ONCE UPON A WILLOW
CHAPTER ONE
Over in the Netherlands in the mid-1400's, a battle is currently being fought just outside of the Kingdom of Kalewin, and the daughter of the King and Queen, Blaise is nowhere in sight. Many of the warriors are dead and those who survive re-group; dense fog is currently setting over the entire kingdom and everything around the castle sluggishly burns to the ground. Meanwhile, Bali (One of the strongest of the warriors besides Bahamut) brings King Vlademar and Queen Zaria into a sacred location; that is covered with charms, spells and gems.
At the Kingdom of Kalewin, a young girl named Blaise, grows up in a happy filled home of the King and Queen of Kalewin. As a long awaited war breaks out and the Kingdom begins to fall, the King and Queen are brought to their sacred location by the Warrior, Bali. As their patients grow thin on waiting for their daughter, they realize that they aren't where they are supposed to be. As everything seems to be falling back into place, sure enough, everything goes horribly wrong.
In a sacred location, where the current King and Queen are at, they realize that it isn't their place to hide if a war ever broke out. As the cloaked spell lifts and the true location is revealed to King Vladmar and Queen Zaria, the King realizes that they are their indefinitely. Queen Zaria is an averaged sized slender woman; she wears leather battle clothing to be ready to fight alongside her husband. Zaria has on long tight black pants with a Valkyrie Breast Plate with daggers hidden all over her armor and a double edge sword at her side.
Queen Zaria speaking to Bali, in a calm way but with slight panic in her voice, "What's going on? Where is my dear daughter, Blaise?"
Bali, a 6'8" warrior who is very muscular and is dressed as a Barbarian; on his back, he carries a double edge axe, with a short sword on his side and a battle axe in his hand. He brought the King and Queen to their supposed hidden location to keep them safe from the war. As the spell lifts from this secret layer that the King has created lifts, they realize that they are in a familiar location and know that they are nowhere near the Kingdom of Kalewin.
"Zaria, you know that Bahamut is bringing your daughter down; you know that Blaise is in the best hands possible and she will be safe no matter what happens!" Bali spoke to the Queen in a calm, yet stern voice.
Queen Zaria responds in a worrisome voice, "You better be right Bali. She is my daughter and she better be safe; nothing bad better…"
King Vladmar who is a tall slender, semi-muscular man, who is ready to fight at the front lines to protect his family, loved ones, and his entire kingdom. The armor he wears is a gothic style; he wears dark leather brown gloves, a Paladin's Breast Plate, tight black pants, black boots, along with a cape that is lined with fur. He has weapons hidden in and all around his outfit; has a duel Viking axe at his back, a Templar sword with a gold handle at his side, interrupts his beloved wife.
"BALI! Get over HERE NOW, if you know what is good for you," said Vladmar in a strong voice that shakes the room and Bali cowards behind a pillar. "We must speak in private," he said in a calm voice.
"W-w-what is it? What do you…" Bali speaks as he walks over to the King and he gets interrupted.
As Bali walks over to King Vladmar in a skittish way and trying not to show fear, the King casts a spell over his Queen, his wife as she is lying down to rest, which helps Zaria to calm down from worrying about their daughter, Blaise. He knows there is something going on and the less she knows, the better; until everything gets close to being fixed.
Vladmar interrupts his warrior, Bali and knowing that there is something wrong, "I know you aren't yourself. What is going on and who did this to you?"
"I am not sure if I am aware on what you mean, Sir?" Bali said.
Vladmar speaks in an annoyed voice, "You know EXACTLY what I mean. You are no warrior of mine, you are a traitor."
When Bali is about to respond to his King, he falls to the ground.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, the battle is continuing, but coming to a close end!
Dionne and Mahala are at combat with each other; Izabela and Blaise are told by Mahala to run and hide. As they run to hide from the danger, they need to hide where Bahamut can find them, but he is nowhere to be found. Just outside of the castle, the remaining warriors are defending what's left of the castle. Drake, Garrick, Thane, and Sandor are fighting as hard as they can against millions of creatures that have never been seen before, suddenly vanished before their eyes.
Mahala is the mother of Izabela and trying to get her daughter and the King and Queen's daughter to safety. She wears a Dutches style gown; it is black and silver fabric that is the entire front and back of the outfit with a black skirt showing on the sides; there is also a bodice style top that provides extra support to the bust. A white sleeved chemise tops off the whole look. The chemise has an elastic neckline and can be worn on or off the shoulders. The sleeves are trimmed in black and each arm has a black bow made of ribbon on it. She is a young mother and the father of Izabela is unknown. As Mahala, Blaise, and Izabela try to get to Blaises' bedroom to meet with Bahamut, they run into some trouble.
Mahala has Izabela and Blaise by her side as they running down a long corridor, she takes a few moments to kneel down to speak to her daughter and Blaise, "Izabela, Blaise, go, run, hide!"
As she speaks to the children, they could hear screams in the distance screaming Mahalas' name, "Go now! Find a place to hide and wait for Bahamut to get to you children to safety!"
Izabella, who is wearing a red Fleur di Lis Dress with a gold design with a long sleeve Celtic Chemise, she responds to her mother in a sad voice, as her cousin Blaise tries to pull her to continue on their hunt to find Bahamut.
"But MOTHER! Why can't we stay with you? I don't understand why you can't come with us!" Izabela responds sadly.
Mahala senses that Dionne is getting close! Mahala is speaking to her daughter while Blaise is in a panic to Izabela.
Blaise is wearing a Noble Dress that is straight and has a layered look to it with a cloak worn over it. As she is trying to get Izabela to start running, she responds to her cousin in a scared and panicked voice.
Blaise shouts in a panicked voice, "Come on Izabela," as she grabs her cousin by the wrist and them able to start to run! "We need to hide where my father told us, so that we can be saved for our future. So this way Bahamut can find us and get to my parents!"
As Mahala stands up and turns away from the children, she prepares to battle the one who calls whom calls her name. When Mahala stands and turns, she speaks to both children saying, "Honey, I will explain later when we have more time; just RUN! NOW!"
The woman who shouted Mahala's name, Dionne, storms around the corner and is dressed in a long red gown that flares out slightly from the waist; it has black ivory design all over the dress with occasional black flowers on it. She also has a cape on that is lined on the inside with flowers that matches the dress, but the outside of the cape is black velvet and also has a hood; she also wears a dagger at her side with her powers at full force and ready to kill.
As Dionne storms down the corridor, she screams "MAHALA!" When she screams her name, she throws a low electric energy ball and Mahala gets thrown against a wall and attempts to get Blaise. As Mahala gets thrown against the wall she mumbles under her breathe, "Get out of my way."
While Dionne is in the process of trying to get Blaise, a woman named the Crowne speaks to her telepathically to hurry up and grab the princess. She also tells Dionne to leave Mahala and her daughter Izabela to die in a painful death.
"Remember, we only want Blaise! Leave the other to die with her mother," spoke the Crowne to Dionne telepathically.
Mahala tries to get up off the ground and speaks in an angry voice to Dionne, "Get away from my daughter and niece." While Mahala is speaking, she throws a week lightning bolts from her finger tips at Dionne and barely injures her.
"Maybe I was right, I should have done this my-self, if I wasn't so weak," growls to herself. "Hurry up Dionne and get the girl, just the ONE girl. We will do fine with her, for now."
Blaise is being held by Dionne as the Crowne is speaking to her telepathically and as this is happening, Blaise throws some kind of magic out of her hand at Dionne and is in shock that she was able to even do that. As she is able to get Dionne thrown away from her; at this time, Blaise is able to get her and her cousin to her room and wait for the warrior, Bahamut. When Blaise arrives to her room, she realizes that Izabela didn't follow her.
In her bedroom, Blaise expects to see not only Bahamut, but also her mother and father. "MOMMY! DADDY!" Blaise screams in a scared voice and crying. Blaise comes to the realization that they aren't in her room, where they promised to meet her and run out to get her Aunt Mahala and see what happened to her cousin Izabela. "Auntie! Please, I need you! Don't die I can't find my mother or father. Where is Izabela go? Did that crazy lady take her? Where is Bahamut and what is that I did to her?" Blaise says to Mahala as she is crying.
Lying on the ground dying, Mahala says with love, "In time my sweet child, in time. You must go back to your room and wait for Bahamut. You will be safe there."
"He is nowhere to be found," said Blaise in a panicked voice to Mahala, as she isn't thinking to clearly.
Not realizing that her daughter has been taken by Dionne and the Crowne, Mahala responds with her last breathes, "GO! Before she comes back and make sure you take Izabela with you. Protect her."
Blaise runs back to her room, while the Kingdom of Kalewin falls to the Crowne and Dionne! A couple of the evil, strange creatures; who are helping to take over the Kingdom, make it into Blaises' room. Both of the creatures are approximately 4'6" and are very hairy. They both have talon like claws, hooved legs and only wear some stolen items from one of the dead knights from the Kings army.
As one of the creatures grabs Blaise tightly by the neck, the second creature speaks to Blaise in their native tongue and makes a deep cut across her face from the upper right side of her face to the lower left side of her face. The second creature speaks, "My child, we have an astonishing thing planned for you!"
Strangely enough, Blaise understood what the creatures had spoken to her and responded, as she struggles, "You better put me down and not harm me, or…"
The first creature pulls the young child closer to him and speaks and he laughs, "Or you'll what? Blow us up into smithereens', electrocute us?
A cloaked man, that seems to be shaggy looking; which makes him look older, knocks the door down to Blaise's room and under the cloak he is dressed in ripped peasant clothing. As the strange man enters the room dressed with ripped rags and a semi – long beard and is slightly hunched over as he walks. He stands at about 5'6" and walks bare foot.
The stranger shouts in a stern voice, "Get your mucky claws off her, you filthy animal!" He builds his energy up to use his power against both of these creatures, but he realizes that there is nothing that is nature related in the room to help him build his energy up and ends up pulling out his double edge sword that has an enchantment on it.
Blaise gets thrown up against the wall by the one creature, as the second creature reaches for his sword and deepens the princess's scratch that lies across her face. Blaise is unconscious from being thrown against the wall and is bleeding.
As the stranger continues to fight, "… I PROMISE you that this isn't the end of me! You are going to be left in pain and agony; I foresee it! Now, tell me where Izabela disappeared too?"
While both of the creatures fight with him, it makes it tougher for the stranger to fight them with how many weapons they have. "You'll never find her! She is one more powerful than you think she can be! She is the one that is known as the key of…"
While the stranger checks upon Blaise to make sure that she is only unconscious and not passed away. As the stranger is bent over checking her, the second creature cuts the stranger with his dagger and leaves him a deep cut on his arm.
"DUMB ASS! You can't just go off telling people absolutely everything about everyone," the second creature interruptes.
"He said he would kill us," said the first creature in a slight worried voice.
The stranger stands back up to continue to fight off the creatures, "Please don't hesitate to stop speaking you filthy creature, if you do stop speaking I promise a horrible death." As the creatures and the stranger continue to fight for quiet sometime while a cryptic man suddenly appears over Blaise and the stranger who was just fighting, works his way over to the two and they all vanish!
Later during the night of the battle; a few hundred miles away from the Castle of Kalewin, in the shady, shadowy woods where one dares not to enter; there is a mysterious ground shaking evil that is going on. The home of the Crowne is protected by many spells, charms and enchantments that no one can find to the naked eye. The Crowne finally gets her way but in a way more powerful than she for saw in her vision. Dionne comes into the abandoned cabin with a wound to her lower left abdomen; holding Izabela off the ground and covering her mouth as she kicks and struggles to break free.
The Crowne is dressed in black gothic clothing and stands over her altar of black magick; she has a lot of grey hair throughout her dark long brown hair. She is an older woman who wears a dress that seems like it is a bit too tight and short for her, like it is meant for someone who is in the mid-thirties. The straps sit comfortable on her shoulders and the sleeves of the chemise sit off her shoulder and the dress stops at her mid calves and walks around barefoot.
"Dionne. Did you bring me what I asked for?" Said the Crowne with her back turned.
In a skittish voice, Dionne responds with , "Um…"
In a stern voice with her back still turned, "Did you or NOT?" As the Crowne turns around to Dionne, she speaks to Dionne in an angry voice, "What the HELL is this? This was absolutely NOT your missing! You brought me the wrong girl!"
Dionne responds to the Crowne, but she is in pain from the wound that Blaise gave her on her lower left side of her abdomen. "Just hear me out, just this one time, PLEASE. I ran into some trouble and the one girl left me with this wound and didn't realize what she could do. I have my prodigy getting Blaise. I brought you this one that may hold you off in the meantime, until we get the proper girl."
Izabela bites Dionne on the hand and breaks free screaming, hoping someone would hear her cries for help. As Dionne's powers don't work in the Crownes shielded home, she attempts to grab the young innocent Izabela and gets thrown against a wall by her using her powers. Izabela looks stunned at what just happened.
The Crowne grabs Izabela by the throat and looks at Dionne, "YOU GRABBED ME THE WRONG GIRL! How dare you bring me this sleazy little girl! I told showed you the exact girl to get! You messed everything up! Yet, she just may do the job that I need, {sighs} for now at least! {Smirks} Dionne, I'll deal with you later; tie her up for now in that chair over there for now."
As Dionne ties Izabela up and she screams, Dionne says, "I know I didn't grab who you wanted me to, but one thing I can promise you is that I have my best on the job getting her here as soon as possible."
"Who are you guys and why do you want me to begin with? You don't want me, you clearly want Blaise and I am no concern to you," said Izabela, while spitting on Dionne. "My mother will be here before you know it and will kick your ass for kidnapping me!"
The Crown examines Izabela and seems to be in a bit of shock, "It can't be! Can it? Dionne…"
"Yes Ma'am?" Dionne responds nervously.
"You did a bit better than I thought retrieving me this child. It clearly isn't whom I wanted, but it will do for now for our plans. For now we will just have to cast a spell to make sure she doesn't remember much on what has happened," stated the Crowne.
Dionne responds, "I have my best two…"
The Crowne turns her back to Dionne as she works on her altar, "They're dead already by this point; he showed up to save her. In time, I have my own plan of getting that girl to me! You have done well with getting me her cousin! She has yet to come into her own like the princess; she is young enough to have her do what I need her to do!"
A couple of days have passed by at the sacred place that the King and Queen have been brought too (where it feels that only a few hours have passed for them); there is absolutely no site of Bahamut and the concern of the King and Queen grow stronger in search of their daughter Blaise. Bali is in tempts of following his orders by keeping the King and Queen in the sacred location for their protection while he scribes for their beloved daughter and the General Bahamut.
"You better find my daughter! It has been too long that she has been away from us. They should have been here by now; she should be by our side," Queen Zaria says to the warrior Bali.
Bali walks out of the sacred location that is protected by spells and enchantments, "She will be found I promise you my Queen. I am going to scribe for her and Bahamut a bit longer and if in fact that they don't show up on the map I will go and get the last of the warriors to get a strategy together to do a search of the entire Kingdom to see if they are anywhere to be found."
Vladimar is in a meditative state trying to sense if his daughter Blaise is still alive and to see if she is close to where they are. He doesn't hear a thing going on between Bali and Zaria. While he is meditating, Zaria pulls out a dagger out of her boot and uses her gift to have it drift up to Bali's neck.
"I swear on my own life, if you don't find her, I promise that I will Kill you and that your family won't see the light of day ever again," Zaria spoken angrily to Bali.
Bali nervously responding, "There is no need for this Zaria! They will be found and you know it; you know you can sense that she will be found, especially if you truly are her 'Mother,' my Queen."
"Even with the points you make, I have every single reason why I should be worried about her safety because her are her parents. She is nowhere in sight and I can't pick up on anything. It's like she isn't even near us anymore; like she isn't even "MINE" anymore!" said Zaira
[As Zaria mumbles something under her breath and no one can make out what she is saying!]
While King Vladmar comes out of his meditative state; in a stern voice, "Don't come back until you get her, Bali." In a calming voice and approaching his wife, "She isn't safe until all three of us are together again!" As he walks towards a window sill, he mumbles to himself and turns back to Bali, "She is safer with us and not those bloody, conniving, babbling… Ugh; get back to the point Vladmar! How is the scribing going? Have you found them yet?"
Bali places his hand to his forehead to his chin, then his arm drops to his side in annoyance; pondering if he even heard a word that went on between himself and Zaria or even the actions; not realizing that he was just threatened with the Queen's cursed dagger.
"Yes, Sir, I will go get Bahamut and most importantly your beloved daughter Blaise. [Lets the King read his mind while speaking; they both step into the next room] Did you notice what that the Queen has been acting stranger than usual? I mean she did just take a dagger to my throat threatening my life," said Bali to the King.
"Sorry Bali, I did not notice what she had done; if you didn't realize, I was meditating. Yet, I have notice that she has been acting quiet strange lately though," says King Vladmar and while he speaks, he smirks.
Bali is curious on why the King is smirks, but decides not to mention anything, "I just wanted to tlet you know before I go help Bahmut with rescuing your daughter. I can promise you she will be back safely here to the both you! Just keep your wife…"
Vladmar rudely interrupts, "How DARE you try and speak of my wife in such…"
Bali interrupts the King, "Let me please just finish what I need to please before you start yelling! Just Keep your wife in a calm manor, as yourself, before screaming and yelling more than you have to sir; this way you don't break the seal of the gems and power that protects you both in this sacred area!" Bali walks out of the room to do his mission on looking for Bahamut and Willow. "If you break it I guarantee you with both turn to dust. We will speak later, for now just keep her out of harm's way so that we can continue with the plan to keep Blaise the way she is."
Vladmar stands there stun in what Bali just said to him as he walks away. When Bali walks away, out through the enchanted wall; Vladmar walks back into the room to speak with his wife/his Queen about how she has been acting and what she has "done" to his personal guard/warrior, Bali.
While Bali leaves the room, King Vladmar tries to speak to his wife, Queen Zaria in a calm manor, "You know you can't treat our personal guard in such a way. You know we wouldn't be where we are today if it wasn't for his help…" As the king finishes what he says to his wife, he mumbles, "and your sisters' help."
In a high tempered voice, Zaria responds, "You know I don't care for what he has done for us! You know he is probably behind all of this; the reason why we are in this mess without our daughter. She is the only child we've ever had loved!"
"You need to remember to keep calm sweet heart. You know if you get mad and don't learn to control yourself, that there we will not be protected her no more and we will be found out and destroyed! It could possibly be the end of us. Seriously, how many times do I have to tell you?" King Vladmar says to his wife with his care in his voice.
Later that same night at the abandoned looking small home in the middle of nowhere where the Crowne, Dionne, and Isabela are currently at; the two women are trying to figure out their plan with Isabela. As the Crowne is trying to figure out how to lure Blaise to her home, the battle comes to a slowing end!
Back at the hideout where Dionne and the Crowne are speaking she elaborates on what happened back at the castle. "Ma'am, there was a problem back at the castle when I went to get Blaise. Somehow she was able to know that we were, well, I was coming to get her for you; she is coming into her gifts and doesn't know what is going on! I am quite sure that she didn't know what was going on by the look on her face!"
While Dionne is speaking, she approaches the Crowne after properly ties up Izabela and is looking in her cauldron to see if she can find Blaise. The Crowne is slightly floating a few inches off the ground and violently floats over to Dionne as her feet dragged and grabs Dionne the neck.
The Crown responds to angrily to Dionne, "How dare you interrupt me in my search for this girl, all because you messed up by bringing the wrong girl to me? You'll stay in this cage while you explain to me exactly what happened on what 'supposedly' went wrong in the attempts on bringing her to me!"
"Seriously? You didn't have to put me in this thing," Dionne responded in a sarcastic manor.
The Crowne goes back to her cauldron, "You forget that I know more than you say. You forget that! You messed up and …"
"Wouldn't you have seen the fact that I did mess up to being with," Dionne rudely interrupts the Crowne
"Just get to your story Dionne!" spoke the Crowne
"Well, I went to the castle with the creatures you sent me with and the two of them found the two girls with this ones' mother. She held me off for a little bit and she ended up getting thrown against the wall and Blaise threw me back with her gifts and the two girls ran off where the creatures waited for them in the room. As the girls ran off I grabbed the one girl and the creatures should be bringing the other girl back but I have a feeling that they ran into trouble because just as I vanished to here with Izabela I heard other voices in the room," said Dionne in a calm manor.
Back at the castle where the battle is coming to a close end and dawn approaches, the remaining troops at regroup at the gate and see who has survived. Finally, Bahamut shows up at the gate with a severe limp in his right leg along with some cuts and bruises all over his body.
"Where's Bali?" Bahamut said to the remaining troops and trying not to show that he is in pain.
Drake responds with a slight concern, "Not sure where he is; he should have been here by now!"
"I may know where he is, Bahamut," Garrick responded
In an angry voice, Bahamut said, "Well, where is his sorry ass?"
In a calm voice, Drake says, "Last I saw him he was with the King and Queen. Probably getting them to safety!"
Bahamut speaks with slight anger in his voice, "His sorry ass is mine when he returns. Drake, go find Bali; take Thane with you."
"Yes Sir," said Thane
Drake responding to Bahamut with ignoring what Thane had said, "…Why him? Out of all the warriors we have left, why him?"
"You know better not to question me! If you must know, he is great at hunting things down. You should not only know your enemies next move, but you must know when you're fellow warriors will turn on you. You never know what will happen; {mumbles to himself} it's happened to me before. Bevan, Sandor, and Garrick, you are with me. We have to go find the girls that Bali was supposed to bring me to so we can get them to protection and never showed up with them at the time he was told," replied Bahamut
Bevan, Sandor, and Garrick responded in synchronization, "Yes, Sir!"
After everyone splitting up and after a few minutes Bevan, Sandor, Garrick and Bahamut made it to Blaises room where they found one dead creature and one severely injured creature that nears death. Garrick sense magick near the area but doesn't recognize whose magic it belongs to; he keeps this information to himself. As Bahamut approaches the creature the others approach the other creature to figure out what it is. The creature that is near death tries to move away in fear from Bahamut.
"Where are they? Who was behind this attack? Did you harm her?" Bahamut shouts in a panicked voice to the creature that is injured.
In a painful voice, the creature replies, "Where's who? I am not answering of your questions! I'll dead soon anyway."
"I will keep you in this painful agony and you will never heal and stay this way until you answer my questions. Now, I will ask you again; where are the two girls? Who was behind this attack? Did you harm her?" Bahamut said with a grin and a slight anger in his voice.
After Bahamut torchers the creature after a few hours, it finally answers his questions, "The one girl was taken by Dionne and the other girl I have no idea where she is. These strangers took her. Did we harm her? Look what she did to me; the one stranger killed him over there! As for who was behind this attack {taking his last breath}, ask your warriors over there!" {Finally dies at this point}
"Sir, he is right, we do know who's behind this attack. What you should know is that she didn't come for the girls herself, she sent Dionne like that creature said. What we sensed for the magick used to summon the two up was very dark and where ever Blaise may be, she may actually be out of her way of harm," said Sandor.
Garrick replies to what Sandor had just spoken in terms of Bliase, "What we don't know is if she is in harm's way of this new threat who has taken her."
As Bahamut is about to respond in asking some questions when the other warriors barge into the room to give Bahamut an update on their search for Bali, King and Queen
Thane is out of breath and shouting, but shouting turns into a panting voice from running," Sir, Sir! {Coughing} We have an update on Bali."
As Bahamut stands up from the creature and turns to his warriors, "Yes, what is your update on that matter!"
"There is no sign of the King and Queen. We searched the castle and the entire battlefield and there was no sign of the worst case scenario. We searched the room that they would be to wait for both girls and Mahala. They weren't there," said Drake
"We do have some terrible news to give you though, sir. It's about Mahala," said Thane after finally catching his breath.
As Bahamut is speaking, he has worry and concern in his voice, "What's the news about her? Did you find her?"
"We found her, sir, a few corridors away from this room. She tired dragging herself to the medical room; she couldn't heal herself anymore. She died trying to save the girls and it looked like someone tried saving her, but wasn't successful," said Thane with sorrow in his voice.
Drake and Thine bring Bahamut to where Mahala's body is lying, while Garrick, Sandor and Bevon clean up the room where the two creatures are. They take a hand from both of the creatures along with some hairs to that they can hunt down the Crowne when it came time. As for Bali, none of the warriors could find him; nor could they find where the King and Queen are at. The warriors know once they find him, they will find the King and Queen, where ever they are being held. Also, they have no idea where the Crowne and Dionne are hiding Izabela and no idea who has taken Blaise, nor where they have hidden her!
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