"This is all pointless!"

I threw a book at the wall, watching it bounce off and onto the floor. For two months, I had been searching every single book in Albion. For what? Nothing! Here we were, running out of time, losing energy with every day that goes, and I was sat in the heart of Brightwall Academy -The Reliquary- throwing books.

"I would appreciate it if you took more care with our tomes, Miss Emily," Saul, one of the librarians enters the room, picking up some of the books I had left on the floor.

"Sorry Saul," I mumbled, picking up another book, "Just another dead end."

I stood up, walking away from the pile I'd created. It was my last day in Brightwall before I had to back by Queen Annabel's side to welcome Kalin back from Aurora. It had been so long since I had seen Ben; I wished he could have come with me, but he and Walter were too busy preparing an army. I was alone, searching hopelessly for anything that could cure us and destroy the Crawler.

Saul comes towards me, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We'll find something. Just give it time."

"We're running out of time!" I cry out, chucking another useless book onto the ever-growing pile. "We have every book that even briefly mentions the Crawler and there's nothing that comes close to what Reaver told us."

"I wouldn't exactly trust anything Reaver says, my dear."

I sighed. "I know," I whisper, "but this is the only bit of hope I have. I have to keep going."

I thought back to what Reaver has told me and Ben the day we gave his balverine statue back.

If you find an old, long-lost book discussing how the first Crawler was defeated, you may find it of some interest…

I repeated it over and over, letting the words soak in. A revelation occurred.

"Saul… could there be two Crawlers?"

He paused, thinking for a moment. "I've never read anything about two… but all I read were rumours and bedtime tales. As far as I know, no factual books exist. Nobody ever thought the Crawler was real until a few months ago."

I began to walk to the Reliquary exit, a heaviness in my heart. "If only it could have stayed that way."

I let the door shut behind me.

Rain poured on the carriage window as I entered Bowerstone, on my way to the castle. I didn't know how I could face Annabel – how I can tell her that once again I had failed to bring back any hope for us. The closer I got to the castle, the sicker I felt.

The entrance stood before me, along with a familiar face.

"Ben!" I run forwards, throwing my arms around him before pressing my lips to his.

"Hello, beautiful. How was Brightwall?" His smile made me feel like everything is going to be alright.

"I found nothing, again," I sigh, "But I'm not going to stop looking."

"After some rest, though." He kissed the top of my head, keeping me close. I wished he'd never let go. But Annabel was waiting, and we had to break apart.

We met her in the throne room. She was sat down, but nothing could hide how skinny and pale she had got. Walter didn't look too much better.

"It's good to see you Emily," Annabel smiled as I walked towards her, "Please excuse me for not getting up… It's a little worse today."

I came closer to her and took her hands. "It's okay. I'm afraid I have no good news to cheer you up."

She sighed. "At least we've learned not to get our hopes up anymore."

"There's always hope, my Queen," Walter said, before turning to me. "You're just in time for Kalin's return.

A few short minutes and Kalin met us in the throne room, carrying notes.

"Thank you for meeting with me, your majesty. I wish I had come with better tidings," Kalin said.

"Who does anymore," I heard Annabel mutter ever so quietly under her breath. "It's good to see you Kalin. You look well."

"Thank you." She passed the pages in her hands to Walter. "These are the notes you asked of me. But I do not think they will be of any help. I apologise."

"I'll read over them tonight, thank you," Annabel replied, her face a look of disappointment.

"There is more." Kalin paused, appearing unsure that she wanted to say what she needed.

"Kalin? I called out. "What is it?"

She composed herself. "The darkness in Aurora… It's getting worse. You promised us protection, your majesty. It is time you acted on that promise."

"What would you have me do?" Annabel asked.

"We need soldiers stationed outside and in the city, to keep my people safe."

The seriousness of the situation loomed over us all as silence filled the room. We all knew what it was – a suicide mission. If we failed to find a way to defeat the Crawler, not just Aurora but the whole of Albion would be destroyed.

"I'll go."

I looked over at Ben, who had broken the silence.

"Ben, no!" I cry out.

"Kalin, you need the best out there, and that's what I am. I'll lead a team out there," Ben stood taller, prouder. But all I could feel was betrayal and abandonment.

"Thank you, Ben," Kalin said, "I know that I can put my faith in you. But this is up to the Queen."

All eyes move to Annabel. I look at her pleadingly. Say No.

But she couldn't. She was not one to break an oath.

"Ben will take a large group of soldiers, and accompany you to Aurora, Kalin. My promise will be kept."

"You are a kind Queen," Kalin beamed.

A feeling of great hurt began to bubble up within me, emotions that I felt myself losing control of. I'm not proud of what I did. But I needed to escape. I ran out of the throne room, ignoring the cries of my name as I escaped the castle, tearing through Bowerstone Market and into Industrial, crashing into home and slamming the door.

I slid down the door, tears escaping from my eyes as I let out a sob. Ben was leaving me. And there was no way he was coming back.

Yesssss…. Let your precious soldier walk into our traps….

That voice. What had been poisoning my nightmares every time I sleep – The Crawler.

Tainted little girl… all alone…

"Shut up!" I scream, gripping my head.

In the end, I will be all you have. You and I will be joined forever…

I don't know how long I stayed lying by the door, slamming my head into the floor. But slowly, the voice began to stop, and I was finally given some brief peace.

A quiet knock came from the front door. "Emily?"

Slowly, I pulled myself up from the ground. "Go away Ben."

"I can't. I kind of live here. And there's a damsel clearly in distress behind this door."

I didn't fight when he entered the room. Instead, I moved to where I had left my lute in the corner of the room. Gently I plucked the strings, avoiding Ben's gaze. "Please don't go."

He placed his hand on top of mine, plucking the strings with me. "I have to – Aurora needs us."

"I need you!" I turn around to face him, no longer afraid of my tear-stained face. "I can't do this alone."

"Yes, you can," He cupped his hands to my face, holding me closer to him, "You're so much stronger than you think you are. No matter how far away I am, I am yours."

I couldn't stop the tears from cascading. I just held onto him for as long as I could, memorising everything. His touch, his scent… how safe he made me feel. Knowing that I could lose him, I needed to remember every detail.

He pulled me to our room and took me to the bed. There we laid all night, holding each other and giving the gentlest of kisses.

That night, the Crawler didn't haunt my sleep.

The day soon came when Kalin had to return to Aurora, taking Ben and a group of soldiers with her. It was time to say farewells. I walked hand in hand with Ben in Bowerstone Market, watching the vendors work.

"Get your pies here!"

"Jewellery for that special someone!"

"Sell your unwanted items here!"

It was a beautiful day, perfect for sailing to Aurora. I held on closer to Ben, leaning my head on his shoulder as we reached the bridge.

"I'll miss you," I sigh, looking at the people go by.

He kisses the top of my head. "I'll miss you too."

"The past years felt so… unreal. Like I'll wake up and be in the castle, with Logan still on the throne, and Annabel not a Hero… And you not by my side." He pinched my arm. "Hey!" I laugh.

"I'm here darling. You're awake."

I smile at him. "Thank the stars for that."

He began to shift uncomfortably, his bright blue eyes not quite meeting my gaze.

"Ben?"

He looked at me. "I have something I want to give to you."

He rummaged in his pocket, pulling out a beautiful and simple gold ring, with a round opal adorning it.

"Oh, Ben," My fingers lightly brush the jewel, "It's beautiful."

"It was passed down the family. I want you to wear it," He puts it on my ring finger, "and remember every day that I'm thinking of you."

A happy tear crawls down my cheek. Speechless, I pull him towards me and kiss him on the lips. Whilst we began to draw a bit of a crowd, whooping and cheering, it felt like we were in our own little world together – and nobody would ever be able to take us away from that.

The ship to Aurora was docked in Bowerstone Industrial, so we met up with Kalin, Annabel and the soldiers there. By the time we arrived, they were already there waiting.

"Sorry we're late!" Calls out Ben, "Just saying goodbye to this clingy one."

I playfully hit him in the side, and he mocks injury. Annabel laughs, "I see you two are getting along as per usual." Her cheery tones darkened. "But I'm afraid it's time."

Ben nods, straightening himself up before walking towards Kalin. "My men will protect your people, any cost necessary."

"I pray it won't come to that, Major Finn," replies Kalin, "But I thank you."

In the group of soldiers, I saw Grove and Tick, giving them a small wave. "Good luck."

"Don't worry Em," Grove said, "We'll get Ben back in one piece."

"Aside from a couple of toes and fingers," Jokes Tick.

After one last kiss, the soldiers and Kalin were on their way. Annabel and I watched them sail off into the distance, until they were no more than a speck in the ocean.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Annabel.

I sighed – I wasn't sure how to answer that question. But I didn't want to worry the queen; She had too much on her plate to be dealing with my drama as well. "I'll be just fine."

"Well, if it ever becomes too much, there's always a room for you in the castle."

I gave her a warm hug, which she returned. "Thank you."

"It's the least I could do, for sending Ben away."

I heard guilt in her voice. "It's okay. It's okay Annabel."

We stood together for a while, neither of us saying anything, just watching the sun hit the ocean waves. Eventually, Annabel had to return to the castle – a queen's work is never finished. I returned back to mine and Ben's home. Alone.

It had been a month since Ben had travelled to Aurora. A month of even more searching for that damned book Reaver mentioned. I'd even tried pressing Reaver for more help, but he simply refused – what a bastard. Obviously, he didn't understand the graveness of the situation. The nightmares had returned the day after Ben had gone, and it felt like it was my only friend. It told me the truth, never giving false hope… maybe it was trying to protect me. I felt myself shying away from people, sinking into the darkness. And then I'd come to my senses and realise I was being ridiculous - some days were just simply worse than others.

So, I kept searching every day. I looked over the documents Kalin had sent when she was here, but it was the same, over and over and over! No hard facts, only some mindless babble: 'It speaks to us still. Darkness Incarnate. We know now we will never escape it…'

"Well, isn't that positive," I muttered.

It's true though...

"Shut up!" I roared. Now was not the time to be distracted.

Several hours of reading went by, with no mention of a book, or even the idea of two crawlers. I cooked up a pot of beans and pulled a blanket around me, reading more papers as I ate. I tried to avoid sleeping as much as possible, forcing myself to keep researching, but my eyes betrayed me as they began to close.

Just as I was about to doze off to meet my nightmares, I was suddenly pulled awake by a loud knock at the door. I glanced at the clock – two in the morning. I furrowed my brow.

I opened the door to a woman roughly my age, dressed in a Bowerstone Castle's maid uniform.

"Miss Emily?" The woman asked cautiously.

"That's me."

Relief flooded her face. "I was worried I had the wrong house. My name's Robyn."

I rub sleep out of my eyes. "Why do you call for me at such an hour?"

Robyn appeared anxious, rubbing her hands. "I'm afraid it couldn't wait. The old king asked me to give this to you."

She handed over a note. Inside it simply read: 'Please come see me. I know what you need.' I look back to Robyn. "Take me to him."

With both of us clutching a tray of food, Robyn and I made our way to the dungeon, where Logan was being kept. The guards stopped us at the entrance.

"Food for the prisoners," Robyn explained to them.

Despite the odd time for food, the guards did not question it and let us through. "How often have you snuck in?" I asked her, but she only replied with a blush that confirmed her guilt.

We stopped at the largest cell, decorated modestly with a bed, chest of drawers and a writing desk with a chair. Sat in the chair was a man I had hoped to never see again.

"Logan?"

He turned to look at me, his face as haunted as mine. He had lost even more weight, and appeared to be struggling to breathe.

"Emily. It's good to see you."

"I can't say the same." I remained hostile, my mind wondering over all the cruel deeds he had done. Being a tyrant king, killing Elliot, hunting down Annabel, the time he hurt me in the carriage… It was too much to be forgiven.

As if he could hear my thoughts he said, "I have to explain myself."

Robyn quietly excused herself.

Angry tears began to fill my eyes, I and I turned away, frustrated to see myself showing weakness. "What makes you think you have that right?"

"Because what's happening to you – happened to me." I turned to look at him. His eyes were so pleading, and I remembered the prince he used to be, before a trip to Aurora changed him for good. He struggled to stand, but began to move towards the bars that were separating us. I took a step back.

He began his story. "When the Crawler came to me... I was dying. The darkness had killed all my men, and I was next. But it gave me another option - he made me a deal. I would survive, but only by doing his bidding. It was like he took over my body, and the voice in my head became my own mouthpiece as ruler."

He paused, visibly shaking.

"It knew everything about me. Used it against me and started to destroy Albion bit by bit, so that when the invasion comes in a few months, Albion would be too weak and damaged to fight back."

"Oh my god," I whisper in disbelief.

"When I returned and yelled at you and Annabel… I swear to you that wasn't me. And I'm so sorry." I saw tears fall to the floor, and I couldn't stop myself from moving towards him and holding his hands in comfort as he cried.

"The Crawler made a mistake," Logan continued, "on the day you left the castle. It had no idea that killing Elliot would begin the revolution that it did and take the throne from me."

"What happened afterwards?" I asked.

"The Crawler gave up on me. I was no longer the king, no longer useful to him. I thought he might have tried to take over Annabel instead, but I guess her being a Hero may have complicated the plan. And here I am," he gestured to his cell, "destined to die in this cell, with darkness consuming me."

I stared at him in silence. Everything he said made sense, and I felt like I could believe him.

After a while, I noticed him staring at the ring on my finger. "I hope he makes you happy."

My face began to blush. "Oh! It's not – I mean, it's more a promise…" I began to fade my sentence as Logan laughed – the first time I had heard in in so long.

"You don't have to explain. I just wished – things could have different between us."

I smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek between the bars. "Thank you, Logan."

"I feel like a weight has been lifted. But that's not the only reason why I asked you here tonight."

"Right, your note said 'I know what you need'."

"Robyn has been keeping me up to date with the castle gossip – she told me this evening that she'd heard about a book you were looking for about Aurora."

My eyes lit up. "What do you know?"

"I know that Father had a secret section in the castle's library, unlocked by a button under a statue. There's all sorts about Aurora hidden in there. Perhaps the book you need is in there."

I beamed at Logan, who had given me the breakthrough I finally needed.

"Thank you so much!"

"No, thank you Emily – I can die at peace now." He began to turn away, before mentioning, "If you see Robyn, tell her thank you as well. She's kept me company the past few months, and I wouldn't have been able to do this without her."

"I will." I gave him one last smile, before walking away.

Robyn escorted me to the library, showing me the statue that Logan had mentioned. It was the Old King, the man who had saved me and inspired me. I searched for the button, before hearing a click.

Behind me, a bookcase began to shudder, before pulling aside to reveal a small, cobweb-filled room with a bunch of old tomes.

"Wow…" Robyn stared in awe at the secret room. "How many of these rooms must be dotted all over the castle?"

I began to step into the room, taking a candle with me for light. "Knowing the Old King, probably a thousand."

What really got my attention was a plinth stood in the middle of the room. On top of it was a small, rusty key on its own. I picked up the key, gently brushing it to see the Auroran emblem etched onto it.

"Robyn…" I said, "I think this is what I need."

The next morning, the old king Logan was dead.

~Authors Note~

Sorry it's been two years! Life got in the way.

I am determined to finish this story, so I really hope you stick with me to the end.

Thank you for everyone that's been reading and following! You guys are the best.

MM x