The Humble Blacksmith Boy Drew the Ancient Sword Everyone Claimed Was a Myth
Previously: When a boastful mercenary fails to draw the legendary sword of the monolith, a soot-faced blacksmith's apprentice steps forward to claim his hidden, royal destiny.
The moment Arthur’s fingers tightened around the leather-wrapped hilt, a shockwave of golden light erupted from the monolith. The ground beneath the mountain pass trembled violently, sending loose pebbles cascading down the cliffs. Borin’s mercenaries gasped, drawing their weapons in sudden panic as the ancient stone began to fracture further, glowing with a brilliant, warm radiance.
With a smooth, effortless motion, Arthur pulled. The Sovereign Blade slid from the monolith like ice melting in the sun, ringing with a pure, metallic note that seemed to clear the heavy mist from the air. The ancient sword was free, its pristine steel catching the twilight light, humming with an undeniable power.
"This is impossible!" Borin roared, his face twisting into a mask of pure rage. "It is a trick! A peasant boy cannot possess the blood of the old kings!" He raised his massive battleaxe, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent. "Kill him and take the sword!"
Before the mercenaries could advance, an elderly man in a tattered gray cloak stepped out from the shadows of the pass. He raised a wooden staff, and a barrier of shimmering energy forced the mercenaries back. The old man looked at Arthur, tears of hope streaming down his weathered face.
The Secret of the Sovereign
"The prophecy is fulfilled," the old man whispered. "I am Eldrin, the last of the Royal Guard. You are the lost prince, Arthur. Your father was the true king."
Borin laughed, a cold, harsh sound. "The king is dead, old man. And his line ends today."
As Borin spoke, Arthur looked closely at the mercenary's dark steel breastplate. There, etched in the metal, was a jagged wolf crest. A sudden, violent memory flashed in Arthur’s mind—the night his childhood home burned, the face of the commander who had ordered the slaughter of his family. It was Borin. The man standing before him was the very traitor who had murdered the king. Arthur realized that his life as an orphan had been a lie, and the danger he was in was far greater than he had ever imagined.
”Arthur realized that his life as an orphan had been a lie, and the danger he was in was far greater than he had ever imagined.