Ishwari chisole
Winter arens(kingdom)
Weltharas continent (south)
Eight days before destruction of Aravan island
The valley was abundant with Thousand upon thousands of soshar. A tree adorned in radiant white frost that clinged and rustled with every gust of piercing wind.
Soshar trees were rare, but in winter arens, they were hugging each other, as if approaching each other with a sense of friendliness that only a compartment of humans would understand.
They were hugging, it was pretty evident to ishwari chisole. To others it would seem, that they are falling on one another with every accident of an Ox or an white pelted moose who would ram the trees with his gargantuan antlers.
Ishwari had a different view of the world, from a very hedonistic Outlook, her perspective was to find pleasure in everything.
Religious or not... Everyone deserves to live the way they want...
She would say that in every situation, even if she faced hostility from a throng or vilification by her own father. She would mutter the same thing, a smile would tug at her lips and everything would be conventional again.
The trees, although, they were called soshar, was still trees for her. They cast a bluish hue around the castle—of which granite was showing, if looked with a scrupulous glance.
The frozen white earth, pale sky with sparhawks and gryfalcons, a colossal castle with granite ostentation, and all around them, soshar;in thousands made home, circling around and reaching as far as a eye could see;to ishwari's estimation, the trees would have made home as far as the end of the valley.
Her hands were calloused with applications of a wooden sword, which dangled from her belt. From time to time, she looked at the sword and thought: I crave for steel. I want a real sword.
She touched one of these notorious 'shoshar', and beheld white-blue petals swirling around her blue hair.
"Beautiful," she whispered.
...
With every step her apprehension grew more and more. As she rounded another cluster of shoshar, she saw the granite castle;this time not a mere glimpse. She saw every portcullis in South West winching upward, hundreds of people entering winter arens. They looked like tormented souls entering hell.
A corpulent figure stood above a boulder;raised like a pulpit. In his left hand,
A mean looking whip with pointed nails studded all around. Slithering and laughing, he beckoned the throng to move forward with haste.
As soon as an elder or even a child would stop to catch their breath, he would hiss and whip them so hard that their skin would come out of that whip;like splintering wood.
Ishwari was almost at the front gate. She heard whispers among the throng, two young looking farmers were talking. She slid and walked side by side, carefully eavesdropping.
"King is cruel."
"Would you please keep your tone down!"
"Why should I? It's true, isn't it? King is known for his cruelty and injustice."
"Yes... But he's also known for his love of art and books."
"I would burn these things just to—"
"For the last time... Keep your voice down!"
"Winter arens is... You, over there. Are you listening to our conversation?"
Ishwari spun and coughed. "No... Actually, i was trying to find a short way. So i could meet the king faster than others."
"He's not something you would want to meet."
"Haerin, I'm begging you. Lower your voice."
"Why should I? When he's there in his castle and those gold studded chambers, drinking... Dancing, whoring himself to his sleep while we farmers out here die just to fulfill his appetite."
"We are illiterate, haerin. There's nothing we can do except for this..."
"I know it's unusual to listen to a stranger. But I'm ishwari chisole. The king has hired me for... Well that's the question he refuses to answer in his missives. And that's the question that has brought me here."
"Enough digressing women. Get to the point."
"Yes... I think i can help. If you have any request or plead for reprieve, then I can—"
"Request?" Haerin seethed. "Time for request is over. He had enough time, enough time to resolve his own problems. He deliberately hid when gelvato's ghost knights came knocking on this very castle. Did you hear what I said? He... Hid!"
"I apologise. The incursion you mention... I know nothing about it."
"Haerin... We should—"
"Wait a damn second, dumnao." He spat.
"So, he told you nothing about it?" Haerin tilted his head in question. "He had a feud with ghost king gelvato. That idiot provoked him, kept on mocking his pride. And then the ghost king came, not alone. Ghost army... You know, they-they don't bleed. No weapon harms them. Lances, swords, pikes, war hammer, flail, halberd... Nothing; nothing at all. They are immortal. When our idiot king found out, he trembled in fear and ran away from battle. Took shelter of his gold studded chambers. All of his knights died in that battle. You know, this wasn't even the most humiliating thing that we arenians faced that night. No... King gelvato did not claim this kingdom under his banner, he said: 'too small for my disposition,' then he laughed and plundered everything he could. That is why, we have been worked till we bleed."
"I didn't knew. I—" ishwari was stunned. She didn't know what she can do to help commiserate this agony that was tormenting their very soul.
"It's farcical isn't it? We are working ourselves till we bleed just because our idiot king over there decided that his blood should not be shed."
"Haerin... Please, take a hold of yourself."
"Ishwari... If you're making your way towards the king then you should know something."
"What is it?"
"Today is the day... The coward king dies."
World of sumaka through eyes of king gelvato —
Ghost army is one of the most feared armies in sumaka. Other kings often ask me how do I control them. This is not a secret that should be discussed. It's my secret. My calibre and valiant that I, only I, can control them... The gods watch over me...
My ghost army rides bone rhinoceros and tigers that are also made out of bone. They don't need any armours, only a weapon.
They can wreck havoc on anything. It's high time that I should start conquering the west.
They talk funny though. Nobody understands their language, I wish I could but gods are never that kind. Nonetheless beggars can't choose what alms they should receive. I'm willing to accept this downside if it means I can conquer every kingdom or land i lay my eyes upon.