Juisae was lying inside of his own tent, tired from everything that has occurred. He had managed to lead his troops throughout the north borders of Phir in order to have them evacuated to the safest areas, but all of his men were worn down. As of now, they were headed back to Phir to relay the good news. However, he feared that the war may be coming closer than ever.
Contained anger busted around a cage within him. Why had Resama decided to attack them when they had done nothing wrong?
It was just a few months ago they had agreed to a trade, perhaps it was a ploy? Were they not satisfied with the fact that they were already one of the most prosperous kingdoms around the lands?
He turned over and sighed, his eyes closed in order to lull himself to sleep.
What mattered now was that he brought his troops back into Phir. From there, the King will deal with the orders. If Jui had his way they would all be preparing for war right about now, after all, it was obvious where this was going.
He felt a rather cold wind breeze through the tent’s opening, and a ghost hand placing itself on his cheek.
Juisae cracked open his eyes and saw the pale image of Rehenna smiling beside him. Her hair wasn’t kept up, but instead, it spread along the mattress that they both lied on. Her beautiful eyes were sparkling with the fondness she usually had.
“Quite enough now, Jui. Rest.” He could just hear her voice.
The moment he tried to place his hand upon hers, she disappeared as if made of smoke. His heart tightened as if a being had it crushed inside of its fist. He reached out to the end of the mattress where Rehenna’s silhouette once touched and brushed his hands across the surface.
He wondered which God had accepted Rehenna into their heavens. Did Gods even allow Liya in their Houses? He wished that wherever she was, she was doing fine.
Juisae closes his eyes once again. They were never able to retrieve her body. The last time he checked for her, a trail of blood was making its way to the forest from where her body last was.
Frustration hit him. An animal had taken her remains and consumed whatever was left of it.
The Knight just wanted to scream out everything right there… he hated it all.
Erash was walking through the halls of the palace, the first time she had left her room in a week. She wasn’t looking very well, but that didn’t stop her. She had received word that her presence was being requested by the king.
Her footsteps echoed through the empty halls as she arrived in front of the Throne Room’s doors, a pair of servants opened it at arrival. The young Liya had her head up when she entered.
“Erash…” acknowledged a voice, a voice belonging to the King.
He was a young man. He was the Royal that Ekubar had allowed onto the throne during the rebellion. However, kind he was, Erash didn’t favor him. After all, it felt as if he was a puppet with Ekubar being the one to pull the strings. He had become king too soon.
The young Liya didn’t bother bowing. “You called for me, Teri?” she drawled.
Teri looked at her with grim eyes and stood up from his throne. He gestured for the servants and guards to leave the room. “Yes, I have.” He walked down the staircases in order to meet her. “Why have you been sending out all of my troops without any of my permission?”
“I was having them conduct a search for Ekubar.” Was her direct answer.
“You should already know, Erash, that what you are doing is brash and foolish!” Teri rubbed his temples and sighed, “It was just a few years ago when we were having a crisis, and the troops you sent were not an ordinary ‘search party’. They were my soldiers! Military soldiers!”
“I know that very well.”
“Erash, you are allowing them to burn villages around the Phir kingdom to the ground and rob their homes! What exactly is your goal, to start a war?” Teri glared at the young girl.
“My goal, Teri, is to find my brother at all costs.”
“Your brother is gone, Erash, and it is ‘my King’, not Teri.”
“My brother is very alive!” Erash exclaimed. “You choose to believe he is dead. You choose to do so because since he is gone you think you would have little to no trouble ruling the Kingdom yourself!”
“That is not what I believe and you know that!” defended Teri. He groaned and turned away. “I know very well that without Ekubar I wouldn’t be able to keep this Kingdom running.”
“Then we must search for him!” Erash stomped forward to be within his view. “We must rip through the Phir lands until we find him!”
“That isn’t what’s right, Erash! We must withdraw the troops and leave it at that. If Ekubar is indeed alive as you state, he is very much capable of returning to Resama without any trouble!” Teri placed his hands on her shoulders, “If you continue further with your ignorant acts we will have a war in our hands.” He sighed and let go of her. “Think this over once again… do not order my troops anymore, a child like you wouldn’t be able to handle them.”
Erash gave him a glare and walked away from the King with heavy footsteps.
The sun was finally out after a while, they were able to get whatever warmth the light was able to provide despite the fact they were still surrounded by snow. Ekubar didn’t feel like making the horse’s job harder, and so he decided to just continue walking beside it. Of course, Rehenna was still on top, but she basically weighed like air compared to him.
Eku had been trying to get rid of the guilt that has been stabbing in his chest. He’s been trying for a while now. However, it was still there. You’d think that after all that he had done in his life up till now he could get rid of some guilt.
Looking down at his hands, Eku saw something that not many others saw. Blood. Yet despite that, he felt nothing about it.
The young man stared at the blind girl who was listening to the nature around her and smiled. Had she not been rid of her sight she would have been a powerful Liya.
From the information that he gained, Eku knew that she was raised inside of a room void of any other human contact. The mistake of the ignorant people in Phir. They knew not of the fact that Liya grew strong when connecting with the life around them. By absorbing a bit of life’s beauty we become just as powerful.
However, Rehenna was weak because the only way she was able to feel that beauty was from her balcony.
The Liya are spiritual beings that are made to coexist with nature. That is something that humans don’t have.
A trickling noise of water made its way into Ekubar’s ear. It was faint, but it was still there. Intrigued, he stopped the horse to find its origin.
“Eku?” Rehenna listened for his footsteps trying to find out which side he was on the horse, “Why have we stopped?”
“I think I may have found something you would enjoy, Rhea!” Ekubar exclaimed with a grin. He whistled for the horse to obey him and changed its course towards the sound of the water.
It wasn’t long before they arrived in front of a small waterfall. One of the nature’s greatest beauties.
“Do you hear that, Rhea? That’s the sound of a waterfall.” Ekubar smiled at the scenery. It wasn’t what you would call a strong waterfall, after all, half of it has been frozen. It wasn’t that big either, but he could just imagine what it would be like during spring time. He would love to see it.
He switched his gaze from the frozen beauty to Rehenna. A beauty of her own. His mouth parted in a sigh.
The heavenly light that shone from the sun glistened like diamonds on the snow around them. But, the way it fell upon Rehenna was more gorgeous. It illuminated her form as if she was a pure angel with a dark halo.
Ekubar traced her face with his fingers, looking at her blind eyes covered in his silk. The little scars that he failed to heal at the edges of her cheeks. The horrid slash mark on her throat that prevented her from enchanting all with her voice. Her limp legs that would no longer be enough to support her.
Breathtaking.
He has met hundreds of beauties in his life, all of them different in their own way, but Rehenna was special.
“Eku?” Rehenna placed her own hand on his. “What are you doing?” she was staring ahead at the direction of the waterfall, but he knew that wasn’t what she was looking at.
Slowly, with his free hand, Ekubar untied the silk that covered her eyes. He could barely remember the exact shade of what they were when they were young, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to see them as they were forever.
“Ekubar…?” Rehenna wasn’t sure what exactly was happening, all she knows is that he had taken her hand on his own.
“Rhea… I…” Ekubar swallowed and caressed her hand with his thumb. “You may not realize it, but after all we’ve been through together, I’ve grown quite fond of you.”
Rehenna was fond of Ekubar as well.
“I just wanted to let you know that… that I…” The older Liya shuddered as the wind passed by, and continued, “I will… I will definitely take you to Phir.” His eyes were hooded in darkness, and he was looking down.
“I know you will…” Rehenna smiled, “And you will never know how thankful I am to you for it.”
Ekubar forces out a laugh and lets go of her hand, letting it slip away. “Well, I guess we got to get back on course. The sooner we get to Phir the sooner we’d be able to get some real rest.” His mouth was straining to put up a smile. Although he knew there was no reason to fake it, as Rehenna would be unable to see it, he did it for himself. To keep him together.
He pulled the horse away from the frozen waterfall and led them back to the road that they were previously on.
He had just tried to confess his love to Rehenna. Was he more foolish than he originally thought he was? Rehenna, a girl who already has her heart set on an accomplished night of Phir. A girl who would certainly stay true and loyal to her beloved. What was a man she barely knew of going to do for her?
Although he had tried numerous times there didn’t seem to be a chance of her remembering their times together as a child. Of course, that was not surprising. He himself had forgotten… perhaps it was because of the onslaught of hardships that he had to overcome.
If Rhea every proceeded to remember their moments in childhood, how would she react? Would she try to cling into his arms? Would she cry tears of joy? Would she… would she decide to stay with him instead of returning to Phir?
Eku glanced once again at the beautiful Liya, thoughts swirling around his mind. He sighed. The world looked much better inside of his imagination. Indeed, the thought of her staying with him forever was much adored, however, it was a selfish thought.
Rehenna giggled in delight as a leaf brushed against her face, only to be carried off by the cold wind.
A selfish thought.
Ekubar stopped in front of the road that they were once on and looked up into the sky as if in search for some divine answer to his problems. It was then he realized that there was a small cloud of smoke rising further forward on the path that they were to continue.
A fire. If he remembered correctly if he was to continue on the road towards that direction he and Rehenna would’ve arrived into another village.
That could only mean one thing.
Red. That was all Jui could see through the flames surrounding him. Red. The color of the ferocious fire that devoured all that it touched, and the color of the blood that stained his sword.
The thick cloud of smoke covered what little of the sun’s rays, leaving the village in darkness. The screams were enough to leave Jui deaf, but not enough for him to go through the crowd slashing away at every enemy that wore the peacock crest on their armor.
He had no mercy… only cruelty.
Jui’s green eyes glowed menacingly, his breaths growing erratic, and his sharp canines bare for his enemies to view. With a loud cry, he pushed through what seemed to be an endless horde of Resama soldiers, but in reality was only one group.
Combat, armor, weaponry, strategy, training. The Resama soldiers had them all. It was to be expected as they were a country born from war. They were more advanced compared to Phir, a country who had yet to experience such chaos. Until now, of course.
The crackling flames. The screams of terror. The darkness that came from the fire’s smoke. The cruelty of his blade. The green eyes that locked on every enemy.
It seemed that Rehenna’s prediction had finally been confirmed.
“Eku? Why have we stopped?” Rehenna asked, her hands holding onto the horse’s rough hair. Her hands were pink with frostbites.
Ekubar took off the piece of cloth that he wrapped around his waist and placed it upon her freezing hands. “No reason, princess. Just a bit confused, that’s all.” Eku let out a laugh, “Perhaps I made a wrong turn along the way.”
Rehenna frowned, “What do you mean? Are we lost?”
“I’m sure we’re not!” Ekubar swallowed. Looking down, he made sure to get rid of any change in his voice that gave anything away. Something that he had trained into him all these years. “We’ll get there soon enough.” With the horse’s reigns in his hands, Ekubar led them along to his desired path.
A path that was opposite from the burning village.
“Have you ever seen Resama, princess?” Ekubar asked with a smile as they drew further and further away.
“Sadly, I have not.” Rehenna placed her hands on the silk that Eku had wrapped around her eyes. “It’s rich for its silk, is it not?”
“Indeed! The crops there are vast, all the clothing are of high quality, and we make great efforts to help those who are in need. The trees there are wonderful, we even have little trees we grow in little pots!”
“That sounds wonderful.” Rehenna smiled. Her words were genuine. “I’m sure that I would enjoy it there if ever I get the chance to visit.”
Ekubar’s smile faltered. “Perhaps soon you would be able to feel its air, the kingdom that I grew up in.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
Rehenna would love it better in Resama. There, she would not be restricted in a small room. There, she would feel the wind of spring, feel the willow trees brush against her skin, dip her feet into the many rivers, and taste the delicacies that the kingdom had to offer. There, she would be happier than in Phir.
She would be safer. She would be with Ekubar.
Ekubar shook his head. He wasn’t doing this to fulfill his wish. He was doing this for Rhea’s own good. For her safety. If they continued on that path they would’ve been met with disaster. Turning away was the best decision. Phir would soon become a battlefield.
His teeth gnashed together. Rehenna would be happy. That was all that mattered. She will forgive him for deceiving her. If she just remembered that they were together in the past things would be simpler.
Jui stood alone panting, his sword held tight in his hands. Hands that were stained with blood. As ash fell on him, his eyes continued to burn holes into the ground. There were no other sounds other than what remained of the fire.
He forced himself to look up, to look around to see the situation. Everyone was already long gone. It was either they had evacuated to safety or… or they were on the ground, eyes still open in reminiscent of the pain their bodies were struck with before death.
His breath formed a short fog with every breath that heaved out. With a shaking breath, he took a step forward, holding his left arm. Gashes and bruises were all over his body. He had barely survived. However, it seemed that he was the only one.
Jui came across a body. A body that wore the armor of Phir. It was a man that he had spoken to not so long ago. It was a conversation about how his child used to ask him for bedtime stories.
Limping through the massacre, Jui made a mental note of all their names. He needed to tell their families.
Walking over another dead body, Jui cleaned up his sword of all the filth and sheathed it. After salvaging whatever it was that he could find, he made his way up the trail that led back to his kingdom.
“War is coming to Phir.” Jui announced to the council. “There’s nothing that we can do to stop it. No peace talks, no peace offerings, no peace.” His sharp gaze pierced those who dared to look into is envy colored eyes. “What we should be doing now is preparing for a large-scaled battle.” He was standing in front of his adopted father.
The council was silent at Juisae’s words. However, the King had a response. “Young Knight, Phir is a kingdom that steers not towards war but towards peace. What you say defies all that we have strived to achieve until this present day. We have already taken measures to help every citizen, whatever Resama is aiming to do they would do with difficulty.”
Gritting his teeth, Jui clenched his fists and stepped forward, shocking the others in the room. “Help!? How are you helping the people? By allowing Resama to burn the villages to the ground?” he turned towards the council, his green eyes bright and glowing at the light’s reflection, “I’ve seen the flames that burned rotting bodies, I’ve plunged my blade into the hearts of many, I’ve seen children lose their family, mothers forced to watch their babies killed, and so much more! Tell me, how is this helping!?”
Juisae turned towards the King, fury fueling his actions. He drew his sword, causing the others to stand from their seats.
He yelled out, “As the Crown Prince of the Kingdom Phir, I believe that we should leave this stupidity and prepare for a new era. An era where our kingdom no longer follows cowardice.”
The Council whispered among themselves. Crown prince? A random knight from the barrels, a Crown Prince?
“If you do not believe me…” growled Jui, his sword still held firmly in his left hand, “Ask your King for confirmation!”
The council looked at the King, waiting for him to declare the Knight insane or perhaps a liar. However, from the King’s mouth came the words, “It is true.”
“Tell me!” Juisae Herthwick, Prince of Phir, let his words flow freely, “What do you choose, wise council? A path of death and fear? Or a path where we fight for glory?” he sheathed his sword, “It is time for a new Phir. We shall no longer stay ignorant towards bloodshed and death. Who will join my side?”
A silence came upon the room, all thinking through their choices. Soon, one person placed two of his fingers on his forehead, then after, onto his lips. In Phir, this was a sign of agreement.
One by one, other council members followed the gesture, until none was left to oppose.
A satisfied grin replaced Jui’s snarl, “The council has made a decision…” he looked back at his adopted father, his gaze blanks and his eyes glazed, “We are to prepare for war.
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