"What's taking you so long?" asked Fellene when he saw Morrin just staring at him instead of killing Amellia. "Kill her!"
'You're the one who should die,' Morrin felt like telling Fellene those words, but she knew better not to open her mouth; Fellene was strong.
It didn't mean she couldn't defend herself when fighting him would be a no choice situation. She had powers of her own. However, this time, her sword was in halves. Without it, fighting Fellene would be a suicide mission.
Only with her sword she could use her special ability. Her precision slashing and flexibility.
That being the case, she turned around.
With closed eyes, she allowed her broken sword to cut through the flesh on Amellia's neck. She didn't forget to turn in Fellene's direction as soon as she could.
Her flashy neck-slaying rhymed with her u-turn sent blood droplets on her sword into the air. The following moment, one could see a line made by those blood droplets tracing down Fellene's face.
She had sent him a silent message.
'One day, it will be your blood.'
Fellene whipped the droplets off his face with the back of his hand. Why did he look like he was sad?
Morrin ignored the question in her mind and allowed her gaze to follow Fellene's. He was swiping his eyes across the battle field, his smooth and handsome face wrinkling each time he saw a decapitated body.
When he finished what looked like counting, he turned to Morrin and asked, "Only these? I thought you mentioned Lania when we talked."
Yeah! While telephathic, she told him Lania and her warriors had attacked. That they wanted to kill Brunos. She didn't know they were his warriors instead.
"She was here," answered Morrin preparing her eyes to see Fellene's expression at her next words. "Brunos has followed her in the mountains."
As expected, Fellene's lips curled into a mischievous smile that he quickly suppressed. "Don't you think it's a good idea if you follow him? Lania is stronger than him, right?"
Morrin agreed with him. She too wanted to go and back Brunos. Would she trust Fellene with Brunos's wives? Since he was behind all that was happening, she needed to take them out of his reach as soon as possible.
"I don't have my sword. Second, the Queen needs to know who's behind this."
Fellene raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
'You of course!' Would she tell him that?
She cleared her throat to delay her answer, filling the air with suspense.
"It's Old Generation!"
No sound was heard, but Morrin was sure Fellene had let out a sigh of relief.
Their eyes locked for seconds, and before Morrin could lower her gaze, Fellene's lips parted. They met again. Whatever he wanted to say or ask, he was hesitant.
Instead, footsteps.
With wary in her eyes, Brunos's green wife jumped to her feet. Two steps and she was standing in front of Lilyon and Eleanor like a first-kill-me-to-reach-them guard. Despite her go-away-because-I'm-ready-to-fight-you position, Fellene didn't stop.
A few seconds later, his face was two inches to her green one. He removed a group of white hair strands that was covering a three parrarel lines wound.
"Heal this wound. I'll forget who caused it."
Well aware that she couldn't answer or probably understand him, Morrin rushed to her rescue.
"She can't speak and... and probably understand what you're saying."
Fellene's lips curled into a bitter smile.
"You shouldn't have scratched me if you knew you didn't have brain?"
As if to prove Fellene wrong, the Green One cleared her throat, spat in her hands and stepped closer to him. She then rubbed her hands together and smeared the product to Fellene's face.
"How dare you?"
Fellene raised his right hand in the air, seemingly about to slap foolishness out of her.
"Wait!"
Inside the glistening mucus that seemed to have already dried, Fellene's skin was as smooth and healthy as it used to be.
"The wound is gone," Morrin hurried to announce.
Fellene withdrew his hand and touched his face. The wound had vanished.
With a questioning look of disbelief, he opened his mouth and asked, "What are you?"
As usual, he didn't get any answer. With frustration written all over his face, he turned around and shouted,
"We better leave and prepare for the upcoming war. Don't expect to be at peace after slaughtering Old Generation Squad."
If he was expecting a war, Morrin was sure of one thing. It was going to be there. The question was, how could a person plan a war when he was the commander of both sides. What side would he want to win?
Wasn't it obvious? The one with Brunos had to loose. That's why Morrin decided to inform the Queen as soon as possible. If it was going to be a war, she wanted both sides to be independent.
***
The outer parts of the Crimson Castle smelled of chaos. Despite the houses there being small, that maids occupied corner, was the most populated part of the Crimson Castle.
Now that Amellia's fire balls had brought destruction to them, Fellene couldn't help but curse internally. He hadn't planned for this. All he wanted was to have Amellia shoot Brunos, Lania extracting the Red Triangle from him, then shoot and shoot him to death.
He didn't expect it would turn into a war. Brunos wasn't going to give the Red Triangle so easily. He would rather give his life. That's all Fellene expected before planning the attack. How come he managed to keep both the Red Triangle and his life? He even went on and killed Fellene's girls instead.
Fellene couldn't believe his luck.
What was so special about Brunos that Fellene had to always loose face in front of him?
'I have to change this. I'm the first born. I'm the strongest. I should be the king. Valeria should be my girl.'
If Brunos had forced him to kill one of his favourite girls, he had to take Valeria from him even if it meant forcing her.
Till now, Fellene couldn't shake the events of a few minutes ago off his mind. Amellia was looking at him with hopeful expression. But he chose to kill her.
Why?
'Amellia forgive me. I couldn't withstand seeing you suffering like that. But don't worry. I'm going to avenge your death. Not tommorow. I promise. Even if it might cost me to loose Valeria's trust and heart, I'm ready to avenge you.'
Wait!
Did he mention Valeria's heart?
Fellene recalled his effort to win Valeria. He had spent two hundred years trying to please her. Did she see it? She even never bothered to open her mouth. Even in the monthly meeting she would communicate with him by writing down her demands.
'What a puppet I've been!'
He still couldn't believe that only Brunos's presence was enough to make her speak again.
'This time, I am going to show you who I am. I'm not a puppet. If you don't love me, I have to make you do it. You have to pay the price of ignoring me all these years.'
Fellene still couldn't believe he had to use force upon Valeria. He truly loved her. The reason he hated Brunos.
He could withstand the fact that Brunos's mom was the reason Fellene's mom got expelled from the palace. The fact that his father belittled him and left the throne in hands of Brunos. But he couldn't withstand the fact that Brunos rejected Valeria and broke her heart.
Her tears and the decision to remain mute always made his heart ache.
Now Brunos had went far and killed his girls. This was an eye opener to Fellene who had been blind for long. If he let it slide, who knew what else Brunos would do in future?
"Take them to Healing Corners!"
Morrin's voice brought Fellene back to reality. Two Aurburns who were carrying Brunos's wives on their backs nodded to Morrin's order and left.
'Healed or not, you'll be the first to die once I conquer Crimson Castle,' thought Fellene as he stared at the green one following behind them.
Now it was him and Morrin.
To win this war, Morrin had to be eliminated first. After Brunos spared her life, Fellene removed her from the list of those he could trust. He was also still curious to know what happened between Brunos and her that made him forgive her so easily.
"What did you give to Brunos last night?" He asked as they walked toward the Queen's Chambers.
At Fellene's question, Morrin halted in her steps for a second.
"Nothing."
"I also don't understand why he chose to let me go," she hurried to add.
Fellene stopped walking and turned to look at Morrin who also stopped walking. "Do you take me for a fool? I know..."
Before he could squeeze information out of her, a scent he knew the most entered his nostrils. He turned around to look at its owner's beautiful face for the last time. After killing Brunos and conquering Crimson Castle , things were going to be different on her face.
With Uliva and the other two Aurburns behind her, Valeria approached them.
Fellene bowed slightly and greeted her with a smile of admiration.
"Good morning, my Queen."
Instead of returning the smile, Valeria's melodious voice asked, "What's going on?"
"We're under attack," answered Morrin. "Someone wants to kill Brunos."
Valeria glanced at Fellene with a suspicious look and quickly shifted her gaze back to Morrin with raised eyebrows.
"May I talk to you in private, your highness?"
"It also concerns Brunos's safety," Morrin hurried to add.
If Morrin didn't want him to hear her answer, it meant only one thing. The answer was something he would not like. Did his girls snitch on him before Morrin killed them?
If yes, Fellene wasn't going to let her tell Valeria whatever she knew. He had to first plan his next move before the truth could leak out. Before making sure if Lania had Brunos in her claws, he wasn't going to risk getting exposed.
He could only do that by forcing Morrin to speak in front him and give her a task that will not allow her to cross paths with Valeria soon.
With that in mind, he cleared his throat and suggested, "If it concerns his highness's safety, don't you think it's a good idea to say it now so we can act before it's too late?"
Morrin stared at him for a long time before saying, "It's...
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