The next day, Michael woke me up at the crack of dawn. He pulled me up, and scanned my arms and legs for the wounds I had.
He quickly did an examination of my wounds and ear, telling me that they were healing fine. Well, except my ear.
But, as Michael examined me, I couldn't help but notice how he cradled his shoulder. It had been awhile since he checked up on the wound and I didn't even want to think about the condition it was in now.
"Your shoulder, how is it healing?" I asked him. Michael looked at me, then his shoulder and back again.
"It's a little stiff but other then that it's fine," Michael told me. I could hear the waver in his voice, telling me he was lying.
I didn't press him further.
The rest of the morning was spent preparing for the journey to the thing Michael saw yesterday. To be honest, I thought Michael had been seeing things yesterday. I hadn't seen anything in that direction today.
But nevertheless, we began the journey to the gray dot.

Nightfall was approaching again and we had made pretty good progress to the dot thing Michael saw. The closer we got, the more anxious I became. I didn't know why, perhaps it was just the thought of there actually being something there.
But, I had a deep feeling it was something more.
Michael began getting excited as we neared whatever it was that he thought was there. I didn't understand his excitement, especially since anxiety was quickly consuming me.
When we finally made it to what he saw (As it turned out he did see something), I felt memories begin to take over.

"The prince has been born!"
"Look at him, he even has the aura of his mother."
"His eyes are as green as his mother's emeralds, and his hair as golden as the wheat. He will be a powerful prince indeed."

I became dizzy with the memories. Boomerang whined in distress as she felt me begin to tip. Michael looked over and quickly dismounted, helping me down and holding me tightly while I regained my balance.
"Are you okay?" Michael asks me urgently. I blinked at him, and then at the surrounding area.
I pushed myself up and pulled away from Michael's embrace. I walked silently over to a tree and pushed back the branches, gasping at what stood before me.
The ruins of a kingdom. And a powerful one at that. The memories became so powerful that I blacked out for a moment and collapsed. Michael rushed over again and picked me up, looking out at the ruined kingdom as well.
"This must be the ruins of Belmoor. They were attacked by Aelhaven and weren't powerful enough to fight back. I can't believe the kingdom still stands," I heard Michael whisper.
I once again stepped away from his embrace and gazed out at the kingdom.
My kingdom.
"Michael... This kingdom... I-," I said stepping forward.
The next thing I knew my foot slipped into a hole. I heard a series of mechanical noises before realizing the danger Michael and I were in now.
I leaped back, only to realize my foot was stuck in place. Michael grabbed my arms and yanked me, but to no avail. I heard the bubbling of lava and I felt my mind go into overdrive as I realized I had a limited time before I was burned to death.
I looked down and tried to think through what I had to do to escape. I had created traps like this before, so I should know how to escape.
After a moment of thought I realized what was keeping me in place; my boot. I quickly started untying it and I pulled my foot out and scrambled away just in time.
The lava rained down on the trap and burnt the boot. I sat on the ground, panting and trying to register what just happened.
That trap was made by someone who knew what they were doing. I knew that trap, and even though I had made it numerous times, I still found it difficult to make.
The other question was, who made it? The lava hadn't hardened yet so it had to be made fairly recently. And if someone was out here, setting traps like these, they weren't friendly.
Michael had made the same conclusion around the time I had and he picked me up, handing me an extra boot that Geoff had been smart enough to pack for me. I slipped it on and tied it quickly, walking back to Boomerang and mounting her again.
I made a habit of scanning the ground ahead of me before moving. I searched the trees as well just to be safe. Someone was out there, and for all I know, they could be tracking us now.
We entered the kingdom's main gate, which led to the little shops and such. Looking at them, more and more memories flashed back to mind. I could literally see people walking down the stone streets and hear the chatter of the villagers that had the same distinct accent as me.
Michael gaped at the surroundings, probably remembering the history lessons he was given when he was younger. I could hear him muttering things under his breath, perhaps memorizing where things were to figure out new battle strategies.
As the moon rose higher and we travelled further into the kingdom Michael announced that we could camp out here until morning, and explore more. I was reluctant at first, but eventually gave in, remembering my drowsiness.
We created a small fire and sat around it, letting the heat warm us. Boomerang and Topaz munched on some grain Michael gave them a little ways away.
I closed my eyes and recalled all the times my mother had taken me out to the various villagers. They were all kind and loving, often presenting my mother with gifts for me. I found it amazing and confusing that I could remember all this, but right now, I was too awestruck to care.
Michael moved closer to me to the point where I could feel his shoulder lightly brushing mine. I smiled at the slight touch, and leaned into it, letting my head fall into the crook of Michael's neck. Michael wrapped his arm around me and held me closely, pressing his nose into my hair.
"Can you believe that we actually fell in love this fast?" I whispered, just barely getting my voice louder than the crackle of the fire.
"No. My father always said it took years to fall in love. Now I'm wondering what else he wasn't right about, ya know?" Michael whispered back, giggling slightly, making me giggle as well.
"I still can't believe not even a week ago we were trying to kill each other. Now I couldn't imagine not being here with you," I said, getting more comfortable against Michael.
Michael just hummed in agreement. Silence swept over us and the only noises present was the crackle of the fire, the horses chewing away, and the various animals in the forests.
Eventually, the warmth and quietness lulled me to sleep.

I awoke to an ambush.
It was one tiny flaw that the group had. One person had fallen roughly and made the tiniest noise that I picked up. I had woken up and instantly reached for my bow, only to find it was gone.
The Knights, I would call them, surrounded Michael and I quickly. They emerged from the shadows, all holding bows with knocked arrows. They were very light on their feet, which I couldn't help but relate with.
Michael reached for his sword, only to find they had stolen it as well. How they had taken it from him without him noticing, I would never know. Michael stood up, balling his hands into fist and resorting to his last resort. I copied his movements, even though I knew we weren't gonna get very far.
All hell broke loose within the next five seconds. Michael lashed out with moves so quick and flawless that it made me wonder if the sword was for show. I had no idea how to fight, so I tried to copy his movements.
I suddenly remembered my knife and grabbed it from my arm. I lashed out with it, slashing one of the Knights in the arm and causing them to scream in agony. I waved the knife at the rest of them, which only resulted in some shooting arrows at me.
I dashed away, remembering my swiftness as a hunter. I hide behind Michael for a moment before lasting out at them with the knife again.
I quickly realized how much of a bad idea that was when Michael was shot in the ankle. He collapsed, screaming in pain and clutching onto his bleeding ankle. The Knights grabbed me by my arms, holding me back from Michael. The other Knights grabbed Michael, who was by then done fighting and nearly passed out.
The next thing I knew, I was being blindfolded and picked up, having my hands tied and getting thrown onto a horse. I screamed out with every curse I knew until they gagged me as well, leaving me with nothing to do but obey them.
As we started leaving, I realized something.
These were the Knights of Belmoor, my kingdom.
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Author's Note:
So the climax is coming up. Which means the ending is also coming up. I really hope you guys have enjoyed this story. I am planning a sequel but I'll only post it if you guys would like me too.
Thank you all so much for the support you've given this story. I couldn't thank you guys enough for everything you've done for me.
Thank you for reading and I really hope you guys have enjoyed!