RKINGDOM OF LEONDORO

Light and Darkness

CHAPTER I
CLOUDS OF WAR

 

The small kingdom of Leondoro lies in a large valley protected by a mountain chain that surrounds it, also separating it from the sea which can be reached by crossing a valley that opens between the mountains and in which flows a large river which, flowing from the high mountains of the north , crosses the entire kingdom until it flows into the southern seas. From the lush plain, where large cultivated plots alternate with woods, you climb gently towards a plateau that extends to the foot of the mountains, its eastern side ends with a wall overlooking the river so steep and smooth that it is impossible to climb, to the west it extends to the mountains that form the border of the kingdom; on this plateau stands the capital, a large city surrounded by high fortified walls, protected to the south by the mountains against which it is placed and to the east it overlooks the steep wall that dominates the river. The houses are grouped together in blocks of six two-storey houses each with its own garden, these blocks form like two large chessboards on the sides of the large road that from the city gate reaches the square in front of the royal castle, home of the king and of his court, which dominates the city. The walls are about six meters high and are made up of two bastions, an external one very thick in a particular very resistant stone made unassailable by a vitrified layer harder than diamond, the innermost one, built with the same stone has various doors that give access to the armouries, the troop quarters and the warehouses for storing goods from all over the kingdom, light to these rooms is ensured by skylights open onto the walkway above that joins the two walls, protected by the same glassy substance that covers the walls; Entrance to the city is permitted via two large arched doors that can be closed by steel bulkheads that disappear inside the walls; the tunnel that connects them is monitored by sentries housed in two sentry boxes on the sides. The castle is a fortified construction with a square plan whose eastern wall overlooks the river while on the west there is a door protected by a drawbridge for crossing a deep and wide canal, fed by a spring, which goes to throw the waters into the river with a high foaming waterfall; from this door you have access to the road that connects the town to the distant mountains where the rich mines are located; the main door opens towards the city, also protected by the drawbridge, at the top of the door the blue flag flies with the coat of arms of the kingdom in the centre, a large red shield with a golden edge, inside the shield seven winged lions form a crown to a flaming dragon all embroidered in gold filigree, the shield is between the paws of a silver griffin with red-flecked wings. The facade of the building dominates a large square with a truncated cone-shaped obelisk in the center which rests on a base with seven faces on each of which is set a gold-coloured winged lion, on the top of the obelisk there is a statue of a flaming dragon facing the northern border of the kingdom. On the roof of the palace a large crenellated walkway, on which ballistae and catapults can be seen, surrounds an elegant building with large windows decorated with colored glass mosaics representing scenes from the bucolic life of the valley, the roof is in the shape of a golden dome in which alternating glass segments in various colours, on the top of which is placed a large winged lion all in gold, so shiny that in the rays of the sun it seems to have its own light, on its forehead is set a large diamond, this pavilion is the private apartment of the rulers of the kingdom; at the four corners of the castle there are high lookout towers with mullioned windows. From the back of the castle starts a long winding staircase that leads to the top of the mountain where there is a square-shaped building, from the center of the flat and crenellated roof rises a high watchtower which, from the four large windows on its top, dominates the the horizon for many kilometers both towards the valley and towards the sea where the great river flows; on the top of the tower there is a lighthouse whose powerful light is used to send messages to the various surveillance stations in the valley, the interior of the building is a temple with frescoed walls with scenes of bucolic life on the wall in front of the entrance a kind of altar under which there is a large room closed by a door with two doors in chiseled bronze, on the wall there are seven niches, with statues of winged golden lions, placed in an arch around a larger one with the gold statue of a great dragon, are the protective gods of that people. Energy for the large lighthouse and the entire city is provided by two wind turbines placed on two towers on the sides of the building; the energy necessary for city is also produced by powerful turbines driven by the waterfall that flows into the river. The rapid movements of the sentries assigned to surveillance are ensured by a long track on which a capable wagon moves, dragged upwards by sturdy ropes driven by a powerful electric motor housed in a compartment at the foot of one of the two towers.
Six stately homes that flank the square, three on the right and three on the left, copy the castle in reduced size, on these too the roof is in the shape of a dome surmounted by the winged lion all in gold, each of these has a set on the forehead a precious stone of a different color, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Amethyst and Topaz and Pearl, are the homes of the king's six advisors, positions which, like that of the ruler, are hereditary. The square in the front part is closed by sturdy walls, which also extend to the back of the councilors' buildings, a large arched door gives access to the main road.
As soon as we enter the door we are welcomed by a large entrance, which can contain over a thousand people, at the back a double flight of stairs leading to a large terrace from which the sovereigns preside over the assembly of the people on the occasion of the kingdom's festivities; a double door guarded by two men-at-arms with halberds leads to the throne room where the King receives the notables of the kingdom and administers justice. On the sides of the throne there are two doors that give access to the private studies of the king and queen, from these rooms the sovereigns can access their apartments via an internal staircase which also allows them to go down to the ground floor. On the sides of the entrance to the building on the right there are two doors, the first gives access to the guard post and the other to the servants' quarters; on the left a large door gives access to the banquet hall at the end of which there are two doors, one leading to the kitchens and pantries while the other gives access to the underground cellars where the fine wines produced by the farms of the kingdom are stored. In the center under the terrace, a large door with two paneled doors with bas-reliefs representing scenes with legendary animals leads to the ballroom at the end of which there are three seats, the highest one in the center for the king which is surmounted by a head. of a golden lion with wide open jaws and a diamond set on the forehead, on the right that of the queen and on the left that of the keeper of the seals of the kingdom surmounted by a griffin's head, next to this a door gives access to a vestibule from which one goes up to the upper floor; a mezzanine located above the entrance door is the seat for the orchestra; along the walls sofas and armchairs in damask fabric and on the walls there are beautiful paintings, tapestries of great value and ancient-style weapons, in the center of the white marble floor with red and blue veins there is a circle bearing the coat of arms of the kingdom; the wall behind the seats is covered with large slabs of blue marble with white variegations between the slabs are inserted gold bars around the edges, on the right of the seats in one of these slabs is set a hexagon inscribed in a circle entirely in golden metal , on the vertices of the hexagon there are circular niches dug with a silver background, in the center are set winged lions built in a mosaic with small precious stones of different colors, starting from the top vertex the precious stones are in the following order Ruby, Amethyst, Sapphire, Emerald, Topaz, Pearl; in the center of the hexagon a niche equal to the others but the background is gold and the lion is made up of small diamonds set, each niche has a slightly protruding outline in red enamelled metal with four small notches, two on the horizontal diameter and two on the vertical one; above that symbol a niche equal to the others, but with a gold background, inlaid with a silver griffin with red-flecked wings, under the symbol a niche similar to the others with a blue background inside seven small gold lions in circle and a gold flaming dragon is set in the center. High up on that wall there is the dial like a clock with a single hand which however is stopped vertically, on the outline there are six symbols of small lions, each of the color of those in the niches, corresponding to the even hours of a clock. On the two sides of the room, three on the right and three on the left, there are six stone seats for the six councillors, on the seat and back there are blue velvet cushions embroidered with gold filigree, the seats are surmounted by heads of golden lion with wide open jaws, on the forehead of each of these heads is set a stone of the same color as those of the niches; on the king's throne appears the head of a golden lion like the others with a diamond set.
King Leodarch is tall and, like all males of his race, has facial features that resemble those of a lion with large green eyes with golden flashes, a thick tawny mane, in which a few white tufts appear, frames his head, the body still slender and agile despite his age, is covered by a large ice white tunic with filigree embroidery golden and tightened at the waist by a large white silk sash embroidered with lozenges in gold threads with two stylized winged lions of the same metal at the ends, on the chest of the tunic there is a symbol formed by a silver circle with a lion in the center winged made up of small glitter on a gold background; his bare legs are covered with light red hair like his mane, on his feet he wears slippers with raised tips in the same color as the tunic and with the same filigree designs, on his head he wears a simple gold crown with seven points each surmounted by a small winged lion and at the base of each tip are set precious stones like those on the heads of the lions on the seats.
He is in his study and paces nervously waiting for the Keeper of the Seals to make serious decisions because less than reassuring news arrives from the borders of the kingdom, it seems that the kingdom of Tenebroso, beyond the mountains, is preparing to invade the valley. Suddenly the door of the study opens and the keeper of the seals of the kingdom enters, he has a completely white mane and a long white beard that almost blends in with the white of the tunic which bears on the chest a symbol formed by a circle inside which a silver griffin is embroidered with wings streaked in red on a gold background; at the waist a sash, similar to that of the King, purple in color but without embroidery. After bowing, the elderly councilor waits to be asked; the sovereign looks at him worried and asks him:
«Leandro, what news do you bring me, I can see from the expression on your face that it must be terrible».
«Your Majesty» Leandro replies with a voice in which all the anguish he feels shines through «The news I bring is more serious than what was thought, six days ago we were warned of strange troop movements in the kingdom of Tenebrous and it seemed they were heading towards the border; now I have received the news that two days ago the armies have routed the troops guarding the border and with them a gray pall extends where they pass and obscures the sun and in the midst of this fog large black dragons with fiery eyes are circling, but the worse is that your armies lose the will to fight and swell the enemy ranks led by your brother who was exiled for his attempted coup d'état, he swore to conquer this city and put you to the sword, your spouse and children; it is he who leads the great army with a handful of dark soldiers who seem invincible, he rides a winged steed as black as night with eyes as red as embers that send out flashes of fire, they will arrive here within a few days."
«This castle is well protected and the troops are the best in the whole kingdom, he certainly won't be able to beat them».
«You are wrong, my sire, those soldiers are capable of defeating an entire garrison, they seem invincible, then there are those dragons who release that evil fog from their mouths; there is only one solution, you have to leave the city with your wife and children."
"I cannot abandon my people and my city, I will fight and if it is fate that I die defending my people, so be it."
«No sire, your sacrifice would be useless, you must live and above all your children must live; I will reveal to you a secret that has been kept by my family for centuries, but first I want to remind you of the legend of the origins of our people and the birth of the kingdom."
«So tell me I have always had great respect for your wisdom and therefore I will listen to you and if what you tell me can save the kingdom I will follow your advice».

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