Chapter10!It’s been a while!

SLADE

“Up against the wall!” I yelled to my soldiers around me. “Stand fast! We must show no mercy!” I took a deep breath. Breathing the smell of the battle before my eyes. My body felt on fire.

I haven’t felt this way since the last battle I fought in that almost cost me my legs. The pain. The rage. The burning need to win at all costs. 

“Secure the east flank!” I barked, my voice sharper than steel. “Don’t let them through!”

“They are close, Your Highness,” one of the senior soldiers said to me. I looked around and I could see that a lot of eyes were on me.  Some are probably thinking, What am I doing here, and How am I on my feet.

Too bad, they don’t have the right to such answers. Today, I’m going to show the world that Lycan Slade never fell, but he is stronger than ever.

“Stay here,” I said to Ayla, who had been by my side since we walked into the tower. 

“Not a chance!” she yelled, and the whole place became quiet. 

“Carry on!” I yelled, and activities began again. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” she said, and I smiled inwardly.

“You need to work on how you react to anything in public,” I said to her. “Especially around my soldiers,” I said with gritted teeth.

“Of course, my apologies again, your highness,” she bowed slightly. “But your mother will be furious with me if anything happens to you,” I groan as I place my armour on my body.

“I can handle my mother,” I said to her.

“You won’t be able….” She stopped talking while some soldiers were passing by. “You won’t be able to handle her if you are dead,” she said rather sharply.

Are you not rooting for me, Lady Ayla?” I asked her with a bit of a flirtatious tone.

She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched, betraying the smile she was fighting. “I’m rooting for you to come back in one piece. Not march to your death with that signature Slade arrogance.”

“Arrogance?” I chuckled. “No, my lady. Confidence. There’s a difference.”

She stepped closer, her hand brushing against my chestplate as she adjusted one of the straps. Her fingers lingered for a second too long. “Confidence is knowing your strength. Arrogance is underestimating the enemy. Don’t blur the lines.”

I stared at her, caught off guard for a moment—not by her words, but by the fire in her eyes. She wasn’t afraid anymore. Not of me, not of this battle. Or maybe, she is getting better at masking her fear. 

Well, after the session she just had with my mother, she had better learn the craft well.

“You sound like someone who cares,” I said, lowering my voice.

“I sound like someone who knows what it’s like to lose people,” she whispered, barely audible.

A beat of silence passed between us before I reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Then you understand why I have to do this.”

I walked past her and headed towards the stairs, “Don’t worry. If anything happens, you will be here to patch me up,” I said, and she nodded.

“Of course, that’s what I am here for,” I climbed up the stairs towards the top of the tower. The sounds of soldiers screaming filled my ears, and I marveled at its sounds. It’s been a while.

I stood at the top in my full body armour, looking down at the battlefield before me. “What now, your highness?” I was asked.

“Now, we wait,” but we didn’t have to wait for long. The leader of the rogue army spotted me, and he froze up. I could tell he was both confused and surprised to see me.

Rumors of me dying from being a cripple have been greatly exaggerated.

I straightened my back, letting the weight of my armor press into my bones. The wind howled around me, carrying the scent of steel, sweat, and blood. But it also carried something else, fear. His.

I could see it in the rogue leader’s eyes. The way his steps faltered, the way his men slowed behind him. He didn’t expect me, not like this. Not standing tall, not commanding. Certainly not ready to fight.

I took out my arrow and bow, in one fell swoop, and it landed on his chest, and he fell to the ground.

A roar erupted from my soldiers as the rogue leader collapsed, his body hitting the blood-soaked ground with a heavy thud.

One shot. One message.

The king has returned.

But I didn’t let myself relish in it, not yet. The battlefield was still crawling with enemies, their confusion quickly turning into desperation. Without their leader, they were headless wolves, snapping and snarling without direction.

“Advance!” I bellowed, lifting my sword high. “Take them down! Leave none standing!”

The battle took a few more hours, but none of the rogues escaped our battlefield alive. Except for the few we spared to take our message back to their leaders. The protector of the Lycan Kingdom is alive and stronger than ever before.

The tower was filled with jubilation and celebration. 

Laughter echoed off the stone walls. Bloodied soldiers embraced, some crying, others roaring in triumph. For the first time in years, the sound wasn’t one of war, but of victory. True victory.

I stood silently at the window, watching the fires being put out, the bodies being cleared. The battlefield looked like a canvas of death, painted in smoke. But beneath it… Hope stirred.

“Your Highness.” Ayla’s voice was soft behind me. I turned to find her standing there, a cloth in one hand and that ever-present concern in her eyes. “You’re injured.”

I glanced down at the deep gash running along my side, armor split from one of the final skirmishes. Adrenaline had kept the pain at bay. Now, it throbbed like fire.

She stepped closer, pressing the cloth gently to the wound. Her hands were steady. Focused. But her eyes betrayed her thoughts.

“You shouldn’t have led the charge,” she muttered. “You could’ve ordered it from the rear. No one would’ve questioned your strength.”

“That’s the thing, Ayla,” I said, watching her work. “They do question it. Every day. I had to remind them why I wore this crown in the first place.”

“And you did,” she said, meeting my eyes. “But don’t let proving yourself be the reason you bleed.”

“Proving myself isn’t the reason I bleed,” I said to her. “I bleed for my people, for my Kingdom. That’s all that matters to me.”

“Of course, your highness,” she said as she cleaned the wound as gently as a feather. 

“Besides, it’s not just about the battle today. It's about the battle that is to come,” I said to her as my eyes met with hers.

The room fell quiet again, only the crackle of torches filling the air. I reached for her wrist, my hand warm despite the cold blood on her fingers. “You’re not just here to patch me up.”

She froze, caught off guard.