Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon.

I also apologize in advance for any Grammar/spelling errors I missed.


Chapter 15

"What is it that you wish to ask of me, Prince?" Queen Esperanza said from her throne in her royal accent.

She gazed down upon the Jolteon prince who was no older than she was. She carefully studied his spiky, golden fur marked by the white ruff around his neck. He had violet eyes and sharp ears with his well-built body complimenting his devilishly handsome features. She couldn't help but wish she could've been like him. She envied him for being exempted from all the sufferings that she had to face as a Princess when her father was alive.

"I have lost something very dear to me," Volt replied, daring to hold her gaze. For a brief second, he allowed himself to believe that they were equal in status.

"Haven't we all?" Esperanza asked yet again, blinking her eyes slowly as if she was trying to seduce the prince. That was only her innocence. Volt knew that Esperanza was not the cruel one of the two and even if she were, he was much more experienced than she ever will be. Her style of conversing amused him, tempting him to stay longer than required.

"Yes, I suppose," he replied, his voice full of confidence. "But this one is someone very important to our kingdom."

Esperanza was taken by surprise but she showed no sign of it on her pretty face. All Prince Volt could see was the serious expression on the lovely face, sprinkled with hints of melancholic incidents that he couldn't figure out, nor be rude enough to ask.

Esperanza got off the throne and stood up on her glossy pink, elegant legs. Volt kept looking at her moves, somehow expecting an attack.

"Walk with me," she ordered and turned around without even making sure that he was following her.

"Guards! Down!" She told the Alakazam telepathically. They all nodded once and Volt understood that they weren't going to be following them. The Queen wanted to speak to him alone. Signaling to his own group of Luxray, he followed her along rather cautiously but seeing her beauty, he could not bring himself to think that she would be the one to strike first. She was just too petite, too fragile for that. Still, one could never be too careful either. He kept charging the electricity underneath his fur at a slow pace; building it up if it was ever needed.

Esperanza guided him through a door on the other side of the throne room. It was not heavily decorated like the door that he had walked through earlier. The design on the wooden door was rather plain, the only thing of significance being the rose craved in the centre. Still, it wasn't his place to worry so he shrugged it off. Esperanza's eyes glowed pink and a mysterious aura began to emit from the wooden door. It flung open, revealing a beautiful garden behind it.

Esperanza walked into the garden, followed by Prince Volt. The door was shut behind them with a creaking sound but the beauty of the garden had Volt too strongly in its grasp to let him notice. The Garden's pavement was made of golden bricks and there were apple trees with flower beds of lilacs around then, circled with golden bricks with blue gems poking out of the top of them. The gentle breeze ruffled his fur and he found his wrenched soul at peace even though his problems were far from being over. In the centre of the garden, there was a golden fountain with crystal blue water gushing out from the top and filling a small pool below. Queen Esperanza seated herself on the edge of this fountain while Volt stood a short distance from her. She was looking at the sky, lost in thoughts about something. She puts the garden to shame with her exquisite beauty. Volt thought, smiling at the Espeon Queen while she was not looking. In some ways, he wished he could be like her. She was a kind soul who governed with love and justice. His soul harbored nothing but hatred.

"Is something bothering Her Majesty?" He asked politely, bowing his head slightly. She twitched her ears and turned to him.

"Oh, no," she replied quickly. "I was just thinking about the battle I had earlier."

"Ah," Volt said, a smirk appearing on his muzzle. "Is that what you meant when you said we all have lost something?" He peered curiously at her, observing the red gem in the middle of her head. It wasn't glowing but it glimmered from the reflected rays of the sun, making the queen appear more enticing.

"In a way, I suppose so," she answered, looking down at her reflection in the water now. She dipped her paw in the fountain, feeling the cool rush of the water against it, then pulled it out and placed it back on the edge.

"You could have won had you not surrendered," Volt said, now looking to his left at the lilac flowers. "You didn't have to surrender."

"It does not matter now," she said, changing the topic. "What is this pokemon you have lost? Are you searching for it in my kingdom?"

"Yes," Volt replied, clearing his throat.

He was reminded of his plan. All he had to do was ask if Sapphire was there or not. If she was not, he had nothing to worry about. He could return to his kingdom and inform his father that she wasn't there after all. If yes, he could misguide the queen into thinking that this Glaceon had murdered their princess, the one which the queen doesn't know about, and then have her execute Sapphire for him. Following that, he could lie to his father about how the Aurora pokemon has killed Sapphire under the suspicion that she was a spy from a rival was the perfect plan to get rid of Sapphire once and for all. He won't have to go on expeditions in search of her anymore. He could finally go to wars to conquer kingdoms and maybe even become the king in the future, seeing as to how he was the only heir to the throne. He cleared his throat again and then, hiding his evilness behind those quirky smiles, he told her.

"She was a Glaceon," he said. "She escaped from the Kingdom. We have been searching for her since. Has she, by any chance, been seeking refuge with her Majesty?"

Esperanza eyes widened. Could it be!? She thought. Is she the same Glaceon that I found with Prince Skull, the Umbreon?

"Tell me her name," she said, looking down to avoid his gaze in case he noticed her astonishment and hurt. It was too late. He had already seen the sudden change in her mood and concluded she did indeed have some idea about Sapphire's whereabouts. Now, all he could do was hope she wouldn't lie and defend the princess. Moreover, if Esperanza was aware of Sapphire's plight, she would definitely defend her. However, the fact that she had chosen to speak in private with him was proof enough that she wasn't really aware of this. It could only mean two things: Either Sapphire hadn't told the queen that she is hiding in Aurora Kingdom, or she wasn't with the queen at all. But then, why was the Queen so baffled at the mention of this Glaceon? All these questions flooded his mind.

"Sapphire," He told her, blinking at her. He stared at her while she avoided his gaze. "She calls herself Sapphire."

"If I recall correctly," she said, looking the sky and going into the thinking stance again. "I did see her in my battle recently."

Volts eyes widened. The battle! He thought. Sapphire was in a war? And since the battle was with Darkus army, there is no doubt that she has been in Darkus all this time. But how did she get there? The Prince of Darkus is the darkest of souls, even above me. He should have had her beheaded or something!?

"Something wrong, Prince Volt?" Esperanza said, tilting her head in confusion at the sudden change in the expression of the prince. All along, he had been serious, his face drained off of its colors. Now, it seemed that her statement had brought some colors into his cheeks, the colors of surprise.

"It's nothing," he answered quickly, shaking his head. "This Glaceon you saw? Was she fighting too?"

"In a manner of speaking," Queen Esperanza replied slowly, taking in every little emotion that Volt would allow to slip just for the sake of some information. "Prince Skull was protecting her. It was a part of the reason why I surrendered."

Volt felt a ping of guilt in his heart but it wasn't enough to make him apologize for asking. It didn't even occur to him that Queen Esperanza held Skull very dear to herself. All he could focus on was that Prince Skull was protecting a Glaceon and it was a possibility that this Glaceon was none other than his sister, Sapphire. Now, he had to hatch another plan to dispose off of her. And it wasn't very long until one snapped into his mind . All I have to do is lead a deputation to Darkus and convince this Prince Skull otherwise. But, since Esperanza suggests he was protecting her, I doubt he'd have her hanged. Perhaps I can use Esperanza for my goals. He thought, and then turned his attention back to Queen Esperanza.

"I feel like I owe it to you," Volt said with a grim smile on his muzzle. "That Sapphire is evil. She is the murderer of my sister."

Esperanza gasped and her eyes widened. 'You! You are not serious are you?" She pleaded, her eyes filled with fear. Volt nodded once.

"I'm afraid so it is," he told her. 'With that in mind, I vowed to get revenge for my dead sister!"

"That means," she said, traumatized by the sudden thought. "Skull is in danger!"

Volt's ears perked up, feigning ignorance. "I'm sorry. I thought he was your enemy. Could I have been mistaken, you're Majesty?"

"Mistaken?!" She yelled, scolding him. "You are gravely mistaken Prince Volt! Prince Skull is the pokemon I gave my heart to! I know he broke my heart but I cannot, and will not have him murdered by the likes of that Glaceon!" She jumped off the edge of the fountain and stood on her paws, determined and scared at the same time. It amused Volt to see her like this. She could have been the best warrior if she could only let her strength be her guide rather than be fooled by her heart in pursuit for something as meaningless as love. Why did she have to be so merciful and kind? He thought.

"Then you better write to him," he suggested without hesitating. This could have his problems taken care of much faster than a war. Esperanza's ears dropped and she collapsed back on the edge of the fountain, looking at her reflection once again. A tear escaped her eyes and made a soft splatter when it fell into the fountain, followed by ripples in the water below, distorting her reflecting for a few seconds before it returned to normal. Volt noticed this. He took a step towards her in concern. He did not mean to upset her. He was in big trouble if anything were to happen to Esperanza. He only had six Luxray. She had an entire army.

"I cannot write to him," She said is a melancholic tone. "He does not love me anymore."

Volt couldn't help but feel pity on the queen. In his eyes, she was pathetic for wishing well to someone who had caused her such pain. She should have been bent upon having him killed, not saved. But then again, Queen Esperanza wasn't heartless like him. In fact, if he didn't know any better, she was the exact opposite of him. He was merciless, she was merciful. He was brutal, she was generous. He was the face of evil; she was a vision of purity.

"Then why do you care about him?" he said, intimidating her. "Wouldn't it be better if karma were to take your revenge for you?" Esperanza laughed a bit but that too, was hollow and full of sorrow. He titled his head in confusion and waited for her to go on.

"You don't understand do you Prince Volt?" She said, smiling weakly at him. "Hate cannot defy love."

Whether he liked it or not, her words had touched his heart. He smiled at her innocence. He closed his eyes and looked down, smirking. His appearance lacked nothing for him to be labeled a charming prince, except his heart was as black as coal.

"Yes. But what good will Love do when the only thing the other person has in his heart for you is hate?" He replied, thinking about his own father, the way he was always considered second to Sapphire.

Esperanza turned her head back down into the fountain and looked at her reflection. She could see her emotions clearly in it. Volt was right. She loved a Prince who hated her, betrayed her, toyed with her tender heart and left her to her fate, not even fighting for her hand when she was being forcefully wedded.

"Come with me," Volt said, startling her. She opened her eyes and saw his reflection in the crystal clear water of the fountain below right next to her, his violet eyes on her. He leaned in closer to her, bringing his muzzle up to her face. She felt a chill run down her spine as he came too close for personal space. Is he going to kiss me? She gasped internally. Her paws began to shiver and she felt like clawing him with her paw, then using her telepathic powers to call upon the guards. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her eyes were wide open from fear of what Volt had in mind for her. Please don't kiss me! I beg of you! She prayed.

Volt instead took his muzzle to her ear and whispered: "Join hands with Blitz and let us take on Darkus together. If he won't listen to you, you need to make him see."

He moved away from her ear and smiled at her. For a few seconds, she was mesmerized by him as she felt her fear leave her conscious. She had understood what he had suggested. And he was right too. Skull wasn't going to listen to her. It was obvious that he'd actually burn her letter to ashes before even reading it. Besides, the way he had protected the Glaceon from her was proof enough that anything she'd tell him would be passed on as a lie. The only way through to the situation was a battle. And making a temporary alliance with Blitz to win it sounded promising. She managed a weak smile and nodded in acknowledgement at Prince Volt.

"Alright," she told him. "If that's what it takes, I'm with you till the end." She stood up and looked him in the eye, showing her determination to save the pokemon that once loved her. "Let us put an end to this vile Glaceon together."

Volt smiled deviously. Once again, his plan had worked to perfections.

In Frere Kingdom:-

Blaze was sitting up straight on his throne, his back aching from all the pain. He hadn't had a second to relax since morning and had been sitting like that in the presence of his courtiers; Frere's most trusted warriors, the royal servants and Fennekin.

"Fennekin," he called her and she came up to him, bowed slightly and then raised her head. He rolled his eyes again at the formality and earned a glare from Fennekin. He immediately took it back and cleared his throat, then proceeded.

"I believe it is time we plot our vengeance on Blitz," He suggested. The warriors, who had been lost in their own individual thoughts, snapped out of it and paid attention. This was what they had been waiting for; For King Blaze to take some actions against Blitz and it seemed that finally, he was on the right path.

"Yes," Fennekin answered. "But as you can see, we suffered serious damage in our last fight. I don't think we can take up any strong measures as of now. I believe a wiser choice would be to defend ourselves until we are strong enough to oppose. We need to rebuilt our forces first."

Blaze thought for a moment. Fennekin was right. She was quiet the royal advisor. No wonder Arcanine preferred her suggestions and never took up any other royal advisors for himself. Fennekin had not only proven herself to be extremely clever like the fox-pokemon that she was, but she had also proved to be a great friend when she helped Blaze recover from his loss. Sure she could be like an annoying little sister sometimes but none of that changed the fact that Blaze could trust her in almost anything. Except his love life maybe.

"You Majesty?" One of the warriors, a Magmortar, came up and knelt on his knees in front of the king. "If Your Majesty pleases, I have a suggestion to make in this matter."

Blaze twitched his ears and blinked twice. "Yes. Go on." He said. The Magmortar raised his head.

"I do believe we are still in alliance with Aerial Kingdom," he began. "You could write to King Staraptor and we can fight the war together with them. Two forces combined into one should be enough to overthrow Blitz Kingdom."

An excellent course of action. Blaze thought but someone else didn't think so.

"I don't think that is a wise choice," Fennekin spoke up, diverting all the attention to herself once more. Blaze was keener to listen to what Fennekin had to say, given her superior strategies as opposed to Magmortar who believed that war was the best solution to everything.

"How so, Fennekin?" Blaze asked. "Pray tell."

"Well," Fennekin said, making her point. "The Aerial Kingdom is mostly flying-type which is weak against the electric-type. So, even if we were to lead the battle along with them, we won't have as much of a benefit except for the numerical majority. In other words, we are only putting the lives of our allies in danger."

King Blaze considered this too and it was valid. The other alternative he had was to write to Queen Aquila and fight the battle alongside the Aquanesia kingdom. But, then again, water was weak to electric too and there was a risk of putting the life of his beloved in danger. This idea was abandoned as quickly as it came to his mind.

"Fennekin," he ordered and she bowed. "Write to King Staraptor! Tell him to prepare for war."

Fennekin looked at him one last time. She could see determination in his eyes. Nothing could stop him now and even her pleas would be futile. Also, a part of her was screaming at her to take this opportunity to get back at those Blitz pokemon. She silently bowed: "Yes Your Majesty," then turned around and slowly left the throne room to get on with her task.

In Florasia Kingdom:

Queen Eleanor, the Leafeon queen of Florasia walked up the stone staircase to the top on her castle where the huge willow tree was situated, surrounded by the beautiful flower beds with their heavenly scents. All of this failed to grasp her attention and she made her way quickly towards the giant tree, the royal advisor Grovyle at her side.

A small portion of her grass-type army was already waiting for her on the sides of the tree. An entire battalion of Roserades stood on the right side, kneeling on their knees with their roses held out. On the left side of the large willow tree was the battalion of gogoats, kneeling on their front legs with their horns pointing out in front of their heads. The ceremony of the Ancients was about to commence and Eleanor was not a minute late, courtesy of Grovyle.

She bowed alongside Grovyle in front of the tree's trunk and then touched it with her paw. A mysterious green glow enveloped her and the Grovyle and they vanished from that spot. They appeared into what seemed to be like a chasm with wild flowers growing endlessly at their feet, making a soft crunching sound as they walked. This was the inside of the willow tree. This lovely flora world existed inside the thick trunk of the tree itself, brought to life by the water gushing out of giant holes that went down the castle walls. These were the roots.

"Eleanor," a soft, angelic voice echoed her name and she knelt low, waiting for the legendary pokemon to show itself. The voice sounded far away. "I see you are on time as always."

At the far end of the flower field, she could see an elegant figure with long, sleek legs walking slowly towards her, white mist surrounding her and shielding her from view, making her appear as nothing more than a silhouette. The majestic pokemon was taking slow steps, making a soft clicking sound with her hooves. The mist began to vanish as the pokemon came closer to her. When she reached Eleanor, she told her to rise. Grovyle stood behind the Queen, letting her do all the talking.

"I'm sorry I failed to stop Prince Skull in our last battle, Virizion" Queen Eleanor said quickly. "I failed you."

"Oh no my child," the Virizion said, a pleasant smile on her green muzzle. "You mustn't mourn over your failures and look ahead to the future."

"I know," she said solemnly. "But it is with heavy heart that I report to you that I failed to accomplish this task. I assure you, it will not happen again."

"Oh no," Virizion said, her smile quickly vanishing. "That is not for you to worry about anymore. I'm afraid what I have feared all along if fast approaching." There was urgency in her voice which caught Queen Eleanor's attention.

"What is it" Queen Eleanor asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot express it," Virizion told her. She was quite taller than the Leafeon Queen and had to crane her long neck a bit to gaze down upon her. "You must see it for yourself. For now, many kingdoms have made powerful allies. I suggest you find an ally too."

"But why?" Eleanor protested. Virizion shook her head slowly, then turned around to leave.

"Hurry," she said in an urgent and warning tone. "Hurry Eleanor. You mustn't waste time in questioning." The mist enshrouded the pokemon again as she disappeared out of sight on the far end of the endless flower field. Following her would be pointless. Eleanor had tried it once, only to find herself wondering around an endless flower field.

Eleanor's ears dropped down to her face. What is it that Virizion is so worried about? She thought silently. She closed her eyes and then concentrating on returning back outside the willow tree. She was warped outside in much the same way she was warped inside the tree. The army was still waiting in the kneeling position.

"Queen Eleanor?" Grovyle said from behind. 'Orders?"

"Yes," she said, furrowing her eyebrows. "We lead a deputation to Stardust kingdom at dawn."


Thanks for reading it as always. I'll leave you guys to guess any future battles and conflicts. Leave a review!

See you guys later.