The Raven

Thirty-Five

White-hot rage boils inside of the raven, burning through his veins ferociously. He cannot remember a time when he has ever felt so much hatred before. At this moment, his detestation for the queen is infinite. He finds himself wholly incapable of understanding the intentions behind her insistence that her son marries a woman against his will, even considering that the deranged woman had thought she was doing it in Henry's best interest. Caleb's abhorrence for the king is equally significant. The idea that the man had demanded his creation for the sole purpose of being loved by the prince only to have it taken away from him so ruthlessly stirs a furious despair within him that he cannot disregard. But most of all, the raven harbors an unrelenting and endless hatred for his mother; he could never forgive the woman who willingly made him for such a horrific purpose without even a shred of remorse.

Realization suddenly dawns on him, its glaring truth blinding him to everything else; this is what his mother has been preparing him for all these years. This is the supposed prophecy; the war that has been foreseen is entirely inducted by Prince Henry's love for a man--and not just any man, but Caleb himself. The raven cannot help but wonder, had his mother expected him to be on her side of this depraved situation? Did she believe he could be created to love Henry so wholeheartedly, so profoundly, just to turn his back on their love and fight against him when it truly matters? If so, she is just as delusional as the queen.

As the intensity of the darkness growing inside the raven continues to rise, his magical powers seem to work of their own accord. Unknowingly, he sends out a telepathic message to the entirety of the kingdom, informing the people of the impending war and requesting their assistance in protecting their future king and their country as a whole. At the same time, thick black smoke begins to fill the room occupied by the feuding royals and possessors of magic. As difficult as it is to see through the dark cloud, it is also an overwhelming challenge simply to breathe, causing the king and queen to begin coughing as they try to clear their airways of the dangerous fog.

Delilah acts quickly, trying to counter the raven's magic with a spell of her own, but as the smoke begins to dissipate and the room empties, she realizes that the boys have vanished. She had been dreading this day for the last eighteen years, hoping she had worked diligently enough to ensure her complete control over the raven; she had expected him to be easy to compel into doing her bidding. Without her secret weapon on her side, the woman fears her plan will not be successful, and she is determined not to fail at this point, especially after all the hard work she put into preparing for this precise moment. After all the years that she has waited to reign supreme against the injustices forced upon her. Quickly, the witch exits the room in search of the two boys, Henry's parents following closely behind her.

Outside the castle, the extravagantly adorned golden gates have been busted open, the once intricately groomed courtyard overflowing with the battling citizens and guards, littered with limp bodies and stained crimson with blood. Even through the chaos and destruction, it is not difficult to find Prince Henry and the raven within the crowd. The plume of looming smoke seems to be emanating from the center of the yard, swirling in the air and choking the palace guards specifically as if they had been targeted by the cloud itself. Delilah takes a deep breath, certain that it is the raven's intention to fight against anyone who opposes his union with his beloved prince; she understands that she is likely high on his list of potential opponents. As the witch approaches the source of the black cloud, she uses her own magic to try to detain her disobedient creation.

"Raven, listen to my voice," his mother says, hoping her powers are strong enough to compel him. Had the queen not incessantly interfered with the plan, Delilah would have had more time to prepare for the blasted boy's opposition to her commands. Unfortunately, she cannot undo what has been done; she must now make do with the cards she has been dealt. "You are fighting on the wrong side of this war. Join us, Raven, and fight for what is right."

The shadows of the guardsmen begin to come to life at that exact moment, battling alongside their master; Caleb's magic holds them firmly, commanding their every move with ease. His voice blares in his mother's head, drowning out all coherent thoughts. "Your poor decisions have led us to this very moment," he says, his gaze and attention never wavering from the war continuing around him. "I am not the weak little bird you think me to be. I will not yield until the threat has been properly contained."

As guard after guard is slaughtered, incapacitated, or surrendered, the witch can tell that she is fighting a losing battle; although, she will not yet be discouraged. Delilah gathers all of her energy and focuses on defeating her mistake of a creation, wishing with everything in her that she had never thought of making this atrocious creature in the first place. Observing the circumstances around her, she notices the guards around her are not holding up well to the shadows and smoke, but they could likely defeat the townspeople with ease; if she can just detain the raven, they could possibly still be victorious.

At this moment, the woman regrets a multitude of her past decisions, the aftermath of her selfish and greedy blatantly proclaiming how ignorant she had been. Lying to the king initially about the supposed prophecy had been the beginning of this downfall, as well as her greatest mistake. She should have planned better; she should have been more careful. Had she not been so intent on causing emotional damage to the queen by bedding her husband, the witch would have thought to compel the entire kingdom to join her side in this battle. Delilah did, of course, tell the king the people would be fighting with them against the outside forces of evil that would arise from Prince Henry's marriage to another man. She obviously had not put in enough effort to ensure a triumphant outcome, much to her dismay.

With a shake of her head, the witch attempts to clear her thoughts; as she sends all of her magic toward the raven and his prince, Delilah collapses, having spent all her energy on the single task.

Caleb looks up from the shadows he controls just in time to see a large blast of magic heading his way. Using his smoke to push Henry to safety, the raven focuses entirely on saving his prince; it is the only thing that truly matters to him at this moment. Caleb does not even see the magic as it suddenly crashes directly into him, knocking him off his feet and stealing the breath from his lungs.