After the disappearance of lady Kaya, prince Alexander went into an uncontrollable rage. To try to quell their liege's anger, lord Slog had created a search party, using a third of their army.
For months, the prince’s soldiers went in search of the lady to no avail. The whole hunt was only forced to a halt when the changing environment of the land became more of a hindrance.A year had passed, the lady Kaya's whereabouts remained unknown. And on that year, half of the empire’s forces marched out of the castle, returning to the west. The witches, due to their transgression was left to tend to the remaining forces. As punishment, they had to keep the city of Lusha in tack with the remaining forces that they had, until the prince returns.A few months after Prince Alexander left the kingdom of Aselaysia, he had begun another bloody war within the empire. Now setting his eyes on the northern part of their land, the said last remaining area that“Princess?” A voice greeted her upon entering the room.“Yes,” Karilaya immediately stopped her reading and raised her head to look at the woman.It was Soraya, with a gloomy face as she purse her lips. “The Count is here to see you, again,” she sighed before moving aside to show the man who was standing behind her.Count Sanser Lee bowed down with a wide smile on his face. After years in hiding, he was one of the few remaining lords of the Aselaysian kingdom who were left to start the revolution against the empire. Having managed to gather a small army and being able to band together with a few other lords, the man was now confident about starting their revolt.Karilaya heaves out a sigh, pressing a hand on her temple. “How many times do I need to tell you, it’s a no,” she firmly states with a bored look as she stared straight into the man’s eyes. “I have no interest to j
“Wouldn’t taking back the capital gives us an advantage, my lady?” Kirei asks, thinking about what the Count had said before.Karilaya let out a deep sigh remembering the issue at hand. “Let’s say we manage to get the capital back, how long do you think will it take for the empire to lay siege on it again? If we weren’t able to protect it with our full force before, how will we protect it with our meager numbers now? The only reason why we are alive, free, and striving today is all because the imperial soldiers don’t know where we are and have no way to traverse through the jungle because of the changing weather.” It was one of the few things that had kept them safe through all these years.“That’s the reason why you are taking your time fixing the mana pools,” Soraya quickly voiced out her thoughts, realizing what their lady had been doing all this time.“Yes, If it wasn&r
The imperial caravan this time was longer than the previous ones, it boasted almost a hundred carts pulled by horses, carrying different types of wares, weapons, and foods from the empire. Marching on each side of the carts was the usual number of guards. Seeing this just made it much more enticing for the shadows that were lurking within the forest.A lot of them had anticipated the said cargo months ago, after being able to come across some news that came from the empire.All of the people who were hiding began to emerge from the shadows. One by one they began taking place atop the trees, some near the bushes to the road, and others even moving closer“Do you see all that food,” Giro a thirteen-year-old boy felt his mouth water while crawling out of the bushes to take a better look at the cargo that was coming their way.“I bet we could feed all the villages for weeks,” His brother Cicero states as he too
“It’s a trap!” The men kept shouting as one by one their comrades were falling in battle.Black knights continued to come out of the carriages, even the merchants that were driving them were soldiers in disguise. One by one people were getting caught, getting knocked out, or worst, killed.“Everyone, retreat, retreat at once,” the Count ordered.The ones who were trained under the said lord were able to make their way out of the smog, allowing them to escape. But it was different for the townsfolk that came along. Having not much coordination, knowledge of how to fight, where to go, and what they should do. They were unable to properly make their way out, causing several of them to get caught by the enemy.“Giro, everyone’s running away!” Ryho was now panicking seeing several of the soldiers that they were with moving back into the forest.The three boys had just finished
As the smog started to finally disappear. The number of phantoms that were engaging the enemy kept on increasing. It was the only thing that Karilaya was able to think of to make sure that would keep the soldiers occupied while they escaped.So it was quite a surprise when all of a sudden, Count Sanse Lee appeared before them in his high horse. Smiling widely upon seeing the princess.“My lady, with our forces and your phantoms combined, we can still push them back and take spoils,” the man ushers with full confidence as he raises his sword upfront in a battle-like manner.Soraya quickly moves in front to stop the man from further approaching. “Fool, you think your weak, meager forces will be able to take on those imperial knights!” she points out, glaring at the count who was being overly confident.The man though appalled quickly shut his mouth, knowing what was good for him. Seeing the three women together. Princess
After they had made sure that everyone had managed to heal the injured, they had soldiers escort the villagers back to their respective villages, with a message to make sure that the others would know what had happened.“I would expect for this not to happen again, Count Lee,” Karilaya had this stone-cold look on her face, glaring at the man who was the sole reason why she was a force to partake in the battle.Count Lee swallowed hard, feeling that intense look on him. “Apologies, my lady. We were caught unaware of their tricks.” He bows his head even further while kneeling down. Feeling ashamed at the failure that they faced a while ago.“What did you expect after years of raiding,” Soraya ended up scolding the man, unable to hold her tongue since everyone knew they had it coming.“Now that they are on to us. It will only be a matter of time before they find the villages,” Kirei adde
A large crowd from all walks of life had gathered all around the whole palace. Several men and women were kneeling in front of the large chair that was set up for the emperor, just outside the castle. Each one had an ax-wielding soldier beside them. Tied and chained in place, the said people continued to weep and plea at the man who was sitting in boredom on his large, silvery throne.“Sire, please! Have mercy on us, we have children, our families need us,” A man in white robes cried out, hands raised in prayer while groveling.“My lord, we have served your forefathers for generations, this is unjust,” A woman wearing the same clothing wept as she knelt with her hands on the floor.“This is madness, your majesty,” Another man called out, trying to sound brave and wise, even though he was already turning pale.Their newly crowned emperor, Alexander Maxwell, just yawned, fanning his hand on his mou
“Giro! We’re going to get in trouble again,” Metikulo whispered. He quickly grabbed hold of his brothers who were now trying to crawl out of the bushes.They were all hiding near a cliff, watching the imperial caravan pass by on their guarded road. It had always been a little game to them, just looking from afar but after experiencing a raid for the first time. The three seemed to have found a new kind of entertainment. One that manages to wake their blood in thrill and excitement.“Not if ma, doesn’t find out,” Ceciro chuckled as they were dragging their youngest brother.The envy and praise of several of their friends prove very addictive to the three boys, along with the rush of battle, but what truly hooked them was the fact that they did not have to hold back when they fought against the knights. It was the first time that they had to use all their strength just so they could fend off several imper