Ace Of Spades: Ch 1

    “Ace, you understand your orders right?” the queen asked.
“Yes, your highness” I replied.
“Good I want you to set out at the crack of dawn, no later or our way of life will change for the worse.” She emphasized
“yes, my queen” I reply, almost mutely.  With that I walk out with my orders in a manila envelope. The queen of spades tells me that I have to endure this alone, but in all honesty, I don’t want to. I never had any mission without my army.

    “Ace wait up” Jack cried out.
Jack, first in command waved me down and I stopped. I turn around to meet the green emeralds that were locked onto me. His goofy grin lit up to be a whole new level of dork when he realized I was looking at him.
 “Ace where you going?” he asked.
“Jack I’m going to bed, I need my sleep, I cant be the captain of the royal army and not have my sleep, if I die and you have to take my place you must know that a good captain is always at their best and is ready to take action on a moments notice.” I tell him.
“aww you would leave your army to me?” he cooed.
“well you are my first in command, it would only be mandatory.”
“Ace, something isn’t right about this… you are always the last to stay up, and your kind of more cold than usual.” Damn it! How can he see though this, but he does have a point, I take my job as serious as I take my life.
“Ace you want to talk about it?” He had offered.
“No, Jack you have been a good friend as well as an excellent first in command, but I cant I’ve been told not to give out any information” he smiled at this.
“Oh another mission? Lets go on top of the castle and talk about it” I couldn’t say no, the top of the castle was my favorite place, I could look out for any enemies and its as if I could touch the heavens’ themselves. Jack grabbed my hand and up we went.

    “Oh wow that’s amazing! I cant believe you have the honor of doing this.” Jack exclaimed almost making him fall off the roof. Luckily I catch him just in time.
“Jack, you idiot! Your going to kill yourself with those sudden outburst of yours” I exclaimed in a hushed tone.
“you don’t loosen up, tell you what, after this mission, were going to the village bar, and your going to be as loose as a screw.”  He laughed at his own terrible joke.  I didn’t even give a pity laugh.
“Yeah, but its too bad that you cant come Jack. I really want you too,” I say. He puts one of his toned arms around me and smiles
“hey, someone has to protect the castle while your on your mission, heck it isn’t just a mission, it’s a quest, a quest of a lifetime!” he exclaimed all the way up to the heavens. “Would you shut up!?” I exclaimed again in a hushed tone. “Solders, not to mention the king and queen are trying to sleep, also if they know that you know what you know, the queen would have my head.” I said. Jack nodded
“Oh right this is on the hush, hush.”

    For another hour we talk about what we did today, the usual torturing captured spies, trying to negotiate an alliance with the clubs kingdom, which didn’t go well since they made a no kill pack with the hearts, and that’s who I wanted to wipe out first. Times had been so hard since the war of the suits had broke out. Long ago there was a conference with the kings: king spade, king heart, king club, and king diamond. They were there to discuss unity across the land of cards, next thing they knew king hearts is face down on the treaty.  The other kings were in such shock, they were sure that king spade, the king of strategy and weaponry, killed king heart, the king of forgiveness and health, all because of land disputes. The King of Hearts was a greedy man, and the King of spades was all but giving, especially to someone who thought that they should have it all.  King spade swore on his life that he didn’t kill the ill-fated hearts king.  King Diamond took the spade king by the collar and said, “we don’t need your life, that’s too easy, we will take something that is more precious to not only you but your kingdom, your captain, and his families, lives.” With those words uttered the two other kings set out to kill the captain of the spade army and his wife, little did they know they had a child, me.

     My parents were token away and killed when I was 3, simply because of an accusation made. I grew up without guidance or love from them. Instead, I grew up with a blade. a blade I came to love and to master. Could you even begin to imagine my pain? My loneliness? Once I got to where no one in the land could challenge me and succeed, I made my quest to the king and queen of spades and showed off what talent I had accumulated. The king and queen were impressed and I was hired right on the spot. I stared out as a page, helping out other solders and gathering, sharpening equipment, then worked my way up to where I am now, the captain at 160 years of age, but I look like a 16 year old, my ragged hair got washed and styled to a nice long hair, with no pointed edges. My scars on my right eye have been hidden with a porcelain mask permanently on my face. They had it painted with intricate designs but the thing that awes the most people is the spade that goes around my eye. I was a new person, and I liked the way I looked. It hides from the kingdom, and my army what pain I went through but keeps the vengeance, anger, and the memory of a great captain that keeps me going.

    “I…. I have to go,” I say. Jack nods
“good night captain.”
“Good night Jack” I reply. We both descend the roof and get into our beds. Tomorrow was going to take a lot out of me so I decided to pack tonight, who knows what or where my quest could lead me, so I packed for the worst. Everything that the royal army has taught me will go into practice tomorrow. Jack will be in command when I leave, I pray to god that he will not screw up what I have tried so had to perfect. My army is like a house of cards. If he does one bad move, not only will the army fall, so will my reputation, my creditability, and my life’s work. Once I got into my chamber I notice something. Over the chair is a coat, a coat that looked like an alchemist coat. Long and flowing like complete with brass buttons, in some of the brightest purple that I’ve ever seen,
“why not blue?” I wondered, since blue was the official spades royal color.  On the coat laid a note, nothing official so it can’t be from anyone in the castle.
“Someone from the outside?”  I thought
“ but I don’t know anyone from outside the castle walls.” Since curiosity got the best of me, I opened the note, and it read

“Dear ‘ACE’, when you have the knowledge to know what is really going on, the modesty to push your ego aside. and you have the courage to stand up to what you know, then this war will forever be in peace.” “Huh, no signature, surely if they were true nobility they would let me know who to thank” I say out loud, but who am I not to accept a gift that was given to me?                     

    I put on the Purple coat, careful not to hit my mask, and wrote my commands

“Jack is to be in charge of the army as I am gone, he will appoint his first in command and so forth. Respect him and serve him as you have with me. Until I return, ACE”

    I take off from my window and scale down the walls, with the help of a few bed sheets, careful to not let the walls hit the wounds on my torso. Once im down I tell the guards to “let me pass, I have urgent orders from the queen” they nod
“yes captain” and let me go.
“As you were,” I say letting them continue on with their duties. So off I was continuing with my quest. Who knows if I ever see the castle again? With my coat on and money in my pocket, I went out and ventured what I thought to be a place of myth. For one other person went there and had never returned, for centuries he has been gone and one person was destined to go their, go to the place called humanity. 

    I started out at the dungeon on the outskirts of the spade kingdom, figuring if I had any chance of getting information, it might be from desperate prisoners wanting to get out of torture and back to their families.  I get on my hands and knees, looking for the entrance.
“Was it below this rock? Or was it this one” I knew at the bottom of one of these rocks would have a spade under it. And it would be the entrance to the dungeon. The problem was, I was on a rockslide that happened some odd years ago, and there are billions. A guard came to me, looking perplexed as to what I was doing.
“Captain?”

    I swiveled my head to where he was.
“What are you doing here?” I snap, guards are to never leave their post till otherwise granted permission, and I haven’t seen anyone other than jack all day.
“Miss, I was relieving the day guard for the dungeon.”  Well what use is it to look for it now, if he’s going there anyway?
“Dungeon, that’s where I’m heading” the guard looks puzzled
“may I ask why?”
“You may not” I reply.  One rule of thumb when in the spade army, never question the captain. So the guard flipped over the rock that was next to my shoe, I couldn’t help but face palm myself in my mind. Behind me I saw trees move out of the way of the rumbling earth beneath them. The roots morphed into tangible stairs.  After a few minutes of an exciting transformation, I was now face to face with the spade’s dungeon.

    I start to head towards the stairs as the other guard followed me.
“Sir, wait here for a while, ill tell you when it is alright to come down."
“But captain…” he started to protest.
“That’s an order sir!” I snap. I head down the stairs, looking back to see if I was being followed. Luckily I wasn’t. Once at the bottom I relived the day guard of his duties and scanned over the cells. I get on top of his poorly made wooden chair and cup my hands into a make ship megaphone. A few prisoners are looking at me and I shout
“who wants to get out of here?” many loud roars of excitement, rage and anguish filled what used to be the depressing whistling of the cave. The roaring ceased and I continued “ then who here wants to guide me to humanity?” silence flied the air. A few coughs were herd, then a rattling of foot chains. A shout was herd
“HEY YA DUMB BROD, you really think that humanity exists? It’s a myth, a child’s fairy tale. Why would we waist what’s left of our nugatory lives trying to find a pretend utopia."
More shouts filled the air, more of rage than anything else.
“You trying to fool us” slung my way.
“What a joke” was erupted
“why do you taunt us you putrid captain?” someone shouted (I’m sure it was a club, for it was way to blunt to be anyone else) then threw his or her rations at me. Sure, what they said had hurt for a minute, it always hurt when someone doubted your sanity, especially if you were really sure of it.
“HEYYYYY PIPE DOWN MAGGOTS!” with that mighty outcry everyone turned to cell 21. I step down from the chair and walked to the voice.

    Down the way I saw the biggest diamond I’ve ever seen. Surely he was capable of helping me find humanity.
“What do you know, that make you silence them?” I ask. He steps out of the way to let the smaller, older diamond take the floor. What an idiot, he just passed up one of the opportunities to get out of this pitiful place. The old man came closer to me
“hello miss captain, the names Tensley” his orange hair stood straight up, as if his head was on fire, and he wore no shirt, leaving his bones out to show the world, and ten red diamonds cascading down his left arm.
“Why do I have a use for you?” I asked, snottier than I wished. He ignored my attitude and continued
“I may not know of humanity, and I look about as healthy as a skeleton, but I have experience and skill, plus I know a powerful medium that can not only assist you in way to find the fabled land, but can also use his magic to protect you and be an ally in any battle you encounter.”

    Magic, the word sent a spike a fear down my spine, as if that word instantly made everything that was inside of me, turn into stone. Beads of sweat raced down my forehead as I thought of what magic could do. I’ve seen it in battle with jack once. He went to rush a club that was hiding near our camp. I spotted it a mile away. Tacky design, easy to spot, I mean really, yellow leaves in the summer? I was surprised that no one else seemed to spot it. Anyway I told jack to sneak up on the club and capture it. Seeing what information we could get out of it. Once jack and two other men went only two feet away from it. A twig snapped, causing the club to dart its head and see the others. Foolish of me not to put then in more darker clothing, for what had happened next, still leaves me restless. The leaves came off of its body as it hummed the chant “forest, I need your help once more, take thy enemy that has spotted me, and bring them to the devils door” the leaves turned into demons and grabbed each of the other solders by the legs. Twisting and turning their limbs in a way that only play dough should bend. Then SNAP! The two men by jack had their legs and arms torn off, but there weren’t meat and bone in them no sir, there were twigs and vines. As the demons let the lifeless remains on the dirt. They went after jack that is until I cut their heads. The club screeched in pain since it must of token a lot to summon them and now that they had died, his magic within them dissipated. Jack and I took the club and dragged him to base where we started to question him. Well that was the plan till he chanted again, Jack and I started to pull out our swords and then he vanished.

    “And how do I know that this medium will not hurt me” I asked a bit shakily.
“Relax miss captain, if you’re with me you are safe. I have friends in high places. And in different kingdoms, all except for the spade kingdom, which is why I’ve been here for over 150 years.” 
What he said had left me a funny feeling. Why was he locked up so long?
“What was your crime? How do I know ill be safe with you?”  He looked up and showed a smile that would put a fox to shame.
“A spade never understands the truth, so if I told you, there’s no way you would believe me, however if you free me and let me in on your quest, I promise no harm will come to you or to anyone your willing to let join us.”
 Part of me knew not to trust him, but if he is saying the truth, then how could I miss this?

    “Ok but one false move and ill have you head chopped of so fast you’ll drop dead after running for a few miles headless."I say not to proud of my threat, but then again my bite is worse than my bark, and he would see if he were to con me. 
“I promise miss, no tricks. I’ve been dying for some adventure. Thank you once again for letting me come with you.” he praised.
“Yeah, sure old man, just keep yourself in my sight and out of trouble” I opened the rustic cell, it creaking in protest. “Wait here” I say and rush down the dungeon to get the night guard.

     “Captain Ace you know the consequences for letting a prisoner out of its cell” the night guard said.
“No YOU know what the consequences are if YOU let a prisoner out of its cell, I am the captain and what I say goes. If I want a prisoner then I will get a prisoner, and do with him or her whatever I please, besides its getting crowded in there, what does it matter to you if a prisoner is out of the dungeon, no one that goes in there, comes out a free man. It’s a list of seniority; I get certain perks that you may not get. Like taking prisoners.  Do not question my methods sir.” He says no more and gives me what I was gunning for, the key to cell 21 and to Tensley.

    I rush down back into the musty dungeon to unlock my prize, leaving Tensley to come with me but still have his ankle chains just so he would stay close, and he couldn’t get far. Part of me knows to never trust anyone but myself, but I also know that he would be my closest hope in ever finding humanity, so did I really have a choice? Tensley looked taller than in the cell, it was like he towered over me, and I’m 5’6. He and I walked out of there, with ratchet shouts coming from the other cells behind us. The more I herd of them, the more I regret my decision, but I couldn’t just go back on my promises, what leader would I be if I did? As we walk out of the dungeon we sat near a tree. I’ve never seen anyone so boisterous and excited over seeing the moon and smelling fresh air, and I couldn’t blame him, if I was locked in a dreary cell for over 150 years, I would be excited to see any thing other than the ugly mugs on those prisoners.

    “So tell me old man, what do you know of this medium?” I asked casually.
“Oh Damien? Yeah him and me go way back, way before the war. He’s one of the most powerful sorcerers in Cards. If anyone were to know anything about anything it’s sure to be him.” He rambled on “one time he fooled an army with the greatest leader by wearing a disguise that made him stand out, three men came to him immediately and he did away with two of them, then the captain caught him and took him back to base, ha-ha all he did was chant and they got so afraid… me and him laughed so hard about it, the things magic does to people. Anyway last I saw of him he had a little girl with him. Oh that girl is something else I tell ya, I remember when she….”
“So where is he?” I retort. 
“Yeash what crawled into your panties and twisted them into knots?” he asked. I pulled out my blade and he folded (like a deck of cards) “ok, so you don’t chat much. It’s a pity, your so pretty, you could make a few friends had you no scars on your torso and an attitude of a wolf, but what do you expect from a spade, always strict on business. Anyway he lives deep in the heart of the clubs kingdom. You wouldn’t last a day in there, and neither will I, I have some things back at my old tailor shop to fit us in with the clubs”

 
     Me go out of spade territory? Unheard of, I’m as good as dead if I step foot outside my boundaries. I’ve killed many men and women in battle, I wouldn’t expect much else, but it’s my Queens orders to end this war. The only way I want this war to end is if every heart died, for it was their inconvenient dying that left me orphaned and put my countries integrity in question.
“Right, ill be spotted a mile away… “ My disbelieving tone peaking out.
“Nah, not with my skills. I know just how to dress someone for any occasion” Tensley reassured

    
    We traveled a few miles northeast in reality, but to me, it felt like I was walking for a thousand years. The only time I travel is to pillage the other kingdoms, and since I cant kill (according to the queens orders) I’m sure to be killed. Tensley looked over to me, seeing my discomfort as we were at the spade diamond boarder
“what’s eating you miss?”  He asked. I look up from my train of depressing thoughts “nothing” I said coldly, shaking off anything that could show otherwise.

    
    Just then I herd a few faint "ptooh" as if someone was blowing a spitball, or a.... "DUCK!" I yelled and pulled Tensley down with me, a dart barely scalping us. Tensley looked at me, a bit of fear flashed through the whites of his eyes.
"its an ambush" he stained.
"yeah, no dip" I said. I dragged him up and ran for something that could be used as a shield. Something big enough for the both of us. Backtracking about a quarter of a mile, darts tanning our hides, I fell into a foxhole and coming straight behind me was Tensley, hitting me with a big "thud."
"Ok what can we do?" I asked him, as if he were going to give any decent ideas.
"well first we have to find where those darts are coming from" tensely whispered.
I looked around the opening of the foxhole and couldn't see much of anything, I looked around the bushes, around the trunks of trees, even for sudden, short movements in the grass. Nope nothing that would indicate that they were shooting from ground level. Then I herd a rustle. so if there isn't any movement of the darts or objects to conclude they are hitting at ground level then...
"from the trees, and its not that many people" I whisper excitedly, oh wow that was amazing. they are hidden so well, and the darts actually curved at an angle to swoop down and hit us. perfect aerodynamics. and its not even an entire army, No it wasn't near enough to be just one army. It had to be one person.
"it looks like the darts are aiming at something, not just from above" He added. wow he had a good point there, it was as if the darts were locked on us.
"ok say they were, old man, but how come they didn't chase us?"
"maybe they hit something else miss, like a tree, or even the ground."
"well how can we stop it?"
My question soon came with an answer. once we peaked outside we didn't need to know how to stopped the darts, since the darts seemed to cease.Too easy. Where are they? More importantly WHO are they?
"hey how far are we from diamond territory?" I asked Tensley
"we've been in diamond territory for at least a mile"
"then who are they?" I hissed
"im not sure, probably diamond militia..." he answered almost calmly but very vague.
DIAMOND MILITIA!? what is THAT!? apparently they are really good but comes on, the fact I never fought them, I am insulted. What am I not that great of a captain? My face gave my hand a signal to turn on my wrist, signaling him to continue on his vague explanation.
"Diamond militia is an all but forgiving elite military, fluent of guerilla warfare, almost like ninjas. No one knows how one is selected, or hears form them thereafter, their one mission, to kill all those not a diamond. But its rumored that once your out, only ones that have proven themselves while on the force are let back in, but not as a part of the force."
"well what about the ones that didn't prove themselves during their time"
Tensely made a cutting sound and the same motion around his neck. No more had to be explained. 
    
    I got up and crawled out of the foxhole "stay here, ill check it out."
"Miss, were you even listening? Your dealing with assassins here, they don't play by the rules of war that your used to."
Great now he is doubting my abilities? When was he ever in charge of a military? What does this old man know that I don't know already?
"I got this old man, now stay there!" I ordered.
Those were the last words I spoke till I felt something touch the skin on my back. Grabbing my trusty sword I swoop around and clinked away what could of been the weapon of me demise. "Cutting it kind of close there aren't..." Another swipe was made but this time near my throat, using a sabre move. I retreat quickly again careful for him not to hit my band-aids. He tried to make more jabs at me, more desperate than ever in trying to kill me, I try the same using what I know and try to make him back up. He tried a few ballestras and some feints. I didn't know what this guy was going to do. At one point he spins me around and gets me to the ground, leaving me enough angle to see tensely trying to fight off 3 more of them with his bare hands. At least that's what I think I saw, it was a fraction of a second that I saw before I was knocked out, my world turning into a rapid darkness. Wait, did I just hear Tensley screaming out my name in worriment?