The attack had come unexpectedly. King Horik was still in bed when he heard the cries of his palace guards getting slaughtered. King Horik immediately went on his kneels and prayed to the gods. "If they spared him one last time, then he would do as they wished" but even the king knew the gods had deserted him. He had disobeyed a direct order from the gods and this was his punishment.
The chief priest had warned the king against sending his warriors out to go capture more slaves from neighboring kingdoms but the king had been stubborn and greedy. More slaves meant more money, and so he had sent his best warriors out on the forbidden quest. The journey was expected to last for seven days, they had only been gone a day and this was happening.
The king knew the kingdom would be lost before the return of his best warriors, he needed to do something. He needed the gods to intervene and save his kingdom so he prayed harder.
The cries of dying warriors continued for a while until all of a sudden, everything went silent. The king kept mute as he tried to listen for any form of life outside, but he heard nothing. Not even the usual chirping of the cricket could be heard.
As the king summoned up courage and came out of his hut, the gory sight that befell him was unimaginable. All of his warriors had either been beheaded or slaughtered in a way unthinkable to man. What was even more scary was that there was no sight of the attackers neither was there any of their dead bodies. It was as if the King's men had attacked and killed themselves.
The king went on his kneels as the realization of what had happened came to him. The gods had killed his warriors and now he stood defenseless against his enemies who would soon be upon him once they hear of his misfortune.
The king had disobeyed the gods, and now the gods had retaliated by taking everything away from him.
This story about disobedience and retribution carries a message for all time. King Horik punishes his warriors not only because they were cruel but because they disobeyed him. The form of punishment mirrors the retribution demanded by some religious traditions.
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Greetings @nazzyvic. Your story leaves a moral about what happened as a consequence of divine commands... you tell the story well, but as a reader I would like to have an idea of the time and space where it happened. This kind of input could enhance interest in your writing.
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