Queen Mother Ava's heart raced as she rushed back to the castle, dismounting her horse as she entered through the grand gates. The gates closed behind her, and she quickly called out to her attendant, who appeared with a worried expression on their face.
"Where is my son?" she asked urgently. Her voice was laden with concern, her eyes scanning the courtyard for any sign of him.
"He is in his chambers," the attendant replied, rushing over to her side. "But I must warn you, Your Majesty, he just had another outburst. It was worse than before."
A shiver ran down the Queen Mother's spine, her worry growing deeper. With the light of lanterns guiding their way, they walked through the winded passageways of the castle, every step echoing with their trepidation. The air was heavy with unease, and the flickering light cast eerie shadows on the walls.
When they finally reached King Liam's chamber, Ava found her son surrounded by an oppressive aura. Sinister energies seemed to lurk around him, casting a shadow on what was once a loving and gentle soul.
Heartbreaking concern filled her eyes as she approached her son. "Liam, my dear," she whispered, her voice trembling. "How are you feeling?"
King Liam raised his head slowly, his eyes dull and empty. There was still lingering darkness there, consuming the warm spark that once resided within them. His voice came out in a croaking whisper, filled with hollow bitterness. "Mother, I can feel it creeping into my mind, suffocating my very being."
Tears welled up in Queen Mother Ava's eyes as she held her son's trembling hands. This was all her fault. Her husband's legacy had been burnt to the ground by the Gorgons. They plundered their lands and left them in ruins. In the middle of a war, she sacrificed her and her son's safety traversing across the bloody battlefield to seek help. She needed troops to back her husband holding down the fort but the Lord of Rosemane looked her dead in her eyes and refused to help them. Carrying her sick son defeated and hopeless she returned to her castle only to be met with devastation. Her husband and family were torn apart with their heads spiked at the castle walls.
To make matters worse her son was ill and on the brink of death. Terrified that she might lose her son she sought out a dark mage residing in the misty forest.
The price was not cheap. She gave away her mother's heirlooms to get her hands on the dark seed. Even when the mage warned her she still gave it to her son. To match the darkness within him and anchor him the witch gave him the sword of Thanatos. With this sword, he tore apart the Gorgons and when he was done, he went for all the five kingdoms putting them under his control.
When he breached the city gates of Fergan an important city in the kingdom Nicklewolf he was dressed in a black cloak and his presence was so powerful it seemed to darken the sky. His sword, Thanatos, shimmered in the darkness as he ordered his troops to enter the city.
The citizens of Fergan watched in terror as their city was quickly taken over by the King and his men. Everywhere the King went, death and destruction followed. He moved through the city with an unhurried, domineering presence that seemed to strike fear in the hearts of everyone who encountered him.
The citizens of Fergan cowered in fear as the King and his men moved through the streets, engaging in battle with their enemies. Cries of anguish echoed in the darkness as blood spilt in the streets. There was no escape from the King's wrath.
When the gates finally opened, the citizens of Fergan watched in awe as King Liam emerged from the city. His body was covered in blood, from head to toe, and his presence was both haunting and terrifying. No one dared to challenge him. Fergan was a message to the Lord of Nicklewolf to bow or be destroyed.
It was from this day forward that King Liam earned the title of the Black-Hearted King or Black Death. He had earned his name and his reputation in the city of Fergan, and it would be a name that would be remembered for centuries to come.
The more he engaged in battle the more terrifying his existence became and no lord dared to go against him but the darkness in his heart was consuming him with occasional violent outbursts like he was a beast with no soul.
She glanced around and the once regal room now resembled a battlefield, strewn with the wreckage of his fury. The bed, once adorned with silk sheets and plush pillows, lay in ruins, its frame splintered and twisted. Drawers lay upended, their contents spilt across the floor like forgotten treasures. Tables that once held delicate trinkets and ornate candlesticks were now reduced to mere fragments of their former glory.
The windows, once adorned with intricate stained glass, were shattered, their fragments scattered like shards of a broken dream. The scene was truly heartbreaking.
"We have a way to break free from this," she said and King Liam's troubled eyes met hers. Ava continued, her voice steady, "You must marry the Princess of Rosemane. She possesses a beauty that is said to be ethereal, with long silver hair and bright red lips. But more importantly, coursing through her veins is the Cayaline flower, a rare plant known for its ability to slowly cure the darkness that plagues your soul."
King Liam's expression softened, and for the first time in a while, a glimmer of light seemed to seep through the shadows. He nodded slowly, the weight of his burden momentarily lifted by the prospect of a solution. He had heard of her and was sometimes compared to her.
In some people's eyes, she was an angel, the people's saviour and he was the devil a man who would bring death to them all. He just didn't expect that their paths would eventually cross in such an unexpected way.
***
The messenger's footsteps echoed through the courtyard of Rosemane Castle, the weight of his mission heavy upon him. He had travelled overnight, enduring the perils of the road, to deliver a sealed letter from the Queen Mother.
The lord of Rosemane, however, had made it clear to his servants that he wanted no part in the affairs of Lowoak. But he knew all too well what King Liam, was capable of. Reluctantly, he pushed open the massive doors of the great hall.
As he entered, his eyes fell upon a young man standing by the window overlooking the courtyard, his face bearing a disfiguring scar that ran from his forehead to his cheek.
The Lord couldn't help but notice the darkness and malevolence that seemed to emanate from the scarred man, an aura that mirrored the very king who had sent him.