and pass beyond the icy knoll
I catch my first sight of it
the cursed final destination
of my long treacherous journey
the castle of Zwénne the Lesser
once my home, now foreign to me
this castle is most ominous
since becoming Overlord of the Realm
Zwénne has rejected our father’s example
no celebration resounds the greatrooms
no joy warms the hallways, or towers
this long proud and mighty old structure
now a soulless abode of dark magic
it has become cold and foreboding
and rumored most dangerous
even deadly for those that dare enter
but I know they are not just rumors
there is undoubtedly a murderous evil
that dwells within its walls
undead and otherworldly evil
since conjuring the spirit
of Döxys, the blood beast
and having been thus possessed
Zwénne has become bloodthirsty
mindlessly violent and cruel
now a ruthless predator
whom I have come to slay
would that this task were not mine
but I have been charged herewith
by the supreme council of wizards
Zwénne is my fallen elder brother
and by decree, under this 3rd moon
in the presence of his perverse court
by my hand alone, he must die
no turning back now, this must be done
and I must do it, but I am terrified
I hesitate at the heavy castle door
attempting to gain much needed composure
I slow my heartbeat, steady my breathing
I lift the iron latch, the lock clicks
the massive door unseats inwardly
this is it, fate has dealt the cards
I am both prisoner and executioner
trapped hopelessly in this horrible plot
I search my soul to find the courage
to take the life of my own flesh & blood
I swing the door open ever so gradually
eyes darting, mind racing, heart pounding
I step in…
https://helenevaillant.com/2019/02/26/10678/
DAY 13
Marvelous writing Rob. I walked every emotion through this poem, arriving at the door with trepidation and then…I love the ending…I step in…
Thank you for sharing an excellent story.
Thank you so much Hélène, I love writing to visual prompts because it allows such freedom to simply write, putting the imagination in high gear – and going for it! I will become a regular participant, especially on the surreal fantasy sci-fi type images. So glad I found you. I hav3 missed “Magpie Tales” and “Writer’s Island”. Thank you for Willow Poetry! 🙂
Yes an excellent story, you drew us all in and then what happened next ????
Thank you Willow. What happened next is what ever your imagination tells you happened next. Did he kill his older brother, or did his older brother kill him? You tell me… 🙂
Wow! This is a brilliant piece, Rob. The ending is stunning! Bravo!
Thank you Eugenia, I am very pleased this piece resonated for you… 🙂
Always a tricky wicked when evil overtakes good and has to be sent back from whence it spawned.
Nicely done….
(by the way not sure why your site comes up as not secure you might want to check that…)
Hi Jules. Thank you for the compliment! Don’t know why you got a not secure message? I have been publishing this site for over a decade. Between my published pieces and unpublished drafts, I have nearly two thousand posts. When adding in art, designs, and comments I have over 9,700 – have never had a single problem. I also do not allow posts or comments until I have verified the source, and I have a fully functioning, up-to-date Akismet spam filter. You won’t have any issues on my site Jules.
I like the way the tension builds stanza by stanza. And the ending is just right, on the threshold.
The stepping across of the threshold set’s off a cosmic chain reaction, the outcome of which is known to the true believers- and each will be differ3nt depending of the clarity of intention and purity of heart! Thank you Kerfe for recognizing such my brother!!
Excellent story ????????
Excellent story
Thank you Anjali, glad you liked it… 🙂
If you were trying to post emojis, my site is not compatible. It is 25 years old. It will allow a few imoyivons.
This is excellent! You build up the tension so well with each stanza drawing us closer and closer to that threshold, building to a crescendo. In my ending, our hero is somehow able to free his brother from the evilness. There is a bittersweet reconciliation before the brother succumbs to his wounds. “Your love and compassion has set me free. Thank you, my brother.” – Fin. Great write for Hélène’s prompt!
That’s a perfectly good ending Irma, bravo! Another possible ending is, the traveler is trapped in a temporal loop, placed there by a spell cast by his evil brother. Every time he steps in to the castle, he finds himself back outside, coming around the icy knoll, and seeing the castle in the distance. There can be as many endings as there are people to imagine them… 🙂
Wonderful tension till the very last line, beautiful crafted.
Thank you Paul. So glad this piece resonated for you… 🙂