My Entry to the Literary Magazine

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Prince Imdol
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My Entry to the Literary Magazine

Post by Prince Imdol »

In order to take a first step in getting a story published, I think I should submit a section to a magazine, and see if people like that first.

Thomas Cooper
Age: 14
Massachusetts
The Chronicles of Monarth: Chapter 3 “The Siege of the Moon Tower”'

Clash! Swords smashed, grinding steel. The sweat dripped off Frederic’s brow as he instinctively blocked every move Breylen used against him. He and Frederic had now become friends over such a short period of time. Frederic obviously wanted a rematch to the previous day as Breylen was the only person to defeat the young Prince of Monarth, after the refugees had arrived at the Moon Tower being chased. Frederic, his brother Benjamin, and his cousin Halaclaw were the only to escape the capital of Monarth while everyone else either died, or were taken captive.

"You've improved young prince," said Breylen, looking over his armor. "You've really hit me many times. Maybe next time you'll be able to defeat me."
Breylen chuckled quietly as he finished speaking. The two began to scan the surroundings of the Moon Tower, basking in the sun, enjoying the splendid view it gave them.
"Yes, maybe next time I will defeat you, if you don't run away so much trying to keep your precious armor clean."
They both laughed at each others retorts.
"This sure is a beautiful place," Frederic sighed, gazing over the distant mountains hugged in afternoon clouds. The sun shined on the lake as fish gracefully swam around in the glass water. The spruce trees released their scent, giving a pleasant aroma. They could see Rock Mountain off in the distance, a barren place, with no life whatsoever.
"No wonder Ulvaron decided to build his tower here. Too bad it will be destroyed through battle."
“Maybe in won’t be destroyed by battle. Maybe that army won’t come,” said Breylen trying to lift the mood. At this remark the two became silent remembering past battles; Frederic remembering that day he had left Medioctelem to retake Antioch. They both feared battle greatly, but were not new to it. Frederic had been through more battles than any knight his age.
And Breylen, being his age, had fought through decades of war, tearing apart his country.
As though it had shifted instantly from light to dark, cries came out from below. Fires went up, men screamed; a guard came running toward the two training men.
“Sir, they have come. They are down in the field, near the rocky plateau.”
He quickly ran back to his post and chose out a short sword and a long pike to meat the foes.
“We take them head on; form up ranks, pikes in front archers behind.”
The army abruptly obeyed, and formed two strait lines with the archers in the back. Ulvaron came out on a white horse clad in armor with Benjamin, Halaclaw, and the other Eagle Knights. We almost out numbered them, but if we did, it was by little.
Breylen raised his mace and shield up to the ready. The enemy, standing there so silent before, began to chant softly.
Frederic watched in horror as more and more appeared, until two fully armed legions were behind them, each armed to the teeth. Theirs leaders and lieutenants continued the chanting even louder than before. Legions of warriors began to appear out of nowhere. Now it seemed that they were outnumbered four to one.
"Are you ready for another battle?"
Breylen looked at Frederic smiling, but fear was growing in his eyes.
"I do not know," said Frederic thinking of past battles.
A Captain of Monarth began to give more orders, telling many of the archers and spear men to defend the gate at the causeway.
"There are so many. More than I anticipated," said Ulvaron on his horse, clad in armor.
"We will make a stand here. Do not take them head on. Pelt them with arrows."
The field lieutenants rose his hand, made a signal and yelled, “For your consideration!”
One hundred archers from the prairie and from the spire fired simultaneously, launching their deadly pointed missiles at the enemy.
The commotion outside the Tower did not go unnoticed, the Tower doors were securely shut, and many of the mail clad guards took a stand up top on the Towers balcony near Princess Allaria and her mother, Queen Allamaria. Two guards flanked the royal subjects of the Moon nation.
Frederic watched as Ulvaron’s army formed into two lines again. This time, they were on the defensive.
"Watch for the crossbow men," warned a line guard, running up to them barely missing an arrow.
Without warning, a horn was blown. The undead minions hollered a war cry, and charged with amazing speed. Their weapons held in their hand, and their shields to the ready. As the line contacted with the Eagle Knights they were all killed, as the Eagles were some of the best warriors on the earth, and fought with ease.
Even though they killed the undead minions, the oncoming waves tired some of them out. As the first four waves of undead were killed, half of the Paladins warriors had just fallen, and not one Monarthian casualty. Some of the men were panting, and some on their knees, but they were still alive, which was a good sign.
Suddenly, the Ostiten Paladin leaped into the air bending his back and looking as though he was in pain. Twenty undead minions emerged from the cadaverous bodies of the fallen, a cold sight.
Ulvaron motioned his horse to gallop swiftly toward Breylen, Frederic and Benjamin.
“Frederic, take out their crossbow men. They are going to advance on the tower and kill our archers.”
Frederic motioned for Benjamin and Breylen to follow him.
”Quick, around the side,” whispered Frederic .
Frederic quietly watched where he was going, and slowly made his way around to the other side of the tower. The enemy skeleton warriors, were each holding a crossbow and a quiver of arrows. They were aiming, and firing on the Eagle Knights, suppressing them back to the Moon Tower.
“Ccerio,” yelled Frederic in the language of Monarth. This particular word meant ‘now’, in the Monith language.
Frederic was the first to make contact with the undead. He whirled his well honed sword in the air, and plowed through the enemy, killing as he went. He thrust his sword in and took it out, defending himself from many a foe. Although he lent wearily on his sword, it was not a disadvantage.
Breylen and Benjamin were soon joining the fray, and they overpowered the enemy quickly.
After, the three were panting heavily, and beginning to walk back to the other side as some yelled in a panicked voice.
"THE CAUSEWAY," the soldier yelled, running to warn the others.
Frederic looked over the causeway, in shock as five hundred men took out a ram, and ran it into the gate of the Moon Tower. The rumble ran throughout the tower making a deafening sound. Frederic took out a bow and arrow, and began to fire onto the ram unit. His arrow found its mark, and penetrated the head of a mercenary barbarian warrior. They formed a small formation of shields that made them immune to arrow fire.
Unexpectedly fifty archers turned their bows and shot three volleys of arrows. Each arrow found its mark, and many of the mercenaries toppled off the causeway.
The mercenaries had to regain their footing and, pick back up their decrepit ram.
All too soon, they began ramming the gate of the Moon Tower again.
"We have to fight them ourselves. This way,” yelled Frederic.
He motioned for them to move around the tower toward to the other side so they could assault them from the top.
Suddenly the whole Tower shook as if there was an earthquake. The four men turned and looked just in time to see one of the Tower walls be completely destroyed by a large stone launched by the enemy catapult. Allaria screamed and hid behind her mother. All they could do is watch as three mail-clad archers fell to their doom. They were crushed by the oncoming rocks from the top of the castle.
"Frederic, we have to move now!"
Breylen and Frederic began to run to the back of the tower and to the gates. But as they were running past the Tower's central balcony, it felt as if there was another earthquake. The whole Tower shook once more, and the two warriors were knocked to the ground. The ram unit, had been pounding on the gate, sending a massive blow through the whole tower.
"Breylen?"
Frederic began to get back up on his feet. Much of the Tower was aflame as they traveled up the main shaft and came to the lower balcony. "WATCH OUT," yelled a guard as an enormous stone crushed the wall taking a whole company of archers with it.
"Quietly," reminded Frederic as he climbed down the side of the castle almost to the ground. He stayed quiet and looked at the battle below. The Monarthian was losing. Large amounts of heavily armed trolls and soldiers were chiseling at the Monarthian defenses pouring through the gates.
Suddenly, he leaped into the enormous crowd of enemy warriors. He caught them off guard, whirling his sword around relieving the remaining knights. Breylen and Benjamin joined into the fighting and came closer to Frederic, easily cutting through the undead minions.
"Fall back to the Keep," yelled Ulvaron and the remaining warriors outside. As Ulvaron said so, the armies in of the Moon Tower, ran speedily to the foot of the causeway. Frederic looked wearily at them, as they took the fields, and hoisted a large flag into the air. The large grass field, and the fish filled creeks were now destroyed, and burning. The trees were ablaze; a dark red flame soaring up into the clouded afternoon sky, giving a sense of loss to all who looked upon it.
They ran up the causeway, as Frederic, and went through the doors in the large stone battlements. Frederic made sure he was the last man through the door checking the fields and towers for any remaining man outside. He closed the gates, now cutting them off from the outside world.


Seven Hours Later

The fighting had been going on for a long time now. Many of the archers on the balcony had been killed. Only a few of them remained, firing arrows, and suppressing the advancing minions on the causeway. Frederic was down behind the gate, waiting for the enemy to come through. Every now and then he would go up to the balcony to fire an arrow or two. He wanted to save his arrows though. If the gate were to be broken through, he could offer support to the spear men. Breylen joined him at his side as he came to the balcony again.
The enemy seems to be losing more and more of their men.
"I believe there is hope in this battle yet," said Breylen
"You may be right my friend, for my heart wants to believe it, but my eyes tell me otherwise."
"Think as you wish," said Breylen. "Day will be here in less than three hours. Then I will be able to see and fire an arrow, right through their armor."
"I just wish for this to be over. There are only three hundred strong out there. I say we take them head on." Frederic was still gripping his sword in his hand. He scanned the area around the burning grounds of the erected tower.
"I think you are right. But it is a risk that Ulvaron does not want to take. I think he is right in doing so. They still have their archers. They have pinned us down. It would be a fool hardy task to charge out there, without our archers support."
Suddenly, a great horn was blown by a large beast. The army seemed to respond instantly as if summoned to do another task. They all began to remake their formation, and then march off into the forest lead by the necromancer.
“By Forthmian, what is going on here, they leave us, like a bunch of cowards.”
“I do not know why they are doing this. It is a weird way to win a battle, but I will take it.”
They ran down to Ulvaron, who seemed to be in a good mood. He was on his white armor clad horse along with about thirty-five others.
“We are going after this army. It is still a threat to Monarth. We will meet up with all of you at Orion City if we can. I suggest taking a different route than us. Rock Mountain is a flat plain. Anything can be seen from side to side. Then comes the Forest of Ahnlan. It should be relatively safe. I bid good luck to you all.”
Ulvaron lead his horse away from the others toward Frederic.
"Frederic, you must leave the Moon Tower. It is not safe here. Take western side of the Forest of Ahnlan. You may have better luck. You must leave tomorrow. If you stay here any longer, you may not live. Take my word for it!"
"Yah!" Ulvaron kicked his heals into the horses sides, and the small cavalry army headed out, down the causeway lined with dead bodies, and into the forest of Ahnlan.
Thomas C.
"Sow a thought, reap an action;
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny"

"Don't let school interfere with your education."-Huckleberry Finn
katebleakley08
Gong Farmer
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Joined: Thu Mar 25, 2010 1:58 am

Re: My Entry to the Literary Magazine

Post by katebleakley08 »

Hello. I really loved it. It makes me want to read more of the story. I hope you do well. They certainly can't ignore such a writing.
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