Disclaimer: The story you are about to read is fiction. Their names remain the same. Only the circumstances in their lives have been changed to fit this story, fulfill the limits of my imagination, and protect their original creator, Stephanie Meyer.
"Remember Bella, take this seriously. This isn't one of those easy little missions we have sent you on to kill a low ranking soldier. This is a general you are going after. Might want to take that arrogant smirk off your face." Emmett's voice rang booming and serious, he stopped putting weapons into the belt around him for a second to look at me, a frown drawn upon his familiar features.
I looked down at the yellow folder in my hands, opening it once again to today's target.
Jasper Hale, Royal General of the Thornstrong Kingdom. Another Vampire, different position.
I nodded for the tenth time, eager at once to end this mission and get a real position for once. After proving I could do this on my own I was sure to finish my intense training and earn a real rank between the Royal Guards.
I would never be the 1st commander Emmett was, but a Royal Guard would be enough for me. A position where I would be serving the kingdom I'm loyal to, and I would be recognized as such.
I tore my eyes away from the pale face looking at me from the picture of the Hale boy, into Emmett's waiting gaze.
"I got this. Emmett, trust me." I sent him small smile and he nodded, once again drumming more and more blades into his belt.
He didn't need them of course. The team was only going to be there to watch me carry out my last mission. I would be the only one using weapons.
It was a very safe mission itself, since Generals from the Thornstrong Kingdom were almost always alone.
The team would be taking me into the back section of the enemy Kingdom, where it was my job to use my abilities the best I could to get to the General's chambers. From there it was on me to carry out his death and those who stand in the way.
This was the Wintersclaw's kingdom strategy. Even though we had the Healers, the Element benders and the Witchcraft, Vampires were a superior race over all.
The Wintersclaw and the Thornstrong Kingdom had been enemies for as long as our history books can take us back on. There was once one sole King, that much I knew. He ruled over both Kingdoms and united it had one name: Stormhold Empire. That King, King Charles, had two sons. Prince Jonathan and Prince Leonardo. Since he was young, Prince Jonathan was a strange child. He would tore open the mouths of dogs and experiment with them, he would lie and cheat and hurt for pleasure. Leonardo on the other hand was a peaceful boy, always smiling, the sunshine of the Kingdom. Jonathan envied this, he envied the way his brother carried himself and had no need to hurt like Jonathan did. So Jonathan went to a Sorceress, and begged for a deal. He said he wanted his brother to suffer an incredible loss, and he was happy to give anything he had to, for Magic always comes with a price. The Sorceress was old and weak, and as his payment Jonathan had to take her powers as his own, for this made her Immortal. Some say when he asked her about how such powers were a payment at all, she said that The powers she carried were the greatest burden a person could bear. As for Leonardo, he did suffer the most incredible loss. He lost his humanity, he lost the thing that made him the bright sunshine of a person he was, he lost his soul. And so forth, he became the first Vampire.
King Charles and Queen Penelope both killed themselves once they found out their sons natures. As for Leonardo and Jonathan, they despised themselves to a point where the Empire was torn into two Kingdoms. Then there's the Curse of the Stormholds. Once Leonardo and Jonathan were both kings, they both had sons, Jonathan beat his son while Leonardo, even as a Vampire, taught his son as best as he could the inner workings of the world they lived in. Both sons grew to hate each other, and once those sons became Kings, the wars kept raging on. Leonardo and Jonathan both died together in a fire, with such hatred buried in their hearts that it took them both to the grave. From then on, the story becomes a larger imagine, as the Sorceress had kept something from the deal she had made with Jonathan.
Each King that went to the throne, was meant to have one son. Both Princes were one and the same. The Vampire part of that son went to the Thornstrong Kingdom, and the Sorcerer part of that son went to the Wintersclaw Kingdom. Both sons were identical, both sons hated each other. They were one and the same and yet, a million worlds in difference.
Over the centuries, The Vampire race had been the most violent one. The power they had ruled always, but we had the benefit of the elements, and we had the invisible cloaks, healing runes and shadows.
The Thornstrong Kingdom and the Wintersclaw kingdom lived in constant war. Attacks went on for hours at weeks and for minutes at days. You never knew how it would happen, or when it would happen, but the hate was always there. There was always an identical King in a throne commanding forces against the other. Not only were they bound by blood, by spirit, by skin, but the curse made them hate each other beyond all things.
With us, their strategy was always to attack first. We didn't have the physical power the Vampires had, so they had the surprise attack. Our strategy was to take the big ones and slowly make the kingdom crumble. That was what I was meant to do today, take a big bad General, a General that wouldn't be making orders or commands for the time being.
I never ask questions, to me, this whole war was pointless. But I don't have an opinion here, this is was it is, and I'm just a mere Guard who, like every other Guard, has to carry out the orders of the King.
As for the Kings. Ours is King Evan and his other half, his brother and enemy, is King Edward. They have never married, and like every other king before them that knew about the curse, they are trying to never get married and never had children. The prophecy never altered though, they will get married and they will have two sons and the Curse will forever go on till the end of time. What a cheerful thought.
I snapped back to reality as a strong grasp fell on my shoulder. I looked back at Paul, flexing his biceps at my direction. "Like what you see?" He asked in a mocking voice. I loved Paul.
"Not even a bit." Emmett answered from behind me and I laughed as Paul blew him a kiss.
"Time to go gentlemen." A loud voice spoke over our laughter, the voice of our General, Jacob.
"Does he realize I'm a woman? I mean the boobs aren't hard to notice." I remarked as I cracked my knuckles, wincing at the sound.
"What boobs?" Paul asked with that familiar innocent smile I knew so well.
I threw Emmett's used sock at him and he dodge it, and it landed right in Jacob's face.
My whole face turned red as General Jacob's nose nudged the sock. Emmett didn't know where to look, and paul was full on choking with laughter.
"I see you have now found a new way to attack Miss Swan. Sock the enemy to death, sounds like a plan." Jacob's voice was rich with sarcasm, but I could see that sparkle of laughter in his eyes, the way he kept glancing at Paul.
"I'm sorry, General." I muttered and bowed at him.
"Time to go." He said after a while and once I leaned up from my bow, he was gone.
"Good job, Bells." Emmett whispered as he tried to angrily pick up his used suck and stuff it back into his locker.
"Shut it, hulk." I smacked Paul as I left the locker room, suddenly feeling nervous.
I waited outside for the team to gather up, my eyes wondering over the tall and endearing towers of the Kingdom. In one of those, King Evan was watching from a window, his green penetrating eyes watchful over all of us.
I often wondered if deep inside, he had some good in him. If the hate for his brother/enemy was so deep that he himself was not a human being. I also wondered how it would feel to be able to bend every single element there is, and how much pain he had to go through. If I thought bending shadows was hard, his curse as probably miserable.
Emmett and Paul found me a little after that, both ready and watching me with comic expressions.
I didn't speak to them though, it was time for me to take on this mission, a mission that would determine everything. My skills, my powers, my life.
So I didn't utter a world as we all got into the large ban. There was 4 more people apart from me, Emmett, Paul, Seth, and Jacob. I was thankful for the small talk they made, and for Paul's not too funny jokes that kept the mood light, for I was sure that if they left a couple of seconds of silence, I was going to scream. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, and at ten, we were parked in the territory of the Thornstrong Kingdom.