"This is so exciting, don't you think so?" Princess Mariel asked Princess Rose who was standing beside her, gazing at the performers with disgust."Yeah if you enjoy watching people waste their time and harm themselves then I suppose you could call it exciting." Princess Rose replied, not impressed at all by the men playing with fire.She had no idea why Ron would throw such a party. She was expecting something regal but she should have known it would be anything but that considering Ron's personality.Princess Mariel rolled her eyes, wishing she didn't get stuck with Princess Rose. Earlier when they had arrived, Zedekiel seemed to know exactly where Prince Ron was and said he would bring him but he hadn't. She was getting tired of waiting. Mostly due to Princess Rose but she just wanted the human Prince to come already. She had a whole list of things written down for them to do.They would watch the performances, buy some items from the night market, maybe couple bracelets or rings,
Prince Ron scoffed looking confident. "You think a slingshot is the only weapon I can use? I have more tricks up my sleeve, Frederick.""Oh really? Like what?"Prince Ron chuckled. Just wait and see you crazy Elf. He lifted his robes and turned around. "Eat my dust!"And he dashed into the woods.What new tricks? To a man who could crush stones with his fingers, any trick would be child's play! Prince Ron didn't even turn to see if the crazy Elf was following him. He focused on running and getting away. He had to find his beloved as fast as he could. Only his beloved could fight an Elf like Fredrick.But then, where was he and where was he running to? All he could see were trees, trees and more trees. Ah, why was he so talkative? If he had paid attention, he would have realised that they were taking the wrong road! He wouldn't be in such a situation. Running away from a deranged Elf.He ran and ran, dodging branches and snapping twigs until his legs started to hurt and he decided to r
Zedekiel was enraged. It wasn't hard for him to put two and two together. He raised his hand, about to snap Frederick's neck when Frederick chanted some foreign words and suddenly disappeared. It was like he was never there. Only his blood and the broken tree were evidence that he was indeed there.'When you finally understand what I'm talking about, I want you to think of how I stole him from you every time and what I've done to him every single night right until his death.'Frederick's words echoed in Zedekiel's mind over and over again. The fury in his heart blazed the more he thought about it. His violet-coloured eyes went dark, like plums and the tips of his ears grew long. He gritted his teeth, balling his fists as he tried to curb his anger. There was no doubt. Frederick was talking about Prince Ron.To even imagine Prince Ron with Frederick was eating him inside out. What could have happened all those years? Who was Prince Ron really? A reincarnation? But of whom? What was goi
"Your Majesty" Princess Rose suddenly called. She walked towards them and linked her arm with Zedekiel's. "I have been waiting for you. Come, there are several things I wish to see tonight."There actually wasn't. She despised the party but she would do anything to get the King alone.Prince Ron instantly scowled but tried his best to hide his displeasure. The conniving husband snatcher. Must his sister always try to claim him?Zedekiel wanted to fling Princess Rose off his arm. She was like a little leech. Did she need him to see things with her? She was the one who wanted to see so she should go see. Alone. If he left, who knew what Princess Mariel would do with the human Prince? He wasn't about to take any chances. Not when the human Prince was already warming up to him."What do you wish to see, dear sister?" Prince Ron asked. Like he would let her have his beloved to herself. All is fair in love and war! "I want to see too. Let's all go together. This Kingdom fascinates me."He s
Zedekiel glanced at the human Prince's hands which were holding Prince Ludiciel’s sleeves and he frowned deeply. He knew how cute it was when Prince Ron held his sleeve. It was like the human was depending on him for support. He didn't like seeing him hold another person's. Even if the person was his brother. He kept thinking of ways to separate the two and also get away from Princess Rose whose nails were digging into his bicep."Not at all, Your Highness." The snake woman laughed. "Besides, Gemma doesn't bite. Here, you can start by touching her tail." She held out Gemma's tail, patiently waiting for the Prince to touch it.Princess Mariel gritted her teeth. She wanted to be the one Prince Ron was holding. She would have shown Prince Ron that the snake was harmless but she too was scared of snakes.Prince Ron wanted to touch the snake but at the same time, he was too scared. What if the snake gets angry, turns and bites him? Even If she wasn't poisonous, the bite would still hurt. H
Prince Ron winced at his beloved's harsh words. He felt bad for his sister but he was elated to know that his beloved held no feelings for her. This means he had a big fat chance to win his beloved's heart!Princess Rose was vibrating with anger. She wanted to lash out and scream at him but she knew it would only tarnish her image of a proper Princess so she balled her fists, gritted her teeth and forcefully lowered her head. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I was out of line. This shall never repeat itself."This left everyone dumbfounded.Prince Ludiciel and Princess Mariel were sure that she would explode with anger but what was this?Prince Ron suddenly had a feeling of dread. His sister never apologises. At least not easily. There was something fishy going on. Or was she truly in love with Zedekiel that she was willing to change? Zedekiel also thought it was weird but she had already apologised. There was nothing more he could say. He could only be wary of her. "Apologies accepted."
"So you won't win me that blue bird?" Princess Mariel asked with a pout. "I was really looking forward to it."'Win it yourself!' was what Prince Ron wanted to shout. He wasn't going to embarrass himself in front of his beloved.Princess Rose giggled. "Don't mind my brother. I'm sure he wants a pet. He just doesn't know how to shoot an arrow. You see, ever since he was a child, he never took an interest in such things. He can't properly weird a sword either. That's why he walks around with a slingshot."Prince Ron went red with embarrassment. He stared at his sister, wondering why she would expose him like that. Those kinds of things were supposed to be between them. What was she trying to do? Humiliate him so she could look better in front of Zedekiel?Everyone stared at Prince Ron, wondering, what Crown Prince wouldn't know how to shoot an arrow? It was extremely embarrassing."Oh there's no need to be shy, dear brother" she said with a smile when she noticed how embarrassed he was.
What she feared the most was that Ron was an expert at aiming. There was nothing he couldn't hit with his slingshot. If he learned how to shoot arrows, he would be a formidable foe. She couldn't let that happen."Your Majesty, you do not have to teach him" she quickly said. "This is a game, not a training ground. I already said I would win him a pet.""Winning one himself is a better feat don't you think, Princess Rose?" Zedekiel asked, turning to look at her."But Your Majesty, my brother doesn't like such activities." she insisted. She knew the way her brother's mind worked. If he became good at shooting arrows, he would want to learn how to wield a sword properly. If the King offered to teach him that too, Ashenmore would be even harder for her to grasp. She needed Ron to remain her naive little brother. That way, they wouldn't have to fight each other when she comes for the throne."Right, Brother?" she asked Prince Ron. "Think about your palms. If you get used to shooting arrows,
Frustrated, Prince Kayziel grabbed one of them. "You're just a bunch of cowards! The boy is not even a 100 years old! If you do not fight-" he directly slit the throat of the soldier he grabbed. "You die!"Upon witnessing the scene, the soldiers pivoted their attention to Zedekiel, brandishing their swords. Knowing Prince Kayziel's prowess as a fighter far exceeded Zedekiel's, they speculated that confronting the boy might afford them a chance of survival, albeit slim. However, facing Prince Kayziel spelled certain death for all. Besides, Zedekiel was injured and had lost a significant amount of blood. Putting him down should not be difficult. And so, they collectively surged toward him.Young Zedekiel strived. He fought with all his might, killing some soldiers while fatally injuring some. He fought like a mad man, swinging his sword with reckless abandon yet maintaining an unparalleled level of precision at the same time for he drew blood with each swing. The vale was quickly litter
He sighed, placing on a hand on Zedekiel's cheek, stroking the cold skin gently. "You know, I wanted to spare your life but when I saw the way you took hold of everything in the castle, I just couldn’t. You're still so young, yet you were already ruling the Kingdom like a proper King. When your Father died, I thought the entire Kingdom would be in a state of disarray and I would return and take charge like a grand hero but I was surprised to find that everything was under control. Even when I commanded the Officials to do something, they would say that they had to run it through you first so I knew that I had to get rid of you.""If you desired the throne, you could have just said so." Young Zedekiel gritted. "I haven't even been crowned King yet. I could have willingly abdicated in your favour.""Yes, you could have." Prince Kayziel nodded. "But would you have let me marry your Mother?"Young Zedekiel fell silent but the answer was evident in the intense glare that emanated from his
He had tried to go beyond the garden but he found that he couldn't. He was bound to his younger self and could only go where his younger self went or the places he had been to before. Which meant that if Ron didn't go back to the garden, he wouldn't be able to see him again. He just hoped that Ron would not give up on his stupid self and come back or is stupid self would stop being so stupid and go find Ron.Prince Kayziel had gone to his younger self in the middle of the night and convinced him to join them in their journey to Ashenmore so they could start their revenge. At first, Young Zedekiel didn’t want to go for he had already agreed to wait as his mother had instructed but Prince Kayziel managed to convince him by reminding him of the things the humans had done to his father and brother. He then told him that if they waited too long, the humans might fully prepare themselves for what was to come and they would lose the element of surprise.Hearing this, Young Zedekiel put on hi
“This should be the last time we meet.” Young Zedekiel said. “Normally I would kill you for being a witch and lying to me but since we have been together, I will spare your life. Never make the mistake of coming before me in the future because I will kill you.”With that, Young Zedekiel turned and continued on his way, leaving Ron kneeling there, completely and utterly heartbroken.**********Zedekiel wanted to stay and see what Ron would do but something told him to follow his younger self and so he did. He followed even as his younger self sprinted away from the garden, his movements a blur of speed, almost as if he were a shadow racing across the earth. The wind whipped around him, tousling his silver hair. His dark robes billowing behind him like the wings of a dark angel.He dashed past the castle, his supernatural speed carrying him effortlessly, propelling him forward with a sense of urgency that mirrored the turmoil within his heart.Finally, he arrived at the labyrinth, a pla
"I'm not deceiving you," he insisted, locking eyes with Zedekiel, “I swear it. My true identity is Raldore Nightshade, a witch—the youngest child of Malik and Yara Nightshade, leaders of the esteemed Nightshade Coven."Young Zedekiel's shock was palpable, his features frozen in disbelief as Ron's words washed over him like a tidal wave. He shook his head, taking a few steps backwards. “No. No you’re lying. You cannot be a witch. You smell different. You smell human.”“That’s because my magic is extremely weak.” Ron explained. “I am the weakest Nightshade to ever exist. Look, this is the only thing that I can do.”He crouched down on the grass, closed his eyes and muttered some words. Slowly a small plant germinated from the ground and gradually grew a single red juicy looking apple on its branch. But Ron already knew that the apples he grew were not tasty at all. He plucked the fruit, stood up and held it out to Zedekiel. “See, I’m a witch.”To say Young Zedekiel was shocked was an un
He ran and hugged Young Zedekiel tight from behind. “I’m sorry okay? Please talk to me. Tell me what I did wrong and I promise never to it again. I love you Zedekiel. I can’t live without you.”“Lies!” Young Zedekiel snarled, yanking Ron’s arms away from his body. He turned around, his eyes blazing with fury. “Lies lies lies! All you humans know are lies, deceit and betrayal. You do not love. You can never love. All of you are too selfish for that!”Ron stared at Zedekiel, unable to understand what he was talking about. “What are you saying?” he asked. “What do you mean?”“You know exactly what I mean.” Young Zedekiel replied. “Stop acting like you’re innocent. You humans are all the same.”“No we’re not.” Ron argued. “I don’t know what you’re talking about but we’re not. I have done none of what you mentioned. I love you wholeheartedly, Zedekiel. I have been waiting here for weeks, at this same spot where we both first met. I have been waiting for you like you asked me to but not onc
“Good. You will rest for two full weeks and heal properly. Only then will I allow you to take my children into war with the humans. I get that you’re all angry. I too am brimming with rage and there’s nothing I wish more than to see those humans dead but we all have to wait. We have to be patient and strike when they least expect it. We have to be at our best so we can avenge the lives they took from us. Understand?”Prince Kayziel nodded instantly.She turned to Young Zedekiel and although he didn’t want to agree, he could not go against her. Especially after his uncle had agreed. “Yes, Mother.”Zedekiel, who was watching, closed his eyes and sighed for he knew what came next and he wished he had listened to his Mother. His stubbornness and impatience had cost them the lives of more Elves and had nearly cost that of his Mother and siblings as well.********After listening to Prince Kayziel's side of the story, Young Zedekiel was walking back to his room when a guard frantically appr
Without hesitation, Alaric closed the distance between them, enfolding Ron in a gentle yet firm embrace. His arms wrapped around his younger brother, offering a comforting anchor amidst the storm of emotions. He pressed Ron close, as if trying to shield him from the pain and disappointment that threatened to overwhelm him.Zedekiel floated into the shadows, his heart hurting as he silently watched Ron cry. He couldn’t believe that in the past, he hurt Ron so much and made him cry. He felt like total jerk. A complete asshole. He was the one who had approached Ron first and declared him his wife but here he was, abandoning the person he claimed to love. This must be why Alaric had been so mad at him back in the coven.The Elf King had no idea that he had seen nothing yet.That night, Alaric succeeded in convincing Ron to go home, rest, and eat some good food then come back the next day and wait again. Zedekiel on the other hand, floated back to the castle. On getting there, he noticed t
“My brother is yours?” Alaric chuckled coldly. “What an introduction.”“Brother, he’s the one we saved some months ago.” Ron informed Alaric.“That drowning smelly Elf?” Alaric asked.Ron nodded. “He’s the one. I’ve told him many times that I cannot return his feelings for me but he just won’t leave me alone. He said he’d rather see me dead than with someone else.”Hearing that, Alaric's anger ignited like a roaring inferno. “You want to see my brother dead? My brother?" Alaric's queried, his voice rumbling like thunder, laced with a dangerous edge that sent chills down the spine of anyone who heard. Even the neighbouring leaves, bushes, flowers, and animals were not spared. They trembled at the sound of his voice and the intensity of his magic.His chest tightened, and muscles tensed as if coiling to strike. The mere thought of someone wishing harm upon his beloved sibling was enough to send his emotions spiraling out of control. He shielded Ron behind him and held out his hand as he