The humans have been at war with Elves for thousands of years. The hatred they had for each other runs deep into the depths of their souls, buried right into their bone marrows, to the extent that no human could stand the sight of an Elf and if one is caught, the worst kinds of torture were implemented.Their favourite was cutting off the long pointy ears and nailing them to the walls of their borders. Some even competed on how many ears they’ve nailed.On the other hand, no Elf wanted to hear the word 'human'. In fact, if an Elf should mistakenly pronounce the word 'human', he is immediately executed and if a human is caught, he is turned into a slave and treated like a dog till he dies from exhaustion. The Elves weren't normally this brutal. In fact, they are naturally peaceful creatures and had proposed peace to the humans which was accepted but the human King breached the treaty. He lured the Elf King into his castle under the guise of a feast to celebrate six months of peace th
As they approached the throne room, the guards standing on either side of the large golden double doors pushed them open for the siblings and they they bowed. The siblings found their parents sitting on their thrones. They were the spitting image of their mother while the only thing they got from their dad was their eyes. A few other people Ron recognized were there. Like the Royal Advisor, Physician, members of the royal court and so many others.King Cain was dressed in a golden and maroon attire. He was holding the royal golden scepter which was passed down from generation to generation. He will also pass it down to Ron when it was time. His dark hair was streaked with silvery grey hair which was covered a bit by the golden crown on his head.One look at King Cain would tell anyone he wasn't to be messed with. He had a stoic expression and the hard look in his eyes commanded respect. Ron was most especially afraid of him. Queen Lilian was the epitome of elegance. She was dressed
Ron sneaked out of the castle through his secret route. It was a dark murky pathway underneath his grandfather’s bedroom which led to a cave at a riverside not far from town.His grandfather had showed it to him before he passed away. They used to go on so many escapades together. Witness festivals, celebrations, annual games and competitions and so much more. But after his grandfather died, his father became more strict on him which left barely any time for him to go out and have fun. He didn't like to be indoors all the time like some housewife. He preferred to go out, interact and see what the world was like. Reading from novels wasn't enough. This time, he took one of his grandfather's disguises. It was a black wig and crappy mustache. After he reached the cave, he took off his royal clothes, folded them neatly then stuffed them in a bag. He then put on the wig and mustache, coupled with a dirty brown robe. He looked like a beggar. Exactly what he was going for. As long as he mi
Ron entered two more taverns and even an inn but the information they had wasn't even close to Old Jack's. He was already tired so he decided to go back. Besides, someone might notice he was missing which will raise a lot of trouble for him.When he was halfway out of town, a group of goons appeared on the road. They were big and burly, all holding sharp looking daggers.The leader stepped forward, holding a sword which he pointed at Ron. "Hand over your money. Every bit of it and I'll think about you letting you leave this place alive"Fear crept into Ron's heart. He had never been in this kind of situation before. Worst of all, he didn't carry any weapon. He didn't think there would be any reason to.Sweat dropped the side of his face. He decided to use flattery and some sweet words to see if he could escape with everything he had intact. "Good, kind, handsome man, you look very reasonable. Can't we talk about this?"The goons snickered. It seemed like this guy didn't get the severi
Fear made Ron nearly fall to his knees. Nearly, for the silver haired man caught him before his body made contact with the floor.Ron fell into a warm gentle embrace. He raised his head, parting his long lashes to look at the man holding him. Cold violet eyes stared straight at the running man. Ron felt that there such a huge contrast between being in his arms and those beautiful eyes. "Don't chase him" he said, making those plum coloured orbs stare down at him. "He has never killed a person. I could tell, believe me. If he had, he wouldn't have hesitated so much to kill me. I doubt he would even hurt a fly after what he has witnessed today so please, don't go after him"The fear he initially felt disappeared without a trace. Something told him that the man would not hurt him. The man nodded. "You're injured" he said, eyes sweeping down to look at the bleeding wound on Ron's neck. His voice was deep, alluring and magnetic, tugging at Ron's heartstrings. Perfect. Just perfect!Ron wa
Queen Lilian pulled Ron and squished his face into her bosom. Ron struggled and struggled, trying not to get suffocated by the large mounds on her chest but her hold only went tighter and tighter so he gave up and went limp like a wet noodle. "My baby is going so far away" she sobbed, completely shattering her elegance in the face of her family. Ron knew exactly where he got his personality from.His mother might be cool, calm and collected in front of outsiders but with her family, she was just an ordinary person. She behaved exactly the way she wanted to behave. Ron's only problem was that he couldn't act like that. To him, it was like splitting his personality. He'd rather just be himself.King Cain and Princess Rose stood at the side, watching the mother and son. "Mum come on, I'll be back in at least a week or two. You've seen me every single day since I was born. Don't you think you should take a break? Besides, I'm an adult now so stop treating me like a child" Ron complaine
Ron talked and talked. He talked about the novels he read and the wonderful creatures within. He talked about how the brain works and how fun it is to imagine so many things. How amazing it is to just conjure stuff up and make it real in fiction. Everyone felt bored and wished they could just shut him up. It didn't matter if they didn't reply to what he was saying. Prince Ron was very skilled in the arts of talking to oneself. He cracked bad jokes and laughed at them himself. When he felt laughing alone was too boring, he forced the servants to laugh by threatening to punish them by packing horse shit when they return to Ashenmore. Next, he forced them to sing.Poor servants. After two hours, the prince still wasn't done so Leo thought of the only thing that would make him shut up. To put him in the carriage with the princess. If everyone cooperated, the King would not even know. "Prince Ron" he called. "I think you can enter the carriage now. I'll let you come out after a few hour
After a week's journey, Princess Rose, Prince Ron, the guards and the servants that went with them, arrived at the North's main gate. It was very cold so the siblings remained hidden in the carriage while the rest had thick coats on. Their faces were pale. They never knew the North was so cold. How could people survive in such a place?To get to the castle, they had to go through the town. The townspeople all came out to see their soon to be queen but all they saw where half frozen faces and one exquisitely handsome face. It was that of a young man, peeking out of the carriage window. He had soft looking russet curls, brilliant green eyes and a radiant smile. The women who saw this face were swooning. Some men were jealous while others felt it would be nice to have such a beauty to themselves. Prince Ron smiled at every person he made eye contact with. He even winked at some of the women. He felt that Netheridge was full of pretty faces. He hasn't seen a single ugly one. Even the men
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