The King's Remorse

It Wasn't Me!

"Phoenix and Brook! You should've been killed long ago, Phoenix. And how did you manage to escape, Brook? You should still be trapped with Clap!" King Garonda XIV snarls.

"Easy. I walked out." The blue unicorn, Brook, jerks her head to the side to impale an attacking person on her horn. They crumple to the ground, lifeless.

My body watches as King Garonda XIV's expression darkens into an angry glower. I stare blankly at my paws stretched out in front of me, but they look foreign as if they belonged to someone else.

The snake lets another wave of venom race through my veins. My body tenses at the burning feeling spreading through my veins with every beat of my heart.

Phoenix tries to lunge for the Amethyst Throne, but someone reaches out an armored arm to catch him around the throat. An echoing roar rips from Phoenix's mouth as he twists, tearing his claws into the person's cheek and drawing a thick stream of blood. The person disappears in an inferno of fire.

"You're dead. You've taken everything from me. You. Are. Dead. The last thing you'll see after you watch your kingdom crumble to pieces is me as I tear the life from your body, bit by bit. You're dead." Phoenix's face contorts as his lips curl to bare his fangs and flames engulf is black fur. Fire races towards the Amethyst Throne. The purple of the Amethyst Throne deepens.

My body suddenly tenses and writhes, thrashing. My teeth clench as I try to hold back a scream, but I can't; ice is forced from my paws. It spreads like a wildfire across the marble floor, forming a monstrous wall of blue just in front of Phoenix. He slams into it and falls to the ground. Within a second, Phoenix is back on his paws, raging with fury as his flames blaze bigger and hotter. I feel my energy depleting rapidly as more and more ice is dragged from my body to keep the wall standing- Phoenix is melting it.

What's happening? How am I doing this? Why is ice coming from my paws? I don't want to do this!

"Let me fight you!" Phoenix snarls. "Or are you just too cowardly to face me yourself? I see you've got Ice chained to the Amethyst Throne. Is he just there to act as your bodyguard since you're too cowardly and all of your Guard and Soldiers are just useless fighters? Come on, fight me. Do it, I dare you."

"I'm not afraid, Phoenix. Chaining Ice wasn't my doing; it was the Amethyst Throne who created the snake. It believed having Ice chained was the best thing to do."

"Wait," I start slowly. "How do you know my name? I've never met you before."

"What did you do to him?" Brook demands. She stands up straighter, ears drawing back. Horror flashes across her eyes.

"I didn't do anything to him, just as I said before. It was all the Amethyst Throne."

"That's a lie, but, for argument's sake, let's just say it was the Amethyst Throne. Then what did the Amethyst Throne do to him?" Brook stares at me, and I turn my head to the side, looking away.

Do I know all of them?

"Hm. Lemme think for a quick second."

"One one-thousand. Time's up. What did you do?" Phoenix growls.

"Lemme think!"

"Fine. But you'd better answer quickly." Phoenix claws at the ice barrier, and I feel more of my energy slipping away. My head slowly drops to the ground as a whine slips from my mouth.

"Phoenix, stop attacking the wall. You're hurting Ice," Brook says. How does she know who I am?

Phoenix hesitates, taking a deep breath and glowering at King Garonda XIV. Something murderous and savage glows within his fiery gaze.