DARKTRUTH2

Marcus smirked in a sly manner, he seemed to like how the situation was pointing back to the advice he was giving the young king earlier.

"The only way is through princess Zina's throne, she will tell you everything you need to know when you get close to her I assure you." Marcus beckoned on Xavier to consider his advice.

Xavier thought about it a little before nodding in agreement;

"I'll do it, but first you need to set me up with princess Zina, do it as quickly as you can, I am not the patient type." Xavier moved closer to Marcus to prove his point.

Marcus nodded intending to take his leave when his attention was called again by Xavier who had more to say.

"I won't marry her after this Marcus, I just need to get the information I want from her. When I do, my uncle and I will take over the first realm and then they shall all be under our mighty rule." Xavier gave an evil grin to show how satisfied he was with his new plan.

Marcus grinned back at him,

"Now you're thinking like your father. I always knew you had his traits in you. Don't worry, I'm with you every step of the way. Your majesty, I beg to take my leave and yes, I will make sure to inform princess Zina of your arrival,"

Marcus spoke in a serious tone before excusing himself from Xavier's presence.

Meanwhile, in the dark realm, Xena felt like she was going to die. Her eyes were heavy, her strength was failing, and her throat was parched. She slowly lifted up her weak arms to pat the wolf signalling him to stop. He paused, listening to the pace of her heartbeat which was almost faintly heard when he heard her speak in a hoarse voice, asking him for water.

Not fully understanding what she meant, he took her to a river bank not too far away from the last place they had stopped. She opened her eyes only to find a river in front of her. her eyes brightened up, and her pulse received little life. She came down from the wolf and knowing how weak her body felt, she gently approached the river.

Her tired eyes and her saggy walking didn't get her close to the river like she had expected. She fell in a place that seemed like miles to the river, she drew in tiring breath as she gathered a little strength to crawl. She moved slowly on the ground like a reptile, not caring if her clothes got dirt over them, all that was in her mind at that moment was to have a drink of that river's water.

When she finally got an inch close to the river, she had lost all her strength so she decided to try a new method. She stretched forth her hands to reach for the water but she stopped halfway. She turned her head to the place the voice that got her attention was coming from. Instantly, her weakness left her for a moment. She ran towards him, engulfing him in a tight hug as she let tears of joy trailed down her face.

"I missed you so much General, don't do that! Don't scare me like that ever again,"

she spoke in anger and love, hitting his chest with her wobbly hands. General Lynx, noticing how weak she was,held onto her fragile body as he carried her close to the river. He placed his hands into the little pouch he had around his pocket area, thereafter, bringing out what seems to be berries.

"Eat this, they will give you the energy you need, you won't be as weak as you are now once you've had them with water."

He placed his hands into his pouch again as he brought a wooden carved cup. He fetched the water and handed it to her gently. The smile on his face refused to wear off, he still couldn't get over the fact that this little girl risked her life to look for him. He placed her in an upright position so that her back could lean on the tree close to the river.

He let her gain some energy before proceeding with the questions that lingered in his mind.

"Why did you come after me, knowing fully well how dangerous this realm is? Do you want to die?"

She wore a sad face as more tears trickled down her face, wetting the already dried ones;

"I'm sorry General, I'm so sorry I behaved like a child. I know you want the best for me and you just want to lead me rightly as a father directs his child. I'm glad I got to meet you and I'm glad I learnt a lot from you."

He patted her head gently, hugging her back with so much love, her words were bringing out his hidden caring nature.

"It's okay dear, kids are always like this so I understand your outburst. I just consider it very brave of you to come look for me alone, how did you do it?" Lynx asked in confusion, itching his sweaty scalp.

"I had a little help from a wolf but I can't find him now. Did you see him?" She looked around, stretching her neck so much the general thought it would snap. She made an attempt to rise but Lynx held her back, insisting on the need for her to rest.

Lynx was left speechless; he couldn't process what she had just confessed, "a wolf" He questioned her in an uncertain manner. She replied by nodding her head to his question like a five year old who was asked if she wanted to visit the park.

"He wanted to give me a ride and he left me with no other option. It was nice though, with his help I was able to reach the river on time to find you here. I wish I could see him again, he was such a nice Wolfie." She ended her speech with a sorrowful tone.

This time, General Lynx's mouth was left wide open in amusement as he watched Xena talk about this creature. He sat down close to Xena in thoughts, his face was as though he was contemplating a decision in his mind. Later on, he made up his mind to enlighten Xena on a few things.

"There's something I want you to know." Lynx stood up, walking back and forth slowly. He thought of the right words to say before continuing with his words.

"It's time for you to understand how I got here, you Would need training and knowledge to execute your revenge. Xena, I won't want to impose this on you, it's a choice and…

"And I want to do it!" Xena spoke with so much courage, surprising General Lynx. Xena knew Lynx was considering her words on not taking revenge but she made up her mind while looking for the general to make all those who made her suffer pay for their crimes.

"Let me tell you a story," Lynx informed Xena, demanding for her full attention and no interruptions.

"Pay rapt attention Xena, I will tell you everything. The reason I visit this river is because when I first landed in this place, the river received me. It was the first place I ever encountered. I come here once in a while to clear up my mind of so many memories that springs out strong emotions in me."

He glanced at Xena to see if she was concentrating before proceeding with his story.

"I can vividly recall that day when my brother, king El returned back to the palace one afternoon in a hurry and arranged a meeting with me. He told me about conquering the first realm, he said we should take them unawares and rule over them as superior lords. El made the conquering sound so good, he made me believe that without strategy, my army and I would win the battle handsdown. I asked him for a little more time, I insisted, telling him how important it was to strategize but his drive for power was too strong, he sent me alongside my men and we were defeated, captured and thrown in here."

His eyes were narrowed and his hands were curled into fists. He took in a deep breath, taking a seat close to Xena who seemed very interested in his tale. Her widened eyes and her emotionally confused expression showed Lynx she wanted more. Lynx cleared his throat to push away all the pain he felt as he completed the story.

"That was the first time I tasted defeat and it was all because I failed to strategize. What hurts me the most was the news I heard while I was imprisoned in the first realm. I heard my brother, the king, was killed when he tried to attack again with another group of soldiers after I was captured. His wife, the queen, died of shock. She couldn't Handle the news of her husband's death but the guards talked about Something that caught my interest. They spoke about a third realm which I don't know about. If you get out of here, I advise you to find that realm because I heard it holds all the power you'll need to rule over the first and second realm. When you do that, your revenge plan will begin and I'm sure you'll be able to get me out of here one day."

General Lynx concluded the Story on that note. Xena who listened calmly was in deep thoughts. She wondered about the possible place to find the third realm as she planned each step carefully.