"Is there anything you I can do?" asked James to one of the many wizards that were in the area, he knew he had to do something, he couldn't bare the thought of Paige hating him for the rest of their existence let alone it actually happening. He felt guilty for what he had done to the man who loved her, yet because of his anger he had forced the two to be apart and hurt his daughter in a way he never wanted to. Just from her reaction he could tell the love between them had been real rather than a mistaken emotion as he had originally thought, as the memory replayed in his head he could remember seeing a ring on his daughter's hand, to which his guilt only grew especially when it dawned on him not only had he hurt her but he had also robbed her of what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. Her wedding day.
"There maybe something I can do. If this boy was truly your daughter's true love, then he will return to her, via a spell. When she comes home to you six centuries from now, then he will return to her side, but you will need his ashes. Scatter them from her favourite spot on the castle grounds, while having hold of something that he gave her, then when she comes home to you once more he will also return to her" responded the old wizard, he was a powerful one and knew of future events that could turn everything. He knew what James had done would cause more pain than he knew, for his past decisions would result in creating a monster that would some day come back to haunt him. "Be careful my king, for past decisions will bring great pain. A small piece of happiness you shall have once more but with it shall come two monsters. One you created and the other hidden behind a disguise. You will not see the enemy for you will be blinded by your desires" added the old wizard as his eyes turned white like he was seeing into the future, of the events that had already taken place along with others that could happened and the ones that were inevitable.
"He gave her an engagement ring. Maybe with some convincing she will give it to me for a little while" replied James knowing he would have to show how sorry he was for what he had done, just as he knew her willingness to talk to him or even stay in the same room as him were incredible low, he had after all broken her heart and forced her to feel so much pain. James soon left the hut of the wizard making sure to keep from the rising sun as he made his way back to the castle. He knew there was a high chance he would have to enlist the help of Chris in order to get his only child to co-operate with him and help to reunite her with her now lost love. The king in the shadows once again sighed upon seeing the castle, through his enhancements he could hear Paige as she walked around her chambers and sniffled every now and again. He could almost feel her pain, feel her anger towards him for the actions he had taken.
"Did you succeed in whatever you left to do?" asked Chris, the anger in which he felt was practically radiating from him, James could see it in his eyes as they began to flash the familiar electric blue, just as the form of his best friend shook in his attempt to control it. "She doesn't want to see you, she just wants to be left alone to mourn her loss" added Chris figuring James would want to speak to his only child, he knew it would be better to tell James now rather than let him figure it out for himself when she screamed at him to leave her be. The king in the shadows could only nod, the more he was around the castle and the more time that went by the more he felt guilty for his actions and the more he realised how much she had loved the man he had killed without thinking.
"I just need her engagement ring. Its the only way" responded James seeing the way Chris looked at him. The confusion in his eyes and the questioning look which painted itself on his features. "Its the only way to bring him back. I went to see a wizard, he told me if I release the ashes of the boy while holding something he gave her from her favourite spot on the castle grounds, then he will return to her when she comes home again" added James missing the part about the future or that he didn't understand the part about his daughter coming home, he knew there was a chance that the monster created through his past actions could be Paige. He took away the person she loved the most, broke her heart and trust, he knew that could be what turns his loving daughter in the a true monster of the night. "Its the only way to make sure she doesn't become a monster. The wizard told me of some future events. He said my past decisions will bring great pain, I will have happiness again but two monsters will come with it, one of them I created and the other will be hidden by a disguise" finished James fearing more than anything the monster in which he creates is his own daughter.
"She wont become that monster James, yes she pretty much hates you right now and probably will for a while to come but that doesn't mean her hatred for you will turn in to resentment for the people who call this land home. Plus if she does leave then you have to let her go" responded Chris assuring the king and his best friend that the Princess wouldn't be that monster, although she hated her father for obvious reasons, she was too kind hearted to turn her hatred to the innocent people who called her their princess. After all her lover was human, he doubted she would do anything to destroy his memory or anything that reminded her of him. "His name was Tyler, and I will see if she will let me borrow the ring. If only to see her find her happiness again" finished Chris before speeding off to the tower in which Paige's room was located, he knew there was a low chance of her allowing anyone to leave with the ring.
In an unknown area of the land, a soldier who had been gravely injured lay on the ground waiting for death but begging for mercy, he didn't want to die just yet, he feared it and what his loved ones would be told. He was too far from home for his own king to even realise or care that he hadn't returned. He could also guess that meant his mother and sister would be left to wonder what happened and never get the closure they needed to move on with their lives, they would no doubt be treated horribly as all in his home land were if they had no one to support them and look after them when they needed it most.
"You're not going to die" came the voice of another king, this one being of the land the soldier was currently on and slowly bleeding to death from the wound left by the hunting spear in his left side just above his hip. "I have use for you" added the same mysterious king as his eyes began to glow blue striking more fear in the heart of the soldier laying helpless on the muddy ground, he soon felt a strong pain in the side of his neck as the king had bit him. "I'm James Storm the king of these lands, and I have an important job for a soldier such as yourself, but you need to be like me to fulfil it" finished James knowing in a way he was giving the soldier a second chance at the redemption he had no doubt been looking for and in another way he had sentenced the poor man to a curse worse than others, the curse of never being able to go out in sunlight again and the deadly thirst for blood. "Come to my castle in the mountains when you are ready and have tied up all loose ends in your home land" added James before leaving allowing the soon to be former soldier to finish any business he may have in his own land, he knew he didn't have to explain to him, he was now a vampire the fear in his eyes upon seeing his eyes gave it away he knew exactly what he was going to become
"You turned him?" questioned Chris appearing from the trees of the forest which surrounded the area, he was confused to say the least but knew there was probably a good reason for it. Most of the time James had a reason for doing something. "Why?" added Chris as his curiously got the better of him. Upon reaching the man he called king and friend, he held out the ring in which he had somehow managed to retrieve from the princess although both men knew she would want it back. "It took some convincing but she allowed me to have it for a few hours, on the condition I return it to her by tomorrow and it still be in the same condition as it was when she gave it to me" finished Chris revealing he had agreed to her terms in order to get the ring, he knew James was aware where his daughter's favourite spot on the castle grounds was, the cliffs near the waterfalls.
"Thank you" responded James knowing if it wasn't for Chris then he wouldn't be able to do what he had planned. "And I turned him so Paige could have a friend. I took away the person she loved, I took away her happiness. She's going to be angry at me for a long time so the least I could do is give her someone else she can rely on outside of me and you. I know Gunner wont be able to replace Tyler, no one will but at least she will have someone to turn to now" added James explaining why he had turned the soldier in the first place. He hadn't done it so he could fight nor had he done it because the man had asked, he had done it so his only child wouldn't be alone and had someone there she could call friend if she needed to.
"Gunner, that's an unusual name. Not from your lands" replied Chris catching on to the name of the soldier James had turned. He knew it wasn't a common name in Storm's Landing, nor was it a traditional name in town or villages close by. "He's far from home isn't he" added Chris knowing he had to be from a few lands over at least if not the other side of the country. He also knew the man would take a few days to return to which James could only nod and begin to walk back to the castle he had called home for almost three centuries, doing the only thing he could in hopes Tyler Black would one day return to his daughter and help mend her broken heart although he knew there was likely to be six centuries of pain for her.
Upon getting to the cliffs where the waterfalls were, James looked up to the moon above him and back to the castle where he knew Paige was. In his hands was the clay urn in which the ashes of Tyler Black were kept and the ring in which he had given to Paige when he had asked her to marry him. James soon placed the urn down on the ground carefully taking the top off it, picking up the jar again, with the ring in on hand and the urn in the others he looked back to the castle and then at the view over the village he had from his place on the cliff edge. He soon tipped the urn up, watching as the wind blew the ashes to the north, the king in the shadows could only hope with spreading the ashes of his daughter's love he could begin to make a mends and help to fix the heart in which he had broken.
"Return to her Tyler. She needs you and loves you more than anything. My anger got the better of me and for that I am sorry. I was taken by surprise because you were human and she a vampire. I know my reasoning make no sense and mean nothing to either of you. Just please return to Paige, come back to her" whispered James hoping what the wizard told him to do would work and by scattering the ashes of Tyler Black while holding his daughter's engagement ring from her favourite spot on castle grounds, he would come back and reunite with his daughter. He knew he had broken her heart. He had destroyed her happiness only he had realised once he had already taken it away from her.
"What are you doing?" asked Chris he had spotted James from one of the windows of the castle, the curiosity getting the better of him he had come to investigate, wondering if whatever he was doing had something to do with wanting Paige's ring. James soon turned to his best friend, holding out the ring in which he knew Paige would want back to him, watching as Chris carefully took it and placed it securely in his pocket so he could return it to its rightful owner when he returned to the castle. He knew whatever James was doing was likely to have something to with Paige and his recent actions. It was James after all. Most things he did, he did in the name of Paige for better or for worse, most of the time she was his motivation.
"I was thinking about Paige. I hurt her in a way I never wanted to, took her lover away and robbed her of her happiness. I know she will be angry at me for centuries, almost as long as it took her to trust people again" responded James in his own way explaining before telling Chris what he was intending to do. "I commissioned for another palace to be built, near the waterfall of Crystal Lake where they first met, for Paige so she has another place to go if she doesn't want to stay around Storm Castle" added James revealing he had arranged for another castle to be built so his only child had somewhere else to go, he knew her feelings towards him weren't going to be good. "And I turned Gunner so she had a friend outside of the other vampires here, there's no doubt she will have an acute disliking towards Austin Aries and likely to be Eric Young.
"You're going to give her the space she needs in the hopes she doesn't become the monster you were warned about" responded Chris realising James was likely doing it for fear is only child would be the monster created through his own past decisions. Although it was obvious to Chris that James had forgotten about Kevin Thorn, the man who had helped kidnap Paige and also the one who had become Mason's apprentice and fellow vampire.
Over in the shadows of the trees Kevin Thorn stood by listening to the conversation between the two men, a menacing smile coming to his lips upon hearing the king was in bad graces with his daughter and the princess of the land. Although he was slightly angry to learn it. He had being planning his revenge for centuries, since the day Mason was exposed to the sunlight. He knew the only way to force James to feel pain was to target the person he loved the most. Paige. Just as he knew the only way to get the vengeance he desired was if they were on good terms, something that wasn't an apparent thing.
"I guess I will have to wait" spoke Kevin to the trees around him and to himself, he knew what he was planning on doing and also knew to do it he would have to be in the good graces of some very particular people. "I suppose it will give me more time to get on the good side of vampire hunters and convince them the king is one of the worst out there. He will sure to suffer for what he did, just as his pretty little daughter will be put through hell and back for what she has done" added Kevin quickly fleeing from the scene when James turned to look at the area where he was located in the trees, clearly he had heard him or at least thought he heard it. Kevin knew what he wanted to do to get revenge, just as he knew there was only one way James could make sure he wouldn't come back and be a thorn in his side for the rest of their immortal lives.