𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢

36- It's All A Game of Survival

Prince Terrence

I dropped the bow to the ground with a loud clang, the blood from the handle staining my hands. I watched in frozen grief as Ellora stumbled slowly to the bejeweled throne, gasping for air.

This wasn't how it was going to end, I just knew it wouldn't. As Asendra ran to her, I traced the trail of blood the arrow had left behind her with my eyes, the crimson droplets like snow in the middle of summer. So utterly wrong it was treasonous.

Asendra reached her, and Ellora looked at me pleadingly, her eyes wild with fire. Oh why had I made her go? She would still be alive if I had made her stay, or made her leave the palace altogether.

Just minutes ago we were talking to each other, healing our wounds in the mind and body. Now hers was never going to get a chance to heal. And I would have to live on knowing that.

Asendra had collapsed on top of Ellora when I looked back at her from the red drops, her chest heaving with sobs.

Lady Ellora, the clever, charming, remarkable lady I had met a little over two months ago, was dead. All because of the Resuri and their evil hearts.

Something in my own twisted, and I knew what I was going to do, even if it cost me my life. I took a sharp breath, and charged towards my father, the guilt of his proclamations heavy against my throat, drowning me in the grief of my love.

But before I could reach him, a guard pulled me back by my stomach, the air leaving my lungs. My father, with the help of another courtier whose name I didn't even care to know, walked over to Asendra. Once she finally pulled back from Ellora, I could see her face clearly in the golden light. Her face was pale and grief stricken, her eyes red and glossy. She stood shakily, her hand never once leaving Ellora's.

Turning to face the King, she stood tall, her shoulders rigid and her jaw set. Taking a small breath, she ordered loud and clear,

"I think that you are a decent enough man to keep a promise to a lady whose entire life you just killed. Am I correct or should I take that stupid crown off your head right now?" she hissed, her voice like a wildfire that no amount of water could tame.

"I am a king, not a monster." my father replied.

"Oh I'd beg to differ." she scoffed, her voice colder than the winters in Zehl.

"Take this crown, and wear it proudly. I trust you with the lives and hearts of everyone in Oasia. Karman de gua." he uttered in the ancient tongue, meaning loosely, "May you lead the world to all treasure." and it meant one glorious thing. The Resuri's reign was over.

* * *

Ellora

The room was hazy still, as I felt Asendra's hand grasping mine. I couldn't squeeze it, my mind wouldn't let me. I had to wait until the crown was on her head. I drifted in and out of consciousness, my other hand pressing against the arrow. I had to stay alive. I had to stay awake. But as my eyes fluttered closed, I knew that sleep had taken me.

* * *

Prince Terrence

My father placed the crown on her head, her hair frizzy from fighting. She repeated the words back, her voice strong. My father bowed to her, his forehead lined with the wrinkles of the night. The rest of the guards' soldiers, courtiers, and Resuri followed suit, their heads dropping in reverence. So I did as well, my eyes lowering to my blood stained shirt, grief making my vision cloudy. I couldn't fathom what was going to happen once this night was over, for it seemed like the world had just splintered into shards of ice.

* * *

Ellora

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of a sink being turned on to full blast, the sound of the water strange to my ears. The room was bright and white, and I was staring into some sort of skylight, the hue of morning creeping through the glass.

"Asendra?" I murmured, my voice rough and scratchy.

"Her Majesty is resting. You've been asleep for quite a while now, my lady." said a lady much older than I, wearing a white medical looking apron.

"How long is a while?" I murmured, trying to sit back up.

My stomach instantly began throbbing, and everything that had happened flooded back into my conscious memory. I let out a breath, realizing what she had referred to Asendra as. She had gotten the crown.

"About a week, my lady. You've drifted in and out of consciousness for the past three days, but I can assure you that you are going to make a full recovery. The arrow was just slightly too shallow a cut to cause any harm to your organs, but you lost more blood than your body could handle. We are doing everything we can to ensure your recovery time will be short." the lady said, setting a cup of warm fennel and herbal tea next to me.

I took the cup in my hands, looking down into it shakily.

"Where- is Prince Terrence okay? I need to talk to him." I rushed out. The lady looked at me strangely, like I was saying something in the ancient tongue. I needed to make sure he didn't feel any regret about this- like it was his fault. Because all I could think about was that look in his eyes when I reached the throne, that dark, sad look.

"My lady, I don't want to cause you any more emotional distress, but that request I unfortunately cannot allow." she said, eyeing me nervously.

"Well why ever not?" I asked, my voice edged with the tiniest bit of hysteria.

I still was carrying all of the weight of the battle on me, I knew that emotionally I wasn't going to be able to handle anything else bad. But I needed to know.

"The Prince, along with all the other Resuri, are currently in the dungeons, waiting for trial. You see, after the- no, no, I should let her tell you instead. Please, my lady, try to rest. In the afternoon you will be much more stable, then we won't have to worry about you fainting again over this." she said.

"But I-" I started.

"Rest well, my lady." the woman said, and closed the door behind her quietly.

I sat in stunned silence, my heart racing. It felt like that was the only thing it could do these days. My hands were clammy, but my skin was ice cold. I took another shaky breath, tears lining my eyes.

Leaning back against the pillow, I flinched from the movement, my body feeling foreign, like I wasn't in my own body. Like I was in a strangers skin. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall down my cheeks, not even knowing what I was crying about.

I just had to let this monster out of me before it ate me alive.
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Song: Game of Survival by Ruelle, all of her songs are incredible!