Ok. Listen guys. I'll be travelling in the next week. I'm going on vacation. It's more like camping up in the mountains and it's my first time so of course I'm excited. But sadly, it's a long trip. Precisely three weeks so I won't be coming back here for a while.

This may or may not be my last update before I go. I'll try to get two more chapters up before I leave though. I'll try my best but know that there are a lot of preparations to be done before I leave. So I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon.

I apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling mistakes you find.


Chapter 16

Morning in the Darkus kingdom was not much different from the night. The black, cloud cover overhead casted a huge shadow on the territory below, making the place look like the castle of the Lord of the Dead.

Glace was on a stroll in the gardens of the Darkus kingdom's castle, taking in the smell of the roses that always seemed to refresh her mind. The morning dew on the thorny roses still looked fresh, glistening on the delicate petals. The roses grew everywhere. Tall hedges of charcoal black roses were dominating the garden with a pond to the right end of the garden, pond that was home to an extremely rare species of pokemon. The garden, with its dark colors and shadowy surroundings was sinister yet beautiful.

Glace sat by the edge of the pond, looking down at her reflection in the water below. She had had another one of those nightmares again where a mysterious voice was calling to her.

Flashback:-

"Sapphire," A full and clear voice called out to her. "I'm here."

Sapphire pricked her ears. She had been here before. She wasn't startled or afraid in a bit but there was no denying that this place sent chills running down her spine and it wasn't the cold. She had gotten used to the cold. She was an ice pokemon after all.

Turning her head from side to side, she carefully walked over the frozen ground. She had learnt her lesson on the first time that any sudden movements and she'd be sent spinning on this frozen surface. Stepping carefully, she padded along the single path that lied ahead of her with Glaciers on either side, Glaciers that would be impossible to climb over.

"Sapphire, don't be afraid," The voice called again. It sounded much closer now, alerting the Glaceon that she must have made it to that giant Glacier case where the owner of the voice was trapped.

"Excuse me?" she mumbled as the huge Glacier came into view. She held up her head, arched her back and looked about from every direction in an attempt to catch the glimpse of the pokemon behind in the chasm.

"Come to me, Sapphire," The voice called again. "Don't be afraid." It was still a voice of a stranger but somehow, she had learnt to recognize it by now because of her increasing number of nightmares.

"Find me, quick," The voice called out. "I'm in dire need of your help, Princess Sapphire."

"Where will I find you?" Sapphire shrieked desperately, putting up her front paws on to the Glacier and standing up on her hind legs, narrowing her eyes to see through its thick, frozen walls. There was no sign of a pokemon behind it but the voice confirmed it that it's speaker was on the other side of the frozen wall, possibly imprisoned in that Glacier.

Her ears and tail shot up on their ends and her eyes widened when she saw that huge claw on the other side of the Glacier. It was placed against the frozen ice wall. She put up her own paws against it, breathing heavily. Was it fear or was it astonishment? She couldn't tell. But one thing was certain. She felt a connection to this mysterious, unknown being.

It was a grey claw which didn't help with the guessing game. She remembered the game 'who's that pokemon' being so much more fun when she was a kid. A grey claw wasn't really a very helpful clue. There were lots of pokemon that had grey claws. At this point, she was ready to consider the fur color as a helpful clue.

"Sapphire," The voice replied. There was a hint of laughter, like the owner of the voice was slightly amused. But the sorrow in its echo was something that would go on to haunt her days. "You'll find me. I promise you."

Sapphire's shoulders relaxed and dropped back down. Her tail fell back in its constant motion but her body refused to step down from Glacier walls. She kept staring ahead, unable to remove her gaze from the claw scaling down the frozen wall with that crackling sound until she saw its withdrawal.

"Who are you?" she said, narrowing her eyes. At this point, it was hopeless to expect this pokemon to reveal anything. Yet, there was no harm in asking. She had warmed up to this voice. Somehow, this voice made her feel like she was at peace, like she was where she belonged and he was the one who knew of her misery and shared in her grief. Even Prince Skull had failed to make her feel that way.

"Search for me," It said. The voice was fading away, indicating that she'd be waking up anytime soon. "You'll find me for sure."

"WAIT!" She cried, pounding her paws on the Glacier.

"Search for me. You'll find me for sure. For sure."

Flash back ends:-

Glace narrowed her eyes and her lips curled into a sad smile. It was downright hilarious that someone she didn't know expected her to do something for him, find him in someplace she had no idea about and possibly free him from captivity.

"Is everything alright, Lady Glace?" Skull voice came from behind. Startled, she almost fell in the lake below but managed to find her balance in time.

"Your Highness," she chirped nervously as her heartbeat returned to normal. "Forgive me. I did not see you."

"Naturally," He said casually, making his way to her. "I'm as black as the night sky."

"Or the day sky," she added and he laughed at her indirect comment on the Darkus Kingdom.

She turned her head back down to the lake, avoiding his penetrating gaze. This was the first time she had ever heard him laugh. She did not know there was something the dark prince could find so amusing as to make him laugh, much less herself. Her mind was struggling to conclude if this was a good sign or a bad one. He seated himself right beside her and copied her pose, looking below to the crystal blue lake and watched their reflection stare back at them. Even in the reflection, he could tell that she wasn't really looking at him but looking out for the luvdisc swimming below.

"I've been here quite a while and I still find this place ever so enchanting," Glace complimented, shying away. Skull rolled his eyes. She had tried to change the subject. Knowing how she felt, he didn't try to bring her back to it.

"Yes," He said grimly. "Life can bloom in darkness."

"Hmm?" Glace asked, confused. Finally, he had her attention. She looked at him curiously and he went on to explain.

"The moral of this garden," he said, turning to the rose bush on his right. His paw slid up the thorny stem as if they weren't even there. Then ever so gently, he lifted the up the charcoal black rose. A single drop of dew on its petals dropped on his paw and found its way down the black fur of his legs. He smiled at it. "The reason I made my garden this way was to show that life can bloom in darkness."

How romantic Glace thought. Then quickly shook the thought away.

"Is there something in your heart you wish to speak to me about?" He asked, leaning in to her. This was his way of making her answer when she didn't felt like it. It wasn't any kind of romantic approach. It was his way of bringing out her secrets.

"What do you mean?" She asked, playing it innocent.

She could feel the sweat on her brow. He was making her nervous with his steel gaze and a half-pleasant smile He was intimidating yet so inviting. This close, she could smell his sweet, warm scent. Her mind conjured up an image of her in his embrace and she nearly sighed in delight before realizing how inappropriate and un-lady like it really was. Her cheeks began to feel hot and she tried to focus on the ground.

Skull, feeling sympathy for the confused soul, decided to change the subject and let her hold on to her secret. You have to be willing to share a secret to earn the right to know one. He thought to himself, finally deciding to what to say.

"I believe you're wondering about the battle you had earlier," he stated, looking down in the lake again. It was his turn to avoid her gaze. This gesture was welcomed.

"Yes, you read my mind, Your Highness," she lied. Guilt took over her conscious. She had lied to the Prince who had showered her with the kind of mercy even her father couldn't. Dishonesty wasn't the path she chose, but she wasn't planning on becoming a plague either.

"I thought so," he replied. "Lady Esperanza can be quite the vengeful one when she wants to be."

"It was her?" Glace asked, shocked. "She was the one hurting you!?"

"You need not worry about me, Lady Glace," He laughed, standing up on his paws. "It was you that she could have killed. I know she can never muster the courage to put an end to me." He turned to leave, infuriating Glace because once again, he had only revealed a part of his secret to her and kept the rest to himself.

"How can you be so sure?' She called out to him. He turned his head and smiled at her.

"I just am," He replied, his face radiating the confidence in him. Then he turned back to face the opposite direction. "Anyways, it's about time I see to the mission of Giratina. Please excuse me."

With that, he left her to piece the rest of the story together. This was like a one big puzzle she could not put together. What exactly happened between Prince Skull and Queen Esperanza?

In Aerial Kingdom:-

Aerial Kingdom was regarded as one of the most magnificent castles in the entire pokemon world. It was a kingdom that did not exist in a particular place on the ground, but had rather set its cities hovering high in the sky, only to be reachable by those who could soar in the sky or had some means of conveyance to reach it.

The Kingdom of Aerial was rumored to be built on the backs of thousands of Altaria who held the kingdom high with their physical strength, holding up the castle and all its cities in the air. The Aerial Kingdom was held in high esteem for its defensive techniques. Kingdoms hardly ever dared to attack it, mainly because it was impossible to attack it when it was so high up and out of reach. In case of an attack, their king would order the Altaria to carry the castle away to safety. In short, this kingdom was always on the move.

The city buildings were built in the shape of long towers with sharp edges. The walls of these buildings were made of mirrors right down to their edges, reflecting the world around them. This allowed the kingdom to camouflage with the sky and the surrounding clouds. The population of the kingdom was very limited but the mirror effect made the kingdom look like a huge place and the reflections of these pokemon made them appear like thousands in numbers, even when there were only a handful on the move. It would be impossible to tell where one was going with all the mirrors reflecting every street and all the pokemon but this was where their bird senses would kick in, helping them to find their way around the mirror maze, a skill that was nearly impossible to master for any other type.

Spearrow, Aerodactyle and Mukrow were flying around the city but their reflections made them appear to a hundreds in number, dashing past in a blur in the busy city of the bird pokemon. This was one kingdom that had least of the troubles when it came to war so naturally, its residents were almost always at peace.

The castle situated in the centre of the flying kingdom, was the only building that stood out from all the regular mirror buildings. Its structure was made of marble and covered in green mirror tiles on the outside. The inside of the castle was made of white marble forged by the pegeotto and Skarmory from the grounds below. The castle had six towers in a hexagonal shape, connected together by three horizontal chambers, one above the other.

The King of Aerial Kingdom, King Staraptor, was perched on his throne which was basically nothing more than a gold stool with a rod for him to grab onto with his talons and then balance himself. Even with such a plain throne, he looked like the mighty king that he was. After all, his kingdom was placed in the top three strongest pokemon kingdoms. They had their flying ability to thank for it and their alliance with Frere Kingdom who mostly fought all their battles from the land, taking care of their enemies before they even had a chance to think about attacking Aerial Kingdom.

A Skarmory flew into the throne room from the oval shaped window and then landed gracefully before the king. He stretched out his silver wings and craned his neck to bow. "You're Majesty. I come with news form the Frere Kingdom."

The King signaled with his wing for the Skarmory to continue. The Skarmory raised its head and then delivered the news.

"The King of Frere Kingdom, King Arcanine was killed in their most recent battle with Blitz," He informed in a high-pitched voice so that everyone in the throne room could hear. "But, Prince Blaze has succeeded him as the new king. Now, he is ready to march on Blitz Kingdom in vengeance and calls upon you to join him."

"Prince Blaze?" King Staraptor screeched. "That careless little buffoon! He is incapable of leading a battle!"

The Skarmory shut his beak tight in fear of the King's rage that was building. Everybody else seemed to copy his movement and did the same. The King closed his eyes and a few minutes of utter silence followed. In that time period, it felt as if no one was even breathing from the fear of their mighty king's temper.

"I have decided," he said, opening his eyes in that devious way. Looking into the King's eyes, Skarmory felt like the King would have tackled him with those razor sharp talons and gorged his eyes out and then sucked on his blood. It was that glare that could penetrate the soul from within.

"I dissolve my alliance with Frere!" He squawked. Everyone in the courtroom gasped. Even though they were strong enough to survive without an alliance, this seemed rather evil of the king to abandon their faithful ally in times of need.

"But, Your Majesty-" The Skaromory stuttered.

"SILENCE!" He growled as he unsheathed his gold-plated wings and blew a heavy gust at the standing Skarmory, forcing him to kneel. Then he ruffled up his wings in anger which made him appear twice his actual size. "I have no desire to follow a fool in death! Be gone Skarmory! And convey my message, and condolence for the loss of a true king!"

The message sounded cold and harsh, but what choice did the Skarmory have but to obey the king? Yes, being brutally killed counted as a choice but not really the one he was keen to get his talons on and therefore, the fear-stricken bird took off.

King Staraptor calmed down and pulled back his grayish-black feathers. Now, he was going to deliver this news to his daughter, the commander of his army. This, he would prefer to do himself.

Princess of Aerial Kingdom, Princess Tranquill flew throughout the wide passageways of her palace, which had been specially crafted to allow flight through them. The pure white marble gleamed in the sunlight, which flowed into the chamber through open holes in the walls that served as windows, and entry and exit points for the flying types within.

The young Tranquill thought of her father's warning as she flew. She had mastered the art of deep thought while flying, as she was the fastest and most graceful flyer in the entire kingdom. As the commander of one of the fiercest armies in the entire pokemon world, it was vital for her to master this skill. Her father had warned her that ever since they had made the alliance with Frere, they had to be prepared to assist them in battle at any time. If it did come to that, she would be the one to lead the armies. Princess Tranquill thought that she would be frightened at the prospect, but she found that she was ready to lead.

She swiftly flew through the passage, her wings whistling softly as they sliced through the thin air. She was going faster than normal but she was capable of handling herself easily at much greater speeds. She demonstrated this by expertly looping around, using the new angle to gracefully make a sharp turn. At last, she was at her destination. When she landed on the perch before her chamber, Crobat her personal advisor was already waiting for her. The Crobat crossed his wings, and nudged open the door for her.

"Late, late, late!" He chided as she folded her wings and entered the room. "You really ought to fly faster, kid."

Princess Tranquill shot him an annoyed glare which could never rival that of her father, unless she evolved or something. "We're the same age. Just because you're two days older than me doesn't mean anything." She pouted, frowning.

In addition to her advisor, Crobat had become one of her closest friends over the years. They constantly got on each other's nerves, but holding a grudge against each other was practically impossible.

Flash forward, Princess Tranquill and Crobat were circling the palace of their Aerial kingdom. Today of all days her father had decided to conduct her training course personally, which meant that there was something important he wanted to discuss. The Princess had anticipated that easily. He had employed the same method when he had broken the sad news of her mother's death while her younger brother was lost in stillbirth. Somehow, the intense training always kept her from feeling depressed and her father found it easiest to break the news to her when she was at it.

Despite the fact that she was a little sore from flying back a short time before, it failed to bring any mass effect on her strengths and stamina. They began by doing three laps around the white marble palace, its six tall towers arranged in a hexagonal position shining brilliantly. They then closed in, and began looping the chambers that connected the towers, like the one that Princess Tranquill had just flown through. She gracefully circled the chambers outside, speeding just inches away from its green surface. The initial pain of her wings being stressed when they were still sore was gone now, and she was free to fly as she wished. From there, she angled upward, barrel rolling as she did, until they had flown high enough to see the entire kingdom. The green castle below looked like a giant emerald from that altitude.

"Alright, that's enough for today. You did well, now let's head back to the palace," King Staraptor called out as he flapped gracefully towards them.

How he flew so easily with all that gold armor on his wings was still a mystery to her. She simply nodded, and as one, they dived down to the castle, slicing through the air, whistling as they went.

Her father, King Staraptor, landed elegantly on the green floored training arena below with his daughter following along. His movements had made her landing look a bit clumsy but then again, she was no perfectionist like her father was. He folded his wings and looked down upon his daughter, feeling her look up at him.

"Tranquill," he addressed her with that blank expression. "I expect you to be ready."

"I am ready father," She said solemnly. All her life, Princess Tranquill had strived perfection, to become like her father so he would always love and treasure her. The only thing she had in her mind was that her father meant to use every minute of her beating heart to protect the kingdom until the day she was slain on the battlefield. Would he care if she were to be killed? No, he would not. She was sure of that. He was too cruel to care; even as her father.

"We are no longer in alliance with Frere," he informed her. "So we mustn't expect any help from anyone for our future. Strengthen yourself to your limits. I expect you to lead any battle we may face."

"I understand, father," She replied, bowing in respect.

"Failure will not be pardoned," he told her, turning around. "You are the daughter of the King of Aerial Kingdom after all." With that, he flapped open his magnificent wings and took to the skies, flying with the speed of light.

As soon as she was sure he was out of view, Princess Tranquill looked up and sighed. Crobat landed next to her and noticed her despair. The only thing he could do was give her the comfort of his presence. Even that was enough for her.

"Does he ever smile?" Crobat inquired, playing with one of his purple wings.

"Not in my presence, no," Princess Tranquill replied, hanging her head down.


Ok, leave a review and tell me what you think.

Next chapter: Spotlight to the Sylveon Queen.