Chapter 1 - Prologue

The small group of knights crouched behind a crumbling boulder, waiting for their chance to attack. Knights of the Underworld waded through the open wasteland, patrolling the area, flanking each other as to not let anyone get past them and there were many of them, all armed with either dark swords, spears or arrows. The five knights didn’t stand a chance against the hundreds of underworld knights but they still continued to plan out their moves.

“Right, we are highly outnumbered but we can never give up!” The oldest knight said. He was only 17 but the oldest and leader of the mission. “The king will not accept failure!” he said as he pounded a fist into his hand. This was Sir Rex, a blue fox with black pants and a black pouch hooked over his shoulder. The other four knights nodded in approval as Rex started to run over their battle tactics. “Dame Snips and Sir Avalar will wade around the left of them whilst Sir Cody and Dame Safir will flank the right. I’ll go straight through the centre after both sides have attacked and if were lucky, we should be able to take down the knights and it will lead us straight to the Dark Castle.” Dame Safir, the youngest knight stared up at Sir Rex. She admired him and being the youngest at only 9 years old, thought of him as her closest friend. Deep down inside, she also knew that she loved him but she would never tell him that. Avalar and Snips started creeping round the left of the wasteland whilst Cody and Safir crept round the right. They were making good timing and the Underworld Knights hadn’t spotted them. Safir smiled cheerfully to herself, this was her first real mission that the king had entrusted her with and she was happy to be fending the kingdom. Suddenly, her pride and happiness crashed right down on her full force. She tripped on a rock and stumbled on top of Cody causing the two to crash towards the ground causing a terrible thud. The knights had spotted them. Cody pushed Safir off him and ran straight towards the knights. “Stop, that’s not the plan!” Rex shouted from the boulder that was hiding him but it was too late, Cody’s recklessness had let him straight into a fleet of underworld knights. He slashed with all his might but there were too many for one small cat to handle and he was getting tired out. He finished slashing two underworld knights in front of him but one crept up behind. Cody turned around just in time to see the spear plunge straight towards him and right through his stomach. He screamed in pain and dropped to the floor, grasping the open wound in his stomach, trying to prevent the blood from pouring out but it was no use. His lips quavered as a new fleet of underworld knights ran towards him and with one final blow, he was struck down to the ground, dead.

“Oh no!” Snips shook, her face filled with fear.

“Come on! It’s not safe to hang around here!” Avalar screamed and hit Snips’ shoulder to get her to move before making a run for it but Snips was petrified with fear and shock. She was in love with the young Cody and had just watched the underworld knights take his life right in front of her face and she had just stood there watching. The underworld knights spotted her and started running towards her at full speed, swords in front of them.

“Snips, you have to move!” Rex shouted with fear but she just stood there, dazed with shock. “Listen to me, if you don’t move you’ll be killed! Snips please!” Rex pleaded with tears in his eyes but it was too late. The underworld knights struck the petrified Snips down and a horrid sound of ripping flesh could be heard as the underworld knights scarred their swords across Snips’ back. She lay on the ground, moaning in pain as more knights flew towards her. She rolled over and managed to dodge the sword swings but it was too much for the open wounds to handle and blood gushed out of her back. The underworld knights took this as their chance to go in for the kill and with one blow, scored her flank and left her breathless on the blood-stained floor.

“Rex! What are we going to do?” Avalar asked with a scared tone but Rex didn’t reply. His eyes were filled with tears as they streamed down his face, staining his cheeks as his ears twitched with fear. Avalar stared at his leader, too in shock to do anything as the underworld knights ran towards the two. “Look out!” Avalar screamed as he jumped in front of Rex and started thrashing his sword at the knights but there were too many. An arrow flew into his left arm and he dropped to his knees in pain, his sword falling to the ground and he was unarmed and unshielded. The knights took advantage of him and slashed at his limp body leaving him the third victim. Rex reared up in shock and stared into the knights eyes with a look of horror before they flew towards him. He then snapped out of his shock and broken into a teary eyed fury and slashed his sword endlessly at his enemies.

“Rex!” Safir called out, tears streaming down her face as she stared at her fallen comrades and Rex being taken down too. She ran towards him but as she got close enough, she stopped in shock. Rex’s face was stained with blood but he was still alive.

“Safir…h-help me! P-please Safir!” Rex breathed heavily as he continued to slash his sword at the underworld knights. Safir took her sword from her scabbard and started to run towards the knights but as she drew closer, she stopped dead in her tracks. She couldn’t do it. She was terrified of these knights and what they had done to her friends. She knew it was the wrong thing to do, she took one last look at Rex, his body now on the ground, cowering under the weight of his sword as he shielded his face from the endless blows from the underworld knights’ swords and then she turned and fled. “Safir! A knight never flees their foe!” Rex called out in a weak whimper but Safir kept running, not turning back. “Safir!” She heard Rex call before she heard a blood-curdling scream. She didn’t dare turn around because she already knew what had happened. That was the last of her group. Rex was gone. She kept on running until she came to a forest and stormed through the trees. She threw herself down by a tree trunk and breathed heavily. She stared into space, shock filled her eyes. What had she done? She had fled her foe and caused the death of her leader! She closed her eyes. How was she to tell the king this? Then it struck her. There was no way she could go back to Camelot for she would no longer be welcome. She turned into the distance where she could just about make out Camelot Castle peeking over the hills and through the trees. Taking one last glance at it, she walked the opposite way, deeper into the woods. She was no longer a knight of the Round Table, she was an outcast destined to live the rest of her life alone.

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