Ronnoc the Cunning…

Connor was a clever, talented writer.  In honor of a new year and new beginnings I am sharing my favorite writing of his with you.  The characters in this paper are all good friends and in his British Literature class at Edwardsville High School.  He walked by my desk one afternoon and gently tossed this paper down.  He told me I would love it and casually walked upstairs to his room.  Only moments later I was running up the stairs with a worried expression on my face….he laughed and said he was waiting for my reaction to his purely fictional tale.  The names have been changed to protect the innocent and by the way, the King and Queen are still together.  🙂

Connor Cunningham – Mrs. Ingle – Honors British Literature –  25 February 2014

Ronnoc the Cunning –

Even the noblest men can be twisted by the throes of envy.  The most graceful may fall; and the fall from grace is like tumbling into a chasm.  There is nothing to reach for, nothing to grasp to halt the violent descent.  The walls are greased with the slime of deceit as the once lion-hearted men plummet into the abyss.  Corpses of fallen heroes litter the rough, grimy floor of the pit.  Escape is impossible, for the light of hope is dim and easily eclipsed by the cold, black flame of revenge that burns deep in the souls of corrupted men.  Such men are commonly considered evil.  However, no man is born evil; evil is born from man, the man who falls from grace.  It is a sad saga when evil is born, when a hero loses his way and stumbles into the pit.  It is a saga similar to Ronnoc the Cunning, the hero turned villain, the good turned evil, the knight of Inglehelm who fell from grace.

Two decades ago, my providence of Inglehelm was winning the Great War.  We were undoubtedly becoming the most powerful providence in all the nation of Evillia.  The final battle was in the Inglehelm army’s wake, with nothing but clear horizons afterward.  We had almost defeated the malevolent King Macnum’s army.  They were down to their last forces that were barricading themselves in the oppressive king’s castle.  We had been laying siege for weeks and it was time to advance.  There was no one more fit to lead the charge for freedom than Ronnoc the Cunning.  He had earned the name for his crafty schemes in battle.  There were none as dauntless.  He formed a plan to level the rest of King Macnum’s forces by drawing them to the north side of the castle while he and a small band of soldiers grappled over the south-side wall.  He knew his soldiers were tired, and the small amount of men Ronnoc wanted to bring made it seem like a suicide mission.  “Victory…” Ronnoc began, “…is on the horizon, men.  There will be bloodshed, but in the midst, remember why we fight this day.  We fight for our families, our wives and children.  We fight for our good King Jaq and Queen Swagmag.  And above all, we fight for our freedom!”  There was uproar of newfound vigor and willingness to fight.  His second in command, Mathias, rallied the troops.  However, although he could never show it to his men, Ronnoc’s mind was not entirely on the battle ahead.  He had just received a letter from King Jaq’s daughter, Princess Nat, that very morning.  Unbeknown to the kingdom, he and Princess Nat had fallen irretrievably in love.  He knew it was wrong, and while Ronnoc the Cunning could scheme his way out of almost anything, he could not fool his own heart.  He was terrified he would not get to see her again, and the letter did not help calm his nerves.  Princess Nat was bearing his child.  He had not felt such emotion since he first laid eyes upon the magnificently beyond beautiful princess seven moons before he left for war.  Ronnoc had never felt such ecstasy.  He had also never felt such apprehension.  Regardless of his feelings, he knew what he needed to do for his troops and for his country.  With his unparalleled courage and discernment, his strategy went flawlessly with only minor casualties.  King Macnum surrendered and was taken as a prisoner of war to be tried in Inglehelm for his crimes.  Ronnoc and his troops began the journey home at sunrise.

The keep of Inglehelm castle came into view 21 days later.  They were welcomed back with such jubilation it was as if God himself had come down from Heaven.  Ronnoc was upset to discover that Princess Nat had left for foreign diplomacy business.  She was to return in a fortnight.  Ronnoc did not mind.  He would see her soon enough.  He figured there was partying to be done and mead to be had in the meantime.  However, the celebration did not last long.

Tragedy struck the very night of their return.  After the long eve of drinking and dancing, while all of Inglehelm was sleeping, someone stole the guard keys and snuck into the dungeon.  When the guard woke up, King Macnam was gone, and there was only one thing in the cell where he was kept: Ronnoc’s blade.  The guard went straight to King Jaq and reported what he had found.  Ronnoc was immediately arrested and taken from his home where he was reunited with his blade behind bars.  He was completely aghast; and he was appalled that King Jaq did not believe him.  He begged and pleaded with the king, but no matter how cunning, Ronnoc could not talk his way out of this.  All the evidence pointed to him.  The townspeople were gathered in the square.  He could hear their chants from inside the dungeon.  “Hang the bastard! Hang the treacherous swine!” they roared.  Never had he heard more gut-wrenching words.  That is, until King Jaq issued his punishment.  The king did not have it in him to execute Ronnoc, for the king had grown to love him like a son.  Instead he banished Ronnoc forever.  He was dragged miles away from the kingdom where the guards spit on him and beat him.  Then they released with nothing but rags on his back.  Banished.  Forever.  The entire time, Ronnoc’s mind never strayed from Princess Nat.  Never again would Ronnoc gaze upon his one love.  He would never get to hold the only thing he has ever been proud of, his own child.  Something died inside of Ronnoc that day, and a black hate-fire started to burn in its place.  He was now just a hero fallen from grace, trapped in the chasm with nothing to live for.  All he had was an unquenchable thirst for revenge.

Ronnoc went from village to village searching for any sign of King Macnam, cutting down anyone in his path and murdering entire villages.  He killed entire families without a single hesitation. The fire of revenge in his soul fueled him to do awful things.  He was not the same man anymore.  He became known as Ronnoc the Wicked.  His search for King Macnam took just over a month.  He finally found him hiding out in a small village on the southern coast of Evillia.  He had fallen in love and began a new life as a farmer in a quiet town.  It was not quiet, however, after Ronnoc the Wicked came through.  He destroyed everything in the village, everything except the Macnam.  He still had a question for him. “Who did this to me?” he demanded, “Who’s to blame for my banishment? Who helped you escape?”  Old King Macnam’s last words hurt worse than any sword wound.  The person who helped him escape was Ronnoc’s own best friend and trusted ally, his second in command, Mathias.

Ronnoc the Wicked had not had his vengeance just yet.  He had to find Mathias and make him pay for ruining his life; for making him into a monster.  The fire of revenge burned more mercilessly than ever.  He made his way back to Inglehelm after many months away.  Though wicked, Ronnoc was still crafty, and he easily snuck into the castle.  He brutally slayed any guard in his path and burst into the throne room where Mathias stood, now first in command, next to King Jaq and Queen Swagmag.  Ronnoc screamed his accusation at Mathias and exposed him for what he had done, and then charged Mathias in a frenzied rage.  Mathias quickly readied his bow, but to Ronnoc’s surprise, did not aim at him.  Rather, he aimed at King Jaq!  “I am the rightful king of Inglehelm!” he screamed.  Ronnoc came to a halt midstride, too far away to stop Mathias from putting an arrow through the king.  Just as Mathias was about to turn his arrow loose, in the midst of all the chaos, Ronnoc suddenly felt something he had not felt in many months.  He felt happy.  All of their eyes went to the door, where a still stunning, nine-month-pregnant Princess Nat stood.  The joy of the moment was gone as quickly as it came, because Mathias let his arrow go.  It was not headed for King Jaq; however, it was headed for the princess!  In that moment, the fire that was burning in Ronnoc’s heart was gone, and he could see hope again.  He ran with Godspeed toward Princess Nat and leaped through the air with all of his strength.  The arrow never made it to Princess Nat, but there was still a great travesty.  Ronnoc, no longer the Wicked, was slain with an arrow through the heart.

Mathias was captured by royal guards and hung the next morning for high treason.  Ronnoc was given a proper burial and the entire kingdom came to the ceremony.  There was much grieving in Inglehelm, but they knew that Ronnoc’s soul was finally at peace.  The citizens of Inglehelm went on with their lives, but to this day, the great statue of Ronnoc the Cunning stands in the town square.  He is still loved by all who knew him, and some who did not, including me.  My mother Nat and I visit his grave in the hero’s courtyard often.  They say you die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain.  Ronnoc the Cunning did both.  The fall from grace is unequivocally long; but even though most fallen heroes do not return from the pit, it is never too late for anyone to let go of the past and return to the light.

He will always be Ronnoc the Cunning to me.  Seven months later, he was gone from this earth.  Make today count…

Peace & Love- MamaC

Photo:  Honors British Literature Class 2014