Princess Mariel felt it was all her brother's fault too. Prince Ron had risked his life to save hers and they got along very well. If it wasn't love, then what was it?"I believe so too" She said, wiping her tears with a blue handkerchief. "Prince Ron is innocent. My brother may have forced him or seduced him.""Ugh!" Princess Rose groaned in disgust. She couldn't believe the King liked men and it was her own brother. How could she have been so blind? No wonder he never paid much attention to her. "No. I have to do something. I can't let them be. I have to save my brother."She turned to leave but Princess Mariel quickly stood up and blocked her path. "Wait, you can't just storm there right now. What are you going to say to them?""I'm going break off this stupid alliance and leave this Kingdom with my brother before he corrupts him any further!" She tried to push Princess Mariel away but surprisingly found that Princess Mariel was quite strong despite her thin frame. She didn't budge
"I accept your condition." She said to Princess Rose. "A week from now, we will hold our annual hunting competition on the snowy mountains. After hunting, there will be a feast. Let us use the opportunity to implement our plan."Princess Rose smirked. It seemed like her goal would be achieved sooner that she thought. "How do you think we can separate your brother from mine though?""During the feast, we will lace their foods with the strongest aphrodisiac we can find. I will lure Prince Ron out of the hall under the pretext of needing help with something then take him to my room." Princess Mariel said. "What comes next will not be hard to achieve.""My brother is easy to fool." Princess Rose said. "But not yours. How will I get him out of the hall?""The aphrodisiac will do that for you." Princess Mariel answered. "He will feel it's effects and go to his room to handle it. All you need to do is follow."Now with a clear plan, the Princesses gazed at each other, smiling.Princess Rose
In the dim dungeon, Prince Ron struggled to see, while Zedekiel, with a snap of his finger, lit more than a dozen light pearls, banishing the darkness. As Prince Ron blinked, adjusting to the sudden brightness, he scrunched his nose at the dungeon's stench. His gaze fell upon Hilda, seated on the floor, wrists and ankles bound by head chains affixed to the wall."Please, kill me." Hilda croaked, not bothering to look at the people who came to see her. "I don't want to go back to her. Please, just kill me.""By her, do you mean my sister?" Prince Ron asked.His voice seemed to grab Hilda's attention for she gasped, shocked, raising her head sharply. "Your Highness!"She saw Zedekiel standing next to Prince Ron and was confused. Then it suddenly dawned on her. Could the young Prince have known of his sister's plans all along and had already formed an alliance with the King of Netheridge?If that was it then there was hope for her!She burst into tears as she kowtowed. "Your Highness. Yo
Prince Ron sighed. "Look Hilda, you are here to answer questions not ask them. Are you willing to speak or not? It'll be very easy for us to kill you and capture someone else. We have the advantage you know. My sister isn't aware that I know of her plans so speak or we can let you rot away in your prison cell."Hilda blinked, stunned that the Prince they all thought was stupid and slow could threaten her like that. She thought he was weak and soft hearted. She thought he would be moved by her tears but it turned out that he wasn't.It's not like she was pretending to cry. She really didn't want Princess Rose to know she was still alive. She wanted to be free of her but for the first time, she realised that she had been siding with the wrong team. She thought the Crown Prince was useless so she opted to serve Princess Rose and help her take over the Kingdom. Turns out the Prince was hiding his abilities all along!"The Shadows have never stopped hunting Elves." She said, shocking Princ
Prince Ron gasped. "So great great great uncle Kaiden is the Shadow Master? I thought he died in war!""That's what he made everyone believe." Hilda said. "Only few of The Shadows know that he is still alive. I know because my father was one of his trusted aids.""So why can't Prince Kaiden expose himself to the Queen of Ashenmore?" Zedekiel asked. "Why does he fear her?""Because she has the power to kill him." Hilda answered."I do not understand." Prince Ron said. "How?""I'll explain, Your Highness." Hilda assured. "Even though King Rapheal had banned dark magic, Prince Kaiden still went ahead and practiced it, saying that Shadow Magic was not enough to defeat the Elves. With time, Prince Kaiden grew stronger and stronger. Fearing that Prince Kaiden would try to rebel and take over the Kingdom, King Rapheal tricked him into taking a heart-binding centipede."Zedekiel thought about it and chuckled. "The old man was wise.""Indeed, he was." Hilda agreed.Prince Ron, who didn't know
Still, he wondered; "Why did you suddenly choose to swear loyalty to me? What about my sister? Why did you serve her if you hated her? If I recall correctly, when my father was assigning my sister and I servants, you were given the opportunity to decide who you wanted to follow. Why did you choose my sister?""Your Highness, I didn't know how cruel your sister was back then." she answered. "And I will not hide anything from you, Your Highness. I deemed you unworthy of my services because you had no interest in the throne and would play and laze about all day. I wanted to work for someone that had goals and ambitions. Although Princess Rose has them, she is too cruel and ruthless."She raised herself to her feet with much difficulty and turned around. "This is proof of your sister's tyranny, Your Highness." She turned her back to them and lowered her robes, exposing her back. "I have long since hated her and wanted to leave her side but has been unable to."Prince Ron put his hand to h
"The Mother Tree has informed me that the King's memories will return very soon for Prince Ron is now in his life again and as we all know, the Mother Tree is getting weaker everyday so she won't be able to keep his memories at bay. Those memories were so painful that he had to erase them. If they come back now, I'm afraid they will jeopardize the love our King has struggled to find. Fortunately, I have a plan and that's where you all come in."She tapped the board with her cane and different images appeared on it. "This is the plan I've come up with for them to bond. The Mother Tree said that if our King bonds with Prince Ron, the memories will have less bad effects on him and he'll be able to overcome them. We have to make this happen as soon as possible.""Mother, is that the Snowy Mountain?" Prince Ludiciel asked, pointing at a segment of the drawing.The Queen Mother smiled smugly. "Yes. You have a good eye, my son. Our plan will take place on the Snowy Mountain." With a snap of
"Well, Princess Mariel is quite nice." Prince Ron mumbled, swallowing the food in his mouth. "As you said, she'll surely make a good wife to any man of her choice. The man will be lucky to have her.""Then, don't you want to be the lucky man?" Princess Rose inquired.Prince Ron almost choked on his saliva. He coughed slightly and quickly drank some water. "Um, sister, I don't think Princess Mariel and I will be a good fit. My heart already belongs to someone else."Cordin and the Fox nodded. Yes! The King!"I know. I know." Princess Rose said with a sigh. "That girl you told me about when we were traveling here right?" She knew it couldn't be the King. Her brother was not gay. He was just being used. She had to save him!It was almost hard for Cordin and the Fox to keep a straight face at that moment. They looked at each other. A girl???? W-What about the King???"Well, you can forget about her. Princess Mariel is a much better and more suitable candidate. She's even a Princess of suc
She guided the griffin to a hover, her hands gently pulling the reins as she saw three men approaching from the distance. Their fiery wings glowed like bursts of sunlight against the clear sky. She recognised the the lead figure and her lips curled into a smile.The griffin’s flapping slowed as the men stopped before them, their wings gently stirring the air."Oh Dorian," she called out. "You didn’t have to come all the way out here to receive us."Dorian, the royal physician of the Infernal Mountain Kingdom, let out a hearty laugh. He was quite tall and a little chubby with curly grey hair and a bushy mustache."Nonsense, Sera. We go way back." He chuckled. "Of course I’d come receive you myself and the King of the Elves." His eyes shifted to Zedekiel, lying still on the griffin and his expression darkened. "Oh my, this is serious. We need to get him inside right away. Follow me."Without further delay, Dorian turned, swiftly flying downward, back toward the Kingdom and Sera nudged t
In seconds, memories of their past flooded Alaric's mind. Talon’s handsome face, their beautiful shared moments, and then, when things turned sour, the haunting vision of Talon in his true Phoenix form, terrifying flames blazing as he attacked Alaric without mercy.Alaric's hand flew to his neck as he recalled the way Talon nearly choked him to death. His pure flames burning his skin. It took Alaric years to heal the burn caused by one of the purest and most lethal forms of fire in the world.His heart pounded, and he stumbled backward, whispering "no" over and over again. He had gone to great lengths to hide from Talon. He even had to seek Zedekiel’s help back then. There was no way he was going to the Infernal Mountain. That was like flying himself to his own death."No." He said firmly. "I... I can't go there. Take the twins. Let them go with you. I'll stay here and watch that necromancer’s movements.""I'm sorry, Alaric." Sera replied. "I am aware of your past with the Pheonix Kin
"Go down the cliff. Find their bodies and bring them back." Hugh ordered his army who had returned without a single person. They needed to be sure that everyone was dead or else, they'll keep living in fear, thinking the family will come back one day for revenge. "What should we do if we cannot find their bodies?" He asked, turning to Prince Kayziel who was squatting before the dead bodies of the Queen Mother and Princess Mariel."We keep searching." Prince Kayziel replied. "They must be found no matter what."Hugh nodded. He then looked at Prince Kayziel’s hand, where the mark of the oath still remained. "Are you sure you'll be fine? Two of them died before our eyes. It's possible that the others are dead too. What if the Earth Spirit takes your soul and sends you to the underworld?"Prince Kayziel chuckled. "Oh Hugh, you're so gullible. Just like the naive human Prince. There is always a loophole in everything. Every spell, every deal, even oaths. Prince Ron required that I do not h
Sera climbed out of the carriage, her robes flapping in the wind as she joined Prince Ludiciel at the front. "The Griffin is on it's way." She said, her voice strained. "What's the rest of your plan?" Prince Ludiciel kept his gaze ahead, eyes fixed on the road. "I’ll create an illusion," he said. "I'll hide the Griffin from the necromancer’s sight. You’ll all climb on and leave. I'll stay here and keep driving the carriage to distract them." "No!" Sera immediately snapped. "What is wrong with you? You want to sacrifice yourself just like your mother and sister?" She looked at her nephew, unable to believe how he could just make such a decision. Ludiciel’s expression hardened when he recalled the way his mother and sister were killed. He snapped the whip, pushing the horses faster. "I will if I have to, aunt Sera." He had to protect Zedekiel and the twins. "Then let me be the one to drive the carriage." Sera said as she grabbed the reins, trying to wrench them from his hands. "I wo
Sera climbed out of the carriage, her robes flapping in the wind as she joined Prince Ludiciel at the front. "The Griffin is on it's way." She said, her voice strained. "What's the rest of your plan?" Prince Ludiciel kept his gaze ahead, eyes fixed on the road. "I’ll create an illusion," he said. "I'll hide the Griffin from the necromancer’s sight. You’ll all climb on and leave. I'll stay here and keep driving the carriage to distract them." "No!" Sera immediately snapped. "What is wrong with you? You want to sacrifice yourself just like your mother and sister?" She looked at her nephew, unable to believe how he could just make such a decision. Ludiciel’s expression hardened when he recalled the way his mother and sister were killed. He snapped the whip, pushing the horses faster. "I will if I have to, aunt Sera." He had to protect Zedekiel and the twins. "Then let me be the one to drive the carriage." Sera said as she grabbed the reins, trying to wrench them from his hands. "I wo
The carriage rattled violently as they tore through the forest, the horses galloping at full speed, their breath visible in the cold night air. Prince Ludiciel gripped the reins tightly, tears still stinging his eyes. His mother and sister were gone, killed right before his eyes and there was nothing he could do. He wanted to shout, to scream into the night but he had no time to grieve. Not now. They had to make it out alive first or his mother's and sister's sacrifice would be in vain."Hyah!" he cried, snapping the whip again as the horses surged forward.Inside the carriage, the others huddled in tense silence, their faces pale with shock and grief. The twins could not stop crying while Zedekiel leaned against Sera, his body getting colder with each minute. They could hear the thunderous footsteps of the undead gaining on them, growing louder with each passing moment.Alaric stood up and peeked from the window, gasping when he saw a skeleton close by. He quickly jumped out the carr
To their horror, just the soldiers were swept up in the hurricane while the skeletons continued marching on. With each step they took, the ground shook, as if they weighed tons."Fuck! It didn’t work!" Prince Ludiciel shouted, watching as the skeletons began to close in on them. "What do we do now?!"Everyone began to panic.Princess Mariel quickly stepped up. "Leave this to me. Grab big brother and get ready to leave.""No Mariel." Prince Ludiciel refused. "You can't handle them alone. I won't let you do this.""Then who can get all of you out of here?" She asked. "Your ability is to create illusions. Mother uses blood magic and the twins use fire and ice. Aunt Sera can only make weapons and Alaric has already tried and failed. If I push myself to the limit, I can suppress them with my powers while you all escape."Prince Ludiciel wasn't convinced. He shook his head. "There has to be another way. I can't let you stay here.""He's right, Mariel. You can't do this." The Queen Mother sa
Many of the soldiers surrounded the Queen Mother but they didn't know that she was a force to be reckoned with. Her strength and speed allowed her to move through the battlefield like a whirlwind. With a flick of her wrist, the blood within her enemies’ veins twisted and turned against them. One soldier lunged at her, but before he could even swing his sword, his body seized up, his veins bulging grotesquely as she manipulated his blood. He let out a strangled cry before collapsing into a lifeless heap."Your mistake was thinking I was helpless," the Queen Mother said coldly. Another soldier charged from her side, only for his blood to boil under her control, his body bursting apart as he disintegrated into a fine red mist.Alaric continued casting his spells, summoning gusts of wind, hurling soldiers back and slicing through them like invisible blades. He raised his staff and chanted a longer spell. A massive whirlwind erupted, lifting soldiers into the air before throwing them back
Prince Ludiciel and Princess Mariel stood sides by side, eyes narrowed, ready to fight while the Queen Mother placed herself beside the twins and her sister. Each person braced for the massive fight to come."You stupid witch!" Prince Kayziel spat, glaring at Alaric. "How dare you appear and ruin my plans!"He was pissed. First it was Prince Ron trying to destroy them both and now, people he didn't even know appeared to help Zedekiel and the rest. He was extremely furious. Why couldn't things just go his way for once?!"You think I'd sit back and watch you use my brother’s body however you like?" Alaric sneered. "I don't know who you are or what you want but you better get out right now."Prince Kayziel was stunned. Prince Ron had a brother? A Nightshade witch at that? Just what kind of connections did the fucking human make? Even after taking his body, he couldn't find peace. People he never knew existed were just popping left and right."I have no idea what you're talking about." He