~Zayne~



I stood at the balcony of my window admiring the beauty of my kingdom. A feeling of gratefulness gripped me.

I was really lucky to rule over this majestic kingdom.



KNOCK

KNOCK



Soon, I heard a firm knock on my door.

'About time, he came"I muttered to myself before walking up to the door to open it.


'Hello Rowan you're a bit late"


'Sorry training went a bit late" Rowan gave a genuine reason and it was enough for me.

I never joke around with Emily's training.


'Come in!" I showed Rowan inside, before taking a seat on my couch.


I did my rountine check on Emily's training progress, asking Rowan several questions on her training today with my pet lion.

I was the one who insisted in Emily training with my lion.

It might prove to be a significant challenge for her, but if she can be able to stand her ground with him then she'll be ready for anything that comes in her way.


'So, why did you call me?" Rowan asked as we got down to the main business at hand.


I lowered my voice to speak, the information I had was discrete.

After Rowan gave me his promise not to tell anyone.

I went further to break to him the news of Mr. Griffins disspearance.

A well known security guard, known for his loyal service to the kingdom for hundreds of years.


Having sent my search team to look round the whole castle, we only found his torch and a pair of his shoe.


Now, there is growing possibility he might be dead and that is the last night I want my people to find out.


So I'm sending out Rowan on a confidential mission to dig around the areas close to the forest and look for his corpse.

'Okay sir!"Rowan stood up to leave, but I stopped giving him another stern warning not to tell anyone.


Rowan soon left, and I had the rest of the evening to myself.

It was the first time in a while I've enjoyed such peace of mind.

The people at the castle, were now more calm than they had been in a while.


But worry still lingered in my heart. I could not but feel that this might just be the peace before the storm.

Something bad is coming soon, and 8 don't knwo what it might be.


I woke up to the next morning, very bright and sharp.

My body felt a million times younger and active.

It was the best sleep I've had in long while, and it was very evident.

My mood was bright, I had a warm smile across my face as I bathed and got dressed.


I was humming to an old nursery rhyme when I heard a knock on my door.


'Come in"

The maid might be a few minutes early with my breakfast than normal.


'Cedric?" I was a bit surprised when stepped into my room.

I didn't expect to see him by this time of the day.

But if he's here it means, there must be a problem.

'What's the matter?"


'Well, a big news arrived yesterday. So we called a meeting and your presence is needed"

Cedric said in a serious tone.

The news must be very bad.

'Okay let's walk there!" I grabbed my jacket and left my room, locking my door as I came out.

Cedric and I walked to the conference hall a way steps from my room.


When I arrived, there was already quite a number of people present, they all had serious look so their faces.


'So what's the news!"

I walked up to the front of the hall.


An elderly member of the kingdom walked up to me with a brown envelope in his hand and passed it to me.

I was a bit reluctant to open it knowing fully well the contents will be only bad news.


I eventually opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of paper. It's writings suggested it was a letter.

'From?"I asked the elderly man.


'Vadka, the king of the vampires!"


My heart skipped a beat as I heard Vadka.


I turned back to the letter and held it up to my face and glanced through the contents. The letters written inside looked very clear and the ink seemed to have only fired for a short time.


'King Zayne of the Werewolf kingdom. You have made a distant rivalry very personal when you laid a punch on me and made me bleed.

No being has ever done that to me in years. Forget a war between our kingdoms. This is between me and you.

I therefore challenge you to a battle to be held at the death pit, two weeks from today! One on one to the death.


I beg you to accept, because of you don't I will march down to your kingdom and kill you and everyone you love in cold blood. I promise you."

I read all the letters on it without missing a beat.

I stood speechless, my lips parted open.


'Zayne!" a stern voice snapped me back to reality.

I turned back to the voice was from Luther.


'What are you going to do about this?" Luther asked me.

I could feel the eyes of everyone in the room, waiting for my answer.


'Give me time to think about this!" I stormed out of the hall fluttered like never before.


I could see the shock and disbelief on the faces of some of the people at the hall as I walked out.

They've never seen me so flustered before.


I walked back to my room and slammed the shut.

What am I going to do? What am I going to do?

Me against Vadka. One on one to the death. I'm going to die if I accept, and if I don't, then I'm putting everyone I love in danger.


And the worst, it's in a fight pit.

We enter a deep hole and brawl there, and the next morning the crowd gathers and see who came out alive.


I locked myself up in my room for hours, just pondering to myself.


KNOCK

KNOCK


'It's Rowan. Open up now! We need to talk" I heard Rowan's voice from outside my room. I gradually stood up from my couch I sat on for hours and gently walked to the door.

Opening the door, Rowan walked into my room with great urgency.

'You can't accept his proposal. You can't" Rowan said, fully aware of the power of Vadka.

'Do I have a choice? If I don't his going to kill me and everyone I love included"

I said, my voice very pale. Any little tinge of hope in me seemed to have vanished.


'Then we'll fight back. We'll fight. All the warriors here, against one being, we can take him down"

Rowan spoke in a way taht reassures one and gives one hope. But this situation was different.

'You can take Vadka down? No way. Vadka is a supernatural being. By far the most powerful being in the whole universe. I've seen Vadka destroy kingdoms single handedly"

I said to Rowan, wiping every bit of hope in this situation.

'I need to fight him, to protect my kingdom"


'But how can you defeat him? It's never been done before"

Rowan asked a meaningful question. Over of my hours of reflecting, I've found maybe the only way we can defeat Vadka.

'The sword of ages" I said. I watched as Rowan's eyes shut wide open in disbelief.


'You can't Zayne it'll kill you"

Rowan was right, the sword of ages is capable of killing the holder if I the wrong hand.

The sword of ages is a weapon that has been in existence for thousands of years.

Its dimmed the most powerful weapon ever known.

Responsible for the deaths of beings even more powerful than Vadka.


It's buried deep down under the sacred temple.

Every hundred years, a worthy couple, destined to be together go there and with their hands placed on the other pull out the sword.

Only the worthy ones can lay hold of it. If anyone else does, they drop dead at an instant.

'It won't kill us. Me and Emily are destined, I know it!"

I said with a certain confidence. I am so sure and certain, that what me and Emily have between us is so special. If I wasn't sure of that I won't risk Emily's life for it.


'What if your wrong and you and Emily dies?" Doubt still lingered in the mind of Rowan, and with good reason.

It was a massive risk I was taking, but it was for the greater good.

'I'm not wrong, Rowan. Emily is not going to die, but if I don't get that sword, then I'm going to die myself, at the hands of Vadka.


'Okay. So when are you going to tell her?"


'Tommorow. I need a rest to clear out my head right now"

I said to Rowan, taking a seat on my couch.


'Okay, I'll leave you to yourself" Rowan walked out and slammed the door past him.


This was the storm after the peace, it's always been like that with me.


All I think I couldn't help but imagine the possibility of dying. There is still a chance that even with the sword, I might still die at the hands of Vadka.


How will the kingdom be if I die? ~Emily~


I woke up to the bright sun casting whole in my face.

I squinted my eyes tightly trying to reduce the suns reflection in my eye.


I managed to sit upright.

My body was weak, I felt like I was walking with a car tied behind my back.

My eyes were heavy, barely white in color.

I struggled to jeep my eyes wide open.


I was barely able to sleep last night. I spent most of the night staring at my ceiling, choked up by my own thoughts.

Some thoughts barely gave meaning to me, some left me with more mystery than answers. But one thing is for sure I need to take down Luther and his crew, one way or another.

I'm going to need help for that though.


I got freshened up and dressed into a casual outfit.

Since I wasn't serving as maid to Zayne, I didn't see the reason in wearing that outfit.

Despite my fatigued body, I had a reason for a little excitement today.

I'll be going with Rowan to dig up the ground. It might not be the most activity I can do, but right now all I want to do is spend time with my friends.


I left my room and went striaght to Rowan's.


I firmly knocked pm the door about four times before he opened it.

'Good morning Emily!" Rowan said, he had his towels and was shirtless.

I couldn't help but stare at his large chests and incredible biseps.


'Good morning Rowan, aren't you ready?" I asked him.

I noticed his expression changed a little. 'What's the matter?"


'There was an urgent meeting called up a few minutes later, so the digging might be put on hold"

Rowan's words almost shattered a piece of my heart.


'Okay, no problem. I neve wanted to go digging anyway"

I tried my best to hold in the pain, but even my voice gave me away.


I walked back to my room, and shut the door past me. I frowned my tears into my pillow for hours.

After a long while, I rose from head from my pillows and glanced around at the darkness around me.


KNOCK

KNOCK


And just at that moment, a loud knock thundered through my doors.


I came down from my bed and opened it.

'Zayne!"

I said outloud, my voice tinged with shock than anything else.


He stood outside my door, a remorseful look worn on his face.


'Why are you here?" I asked in a stern voice.