||Chapter 24||

Aesira

" I have no purpose here... ."

______________________________________

On the outskirts of Entrinnia beyond the gates, surrounded by gigantic green trees, that cast a pitch black shadow. Hundreds of knights dressed in a black armor stood outside along with their horses. Not one knight made a sound, and only the sound of the howling wind blowing from the north to the south filled the air. Not a single thought crossed their mind as their eyes only stared at the path ahead of them.

A man with dark chocolate thin hair tied in a bun shaved at the sides, sat on a horse. His dark grey eyes stared forward and never once glanced in any direction. His lips curved upwards, and it seemed as if he was lost in his thoughts.

"Zephyrion!" A dark skinned man with curly hair called out to him.
He steadily moved his head in the direction he called him.

"Lieutenant." He responded.
The man grabbed a glassy bulb bottle filled with a yellow glinting and sparkling powder. He pulled the stopper and threw a bit of the powder in the air. There, the powder gathered and formed a yellow golden twinkling map. Showing each and every land of Entrinnia.

"We have reinforced troops on The North, East, West, and South." He spoke as he traced with his finger on the map. "A few linger within the castle walls. Many of the Arc Wolves have been captured, and only those of the high status have been killed. Everything is going accordingly."

Zephyrion glanced at the lieutenant, and his lip corner smile widened at the report. He placed his hand on his shoulder before responding to him and approving his idea.

"The problem is there's a shield." He spoke.

"I already have an ally for that." Zephyrion responded with a sinister smile.

"Who?" Asked the lieutenant with a puzzled look on him.

"Me," a soft voice spoke, and there a woman dressed in leathered clothes and a hood sauntered towards them. Her lower part of her face was covered by thick clothing. Her blue eyes stared deeply into the lieutenant, causing chills down his spine.

"Meet Erem," Zephyrion spoke.

"Does King Reagan know of his son's allies?" The lieutenant questioned him.

"He doesn't need to. After all, I'm the one taking over Entrinnia, and why should he be considered?" Zeph spoke and held out his hand to Erem.

"Now we are ready." Zeph spoke and pulled the reins of his horse, signaling it to start sprinting towards the kingdom. The other knights followed along.

••••••••••

"We are from King Reagan's Kingdom, and soon your Kingdom will be under our control." He spoke in a low voice. He then released McGill and grabbed his sword, which was strapped onto his back. He raised it high in the air and brought it down. McGill quickly rolled out of the way as the sword hit the ground with a clamorous clang. He then felt a cold metal on his neck, and sweat dripped down from his forehead as he stared at the sharp object poking his throat.
The guard chuckled out loudly and opened his mouth to speak.

"Your fate ends here, McGill." The moment he was about to jab him in his throat, the guard's sword became covered in a layer of ice, and he stared at the sword in horror with his mouth opening and closing like a fish that has been pulled out of water.

Without waiting for the guard's command, two guards quickly sprinted towards two figures that stood outside the cell.

"Umm... . I have never done this before! Have you?" A familiar voice spoke, and sweat began to drip down from her forehead.
"Same here." The voice responded.

The taller figure slowly inhaled through her nostrils. She then stretched out her hand, creating an invisible force that rippled through the air, slamming the two guards against the metallic bar cells with their backs. The other figure's eyes widened. His mouth hung open for a moment, and her mind was filled with countless thoughts. She felt a nudge on her, and she shook her head, snapping her from her thoughts.

She inhaled slowly and exhaled out through her hands. She quickly stretched out her hands, and the two troops ' fuzzy versions could see a fog rising and a cold, chill thin layer of ice forming, trapping them against the metal bars.
Meanwhile, McGill had the last guard down on the ground, unconscious. He could still see his chest slowly rising and falling.

"Thank you for your aid," he spoke with a smile on him as he slightly bowed to the two. One of the figures nodded their head. "Firstly, who are you?"

The figure raised its hands and steadily removed the hoodie it wore. There, McGill's eyes widened, his eyebrows raised just above his forehead, and his lips left a small gap in between. His thoughts seem to have ceased for a moment as he stared at the figure in flabbergastion.

"Princess Alethea?" He spoke, breaking the silence.

••••••••••••

[Aesira's POV]

I stood in front of a large mirror that portrayed a princess dressed in a red-orange stunning dress. The mirror could only portray the beauty of the dress but could not portray the storm inside of me.
My hands tightly gripped onto the sides of the lace dress that I wore. I could feel my body tremble and shake.
My breath shortened, and I opened my lips to gasp for air.
I could feel my heart beating louder than ever in my eardrums.
Not a single thought came across my mind, and suddenly, I felt my lips betray me as they formed a watery smile.

"I look gorgeous." I spoke just above a whisper, and I gulped to moisten my dry throat.
Tears began to run down my cheeks.
I knew I had nowhere to run, and I shifted my heels and walked towards my dresser.
I opened and closed the drawers with a bang as I shuffled and scattered everything - until I spotted a small glass bottle with a red thin liquid inside that glinted a bit. I stared at it for a moment, I inhaled and slowly exhaled through my mouth. My teeth bit my bottom lip as I stared at the bottle.

My trembling hands grabbed the stopper and pulled it. I brought the bottle to my lips and poured just an amount equivalent to a sip. The liquid was thin and cold as it slipped down to my throat and had a bitter taste. My head began to pain me, and my vision began to blur - with little strength remaining. I squeezed the bottle in my hand as hard as I could, breaking it into pieces. I could hear the glass pieces shatter in my fists, and in a matter of seconds, warm blood began to drip down to my arm.

I steadily closed my eyes and focused my energy on my palms, creating a thin layer of ice that iced everything in my palm, including my warm blood. I felt chills and shivers in my body, and within a matter of seconds, I found myself laying on the marble floor. I could feel my heart beating quicker than ever, and my breath shortened. I opened my mouth, gasping for air, and my head began to pound more as if a metal bar had struck my head.

"I... I... will always... love you... McGill," I struggled to utter the words as I winced and gasped for air.

[Third POV]

She twisted and turned as she felt an intense pain inside of her, and slowly, the gasping and wincing became less - as her body lay on the marble floor still. Her chest had stopped rising, and her head fell to her side with her eyes closed.

"Princess Aesira?" A maiden uttered her name, and her eyebrows rose just above her forehead. Her eyes opened wider than ever, and her heart began to beat faster than ever. She felt the blood drain in her body and cold shivers on her. She slowly took steps towards her.

"Princess Aesira is dead!" She spoke as she felt her pulse. She ran outside the chamber and stood by the door, and yelled the same words again.

••••••••••

The gates, the guards guarded, flew with a loud bang and sent them flat on the ground.

"Where is my bride?" A loud manly voice spoke out loud. The maidens and servants began to murmur among themselves in flabbergastion.

"Isn't that King Reagan's Son?" One of them questioned.

"It is him." A maiden responded.

"Where is my bride?!" He questioned again with a smirk on him. He chuckled out loud, and troops rushed inside, crushing, breaking, thrusting their swords in the poor servant's flesh.

"We are under attack!" One yelled at the top of her lungs. "WE ARE UNDED ATTACK!" Just then, a sword was thrusted in her neck, causing blood to gash out of her neck, and she fell on her side as she witnessed the event.

••••••••••

King Gerald laid on his bed. His skin was much paler like a blank piece of paper. His healthy hair had become thinner and scruffy. A figure entered his chamber and took soft steps towards his bed. The figure placed it hand on its side and steadily pulled a knife from its cover- which awakened King Gerald. His eyes fluttered open for a moment before focusing their gaze on the figure that stood at his side. His eyes opened wider than ever at the sight.

"Save me... ," he uttered the word in a weak tone. The figure placed its index finger on its lips and nodded its head. He removed the thin covers that covered him and then thrusted his knife into his stomach. He placed his hand on his mouth, blocking the wincing and screams. He twisted the knife and thrusted it further until he felt it hit the soft bed. He pulled the knife and slashed his throat, quickening his death.

"Your days as King are over, King," the figure spoke as it glared its eyes at the dead body.

______________________________________

Thank you for reading my story. This is the first part of the story and it has come to an end. Thank you all for reading it.

Who do you think killed King Gerald?
What will happen next?
Will they be able to escape or get captured?
Who's the figure that was standing by Alethea's side?
Why did Aesira drink the red liquid?