The Chosen Undead stood before the Throne of Want, a group of towering golems linking onto each other to create a bridge across and towards the thing he had fought so tirelessly for. The euphoria of his journey finally coming to an end washing over his mind, cleansing the horrid thoughts and wretched memories from his soul. For a moment, he stood, stunned and astonished that his journey was coming to an end.

He glanced towards the weapons in his hands, the Broadsword in his right, the Drangleic shield in his left, the Black Longbow and the large Flamberge strapped across his back. All of these, stained black and crimson from the undead who so savagely threw themselves at him. He looked towards the reflection in his blade, seeing his armored person staring back.

The blue cloth that kept him warm and safe under the plates of armor, the fur around his neck, the gauntlets, all carrying splotches and small stripes of red. A mournful sigh escaped his lips. He was a knight of honor, a knight who protected the innocent and kept his king safe. Now he was a monster who slayed everything that dared stand in his way. No man, woman, or even beast, should have to face the curse of the Undead. To find the Dark Sign upon their skin. The curse to feed on the souls of the fallen to avoid madness and aimless slaughtering.

He shook the monstrous thoughts from his mind. He had to face the end of his journey. To finally end the madness and take a respite from the broken world around him. He carefully stepped across the bridge of Golems, each step feeling as if he had a thousand pounds tying him down. The Emerald Herald, Shanalotte, the woman who had helped him through his journey, watched from the entrance as he slowly walked towards the doors of the Throne. He took a glance back at her, seeing her expression of relief and remorse.

Turning back to gaze at her one last time he found her voice gently echoing in his mind.

“You, who link the fire, you, who bear the curse…” Her words beginning to fill his weary and tired mind. “Once the fire is linked, souls will flourish anew, and all of this will play out again. It is your choice…To embrace, or renounce this…”

He slowly approached the titanic stone doors, watching as they gracefully opened themselves unto him. Dust and ashes flew outwards and towards him, ruffling the fur and coat tails of his armor. He stepped inside, gazing around the impossibly dark chamber. Only one thing laid inside of the large stone prison. A single throne, made entirely from stone. He studied the throne before him. It appeared like any other seat of a king, large, tall, the arms wide, and looking entirely uncomfortable. But he knew this was his end, one way or another.

“Great Sovereign, take your throne.” He heard the words of the Emerald Herald in his ears once more as he walked forward and slowly planted himself upon the seat of the throne, leaning back against the cold rock. “What lies ahead, only you can see...”

And he took a deep breath from the air outside, the somewhat fresh and decayed air filling his lungs one last time as he found the doors of rock slowly closing in on him, leaning no trace of light to ever be seen. As they finally shut, sealing with a loud groan and ear piercing clash, he remained in silence and awaited his fate.

~!~

“Then what happened?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked out excitedly. She and the other crusaders were gathered around a warm blazing campfire, listening to Rainbow Dash read from a book that surprisingly wasn’t a Daring Doo novel. Applejack and Rarity both giggled at the three enthralled fillies, glad to see them enjoying themselves.

The prismatic mare looked through the book, seeing only one page left with only a picture of the great hero whom the story revolved around. “That’s it! He linked the flames and became the new king, ushering in a new era for his kind!” Rainbow said, clopping her hooves together, only stopping when she saw the fillies wilt at the ending. “What? Didn’t you guys think it was good?”

“Well it was great! Ah just thought it’d have a more.... Well a bit of a better ending.” Applebloom said, huffing slightly as she looked disgruntledly at the book.

“Yeah! Like, he kicks Nashandra’s butt and is all like ‘Embrace this!’” Scootaloo exclaimed jumping up and throwing her hooves around as if she was fighting an invisible enemy. Rainbow Dash just chuckled and shook her head. Sweetie belle raised a hoof as the other two continued to babble. When Rainbow Dash pointed to her she cleared her throat.

“What if the Author made it end that way on purpose?” Sweetie asked, earning a confused gaze from the others. “I mean, it does give you a ending, but also leaves a cliffhanger. It pretty much lines itself up for another story!”

“Whoa....” Applebloom and Scootaloo said astonished as they looked to Rainbow Dash, hoping that Sweetie was correct. Rainbow Dash shook her head, giving them an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, girls. This is actually a copy of a really old book. The actual author hasn’t been around for a long time.” She told them, making them both slump with disappointment. Sweetie let out a huff as she too slumped, somewhat pouting at the news.

“Well that sucks...” Scootaloo said. Rainbow frowned at the downtrodden fillies, looking to Rarity and Applejack, both giving her unamused looks for depressing the fillies. Lowering her head with a small pout of her own, she looked at the three fillies and then at the book before her ears perked up. She gave a large grin and flipped to the very back of the book where a small footnote was scribbled at the corner. She had forgotten about it, as it wasn’t really vital to the story, but it could possibly help the fillies cheer up.

“Oh wait, what’s this?” Rainbow Dash said with faux surprise, the ears of the little ones perking up in curiosity. “A note at the bottom of the page!” The filles hopped up and went to see themselves, peeking into the back of the book’s cover. Seeing a small scribbling of words, they all gasped earning a giggle from Rarity and Applejack, and a suppressed one from Rainbow Dash. “It says ‘Though he was imprisoned, sealed away in the tomb of the throne, legend states that on the fullest of moons, the warmest of days, he shall walk his kingdom again. To link the fires, slay the monsters of the dark, and begin the cycle anew. As this is what he foresaw.’”

“Woah...” Was the collective opinion the three gave, their eyes widening. Rainbow Dash left them in their awe as she yawned and stretched out her limbs.

“Welp! I say it’s about time to hit the hay. I mean the moon is in the sky.” She said as she sleepily began to walk to her tent. Rarity and Applejack nodded in agreement as they stretched and walked to their own tents.

“I agree, after all, Beauty sleep is most important. Especially in this horrid weather! You’d think Celestia turned the sun up a few pegs before setting it today.” Rarity mused as she slipped inside her tent.

Applejack gave a yawn before turning to the fillies. “Now, I know y’all are all riled up thanks to Rainbow’s story, but do get to bed sometime before the sun rises. Ah don't’ wanna hafta carry y’all back to town.” She chuckled out as the fillies nodded to her with smiles. She gave one last loud yawn before flopping down inside her tent and onto her sleeping bag.

Soon the fillies were only left with the sound of snoring. They all looked at each other a moment before a large grin spread across all of their faces. Scootaloo stood up on her hind legs, forelegs bent outward in front of her.

“Rawr! I’m the last giant and I am going to beat you up!” She fearsomely roared, the other two filles quietly shrieking and running away from her. They chased each other around the campfire, giggling and laughing. Soon they were picking up sticks and ‘dueling’ each other, using their sticks and pieces of bark as shield and blade.

They battled each other well into the night until they couldn’t battle any more. Exhausted and slightly battered from too much roughhousing, they all finally dozed off into the world of dreams, sleeping on top of one another next to the dwindling fire. Dreams of glory and riches filled their heads, much to the amusement of a certain night princess.

~!~

He still refused the dark, no matter how much of it danced around him. His eyes were closed, resting so that he may face the world when it needed him once more. He did not know how long he had sat upon the stone throne, but he still needed to stay vigilant. He had heard several things from the outside, some stirring him into action, others only annoying him.

Crumbling rock, dripping water, monsters pounding against or shuffling near the door. Scratchings of mice against the outside walls, even a voice. A gentle heavenly voice, much like that of Shanalotte. Some part of his mind longed to speak, to hold a conversation with the voice beyond his prison, but alas, his mouth remained shut as he remembered the rock he sat upon.

Until the doors opened, he would sit. And sit. And sit. The first few hours were maddening, wishing he had a book or parchment. But without a source of light, he wouldn’t be able to read any how. Without any entertainment or anything to keep his mind busy, he began to think.

And he thought of everything. From how much his blade had been used to the memories of delights from back home. Massive feasts, sparring with friends, jesting songs of honorable knights, and merry drinking. His family. His wife, daughter and unborn son.

He had long since embraced the fact that his family was gone. That the world he once knew was only a facade to cover up the terrible facts of life. No amount of glory, drink, or riches was enough to heal the pain that burned in his blackened heart.

And after a while, he simply stopped. He stopped thinking, he stopped shifting in place to get comfortable, he even stopped breathing. His curse wouldn’t let him die, so why should he even bother with mortal bonds? He never hungered, he never thirst, he never even truly needed breath. All these things were only habit now.

And so he sat, still as a statue. Waiting for his time to come or for his will to be commanded by fate once more.

~!~

A loud grinding filled his ears, startling him for the first time in centuries. His body shot up as he let out a loud gasp. With widened eyes, he watched in awe and exultation as the massive stone doors opened. The squealing of rock against rock was almost music to his ears as he felt his legs and arms pushing him up from the throne.

As if he was being controlled like a doll, he pushed himself forward, ignoring the stiffness in his appendages. Once the light pierced the doors, a hand shot up to shield his sight from the blinding light. His feet carried him out of the doors, not waiting for them to open completely, and squeezed himself out between the immense stone walls.

With the weight of his armor and the disuse of his appendages, his body gave out. Falling to his knees, hands slamming into the earth below him, he took in a herculean breath. The crisp and clean air around him filled his lungs, expanding the chapped skin under his armor and nearly tearing open the worn flesh.

With that single gasp, he felt his body start pulsating again. His heart slowly began to pump, his lungs began to breathe, everything began to go back into place. With his body renewed, he lifted his covered head towards the world surrounding him, expecting to see the ashened void where he once fought Nashandra.

But no. Instead gigantic, viridian trees surrounded him. Dwarfing his stature by an almost obscene amount. While they gave a thick camouflage to the world behind them, he could still see moon light pouring from the canopy. With a tilt of his head, he looked up. Seeing constellations and a beautiful blue moon. Neither of which he recognized.

This wasn’t the world he knew. Where were the ash covered stairs? The hollowed soldiers trampling each other to slay him and devour his soul. Only silence greeted his olden form. Not a beast, demon, or man to be seen.

‘How long hath I been in waiting?’ He pondered to himself. Gathering his thoughts, he stood tall and proud. Glancing towards his stone prison, the dome that held him for an uncountable years. A small pang of anger rose before he swiftly turned and began to walk away, listening as the massive stone doors began to close, sealing his fate to wander. He was free to walk once more. Free to breath air and rejoice in the sun. But he still knew his place, to keep the flame lit and the dark at bay. No matter of freedom would change that.

A sigh escaped his lips as he carried himself forward. A smile slowly began to form on his face, the feeling of his boots against soft grass, the wind whistling past his helm. They were things he had forgotten, the simple pleasures that were never given when he was slaying beasts and monsters. Relishing the feeling of delight, he slowed his pace to enjoy it a bit more. He knew he had time.

If it took a thousand years for this day to come, it could wait a few moments for him to continue. The forest titillated his senses, from the sounds to the smells, he was relishing being able to simply enjoy his existence. He only stopped when a soft crackling filled his ears.

It took barely a second before his sword was drawn and his shield placed onto his arm, his feet planting as he swiftly glared at his surroundings. Scanning the trees and waiting for his opponent to step from the shadows and face him. The soft rustling grew louder and louder as it approached him, the grip on his sword becoming stronger.

And the bushes separated, letting the foe show itself. The sword began to swing violently towards the attacker before he saw what so eagerly stalked him through the woods. A small grey wolf pup, glaring up at him, baring its tiny teeth at him. A face of confusion worked its way onto his covered features as he looked towards the pup.

A smile worked its way onto his lips as he glanced down at the wolf, his knees bending so he could get a better look. The pup backed away from him as it let out a high pitched snarl. He nearly chuckled at the sight, holding out a hand to the dog. It stopped a moment, taking a ginger step towards him and sniffing the metal glove. It snorted and sneezed at the amount dust and dried blood that was caked onto his armor.

That got a small laugh out of him. He stood up, seeing as there was no threat, and glanced around. The mother of the pup surely must be near, it wouldn’t be alone without reason, unless animals had changed since his time. A loud yipe filled the air as his head snapped towards where the pup had been, seeing leaves falling to the ground.

His vision went all around the forest floor and then up the tree, a feeling of small rage filling his being as he saw a massive spider, as twice as large as his own shield, concooning the poor dog in its web. He quickly reached for his bow, drawing an arrow from his quiver. He had to make sure to be precise, as he did not want to harm the poor dog.

The spider stopped a moment as it saw him, letting out a soul wrenching hiss and flaring the venomous fangs on its jaws. Eyes narrowed, he let the arrow whiz by and pierce the arachnid’s head, pinning it to the tree it hid in. Black and grey gunk splattered across the ground and over the cocooned pup, staining the forest floor a sickly color.

He reached up and pulled the dog free from its prison, the wolf pup whimpering and cowering into his chainmail covered arms. He was going to let it go before even more rustling began to fill his ears. He glanced upward, replacing his bow with his broadsword. ‘Sweet merciful sun....’

Cobwebs hung all around him, spider eggs clinging to every surface, the corpse of many animals stuck to the walls. The fresh corpse of a large grey wolf hung limp from the ceiling, partially eaten with its entrails hanging from fresh wounds. There was barely a second as before spiders began to pour out of the shadows, crawling all around the trees and forest floor.

‘Spiders... It had to be Spiders!’ He thought fearfully as he looked for a escape. He wasn’t going to let himself fall so early in his new journey. Steeling himself, he opened a empty satchel on his hip and placed the pup inside, the wolf whimpering and cowering inside. With both arms free, he put the broadsword into his left hand and slowly drew the flamberge from his back. ‘If thou wants a fight, I am more than willing to oblige.’

He let out a growl and charged at horde of terrifying beasts, raising his mighty blade he leapt into the air. His boots crushed one of the monsters, while his blade swung in a large arch. It sliced anything and everything in its path, the spiders blood spilled like water flowing from a broken dam. Anger coursed through his blood, there were more than he was used to. No matter. With a herculean kick he sent one of them into a tree, causing the wood to splinter and the spider to splatter. A few leaped onto his back, but he countered them and tossed them in front of him. His blades found themselves deep in the underbelly of the nightmarish creatures.

With a mighty battle cry, he stomped, slashed and kicked everything that dared attack him. A few attempted to tackle him from the front, they were swiftly skewered on his broadsword. With a strong swing their corpses were free from the blade. Bodies lay scattered around him, twitching and oozing disgusting fluids from their various wounds. Their numbers were severely diminished, but still they fought on. Foolish creatures. They were made swift work of by the mighty blades, for nearly ten minutes he slashed and stabbed. Finally, all that remained were the pained hisses of the dying creatures. Their blood was up to his ankles, and bodies were stacked to his waist.

Huffing filled the air, the sound of blood dripping off of his blades and down the corpses around overpowering his breathing. He looked to his left and then to his right, seeing no more spiders attempting to jump after him. A flick of his blade and most of the blood went off of his broadsword, sheathing the stained blade. He ran the Flamberge’s flat side against the blue cloth around his waist, grimacing as the baby blue was now a sickly blackish green. Sheathing that blade as well, he glanced into his satchel, seeing if the pup at been injured at all.

The small wolf had balled up, quietly whimpering and whining to itself and looked up at him. Its eyes were oddly expressive as tears were clearly streaming down its muzzle. And for the first time in years, the Knight spoke. “It’s alright little one. They are all gone.” He rasped, his voice dry and gravelly.

The small pup cautiously poked its head up and glanced around, seeing the mounds of corpses around them. A small whimper escaped it as it glanced up seeing what was left of the wolf in the trees. As it sank back into his satchel, whimpering louder now, the knight felt a wave of pain clench his heart. It was painful to say the least. Glaring at the corpses around him, he reached into one of his filled satchels and pulled out a small jar. It was filled to the brim with dried red butterflies, rather combustible if used properly. Taking the torch from his hip, he smashed the jar against the tip, the torch exploding into a burst of flame.

‘These beasts’ children will not harm others as they have.’ He growled into his own thoughts as he walked to the nearest tree. He cared not for the forest or the creatures it held now. It would make his journey easier and whatever monster’s resided inside would burn. He savagely jammed the torch into the nearest egg sack, hearing the screams of the eggs inside popping and hissing as they were lit ablaze. He went to the next tree, smearing a charcoaled pine resin across the bark before lighting it with the torch.

He continued to light the flames until he was in a ring of fire, the squealing of egg sacs burning and the crumbling of trees bringing familiar memories back. Walking away from the flames as they warmed his armor and coat, he chucked the lit torch into the pile of bodies, grinning as they began to crackle and pop. His uncaring stride taking him far away from the flames. He needed to find someone who wasn’t maddened by the curse, someone who could give him a lead. And that meant getting out of the forest or finding someone who could lead him out. Surely the fire will attract them, so it was only a matter of time until he found them.

No matter what happened next, His work here was done. He possibly held a new companion in his satchel, should the pup stay with him. But for now, he only worried about moving, finding out where he was, and keeping the pup safe. His feet carried him deep into the forest, the moon’s glow the only light showing his path.

Author's Notes:

Yeeeeah....
A burning Forest isn't going to go over well with whoever is inside of it.
Anyway, R&R as usual!
Here is what the guy looks like!