literature

TLoS: UAA 57: The Last Virtues...

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Greywater searched through through the private quarters, containing Har'Lan's private bathroom, bedroom and study; like the rest of the vampire's castle, it was messy, dark and squalid; almost everything in his chambers was coated in a thick blanket of dust; neglected and left to rot...


...All save for one thing: A book, carefully placed open upon a lectern at the foot of the Ifriqiyan King's bed. All the other books in the castle were dusty and worn: Their pages torn, their binding broken, their words worn. Naturally, it stood out like a sore talon, and inevitably caught Alexander's attention.

It was a Koran; but more than that, it was Har'Lan's own, specially made copy of the Koran. It had been a gift from King Gether when the vampire first came to power, and was at least sixty human years old now; despite this though, its condition was utterly flawless: It was a heavy book, bound in black leather, finished with Islamic artwork, painstakingly flourished upon the cover and many of the pages therein; inside, the pages were made of a soft, creamy beige paper, upon which was scripture, carefully written with black ink.
Of course, Greywater couldn't read a word of it: The entire book was written in Arabic. This fact quite impressed him, looking in hindsight: Har'Lan had taken the trouble to become learned in an entire language, just for the sake of keeping up a disguise. That being said however, it did look as though Har'Lan had genuinely, and regularly, read the book, and took good care of it. Greywater smiled slightly: Sure, Har'Lan was cruel, corrupt and calculating, but he was certainly a committed and dedicated dragon when he wanted to be...

It took the Dutchman quite some time to explain the situation and summon help on the phone, especially as this meant he had to try to explain the events which transpired within the walls of the castle of Sandforge; and that Har'Lan, King of Ifriqiya, was actually a vampire, who had likely fled Libya entirely by now.
Soon enough though, he was finally finished and so decided to return to Ddraigtanto, but not before deciding to take Har'Lan's Koran.
Carrying the book underarm, the dragon king joined Ddraig, who sat motionless over Elwynn's dead body, with the Imperial Guard dragon keeping a careful watch nearby.
She'd stopped crying by now, but now just felt numb and cold, despite the heat of the desert the city was located within. Ddraig briefly turned her head to see Greywater as he sat next to her, then returned to facing the body before her.
"I should have never let him come with me..." She spoke, her tone lifeless and remorseful. "...This is my fault."
Greywater wrapped a wing around her, and held her tightly. "...If it's anybody's fault, it's mine. I was here in Sandforge before you arrived. As you were about to enter this castle, I was right in his chambers, about to shoot him dead. I didn't though, he said you'd think me a murderer if I did, or at least implied it. I didn't know he was a vampire, and if I killed him, I'd have to explain that he wanted to kill you, and I'd done nothing about it until now."
"You should have killed him..." Ddraig cursed. "I would've believed you if you told me Har'Lan wanted to kill me."
"You're upset and angry." Ddraig's Dutch King protested. "You don't mean that. In any case, how would you know I wouldn't have just been lying to you?"
Ddraig sighed: "In short? You're a good king, and a good man. I trust you."
Alexander found himself staring into Ddraig's eyes, more convinced of his affection of her more so now than ever before; he had to speak up. "I have something to tell you..." He told her: "You see, I..."
However, Ddraig placed her paw on his lips, silencing him. "No..." She whispered, her tone still heavy and grim. "Not here, not like this..."
The green dragon's heart sunk in his chest. Wordless, he stood and left, taking Har'Lan's Koran with him; like his father, Willem Greywater, Alexander was Protestant Christian: The Koran had no religious value to him. However, it was the one thing in Har'Lan's life which had any potential for goodness; it, like Elwynn, didn't deserve to be left in this dank and evil castle to rot alone in the dark...   
Chapter 57! And Islamic scripture!

Upon seeking to find a working telephone, Greywater finds Har'Lan's Koran, and in short: Decides to steal it.
Later, he returns to Ddraig to have a brief chat, before getting blocked by Ddraig as he seeks to tell her something very important to him...

Yeah, this chapter's kind of short; this story is nearing its end, and will likely finished by chapter 60. It's a nice round number to finish on, and I like that!

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Ddraigtanto (Ddraig), King Alexander Greywater (Alex, Greywater), King Elwynn Lloyd, King Gether Lucien and King Har'Lan Mali belong to Me.
© 2014 - 2024 Ddraigtanto
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eemhp31's avatar
TO SHORT AGAIN!

Well done though.