After witnessing the horrifying scene, I couldn't bear to stay hidden any longer. My legs moved before I could think, carrying me toward the chaos unfolding in the battleground, My heart thundered in my chest, each beat screaming at me to save the people I loved most. The commander, seeing my reckless dash, grabbed my arm in a desperate attempt to stop me.
"Your Highness, it's not safe! Please, you must stay back!" he pleaded, his voice frantic. But I was beyond reason. In a moment of raw emotion, I slapped him across the face, the sound sharp and echoing through the air.
"As the princess, I demand you let me go!" I shouted, my voice trembling but resolute. "This is not a request; it's an order!" His eyes widened in shock, but my words left him no choice. I pushed past him, my vision blurred by tears, I hurried toward the heart of the battlefield.
The world around me dissolved into chaos as I ran. The clamour of clashing swords and agonized screams filled my ears, the stench of blood and smoke assaulting my senses. I felt like I was moving through a nightmare, my steps heavy as if the ground itself sought to drag me down. But none of it mattered. My only focus was reaching my family.
When I arrived, the sight that met me was one I would never forget. My mother lay crumpled on the blood-soaked floor, her body trembling as blood spilt from her mouth and chest. "Mum!" I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat like a wounded animal. I collapsed beside her,
My brother, Daniel, was only a few steps away, cradling our father's lifeless body in his lap. His face was streaked with tears, his expression twisted with grief and disbelief. My father's once-strong hands now hung limp, his sword lying discarded beside him. "Dad!" I cried, shaking his lifeless form as if I could bring him back to life. "Please, wake up! Don't leave me!" But his eyes stared blankly, the light in them extinguished forever.
"No! No! Please!" I sobbed, my voice cracking as I clung to him. Daniel's shoulders shook as he muttered through gritted teeth, "He's gone." The words hit me like a dagger to the heart, and I felt as though the air had been sucked from my lungs.
Turning my attention to my mother, I saw her struggling to breathe. Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and her beautiful eyes, once so full of life and love, now brimmed with pain. "Mum, please don't leave me! Please stay alive for me!" I begged, my tears falling onto her bloodied hands as I grasped them tightly.
She looked at me then, her gaze filled with a mix of sorrow and love. Summoning the last of her strength, she whispered, "Remember… Mum loves you. Stay strong… for yourself… and your kingdom. Always… stand by your brother."
"No, Mum, no!" I cried, my voice raw with desperation. "Please don't die on me! I love you! I need you!" My pleas echoed in the large ground, mingling with the distant sounds of battle. But her gaze softened, and a faint, bittersweet smile graced her lips.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and with her final breath, she murmured, "Nala…" The word lingered in the air, fragile and heartbreaking, before silence claimed her.
"Mum!" I screamed, my body shaking with uncontrollable sobs. The weight of her loss pressed down on me, threatening to crush me entirely. I clung to her lifeless form, willing her to come back, but she was gone.
Daniel's voice broke through the haze of my grief. "Mum's dead," he said, his tone thick with sorrow and disbelief. I turned to him, and for the first time, I saw my brother not as the confident, teasing sibling I had always known, but as a young man shattered by loss, just like me.
The world around us seemed to crumble. The grandeur of the palace, the legacy of our family it all felt meaningless in the face of such devastating loss. At that moment, I realized we were no longer children under the protective wings of our parents. We were alone, and the weight of our kingdom now rested on our shoulders.
I knelt by my mother's side for a moment longer, her lifeless form burned into my memory. But even in my anguish, a fierce resolve began to rise within me, like a fire igniting in my soul. I clenched my fists, the tears on my cheeks drying as they mixed with the heat of my rage. "I promise you, Mum," I whispered, my voice trembling but resolute. "I will avenge your death. I will avenge you, Dad, and everyone! They will pay for what they've done!"
The words echoed in the blood-soaked silence of the hall, filling me with a steely determination. My grief turned into a burning need for justice—or revenge. I rose to my feet, my gaze locking onto the masked Emperor Tristan. He stood nearby, his sword dripping with the blood of my parents. His cold, detached expression only fueled my fury.
"You bastard!" I spat, my voice shaking with a mix of anger and heartbreak. "You killed my parents! I will kill you! Do you hear me? I will make you pay for this!"
Tristan turned his icy gaze toward me, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes. Then, he let out a cold, mocking laugh, his deep voice reverberating through the room. He raised his sword, pointing it toward me with an air of mockery.
"You?" he sneered. "Kill me? Don't make me laugh, little girl. You are nothing compared to me. I will send you and your brother right here, right now. And then, your kingdom will be mine. No one will stop me!" His words were like poison, and I felt their weight pressing down on me.
Before I could react, two of his soldiers seized me from behind, their rough hands gripping my arms tightly. I struggled against their hold, but they were too strong. My brother, Daniel, tried to rush to my side, but more soldiers grabbed him, holding him back. He thrashed violently, his eyes blazing with fury, but it was no use.
Tristan stepped closer, his sword gleaming in the dim light as he raised it high above his head. My heart pounded in my chest, and fear surged through me. Was this how it would all end? I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the fatal blow.
Then, I heard a sharp, metallic clash that shattered the air like a thunderclap. My eyes flew open, and I saw two swords locked in combat, sparks flying as the blades scraped against each other. A masked man on a dark, powerful horse had appeared out of nowhere, his figure shrouded in mystery. His black cloak billowed around him as he dismounted with fluid grace, moving like a shadow across the battlefield.
The masked man wasted no time. His movements were precise, almost otherworldly, as he engaged Tristan's soldiers. His swordsmanship was unlike anything I had ever seen, each strike swift and deadly. The air around him seemed to hum with the force of his attacks as he cut down soldier after soldier.
I stood frozen, unable to tear my gaze away. He was like a storm, unstoppable and unrelenting, his blade dancing with lethal elegance. Within moments, the whole place was littered with the bodies of Tristan's men, their lifeless forms a testament to the masked man's unmatched skill.
Finally, only Emperor Tristan remained. The masked man turned to face him, his sword gleaming with the blood of his enemies. Tristan hesitated, clearly aware that he was outmatched. Without a word, he turned and bolted toward his horse, mounting it in a desperate attempt to flee.
But the masked man wasn't about to let him escape. He leapt onto his horse and gave chase, his figure disappearing into the distance as he pursued Tristan. The sound of galloping hooves faded into the night, leaving the place quiet.
I stood there, stunned, my mind racing to process what had just happened. "Who are you?" I shouted after him, my voice breaking the silence. "Why did you help us?" But the masked man didn't stop or look back. Within moments, he was gone, leaving only questions in his wake.
I stared after him, a strange mix of gratitude and confusion swirling in my chest. Who was this man? Why had he risked his life to save us? And what connection, if any, did he have to my family or my kingdom?
As I looked around at the remnants of the battle the fallen soldiers, the bloodstained floor, and the lifeless forms of my parents I knew one thing for certain. My life would never be the same again. And though I didn't know who the masked man was,
To be continued…