A/N: Thank you all so very much for the encouraging reviews! I am so glad you all are enjoying my little story. :-D This chapter will follow Logan on his journey to Aurora. I hope this meets your expectations!

PLEASE READ: I received a private message from someone (I won't say who). But, they said they found it odd that I had so many anonymous reviews for my story. Pretty much, this person insinuated that I was submitting reviews for my own story. This is completely untrue. I just wanted to clear that up if anyone was thinking the same thing. I allow anonymous reviews for my story so every can get a chance to review.

With that said, on with the story!

Heart of a King: Chapter 4

The day had come for Logan and his men to set sail for Aurora. Their ship had been filled with supplies and the men were eager to get on their way. Most of them had seen little to no action in many months and were becoming restless. Logan also longed to journey abroad. Once, when he was a boy, he sailed with his father on the royal ship and found he enjoyed it a great deal. It would do him some good to be at sea. For the past three years, Logan had felt almost trapped in Bowerstone Castle.

It was decided that the king's expedition would be private for now (1). News of the king's journey would only be told if his negotiations were successful. The council had advised Logan to keep this secret, for fearing that failure would cast a poor image upon him.

As his men made the final preparations, Logan and Sylvia were standing a fair distance away, the setting sun keeping them out of site. Sylvia had almost asked Logan if she could join the expedition, but she knew he would not allow it. The thought of not seeing him for weeks saddened her, but when he returned, their wedding plans could begin.

"Please promise me you will be careful," said Sylvia, shivering in the cooling air.

"There is no need to worry. I assure you I will return to you safe and sound," Logan soothed as he caressed her face with his gloved hand. "I will be back in no time."

"I hope so…I must find something to occupy my time while you are away. I would go mad otherwise."

As the men began boarding the ship, Logan swept Sylvia into his arms, hoping to enjoy this moment with her before someone came along to find him. He looked into her eyes and could tell she was trying to hold back her tears. She was much to0 proud to cry in front of him. He pulled her closer before pressing her soft lips to his. They kissed passionately, gripping to one another as though their lives depended on it. Many moments past before the couple reluctantly parted.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

"And I love you," Sylvia replied as Logan slowly drew away from her.

Logan kissed his fiancé once more before finally letting go. Sylvia again had to fight her tears as she watched her king board the ship. The sound of the steam engine roared even louder as the ship began to move away from the harbor. Sylvia stood at the edge of the docks, watching as the ship carrying Logan grew smaller and smaller. She did not leave the docks until the ship had vanished over the horizon.

The journey to Aurora was not as pleasant as Logan had hoped. As soon as Bowerstone was out of site, torrential downpours of rain blasted the ship. Lightening sailed across the sky and the loud thunder (along with the constant waves) made it almost impossible to sleep. Logan found shelter in his cabin, but felt sorry for the crew who were constantly subjected to the elements in order to keep the ship running.

The bad weather continued for the remainder of their journey, but fortunately only delayed them a few hours. On the fourth day, one of the crew members shouted that they had spotted land. Logan ventured from his cabin to catch his first glimpse of Aurora. It was barren, and the sand seemed to stretch for miles. From what Logan could see, there were no signs of civilization. For a great trade center, Logan thought there would at least be caravans of some sort waiting to greet newcomers.

James, the only council member who had decided to go with Logan, said, "It does not look like much, but this country holds vast amounts of wealth. According to the lead archaeologist, there is a cave just a few miles from shore. It's a bit of a walk, but they are waiting for us there."

"I will take some of the Royal Guards with me. Others need to remain here until we are sure this area is safe."

"I agree, Your Majesty," said James. "I will gather them for you while you ready yourself for the journey to the cave."

As the ship drifted closer to the beach, Logan could already feel the intense heat. It was almost unnaturally hot. He found himself longing for the air of the open sea, yet he had not even stepped off the ship.

It was decided that Logan and his men would travel to the cave during the night. The intense heat would prove too much, even with plenty of water and food. To pass the time, Logan studied the map of Aurora supplied by the Bowerstone archaeologists. It was amazing that he knew so little about a continent that was so large. Even his father knew little of Aurora, never having explored it himself.

As the sky began to darken, Logan readied himself for the journey to the cave. According to the information James had received, the group of archaeologists would meet Logan and his men at the cave, then from there they would journey to a nearby village to meet the locals. The archaeologists had already acquainted themselves with the area and Logan felt more comfortable being led by them, instead of wandering blindly through the desert. The plan was simple enough, but Logan was still unsure how the villagers would react to seeing him as well as the Royal Guard.

As Logan and his men made their way from the ship and deeper into the desert, he wondered if this expedition had truly been a good idea for Albion.

After seemingly endless hours of trudging through sand, Logan and his men arrived at the cave. Some of the men dropped their gear, not caring if it was not proper to do so in front of their king. Even at night, the desert was still hot and their heavy equipment was not helping their situation. As Logan surveyed the area, it was apparent something was not right. The archaeologists were nowhere in sight. All of their equipment was sitting at the opening of the cave, seemingly deserted.

"Your Majesty," said one of his guards. "I thought the archaeologists were supposed to meet us here?"

"I was under the same impression," Logan replied. "It seems strange that they would not meet us, let alone leave their equipment exposed."

"What shall we do?" said the guard.

"It is almost morning," Logan began. "We will rest outside the cave for now. If they do not arrive by sun rise, we will enter the cave to search for them."

"Yes, My Lord. I will have my men ready."

With that decided, the guards took the time for a much needed rest. Logan walked amongst his men, seeing if they were ready for the task at hand. Time past, and before long the sun began to peak over the horizon. There were no signs of the archaeologists so far, and the men began preparing themselves to enter the cave. As the men readied themselves, Logan slowly walked toward the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, his blood ran cold. A frigid breeze wafted from the cave, carrying with it the scent of blood. Logan was taken aback…something was not right. Taking another step forward, Logan swore he could hear hushed voices from deep within the cave.

"Logan…"

Logan could not move. The voice he just heard…he could not tell if it were real or imagined. It was the same cold voice that he heard in his nightmares; the same voice that taunted him while he slept.

"Logan…"

"My Lord," said one of the guardsmen. "Should we enter the cave? I do not believe the archaeologists-"

The guard's eyes widened as though he had seen something frightening. "Please do not think me crazy, You Majesty. But, I…I heard something. Did you hear it as well?"

"Do not question your sanity, for I can hear it as well. There is something sinister about this cave. Ready the men…this may be more dangerous than we thought."

Just as the guard was about to turn away, he stopped. He strained to look into the cave, and before Logan could react, the guard was aiming his gun into the darkness. Logan placed his hand on the pistol strapped to his side, ready to use it on whatever was coming from the cave. Other guards ran to stand and defend their king.

"Stand where you are!"cried the guard. "We are the Royal Guard for the King of Albion and will not hesitate to shoot!"

Finally, Logan saw what the guards were aiming for. A figure was slowly approaching them, but he could not tell what it was. From the way it was walking, it appeared to be injured.

"This is your last warning! One more step and we will fire!" cried another guard.

A strained, weak voice echoed from the cave. "D-don't…please. Help…me."

"Hold your fire!" Logan ordered. "It's a woman."

Logan was correct. The figure walking from the cave was indeed a woman…and badly injured. Once the light hit her face, many of the men were shocked. Her clothes were torn and she was covered head to toe in blood. Most shocking of all, her eyes were completely black.

"Please…I cannot see. I cannot see…help," the woman. "P-please don't shoot me…I am blinded."

As the woman approached, it was obvious she was very weak. It strained her to walk and her legs were shaking violently. Once out of the cave, she collapsed onto the sand. One of Logan's men lowered his gun and knelt at her side. He turned the woman onto her back and lifted her slightly by her shoulders.

"We will not shoot," said Logan as he approached. "You are with Albion's Royal Guard now. You are safe. I am King Logan. Are you one of the archaeologists from Bowerstone?"

"My king!" the woman said in earnest. "Yes…I am. My crew and I…we went into the cave. So dark…"

"What happened to them? Are they still alive?" Logan asked. "What has done this to you?"

Tears streamed from the woman's blackened eyes. "Dead…all dead. It talked to us…it got into our heads. I-It said we were all going to die! The people here…they know its wrath. It…has killed so many of them."

"Who has done this to you?" Logan implored.

"…the darkness," said the woman as more tears flowed from her eyes.

Suddenly, the woman gasped sharply. He body arched and stiffened and her face contorted in a painful grimace. Shortly after, her body fell limp in the guard's arms…

The air around Logan and the guards grew silent. Never before had the men felt such a chill in their bones. They all had seen death…but the death of this woman struck them at a primal level. Her black eyes continued to glare at them, cold and lifeless.

"…what shall we do, Your Majesty?" said the guard, still holding the dead woman in his arms, unable to let her go.

"We shall give her a proper burial," said Logan, his voice grave.

Not a word was said during the burial. Logan watched as the woman was lowered into the ground and found himself faced with a difficult choice. Should he abandon the expedition and return to the ship? Or, should he continue forward into the cave to slay whatever killed the archaeologists? His men would be put at risk…but they were considerably more armed and more trained than the archaeologists had been. However, his mind was racing with the images from his nightmares. Could this 'darkness' really be what he had seen in his mind during the night? If so…he and his men were in grave danger.

Logan paced back and forth in front of the cave's entrance. He would not let his uneasiness show in front of his guard. The dead woman had said the people in Aurora knew the wrath of this darkness. He could end their suffering by destroying whatever lurked in the cave. As the guards finished burying the woman, they turned to him for guidance.

"Guards, all forward," he ordered. "The menace that lurks in the darkness here must be dealt with. We will not let this woman's death be in vain. We will enter this cave and eradicate the threat that plagues this land."

The guards stood tall and brave in front of their king. Logan knew they would follow him, even if it meant their death. Though he sorely hoped death would avoid them this day.

"Your Majesty," said one of the higher ranked guards. "You know that as Royal Guards we will obey your every order. But, we also must care of your safety. Allow us to enter the cave. We will return to you when the task is complete."

"I am moved by your concern," said Logan. "However, as king I have a duty to fight beside my men. We will all face this threat together."

With the plan finalized, Logan and his men descended into the depths of the darkened cave. Not known to the men, the dark entity was watching their every move, readying its children to remove the light from every single eye…

A/N: That's all for this chapter! Please review and tell me what you think! Reviews really encourage me to keep going! I was trying to make it a little creepy and I hope I accomplished that. Sorry it took a little while to review. I got behind on my assignments and had to catch up!

(1): It seemed like the people of Albion didn't know about the King's trip to Aurora. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know.