Delight on Frozen Bones (Legend Of The Stars #4)

Chapter Six

The Latter

The knight led me to a tower. Ottis' tower. Where you can see the entire kingdom, and the barrier made by the spell he casted. The vanishing spell.

I rested my hands on the window. The knight stepped beside me but still kept a good distance. Pinagmasdan ko ang kabuoan ng kaharian nila. Small, but rich in resources. Quiet. Almost peaceful.

"The people of Trine do not deserve to be in this situation," he finally said his kingdom's name. "Kaya kagaya ng sinabi ko sayo kanina, sasama ako. Haharap ako sa Gintong Reyna. I'll assign one of my generals to watch over the kingdom. Just... Just don't break the spell yet."

"You are this scared of the world outside Trine?" I quietly asked. "Why?"

I caught a glimpse of him, unblinking, as if refusing to. His eyes averted to his beloved kingdom. His eyes glistened a bit. Is that tears I see?

"Ottis... was the only one who can get out of the kingdom. One day, he brought news to the King-the demon... He said it's not only the Golden Queen we should be worried about... because there was also a Princess, somewhere in Hawthorne, who wield one of the swords... A sword that not only can destroy kingdoms, but lands and realms itself..." He explained.

"Akala ko hindi totoo ang mga espada na inukit mismo mula sa mga bituin... Pero noong nabanggit ni Ottis ang mga nangyayari sa iba't ibang mga kaharian at ang tungkol sa ginawi ng gintong reyna sa isla ng mga bampira... sumang-ayon nalang ako. I voted to vanish our kingdom for the sake of our safety... Ottis said this spell shall save us from the conflagrations."

"And you believed this?"

Napabuntong-hininga siya. "Hindi ko alam ang pinaniniwalaan ko noong mga panahong iyon. Ang mahalaga sa akin ay maging ligtas ang kahariang ito..." Umangat ang mga mata niya sakin. "Have seen what happened to those kingdoms that refuse to bow to the Golden Queen?"

He snapped and looked at me, the gleaming tears in his eyes are still visible. "Have you seen Eirian?"

I nodded once. "She's not responsible for what happened in Eirian." I answered calmly.

"Eirian... was an ally to Trine. The Eirian ruler had protected us during the Great War. It shielded us when the five kingdoms didn't even do anything to reach us. In fact, it shielded more kingdoms that the five kingdoms did during the war... And now, it has been shred into pieces."

Umiling-iling siya. "Hindi ko nakita kung paano bumagsak ang kaharian... Pero nakita ko ang mga nilalang mula roon na nagmamakaawang pumasok rito... Pero hindi pumayag ang Hari. The King fears that their scents might lead the Golden Queen to us..."

He blinked as if recalling a horror in his mind. One that has been ages ago. "I've seen those children of Eirian right at Trine's gates... They were all wounded and burnt from some fire... I doubt they had food or water with them. And the children-mother of stars, those children... They were-"

"Enough."

I pulled out one dagger again and pointed it at him. But this time, he did not flinch and just took a step away.

"Have you seen unyielding kingdoms to her majesty fell? Have you seen their stars lost their light in the sky? And the people within those kingdoms... they didn't even get to defend themselves or choose where their loyalties lie... Your Queen just took them, or kill them. Your Queen knows no honor."

'Leaderless.' The witch had said. Mariin akong napapikit at umiling-iling. All those rulers I have killed, all those names I kept whispering at night... they were much as a killer than I am. They weren't the true owners of those royal bodies.