari. In the years since then, many great mathosian kings have ruled our lands..."
Alysha nearly sighed, why did this class always have to be so boring. Why couldn't he tell them the good history stories like how the rebel of a students here at the academy, Asha Catari had run off and joined her people in the southlands and now worked as a dragonslayer covenant or how Alsbeth, who had also gone to the college, now sat in the royal city of Port Scion and played the two princes off each other for fun? Now that would have been worth staying awake for.
The day passed slowly, but at long last Alysha was able to say she had finished the year and with it her time at the college. The ceremony was that night, but she had already enlisted in the king's army and so would miss the ceremony. "All the better" she thought, "they didn't need her there anyway." By evening she was packed and riding towards the beaches and bridges of Port Scion. The wind pulled at her hair and her robe flowed and undulated behind her as she road hard for the city - she wanted to get to her command before the evening. Alysha crossed into the grand gates as the sun set over mountains behind the city and made her way to the stables to sleep until the morning roll call.
The next morning and for many morning after, Alysha ran the patrols of the city and learned the ropes from her superiors. Her training in the martial arms continued and advanced far more than she had ever dreamed at college. However, after months of drills and practice and only a few policing jobs in the city, she found herself wishing something exciting would happen.
That night, something did happen, but it was not what she had expected. Last into the evening when she was busy guarding the walls, the bells rang out over the city from the church of Port Scion. Morning bells, for the creator of the city, King Jostir, had breathed his last breath. The commanders were up immediately and everything went into a storm of activity. The king was dead, and two sons were left to claim the solo spot of leadership. Zareph was the only one currently in the city and was likely to claim the city. Aedraxis would be likely claim himself king. The next few months were not likely to be easy ones among the guard.
Time passed and Alysha moved from post to post and duty to duty. She was asked to guard the streets in case of riots, the gates in case of soldiers, and always she was being watched. Some guards had taken to their posts and then disappeared into the night. Some feared them killed by spies or enemies of Prince Zareph, but others said they left to fight in the building armies of King Aedraxis. Aedrixis was rumored to be creating an armies and forging allegiances all over Telara. She had heard people in the street speak of Aedraxis trying to win over the great mage Alsbeth to his side, but Alysha had seen her in the meeting rooms of the guardhouse only just last night and overheard the commander the next morning speaking of the great plans she had come up with the protect the city and trick the new king.
Since the death of the King, the city was ill at ease. The rumors of Aedraxis' army had been confirmed. Prince Zareph feared for his city and his people. Aedraxis had not only foot soldiers, but ships as well. If he were to surround and cut off a city of merchants and nobles, the outcome would be more than the dread god of death could have ever wished for. Zareph decided he needed to save his people. Alysha's duty tonight was not one of guarding or watching, tonight she was a silent deliverer. She walked in silence from door to door of those nobles loyal to the prince and bid them to make ready to leave the city. In the weeks that followed, they were to be taken out in the dead of night and sent to farms and towns far from the city where the could remain hidden and safe. Most understood the prince's wish, but some refused to leave their homes. Some even decided they wished to fight alongside the prince and joined the guard. From that night forward, Alysha worked through the nights and slept the days as she moved family after family out of the walls of the city. Each days the streets looks less busy and the houses would have looked the same were it not for the king paying to have lamps left lit in the abandoned homes. After nearly 2 months of sneaking about in the dark, Alysha looked out her window at the city she had loved and barely recognized it. The homes were quiet and the streets nearly empty. She had helped rid the city of its lifeblood. Nearly every abled-body person had been taken from the city, so that that evening when the warning bells rang and the call that the King's army approached sounded, she was almost glad she could stop bleeding the city dry. When she ran to the walls, the huge army lines the ridge outside the city, funny they should feel they needed so many to kill this bloodless city.
The siege pulled every last ounce of hope out of the eyes of the people of Scion. The food and water dwindled and they quickly lived in squalor. The guard made a show everyday of making the walls look occupied. Finally the Prince declared the order to abandon the city and late that night the guards went form house to house to tell the people. Some nobles slammed the door in her face saying that maybe the real king of Port Scion would not let her fall so easily or run away from a fight. She let them be and moved on to the next house - there was no time for arguing. When the last of the city had been assembled, the prince led them down into a passage down below the streets of the city. Far beneath the streets there was a labyrinth of tunnels and deep in the tangle of them all, there was a glowing golden portal. The portal had been found by Zareph years ago when he had once fell down a sewer as a boy. He was not sure where it went but it was surely better then this place and the death that would surely come under his brother's siege and rule of the city. Alysha listened as he told each of the people there that they could choose to take the portal or not and that he would not think any worse of them. He then turned and walked through it with his honor guard on his heels.