It was now exactly 9.00 am and the bell was ringing.
The Lakewood kingdom had a bell that was only rung in cases of emergencies and whenever the kingdom had an important event.And so, it was a rare occasion to hear the sound of the bell.The bell had been built years ago and even though it was rarely ever used, every member of the Lakewood kingdom knew what it meant.And so on the morning of the battle for the throne, at exactly 9.00 am, Sir Theophilus who was the head of the council of chiefs gave the order for the ringing of the bell.
There were designated people who had already been stationed at the tower where the bell was and as soon as sir Teo gave the signal, they banged on the bell and the bell rang all around the kingdom.What followed the sound of the bell was absolute silence especially on the battlefield. Everyone was absolutely quiet because that sound signaled the beginning of the event that was about to take place.
Emelda shoo
“King Barroc,” the name was still on Emelda’s lips when she heard the announcer calling out to the two participants in the game, Darius and Lucius.“And calling, the firstborn son of Cyrus the great, ALPHA DARIUS,” The announcer called and the crowd went into a frenzy as everyone was shouting, sheering while a few were booing,” Darius matched into the battlefield and he raised his hands to the crowd. The crowd seemed to love the gesture because they screamed in ecstasy as Darius raised his hands.“And announcing,” the announcer continued, “the second-born son of Cyrus the great, KING LUCIUS,” the announcer called and for the second time within one minute, the crowd growled again and screamed from the top of their voices as Lucius came out.Emelda was a little surprised at the support that Lucius was getting, the crowd had cheered for him in the same way as they had cheered for Darius and Emelda was happy for
The crowd went silent immediately the announcer spoke, everyone was still and even the air around the battlefield was stale. The only noise that was heard by anyone at that time was the noise from the birds that were flying in the sky. It stayed that way for minutes until LUCIUS, the king of the Lakewood kingdom charged at his brother, DARIUS.Everyone had expected Darius to be the one to make the first move but Lucius had taken them by surprise and the minute Lucius started running towards his brother, the crowd started shouting in excitement. Everyone was at the edge of their seats.In Lucius’s mind, this was a delicate moment and he had to prove that he was as fit as Darius as they battled. The rules had said that none of them was supposed to shift into their wolf and Lucius had found it sarcastic because they all knew that only one of them could shift but still, he appreciated the gesture. After all, Lucius also had as many fighting skills as his brother.
The dagger went through Emelda’s chest and she instantly went lifeless. Shock registered through Darius’s body as he took a few steps away. Darius was shocked and instantly traumatized. He hadn't seen her coming until she threw herself on top of Lucius.“How did it happen?” Darius thought to himself.He backed away as his eyes scanned the situation. Fear was all over him because of the fear of what he had just done.The special weapon that had been given to him by King Barroc was the weapon he used to stab Emelda and that meant that there was no way she could survive it.Fear surrounded Darius’s heart and his first instinct was to run far away from there and to hide.But that was not the kind of person that Darius was, he wasn't raised to run away from danger.But still, he was in so much shock and his brain was in a fog, he didn't know what to do.Darius had fought in several battles, along with his father and he ha
Emelda was now in her bedroom where the medics put her on her bed. They had asked her maid, Vera, to come with them and Vera was then instructed to help Emelda out of the clothes she was wearing and into something more comfortable.The senior housemaid had come in with Vera, it was an urgent and Serious matter and Vera couldn't undress Emelda alone.Everyone except the medics had to wait outside as Vera and her supervisor changed Emelda’s clothes into a simple and easy flowing nightdress, they wrapped her hair in a scarf and tied it loosely around her head.Standing outside by Emelda’s door were Sir Sule, Darius, and Lucius.The three men had been told to wait outside as Emelda got changed from her previous clothes and into a simple nightdress. And that was the first time they got the opportunity to look at each other, face to face.There was already tension brewing between both brothers. Lucius could visibly be seen breathing heavily, an
Without uttering another word, Lucius, Darius and Sir Sule went back into the room where the medics had placed her on a drip.Lucius’s eyes strayed to the drip and he watched as the little drops of liquid fell one after the other into Emelda’s body. Emelda’s eyes were shut and Lucius watched her closely to catch a breath from her, one even but he struggled to catch it. And then, Lucius bent to kiss her on the forehead and that was when he felt the hot hair from her nostrils touching his face. The air was cool and slow but it was there. And Lucius was glad because that meant that she was still alive with him in this world.“So what’s the prediction? Why isn't she waking up?” Darius asked the medics. Like Lucius, Darius was also deeply concerned about Emelda and if anyone had taken one look at him the whole time, they would have noticed the crease at the top of his forehead. The lines on his face had grown deeper and longer and h
It had been over two hours since Sir Sule had left Cyrus’s bedroom and in that time, Cyrus had paced around in his room. Cyrus still experienced some sort of pain anytime he attempted to walk but that didn't stop him from moving around in his room.He was apprehensive and he had good reason to be because he was the man who was waiting for the news about the death of one of his sons.And that was not a good place to be in.His food had been brought in earlier and Cyrus had almost beaten the manservant who came with the food. He had barked at him so much that the man had hurriedly left the chambers with the food tray still in his hands.Cyrus wasn't in the mood for anything, talk less of eating and so he paced around in his room in a bid to calm his anxiety.And then he heard his door open hastily and before he turned around, he already knew who it was. He had picked up on the person’s scent even before the person opened the door.It
There have been several times when Cyrus has requested the presence of the chief priest in his bedroom or anywhere else. And even though the chief priest had shown up timely on all occasions, there wasn't any occasion where the chief priest was as fast as this time.In less than ten minutes after his order, both Sule and the chief priest were back in Cyrus’s bedroom.Cyrus was standing with his eyes looking down on the table where the blade was as he tried to imagine what exactly was going on. He had known for years that the silver lake kingdom was trying to get back with the Lakewood kingdom but their barn was a permanent one and no king in his right senses would have allowed it.So as Darius stared at the knife, he wondered why Darius had even granted his audience to King Barroc.Cyrus considered calling Darius as well, he was to answer for what had happened with the weird king and those were the first words out of Cyrus’s mouth the mo
Cyrus’s brain seemed like it was clouded in a fog as he tried to remember the last few minutes. He was able to pick on bits and pieces but that was it and he could also remember that he had briefly shifted into his wolf form.He could see some burn marks on his skin and they resembled the kind of marks that were left after he had come in contact with wolfsbane. And then very slowly, Cyrus’s memory came to him and he started to get bits and pieces of what had transpired in his bedroom.“Your highness,” Sule was the first to speak up, “you were out of control for a moment and we had to stabilize you somehow. That was why the chief priest used some wolfsbane on you. Accept our apologies, your highness,” Sule explained.“There is no need to apologize, Sule, I remember faintly what happened and if anyone should be the one apologizing, it should be me,” Cyrus replied.“I’m sorry for losing control,
After the death of her mother, Yemanja had been the sole guardian for Emelda and the two had bonded in deep ways over the past years. If there was anyone who knew what Yemanja was up to and what she was capable of- that person would be Emelda. But there was one thing that Emelda still struggled to get used to even after all the years she spent with her grandma and that was the ability to have her grandma cutting right to the chase.Yemanja wasn't the person who would beat around the bush or who struggled with words. She always went right to the point and even after all these years, that attitude from Yemanja still surprised Emelda.And it was the same surprise that took over Emelda the minute her grandmother asked her the direct question.But instead of answering the question, Emelda tried to avoid it. And the only way she knew how to avoid the question was to tell a lie.“Yes, grandma. That was why I left the palace. I couldn't stomach what w
Emelda sat on a little stool in her grandma’s kitchen as Yemanja put on a pot of soup on the stove. There was an awkward silence growing between them and soon, Emelda found herself drawing little imaginary circles with her index finger all over her grandmother’s kitchen table.Yemanja had her back turned to Emelda but she could almost tell what was going on. The energy from Emelda was consuming and Yemanja didn't need to be an all-powerful witch to notice it.“What troubles you, my child?” Yemanja asked as she stirred her soup slowly with the wooden spatula in her hands.“Nothing!” Emelda shrugged and sighed at the same time.Slowly, Yemanja placed the spatula aside and turned to Emelda. She stared at her granddaughter keenly as she wiped her hands with the kitchen napkin.“Don't lie to me, child. You know we have been through a lot these past few months. I do not want there to be any secrets between us. Yo
Yemanja was at the back of her house, tending to her garden when she heard a noise that resembled the sound of a carriage. Slowly, Yemanja placed her garden fork on the ground as she closed her eyes and listened closely. At first, she had thought the carriage was passing through her house but she soon realized she was wrong when the noise from the carriage stopped in front of her house.Gently, Yemanja pulled herself from the ground and dusted her dry hands on the front of her apron. She straightened her back and walked to the front of her small house, using the sidewalk.“Grandma.” Yemanja heard the excited voice before seeing who it was but she didn't need to see who the person was to realize that it was her granddaughter, Emelda.“Emelda,” Yemanja called her granddaughter’s name in the same excited tone as Emelda had called hers.Emelda came down from the carriage and ran to her grandmother’s side, throwing her s
All the guests started to exit as well, starting from the royalties that were seated on the front rows, and soon, the hall which had been filled to the brim was suddenly empty.The crowd marched to the battle filled and Cyrus took a seat on the podium.There were five seats on the podium and Lucius helped Emelda to one of the seats as he and Darius took the next two seats beside her. There was only one seat left on the podium and Sir Sule joined them on the stage, seated close to his King and Alpha, Cyrus.“Bring in the traitors,” Cyrus commanded and the gates of the battlefield opened up.Six hefty men dragged in the traitors- Gedoni, Tobias, and Barroc. Holding each of them by their arms and aggressively they flung them on the floor, right there in front of the podium.Cyrus got up from his seat and took a few steps till he reached the edge of the podium.With utmost disgust, his eyes turned from one man to the other as the men loo
Minutes after Darius, Lucius, and Emelda entered the hall, the ceremony began with a short cleansing session performed by the chief priest.The hall was filled with royalties from all the nearby kingdoms who paid their allegiances to the Lakewood Kingdom. The presence of the kings, queens, princes, and princesses could not go unnoticed. Everyone felt the presence of the distinguished guests as they all took their seats ceremoniously.But more than the royalty, another group that stood out, even more, were the different werewolf packs that had turned up for the event. The hall was equally loaded with different Alphas to Betas and down to Omegas. Anyone who was considered as an important personality, werewolf, human, or witch, was present for the greatest ceremony of all time.It wasn't every time that king and Alpha got to take the throne a second time, it was a historic event. One that had never occurred before and anyone who had the privilege of getting an invite
Darius noticed Emelda and Lucius walking towards the door to the hall even before they saw him. It was a mere thirty seconds of watching them-her to be precise but that was enough time for Darius to take in every inch of Emelda’s beauty. She was beautiful and even more graceful as she walked towards the door to the hall where the ceremony was being held and Darius could very well see that the Palace life suited her perfectly. It seemed like she had been born for royalty and he couldn't help but appreciate her gratefulness.But then, he was reminded of the awkward position he was in with her by how his chest tightened and his breath almost seized. In an instant, Darius had gone from admiring her to feeling like his very essence was being choked out of him. It all happened so quickly and even though Darius hadn’t meant for it to happen, he found his eyes wandering towards her, and the next thing, their eyes were locked!Emelda on the other hand, locked eyes w
“How did he try to fix it?” Emelda asked Lucius. patiently, Lucius explained how Darius had gone to the Silverlake kingdom in an attempt to get the antidote for her. Emelda listened patiently as he explained everything to her but still, the pain in her heart wouldn't go away. She wanted to let it go but was finding it difficult to do so. Her heart was heavy and by the time Lucius was done with an explanation of what occurred between Darius and the weird king, she had to tell him how she still felt. “I hear everything you're saying Lucius but it hasn't helped in easing the pain I feel,” she admitted. Lucius squeezed her hand in his, “time will tell Emelda. Time will heal your wounds. I don't want you to go around with a grudge in your heart, you can see how that affected your grandmother,” he cautioned. Emelda nodded because what Lucius said to her made absolute sense. Nursing a grudge could lead to dangerous emotions that could lead to drastic
The council of chiefs headed by sir Theo had now put together a ceremony that was supposed to reinstate Cyrus as the king and Alpha of the Lakewood kingdom and the Lakewood moon pack and the morning of the ceremony had arrived. Before then, the crew that had been sent to the Silver lake kingdom had successfully recovered the weird king and he was locked up in a cell in the basement alongside Gedoni and Tobias.The royal advisers had agreed to their execution and that was the hallmark of the ceremony.The three traitors were going to be executed by Cyrus after he got crowned as king again. But before the ceremony started, Emelda and Lucius were tucked away in Lucius’s bedroom.“what are you going to do after this?” Emelda asked him with hope in her eyes. A Lot had changed for Lucius ever since he became a wolf, he was a different person of some sort. He seemed more in control of himself and his mood had gotten better a hundred percent. Lucius was already a ha
“What do you intend to do about it?” Adolf continued his conversation with Darius. Adolf could still remember the last time that Darius had admitted to having feelings for Emelda and it had been on their way to Silver lake kingdom while they had been searching for a cure. Adolf could still remember how Darius had been embarrassed by admitting to having feelings for his brother’s feelings and looking at Darius now, Adolf could not see any trace of embarrassment. Darius was serious about his feelings and Adolf could almost tell that Darius was going to do something about it. “I don’t know what I am going to do, Adolf. But the truth is that Emelda hates me. We had a fight the last time we spoke, that was before the battle for the throne. She had come to me with the hopes of convincing me to step away from the battle and I had turned her down.” “Hate is a strong word you know, I doubt if Emelda could hate anyone. Not even you,” Adolf encouraged. Darius sh