Step Down

CHAPTER FOUR

Step Down

Ralph grabbed Blair’s hand and pulled her closer to himself, he raised her head and stared deep into her eyes.

Blair didn’t know what to do, she wanted to avoid his intimidating eyes but she couldn’t, it was difficult. She didn’t know what this man wanted from her, but she was sure that it wouldn’t be something easy.

“This mark,” he said, still staring deep into her eyes like he was trying to see through her, “Who are you?” He asked, and Blair was lost once again.

She stared back at him, confused about his question and what the right answer to it should be, was he asking for her name and where she came from?

She cleared her throat, “Uhmm.. My… my name is Blair Harper, I am 22 years old and I am..”

“I didn’t ask for a story,” Prince Ralph cut her off, “I only asked you to tell me what your real identity is and how you came about this mark in your eyes,” he pointed at her eyes.

“What mark?” Bree was forced to ask, “I can’t understand what you are talking about, there is no mark in my eyes,” she went on.

Prince Ralph released her hand and stepped away from her, he still was on his stance that there was something strange about Blair, something different about her but he couldn’t tell what it was.

He turned to one of the guards and said, “Assign them to their duties.”

“Yes, Your highness.” The guard responded and turned to the slaves.

Blair was still confused about that question Ralph asked her, she didn’t know where the question came from and what mark he was talking about. No one has ever mentioned that she had a mark in her eyes before, why was he talking about that all of a sudden? She was in total confusion.

Blair's heart was pounding in her chest as she looked around the execution ground again. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay, and her body was wracked with fear again at the sight of the dead bodies and skeletons hanging around. She had never seen anything like this before, and the terror was almost too much to bear.

She felt sick to her stomach as she looked around, her eyes wide with horror. The other slaves were also there, and they looked just as terrified as she did, while some didn’t look like they were flinched by all that, they had probably been there several times before.

Blair could hear the sound of their ragged breaths, the only noise in the otherwise silent execution ground.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed through the area, and Blair spun around to see a group of guards approaching them. They were different from the ones who led them to the execution ground in the first place. They were all armed with swords and had a menacing look in their eyes. Blair felt a cold shiver run down her spine, and she could feel her body starting to shake with fear.

She had heard that Ralph said they should assign them to their duties, she knew they were just going to work but she was still scared.

How court she work in such an environment? With the dead bodies hanging around, some had already decayed and turned into skeletons, some were just decaying while there were still fresh bodies at one other side of the execution ground.

Goosebumps grew all over Blair’s body, all they do in that execution ground was to kill and it was quite obvious with the bodies she was seeing around, she knew that these people had no care for others life.

They killed her friends without them committing a sin, they did nothing wrong or bad, but they were killed and she was lucky to be saved, she was afraid that she would have to face the same fate soon or later.

The guards barked out orders, and the slaves were assigned to different places around the execution ground. Blair was tasked with cleaning up the area around the gallows, where the bodies had been hung. She shook as she walked to the place with the other slaves, she couldn’t have imagined that she would have to do something like that, working in a very dirt and uncomfortable environment like that.

As she began to clean, Blair's fear only grew stronger. She could feel her heart racing, and her hands were shaking so badly that she could barely hold the broom. The sight of the dead bodies and skeletons around her was almost too much to bear.

But Blair knew that she had to keep going. She forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart. She swept the dirt and debris off the ground, trying to focus on the task at hand.

As she worked, Blair could feel her fear starting to ebb away. The act of cleaning, of doing something productive, gave her a sense of purpose. She focused on the task at hand, trying to ignore the death and decay around her.

Slowly but surely, Blair managed to clean up the area around the gallows. It was a small victory, but it gave her a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could survive in this strange and terrifying world.

Ralph, the alpha king’s stepbrother and the head of the Royal guard watched as Blair worked, his eyes fixed on her intently. He had noticed something strange and different about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. There was something so different about her, something that he had never seen before.

The aura that whirled around her was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was powerful and strong, but also somehow gentle and calming. He was surprised that it was coming from a human.

As Blair worked, Ralph continued to watch her, trying to figure out what it was that made her so different. He had seen many slaves come through the execution ground, but there was something about Blair that set her apart. He had seen many slaves in his life and since he was blessed with the power to feel energy, he could sense the great energy coming from Blair, but it was more than confusing because she was just a human.

He had never felt any energy come from a human, they had always been weak and hopeless, but Blair was different.

When the guards led Blair and the other slaves back to the cell, Ralph made up his mind to find out more about her identity. He had a feeling that she was more than just a mere slave, and he was determined to uncover the truth.

He watched as the guards ushered them into the cell room and he sighed, he needed to find a way to know more about the energy Blair carry.

If it would be useful for him to bring Ashier down because that was all he wanted to do.

As he stood there, his advisor walked to him and bowed, “Your Highness; the prince, the pack council would hold a meeting tomorrow, and I think you should attend.”

Ralph scoffed, “Why should I attend when no one cares about me or what I do?” He shook his head, “I don’t need to go.”

“I should have given you the news first Your highness. Well, I have successfully talked to some of the elders and the pack members and they are very well interested in helping us get what belongs to us, we have people on our side.”

Ralph sighed again, his mind was still clouded by the energy and aura he felt around Blair, and he was willing to find out, “Joe, I need you to find some informations about a girl.”

“A girl?” Joe’s eyes widened, “What girl Your highness?” He asked.

“Blair, her name is Blair and she is one of the slaves, you have to find me some informations about her.” Before joe could say anything, Ralph talked again, “I know you have questions to ask me, that will be later, just find out about her identity and meet me in my chamber. Get to it.”

“Yes, Your highness,” Joe bowed and walked away.

Ralph sighed as he headed for his chamber. As he walked, he stopped when he saw Ashier approaching.

He stood few steps away and watched as Ashier made his way down the hallway with the guards and courtmen in tow. The sight of him made Ralph feel a mix of envy and resentment. Ashier was always the favored one, the one who had everything handed to him on a silver platter.

Ralph couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as he kept watching Ashier as his entourage. It wasn't just the attention that his stepbrother received from the courtmen, but also the fact that Ashier seemed to have it all. He was the alpha king's heir, powerful and respected, while Ralph was just the head of the Royal guards.

Ralph tried to shake off the envy as he watched them, but he couldn’t. His anger grew whenever he sees him and despite the love he had for Ashier when they were young, he believed that Ashier was stingy enough and he only pretended to love him just to take away all that belongs to him.

As Ralph watched, something fell onto Ashier's clothes, and three courtmen immediately rushed to clean it off. Ralph scoffed at the sight, feeling a twinge of jealousy. He wished he could have the same kind of attention and respect that Ashier received without even trying.

Since Ashier was born, everything changed. Everything he had was given to him and everything he wished for was given to Ashier even without him asking or needing it. Just because he was born by the Alpha king’s chosen mate and not the real mate, he was deprived of every of his right and was made to work under his younger brother.

He could no longer endure and tolerate that, he was older than Ashier and he felt like he was the rightful owner of that throne, he was willing to take it back from him by doing whatever it takes.

He watched them as they walked away before dashing towards his own chamber, anger pulsing through his vein, how could his younger brother rule over him? It was a disgrace to him, a big one at that. He wanted to stand up and fight for what belongs to him, he wanted his throne back.

As Ralph entered his chamber, he slammed the door shut and began pacing back and forth, fuming with anger and resentment. He couldn't shake off the feeling of being passed over for the throne in favor of his younger brother, Ashier.

He had always believed that he was the rightful heir to the throne, being the elder of the two, but fate had dealt him a cruel hand. Seeing Ashier being pampered and adored by the guards and courtmen only added fuel to his burning jealousy. He had always been jealous whenever his father cared more about Ashier than he does about him, but now it was like everyone was taunting him with that, they all care so much about Ashier but not him.

Ralph knew that he had to find a way to assert his dominance and take what was rightfully his. He began to plot and scheme, trying to find any weakness or flaw in Ashier's rule that he could exploit. But he couldn’t find any, he knew nothing about Ashier.

But as he thought about it, he realized that he didn't even know his own brother that well. He had always been distant from him, never bothering to get to know him on a personal level.

The last time he talked to Ashier like brothers which they were was about fifteen years ago, when he was fifteen years old and Ashier was only ten. By then, his father who was the alpha king has already informed the whole kingdom that Ashier was the heir and he was going to take over after him.

After warning Ashier to step down which he refused, he never spoke to him again.

Ralph knew that if he wanted to succeed in his quest for the throne, he had to learn more about his brother and use that knowledge to his advantage. With that in mind, he set out to gather more information about Ashier's weaknesses and vulnerabilities, determined to dethrone him and claim the throne for himself.

Ralph paced around the room, his mind racing with thoughts of how he could take the throne from Ashier. He knew that he had to be careful, as Ashier was well-loved by the people and any attempt to harm him could backfire.

He gave his first idea a second thought, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to get close to Ashier as he was the king, and the most protected man in the kingdom, he had to think of another way to find his weakness.

Suddenly, Ralph's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and opened the door to reveal Joe.

"Sir, I have some news," the advisor said. "I've been keeping an eye on the new slave, Blair just like you instructed. I have been unable to find anything yet but there's something strange about her. Her aura is unlike anything I've ever seen before." Joe explained, he had just the same gift as Ralph, detecting energy..

Ralph's ears perked up at the mention of Blair. He had been so consumed by his thoughts of Ashier that he had almost forgotten about her. "What do you mean?" he asked the advisor.

"I mean that her aura is incredibly powerful and unique. I think that she might be hiding something," the advisor replied.

“And what do you think she could be hiding?”

“I am yet to find that out Your highness. I wasn’t allowed into the cell because Blair is among the slaves the alpha king brought in by himself as no one is allowed to go in to see them,” he explained.

Ralph hit the table, “Ashier again!” He yelled in frustration, “Ashier, Ashier, Ashier, why is he always in my way?” he barked and turns to Joe, “You may leave.”

Joe nodded and left the room, leaving Ralph alone with his thoughts.

Ralph clenched his fists as he sat in his chair, seething with anger and resentment. He couldn't help but feel like he was being cheated out of his rightful place on the throne. He had worked hard all his life, rising through the ranks of the Royal guards to become their leader, but it seemed like that was all he would ever be.

“Why is he always in my way!” He shouted again, “I always have to go against him whenever I want to have something in this palace, why does he have to come in my way every time. Who the hell does he thinks he is!” He barked.

He slammed his hand down on the table, the sound echoing through the room. He couldn't understand why his younger brother, Ashier, was chosen to be the alpha king instead of him. It didn't make any sense. He was the eldest, the one who had always looked out for Ashier. But now, it felt like he was being overshadowed by his younger brother.

“Fuck this shit rules,” he shouted, “I will rise up and fight, I will take what belongs to me; then I won’t have to put up with Ashier blocking my way anymore.”

Ralph paced around the room, his anger growing with each passing moment. He couldn't shake the feeling of jealousy and frustration that consumed him. It wasn't fair that Ashier had everything handed to him while he struggled to make his mark in the world.

He tried to figure out what to do, and how to bring Ashier down.

Finally, after what felt like hours of simmering anger, Ralph collapsed back into his chair, exhausted and defeated.

He heard a knock on his door again and jumped on his feet, thinking it was Joe and excited to see if he had already gotten a breakthrough.

He rushed to the door and opened it, but it was someone else who was standing at his door. It was the alpha king. Ashier himself.

Ralph stepped back, his mouth widely open in surprise as he wondered what Ashier was doing in his chamber, he couldn’t tell what he wanted from him. It was the first time he was stepping into his room in the last fifteen years.

“What do you want?” Ralph asked, trying his best to hide his surprise.

Ashier smiled as he moved closer to him, “I am here to see my brother.”

Ralph scoffed, “Your brother? And by that you mean who?” He laughed and moved closer to him, “You stopped being my brother the day you took what rightfully belongs to me, you took what is mine and what I have wished for all my life. How dare you stand here and address me as your brother?”

“Ralph, you know I have never wished to become the king, but this is what the pack want, and this is the rule, we both have to abide by it and…”

“Spare me your story Ashier, I don’t want to hear them.” Ralph cut him off, “And I will appreciate it if you can leave right now, this is my room and my chamber and I guess I have more authority here than you.“

“But Ralph, I am only trying to…”

“I can just leave if you won’t.”

“No, you don’t have to,” Ashier said with a smile and took a step backwards, “I will leave, but if there’s anything I can do to make us go back to the way we were, then I would do that.”

With that, Ashier turned to the door and dragged his legs towards it.

“Ashier” Ralph called, “There is something you can do.”

Ashier turned back with a big smile on his face, “I will be more than happy to do it.”

“Then step down, can you do that?”