Prophecy of Honor

By Woody Overton, Jr

Ten years earlier The Legion of Honor had destroyed the Dragon Queen and her armies- or so they thought. Now a prophecy tells that the Dragon Queen will return and conquer the world and destroy the Legion of Honor. The prophecy also gives hope telling of a male child raised on sword, sorcery and honor who will a have a choice of joining the Dragon Queen or uniting all men to fight for survival.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Woody Overton, Jr
• Release date: Mar 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310395024

Woody Overton, Jr

Woody Overton was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1970. He was raised in the small town of Clinton, Louisiana by his parents, who are both attorneys and credits his mother with his love of books. Woody is married, with 4 children. He presently resides in Maurepas, Louisiana where he enjoys spending time with his family on their pontoon boat, shrimping, crabbing, hunting and all things Louisiana!Woody recently retired from his successful career in law enforcement where he was a detective, investigator and polygraphist. He is self employeed as a polygraphist, and security consultant.Woody is a freelance writer, e-book writer and editor of Prophecy of Honor.If you don't find Woody on the Louisiana bayou, you can find him reading or working on his latest piece.

Book preview

Foreword

It was a time of peace - after The Great Dragon War and the very battle for mankind's existence - now was the time to enjoy the victory, to live in peace and to prosper.

The Great Dragon War had been as all wars – a battle of good versus evil. A lone female had risen to power through sorcery in lands across the seas and far away. She was born of a union between human and beast. She came to power by blood and destruction. The more death and mayhem that occurred, the greater her powers grew until they had far surpassed any living being and her sorcery led to the control of dragons. The blood which ran through her veins was theirs.

Both man and beast were drawn to her as her power grew, allowing her armies to grow. She knew that through death and destruction she would conquer the world and as long as she reigned as queen the life blood of her youth would continue to flow. From city to city, country to country, continent to continent, she spread her reign, enslaving those she conquered to fight and produce anything needed by her armies for them to continue their destruction. When faced with her opposition, some countries surrendered willingly while others fought to the death for their people. This was the rise of the Dragon Queen.

Landsend, the continent of men, watched as the Dragon Queen killed and conquered foreign nations. In response, the people of Landsend called for the formation of the Legion of Honor. These honorable knights raised their armies from across Landsend and they rallied together for the first time in history as they shared a common foe. Thousands of years of fighting skills and sorcery joined to defeat the Dragon Queen, less they all perish or become slaves.

With sorcery and sword, the Legion of Honor trained their own dragons, and ultimately they reigned victorious over the Dragon Queen. They then went forth and freed all the continents that the Dragon Queen had conquered, thus forming an alliance between the Legion of Honor and the entire world.

Because of these alliances trade, income, and overall prosperity began as neighboring countries

substituted wars and battles with trade as a peaceful way for the countries to grow richer.

The Legion of Honor had defeated the Dragon Queen and her armies were gone or so they thought.

Chapter 1

The great bastion of the Legion of Honor stood as a symbol of good. All men in the world knew of it and that it had been successful in instrumenting the defeat of the Dragon Queen, during The Great Dragon War.

The Legion of Honor had been formed a hundred years earlier in a response to the continent of Landsend's growing population and countries.

The great castle of the Legion of Honor had been built through the combined efforts of the people from all regions of Landsend. Everyone had contributed equally to construct the headquarters for the Legion of Honor.

The continent of Landsend was as old as time, but settlement of it was relatively new. It had began just a few hundred years before as inhabitants of expanding empires began exploring in effort to expand their domains. In search of trade materials they came for the riches of Landsend and many of them never left.

In time the Landsender's broke free of the governments of the empires they served. These governments were too far away to protect or effectively govern the people. As time passed Landsend became a continent of rough, independent men who formed their own governments and developed their own lands.

These independent leaders came together after a hundred years of lawlessness, small disputes and battles that needlessly took lives and resources. The Legion of Honor was formed. The inhabitants of Landsend rose above the barbarity of their previous existence. Now they had guidelines on how to treat one another.

When from time to time old rivalries flared the Legion of Honor convened the Grand Council to help bring justice to the aggrieved. It was a base form of government that all agreed was needed for the continent to grow and prosper.

It wasn't until the beginning of The Great Dragon War that the Legion of Honor truly came to power. For years its members had heard of the Dragon Queen conquering foreign lands, capturing and enslaving those people.

The Legion of Honor realized the Dragon Queen would eventually come for Landsend. They knew that to survive they would have to cooperate on a level previously not thought of. They concluded that each country had to produce its own armies. The bravest and strongest soldiers would be made into knights for the Legion of Honor.

These Knights would grow their regions armies. They would then combine their armies under the Legion of Honor and form a valid defense against the Dragon Queen attacking Landsend.

The people of Landsend had the benefit of time. While the Dragon Queen was conquering and warring with other nations for over twenty years, the Legion of Honor grew its armies. The Dragon Queen continued to conquer other nations and Landsend inhabitants realized that the Legion of Honor was the only chance they had to remain free.

The great castle of The Legion of Honor was built from a combined effort of all regions contributing equally to construct the headquarters. It was a great symbol of how strong Landsend had become. During The Great Dragon War, it was the sight of some of the greatest battles and ultimately the place that had served as the turning point against the Dragon Queen.

This great castle stood surrounded by open fields that extended for miles. The ocean was a short distance away, and a fresh breeze always seemed to blow through its parapets. When standing on the castle wall one could see any enemy approach whether by land or sea. The castle defenders could not be taken by surprise.

After the end of The Great Dragon War, the castle continued to serve as the headquarters for the Legion of Honor. By mutual agreement the people of Landsend continued to be governed by its Grand Council, which had just been convened.

Chapter 2

Lady Joy Alsina gathered her robes as she ascended the marble steps to the high arched stone doorway of the great meeting hall where she passed two honor guards dressed in their splendid colors of red, gold and silver. Each wore a sheathed long sword and metal armor. Now the honor guards stood as a symbol of the Legion of Honor which served as the protector of the lands and people. They watched over the entrance to the great hall where all the knights of the Legion of Honor gathered for their bi-yearly meeting.

In times past, the Grand Council meetings had sometimes lasted days, as the knights discussed and prepared battle plans, and strategies to defeat the Dragon Queen. Now they were more of a short informal ceremony where little was discussed of the land or armies. Most armies had long since been decommissioned and sent home and the soldiers that remained consisted of small groups for each knight. These soldiers protected the knights castles and lands. Essentially they were for show as no real threat or trouble existed. Ornaments of a time that had passed, these soldiers reminded the common people of their safety and peace.

The guards recognized Lady Alsina at once and quickly pulled open the tall, thick, heavy, wooden doors and with heads bowed admitted her entrance. Lady Alsina paused as she entered the magnificent hall. She never tired of the beauty and majesty of the room. As she looked around the great hall she remembered the large block stone walls were the craftsmanship of the skilled hands of the Landsend country of Keaton. Three long ornate wooden tables covered three sides of the room. They had been made by Keatonians, as well.

At the tables, Lady Alsina saw the knights of the Legion of Honor seated at their familiar places. The spots in front of them were filled with great plates of all kinds of meat and delicacies from the land. They had huge cups of wine or other libations in front of them, in their hands, or pressed to their mouths. There was a sense of joy and carefree spirit that these halls had known for years since the end of The Dragon War. So many years had passed that trouble was the furthest thing from any knights mind.

Lady Alsina had spent many days and even weeks in this council chamber doing her part planning the defeat of the Dragon Queen. The defeat had to be done with sword and sorcery, as both were needed for survival.

She was in this room when she was told her husband and son, both knights in the Dragon War were killed. Lady Alsina fought on so that others might keep their families alive. She had also been in this room when the final word of the Dragon Queen's defeat came.

Lady Alsina left the council hall seventeen years earlier intent on never returning. In the years since the war, she lived, in quiet, at Belle Grove, the home she had once shared with her husband and raised her son. She studied sorcery as it was what kept her going. It was sorcery that had led her to return here. When she said her piece, she was sure this was to be a place she would no longer be welcomed. Lady Alsina's concern was saving the lives of her countrymen. She merely hoped they would listen.

The loud conversation and laughter came to a halt as each knight recognized Lady Alsina. She was the most famous and powerful of all known sorcerers, as she had stood and fought side by side with the knights during the war.

Lady Alsina was fifty years of age, with long black hair shrouding her face and complementing her tall, slender frame. Her skin was of olive complexion. Ten years after the last battle she was still beautiful. The slight wrinkles around her eyes took away the appearance of her youth. Her appearance did not matter. The knights knew she was the most powerful sorceress at the end of the war and could only assume that her craft and skill had continued to grow.

They also knew what Alsina had contributed to the ultimate defeat of the Dragon Queen. Not just her sorcery powers but the loss of her husband and son. The father and son had died in a battle standing back to back fighting the enemy that had so greatly outnumbered them. They were overcome by the sheer volume of the enemy and died killing as many as they could.

Hear ye, hear ye, cried out one of the Honor guards who held the door for her. Lady Alsina wishes to speak before the council.

All knights stood at once and bowed their heads to the sorceress then they sat again. Hundreds of candles lit the room while three fireplaces roared. Each fireplace was strategically placed behind one of the three tables. Lady Alsina looked at each knight making direct eye contact before she spoke.

Honorable knights of the Legion of Honor, I come before you to share a great prophecy that I have foreseen. I demand that what I'm to say be kept in the strictest of confidence and to be discussed only amongst yourselves. You must swear, on your honor, to not speak of the prophecy to anyone outside of this room. To be more specific, you are not to speak of this to your wives, loved ones or anyone that you hold in high regard, especially not an ally that is not part of this esteemed Legion of Honor. I believe you will understand when I'm finished speaking, Lady Alsina spoke. Her voice was alive with authority and gentility.

General murmur broke out across the room as the knights leaned in to each other, all whispering and bewildered by this strange request. Lady Alsina knew the Legion of Honor had been born of the different races of men who had come together in a time of need and swore their allegiance based only on their word of honor. Honor was religion to the knights. No knight would swear an oath of secrecy, on their honor, without a great reason. Why was she asking this of them?

Sir Walter Goodson, a veteran knight who had much respect for Lady Alsina stood and spoke Brothers, before you is Lady Joy Alsina. Most of us have stood beside her in mortal peril. I know of no one that I have such respect for and; therefore, I ask that you take this oath as she has obviously seen or learned of something of great importance.

A cry of yeas came from