The horse stopped abruptly at the sight of the deep and vast sea.
Isaiah landed on the warm sand, proud of his choice of making this visit at the crack of midnight. Sirens shrieked in their made-up language, a call to others of their kind, Isaiah deduced.
"Calm it, I mean no harm." Isaiah spoke over their yells, desperate to get rid of that horrible sound. Multiple merpeople drew their attention to the man.
Eventually, a head peaked out of the water. She had algae wrapped around her braided hair and pearls decorating the coral crown on her scalp. The shrieks stopped and turned into a hum. Isaiah forced himself to kneel at the woman. He had a try at that strange hum too, because a respectful knight is a respected one.
"You may rise." The woman addressed Isaiah, now standing in front of him. She towered over him. She wore a shell bra that many mermaids wore in the stories that Isaiah read when he was a child. But, unlike those tales, she had no tail. She had legs and feet, like any normal human. A white sheet made itself useful as a skirt around her hips.
"Your majesty, I come from the noble land of Embercrest," Isaiah took her silence as an acceptance to keep going. "You see, we're caught up in a war. And we could benefit from support from the oceans." Isaiah read the queen's expression, but she didn't let anything harm her composure. All she did was raise her palm to forbid Isaiah from continuing.
"I know of your war," She answered, almost glaring. "I do not understand how that affects me or my people."
"We would be forever grateful for your help." Isaiah didn't believe in begging, but he admitted that he was cutting close to it.
"You have polluted my waters and destroyed my empires as a result," The queen said in calm and rehearsed anger. "I don't see any reason to aid you in this war when you have done nothing but use my oceans for your own greed."
Isaiah's breathing stalled for a moment but he quickly caught his breath and his exposure. The woman let out a cackle at Isaiah's speechlessness.
If there was anything Isaiah hated more than a serious sea queen, it was getting mocked by a serious sea queen.
"As much as this chat has been useless and humiliating on your part, I regret to inform you that we have already chosen a side." The queen backed up into the sea, the water engulfing her feet, making its way up to her knees like she was an old friend. The sound of horse hooves rang in Isaiah's ears as he ignored his racing heartbeat and threw himself onto his horse.
"You will regret this! If they win this war it will be your undoing!" Isaiah yelled across the sea, seething at the sight of the sea witch's smirk. Isaiah galloped into the forest, trying his best to dodge the spears getting lunged at him.
His horse started getting slower, but Isaiah pushed it to keep going until he couldn't hear the enemy anymore. Unfortunately, the tiredness caught up with Isaiah and his horse. His galloping turned sloppy and unorganized, he focused less on where he was going and more on getting there fast. He didn't see a spear heading straight for the horse's leg until it was too late.
Isaiah tumbled to the ground with his bleeding and whimpering horse and he thought; what is there to do in a hopeless war? When does the suffering end? When does the humiliation end? Oh, right, when he gets shaken awake by an enemy and he has the opportunity to spit in his face. Of course, he takes it. And, of course, the enemy soldier gives him a solid punch in the jaw for that.
His helmet had ought to have been taken off while he was dozing off and waiting for his inevitable demise. He mentally scolded himself for that pessimistic mindset he was cursed with at birth.
"The king is going to love this one, boys!" A soldier called out.
"We've got so many of those Embers at home, what difference does one more make?" The man that punched Isaiah in the face said, glaring at the crumbled boy. "Besides, this one's nothing much."
"Watch it, I could kill you for that." Isaiah snarled.
"You should mind your tongue, boy. Before I cut it off."
"Do not call me boy." Isaiah said, gritting his teeth. He was not a child and he will never be underestimated as one.
The soldier's laugh rang through the forest and sounded more like a cackle. Isaiah gritted his teeth at the sound.
"I'll call you a man when you start looking like one."
"Then I ought to call you a knight when you start fighting like one." Isaiah basked in his pride at the sight of the soldier's grin fading into a scowl.
"You've got a lot of nerve-"
"And you've got none at all. What's a soldier if he has no audacity?" Isaiah said. "Right, a good-for-nothing oaf."
The enemy soldier opens his mouth, about to shoot back a nonsensical retort. But he gets interrupted by hooves clacking towards them. Isaiah smirks, right on time. The Embercrestian sigil shows as the enemy hurry to get on their horses and flee.
"What are you doing, you maggots! Stay and fight like real men!" The argumentative soldier barks at his fellow cowards.
"I'd suggest that you follow their lead. Attempting to capture someone like me is not a crime lightly punished."
"Someone like you? You're just a vile and lousy little boy." The soldier knelt in front of Isaiah, as if to accentuate his words. Normally, Isaiah would've bitten his throat out by now, but he felt as if what is coming next would be a suitable consequence.
Embercrestian horses halted, the soldiers riding them assessing the situation before doing anything fast. Then, they trampled the sole soldier. A knight brought Isaiah onto the horse with him before he could meet the same fate.
"Your Royal Highness must be more careful." The knight spoke.
"I can handle myself. I had it under control," Isaiah said hostilely. "Did father send you?" Isaiah asked after a beat of silence.
"Yes, though I suspect that Sir Caleb played a big part in your rescue." The knight responded. Isaiah rolled his eyes and then,
Everything went black.