Fallen Kingdom ✔️

Fighting Spirits

Weeks passed. Rolande was the first to heal. Next was Rathelia and I. Prince Bowen healed quite fast as well, though he wasn't very hurt, just a spoiled prince. Striker healed my other brothers constantly, making him quite tired too. When Jovsin and Svenon healed, it took a bit longer for Stiker to heal too. Strongman was kind to us for our stay. It was time to leave though.

Chief Ichino held my shoulder. "You have food, water and shelter. Your weapons are made and ready for you. We've given you as much as we can. Are you sure you are ready to leave?"

"We have clothes too, and that's more then I could have asked for. The travel between here and Nethurus is going to be hard, but we're starting in the hardest area. I'm sure we'll be okay."

"Before you leave, we must have a blessing ceremony."

I smiled at him. "Thank you. We might need it."

Early morning, before the sun rose, Prince Bowen, Rathelia, Striker, Rolande, Jovsin and Svenon and I stood in line for blessings. Slowly, starting with Prince Bowen, we all got blessings. Once I was on Jagg and ready to leave, we started travelling once again. To end the terror of the reign of Irseval. Time appeared to go slow after we made it out of the cavern of monsters. We were left in the forest at sun rise. Most beings here hated being in the light as it's easier to be spotted or hunted. Striker lead the group as he's been in this forest more times than anyone else. Along with Rathelia.

My brother, Jovsin, sighed as he rode next to me. "Do you remember Rathelia dear sister?"

"Not at all."

"She was just as beautiful as she is now. A witch of great power training to be our family's saviour at any cost. She remembers us certainly. Doesn't she, Svenon?"

"She is a lot like she was then. Though, she will live for thousands of years beyond us. What I am wondering is why Prince Bowen would come to save Wyverna when the entirety of his family disagreed."

I held onto Jagg's mane tighter, taking my hood off. "The deal was broken when King Arion decided it was more important to save his family rather then his kingdom. Don't ever tell anyone that they wronged anyone. You do as you are told. You are a royal, not a commoner. If you'd like opinions like that, make your own kingdom."

Svenon laughed. "Sounds like something father told me. Did he tell you that? I'm sure that's why Irseval said that you would start another kingdom elsewhere."

I looked towards Prince Bowen. "They weren't his words. If I had have heard him say anything like that, I would have told him he was wrong. Our parents were good people, but mother and father were wrong for what they did before they died!"

Jovsin didn't like what I said. He stopped his horse, causing everyone else to stop too. He rode his horse to me. "You don't ever tell anyone that Mother and Father wronged anyone! You do as you are told! You're a princess, not a commoner! If you want to have opinions like that, make your own kingdom!"

He was about to hit me, but I grabbed his arm. "Don't touch me. Just because you are older doesn't mean you are right! King Arion abandoned our people to attempt to save us? He could have saved us all but he didn't! He left that to me and me only! The deal between Wyverna and Servania was ended when he did that. He cared more about us then his people. He should have acted like a King!"

Prince Bowen jumped off his horse. "This has happened before..."

"Seven years ago between you and your brother, but this is different. This time I am the one saying my father abandoned his people and it is I that says he should have acted as a royal! Your brother was right. One day you have to make choices, scary choices, in order to get the best outcome. My mother and father kept secrets from us, and those secrets have something to do with your parents and Irseval. There's been a war between them longer then we've all thought. As the children, we were left to ignore the problems as we didn't know about them. They forced our futures to be his way. For us now, in the present, to fight Irseval and stop the war! Two generations of fighting. There's stuff we need to be told and your parents are the only ones left. I had to make a choice. Either your or myself. I made the choice. I wanted to protect myself, but that would be the easy way and the easy way isn't always the best way. My father proved that with his life. I had a chance to save myself and Rolande and my other brothers and my people, but your kingdom would be destroyed. This way is harder but at least we'll all survive. A few days ago, I couldn't stand you but I just nearly got executed for you! For your people who became my friends. I kept being myself even though I wasn't a princess anymore. I worked for them and for myself, the way I did in Wyverna too. My parents would be proud of me, but this one thing, they didn't think like a king and Queen. They acted like a mother and father. I cannot be happy with that."

As Jagg took me away, I could hear silence behind me. All four of the princes were as silent as night. I rode with Striker the way we had to. The next stop we had was Moira. A castle that belonged to my mother before my father had rescued. She was born and raised there with her parents, locked inside. There was an attack on her kingdom when she was a child, before she even know what was happening. She and her parents were the last ones left. The never left the castle until my father showed up. Her parents had died so my parents buried them before my father took my mother back to his kingdom to care for her. Moira was a magic place covered in kind beasts and where the magic rod had come from. The closer me got, the brighter my rod glowed. They were connected, Moira and the rod. Something beautiful. I could remember almost none of our vacation here when I could barely speak. It was safe and had my favourite guardian living outside. When I first went into the forest, we met. He read me stories for a night before directing me to Servania. I directed him towards the castle so he could be safe too.

Barard. The giant grassy guardian of the forest. The reason I hadn't died alone in the forest. The reason I could navigate it so well. He was my friend and I could never thank him enough. It was becoming dark again as we got to the castle. The time in the forest was never the same.

As we got close to the castle, everyone got off their horses and I got off Jagg. Prince Bowen was the only one who didn't know about Barard. He's never needed to.

"Oh, a stone gaurdian. Are we going to camp here for the night? He will be sure to scare people away."

I shook my head, patting Barard's leg. He woke up. "What? Is it time to wake already?"

"Hello, Barard. It is Victoria. We'd like guidance to my mothers castle, please."

He nodded. "Came back to fight Irseval, did you? With some friends. Little Victoria has grown so you must be her brothers. Oh, and the witch Rathelia. Orc-elf cross Striker is here as well! You'll be staying the night on the way to Nethurus, aren't you? That's great. Some company will be nice. Looks like you were attacked. Nothing has been touched in your mother's home. Trees have ripe food and stores still have all their supplies. No looters have been here ever."

"Thank you, Barard."

"Who's the bloodied boy?"

I took a deep breathe. "His royal pain, prince Bowen of Servania. He's on our side, Barard."

"If you say he's good, I'll allow him inside. Have a good time while visiting, Victoria."

We started walking inside the secret barrier covered my magical smog. Once inside, you could see everything a bridge to go towards a small kingdom and a large castle. Not a person to be seen, though many magical creatures call this sanctuary. Moira was known as the castle of creatures long ago. Prince Bowen gaped at it all.

"This is yours?"

"My mother's, yes. I guess it's mine now that she's gone. This is always run by women of her family. As the only female heir, it all belongs to me now. We'll find more than enough here. Comfort is something you won't have much of anywhere else but here. We don't have too many rooms to sleep in, as the others are filled with a variety of different things that shouldn't be disturbed, you'll have to sleep in my room. I will sleep on the floor."

"But princess, you should have your comfort after so long..."

"Prince Bowen, I am not a princess. I have no kingdom to be a princess to. I am a simple stable girl. Do you not remember that already? I haven't changed because of a title."

"Exactly. You haven't changed because of a title. You were princess before a stable girl. A princess of Wyverna, as I was once told, learns to fight and is no different then anyone else in her kingdom. I am a guest in your home now. You are Princess to me, but still the Vic I knew before. A title doesn't change that."

He rushed towards the castle with everyone else. His words stuck in my mind, echoing through my brain. Did he really mean that? Was he like that before and I just didn't notice? Am I the one acting different because of a title? I can't be thinking about that. I have a job to do and if I have to be with this royal pain, then so be it. I had a life before him and I will not let his goal stop mine. I need to save my people. Being a princess means giving up many things and making the hard choices. Though, his choice was a hard choice. He spent seven years thinking about it. He risked his life for it.

Striker called back. "Are you coming, Victoria?"

"Yeah! I was just thinking!"