Clifford's POV
Once I got to the horses, I gave Hero a pat on his head before proceeding to take out a clean shirt from the bag on his side.
"What's going on between you two?"
"Huh?" I turned around, finding my obnoxious girlfriend behind me.
"You and Rakia," she clarified. "What's going on between both of you?"
"Nothing, Marion." With an eye roll, I turned back to my horse. "You're being paranoid."
"Oh so I'm supposed to pretend that I didn't notice how panic-stricken you became when I told you that Rakia was being chased by a tiger-boar?"
My hands froze.
"All of a sudden, you were on red alert," Marion continued. "Screaming
Adrian's POVMy tenth glass of whiskey burned down my throat.Leaning on the terrace, I watched as the rain pelted down the kingdom I was supposed to rule, but had been stripped of it.My vision moved to the magical boundary. Veils of black and green magic, surrounding Hartland and soaring high into the gray clouds. It was impossible to not think about my half sister who still ran free on the otherside of the magical wall. Only the Creator knew what she was up to.Probably plotting to return and take her place on the throne, a tiny voice snarked in my head and my jaw clenched at the thought. If there was a way... just a way to break down that barrier or create a passage through it, I could go behind Father's back, scour all of the Midlands for Araknee and get rid of her once an
Adrian's POVOlga.The woman who helped bring my half sister into this world. The woman who brought news of her existence to us, stepped forward, claiming to be responsible for my father's daily meals. The meals that contained poison."You evil witch!" Mother appeared in front of Olga, planting a dirty slap onto her face. "I knew it! I knew you were up to no good the moment you arrived in this castle!"Olga cradled her burning cheek, tears welling up in her eyes. "Wh-what are you talking about?"Grabbing a fist full of her dark hair, Mother pushed her onto the floor. "You ki
Rakia's POV"Marion?"Silence came as a response.I called louder, "Marion, c'mon, we're waiting for you.""Yeah, we're ready to leave!" Richard added whilst strapping the last bag on Hope's side.When we didn't hear a reply or the sound of boots thumping down the stairs, Clifford scoffed, mumbling something about Marion being a pain in the ass.I sighed, "I'll go get her." Turning on my heel, I moved back into the inn we'd spent the night in. It didn't escape my notice that Clifford chose to share a room with Richard instead of Marion. These past two days, things had gotten worse between them. They wouldn't even look at each other, yet alone talk. Another sigh left my lips as I climbed up the stairs, head
Rakia's POV My mouth felt too dry. Even conjuring saliva had become a problem.Slowly I lifted my head up, wondering why I couldn't move my arms and legs. Fear and panic seeped into my heart, making it pound faster than before.My arms and legs were outstretched on both sides, each one being held by incredibly tight shackles that had been attached to solid boulders. Crap. "S-someone help!" I tried moving my arms but the shackles just bit harshly into my skin. "Ouch."My eyes darted round the room in search of the boys. That was when I realised that both of them weren't here. Apart from a few crystals that lighted up the room, a shelf of vials and scrolls, and a black pot sitting atop a stack of firewood, the room was completely bare. But I still decid
Clifford's POVThe sound of a distant scream woke me up and I quickly lifted my head off the pile of hay I was on.My eyes darted around. Where the heck are we? I scrambled up.It was a old shack that looked a lot like an abandoned stable, and instead of the wooden doors, they'd swapped them for metal bars. An old rusted keyhole sat on the right and I frowned. Getting onto my feet, I grabbed the metal bars and gave it a hard shake. Even though the structure was old, it wouldn't even budge. Shit.The sound of unintelligible mumbling touched my ear drums and I turned to find Richard strewn across the floor. Looking at the red bump forming on his head, I could tell that he had woken up at some point, but the filthy old lady who brought us here must've knocked him
Clifford's POV The next dayDespite the sun's full presence in the sky, a chilly breeze wafted round the trees, making me tug my sleeves lower. Pulling on Hero's reins, he brought us to a careful stop in a serene area coupled with a few jasmine trees. Their fresh pink petals littered the ground, along with some dead ones.My companions came to a halt behind me, taking a look at our new environment."Ooo a hot spring!" Richard yelled, pointing at the small pool of steamy water sitting at a close distance from us. "Can we take a dip?""Yeah," I replied, the same time Rakia said, "No."She shot me a glare. "Really Clifford?""What?" I jumped off Hero
Rakia's POV"A few years back, Granark used to live and work in the village as a maize farmer," Hammond started. "But one day, a group of men discovered that he was an imposter; a powerful wizard who had escaped from Hartland during the Quietus war. Once the news got out, the King sent guards to arrest Granark, but he fled into the Forbidden Forest. He was never seen or heard from again.""That doesn't mean he's dead!" I snapped, inadvertently startling Hammond. I gave out a sigh, "I'm-I'm sorry, ok. It's just...he...he could still be alive."Hammond slowly shook her head. "I highly doubt that. The forest is literally a representation of death, nothing grows in there. Some people even say that the area is swarmed with demons."I pushed my fingers through my dark hair, trying not to thin
Rakia's POV"Sit, sit," the elderly woman urged. "You must be absolutely famished from your long journey." Mother Arielle eagerly went round the table, dishing hearty laddels of thick gumbo into everyone's bowls. The hungry children cheered after receiving their share."You're going to love Mother Arielle's gumbo," Hammond piped up, all traces of sorrow gone from her eyes. "She makes the best gumbo in the entire Midlands.""Oh stop, Hammond," the elderly nun chuckled, finally dishing my bowl with soup. I sat next to Clifford at the table, whilst Richard and Hammond sat across from us. The rest of the seats were occupied by the many children.Mother Arielle settled down at the head of the table and requested that we say the grace. Once we all rattled out the prayer, spoons found their wa
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