The End of Enmity

Ch 3: Rescue

It was silent in the dungeon. It was like there was no one except me and Finn. It was like I was lonely and helpless. Iris must be getting worried about me or maybe she was preparing for a war and it made me very anxious. It took another half an hour for Finn to wake up. After he was fully awake, I told him the situation.

'I hate those shadows. First, they took away my parents and now they are planning to hurt my grandmother! They are so vicious.' He said angrily.

'I know that's why we need to make an escape plan to stop King Griffin.'

Finn and I were just discussing when we heard the doors of the dungeon open. We heard someone's footsteps that seemed to be coming towards us. A black shadow stopped in front of our cell and came into the light which was coming from a small window. He had black hair and fair skin. His eyes were like two deep whirlpools in which I can drown. He was wearing a black jacket, a plain black T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He looked almost my age.

'Good Evening Princess Daphne. I am Prince Aren of Develdion and I am here to help you to leave this place.' he had a very gentle voice like an angel. Now that's a surprise that a shadow is willing to help us.

'Why should we trust you? Isn't King Griffin your brother? Why would you want to help us instead of him?' I asked suspiciously.

'I understand your reason for not trusting me, but I am not like him. King Griffin is my brother and I also want peace between our worlds, but not in this way. We shadows are completely different from what you think. My brother is cruel, rude, and heartless. He hates the spirits because our parents were killed by them and, because of him, we shadows have to treat you badly. But we are much nicer than you think. Like you, no one wants him to be the king of the two worlds or he will destroy everything.'

'So, do you have a plan?' I asked. Before Aren could say something, Finn interrupted, 'Wait a minute'.

'What?' Aren and I asked at the same time.

'I want to talk to Daphne about this, in private.' He pulled me into a corner and whispered, 'Are you sure about this? What if he is lying to us?'

I sighed, 'I can understand your concern, Finn, but just think about it. If he had to be on King Griffin's side then why would he come to help us escape? Huh? I think you should give him a chance.'

He made a disappointed face but nodded reluctantly. I knew he was not happy with this, but Aren was the only way to get out of here. We went back to Aren and made a plan. According to this, Aren would go to the guards and make one of them leave and get the key from the other. Finn and I waited till he got back and opened the lock. Then we got out of the cage and opened the door of the cell. We silently stepped out and saw the unconscious body of the guard
lying on the floor. Aren must have knocked him out to take the keys.

We went straight down the hall and got out through the back door. Just as we got out, Finn took my hand and I looked at him in confusion. He smiled at me and I looked away before he
could see me blushing. Aren turned around and saw us holding hands.

'Why are you guys holding hands?' he pointed towards our hands then on my face. 'And why is your face so red?'

'That's none of your business. Who are you to ask us that?' Finn came forward, still holding my hand tightly as if we were being drawn apart.

Aren frowned,' I am a prince and can ask you anything I want. Don't you have any manners? You should bow to me, but instead, you are talking back to me. I am not a friend of yours, remember that.' Aren had come so close to Finn that their faces were inches away, and they were staring at each other like they might tear each other apart. I could even feel the tension between them. I frowned.

'Stop it!' I shouted at them. They looked at me with big eyes. 'Why are you two fighting?' I separated them and looked at Aren. 'Aren, what's wrong with Finn and I holding hands?'

The blue eyes averted their gaze, blushing a little and, surprisingly, he looked cute. He opened his mouth to say something when we heard some footsteps and armor clanging together. The soldiers were coming for us. The first guard must have seen us missing after coming back and have reported it to The King. We ran before the soldiers could see us.

We kept traveling for a few days, stopping by villages for food and water and to spend the night. We had picked up pegasus from the stables near the palace. We dare not fly, as the soldiers might see us. We had to go through a forest to reach Angbotnet, which - according to Aren - would take five days to cross and two days to reach the wall from the forest. I was glad that we had some food and water with us. Nothing major happened during our journey. We just prayed not to come across any wild animals. We all took turns on patrols during the night while the others slept.

After we had crossed the forest on the morning of the sixth day, we were relieved that everything went smoothly and that we still had five days left. I was sure we would make it to Angbotnet when we heard the sound of hooves behind us. When we turned, I was surprised to see the soldiers on their pegasus. When did they catch up with us?!

There was a soldier who was dressed like a general. He was pale and had a small beard. The soldier grinned, 'Finally we found you, princess.' he urged his brown pegasus forward. He took out his sword and the soldiers did the same. 'You three have two choices,' the pale soldier continued. 'You can either surrender yourself or fight with us.'

I looked towards Finn who was so scared that he climbed a tree and I wasn't surprised with that reaction because Finn was just a farmer not a fighter.

As the soldiers closed in, I counted them - about 20, including their leader, the pale soldier. My heart raced, and I gripped my sword tightly, trying to push aside my fear. Aren stood beside me, his eyes fixed on the enemy, and I knew I could count on him.

The pale soldier sneered, his sword raised. "Attack!" he shouted, charging towards us.

His men followed, and Aren and I fought back, our swords clashing with theirs. But in the chaos, one of the soldiers struck my head, and I felt blood trickling down my face making my body go numb but I refused to give up.

Aren and I kept fighting, taking down the soldiers one by one. We worked together, our swords moving in sync. Finally, we killed the last soldier, leaving only the general standing.

He snarled, his eyes blazing with anger. "You'll pay for this!" he spat, charging towards us.

Aren and I stood ready, our swords raised. The pale soldier was a skilled fighter, but we were determined. He fought hard, his sword clashing with ours, but in the end, it was just him against the two of us.

In a swift movement, he struck my right arm, and I cried as I felt a searing pain. My sword slipped from my grasp as I collapsed, weakened by my injuries. Aren roared in anger, his sword flashing in the sunlight as he struck down the pale soldier with a mighty blow.

The general fell, his sword slipping from his hand. Aren rushed towards me, his eyes filled with concern and the last thing I heard was him and Finn calling my name before I passed out.