Disclaimer: Ragnarok Online is the intellectual property of Gravity and Myung-Jing-Lee. The aforementioned content is used here without permission, but with no intent of using it to promote or sell anything, including this document.
THE HEART OF CERRIDWEN
By Tonton Ancheta
Chapter 5
For once Branagan envied Feral his gryphon as they both streaked overhead, past the calvary of peco pecos that, strangely enough, he was leading. Feral would be arriving a few hours ahead of them. Those few hours could prove crucial to Cerridwen's rescue. For some reason, he wanted to be the one to do it.
The assassin shook his head of that particular desire and focused on the circuitous, uphill wilderness trail of Mt. Mjolnir. The peco pecos were not used to this kind of travel, preferring instead flat terrain. As a result, their progress left a lot to be desired.
Branagan gritted his teeth in frustration. He fervently prayed that the princess was safe. It still wasn't clear from Eranelle's story what exactly this Dark Lord wanted with Cerridwen. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. And the unflattering description his sister gave of him of the monster wasn't very comforting either.
C'mon, peco peco, Branagan coaxed the beast mentally as he patted the feathered neck gently, just a little faster. It seemed to work as the large flightless bird lurched forward as it negotiated a rather steep incline filled with rocks and loose dirt.
Please, the assassin thought desperately, don't let me be too late.
---
A pillar of swirling light appeared before them as Faemie completed the spell that conjured the warp portal. Traveling to Prontera from Geffen was going to take a few days. Warping was much faster. Opening one was a capability unique to members of the caste of priests and priestesses.
She turned to look at her two young companions. Vinen gazed enthusiastically at the portal, obviously eager to try it. Eranelle, on the other hand, who was standing closest to it, just stared at shimmering curtain of light.
"What's wrong, Eranelle?" Faemie asked.
"Will the King really pardon my brother?" Branagan's younger sister asked softly, her light brown eyes not moving away from the portal.
"That's why we need to go see him. You need to make him understand why your brother..." Faemie's brows creased slightly thinking of a more delicate way to mention Branagan's crime. In the end she settled with: "...did what he did."
If Eranelle noticed the hesitation, she didn't show any indication. "My brother kidnapped Princess Cerridwen only to save me," she said instead. "I'm sure he would not have allowed any real harm to come to her."
Faemie planted a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. She felt her let out a cleansing breath. "I have been in the King's service for many years. I have known him to be a just and fair king."
Eranelle nodded almost imperceptibly. "I'm ready," she announced. "Do I just step into the portal?" the girl asked, turning to look up at the priestess.
Faemie nodded and gave a small smile. She watched as Branagan's sister squared her shoulders and walked past the curtain of light and stepped onto the portal. Eranelle vanished instantly. The priestess turned to Vinen. "It's your tu--"
"This is so cool!" Vinen was already walking towards the portal rubbing his palms eagerly together. The apprentice mage didn't hesitate at all as he walked into the portal. Just like Eranelle before him, he vanished.
My turn. A slight crease formed on the priestess' brow. The king was indeed just and fair but will he remain so where his daughter was concerned? Faemie took a deep breath. Only one way to find out.
---
Feral watched the pieces of the last drainliar he chopped up flutter to the ground. He straightened up and swiped off the sweat on his forehead with the back of his bracer-covered forearm. There didn't seem to be an end to these winged beasts. The instant he stepped inside the fetid coal mines, long abandoned by miners years ago, these drainliars, huge red rodent-like creatures with wide wingspans, swarmed him. The deeper he went inside the stone man-made tunnels, the more they came at him. They were seriously impeding his progress. He plunged his claymore into the soft, blood-soaked ground and rested both his arms on it as he drew in deep breaths.
He was still at the second level. Branagan said that the meeting with Tatiana was at the third level. Raising his eyes at the bleak nothingness of the tunnels, he knew it would be a real challenge just getting there. He really hated mazes. He no longer knew how long he had been here but he was sure that every moment that passed meant that the rest of his company was closer to arriving. However, each moment that passed also meant one more moment that Cerridwen was in danger. That last thought galvanized him. Feral quickly pulled out his sword and began to sprint with new energy towards the deeper bowels of the coal mines.
---
"...Your Majesty, my brother is not evil," Eranelle concluded her story, her voice quavering with emotion, her eyes desperately entreating the ruler of Rune-Midgard. "I-I beseech you, Your Highness, have mercy on my brother." She gazed intently at the King's face as he sat straight and rigid on his uncomfortable-looking throne. She was hoping for more than the stoic expression she saw on his face. An adviser approached and bent over to whisper in the King's ear. She quickly averted her eyes and lowered her head.
Eranelle stole a glance at Faemie who was standing a few meters away. The priestess nodded in encouragement. So did Vinen who gave her an enthusiastic two thumbs up. She tried to think positive thoughts. Branagan was depending on her to plead his case. She just wasn't sure she did a good enough job.
She straightened herself and looked up as the King cleared his throat. "It seems that you have endured quite a lot, young lady. That you have managed to escape is an extraordinary feat."
Eranelle's heart began to lift. Perhaps there was hope after all. But then a pained expression crossed the King's face. "However, your brother has done me a terrible crime. He has taken someone who is most precious to me." She opened her mouth to speak but he raised his hand. "Regardless of his motives and intentions, he must be tried for his crime."
Tears began to trickle down Eranelle's cheek. "Your Majesty, please..."
The King stood up abruptly. "I have already spoken, young lady. Nothing you say will change my mind." With that he walked regally out of the throne room followed by an entourage of advisers, knights and servants.
Eranelle watched helplessly as the procession disappeared. She kept her face straight but was unable keep the tears from flowing copiously down her cheeks. She had failed her brother.
Faemie and Vinen approached. She felt the priestess' comforting hand on her shoulder and she couldn't hold back the intense grief she felt. She buried her face on Faemie's shoulder and sobbed.
"Shh. There is still hope, Eranelle," the priestess said in a calming voice as she embraced the grief-stricken girl. "Don't give up hope."
---
Branagan ran as fast as he could deep into the bowels of the mines leaving behind the rest of Feral's company. As soon as they stepped into the mines, they were besieged by red winged-creatures that were like familiars except color red and twice as big. He couldn't remember their names. Drain-something. Whatever. The assassin decided that he couldn't afford to dally and he dashed off much to the chagrin of the rest of the party.
Although he was also swarmed by the beasts, he chose to dodge and parry rather than fight whenever possible. Thankfully, because of his natural speed, he was able to successfully avoid most of their attacks. Most. His ninja suit was already tattered, bearing slashes and cuts. His many wounds were beginning to sting as they came in contact with his sweat.
Rounding a corner, Branagan was almost caught off guard as a whole wall of the red beasts blocked his path and started shrieking towards him. With lightning fast reflexes, he leapt upwards, crossing his katars in front of him, covering his face, and met the swarm head on. He advanced by stepping on each passing beast. To anyone watching, it was as if he was dancing on air, kicking, leaping, dodging and parrying. The assassin knew that a single misstep would be fatal and so he sharpened his senses, making each slash and each kick count.
After what seemed like forever, he was able to burst through the throng and hit the ground running. The beasts were relentless. Sensing that their prey had escaped, they turned around and began the pursuit.
The flapping of a hundred leathery wings and the high-pitched shrieking were deafening. Branagan certainly didn't want to repeat the experience of going through such a mass of flying death again. He didn't know what possessed him to do it in the first place. Actually, he did. Cerridwen.
The assassin continued to run like there was no tomorrow.
---
"This is absolute madness, Sephram!" screamed one of the assassins as he crossed his jurs above his head to block the downward slash of a skeleton worker's pick axe. The force of the blow drove him back, causing his feet to dig into the moist dark soil of the mines.
They were nine in the party, including their captive, Cerridwen, who was chained to the hapless Raven. Seven assassins formed a circle around the only two females in the group, protecting them from the advancing onslaught of skeleton workers and mysts, formless purple monsters armed with long spikes that sucked the lifeblood of their targets even from the smallest of cuts.
"We have to turn back!" cried the same assassin, who was able to finally cut down the skel-worker he was fighting. He found himself face to face with a towering myst this time.
"Nobody turns back!" bellowed Sephram in reply. He was facing off with a skel-worker and a myst. Cerridwen saw that this interim leader of Branagan's guild was a skilled fighter, moving with blinding speed that almost equaled what she saw from Branagan. Like her original captor, Sephram was armed with katars. She saw him dodge both the spike from the myst and the pick axe from the skel-worker, with less than an inch to spare. He drove his katar hard and fast into the myst's formless mass, eliciting a savage cry from the monster. With his left foot, he kicked the skel-worker so forcefully that its neck had snapped with a satisfyingly loud crack, bringing it down to the ground permanently. He then focused his full attention to the still-alive myst, mercilessly stabbing it a hundred times, moving faster than the eye could see until it, too, crashed down to the ground, writhing and spasming until it finally died.
Sephram whirled to face the assassin who wanted to retreat, glaring at him with eyes that looked bloodshot with savage anger. "If you leave and abandon the party, I will kill you myself." He cast his eyes over the other assassins. "That goes for all of you!"
Nobody responded as they re-focused their energies on keeping the monsters at bay. It was clear, however, that everyone was growing weary. The number of wounds that each bore was increasing. Cerridwen could see that the ground beneath them was already soaked with the party's blood. Only Raven and herself were unscathed. It hardly seemed fair.
She turned to Raven who was busy shouting warnings to the surrounding assassins. "Raven!" The girl didn't hear.
"Snapshot! Pay attention, you imbecile! Killer, to your right! Mason! Oh no!"
Mason, one of the other assassins, had suddenly been cut down, a pick axe buried painfully in his back right between his shoulder blades. He let out choked groan as he fell to his knees. His body teetered for a second before falling forward, spasming for another second and then no more.
Cerridwen clasped her mouth with her free hand in horror. She didn't know whether to scream or vomit. She had never before witnessed death in such a brutal way.
The two assassins nearest Mason converged on his position effectively closing the gap in the circle. The circle just got smaller.
The princess turned to Raven who looked ashen with shock. She gave the chain that connected them a hard tug. "Raven!" No response. "Raven!" Cerridwen reached for the other girl's chin and yanked her face towards her.
The female assassin's eyes were blank and shiny with tears threatening to fall. "Mason..."
"Raven, listen to me. You've got to release me!"
Raven's eyes slowly focused on her. "Wha--release you? I can't do that. Sephram will--"
"Forget Sephram! I can help! And you can fight too once you're no longer chained to me!"
The other girl opened her mouth to protest but closed it soon after. The thought of being able to fight instead of babysitting a princess apparently appealed to her. She touched a button in the middle of her palm just like what Cerridwen saw Branagan did and with a swoosh, sharp metal claws extended from her right hand.
The look of sadness in her eyes was replaced by that of determination. "I hope you know what you're doing, Princess, because, frankly, I don't know how you can help."
Cerridwen's face showed a steely determination. "You just watch me."
Raven merely nodded. She raised her katar high and then brought it down hard and fast. Sparks flew as the sharp blades made contact with the chain. The chain offered very little resistance as it gave way like a hot knife through butter.
Cerridwen wasted no time as she stepped into the very center of the circle and stretched out her hands before her, directing them towards one assassin after another, and began healing each one.
The princess turned to look at Raven who was staring at her with eyes wide and mouth agape. "Y-you're a priestess!"
Cerridwen's lips curved upward in a small smile but she immediately turned serious. "I can fight too. I need a weapon." The female assassin didn't budge. It was obvious she still hadn't recovered from her shock. "Raven!"
The girl shook her head and her glazed eyes suddenly focused as if awakening from an intense daydream. "You want...what?"
"A weapon. Any weapon...quick!"
"Okay, okay," the young female assassin hesitated briefly, obviously thinking of what weapon to give. And then she suddenly whipped around so that she was now facing her fallen comrade. She rushed towards him.
"Raven," Cerridwen said with a touch of exasperation mixed with regret in her voice. "I'm really sorry, there's nothing more I can do about him--"
Raven stood up abruptly and faced her, expertly twirling a pair of stilettos in her fingers.
"That'll do--" the princess stopped when she saw the horrified expression on the other's face. The female assassin's eyes were fixed at a point above her head, behind her. What now?
---
Vinen followed Faemie outside the palace and once again his senses were assaulted by the colors and sounds of Prontera, just as he had been when he materialized in the city coming out of the warp portal. There were so much more people here than in Geffen. The people themselves were varied, coming in all manner of shapes, sizes and color.
There were merchants, blacksmiths, and alchemists everywhere as well, selling all manner of things, food items, potions, clothing, armor, weapons--everything imaginable was up for sale!
One such merchant attracted his attention. He approached the stall, unmindful of the fact that both Faemie and Eranelle had already moved on without him. This merchant was selling arc wands. The arc wand was especially made for mages and was considered one of the best wands available. Vinen hoped that eventually he would be able to afford one.
He reached out tentatively to touch the one closest to him, tracing the intricate patterns that adorned the staff from the base slowly up to the top where there was a crown shaped like a shell cradling a large red ruby fashioned into an orb. His fingers were about to touch the orb when he sensed the presence of the stall's owner. Vinen quickly retracted his hand and looked up nervously at the merchant.
To his relief the merchant was smiling brightly. "Do you see something you like, young master?"
"I was just...ah...loo--"
"Vinen!"
He whipped around to find Faemie trailed behind by Eranelle. And one other. She was the most...imposing woman the apprentice had ever seen. She was wearing full battle armor that was gilded with gold. It ended mid thigh, showcasing shapely yet powerful limbs. A crimson cape and a large sword sheathed in a scabbard resting on her left hip completed the ensemble. She was the first female knight he had ever encountered. And from what little he knew about cavalry insignia, this knight was highly placed.
"Vinen, you could've gotten lost."
His attention shifted to the priestess and he realized his misdeed. "I'm really sorry, Faemie. I was--"
"Nevermind. We need to go." Faemie glanced at the knight who gave a brief nod and turned around, pivoting smartly on a foot and started off. She walked confidently forward, not even slowing down as she approached the thick crowd before her. To Vinen's amazement, the crowd parted, as if collectively sensing the approaching aura of one with authority. The wide berth accorded them stayed until all of them were able to pass. After they had all passed, the young mage turned back to see that the path quickly disappeared like it had never been there. Truly amazing. He smiled inwardly. This mission was getting more and more interesting by the moment.
---
Feral stood at the edge of a wide chasm that separated him from the cave that led to the deepest level of the mines. He cast his eyes dubiously at the three rickety railroad tracks that bridged the divide. Each one of tracks had several missing wooden slats as glaringly visible as gaps in someone's front teeth. What was worse was that the only available rail car was sitting the set of tracks which had the most slats that were missing.
The First Knight approached the car, scrutinizing it. He debated whether to physically move it to another, more reliable-looking track, not that the other two tracks were that much better. The car, however, was made of steel and therefore, was likely quite heavy. Feral was already winded from battling drainliars. On the other hand, tempting fate by riding the blasted contraption across a--
Not again. The sound was unmistakable. In an instant, his claymore was out of its scabbard and into his hands. He whipped around and dimly saw the figure of a man running towards him. But it was the grizzly sight behind the figure that held his eyes. It was a wall of drainliars. He felt the hairs at the back of his neck rise. He was more accustomed to fighting brutes, bipeds and of course, human warriors. Not this. This was going to get ugly. But far from it for him to--
"Run! Don't just stand there! C'mon!" The man he saw earlier zipped past him
Feral's eyes widened. So focused was he on the fast approaching wall of red beasts that he failed to recognize Branagan. He turned his head while keeping his sword still trained towards the drainliars. The assassin was pushing one of the cars forward and making little progress.
"Feral!" he hollered. "Forget those blasted creatures! Help me with this thing!"
The First Knight took one last look at the hurtling mass and then quickly sheathed his sword and rushed toward the assassin. The knight slammed his body onto the rusty frame of the rail car. Feral gritted his teeth in an effort to stunt the pain.
The car begun to move but not as fast as he wanted. He glanced at Branagan who, despite the obvious strain on his face from the desperate effort of pushing the recalcitrant car, was smiling at him!
The knight glared. "What are you smiling about?"
"Nothing," came the reply, which sounded more like a grunt. The smile was still there. "That whole slamming thing you did was really quite...funny."
Feral fumed. He was about to counter with a scathing reply when all of sudden the drainliars were upon them. Whatever harsh words he wanted to throw out died on his lips as darkness descended on him and the assassin.
---
The skel-worker was already raising its pick axe above Cerridwen's head. There was no time. Raven made her decision. She twirled the stilettos one final time as she drew her arms back, aiming for the monster behind the princess.
"Raven!" It was Snapshot, warning her of a myst poised to hack her from behind!
What the-- The female assassin's eyes widened as she realized that she had already released the daggers! But instead of heading towards the skel-worker, the stilettos were hurtling straight towards Cerridwen! How could she have been so careless?
She raised her eyes to look at the princess' face expecting to see a horrified expression. She was surprised to see that instead of terror there was concentration. Even more surprising was how she was able to pluck first one and then the other in midair as if she were merely catching floating bubbles! Once again, Raven's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide.
"Raven! Behind you!"
Her battle senses kicked in and quickly leaped forward, rolling into a crouch. And just in time for the myst behind her was just a hairbreadth away from dicing her into pieces. She depressed the button on her left palm and with a metallic swoosh, her other katar thrust forward. The myst was upon her, slashing horizontally. She deftly parried with her katar and slashed back. Within seconds, the myst was decimated, lying on the ground at her feet. Now that felt good!
She whirled around in time to see the princess dispatch the skel-worker that was behind her. She cast her eyes around and found that they had killed all the skeleton workers and mysts...for now.
"Is there anything else you're not telling me, Princess?" Raven asked as her eyes made a full circle around the area to rest finally on the other's green eyes. The others in the guild edged closer as well. All of them now having a renewed interest in their captive who just happened to save them from certain death.
---
"Interesting." That was all Tatiana had to say as she spied the proceedings below.
The sorceress caught movement out of the corner of her right eye and immediately knew who it was.
"Mistress," her chief hunter said, "the other hunters are ready. What are your orders?"
Tatiana's gaze at the proceedings below didn't waver. "Tell them to get ready. Watch for my signal and we shall reveal ourselves."
"As you wish, Mistress."
The sorceress narrowed her eyes, focusing them on the princess. A priestess who can fight. "Very interesting indeed."
---
The King entered his chambers followed closely by his attendants, his eyes focused on the large, ornate full length mirror at the corner farthest from the towering doors of the room. It was the only mirror that the King had allowed in his presence in areas of the castle that he frequented.
"Leave me."
The attendants bowed low from the waist as they backed away from him and then turned before leaving the room altogether.
A small smile tugged at the corner of the King's lips when he heard the double doors close.
---
They entered what appeared to be an abandoned building whose only entrance was via a dark alley. It was only when they were facing a very run down wooden door that Eranelle looked up and took note of her surroundings. Why were they here?
So engrossed was she on her internal turmoil that it was only then that she began questioning what she was doing here. She raised her eyes at Faemie only to be surprised to see that the priestess was already looking straight at her.
"I'm not so sure what we're doing here either," Faemie said, as if reading her mind.
"You'll find out soon enough," said the female knight they followed all the way here. She turned to knock three times on the door in quick succession and then paused. After a few seconds she repeated the three knocks. The door immediately opened to reveal another knight, this time a male one. His inquisitive blue eyes swept through all of them.
"It's okay, Jothanel," the female knight said, "they're with me."
The male knight nodded once and then stepped back, leaving the door open for all of them to enter.
Faemie cast her eyes around the room and then let them settle on the knight that led them here. "So, Corneria," she said, finally addressing the female knight by her name. "As far as I can see, you've got most of the Royal Guard in here. What's going on?"
Eranelle noticed that the knights did bear insignias of the Royal Guard. Just then, another figure emerged from the shadow. She looked up and her eyes went wide with wonder. The figure was another female, like a knight but different. As imposing as Corneria was, this one was even more so. She wore a dark cape and draped behind her was a large shield. Sheathed at her side was a large sword but by the looks of it, it was a one-handed one, not like the two-handed swords she was used to. She also wore chain mail that hugged her frame. It was fashioned like a one piece dress that ended down to her calves.
"Wow," she heard Vinen whispered behind her.
Even Faemie seemed to have been overcome by curiosity as she forgot that she was waiting for an answer. She too gazed at the newcomer. Eranelle noticed that behind the woman were others just like her but all men.
"I'll explain why you're here, Faemie, but first," Corneria glanced at the woman who had just entered, "let me first introduce you to Sunset Evestrom. She's a crusader. The men behind her are also crusaders. That's Nigel Dan'Ithel, Rusty Shadowsong, Jak Moonstream, and Ivan Ashmore." Each crusader nodded in turn.
"Crusaders? I thought all their kind was lost in the Battle of Yunia 20 years ago."
"I did too until Sunset here sent word that a whole bunch of them were coming back to Prontera," Corneria said shrugging. Sunset gave a small smile but said nothing. "We're going to need them for the uprising."
Faemie's eyes widened. "Uprising?" she uttered incredulously.
"Yes, Faemie," the female knight replied, her eyes boring into those of the priestess.
"But--"
"Think about it. You were there. Do you think that was the King you were facing?"
"This is absurd! Who else could it be?" The priestess whipped around and took firm hold of the arms of both Eranelle and Vinen, preparing to take them out of the building. "I cannot be a part of this!"
"The King has taken out every mirror in the castle except for those that are in the rooms. And for the past several months, nobody has ever been allowed to enter his bedchambers. Not even the Queen."
The priestess stopped at her tracks, just as she was about to reach the door. She slowly turned and looked at Corneria.
"That's right," the knight continued. "The Queen has been banished from her very own room. She is just keeping appearances but even she believes that the person sitting on the throne is no longer her husband.
"She has been persuading us to confront the King but we were the ones who were hesitant."
Faemie's brows furrowed. "This is...unbelievable!"
"But, Faemie," Eranelle looked up at the priestess who still had her hand on her arm, "if that's true then--"
"Then the princess' kidnapping was arranged by the King, himself. The fake one that is."
Eranelle twisted to face the knight, her eyes literally lightened up. "That means--"
"Don't be too confident, girl," Corneria said gently but firmly. "Your brother still kidnapped the princess and that's a crime in any book."
The young girl nodded slowly, her eyes cast downwards.
Faemie turned around as well, releasing the arms of the youths. "So what do you plan to do? Kill the King?"
"No. Not exactly. We need to find out first who he is."
---
King Erondral finally stepped in front of the mirror and faced himself. His true self.
In the reflection, the Dark Lord bared his hideous fangs in a wide smile.
---
"You may think that just because you saved my men's life, it would change everything," Sephram said, narrowing his eyes at his prisoner.
Raven quickly approached him and gave his shoulder a shove. "What's happening to you, Sephram?"
"Nothing is happening to me, Raven. Have you forgotten that we have made an agreement to deliver her to Tatiana?"
"No we didn't," the female assassin said, her expression darkening. "You were the one that agreed to do this."
"What choice did we have? Eranelle was kidnapped, remember?"
"Branagan didn't want to go through with it. You made the choice for him."
"It doesn't matter now, Raven," exasperation was beginning to creep into Sephram's voice. "We've gotten this far and it doesn't make sense to back out now."
Raven slowly moved so that she stood between Sephram and Cerridwen. "Well, I can't let you go through with it," she declared firmly.
"Uhm..."
Both Sephram and Raven turned to look at the teenaged princess.
"Is Eranelle Branagan's girlfriend?" she timidly asked.
"No, silly," Raven said, waving a hand dismissively. "Eranelle is Branagan's sister."
Sephram watched with interest as the princess' eyes widen in realization. She tried to hide it but the assassin noted that the girl was greatly relieved to know that Eranelle was just the sister.
"So Eranelle got kidnapped?"
"Listen," Sephram said, his tone exasperated, "we don't have time for this. We must push on!"
"No!" Raven said emphatically, moving between him and the princess. "This is the wrong thing to do!"
"For the last time, Raven," he ground out, moved closer to the female assassin. "If you don't get out of my way--"
"What, Sephram," it was Snapshot. "What will you do with Raven?" Snapshot was already beside Raven, glowering at the other assassin.
"Damn you, Snapshot," Sephram growled. "We made this deal."
"No, Sephram," Snapshot replied. "You did. None of us did."
"Very well. You leave me no other option." Sephram distended his claws once more and moved towards Snapshot.
---
Faemie stood impatiently behind a structure not so far away from the palace. She felt ridiculous hiding the way she was. She wasn't doing anything wrong. Although she did know something; something she ought to report to the authorities. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to leave the group she was with and just march up to the palace and speak to the King of it. So why couldn't she do it?
Beside her, leaning calmly against the same structure that hid Faemie was Sunset Evestrom. Her one knee was bent, the heel of her boot planted squarely against the wall, her arms were crossed in front of her, her eyes closed. The priestess spared the crusader an annoyed glance. How could she be so calm when they were about to do something mutinous? Faemie turned away to glance at the palace entrance, her brows furrowed.
"You had better calm down, Faemie," Sunset said without opening her eyes.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," the priestess said, shaking her head. She then abruptly turned to face the irritatingly calm crusader. "Say we are successfully able to corner the King, how do we know for sure that he isn't really the King?"
"We have our ways," the other said cryptically.
The priestess waited for the other to elaborate. When it was clear that the crusader wasn't going to do so, the priestess hmphed and then turned away again, her eyes glued to the palace once more.
Just then, Faemie heard a soft but distinct whistling sound.
"That's our signal," Sunset declared, opening her eyes.
The priestess took a deep breath. I still can't believe I'm doing this, she thought grimly.
---
Tatiana frowned as she saw the situation below worsen. The assassin Sephram approached the interfering assassins, both his claws extended, poised to attack. It was time for her to intervene.
The sorceress caught the eye of her chief hunter and nodded. Immediately and simultaneously, all thirty hunters rose from the crouched positions and revealed themselves. They all took an arrow from their quivers, loaded up their bows and aimed at the party of assassins below.
The assassins sensed the movement and instinctively looked up.
"Looks like you're having problems keeping your subordinates in line, Sephram," said Tatiana. Her hands were on each side of her hips and she was smiling triumphantly at the group below.
"M-mistress Tatiana," Sephram stammered as he raised his eyes to her. He immediately retracted his claws, which was the opposite of what the others in his party did. "Mistress Tatiana, we have delivered the princess just as you ordered."
"I can see that, Sephram. She turned out to be quite a handful, isn't she?"
Princess Cerridwen stepped forward, a determined look on her face. "What do you want with me?" she demanded.
Sephram whipped around to face his wayward prisoner. "Silence, girl!"
"That'll do, Sephram," Tatiana said mockingly. "Tell your men to back off and head back to the surface. I'll take care of the princess from here on end."
The assassin turned to face her again. "Ah...of course, Mistress. But there is the matter of the gold you promised. And Branagan's sister. You said you will release her."
"Don't you trust me, Sephram? You'll get your reward and your friend's sister soon enough."
"With all due respect, Mistress Tatiana, but that isn't our deal--"
"Well, the deal has changed, assassin. I said leave this place or my hunters are going to unleash their arrows on you."
Tatiana saw Sephram's fists clench tightly at his sides. She smiled wickedly. Seven assassins and a priestess against her hunters who were on high ground. The sorceress was fervently hoping they'd try something. It would be a pity for her hunters to not have their target practice.
---
"The palace is under attack!"
The Captain of the Guard whipped around to face the messenger. "What?"
The messenger was about to open his mouth to repeat what he said when the bells of alarm around the palace began sounding off.
"Man your posts!" the captain barked. "You, you, you and you," he pointed to four of his elite guards, "come with me. We must protect the King!"
The five began running in the direction towards the King's quarters. They stopped on their tracks as they rounded a corner. The captain saw a group of four knights heading towards the same destination. He recognized one of them immediately.
"Corneria!"
Corneria and her party stopped and faced them. "Captain."
"The palace is under attack. Go to your post. I'll get the King to safety."
Instead of following his orders however, Corneria unsheathed her sword. This was immediately mimicked by the other knights in her party. Without another word, they rushed them.
"Corneria--!"
But the captain's befuddlement was only temporary. The rage that immediately followed, on the other hand, was not. It became instantly clear to him that Corneria and her band of rogue knights were the interlopers. "You shall pay for this treason dearly, Corneria!" With that he and his elite guards rushed to meet the attack.
---
Vinen was pacing up and down the room, his wooden rod in hand thumping down on the floor in time with his steps. It was all making Eranelle's head hurt. "Can you just, like, sit still?" she pleaded, putting a hand over her head. "You're making me dizzy with your pacing!"
"I just don't like doing nothing," the apprentice mage said as he continued to walk.
"I don't like waiting either but that's what Faemie said we should do."
This time Vinen did stop and turned to face the girl. "Funny." He was smirking.
"What?" Eranelle demanded.
"You didn't strike me as someone who always did what she was told."
The girl made a face at the 15-year-old apprentice. "And what do you propose to do, hot shot?"
"I have a few spells up my sleeve--"
Eranelle smirked.
Vinen pretended not to notice. "--and you can certainly fight. We can join them."
The girl, only a year younger than the annoying mage, shifted in her seat. She faced the Dark Lord, managed to escape Tatiana and her guards and survived the treacherous mountain pass of Mjolnir. Corneria and her knights were vastly outnumbered, her additional complement of crusaders notwithstanding. She looked up to see Vinen giving her a knowing look and a half-smile.
"We are just going to go over the palace and see what's going on--"
"Yes--!"
"--from the outside. Are we clear on that?"
"You know what?" Vinen said, all of a sudden looking at her sideways. "Why should I take orders from you? I'm older than you!"
"Because we're not leaving this room unless it's on my terms."
"Boy, you're bossy."
"Get used to it," Eranelle said with a wink. She stood. "We need weapons."
"I've got all I need right here," Vinen said, grinning as he held up his rod.
Eranelle rolled her eyes. "I'm going to regret this for sure."
---
Branagan and Feral crawled out of a hole in the wall a few meters above Tatiana and her hunters.
"Uh oh," the assassin whispered immediately as he quickly surveyed the unfolding scene below. He was immensely relieved to see that the red-haired, green-eyed teenage princess was still alive. His eyes grew wide as he spied her outfit. It was a form-fitting beige body suit, partially concealed by a black cloak. It looked very familiar.
Feral, apparently, saw the same thing and was nothing short of scandalized. "By the horn of Baphomet! What's that thing she's wearing?" he whispered back vehemently.
"You have to admit, it suits her."
"Shut up!" the knight glared at the assassin. "This is one more thing you'll be paying for when this is over!"
Branagan shook his head in resignation. "Whatever. In the meantime," he nodded towards Tatiana standing just a few meters away directly below them, "how do you want to handle this?"
And this time, Feral grinned making the assassin see how his name truly fit. "Skulking around was never my style, assassin. We're going the direct approach."
For once, Branagan agreed with the knight. There didn't seem to be any other way. "Okay. On three?"
"On three."
The assassin took a deep breath. "One..."
"Two..." Feral's eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Three!" both of them said in unison as they launched themselves from their crouched position down on their unsuspecting victims!
---
Cerridwen saw them first. It was Branagan! Her eyes widened in both surprise and delight.
"By the gods! It's Branagan!" Raven couldn't contain herself.
"Oh no!" the princess cried out as she heard the unmistakable sounds of multiple arrows being released. "Take cover!" The teenager quickly pulled the female assassin towards her and chanted the spell for Kyrie Eleison. A hundred arrows were rushing towards them and she wasn't sure her shield was strong enough to withstand them. She shut her eyes and waited for the first of the missiles to hit.
---
Feral's eyes widened in horror as the arrows sped towards the group of assassins below. He heard Branagan bellow in frustration and watched as he tried to take out as many of the hunters as he could. His speed was an incredible sight to behold but it wasn't enough. He counted fourteen hunters still standing.
The assassins below were equally fast as they dodged the arrows but inevitably, some of the missiles found marks and a few of them went down. Those assassins that were hit dove towards the princess in a final act to protect her.
It mostly worked but a few arrows did go through but miraculously, they seemed to bounce harmlessly off the princess and the female assassin she was shielding. What in blazes is going on here?
The knight realized that his attention was distracted long enough and that the princess was reasonably safe. It was his job to take care of the sorceress, Tatiana. Just as he turned to begin his search he felt a powerful force throw him several meters back! His body arched in excruciating pain as he was engulfed in electricity.
"Well, well," he heard Tatiana's voice over the cackling noise of the Jupitel Thunder spell consuming him. "If it isn't Prontera's First Knight, Feral."
The spell finally ended and he felt blood trickling down his nose and ears and he could hardly breathe. He opened his eyes and saw the loathsome sorceress standing imperiously before him. Many saw her as beautiful but all he could see was evil incarnate. He struggled to move his limbs but the powerful spell seemed to have paralyzed him. He closed his eyes and willed life back into his arms and legs.
He heard the cruel laugh of the sorceress. "I've prepared a special spell, just for you, Feral. It's called Storm Gust. Do you know what that is, my dear knight?" she asked, clearly delighting in tormenting him further. "No? Well, let me tell you. It's a very powerful spell. It took me a while to master it, you know. It creates a mini-tornado filled with razor sharp shards of ice, designed to rip and tear anything that's within its vortex. I'd say it's a fitting end for one as prominent as you. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I hope you burn in the hellfires of Juno, Tatiana!"
"Ah well," the other said in mock resignation. "You were never one for intelligent conversation anyway," she said as she began to step backwards until she was a few meters away. She raised her bejeweled wand and began chanting the spell. The wind began picking up, causing her cape to billow around her.
Feral opened his eyes and saw what seemed like clouds forming at the ceiling of the cave directly above him. I will not go out like this, he thought fiercely. I will not!
---
Sunset glanced at Faemie as she briskly walked to the next part of the palace they needed to penetrate. The crusader saw that the priestess was immensely relieved that none of the guards they put down were killed or seriously injured. "It is not our intention to kill anyone, if possible, that stand in our way," she said, answering Faemie's unasked question. "These guards are just doing their jobs."
"You could have said so from the start," was the priestess' only answer.
"Forgive me," Sunset replied, "but there wasn't any time."
At the end of the great corridor, a large group of hunters suddenly appeared and took formation. Some of them went down on one knee while the rest stood, all aiming their arrows at them. A group of four priests stood behind them, ready to heal the wounded.
"You shall not pass!" the leader of the hunters commanded. "Stop right there and drop your weapons or we shall be forced to fire upon you!"
Sunset stopped. The five crusaders who were flanking her immediately took position in front of her and put up their large shields. The crusaders who were behind took the flanking positions and raised their shields above their heads.
No sooner had they done this did the hunters open fire. None of the arrows penetrated, all of them bouncing harmlessly against the shields, both in front and above for those hunters who attempted to send volley shots.
"Looks like it's a standoff," said Faemie, matter-of-factly, although Sunset could clearly see that she was impressed with the defensive formation and the speed in which it was coordinated. "So what are we going to do now?" the priestess asked.
"Watch."
Another wave of arrows arrived. This time, however, they came at such force that the crusaders had to brace at the impact. But no sooner after the last arrow fell to the ground did the crusaders in front crouch down and those whose shields were raised over their heads lower them and immediately hurtled them towards the hunters.
Sunset watched as ten large spinning shields mowed down the hunters and then returned to the outstretched arms of their owners. "We call that Shield Boomerang," she said to the priestess beside her.
Faemie audibly gulped. "Charming," she said, dryly.
The crusaders returned to the original formation with Sunset and the Faemie in the lead. They marched forward, stepping over the unconscious bodies of the hunters and priests as they passed them.
"Are they..."
"Don't worry, they're all alive."
Faemie nodded and hurried to keep pace.
---
Corneria leapt and rolled out of the way of the captain's wide swipe of his sword. She landed neatly on her feet at the end of the roll. She quickly brought her broadsword up in front of her in a ready stance.
That was close, she thought as she ignored the drop of sweat that threatened to spill over her brow and into her eye. He's not the Captain of the Guard for nothing. She could see from her peripheral vision that her knights were too busy crossing swords with those that accompanied her opponent to be of any use to her.
"Give it up, Corneria," the captain said, his voice ominous as he approached. He held his broadsword in one hand, pointed downwards but in front of him. "Why are you doing this?"
"Haven't you noticed, captain? The King that has been sitting in the throne this many weeks is not the true King!" the female knight said, standing her ground.
"How could you say that?"
"Open your eyes, captain," she pleaded, "it is as plain as the full moon that's shining outside the palace!"
"That's ridiculous!" the captain spat out. "You are nothing but a traitor. You bring shame to the Knight's Code."
"Captain, please--"
The captain rushed forward so suddenly that Corneria barely had enough time to block his sword with her own. Again and again, the steel of their swords met, neither one giving the other an opening with which to take advantage. However, the female knight was straining against the superior strength of the captain.
Before long, she found herself with her back pushed against the wall, her sword crossed against the other's just centimeters in front of her. She pushed with all her might but the captain in front of her would not budge.
"Give it up, Corneria," the captain said with a sneer. "You can't win."
The female knight closed her eyes. He was right. She can't win. At least, not if she played by his rules. She opened her eyes and gave one final push with all her might. The captain was only momentarily surprised but it gave Corneria the bit of space she needed.
She slackened the hold on her sword as the captain pushed back in response. She allowed herself to slide down the wall causing her opponent to move forward.
Corneria then release her sword as it got pinned to the wall. With her hands, she pushed herself forward, sliding on the floor on her back under the captain. Just as she passed his legs, she unsheathed two daggers from her sides and slashed at the area just above the captain's ankles.
The captain roared in pain as he crashed painfully on his knees, both his and her swords clattering noisily on the marble floor. Corneria made to dash for her weapon but the captain quickly seized his and pointed it up at her, effectively blocking her path. He attempted to stand but quickly fell down again.
All around her, the palace guards were felled by her knights, obviously distracted by the plight of their leader. Her companions came to her side immediately and as one pointed their own swords back at the kneeling captain.
"You're all a bunch of traitors!" he growled, his eyes were red with rage as he resignedly threw his sword back on the floor. "Get it over with," he said, resting his head against the wall, clearly exposing his neck. He closed his eyes and therefore didn't see the powerful punch that Corneria squarely landed on his jaw.
She picked up her sword and straightened up, took a cleansing breath of relief and grinned at her companions. "The easy part is done. Let's go get the King."
"She calls that easy?" one of her knights muttered under his breath as he followed Corneria towards the King's chambers.
---
Tatiana's chief hunter was proving to be such a pain in the posterior as Branagan tried to put him down. Even the hunter's falcon kept getting in the way. As successful as he was in dodging the arrows, he wasn't having much luck doing the same with the falcon. Both his arms already bore multiple additional lacerations. In the end, he had to dispose of it using a well-aimed shuriken right into the beast's heart.
The hunter became careless in his grief for his falcon's demise and began attacking carelessly. It was only after Branagan cut down the hunter did he realize how far he was led away from Feral and the rest of the group. He knew there were hunters still around but that his party of assassins were already taking care of them. But what of Cerridwen?
He quickly ran back to the area where he left Feral. He stopped dead on his tracks as he came out of the tunnel he was in and into the open. On the ground was Feral and by the looks of it, badly injured. Standing before him was the sorceress. This is not good, he thought.
Movement from just below the knight caught his eye. It was Cerridwen! She was trying to climb up to where the knight was. Definitely not good!
The sight galvanized Branagan as he ran the inside circumference of the cave, his eyes never leaving either Feral or Cerridwen. Tatiana was already raising her wand. Clouds were beginning to form above Feral. Cerridwen was going to get caught in whatever spell that blasted sorceress was conjuring. Faster, faster! He willed his legs to run faster than he'd ever run before.
---
Raven was fighting two hunters at a time, one behind the other. Each one was taking turns firing shots at the female assassin. Hot tears of rage were pouring out of Raven's eyes. Only she, Snapshot and Sephram survived the initial barrage of arrows that were rained on them. She was going to avenge her friends' death, even if it caused her own life to be forfeit.
She felt a flash of pain as an arrow grazed her cheek. "That's a lucky shot, you bastard! A hundred zenies says you can't do that again," she snarled at the hunter. In response he quickly loaded his bow. When he looked up, the assassin was gone!
And then out of nowhere, spikes began to thrust upwards from the ground, piercing both hunters multiple times until both fell down dead. Raven rematerialized in front of their prone bodies. Her eyes narrowed at them. Death hardly seemed a fitting punishment for these two, she thought.
She raised her eyes looking for more of Tatiana's hunters to dispose of. Instead of hunters, she saw the princess frantically trying to climb up to the ledge where the sorceress was. She moved her eyes upwards to see a knight lying prone at the sorceress' feet. And it looked like she was already creating one hell of a spell.
"Cerridwen! No!"
---
Eranelle and Vinen pressed onwards into the palace, with the girl in front holding a ridiculously large sword with both her hands, and the boy cowering behind her holding onto her dress, matching her cautious steps with his own. There were several pockets of fighting happening all over the place, which they had managed to avoid. It was difficult to know who was who since they all seemed to be wearing the same gear, all bearing the same insignia. It was nothing short of a coup!
"This is all your fault, Vinen," Eranelle grumbled for the umpteenth time as she peered around a corner to make sure that the coast was clear. "If you hadn't run inside the palace, we wouldn't be here."
"What good would it be waiting outside the palace?" Vinen replied, also for the umpteenth time. "It would be no different than as if we were still in the room."
"Oh do shut up!" was the girl's only retort. "This palace is a lot bigger than I thought. We'll never find Faemie here!"
"We'll find her, Eranelle," the boy said, mustering as much confidence as he could in his voice, but failing utterly. "...somehow."
"Some comfort you are!"
---
Sunset and her crusaders (together with Faemie) arrived at almost the same time as Corneria and her knights right in front of the King's chambers.
"Did you run into any trouble?" Corneria asked.
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Sunset replied with a shrug.
The female knight smiled. "Shall we then?" she asked, nodding towards the double doors of the chambers.
"After you."
Corneria nodded and then as one, she and her knights rushed through the doors followed quickly by the crusaders.
The King stood there, right in the center of the room, clearly expecting them. His eyes were bloodshot.
"Corneria," he said, "I'm very disappointed in you. Haven't you been taught to knock before entering?"
In response, the female knight brandished her sword and cautiously approached.
"Careful, Corneria," Sunset said, carefully watching both the King and the knight.
"And who is this?" the King asked, eyeing the crusader. "Why I haven't seen your kind in ages."
Instead of replying, Sunset focused on Corneria. "Get ready," this she whispered to Faemie who had already raised her arms, her palms directed towards the female knight.
"Whoever you are," Corneria said as she took a step closer to the King, "you're coming with us to answer a few questions."
The King slowly turned to face the knight. He stared at her for several moments and then without warning pointed a finger at her. A large blast of fire shot out from his entire arm and rushed towards Corneria!
"Faemie!" Sunset shouted.
The priestess needed no further goading. She was already feeding healing energy towards the knight as she was engulfed from head to toe in flames. Sunset and her crusaders rushed towards the King but stopped to see that instead of the King stood an enormous being, with the face of a skull. Two large snakes were draped over his shoulders and were hissing fiercely at them.
The crusaders backed away slowly. Sunset saw that Corneria was down on one knee several meters away from any immediate danger. Smoke was rising from her entire body and parts of her armor were singed but other than that she was okay. The female crusader turned to focus once more on the immense being before her who was looking back at her in a way akin to that of a predator looking at his trapped prey.
Corneria stood on wobbly legs. She supported herself with her sword, which she dug into floor. "Sunset, look."
The female crusader followed the direction of the other's eye and saw a prone figure behind the monster. It was the King! Perhaps the true one!
"Is that the Dark Lord," Faemie asked, her eyes glued to the being. Like everyone else, she had to crane her neck to see the face. It was over seven feet tall!
"It certainly looks like him," Sunset replied, not taking her eyes away.
"What about the King? I have to go to him."
"Not until we bring this monster down."
"Can we defeat it?"
"Only one way to find out," the female crusader said. She nodded towards her fellow crusaders and as one they charged the monster.
---
The spell was almost complete. Feral could feel it. He had to do something and he had to do it now! He only had one shot at this and he would have to be fast otherwise, Tatiana would easily be able to thwart him. He closed his eyes tightly and concentrated. He had to make sure that there was enough life in his arms and legs again to make his move. When he was certain that there was, he took a deep breath and quickly rose.
---
Tatiana looked down and her eyes widened. Impossible! How could Feral stand after the Jupitel Thunder I unleashed on him? And yet there he was, standing, clutching his sword tightly. She looked up at her wand as it spewed energy into the dark clouds that have formed above. Her spell wasn't ready yet!
---
Good! Branagan saw that Feral was able to stand. He didn't allow himself to slow down though. The spell was still being formed. He didn't know whether he could stop it but perhaps he could push Feral out of the way.
He realized in that moment how utterly foolish that sounded. Why would he risk his own neck to save that pompous knight? He shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't have time to analyze his own actions. Something just told him that this was the right thing to do.
He focused again at the knight. He brought his sword with both his hands up to his right shoulder. And then with a loud roar, he brought it swinging downward with such force that a large gash was created on the ground. He followed through until the tip of the sword was directed towards Tatiana. Incredibly, the gash traveled, spewing rocks and earth everywhere, as if some living thing was under the ground eager to reach its target.
The force slammed into the sorceress and she screamed! Before his eyes, whatever energy Feral had unleashed began to tear into the woman, shredding her armor and clothing, even as she was thrown several hundred meters towards the other end of the cave like a rag doll! She crashed into the wall, causing a crater to form and then she fell lifelessly against a boulder.
But the spell was still forming! He was still several seconds away. Feral had already slumped down on his knees, too weak to stand up. "Feral!"
And then it happened. Indeed, like a tornado, a huge cone of wind filled with ice dropped down from above and engulfed the knight. Almost like the force that Feral used on the sorceress, the shards of ice began to tear into the knight. The strong winds carried him into the air and he was spinning in every direction. Blood was spraying everywhere!
Branagan leapt up as he approached the edge of the spell and forcefully, with all the strength he could muster, pushed the knight out of the maelstrom. In that same instant, his eyes widened in the pain and shock of finding himself in the very center of the vortex. Daggers of ice began piercing him.
So this is the end, Branagan thought. His world darkened and it was once again the image of a certain red-haired, green-eyed princess that he saw before everything went black.
---
One by one, to Faemie's horror, the knights fell, despite her best efforts to heal them. Even the crusaders were not having luck. Blessed as they were with the ability to heal themselves, they thankfully didn't need her assistance as much.
It didn't help, however, that this creature was able to teleport and they had to rush to track its whereabouts within the palace each time it disappeared. Fortunately, the monster seemed to have weakened from the continuous bombardment.
Two crusaders once again stepped into the path of the Dark Lord and cast their complex Grand Cross spell on the ground where he stood. She had never seen such a spell before. It was not unlikely her own Magnus Exorcimus but this one seemed much more versatile.
The Dark Lord stood frozen on its tracks as the energies from the twin crosses wrought their damage on it but it continued to plow forward, albeit drunkenly, and with spells of its own, dispatched the two crusaders that sought to destroy it.
"Sunset!"
Faemie saw Corneria hobble towards the far end of the room calling out to the last crusader standing, Sunset Evestrom. Like the two crusaders before her, she stood in the path of the monster.
"Sunset, it's useless! Get out of there!"
Sunset wasn't listening, however, focused as she was on the monster before her. "We have destroyed your kind before, monster. We will do it again!"
"You...are...welcome to try. But know this, crusader...even if you destroy me now, I will rise again!"
Light from another grand cross engulfed the creature and it visibly weakened even more. It wobbled backwards. Just as they all thought it would fall, it brought its huge, clawed hands together. A ball of red energy formed immediately. This it unleashed on the female crusader who barely had time to bring her shield up to block it. The force pushed her backwards, slamming her against the wall, which buckled against the onslaught and started crumbling on top of her.
Faemie immediately sent a Kyrie spell towards the crusader, hoping it was successfully able to protect her from the rubble. She turned back and her eyes widened in terror. The Dark Lord was standing just a few meters from her and it was staring intently at her.
She quickly raised her arms; her palms directed at the beast and fired a bolt of holy light after another. Each one would hit the monster causing it to stagger briefly but nothing more.
Faemie gave a small yelp in surprise as her back bumped against a wall. She didn't realize she had been taking a step backwards with each bolt she fired. Now she was trapped.
"Hey, you monster!" Corneria yelled in the background.
Faemie peered behind the Dark Lord to see the knight raise her sword like a spear and hurled it towards the monster. It struck right between its shoulder blades and the creature roared so loud the whole palace shook!
The Dark Lord whipped around, pointed a finger at the knight much like it did the last time and blasted her away.
"Corneria!"
The priestess watched as the knight hit the wall forcefully, like so many of the others, and then slumped down to the floor. Faemie ran towards her. The monster made to swipe at her but missed, almost falling down in doing so.
As soon as she approached the fallen knight, she picked her up, hugging her to herself. She felt the labored breathing of the warrior and felt relief. The priestess looked up to see the creature lumbering towards them. There was nothing more she could do at this point but wait for the inevitable.
Just then she saw a small girl leaping into the air and landing between her and the creature, forcefully thrusting the sword she held onto the marble floor. Fire energy seemed to emanate from the sword and it blasted the monster.
"Now, Vinen!"
Faemie quickly turned to see a boy, this time, holding his rod aloft, his eyes shut tightly and his mouth busily mouthing incantations. From above, hot bolts of fire rained down on the Dark Lord, causing it to roar in pain.
With a battle cry of her own, the girl, who Faemie finally recognized to be Eranelle, wrenched the sword from the marble floor and rushed towards the monster.
"Eranelle, no!" Faemie screamed.
The girl launched herself into the air once more and buried her sword into the heart of the writhing creature, pushing it with all her might until only the hilt could be seen. Together, both the Dark Lord and the girl crashed to the ground.
The priestess hurriedly propped Corneria against the wall and rushed towards the girl only to find Vinen already helping the girl from the creature's carcass. Eranelle leaned against the boy, who in turn was blushing furiously at the close proximity of the girl, as they both stepped as far away as possible.
Faemie couldn't wipe the amazement and surprise from her face as she watched the two.
Finally, Eranelle turned to face her. She couldn't bring herself to look up. "I'm really sorry, Faemie. I...well, both Vinen and me didn't want to stay in the room any longer, and...and we felt you needed our help...and..."
The priestess smiled, shaking her head at them. She brought them both to her and hugged them fiercely. She was very happy they came to help.
---
Cerridwen finally cleared the ledge and found that instead of Feral, Branagan was inside the storm! She cried out his name in terror. She quickly raised her hands and fed healing energy towards him. She averted her face but tried to keep her eyes open in spite of the strong winds. She dared not enter the vortex or she feared she would not be able to cast the healing spell.
"Please," she prayed, "Branagan, oh please be all right." She was already getting weaker by the second. She had never seen such a spell before. She had never seen such fury before. "Please let it end already," she was screaming this plea as she slowly went down on her knees with her arms still outstretched before her, sending what last reserves of energy she had.
And then it was over. The storm and the clouds dissipated instantly, leaving only the broken body of an assassin as evidence of its existence. Cerridwen's arms dropped to her side of their own accord. She gazed at the prone body of the assassin. He was still bloodied and she saw that he still had many open wounds, his life slowly drenching the ground under which he lay.
Slowly she crawled towards him. She immediately cradled his face in her arms. "Oh Branagan, I'm so sorry!" She buried her face into his neck as grief wracked her small frame. "I'm so very sorry!"
"Princess..."
Slowly, almost fearfully, Cerridwen lifted her face. She had to blink her eyes repeatedly to clear her tears. But there was no mistaking that his light-colored eyes were open and they were looking up at her. She brought a hand up to her mouth to keep her from sobbing so openly in happiness. But she couldn't help it. "Branagan!" She brought her lips down on his in a fierce kiss. "I thought you died," she sobbed, hugging him tightly and showering his face with even more kisses.
When she was sufficiently calm she gazed down at the assassin. She had never felt anything like this for anyone. It was so powerful and frightening at the same time.
"Princess..."
"Yes?" she said, lightly stroking his face, which thankfully wasn't damaged so much by the spell that Tatiana unleashed on him.
"Feral," he said weakly. "He was hit by the spell too."
Cerridwen's eyes immediately scanned the area. True enough, several meters away lay the body of the first knight, slumped against the cave wall. "Oh no!" She immediately looked down at Branagan. "I have to--"
"Go," the assassin coughed. "I'll be all right here."
The princess gently laid Branagan's head on the ground as she stood and approached Feral. She knelt beside him and at first just stared at him, waiting to see any sign of life. She was just about to move her hand to his wrist to feel for a pulse when the knight coughed and groaned but he remained unconscious. She was relieved beyond relief! She immediately planted a hand on his chest and began healing him. Soon enough, the ragged and erratic breathing eased. Feral's face, which earlier was contorted in pain, had also cleared.
Slowly, Feral's eyes opened. At first they had a blank look on them but then they registered surprise when he finally recognized the princess kneeling before him. He immediately straightened up, a bit surprised to see how easily he was able to do it with very little pain.
"Princess Cerridwen!"
"My lord," the princess said with a small nod of her head. "I hope you are feeling much better."
"Well, I...uhm--yes," he stammered. "I do feel a lot better. But how--?"
"I will explain later. For now I'll have to attend to Branagan."
"Branagan?"
"Yes, my lord," she said, turning her head to the side to look at the assassin. She was surprised to see that he was already in a sitting position, supported from behind by a kneeling Raven. She felt a sudden flash of jealousy. Her thoughts were interrupted when Feral called her name.
"What happened to Branagan?"
"He pushed you out of the sorceress' spell but he got caught in it instead, my lord."
Feral's eyebrows rose. "He did that?"
"Yes, my lord."
He turned to look at the assassin who was already smiling at him. He bared his teeth in irritation.
"My lord?" Cerridwen asked, puzzled by the expression of anger she saw on the knight's face.
Any further response from the knight was interrupted when yet another group of warriors suddenly appeared. Cerridwen turned to look at the new group, dreading the possibility that they might enemies.
"Sir Feral!" one of them cried out to the princess' relief. This one rushed to the side. "Are you okay, Sir?"
"I'm okay, Dax. Help me up."
Dax, another knight, promptly helped Feral up. Cerridwen stood as well and turned to walk towards Branagan and Raven.
"Princess."
She turned to face Feral. "My lord?"
"Please thank Branagan for me."
Cerridwen smiled. "I will, my lord."
---
Sunset, Faemie and Corneria stood rooted at the spot where the Dark Lord fell. All three were confounded by the fact that the spot was empty.
"I don't understand," Faemie said. "It was right here."
Eranelle and Vinen appeared as well at the priestess' side. "Faemie..."
"Yes, Eranelle, the body disappeared."
"But...how?"
"It is possible," Sunset began, "that it wasn't the real Dark Lord. The Dark Lord has many abilities. Perhaps this one was merely a Dark Illusion."
"Dark Illusion?" Corneria repeated.
"Yes, a copy of the real Dark Lord."
"So, that means that the Dark Lord is still alive," Eranelle mused, her expression pained.
"I'm afraid you may be right, little one," Sunset finished.
---
The next several days happened in a blur. At first, Cerridwen was horrified to learn that her father for the last several weeks was possessed by the Dark Lord, or his copy. It explained a lot of things for her, however, like the changes that had been happening and the fact that she got to see less of him of late.
So, it was with great relief when she returned to Prontera after a few days of rest in Geffen to spend time with her father, her real father. After much prodding, she reluctantly recounted to him her abduction and every detail of her adventure afterwards.
Fortunately, because the King had no real first hand experiences of the grief and anger he would have felt had he really been around, he couldn't bring himself to mete out a full sentence to the assassin, Branagan, for kidnapping and endangering his only daughter. Furthermore, upon learning that the assassin not only saved the princess more than once from certain death, almost forfeiting his own life in the process, he also did the same for Feral. This further reduced his sentence to almost nothing.
It was to Feral's eternal dismay that the story of Branagan's heroics had spread to the entire kingdom. His pride couldn't bear to acknowledge the fact that he owed his own life to such a cur. Add to this the fact that he had lost Cerridwen's love to that same uncultured cad. He often wondered whether he even had the princess' love to begin with.
"So," the King began as he glanced at his daughter walking alongside him in the garden, "when were you planning to tell me about your abilities?"
Cerridwen's eyes widened and then quickly looked away from her father. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Father."
The King smiled and drew the princess closer to him with the hand already draped around her shoulder. "Cerridwen," he said, kissing the top of her head, "I just want you to know that I'm proud of you."
The teenager looked up at her father and beamed. "Really?"
"Yes, really. I'm sorry you felt you needed to hide something like this from me."
"Well, I promise to never hide anything from you again."
Father and daughter shared a light laugh.
"So, Lady Stephanie trained you to be a priest?"
She nodded in response.
"And Lord Renthro taught you how to fight?"
The princess smiled. "He has begun to train Eranelle too. He says she's a natural."
The King nodded thoughtfully. After a few moments of reflection, he nudged his daughter. "So you're a battle priest, eh?"
Cerridwen blushed. "Yes, although Sunset Evestrom approached me and told me of the caste of Monks. She knows one living in Juno."
"Monks? I've heard of them. And you're saying you want to become one?"
"I'm not really sure but I'm really curious about them."
"Very well, you have my permission."
"Really?" Again the princess beamed as she hugged the King. "I can't wait!"
"Although, we'll have to provide another escort for you to Juno. I'm sending Sunset and Corneria on a mission to Glast Heim to investigate this Dark Lord."
The princess merely nodded, trying to conceal a smile forming on her lips.
"Do you have anybody in mind who can adequately protect you?" the King asked, already knowing the answer himself.
"I think I may have the perfect person who can accomplish that mission."
"Feral isn't very happy these days, you know."
Cerridwen sighed. "Sir Feral is kind and honorable..."
"But he's not your type."
"I can't say that he is, no."
The King laughed at this. He then sighed deeply.
"What is it, Father?" the princess asked, looking up at her father's face.
"It's just that you're growing up too fast."
"Don't worry, Father. I'll always be your little girl!" Both of them laughed once more.
Later that evening, as Cerridwen looked out her balcony, the same one from where she first met Branagan, she began to think of the days ahead. The Dark Lord was still out there. She didn't know how she fit into his evil schemes. One thing was certain however: she will know no peace until he is vanquished.
Author's Note: We've finally finished this story! We realize that this chapter took an extra long time to finish and my daughter and I have only our various other activities as an excuse. We hope you like it. Do drop us feedback if you do; if you don't, tell us anyway!
I know most of you who read this story will comment that we've left out a major loose end here plus we've introduced a couple of twists in the end, all of which hint at a possibility of a sequel. When we started this story we didn't realize that having only 5 chapters in a story would hardly be enough to cover all the angles. At this point, we'll have to gauge the interest to decide whether to actually write a sequel. In the meantime, you guys will have to do what we do: use our imagination!
Peace!