The Count looked out into the fire, pausing before he entered the carriage. He hadn't expected the damn dragons.
Everything had been going according to plan. It had been mere moments before the ogres were about flood the clearing. But then the dragons had came, and had immediately began burning the ogres.
It had been Eirene's daughter. There was no doubt in the question. Somehow she had summoned up her power to call on the dragons. But how? The Count had consulted his most powerful books of sorcery to create the potion that would drug her of her powers.
He could only hope that this would continue smoothly, as much as the Count hated to rely on hope. Thankfully, TSSal had swooped in on the King and Queen immediately, so they had been secured before the chaos broke out. Several other ogres had found the princess trying to ride away, and had brought her back to him. But that still didn't solve his problems with the dragons.
The comely princess abruptly wrenched her hand out of the Count's grip. He easily caught her wrist, and twisted it harshly. The girl let out a yelp, and tears fell down her face once again. The Count frowned. Eirene would of never cried in the face of danger.
" Head to the palace. TSSal should be there with the King and Queen already," he instructed his coachmen, and swung the princess up into the carriage. Her ebony hair was plastered to her face from sweat, and her green flecked chestnut eyes were riddled with anger. But at the same time, the Count acknowledged with satisfaction that the princess was sufficiently scared.
" You won't get away with this! Do you think that my father would stand it? Do you think Char would let it happen? No one would follow you and your despicable ogres," she spat, her voice quavering slightly. The Count smiled at her, and patted her hand. The Princess flinched.
The carriage lurched forward, and the Count sat back. It was a matter of hours before the Count would rule Kyrria. He stroked his mustache with pleasure, the smile on his face growing. He slipped the diamond ring out of his pocket, and lifted the Princess's trembling hand. In a smooth motion, the Count slipped the ring on, and sealed it with magic.
" What are you doing!," the Princess screamed, and immediately began yanking the ring. As the Count had made sure, the ring didn't slide off.
" I trusted you. My parents trusted you. Char trusted you. The entire kingdom trusted you. And all along, you've been a lying, cheating traitor. Whatever you hope to accomplish with this ring, I will not do," the princess shouted again, her eyes flashing.
She wasn't like any other in her family, the Count had realized that a long time ago. The Princess Cecilia had none of the families shyness, and had the spunk that the family lacked.
The Count took his precious time answering her rants, taking a small pleasure in her discomfort. " My dear, there is nothing lying or cheating about my ruling this kingdom. By marrying the heir, this is perfectly legal," he said smoothly.
The Count watched her face. It took the princess Cecilia several moments to realize what was her fate.
Her face abruptly turned horrified. " Never! There is nothing that could make me ever consider marrying.......you!," she spat, pushing herself as far away from his as she could.
" My dear, as much as I would love to placate you, I'm afraid that you have no say in the matter. Just as you have no say about the ring," the Count told her lazily, looking out the window. The smoke still raged in the air. The Princess remained silent.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Anniya clung to West, sobs still racking through her body. She had almost died. If West had been a moment late, she would of died.
" It's alright, everything will be fine. It's alright," West repeated several times, continuing to smooth her blonde hair.
" I almost died," Anniya told him, hiccuping. She felt the need to point out the obvious.
" But your alive right now, aren't you? Damn, I'm lucky that I got here in time," West said softly, more to himself then to Anniya.
His grip on her tightened, and she relaxed, happy to be against his strong chest. She was lucky that West had such a precise aim. He had cut through the rope first arrow.
" Did you find Esperanza? Have you seen Robert or Char? Oh, thank god you finally came....," Anniya asked him, falling into hysterics once again. She suddenly realized that his pale green eyes were staring at something. She followed his gaze just in time to see the Count slamming the coach door shut. And to see Ogres heading toward them. West abruptly stood up, yanking Anniya up with him.
" Can you ride right now?," he demanded.
Before she could answer, West let out a piercing whistle. A familiar whinny filled the air, and a horse galloped up along side the blazing platform. Anniya stared at the horse.
" I swear, this must be the tenth time the bloody thing has come back from the dead," she told West, eyeing the horse with distaste. No matter what happened, they couldn't get rid of it. The ebony horse in question snorted and tossed it's head. Anniya glared at it. Their feelings were mutual.
" I don't give a damn if it's the tenth, get on the horse!," West told her, his voice ringing with anger.
Considering he had just saved her life, Anniya, for once in her life, obeyed. West jumped down behind her, and grabbed the reins. With one swift kick, Diobla raced crashed into the crowd, away from the ogres, and the Count's carriage.
" West! The carriage is that way! He's going to get away," Anniya yelled over the roar of the fire and the masses.
" Thank you for pointing out the obvious. Are they following us?" was the well groomed, sarcastic reply. He kicked Diobla again, and the horse burst forward with a higher speed.
Anniya didn't need to answer. The sweet, oily voices drifted from behind her, and only because of the screams of the dragons and the people Anniya could not make out what they were saying.
West abruptly turned Diobla down a right alley, then down a left. Every several minutes he switched directions. At last, he halted in front of a seemingly deserted inn.
Anniya glanced at him, confused. Wasn't this the part when they were suppose to chase after the 'bad' guys. " West, why are we--,"
" You don't think that I'm going to let you charge through Frell while you're half dead, do you?," West asked her, his tone telling her he didn't really expect an answer. She gave him one anyway.
" I'm not half dead! You're exaggerating, but I really can't say that's a surprise," Anniya snapped half heartedly.
" I doubt the Count or one of his charming little playthings will look for you here. I can put some salve on your bruises, and you can stay here until this is all over," he told her, ignoring her last comment.
With that, West gingerly lifted her off the Diobla, and knocked twice on the door. After a few moments, no one answered.
" Well, this is refreshing. The one time when manners could be excused, you decide to use them," Anniya grumbled, and kicked the door with all her might.
To her surprise, West pulled out a key from his pocket. It slid into the lock, and the door clicked open. Anniya stared at him in disbelief. West caught her gaze, and grinned.
" How did you get a key?," she demanded.
He gave a little shrug, but she could of sworn that a smile played his lips. " Victoria. She's a tavern maid here."
" How old was she?," Anniya asked as innocently as possible. Somehow she was getting the feeling that Victoria wasn't some middle aged, matronly old woman.
West gave another shrug, and stepped inside. " A year or two your senior, I'd suspect."
" Yet another misled lass who you charmed to death? Am I the only girl who can see your true colors? I must be, considering I'm the only one who hasn't slept with you yet," Anniya snapped, and felt a scowl forming on her face.
She abruptly blushed as she recalled the one time she and West had shared a bed. " Literally, I meant," she amended.
But West kindly took no notice of her blush, and ushered her inside. Quickly, he turned around and locked the door.
The inn was no different from any other inns Anniya had been in during the past year. The assortment of tables, the stained wooden floors, the front counter. But at the same time, it was slightly more eerie. Inns weren't inns unless they were flooding with life, ale, and talk. The moon cast light into the shadows, but the darkness still unnerved her.
" It'd be easier if we went upstairs. That way if anyone tries to get in, we'll have some forewarning. Can you climb up them?," West asked her, interrupting her thoughts.
Anniya glanced at them, and nodded. Her body still ached from her....encounter with the Count. She walked ahead of West, trying to conceal her limp. Only thirteen steps.
It was much easier said then done. West walked slowly behind her, and credited her pride by not offering assistance.
Her knees abruptly buckled on the top step. Anniya slammed on the hard, cold wooden floor, and her bruises stung more then ever.
" Anniya? Are you alright?" West was, of course, there in a moment.
" I'm fine," she replied, gritting her teeth. West ignored her, and picked her up in one gallant gesture.
" Don't complain. We'll be here all night if I don't carry you."
Anniya had no intention of doing so. Although she did object to being carried around as if she were a cat, her body ached too much to do otherwise. She shut her eyes and relaxed. It was relieved to let someone else take charge.
She felt herself being eased down onto a bed. West's warm presence abruptly left her, but Anniya kept her eyes shut. Sleep was her new companion.
" Anniya? You can't go to sleep yet. Can you sit up for me?"
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and pushed herself up. She was all too aware of the stinging bruises, and sharply inhaled.
The room was small, but had several items in it. A full length mirror was in one corner, next to the plain fire place. A vase was filled with drooping roses, and a small wooden night table was next to the straw bed. An open window let in a cool, mysterious breeze, and the moonlight splattered down on West's hair, making the gold stand out in the dark room. But Anniya didn't feel uneasy as she had in the other rooms. This one seemed to have a comforting presence in it.
" Turn your back to me," West asked her quietly, and Anniya obeyed. She lifted the back of her shirt slightly, high enough so West would be able to get the worst first. The cool salve touched her skin, and Anniya let out a sigh. But finally, she blurted out the question that had been hounding her ever since the Count had captured her.
" Where is Robert and Char? Did you ever find Esperanza? Where were you, for so long, I thought you had----,"
" Robert is being held in the dungeons, according to my sources. No one knows where Char is, although I damn wish we did. I found Esperanza though. She was in...........," his voice trailed off. " By god, what did he do to you?"
Anniya was silent for a few moments. She shut her eyes again, and hoped that West would let the question past. She didn't want to recall the intense pain, or the amused voice.
" Anniya, what did he do to you?," West asked her again loudly, and this time his voice was angry.
" I don't know," Anniya mumbled, wrenching her shoulders out of his grip. She didn't want to talk about it. She rubbed her eyes, determined not to cry. A rogue tear slid down her cheeks anyway. Crying seemed to be all she did, as of the late.
" Anniya..........," West tried again, more softly. He took her by her shoulders and turned her towards him. She wiped a tear away as he did. She was determined to not let him see her cry.
For a few moments, they both sat there in silence.
" I'm guessing he stretched you. Judging from the marks," West said quietly.
For a reason even unknown to her, Anniya got defensive. " How would you know?," she snapped harshly.
West took no offense. " Because I had the same marks after I spent nearly a year with him."
Anniya opened her mouth to deny it, but fell silent. What she had gone through once, he had endured many more times. The Count hadn't any intent of killing West or her.
For the first time, Anniya understood West. Why he had been so angry at her when he had found her with Robert. Why he had used his off sense of humor to cover his pain. And why he had hated the Count as he had. But most of all, why he wanted Char to prevail in this power struggle.
" West, I'm......," Anniya searched for words, but none came.
Robert flew away from her mind, and was replaced by her best friend. West smiled wryly, and at that moment, the glistening moonlight seemed to focus on only them.
" You're trembling," he told her, and Anniya was consciously aware that his face was coming closer to hers. He paused, and brushed a snowy lock out of her face.
" I'm not trembling," Anniya protested. She closed her eyes as West kissed her softly on the lips, pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, with growing urgency. The rest of the world slid away immediately, and for a moment, the hellish surrounding seemed to turn into heaven. Anniya had forgotten how it felt to be kissed by him.
All of the sudden, West broke away, roughly and abrupt. Anniya opened her eyes in surprise, blinking several times. What had happened?
" West.......?"
She met his pale green eyes, and noticed that his breath was as haggard as hers. He had liked kissing her, she knew that much. So what had gone wrong?
" What in god's name was I doing? What was I thinking? I've been here long enough, I need to leave before I do any other damn thing with.....," West swore angrily, more to himself then to Anniya.. He stood up, ending the magical moment for certain.
Anniya leaped up. " West, if you think leaving me in here is the right thing, you are wrong. You won't be five feet out the door before I come after you. I'm not going to sit around with the Count running around!"
" I'm not going to let you die. Robert would have my head," West told her simply, and moved toward the door.
Robert.
Thoughts of Robert immediately flew back into Anniya's mind. She was confused all over again. As West stepped out the door, she grabbed onto his wrist.
He paused briefly, and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a small object and placed it in Anniya's hand.
" I'll be back," he told her, and kissed the top of her head. He closed the door, and Anniya stood there.
There wasn't really anything else to do. So many thoughts and emotions were racing through her head, all that she could do was try to sort them.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at the cold object West had placed in her hand.
Anniya stared at it, completely transfixed. In her palm was the most magnificent ring she had ever seen. Even in the dim light, the gold glittered and shone like it was alive. In the center of the ring was a gryphon with a scroll in it's mouth. It's wings were outlined in diamonds, and it's eye was a glistening ruby. Anniya was holding none other then the ring of Kellia. A million thoughts flew through her mind. This ring was meant for the crown prince, why did West have it? Had he stolen it from Robert? Or was it some kind of replica? Maybe West was just holding onto it for Robert?
And above all, why had he given it to Anniya?
She heard Diobla whinny, and the sound of hooves riding away. Anniya glanced out the window in time to see West riding away.
Well, Anniya didn't know what West thought, but disobeying his directions was something that came with no qualms at this point. She would rest for a bit, just enough for the salve to kick in. But there was there was no chance that Anniya was going to sit while her friends could be in danger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
" Robert! Hurry, we don't have much time left," Esperanza told him urgently in a hushed whisper. " They'll check this hallway in moments!"
The lock clicked, and Robert shoved it open. He did remember some elementary lock picking.
Ogres had invaded the castle minutes after he and Esperanza had entered it. Immediately they had began rounding up anyone remaining in the castle, and locking them up in Robert's favorite place: the dungeon. Esperanza had spotted the King and Queen in a carriage window, both chained. The Count was no where to be seen, and neither was the princess. Robert knew it would only be a matter of time before they arrived, just like there was only a matter of time before they were caught.
Taking one last glance at the hallway, Robert dashed in. Esperanza slammed the door behind him, latching it firmly. Robert shook his head, and undid the lock.
" If the door's locked, they'll know that someone's in here. All that they have to do is break down the door," he told her.
Esperanza shook her head. " Not necessarily. This is a gigantic castle. They're not going to break down every single bloody door. And they'll probably check all these rooms regardless. Locking the door will at least give us sometime to stall."
Robert sighed, and stepped away from the lock. In the short time he had known her, he had come to know that Esperanza always could support her arguments.
" Alright, we'll lock it. That's settled. Now we move on to new issues."
" Such as forming a plan? Defending the castle is a bit vague," Esperanza said with a touch of sarcasm in her voice. Robert could see why she and Anniya had become such good friends.
" Obviously," he said dryly. He could hear doors being banged open from down the hall.
" Alright; we need to find the King and Queen, and free them. That's our only hope, as of now."
" Hiding might be a good idea as well. Listen," Robert told her.
Esperanza sent him an annoyed look, but stopped talking. Color drained from her face. And Robert realized how much more clear the voices had become.
" It's locked," a muffled voice from outside mumbled.
The door twisted several times, and Robert was immediately grateful that Esperanza had insisted on locking the door. Esperanza dived gracefully underneath the bed, and Robert rolled under after her.
The musty smell made him cough several times, and Esperanza nudged him. Several moments later, she sneezed. At this rate, the ogres would have to be deaf not to hear them.
But to Robert's amazement, their excessive noise seemed to go unnoticed. The turning of the door knob stopped. He breathed a sigh of relief, and felt Esperanza do the same from behind him. Thank god. He was suffocating underneath the low bed. Esperanza had been right. They didn't have time to open every single locked door; they would go unnoticed.
Famous last thoughts.
" Break down the door," a raspy voice commanded.
Esperanza sharply inhaled, and Robert knew that at that moment, he had to do something. He hadn't done very many heroic things in his life, but by god, one of them he was going to do at this moment. He shifted uncomfortably, and faced Esperanza.
" I'm going to give myself up; under the bed is the first place they'll look, and then both of us are going to be captured. They'll be looking for me, whereas they won't even know who you are."
" That's insane! What if they just glance around and leave? Then you'll have wasted yourself for nothing! This is not a time to be gallant," Esperanza hissed.
" I'm not be gallant, I'm being reasonable. Just find the King and Queen, alright."
The door shuddered once; someone, or more likely, something, had just thrown it's weight against it.
Nothing could of surprised Robert more then what happened next. Face to face with Esperanza, underneath the low, dusty bed, the gypsy girl leaned over and kissed him quickly on the lips.
" Go! If you want to be gallant you'd better bloody hurry up!"
Robert rolled out from underneath the bed just as the door crashed down.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The King and Queen's private chambers were breathtakingly beautiful. Exotic fairy rugs covered the wooden floors, and paintings lined the walls. Antique furniture had been placed in various corners of the room, and the fire roared. West paused for several moments, looking around. He quietly walked around the room before heading into the next one. West froze as he put his ear to the door. Quiet sobbing was heard. The sobbing of a young girl.
West slid the door open a crack, his hand on his sword.
It was yet another comely room. Obviously the private dining room, a chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a painting of a feast hung on the wall. The maple wood table glistened from the light of the candles. There were over a dozen chairs, and only two of them occupied.
Tears streamed down the Princess Cecilia's face as the Count held a knife to her throat. West strained his ears, trying to catch what they were saying.
" What have you done with my parents? And where is Char? They will not give their consent, as I will not give mine!," she sobbed, her voice hysterical. West felt pity for the girl. She looked to be fourteen, perhaps a bit older. Her ebony hair was curly, and her wide chestnut eyes matched her mother's and Char's. West felt sick as a thought occurred to him. Had the Count hurt the princess, in any way? Anger boiled inside of him. And what was this talk of consent? Surely the Count didn't plan to marry the Princess?
The Count's slick smile increased the terror on the girl's face. " Oh don't worry. They're in good hands."
West cursed himself for not thinking to do something about the King and Queen as soon as possible. And the princess. With Char off somewhere, Cecilia was currently the only heir the Count had to worry about.
" I won't marry you! Just because this ring is on my hand seal my fate," Cecilia told him fearfully. The Count smiled, and shrugged his shoulders in the most elegant manner possible.
" Let's just wait and see, shall we."
West stood up, and the floorboards creaked. Time to make his entrance. It was clear that Count wasn't planning to tell her anything, only tormenting her.
The Princess's eyes widened, and West swung the door open completely. The Count didn't even have to turn around before he spoke.
" Well, well. This certainly is a surprise. Never did I believe that I would meet the esteemed Arien Westkander Di Calixte the third of Kellia under circumstances like these," the Count said mockingly, smiling.
West merely smiled back. " The honor is mine, my Count," he said, and did a mock bow.
West would never know how the Count came to know of his heritage. It was around the first time he had been thrown in the dungeon that the Count had mentioned it. Robert, Esperanza, the Count, and West himself were the ones who carried the burden of the secret.
The next few moments became one of the most famous in Kyrrian history. Never would another time come when two men with such dark secrets, and such power face each other down again.
The Count smiled at West's remark, and snapped his fingers. A shadow moved out of the darkness, and led the Princess into the next room. She cast a desperate look at West, trying to decide if he was there to help her.
" My lady," he said as he bowed, in all earnestness. He hoped it would comfort her. The first monarch he had ever bowed to out of free will. He was rewarded by the relief in her eyes. West turned back to face the Count.
The Count had been assessing him while West had been looking at Cecilia. He stroked his mustache, and shook his head, pulling out his sword.
" This is a duel I have been waiting to fight for a long time. Over the years, I have bested many men. There has never been a man that I have lost to when I have put my all into the fight. And I find it interesting, Calixte, that I have finally met my match."
" Stabbing men in their back's doesn't count as dueling, Fallon. Perhaps by your standards, but not anyone with a code of honor," West said smoothly, drawing out his blade.
It was Robert that was the swordsman. It was Robert who had trained since he was a child. But yet, it was West who used his sword when it came to the final battle.
The Count chuckled softly, and took his blade out as well. It was one of the two weapons that hung on his belt. The other was a silver, Bastian dagger. Even from where West was standing, he could see the light reflecting off it. And the sword was as smooth and as well polished as Robert's. The hilt was engraved with rubies, and dragons. Both swords glittered from the candles in the chandelier.
West met the Count's eyes dead on. The Count opened his mouth, and the word came out in one silky line.
" Begin."
The silver steel crashed together. West immediately advanced, recalling how offense was the best defense. Once one started to defend himself, he ended slowly retreating, until there was nowhere left to go. However, the Count adopted the Auklet defense, and managed to stand his ground, without moving forward or backward.
Without warning, the Count broke out of the defense and lunged at West. He backed up a few steps, but did not stumble. Stumbling was a sentence of death in this duel. But even backing up a few steps had cost him precious time. The Count advanced on West, and he found himself slowly backing up towards the wall.
Gritting his teeth, West fought more swiftly, with firmness. The further he retreated, the harder it would be to advance. Steadily, he advanced a few more steps, sweat covering his brow. He blocked the Count's thrust, and parried. He immediately followed up with a lunge of his own, straight into the Count's right shoulder.
First blood was West's. It wasn't much, but indeed, within moments, the Count's shoulder began to turn crimson. The Count's steel colored eyes flashed, and he switched hands. West switched them as well. It was a left handed duel now.
The Count's blade flashed faster then ever, and grazed just past West's right ear. He barely blocked it in time. West barely had time to recover from the first attack before the second and the third came.
" I must say, for a man of your limited abilities, you're giving me quite a performance. I am impressed," the Count told him, the blade still whipping through the air.
West blocked the blow, and advanced with the Sieterra attack. " And the same to you. And perhaps I should say limited life as well. After this jolly execution, I'm sure the royals will want to give another one in your honor," West replied, the sarcasm in his voice apparent.
A large cracking noise was suddenly heard, and West sniffed the air. The smoke didn't seem to be coming from outside, as he had thought. It was coming from within. It would probably be within five minutes that the roof crashed in.
The Count used the distraction to his advantage. He lunged, and caught West off guard. West stumbled. The Count quickly thrust his sword again, and this time it ripped the cloth, grazing West's chest. He swore, and continued blocking.
" Perhaps it won't be my execution. Perhaps it will be that charming little whore of yours. Or maybe, even better, that bastard, second in line brother of yours," the Count taunted.
The smoke had begun to filter down into the room, and little did the Count know that he had added wood to West's fire.
His pale green eyes flashed, and West lunged. In less then a moment, the Count's sword flew across the room and West's sword was on the Count's neck.
" You may insult me. You may insult the Kyrrian monarchs, you may insult my country, you may insult just about any damn thing you please. But you will not insult Anniya. And you will never even dare to speak of my brother in that tone, especially when he is worth ten of you! In fact, you will never speak again," West spat angrily, his eyes flashing. He moved the sword back a bit for a clean cut when a scream suddenly cut through the air.
" West!"
Anniya's scream. West forgot about everything else, and whirled around.
She stood in the door way, her face flushed from the heat, and from no doubt, running. West immediately regretted leaving her in the inn. Chains wouldn't of kept her at that place.
" Don't kill him. Just let him go, West. Don't kill him," she pleaded, glancing at the Count. His face remained impassive.
West stared at her, wondering if it was truly her. Was the girl stricken with a fever? This was the same man who had tried to kill her, the Kyrrian monarchs, her friends, her dragon, everything she held dear. And now she wanted him to live?
She read the question in his eyes, and her face did not change.
" I can't explain why...........", Anniya began. Her face suddenly became deathly white. "..NO!," she screamed.
West whirled around, sword in hand, but not fast enough. The Count's Bastian dagger sank into his chest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Even in death, West remained as charming and smooth as ever. He stared at Anniya in shock and then, gripping the dagger with both hands, pulled it out. It dropped from his hand, clattering onto the wood floor. He sank down onto his knees, not saying a word.
Anniya stared at West, trying to comprehend what she had just did. She had just killed him. She had just killed him. Within moments she was at his side.
He way lying down now. His eyes were closed, and his golden hair was tousled as usual. The side of his face was grazed slightly, and smudged with dirt. Her eyes traveled down to his chest. His tunic was soaked with blood, and his breathing was short and raspy.
Anniya placed her hand on him, and concentrated with all of her power to try and heal him. Nothing came, not even a tingle.
Oh, not now. The one time when she wanted her power to work, it wouldn't come. She tried again, but the tingling feeling of her magic didn't come.
" West, I'm so sorry. I should of let you kill him. You were right. I don't know why I told you to stop, I just didn't want you to sink down to his level. I never thought that he would take your life when you were about to spare his, I didn't West. I don't want you to die, I don't," Anniya told him, finally giving up.
She tasted the salty tears that began to trickle down her cheeks. She never should of called on her magic to make come to the castle. She had used it's last stores, and now West was going to die.
His eyelids blinked once or twice, and Anniya looked into his pale green eyes with her tear filled emerald ones. He weakly smiled at her.
" I suppose I look pretty damn bad, don't I," he told her softly. It only made more tears come. Even as he was dying, he still sounded like West.
" I'm sorry--," Anniya began again, hiccuping.
West interrupted her. " Tell Robert watch out for you. Tell him that I'm sorry for ...everything.....he'll be a.......good king."
Anniya stopped trying to say anything. Her throat was couldn't produce words. It had been bad when John had died, horrible when her mother and father had. But for some reason, whatever horrible pains Anniya had experienced, they were all a fraction to compared what she was going through at that moment.
West brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her face. " You are so amazing," he told her quietly, his grin at last fading. " Watch out for yourself.....You are the only girl I ever....."
West's voice faded out, and the two sets of green eyes met each other for what Anniya realized was the final time. He exhaled, and shut them. Anniya could hardly ask herself the question. Was West dead?
The Count laughed, and kicked West. It brought Anniya to her senses.
" You bastard," she said slowly, picking up West's bloody sword. She said it again, this time louder. " You slimy, disgusting, bastard!," she spat, her eyes blazing. She gripped onto the sword, remembering her fencing lessons.
" Aye, the girl's got natural talent. More talent then I've ever seen in any man or boy, and more then I'll likely ever see," she recalled her fencing teacher saying. It had been a long time since she had picked up a sword, but her anger was driven now.
She would slice him into small bits, piece by piece. She would make him beg for mercy, but Anniya wouldn't give it a second time. She would dance on his grave; no, he didn't even deserve a grave.
" My, my. This is charming. I won't fight you girl; your wasting my time."
Anniya hardly heard him. The Count snapped his fingers, and two cloaked figures came from the right. They picked up West, and Anniya forgot about the Count for a moment.
" Where are you taking him," she screamed, whirling on them. The figures didn't answer, and the Count shrugged his shoulders.
" Oh trust me, it's not something you really have to worry about anymore. TSSal! Take care of her," the Count said lazily. He strode out of the room, not taking a second glance back at her.
The anger in Anniya's blood ran swift now. She moved to follow him, but stopped at the sight of the humongous, cloaked figure stepping from out of the shadows.
Anniya stared at it. She hadn't noticed it before; it had to be sorcery.
The cloaked figure pulled back it's hood, and Anniya immediately wished it hadn't.
The ogre's hideous, dried blue green skin almost seemed translucent in the dim light. It's raven hair was tangled all over it's face, and the creature's mouth was curved upward in a smile, revealing blood caked incisors. His beady black eyes met hers.
" Lady Anniya.............," the ogre purred, advancing on her.
The voice jolted Anniya's angry thoughts. The voice was eerily familiar, more so then any other ogre might sound. Like she had encountered it before. And suddenly, Anniya realized why it was so familiar.
" You killed my mother."
The ogre stopped it's advances for a moment, surprised as Anniya was stunned. The creature's voice was the same one that she had heard crouching in the tree trunk so long ago.
It wasn't long before the scowl turned into a sickly smile.
" The only ogre who wasn't gutted by the Count," the thing told her sweetly, and began approaching her once again.
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****Author's note****
I know, I know, I'm cruel! This is one of my worst cliffhangers yet. But I want to get another chapter out, since I'm going to go visit my cousin for two weeks( yeah, so the next chapter won't be up for probably another three weeks. I have then a space of a week to try and finish up this story, because I go on vacation for another three weeks then, and I'll be too busy sightseeing & stuff like that to work on Anniya.
That's why I wrote you guys a nice, eleven page chapter filled with romance, adventure, & some sadness. It took me awhile to get it out, due to severe writer's block; I wanted this chapter to be as perfect as the last one( last chapter was the most satisfying one I've written so far, in my opinion). And although some parts of it didn't turn out exactly the way I planned, I was satisfied to get the chapter out today.
And Thanks for all the fabulous reviews. My reviewers are the best! So now that I've given you an eleven page chapter, give me some reviews back! Thanks again!
P.S- for anyone who cares, I updated Mermaid.