King of the Gods

He was dressed in an emerald, glamorous robe that trailed along behind him, a royal glow emanating from the bright colour. After his hair had been thoroughly brushed by stubborn elves, much to his annoyance, his body scrubbed until even his fingernails were sparkling, the young man sat alone in a room gearing himself up to walk along this aisle, and the glorious moment had finally arrived! 1

It seemed like a dream – all the Gods that he had ever prayed to throughout his life stood around him, bowing down to his feet! Thor, with his mighty hammer, broad shoulders and a giant’s physique; Poseidon and his golden three-pronged trident, his long silver hair like a night’s wave; Aphrodite, flower fairies flitting around her and her shimmering soft blush dress and pastel pink ribbons tied in her shining chocolate hair. 2

Suddenly, as the young man reached the end of the aisle, a loud booming voice echoed through the vast hall.3

“Son of Freza! You have shown courage beyond our expectations!” the voice said in great appreciation. “Not only have you amazed us, but you may have rescued the entire race of immortal beings. Many thanks, young one. After much consideration with my fellow governors, we have decided to reward you because of our gratitude. So, therefore, I shall now announce you… King of Gods hereafter!”4

~*******~5

Freza stared angrily at the mocking eyes in front of her. 6

“You… you… traitor! How could you do this to me? You have completely humiliated me!” she spat. Before her stood a tall, dark, handsome figure. His eyes sparkled with mischief; his hazel hair fell playfully across his face; he stood proud and tall and his stained, ripped, black feather wings beat gently every now and then.7

“And how was that? Was it my charming looks that fooled you into bed, or was it just plain stupidity - on your part?” The man stood there smirking. Freza’s eye twitched in annoyance. With a wave of her hand he was sent crashing to the floor. A loud crack was heard as a hard and cold icy surface met bone.  8

“Go! Get out of my palace! I am ashamed to think that my only son has the blood of… of… a fallen angel!” Freza snarled. The man glared at her – the words she said struck him like a sword. He slowly got up, wincing at the pain in his arm. He hurried out of the palace, each step echoing across the ice. Icicles loomed above him, threatening and dangerously sharp like lethal daggers. Just as he got to the massive door, he turned sharply and said defiantly,9

“I don’t think you ever bothered to find out – my name is Gabrius. After all, even though your son has the blood of an… outcast… (at this point he looked pointedly at Freza), he at least deserves to know the name of his father!”10

After he had gone, Freza turned to a wolf sitting at her side. She stared into the wolf’s amber eyes, each one a flicker of fire in the dark of the room. 11

“When my…child…has been born, I want you to take it, dump it on Earth! It will get a better life there than here!” The wolf nodded slightly in understanding and then prowled off into the darkness.12

~*******~13

Hamn peered in despair into the dim streets around himself. Everywhere he looked there was poverty, destruction… death…There was a rank smell in the polluted air – a mixture of urine and rotting carcasses.  Dodging over the many wrapped sleeping bundles, he made his way to where the stench was coming from. He found himself by a rusty battered dustbin in the corner, its contents spilling out. Scrabbling around inside it, he pulled out a severed swollen hand. Hamn grimaced. It was obvious that one of the King’s guards had caught someone stealing, and punished them. By the looks of it, it had been a child. Angrily, he thrust the stinking hand into the darkness. A muffled ‘ouch’ came from a bundle in a corner.14

Carefully making his way across the minefield of grouchy homeless outcasts, Hamn started to notice his gloomy surroundings. Smog shrouded his feet in a cloud of poisonous gas; dirty houses loomed menacingly over him, leaning close to where he tramped, occasionally letting the wind whisper its threats; shadows danced across his path, a frenzied waltz with the light. Hamn’s heart beat quickened as he rushed through the labyrinth of streets. 15

“No place like home, eh?” he muttered darkly. In the distance, a forlorn dog howled. The moon was high and large, its silvery light shed on the faces of men who were masked in the shadows. Shattered glass lay on the floor from vandalised houses and broken bottles, the distinctive smell of rotting carcasses and urine was never too far away.16

Hamn hated his country – ever since the new King Lizaberth had stepped up to the throne. He had changed everything about the happy lives that people had been living, selfishly selling other peoples’ houses and even the whole sewer system to another country so that he could spoil himself with rich jewels and fine materials. Since he had sold everything, the country had seemingly “stepped back in time”, with no sewer system, no modern technology… 17

But the thing that annoyed Hamn the most was that no one was doing anything about it! None of the people complaining were even bothering to make a stand. So, in his view, it was all up to him.18

After his adventure through the back streets, Hamn came upon a small seedy inn. There was music, carried in the wind, floating out of the inn. The soothing sounds drew him in and he stumbled through the door, a small tinkling bell ringing as he slowly opened it. 19

Suspicious eyes turned to look at him, staring at him as he walked over to the bar. Feeling nervous, he looked round, his gaze meeting many pairs of apprehensive eyes. He stumbled nervously, and as if this was some kind of trigger, the eyes snapped back and the customers resumed their murmuring.                              20

“Um, can I have a pint?” Hamn mumbled, his eyes darting around the room. Slowly, the large innkeeper reached under the bar, took hold of a dirty-looking glass, and started to fill it with a brown, frothy beer. The process was painfully slow, and the giant of a man never took his eyes off Hamn, constantly glaring at him as if he didn’t belong. Finally, he slammed it down on the table, making Hamn jump out of his skin.21

“It’s a home brew, you sure you can handle it?” the innkeeper said in a gruff voice. Hamn shakily nodded, and answered,22

“Oh, er, yes I think I’ll manage, thank you…” And, leaving a few coins on the counter, he hurried off to the darkest corner of the inn. 23

Hamn was having doubts about the situation he was in. What if the man he was meeting didn’t turn up?  What if, after all this plotting and scheming, it went wrong, and they got caught?24

Shaking these thoughts from his mind, Hamn brought himself back to the bar. He seemed to have melted into the background, and now no one was taking any notice of him.25

“So… you turned up?” said a sly voice beside him. Gasping and flinging himself around, Hamn came face to face with a dark hooded man, the only thing visible about his face were his piercing yellow eyes. The rest was swallowed in blackness. Gathering himself, Hamn leaned in close.26

“Yes, of course I did! So, how are you going to help me?” he whispered, trying hard to sound brave. The hooded man looked suspiciously around and then leaned in close to his ear.27

“Well, to start with… I am going to arrest you, for treason against the King!” he exclaimed, standing up and flinging off his cloak revealing his guard’s uniform.  Hamn was bewildered. How could he have been so stupid?  Quickly standing up, he ran to the door, but the large innkeeper dodged in front of it before he could escape. The man smiled wickedly, a gold tooth glinting in the candlelight. Hamn felt a cold knife pressed to his throat and reluctantly let himself be led out of the inn.28

~*******~29

Hamn sat dismally on his hard bed, which was more like a wooden bench. The cell he was sat in was quite small; the once-white walls now stained a disgusting yellow. It was dark, as there were no windows, just a tiny hole in the wall. He studied a patch of spongy moss in the corner, wondering whether the dampness was caused by water, or something else…30

Putting his eye to the hole in the wall, he saw a street, patched with puddles and small children running around giggling. He smiled, and carried on staring, hungry for freedom.  Suddenly there was a knock on the door of his cell and he spun round,31

“Yes?” he said grumpily.32

“Food.” Came the blunt reply.33

“OK, I’ll just open the hatch then.” Moving slowly over, he held open the hatch. A plate of food slid through and the hatch snapped closed. Hamn noticed a small piece of parchment laid on top of the gruel, and snatched it up, puzzled. Unfolding it, he read,34

‘I have seen your power, your Highness. Please, I would like to help you. I am not sure if you have realised yet, but you have certain powers… I can see it in your eyes! Do not think that I am crazy, or mad, because I am not. Now, if you want something to happen, all you need to do is will it to happen and it will! Your Lordship, please trust in me. I am trying to help you to escape from here, because I know that there are greater things out there for you.35

Remember me, Anya…’ 36

Powers? Your Lordship? What was this person on about? Even more confused than he was before, Hamn kicked the wall out of frustration. He yelped in pain.37

Hamn sat down cross-legged, and massaged his toes. There was no way that he was going to get out of here; either that or he would die trying. ‘All you need to do is will it to happen.’ The words echoed through his mind as he thought carefully about what to do. At the moment, he was desperate for any way to escape from prison.38

‘I want the wall to fall down, I want the wall to fall down…’ he thought over and over again in his head. Opening his eyes hopefully, he looked over to the wall. Nothing had happened.39

“God damn this stupid place!” he screamed running at the wall and trying to push it over. To his surprise, Hamn fell straight through the wall and stumbled out on the other side. He shook his head, not believing what had just happened. Some small wide-eyed children were staring at him, amazed. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity. Hamn, just as amazed as they were, moved cautiously over to the wall and placed his palm against it. It was completely solid. Shocked at what had just happened, Hamn stepped backward away from the wall and without looking back, fled down the street.40

“You most gracious Lord Lizaberth, you have a visitor.” The King, disturbed from his slumber, opened his eyes and looked in front of him. There stood a scruffy man with a shocked expression on his face. In a way, he was quite handsome, yet at the moment he was looking thoroughly dishevelled. 41

“Speak, you have one minute.” The King said, already bored.  The man in front of him took a deep breath.42

“My name is Hamn, and I would just like to say how completely ignorant and selfish you are being. As a King, you are meant to respect your people, and I have to say you have no respect for us. There are many of us who feel this way, but most of them are too scared to say it to your face. So, I am saying it, and if you don’t do sort this out, then I shall raise an army of…”43

“And… times up!” The King, after inspecting his nails, smiled patronisingly at Hamn, unperturbed by the speech he had just made. “And what is it that you want me to do exactly? Oh no wait, sorry, I forgot, times up. Please leave NOW!” King Lizaberth pointed his finger at the door, and Hamn stormed noisily out of the palace.44

Suddenly, a dark mysterious figure materialised next to the King’s throne, and lazily lent on the armrest.45

“You know, I’m sure I know that man…” he said thoughtfully. The King whipped his head to look at the man by him and sighed in relief.46

“You surprised me! Now what was that you said, Gabrius?” he asked.47

“Oh, um nothing…” Gabrius answered, shaking the thought from his head. “Now, where were we? Oh yes, my deal.” He walked over in front of the King, staring deep into his eyes.  “If you let me be your right hand man, and let me share half of everything you have, I shall give you power beyond your imagination. For I, Gabrius, can grant you with… the power of the Gods!” Lizaberth snorted. It was true, this was a magical being who stood before him, with his battered black wings and the mischievous twinkle in his eye… But, however, there was no way that this man could give him the power of the Gods. Gabrius raised an eyebrow, made a strange and complicated gesture with his hands, and an orb appeared, floating between his hands. It shone with a rosy glow and for a moment, the King got lost, staring into the depths of the orb, transfixed at the wonders of it. Gabrius smiled, pleased with the reaction.48

“You could have it all, you know - each and every one of those Gods bowing down to your feet. Worshipping you, loving you, doing exactly what you say. You could control the universes, just by opening this small orb… Only Royal hands can open this orb…” Gabrius put his lips against the King’s ear and whispered, “You and I would be the most powerful people in the whole entire universe!” Lizaberth sat there, mouth wide open, staring, lost for words at orb. In a puff of purple smoke, the man disappeared, and the King was left with an orb on his lap.49

~*******~50

Hamn angrily ran through the streets, tearing down posters, kicking market stalls and shoving at passers by. All he wanted to do was crawl into a corner and die; anything was better than this horrible world, with a horrible King and his horrible mind! Finally, he slumped against a wall and slid down on his knees, a loud sob escaping from his mouth. Life wasn’t worth living anymore, what was the point? His head ached, his feet were blistered and his stomach was empty… 51

Something tugged at his heart, a mere notion that someone was calling him.  He looked up, searching the streets for any faces he recognised. To his amazement, he felt the tug again. There was no sound, just a feeling. Slowly, Hamn rose to his feet, ignoring the pain and the moans from his stomach. Not knowing what was happening, Hamn let himself be lead by his own feet, past the palace and out of the city gates.52

It seemed like his adventure would never end. Hamn kept following his feet for what seemed like months. He passed through small villages, where he would stop for the night, but no longer as he was unable to resist his feet, which twitched to carry on with the journey. He found himself wandering through vast forests, the leafy branches towering over him. Hamn had no idea where he was going, except that these landscapes seemed familiar like a cloudy memory, but he trusted in the tickle at the back of his mind - the one that pulled at his heart. 53

Coming to a clearing in the forest, Hamn propped his bag up against a tree and sat down on the crunchy brown floor underneath him. He reached inside his bag, searching for something quick to eat and pulled out an apple. Whilst he munched on the apple, Hamn finally looked at his surroundings. It was quite a large clearing, the sun barely visible through the treetops. It cast strange shapes on the ground. Shafts of light came down through the trees, dust dancing in the beams. 54

After he had thrown his apple into a near by bush, he again scrabbled around inside his bag and pulled out a rather old looking piece of parchment that he had purchased from one of the villages he had passed through. On it was the most beautiful map he had ever seen – elaborate writing, colourful diagrams and pictures with gold detail.  Using the map, Hamn worked out that he had travelled for over thirty miles, in a completely straight line across the land, to end up in Niveya Forest. 55

Feeling his feet twitching again, Hamn got up and walked over to a small stream trickling near by. He splashed around in the water, the coolness refreshing his skin. As he started to climb out up the bank, he saw something glinting in the water. He curiously stepped towards it, and reached into the water for the item. Drawing it out of the stream Hamn looked at the weapon he held in front of him. It was a massive sword, but light, which sparkled magically and the handle was encrusted with rare jewels. Hamn was amazed. Looking over again to the stream, Hamn noticed a person in armour propped up against a tree. He ran over, splashing through the stream.56

“You there! Are you all right?” he cried, shaking the man by the shoulders. Hamn took the helmet, and pulled. Yelping, he dropped it as he realised that the head had come off with it. Hamn saw the white bones underneath the clothing, and realised that this person, whoever it was, was long dead. 57

Hamn inspected the sword, and the armour belonging to the man. Carefully, he undressed the skeleton, and tried the armour on. It was a perfect fit. The chain mail was rather like white fish scales, a strange material that seemed like cotton. When Hamn tried ripping the corner slightly, he realised how strong this material was.58

Lying the skeleton down with its arms crossed, Hamn said a small prayer to as many Gods as he could think of, and then set off again, feeling more confident in his new armour. It had started to become dark, and as Hamn walked through the dim forest, he realised that he was not alone as he saw the shadows passing through the trees.59

Trying not to make it obvious that he had spotted them, Hamn kept walking steadily, but quickening his pace. He put his hand to his sword for reassurance, and feeling the handle underneath his palm he carried on. He wasn’t sure how long he was followed but slowly the forest began to thicken. Hamn tried hard to push through the brambles and bracken, scratching him and wrenching out his hair. He gave one last final shove and stumbled out of the forest, to meet a spear at his throat.60

Quickly, he drew his sword and knocked the spear out of the way. The King’s guards seemed surprised that he was armed, and in this moment of shock, Hamn jabbed at one of the guards. Catching him off-balance, the man fell into another guard’s spear, the point passing straight through his ribs. It was dark, but the man’s blood-curdling scream could be heard for miles. 61

Another guard approached him. Hamn suddenly rolled out of the way, surprised at his own skills. He then slashed across the man’s lower abdomen, the intestines spilling out like a jumble of sausages from a butcher. 62

Pulling the sword out, Hamn spun his sword round and hit a man creeping up behind him, dismembering the hand that held a dagger. The other guards cowardly had run away, and now Hamn was alone. He felt the blood rush to his head, and collapsed to the floor in shock and exhaustion.63

~*******~64

Opening his eyes, Hamn looked around. His vision was blurry and he could only see blobs of colour. Every sinew in his body felt strained and they ached. Blinking several times, Hamn’s vision corrected itself. He sat up, confused at where he was. He was lying in a bed made out of clear glass, the sheets of finest silk. The room was grand, with ice sculptures everywhere. It all seemed to be made of clear glass that shone brightly, so brightly that his eyes had to get used to it.  Hamn shivered. It was freezing in this room, and as he got up he wandered around, running his fingers along the wall. Hamn breathed out in amazement – the walls were ice, not glass!  His armour and sword rested on a chair in the corner, also made from ice.65

“Hello.” Said a motherly voice behind him. Hamn looked over his shoulder, and stepped backwards as he saw a wolf sitting behind him.66

“Do not be afraid. I am here to help. Follow me.” Said the wolf. Unsure, Hamn followed the wolf carefully, not keeping too close. She led him through many corridors and rooms, and Hamn stared in awe at the vast sheets of ice they were made from. The wolf looked back and caught him staring, and her mouth creased into what looked like a smile. Finally they reached a massive door, which slowly creaked open without warning. Far at the back of the room, Hamn saw a cold looking woman sitting on an ice throne, clothed in white furs.67

“Hamn! I’ve been waiting for you! It is so good to see you!” cried the woman, standing up. She was quite tall, and had icy blue eyes. She saw Hamn’s puzzled expression and gestured for him to sit next to her throne. 68

“There is much to explain, Hamn. To begin with, my name is Freza. Yes, I see your face. I am the Goddess of Winter. This may come as a shock to you Hamn, but…many years ago, I gave birth to a son… I never named him, never got to know him…. because I sent him to live on Earth when he was born. Hamn, you are my son.” She said simply. 69

Hamn was absolutely bewildered. This didn’t seem real to him at all.70

“But… but… how did I never know? And how come I don’t have any powers…” he suddenly thought back to the day he escaped from prison, and looked up to meet the kind stare of his mother.71

“Yes, I am sorry that you had to be told about your powers. That girl who gave you the letter is my servant on Earth.” Something clicked inside of Hamn, as he suddenly said,72

“You could help me, couldn’t you? The Evil King Lizaberth… I need to get rid of him to save my world!” Freza’s face fell, and she replied sympathetically,73

“ Hamn, as a God I am not allowed to meddle in human ways, and now that you have discovered your true self, neither can you, You have to live with me, here, in this castle. I’m sorry, Hamn.” He sighed - this was true. But he had come this far! He couldn’t just sit back and watch the world that he had grown up in be destroyed!74

“No! I can’t leave my home to be swamped by evil! Take me home, my real home. It’s the only thing that hasn’t abandoned me. You owe this to me… mother!” he exclaimed! Freza sighed, and reluctantly clicked her fingers. Hamn felt himself being pulled away, his entire essence leaving him. Quickly, she placed a ring in his palm.75

“Speak into this ring, and your followers will come…” she whispered, placing an icy kiss on Hamn’s cheek. He felt himself spiralling downwards and landed in a heap back in Niveya Forest.  Shaking the dizziness from his head, he opened his palm to inspect the ring. It was an ice ring, with a ruby set on top. He blew on it, and an icy cloud gathered above his head. Following an urge, he raised his head and shouted,76

“Come, my people, I shall lead you to victory!” He fell to the floor gasping for breath. Whatever had just happened had completely drained him of energy. He stood up, and saw an ensemble of creatures in front of him. There were elves, centaurs, wonderful beasts and other creatures of the forest, all kneeling at his feet.77

“Oh um, hello!” Hamn said nervously. “I am Hamn, your leader. Let us go to the King, and teach him a lesson!” he shouted. His army cheered, war cries echoing through the forest. “Let’s go!”78

~*******~79

“My Lord! We are under attack!” the butler cried, running as fast as he could to the Royal thrown. King Lizaberth merely laughed, and told the butler to leave him alone.80

“Let this army come, I could finish them off in seconds!” the King cried, his evil laughter echoing throughout the palace. The butler, now too scare to take orders, ran out, and screamed,81

“Gather our armies! Get together a defence! Quickly, otherwise we’ll all die!” Men all around looked up, and hurried to the weaponry to collect swords and shields. 82

They had reached the top of the battlements; ladders made out of the Niveya Forest branches rested on walls. Hamn’s army was climbing up the ladders, swords at the ready for any men who might try and stop them. A group of archers stayed at the bottom, ready to fire at Hamn’s command. 83

One of the King’s officers shouted an order, only to be stopped mid-sentence by an arrow piercing the back of his throat, spearing his dangling epiglottis. He fell to the ground, only to be trampled on by war-hungry men. Hamn jumped up and surveyed the scene. His army was being slaughtered, and he had to do something about it. Brandishing his large sword, he screamed a war cry and charged at the guards approaching him, cutting their heads off in a long line, each one falling to the ground with a loud thud. Blood was spilt and the war had properly begun. 84

Arrows whistled through the air, their aim true and deadly accurate. Troops of men fell at the front, toppling over and shoving more men off the top of the battlements. 85

Hamn was locked in combat with one large man. He swung his sword hard, but the man bent over backwards. The sword struck bone as the nose was sliced off the man’s face. He stood back up and his eyes widened, putting a hand up to feel the leaking, gaping hole where his nose used to be. This pain was gone in an instant, as Hamn swung his sword again, slashing the top of the man’s head off, as easily as the top of an egg, the skull cracking like the shell, and the brains spilling out like the golden yolk. 86

Suddenly, someone knocked Hamn’s sword out of his hand. He looked around bewildered, and saw a guard approaching him menacingly. Hamn made a punch with his gauntlet, knocking the guard’s jaw completely off, leaving his tongue lolling in the open air.87

Hurriedly, Hamn searched for his sword and scrabbled around on the floor. A boot kicked him, and he was knocked back flat on his back. The guard leant over him, teasing him with the blade of his knife. Searching behind him, Hamn grabbed a dagger from the grasp of a dead man’s body and thrust it into the guard’s face. It made a squelching pop, like an over ripe tomato as the blade met the eye. Hamn twisted it, a grinding squeak as he wrenched it out. The eye was skewered on the end of the dagger – an eyeball kebab. 88

An elf stood behind him, and handed him the sword.89

“Go, master. Find the King and kill him yourself! We shall stay here and fight for you!” Hamn nodded, and ran off to the palace. 90

Pushing the doors open, Hamn strode boldly in, sword at the ready.91

“Well hello again! It’s Gammon isn’t it? Or was it Bacon? I’m not very good with names…” the King sneered. Hamn didn’t show a flicker of emotion.92

“Surrender now, or prepare for death!” Hamn shouted. Lizaberth smiled, and produced a glowing orb from under his cloak. 93

“I don’t think you realise, Hamn. I have the power of the God’s, you can not defeat me!” the King declared. Then, without warning, he thrust the orb at Hamn. It turned into a pulsating orb of electricity. 94

Hamn watched it as it came hurtling towards him. He dropped his sword, and in a last minute act of desperation, tried to push it away with his hands. Hamn felt his hands tingle, and looked at the wondrous scene before him. A white stream of light from his hands was pushing the orb back towards the King! It thudded into his stomach, and sent him flying through a door, onto a balcony.95

“Your power is artificial, Lizaberth. My power is true! And now, you die!” Hamn screamed. Lizaberth backed away, and stumbled over the side of the balcony. Hamn rushed forward and grabbed him by the wrist.96

“No! I…want…to…”Hamn said, the strain on his arm almost wrenching it out of its socket. The King slipped and fell. At the last minute, he got caught on a chain hanging from the wall. It got wrapped around his neck, and there was a loud, bone-chilling crack as the King’s neck broke. He dangled from the battlements, a victory flag for all to see.97

“Oh, well done Hamn, well done!” came a sarcastic voice. Hamn spun round, and stared at the fallen angel behind him. He was the spitting image of himself, and then he realised.98

“You’re my father, aren’t you?” he asked.99

“Well you ARE a clever boy! Well done again! Well, now you’ve got rid of the King, just like I planned, it’s time to finish you off!” Gabrius ran towards Hamn, knife at the ready. Hamn was frozen, he couldn’t move at all. Suddenly, just as Gabrius was pulling the dagger back, Freza appeared in front of Hamn.100

“Hamn, I love you…” she said, and then her eyes widened as the knife struck through her body. Hamn screamed aloud, feeling the anger rise inside him. He charged at Gabrius, who was completely shocked by what had just happened.101

“YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED HER!” Hamn screamed, pouncing on Gabrius and smashing his head against the hard, marble floor. Hamn felt the body beneath him go limp and rose slowly. He fell to the floor in a black cloud of unconsciousness.   102

Hamn woke up to thousands of tiny fairies brushing and scrubbing his hair. He flapped at them, but they wouldn’t go away.103

“Argh! What are you doing?” he shouted, getting up angrily.104

“Haven’t you heard, master? They’re going to make you King! You’re going to be King of the Gods!”105