Prologue - Fiery Inferno
It was burning everywhere. Fire.
People ran from their homes, screaming in fear and despair. Children cried after their parents, women screamed and men fought the fire, trying to save lives.
Not only the homes were on fire, the forests and the trees were on fire as well. It was a fiery inferno!
Then they came.
Figures, all dressed in black. It was a terrifying to see them, as they rose from the fires. Like demons, they came from the fires and they looked alike dark knights with a mask covering their identities. The poor people began to run in panic, their magical powers wouldn't last against the newly arrived enemies.
One man stood and watched them. A sinister smile, only the sight of the poor terrified people whose ran in fear and panic.
"They're just like ants in anthill. They're so scared, so miserable and so helpless." he smirked and rose his hand. A huge fireball appeared from nowhere in his hand and then he threw the fireball into a small shop. The windows exploded, glass flew everywhere and then it went off small explosions in all colors inside.
"What will they do, once their last resources are gone?" he turned his back towards the people. What was the difference? They were going to die anyways.
Now...it was time to pay a visit to the castle he was banished from. He snapped his long, pale fingers and in seconds, he had appeared in front of the gates that once concealed the castle. The gates were down on the ground and the courtyard that usually were guarded were abandoned.
"Ah, your majesty. What will your last wish be?" he wondered.
A guard, dressed in a uniform of blue and gold, ran up to his king. "Your majesty! The people is in more danger, we have already lost too much men. Only a few are left, so are women and children!"
"How many has survived so far?" the king asked, he cringed as he was too afraid for the answer. His people was in danger and they have already lost too many of their best men in the war.
"Around 35 men are left, fighting. 47 women along with 26 children are safe! We concluded the mines is safe for them to hide."
The king sighed and gazed over his kingdom, looking though the broken window. It was a inferno, almost like all of them has been sentenced to burn in fires of hell. "Any escape way left? The kingdom isn't safe anymore to hide."
Just in that moment, another guard came running. "Your majesty! The enemy has set the bridge on fire! The escape routes are blocked!" she told.
"As I feared...no one is coming out of this alive. I'm afraid that this will be our last fight. Guards, be prepared to fight for your lives. We may die, but let's die in honor. Don't give up yet."
"Yes, your honor." they replied and ran off. The king stayed left and then he ran into another room. The castle were in a bad shape with every broken window, pieces of stone and glass shattered and the fire were spreading quickly in the floor below him.
"Aria. I'm going to fight against that traitor. You try to go hide with our daughter." he told his wife as he grabbed his sword, ready to fight with his people for what's left of their lives.
The queen was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes. She stood there in a form-fitting lavender dress and stared at her husband. "You're not going to fight alone! Not without me! I don't allow it."
The king sighed. "Aria, this is your only chance. I need you to survive and Skyleregina too."
His wife shook her head and grabbed his hand. "Eustace. Either we'll survive this together or we fight and die together. I have sworn my life to you and no one of us can live if one of us die, weather we sacrifice us or not. Skyleregina have a chance to survive, but not us. Her magical powers are more mighty and stronger than ours combinated."
Eustace, as his name got revealed, stared at his wife and his gaze softened, his love for his queen was undying. "Darling...I love you. But we'll do everything we can, okay?" he replied and kissed her hand.
Both of them went out of the room and ran downstairs, ready to face the culprit that put their kingdom, their people, their lives and their daughter in danger. Once they reached the courtyard, they came to a sudden stop as they saw a tall and dark man waiting for them.
That sinister smirk could only belong one person in the whole world. Cold, emotionless grey eyes. Pale skin, a sharply hooked nose. Thorny black hair. Dressed in a long, black cape with silver thorns on his shoulders.
"Ah, Eustace. Came to see me? I'm so flattered..." he remarked in a bored voice, he smirked.
"Yes. Now when I'm going to finish you once for all!" the king snapped and drew his sword. It glew a blue aura around the sword, which was made of the strongest and the most purest magic that existed.
"Oh, so brave. But see! Your lovely queen has joined us as well!" he drawled and walked around calmly, pretending to thinking. "Then that must mean that your daughter, the princess is unprotected for the moment."
"Don't you dare speak of her like that! I haven't forgotten what you tried to do!" Aria hissed furiously and in seconds she dived and grabbed an abandoned axe on the ground. Her green eyes almost glew of hatred and fury, the thought that this...creature tried to absorb her baby girl's powers year ago made her blood boil.
"Oh, Aria. You flatter me so much. Only you, Your Majesties, haven't understood yet." he told them and suddenly his eyes began to lit up, now turned into a blood red color. He showed his teeth, sharp as razors and his nails grew like claws.
"I am superior to your pity powers! NO ONE CAN STOP ME!" he snarled, his voice made a echo over the courtyard and as soon his snapped his fingers, darkness surrounded them and blocked any escape route. A huge snake grabbed Aria from nowhere and ringled it's body, squeezing her. It let out a loud HISS, showing it's fangs and stared at her with yellow eyes.
"Aria! Let her go, you repulsive, heartless, damned unholy creature from hell! Monster!" Eustace yelled and swung his sword in anger, trying to hit his enemy.
"Now, now. Is that a way to threat me, old Darkov?"
"That was before you betrayed me and tried to absorb my daughter's magic!"
Darkov growled and got close to the king's face. "I was first in line! Only the most powerful after the king can rule and I was the most powerful, until that little brat came along!" he snarled
"You got what you deserved!" ranted Eustace fiercly and once again, he tried to hit his enemy with his sword and it was his downfall. Try to harm your enemy in blind rage and you make too many mistakes. Some people says pride is one's downfall.
Darkov acted quickly than anything could done. The next second, he stabbed Eustace in the chest with a dagger, dripping by dark poison. The king lost his breath, it hurted. But the pain didn't stop right away. It was still there, burning as fire. Almost like the poison were melting his flesh and blood.
He fell to the ground, trying to catch his breath. Darkov, who was there for one minute, was suddenly gone and so was the giant snake. Aria fell to the ground, she groaned in pain and then she saw her husband lying a few feets from her. "Eustace!" she yelled and ran towards him.
"A...ria." he coughed, his blue eyes stared up at his wife's green eyes. There were pain and despair in his eyes, he knew he was dying. A slow and most painful death.
It's told that when a Pracordian is dying, one's life is reflected in the eyes during the last moment of life. Memories were flowing in the reflection of his blue eyes. Everything he ever experienced and felt was collected for one last minute. Hid childhood as young prince, him being reluctant to his arranged marriage until he met the lady he fell in love. Aria, his true love.
One tear rolled down his cheek, but his heart was happy. He had lived a good life, with a wonderful wife, his queen and his precious princess, Skyleregina. His daughter was the only one who could protect the magic, Darkov couldn't get that magic or the world would be in danger of a dangerous creature.
"I...love..." Eustace's voice was raspy, weak and trembling, the dark poison was filling him and he knew he didn't had much time left of his life. Only seconds left. He coughed roughly and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the living pain. "I love you..." he rasped, his hand softly touched his beloved queen's cheek.
Aria sniffed, the tears wouldn't stop and they fell on his chest, creating a small puddle. What use was tears, when there were only seconds of her husband left. "I love you...always..." she whispered and then, she felt his hand going limb.
The king was gone. He was dead, the blue eyes were lifeless and empty. Aria looked up in the sky, she was trembling of grief and fear for what was gonna happen next and her green eyes were still flowing of tears. The sound of the wind were so sorrowful, almost like it were crying of grief itself.
The last thing Aria ever left in the remaining seconds of her own life, was pain through her whole body. Her green eyes went wide and she inhaled her last breath, all went so quickly as the enemy who was behind her, Darkov, had just sent hundreds of black thorned spears through her back.
He smirked satisfied. The king and the queen was dead. Now the last thing left was just the princess and then the kingdom was his...
But the tale of what happened the horrible night wasn't over yet, due to our hero haven't appeared yet. The princess, a young girl not any day older than fourteen year and she was quite remarkable to recognize. Blue eyes, just like her father the King and with the very same golden brown hair, with curly tops and the round-shaped bangs.
Her name was Skyleregina, the Grand princess of Pracordia and heir to the throne. But all hat was changing in only single night, the night of fate. We would soon know her as Sky.
Sky has woken up in the middle of night, she had a dreadful feeling and once she stepped out of her bedroom, she saw a whole army of the royal guards running in a hurry and once she walked across the hallway, she looked through the window and was met by a horrorfying sight she would never forget.
The kingdom was on fire! Men was fighting against demons, women and children screamed, cried and mourned the fallen ones. The bridges was smashed and she couldn't stop a single building that wasn't on fire and likewise with the forests around the kingdom. The young princess fought the urge to allow herself to let the tears fall for her people.
Then she knew. She must help! Sky ran in the hallways, being careful to not step on any of the shattered pieces of glass and stone. Sky kept running and she didn't stop as she was going, running down the stairs. She didn't knew yet what to do, but if she trusted ro use her magic, then it would surely work.
The throne room was one fire! Sky gasped and tears fell down of pure fear. She looked up adn saw to her horror that the roof was not going to hold it and she ran as fast she could towards the tall oak doors. Just as she got out, the roof fell down and added a powerful explosion of fire, sending Sky falling over the ground and she scraped her hands.
She hissed in pain as she felt the open flesh and blood stinging, but Sky forced herself to stand up and keep running. "Stop this! Stop this nightmare! PLEASE!" her mind screamed in angony while she ran in far, the tears didn't stop right away and her heart pounded like insane. Fire was surrounding her everywhere, from every direction and no matter where she tried to run, it was following her like the pest!
BOOM! Suddenly there were another big explosion close to her and she found herself that she flew from the ground, only to hit the hard and unmerciful surface of the ground. Her back hurted painfully and out of the grand building, the poor and helpless people were running in panic, their clothes were on fire and they screamed for help and mercy in pain, agony and hopeless suffering.
The young princess screamed in terror, her people was on fire alive and tried to grab her. But she got so scared that she ran backwards, stumbling.
Sky felt her heart stopped painfully when she finally spotted her parents. They were lying there on the ground of the courtyard, soaked in blood and the eyes were open, but so empty. They were dead! Their daughter kneel beside them and hugged the parents tightly, Sky wept and she screamed out her painful sorrow. She had just lost her parents during single minutes and she was all alone. The kingdom was on fire and it was silent now. The brave men and royal guards had fallen, the corpses of the poor women and children were shattered around at the streets and the moon were glowing red as blood.
The young princess looked up, her blue eyes were filled of fear and dread and her cheeks were drenched of her endless tears. Her trembling hands were drenched of the blood of her parents, they were cold of the autumn winds and the chill of the night. The deafening silence rang in her ears, only the crackling noise of fire disturbed it.
Once she looked up again, she saw a tall man in front her. She gritted her teeth in hatred and anger, Sky would always recognize him forever and only because of the mere sight of his sadistic smirk. He was once a man the people trusted, she had loved him as family. Until the day he nearly absorbed her magic and a Pracordian will die without their magic, the very reason why he was exiled.
"Your Highness." Darkov gave a mocking bow. "Although, you can no longer be royality. The kingdom is burning, your people is eradicated. There's nothing to rule over which means...you're just a part of nothingness."
Sky growled, her face twisted in rage. "You did this...you monster!"
The dark sorcerer rolled his glowing red eyes, yet he kept his sneer. "You're a slow one, Princess. All that fuss to protect a girl, who was never capable to protect her people, let along even defend herself. Just another damsel in distress. But now, you're nothing more than a simple girl."
She didn't answered, as his words stung painfully in her heart and her mind began to register the words directed towards her. The girl shut momentarly her eyes to keep her tear from falling, but something painful in her throat made it harder for her to speak. The blue eyes reopening, staring back at the dark man.
"Actually, my original plan was to kill all of you. But my mind created a better idea, perfect as usual."
Skyleregina swallowed, she waited for the strike that would end her life and possibly bring her to her parents and people in the afterlife. But hearing his words, the wish of dying became stronger as what he could do with her is worse. Darkov leaned to her level, his sneer showed his teeth and the red eyes revealed a great sadistic amusement.
"I will let you live with your guilt. The guilt of watching your people die, your kingdom home burning into ashes and your parents perish in front of you, a helpless girl who couldn't do anything. You will live, remembering what have happened this night. You will live every day, knowing you don't belong anywhere. You will never belong in this world. There's no Pracordia anymore. There's no King or Queen to protect you, no Pracordian people and no magic. Only darkness and fire."
Darkov turned his back on her, leaving the young exiled princess alone in the ruins. The creatures of the dark followed their master, crackling of laughter. Soon, a moment or two, they were gone. The fire continued as nothing happened, the once green and fertilized trees burned as torches. The red and golden glow of the fiery inferno, this was far worse than a deep and most frightful nightmare. This was the reality of what truly happened to the once bright kingdo of Pracordia.
A tiny figure lone in blue, sat there in the middle of a courtyard, her tears fell down and landed on the dead corpses of her parents, the King and the Queen. Cruel words burned in her memory, fire became a mortal fear and the truth of never belong anymore would always echo in her ears.
Author's notes: Finally I got the finished, re-written, polished and PERFECT prologue to Bonds of Friendship.
This was much better than the first one, which were a piece of trash, thank you very much!
I'll hope you will enjoy this one and I should warn for some blood and violence warning.
Rated T for safety.
Stay tuned.
~ Loopin' Lunan95
