I'm just gonna upload this today because I will be busy for the rest of the week.
Disclaimer: I do not pokemon.
I apologize in advance for any grammar and spelling mistakes. In my defense, I did upload this first thing in the morning.
Chapter 6
It all looked the same.
The barren lands of the desert that separated Blitz Kingdom from the rest of the world was proving to be the biggest challenge Princess Sapphire had ever faced. The wastelands appear to stretch out as far as her eyes could see. The scorching heat of the desert was the least of her worries. Her fur was unusually cold and she could withstand this climate just as effortlessly as if she had been home. She had her hunger to blame for her weakened state. Princess Sapphire had been walking on an empty stomach since dawn. She could not remember the last time she had had a meal. Starving was not something the Blitz princess was accustomed to. This was a dangerous world she had found herself in and nothing from her royal life had prepared her for such an adversity.
She was almost convinced that she was going to die of hunger. Perhaps that's what her brother had in mind for her when he and the royal guards abandoned the chase. Or perhaps they only meant to drive her out of the Blitz territory and then let her fend for herself. That would certainly kill an unarmed pokemon with no previous experience in battling and no provision of food and water. Although she was grateful for having escaped death at their hands, Sapphire could not afford to relax until she had found some shelter. The desert was a merciless place for a princess and it would take her life if she refused to fight it.
The Glaceon princess stopped and looked around. The scenery hadn't changed. The desert was largely the same; one barren wasteland stretching out with occasional rocks and the scarce, inedible desert vegetation. She continued to walk, one step after the other, wondering if there was ever going to be an end to this test. She was not an expert on navigation like her brother and therefore, had no knowledge of what lay ahead. All she knew was that she somehow had to cross the desert and north seemed to be the only way to go.
Where are the desert tribes? She wondered, continuing her painful journey. Sapphire had read about the different tribes of pokemon that resided in this desert. The tribes were said to be mostly sandslash and trapinch but larger pokemon such as Dophan and Rhydon were also believed to exist. Savage by the definition of many, the princess had initially thought this to be nothing more than a rumor, a story fabricated by the townspeople to scare their children into sleep. That, of course, had changed when her handmaidens told stories of their husbands who encountered such pokemon on their march back from battles. The stories varied from kind and hospitable tribes who came to the aid of the injured to the vicious and hostile ones who accused them of invading and attacked any pokemon that stepped foot in their territory.
A tale or not, now she wished they were real. She was almost praying they were, if Zekrom was even listening anymore. She hadn't seen a single pokemon for miles, the only sounds being the ones of her own feet slogging against the hot desert sand. She half expected a Dugtrio to pop out from the ground below. A sight that would frighten most, it was a sight the Glaceon would have welcomed wholeheartedly. She imagined how he would be accompanied by a band of Diglett, all of whom would stare at her in awe of her unique evolution. Surely she must be the first Glaceon so far out from the mountains. Then they would escort her back to their encampment where they would offer her all the food and drink she needed and tend to the injuries she had sustained from her chase.
While her mindless daydreams were keeping her brain occupied, it did not help her deteriorating strength and dying spirits. Each step after the other was becoming increasingly painful. Her breathing, too, was heavily labored as she forced herself to push on. She wanted to live, that was certain. But she did not know why. With all said and done, dying would have been an easier choice. For whatever sin she had committed, it was not going to be a quick one. It seem to be coming slowly, sapping the strength from her body and heart alike until her own weight began to sink down on her limbs. She fell heavily on the ground, her lungs aching for every precious breath. She raised her head ever so slightly, forcing her heavy eyelids to open for one last look before her senses faded. Through teary eyes and a blurred vision, she saw something blue. It was vague, barely visible and Sapphire couldn't tell if she was hallucinating. Perhaps she had already passed out and this was a dream. She blinked once, twice, wondering if it was real or her own little mind playing tricks. It appeared to be a good distance away but real all the same. Dream or not, Sapphire knew the only path to her survival was forward. One steady step after another, the Glaceon was off once again.
Somewhere in the desert:-
"Your Highness, shall I fetch you a ride?"
The Absol asked respectfully, walking beside the King he served. The black furred pokemon didn't spare him so much as a glance as he retorted: "I will march."
The Absol, albeit worried about his prince's health, accepted the answer and chose not to speak further. Being the royal advisor to the ruler of the dark type, he had come to accept this nature of his ruler a long time ago.
Despite his young age, Prince Skull was a strong one, in body and mind. He preferred to march like an ordinary soldier rather than riding on the back of a much larger pokemon. He believed it served as motivation to those who followed him into battle, seeing their ruler on par with them, creating no boundaries of discrimination between the royalty and the common folk. Many believed the young prince had their legendary to thank for his strength and unwavering courage and that they were blessed to be ruled by someone who struck fear into the hearts of their enemies and answered injustice with justice.
Absol, however, knew the dark nature of the prince. The pokemon had served his parents before the young prince ascended the throne after their passing. It had all happened so fast and Skull was crowned within a fortnight on the command of their legendary. The events that had followed were what Absol had dubbed 'unspeakable' and many pokemon of the Darkus Kingdom were not made aware of them. One thing was certain: Skull was never the same again.
The memory of what Absol had witnessed was the stuff of his nightmares for many nights that followed. Skull was merely a child back then but not one so young to not remember. Being unable to help, Absol could only wonder how scarred the poor child was and had almost been convinced this would be the downfall of their nation. Seeing him now, a strong leader who sparked loyalty in his men, Absol could not help but feel proud of the young prince and his success as a ruler.
Although best known for his mercy and benevolence to his own people, Skull was just as fierce on the battlefield, sparing no one who declared himself his enemy. His kingdom was one of the three most powerful ones in all the land. A conquering kingdom by status, Darkus was well known and feared by those who could barely outnumber its armies, much less defeat it. Skull himself, however, was not interested in expanding his territories. A strong devotee of his legendary, he simply carried out every one of his orders without question. He personally led his army into every battle, fighting out in the open rather than commanding from the shadows as many cowardly rulers did. Absol had argued once how it was dangerous for him to march out into the field but Skull had declined his offer to stay behind on the grounds that he did not wish to let others fight his wars for him but rather alongside him.
None of this earned him any favors from the legendary he so obediently served but Skull had long since forgotten to expect anything for his endeavors. His life had been empty since the day he was crowned and all that he loved was lost in the span of one night. Florasia kingdom was to blame. Skull was not oblivious to this. He was just an Eevee when he had been told, the very night it happened. His parents had been slaughtered on the battlefield by the former King of Florasia kingdom, father to the present one. Although he died shortly after in the same battle, it was no satisfaction to the young Eevee who had been promised their safe return. An entire kingdom and all the power he had been granted could not fill the hole they left behind. The thought of his parents lying cold on a battlefield with their throats slit to the bone and blood staining the ground enraged him to his core and nothing could douse the flames of this fury. There had been a time when he had thought he might regain what he lost that night. That too, however, was snatched away by the legendary he so loved to serve. And knowing his duty lied with his Kingdom, Skull had accepted that too.
Presently, Prince Skull was marching back from a battle. His army, largely consisting of Liepard, Houndoom and Weavile, were following along behind their leader. Absol marched alongside the Prince, as was his place in all battles. His mind was too preoccupied with the events of his recently fought battle for him to pay attention to his surroundings. His head was clouded with frustration with a hint of annoyance and regret. Florasia Kingdom has fled the battle scene and with it, their Queen. The battle itself hadn't been a pleasant one; a notion he was quite used to at this stage. The grass-type kingdom nearly rivaled his in terms of defense and knew how to fend off those who wanted to invade their lands. The grass-type pokemon were often regarded as the first settlers and their kingdom was the oldest in existence. Hence, it was historically famous where kingdoms were considered and many wished to conquer it. Its pokemon had defended it for thousands of years and Skull knew they would continue to do for thousands to come. But it wasn't the kingdom he wanted. It was her screams; the blood of the one who slaughtered his parents.
Looking ahead now, Skull could see Lake Aquanesia very clearly, its crystal clear water reflecting the sun overhead. Aquanesia had a history that had fascinated him since he was a child. It was a huge lake, in the middle of a desert, hiding a million secrets beneath its blue. One such secret was the existence of an entire kingdom, hidden within the crevices underwater with its crystal walls and underwater vegetation he was not familiar with. Skull had never met the pokemon of Aquanesia, nor had he ever been commanded to lead a battle against the nation. Now, standing close to their domain, Skull quickly scanned the surface for any water pokemon that might be spying on the army.
"Hold up the white banners," He commanded Absol who nodded and passed on the order.
Skull did not spot any pokemon in the lake as far as he could see, its blue surface unbroken. Still, he was not one to take the risk. His army had just returned from a battle and simply could not afford a second one so soon after their first. He was not in search of trouble with the pokemon he had never seen. Furthermore, a surprise attack from an enemy they had never faced in a battlefield before was not something he fancied and casualties were guaranteed in such a case, more so in his share then theirs. Additionally, fighting from the waters would give the Aquanesia pokemon a serious field advantage, one that would make defeat inevitable.
"We shall rest here," Skull commanded Absol. "Get the word out. We depart at dusk."
"Right away, Your Highness," Absol said, bowing his head before heading off to dispatch the instructions.
Skull stood before the lake, breathing in the unfamiliar scent of the lake water, his ears pricked for any sounds. The only sounds he could hear were those of his own men talking as they stepped about for a drink from the lake. He could hear them grunting and growling about the injured they had to carry back, boasting about their fights within the battle itself and the gruesome deaths they had witnessed. Their voices rang in his ears, provoking his temper. Prince Skull had a sharp ear and preferred silence over chatter. Company brought him no delight and solitude was his friend. Soon enough, his lonesome instincts kicked in and he found himself walking away from the encampment and round the banks of the lake.
The further he walked away, the more the sounds died out. He continued walking, one black paw after the other until the voices were nothing more than a whisper. He could still see them when he turned to look. His army was too large to not be visible over the distance he had covered. Being away from the noise relieved him in ways only he could understand. He did not stop walking once his men were out of earshot. He found himself walking further, his eyes fixed on the water as if they were trying to pierce through its crystal blue and unravel the mysteries it veiled. There was a strange aura about this place, tingling his nerves and invoking his instincts. The place looked fairly safe but equally dangerous. Skull thought this must be the work of Palkia, the deity Aquanesia was said to worship. He briefly wondered what it would be like to fall into the water and how deep the lake must be. The books had defined it as 'bottomless' but surely that couldn't be true. The kingdom was also rumored to be a strange one. The books had spoken of how land dwelling pokemon could breathe within the walls of the kingdom of Aquanesia, an illustration of Palkia's power. Thinking about it now, Skull wondered if he'd ever get to see it for himself.
He jerked up his head from the lake and looked about the desert area, his eyes searching for any signs of life. There were none. It was mostly the desert he had to cross to get back home. Turning his head slowly back to the lake, he saw a flash of blue behind the rocks on the bank, a color that clearly stood out from the usual desert brown. His ears pricked up instinctively at the sight if this outlandish hue and his rings began to glow a deathly golden. His eyes were fixed on the rocks now, unblinking. A pokemon, he was sure of it. His nose was twitching with the smell of a species he did not recognize. He expected his newfound foe to move, to run, to attack but his object remained stationary.
Still suspicious, Skull began to walk towards this creature, his paws soundless against the ground beneath. Quick with his movements, he closed in on the rocks, satisfied that the pokemon had made no movements during this time, confirming how discreet he really was and the pokemon was unaware altogether. With a single leap, he jumped over the rock and quickly turned to face his enemy, his body in a battle stance and brows furrowed. As soon as he laid eyes on her, his expression softened from an angry glare to a confused look. There, before him, was a pokemon with disheveled fur of brilliant blue and teal lying sprawled on the ground. It was her tail that he had seen earlier, a darker shade to contrast her relatively lighter fur. With his ears laid back, he cautiously treaded towards her with his eyes studying her features carefully. A Glaceon. He was sure of it now. He had studied about this being one of the evolutionary forms he could acquire as an Eevee. Curiosity began to bubble inside of him, bringing a hundred questions along with it.
She's still alive. Skull thought, observing the gentle rising and falling of her chest. He found himself moving a lot closer to her then he initially intended, his eyes now fixed on her innocent, sleeping face. He leaned, his own muzzle now very close to hers and felt her soft icy breaths against his cheeks. His eyes caught sight of something strange on her cheek and he extended his paw to feel over the tiny lumps. He could not help but gasp a little as the realization dawn on him that these were her own tears, frozen on her cheeks. She had been crying before she passed out.
"My Lady," Skull spoke softly as he placed his paw under her chin. "Can you hear me?"
Why he had assumed she was nobility was something beyond him. She certainly didn't look like she was of noble blood. However, there was something eccentric about her uncommon features and he found himself believing that she was no ordinary pokemon. The Glaceon remained motionless, the only movements being her own breathing. Skull began to inspect her more carefully and saw many injuries across the body, cuts and wounds that were clearly fresh and had not been tended to. This only gave birth to more questions and he wondered what this poor Glaceon had been through.
Without wasting another moment, Skull began to howl as loudly as he could, sending out the signal to his most trusted friend to come to his aid. Upon hearing the howl, Absol rushed from the camp and ran straight for where the voice was guiding him, his legs quickly covering the ground to reach his prince.
"You called, Your Highness?" Absol asked as soon as the prince was in sight, breathing heavily.
When he saw the unconscious Glaceon close to his prince, his eyes immediately widened in fear. His first thought was that this pokemon had tried to harm Skull and he had knocked her out cold.
"Did she attack!?" He asked quickly, his voice full of concern and haste. "I'll send for the guards! I shall have her imprisoned for this! I-"
Absol stopped as soon as he saw his prince gently caressing the cheek of the sleeping maiden. An act that took Absol by surprise, his jaw dropped as he witnessed his prince take her paw gently into his.
"She is fairly harmless, Absol," Skull informed his advisor, unable to tear his eyes away from the Glaceon. "We must help her."
"Your Highness," Absol argued. "I don't think-"
"I need you to help me take her back to the camps. We simply cannot leave her here. She'll die."
I hope you guys like this edited version of their meeting better.
I'll see ya guys with the next chapter soon.
