Clifford's POV
We hid behind the trees and bushes.
Hartland and Midland warriors stood in front of our house. A couple of them rummaged inside. My little sister's shouts for help made my heart clench, but I couldn't ran to her aid.
Voight crossed my line of view. Even with a swollen nose and an arm wrapped in gray bandages, the huge man moved around like he wasn't even hurt. He must really want that bounty.
The mention of bounty brought someone else to my mind and I frowned. I couldn't believe she was that selfish enough to leave us hanging after everything we did for her. And to think I was starting to like her. I shook my head. We should never have rescued her in the woods that morning.
The bush beside my rustled. "So what's t
Clifford's POVSloan took a step back, suddenly tightening his arm round my neck. He probably felt threatened by the bright pair of blue eyes staring at us.They weren't scary or frightening. But the fact that none of us had seen anything like it, made our skins crawl."I thought you said she didn't have powers!" Voight sniped at Sloan. He held Richard tight against his chest."She's not supposed to," Sloan hissed back. "But don't worry. Without water, she's harmless."Just when he finished that sentence, a loud gurgling sound came from the water tower behind the stables."Famous last words," I smirked and Sloan growled an insult in my ear."Men!" he called out. "Gr
Adrian's POV Today was supposed to be my coronation.Today, I was supposed to be crowned King of Hartland.Today, I was supposed to make my father proud.Instead, I was here knocking this dummy out, all because of that foolish girl!My water tentacle came down, slicing the white stuffed dummy in two halves.Sweat mixed with the drops of water on my body. I heaved out a breath, tired from pushing myself to train when my body screamed exhaustion. But it this was the only way I could vent out my frustration.The dojo doors creaked open and Mother gracefully let herself in. A crystal crown glittered in her blond curls, matching with one of her finest gowns. She'd probably just returned from o
Before Adrian's attack. Rakia's POV "Hey guys!" I hurried back to our small campsite. "Look, I found blackberries!" "What?" Richard turned to me, right after fixing the tea kettle above the fire. "I can't remember the last time I tasted those fruits." "Me neither," I chuckled, settling down next to Luca. "When we were kids, Riley and I used to pluck them anytime we went fishing with our fathers." "Who's Riley?" Richard asked. "Your brother?" "No, but I wish he was," I replied, smiling at the image of my friend in my head. "Riley is my best friend. We've known each other like... forever. We basically grew up together." "Huh, th
Adrian's POV I could feel death lurking around the corners, waiting for me to send Araknee to him. One last squeeze and Hartland will be mine. Tightening my prey in my water snake's hold, the sight of her writhing in pain brought a smile of satisfaction to my face. So long, Lost Princess! With a quick motion, I squeezed out the last bit of life in her. Her lifeless body slouched forward, indicating my victory. The small room in the temple filled up with applause. The council members stared in awe at the wonder I'd performed right before their eyes. The three wizards stood in their corner, clapping. "Thank you, gentlemen." I basked in my triumph. Finally! The assurance and satisfaction I needed ran through my veins. The throne was mine and mine alone. T
Adrian's POV Paow! Mother's slap stung my left cheek. "H-how could you!" she screamed. "The only person you were to kill was Araknee! Not Whitlock!" "He called me weak, Mother!" "So what?" She yelled in my face. "You should have ignored him! Oh heavenly Creator." Mother ran a hand over her face as she paced back and forth. "We can't let your father know about this. He will definitely disown you! He already doesn't acknowledge you as his son." "Well that part isn't my fault," I murmured but she must've heard what I said because... Paow! Another slap landed on my right cheek and my entire face burned. My hands curled into fists, resisti
Rakia's POVHermon was a town in the Eastern Midlands named after a great healer who cured the entire town of a dreaded skin disease that killed millions of people in the 1800s.That was what Richard told me, a few hours before we got to the town.It was buzzing with life, reminding me of market days back in Hartland. Traders displayed their goods and hawked everywhere. Fruits, vegetables, jewellery, clothes, hats, cooking utensils, farming tools, weapons, upholstery, pottery, ceramics, firewood, you name it. Everything was sold here. Little children loitered around the wooden stalls and tents as traders called for customers to purchase their wares."Is this place always like this?" I asked."Yeah. It's the biggest trading town in the Midlands,"
Rakia's POV "Here we are!" Marion chimed, as soon as the carriage pulled up in front of a huge three storey wooden house. I guess she wasn't lying when she said her father was rich. We followed her into the house, meeting her parents and two other siblings. Marion's plump mother was beyond overjoyed to see Clifford and Richard again. She trapped them each in warm hugs that nearly suffocated them. I caught Marion and her siblings stealing glances at the boys and whispering. It wasn't long before they climbed upstairs, giggling. Ignoring the jittery girls, I shook hands with her parents and thanked them for accepting to house us for tonight. Marion's mother brushed it off us nothing and invited us to their family dinner. We were asked to wash our hands, after which we settled at the table with me, sandwiched in between Cli
Rakia's POV Two days later "This is a colossal waste of time." I propped myself up on Luca, watching in disgust as Clifford washed Marion's feet at a small nearby creek. "Tell me about it," Richard remarked, bent over and busily cleaning out his horse's hooves. I moved Luca closer to his side then jumped off my horse. "We've barely covered enough ground since we left Hermon and it's all because she keeps insisting that we stop for flimsy stuff like picking berries!" I huffed. "And the part that irritates me the most is that Clifford lets her. He lets her do anything she wants. I mean...." Frustration took my tone a notch higher. "Can't he see that Marion is a distraction?" "Nope. This is what love does to a person. It blinds out all logical sense of reasoning." Richard put Hope's leg down and straightened himself up. "Last night, wh
Two years laterRakia's POVLove was a very strange thing.It had this magical ability to wrap you in a cocoon that did nothing but to make you feel warm, soft and jelly inside. That was exactly how I felt, standing in front of the man who owned my heart.Dressed in a silvery coloured suit with matching shoes and a beautiful blue iris sitting in his breast pocket, Clifford gave both of my hands a light squeeze. This was the day we had both been yearning for. The beginning of our new life together and a new age together."Clifford," the priest's called out. "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in good health as long as you both shall l
Rakia's POV"Good people of Hartland," my smile broadened when my voice came out clear, without any signs of anxiety. "Thank you so much for accepting me as your queen. Words cannot express how grateful I am to be taking on this position. Over the past months, Hartland has been through a lot." I paused to pull in a breath. "We've discovered shocking truths, we've been betrayed and we lost a great ruler. But through it all, our beloved kingdom stood strong. I'm not saying there weren't any casualties, because there were; myself included."A babble of murmurs coated the air and I wasn't surprised. During rehearsal, Granark told me that labeling myself as a casualty might not sit well with the citizens. But if I was going to be their queen, they needed to know how I felt about everything that had happened these past months. I needed to be honest with them.
Rakia's POV Mother and Hammond led me through the quiet halls of the castle. My gown swished round my legs and my shoes squeaked on the tiled floor. The sparkly blue satin train Hammond had fixed behind my dress, trugged on silently.The feel of Clifford's lips still lingered on my mouth. I enjoyed the kiss so much, that couldn't wait to be in his arms, locking lips with him again. The thought warmed my heart with excitement. Is this what it feels like to be in love? You feel all warm and fluttery inside? If this is what it meant, then I would never want to fall out of it."We're here," Hammond announced, pulling me out of my thoughts. The big dark courtyard doors stood before us. Blue ribbons had artfully been twisted round the door handles. The incessant bubble of chatter drifted in from t
Two months later Rakia's POV"Rakia." Someone nudged me from my beauty sleep. "Wake up!"I just groaned and turned to the side, hoping she'd get the hint to go away and leave me in peace. But she didn't because she pulled the duvet off me. "C'mon Rakia, Get up. You have to get ready for the coronation."I blew a raspberry into the pillow. Over the past months, Granark and the council members had cramped my head with a lot of stuff I should and shouldn't do as queen. Everyday, I had something to do or learn. Yesterday's coronation rehearsal was the most stressful. Now I had to do the whole thing in front of the entire kingdom."But I'm soooo tired," I groaned, pushing myself sideways to
Clifford's POV "St-stop it!" The queen sniped, but it was too late. King Reginald swiped both hands in the air, and she took those last steps, putting herself straight in the king's grasp. His right hand wrapped round her neck.We were suddenly interrupted by the sounds of clanking armour. A battalion of warriors, led by a blond middle aged man sporting a deep frown, forced their way through the crowd and surrounded us."Unhand the queen, Araknee!" The man yelled in a raspy voice. "Or suffer the consequences." To make the threat terrifying, the warriors wasted no time drawing out their weapons."Your return to Hartland has brought nothing but chaos and despair!" Th
Clifford's POVKing Reginald moved with a purpose. Every step he took in his daughter's body was poised, swift and precise. There wasn't a drop of water around as we moved through the castle to find Adrian's mother but somehow, King Reginald was able to move the guards out of his way against their will. They'd come charging towards us, then in the flick of a second, they'd freeze, like someone had pressed pause in their brain. They stood still with their eyes wide open, and wouldn't move a muscle until King Reginald let them. And all he would do was to throw them knock them out. Granark insisted that we help him with his...unfinished business. So here we were, tr
Clifford's POVThe doors were blown wide apart, granting us access to the courtyard."Yes!" Richard and I turned, but the archers took that as cue to release their arrows. Thankfully, Granark hadn't worn himself out. The wizard blasted out three huge balls of fire, turning the arrows into ashes and setting the guards on fire.Ignoring their shouts of pain, my companions and I ran through water and clouds of steam, into a chaotic and messed up courtyard. I felt cold all of a sudden."Wooah," Granark and Richard exclaimed in unison as we all beheld the scene in complete shock.Ice blocks lay everywhere in awkward shapes, sitting in puddles of water. The different topiaries and hedges the gardeners must've spent weeks trimming, had all become wrangl
Clifford's POV I couldn't stop thinking about Rakia. After she disappeared behind those double doors, I never saw her again. That uncomfortable feeling that something bad had happened to her kept knawing at my brain. But I couldn't jump up to go find her. The number of guards had increased these past few hours, plus my arm muscles were now sore from constantly swinging my sword. Richard and I had found refuge in an old, dusty storeroom and decided to catch our breath there."Sheesh! I can literally hear your heart threatening to jump out of your chest," Richard remarked in a snarky tone. "Calm down, bro. She's fine." I sat on the floor and swiped sweat off my for
Adrian's POV I can't feel her pulse anymore.My eyes widened.I can't feel her pulse anymore!"Holy shit!" I pulled my hands away and the lifeless corpse dropped into a puddle of water. She's dead... she's finally dead!My heart leaped with joy. "Yes! It's mine!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, stretching my arms out wide. "Hartland is finally mine! Mine and mine alone!" I twirled around and a loud cackle left my mouth. I swear I'd never been this happy my entire life. Everything had finally fallen into place and there was absolutely nothing standing in my way now. I could finally enjoy being king."Oh thank you, sweet sweet Creator!" I dropped