Chronicles of the Fallen: A Warriors Tale

By A.S. Chambers

It was funny I started this book as therapy through counseling, but I found the more I wrote, the more people became interested. My wife began this journey for me into writing by just throwing it in front of people to just get their opinion on what seems long ago a simple short story, but to my surprise, they wanted more and more, and I was asked by many people when I was going to publish; well, here it is. Please enjoy. I look forward to creating my next one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 31, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503590670

A.S. Chambers

A.S.Chambers resides in Lancaster, England. He lives a fairly simple life of walking in the countryside, gazing at mountains and rescuing his cat from the net curtains.  He is quite happy for, and in fact would encourage, you to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest and Twitter. There is also a nice, shiny website: www.aschambers.co.uk

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Copyright © 2015 by A. S. Chambers.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2015912236

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5035-9069-4

   Softcover   978-1-5035-9068-7

   eBook   978-1-5035-9067-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 07/29/2015

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Contents

1 Mornings are A Bitch

2 The Princess Returns

3 The Boy with a Dragon Heart

4 Northern Lights & Perma Frost

5 The Grand Duke & Duchess

6 The Ice Fairy & The Frozen Princess

7 The Gallows at the Crossroads

8 The White Witch

9 The Day The Forest Died

10 Ashes to Ashes…

11 Ghost in the Mist

12 A Warriors Farewell

13 How Time flies and It’s Gone

14 Reflections and Contemplations

Dearest Reader……..

Dedicated to the others, the fallen, the forgotten

and the lost, we all have our own chronicles or

chapters that we as humanity walk through day by day ...

Be safe and seek out the demons and confront them safely…. Anything is possible.

1

Mornings are A Bitch

Slowly my eyes open, that feeling of warmth and procrastination leaves my body, I come out of sleep. Rubbing the sleep from the corners of my eyes getting my mind into the daily body check to access the pains of both injury and old age, my mind constantly reminding me I’m an old guy. Just another day on this god forsaken rock, 55 years young.

I gently raise my body from vertical to horizontal put my robe on and head for the bathroom. Looking in the mirror and making a comment to my self and asking who was that old person looking back at me… immediately the answer like it was placed there magically came to me….. the old man was one of the Fallen.

After changing I opened the door and a rush of bacon, french toast and coffee filtered in my nose. She had gotten up earlier and started the day much earlier than I. My thoughts quickly switch over to realize how lucky I was to have such a wonderful lady in my life. The floorboards squeak as I reach the stairs to the main floor and to my ears like every day I hear "Did you sleep well Hunni???? Hows your neck ???… you went to bed really early last night.

I get to the bottom of the stairs and stop just to catch a soft silhouette of her natural beauty as the sun came through the kitchen. Walking through the door Karen stood pan in hand stating breakfast was ready.

I wrap my arms around her and kiss her gently, Good Morning my love and how was your sleep, I see you are up before me with the surprise of a wonderful breakfast only fit for a king. I sit and eat what was prepared for me, the second cup of java to chase down my daily medications. The radio station is finishing up the rural news of crime and local deviant behaviour and the phone rings. Answering the phone off the 3rd ring is Karen, she is so much better at talking to people than I . She deals with all the innuendos and bull that bothers us .

Andy…. Its your daughter on the phone. She wants to know if we were busy this week and if she could ask us a big favour…. the kids are sick with the chicken pox and was wondering if we could watch them for a few days or so and then as if the sound turned off inside my head everything went quiet, Grand children, the boy of 8 that goes by the name Alexander, a walking question box on speed. Asking not one but thousands of questions through out a given day and then there is his sister the oldest, she is an 11 year old know-it-all, named Elizabeth who simply goes by Beth. Her out look on life is she is a princess and everyone is of her court….. Grandchildren.

Don’t get me wrong, I love them and would die for them but 3-4 days will certainly turn our lives and our peaceful home upside down especially when both are covered with spots, itchy and sick. I had my children, 2 daughters and a son and I know in my head and heart that these sick days ahead will be trying.

Karen enters the room again with a soft smile on her face, it slides out of her soft lips like a whisper my grand babies are coming .… hunni isn’t it so wonderful that they will be staying here for a few days while Susan and Zane are out of the country, she is really sorry they are sick and said that she would bring you something back from their trip. I look into her eyes with approval that maybe this will be a great way to really get to know the kids and to keep and develop a growing relationship.

Its late October and the yard is covered with a canopy of yellow, orange and red, the thought of going out and collecting natures cast off throws me into thought of younger years, the times of old when leaves were fun and life had no boundaries. Now its a pain in the ass to get everything ready to mow and mulch the lightly frosted byproduct off the lawn. My hat in hand and a heavy wool coat on, I open the door leaving the security of my home and venture into the fray ... the real world where the simple basics are hunt or be hunted.

The lawn needs to be cleaned before Susan and the grand kids arrive so I must start immediately.

Walking across the crisp frost touched grass, crunching under my weight I get to my shop and yes its a man’s workshop, above the door a sign stating Andy’s Doghouse .… Beware of dog. This is my home away from home, where things are familiar and un-judged. This is where I can be myself, create or just be alone.

After gassing up the lawn tractor and fixing up the leaf catcher,I open the doors wide to start the dubious job of cleaning up mother natures way of littering, I have a lot to do today I tell myself after the yard the gutters because of rain coming in and it mite snow…. Snow another one of Mother nature’s little gifts. The yard is finally finished and its noon, time for lunch and I set my way into the mudroom smelling the fresh bread and the chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove. Out of nowhere a soft voice saying .… Andy ??? I was just about to call you hunni, lunch is ready. We sat and started eating, Karen looked up and stated that the kids were coming tomorrow,and that Susan called while I was out in the yard about 10ish stating that they were leaving in the morning and should be arriving between 1or 2 in the afternoon, all the while in my mind saying its official… our grandchildren will be here tomorrow, it seems like I’m always somewhere when Susan calls, we never are in the same time space together but when she comes tomorrow I get to spend time with my little princess. Well my lunch is done and clouds are coming in so to beat the rain I must do the gutters, its my job and part of upkeep so off I go. Grandchildren tomorrow the thought of anticipation,glee and uncertain doom and gloom crosses my mind, are we taking on too much… will the tranquillity of our home be effected by these children or will it just be okay. But as a great man once told me, Time will tell my boy and just take it one day at a time.

So the gutters won’t get done themselves so lets pitter patter and get at her. I reach up one handful at a time and bag the rotting leaves and muck out of the gutters.. I hope it don’t rain to much tomorrow the kids are sick now last thing we need is for them to catch a cold. Finishing the task at hand and nearly slipping off the ladder a dozen times in my mind I truly had enough of this cold and abysmal season, putting away the hose and buckets the thoughts of a nap wandered into my mind and I might as well get the rest now because the grandchildren were coming and I some how knew deep in my head that sleep and naps were not on any agenda especially when the kids would probably getting into anything and everything. This was a new experience to me and being the way