The Hidden

Chapter 12 - [Battles and Sacrifices]

The Raffyrian's had reached the border quickly but waited there until Lumyryn's small army reached them.

The aging king, who was on his horse at the front of the army, gave Lumyryn a smirk when they saw each other. "You look exactly the way they said you would look," the King said.

Lumyryn narrowed his eyes.

He and the King had never officially met until that very moment.

The King was fierce looking, but aging. The last time Lumyryn saw him was before he rescued Mina. And at that point his head already had a couple grey hairs on it. Now, most of his hair was grey and his face had wrinkles.

And Lumyryn couldn't understand why he continued to hunt his people. Even after all these years.

"If you want to prevent a massacre than I suggest you drop your weapons and surrender now," the King continued, "we don't want to waste our time."

Rodr had warned Lumyryn many times of the possibility of a Raffyrian invasion. Apparently, the leaders of Raffyre wanted the land that now belonged to Lumyryn and his people very badly. The only thing that stopped them before was the fact that it belonged to the powerful Destynians.

Now that it was Lumyryn's, Rodr warned that there was a chance the King would try and take it from him. He would convince his people that it was too get rid of the devilish red-eyes when in reality, it was simply to take their land.

Lumyryn never doubted what he said. He knew Rodr was probably right.

But he had hoped that it would take the King a lot of time to work up the nerve to attack them, especially since they were allied with the Destynians.

Unfortunately, that assumption was wrong, and here the King was, threatening them.

"This is our land," Lumyryn said, his voice deep and resonating loudly through the fields for everyone to hear, "it was given to us as a gift. We accepted that gift with open arms and made it our home. We will not give it to you."

"Land?" The King scoffed, "we don't want your land."

A lie, obviously. "Then what is it you want?"

"We want to bring justice to our people."

Lumyryn let out a short laugh, "and what exactly have we done for you to say something like that?"

The King hesitated, "you people are savages and barbarians!" The king spat, "you are the children of the devil and we will not let you thrive! We have allowed you to prosper long enough but any longer and it is clear that you will be a threat to our great nation–"

"We do not want anything to do with you and your nation." Lumyryn said, firmly, "leave us be and we will leave you be. That is all we ask."

"How can we allow people like you to continue to live?" The King questioned.

The soldiers behind Lumyryn had remained quiet until that moment. The burst into protest, shouting angrily at the words of the king.

"Evil!" The King shouted over them, "you all are–"

Lumyryn held his hand up, silencing his entire army with one move, surprising even that cruel king. "Listen here," Lumyryn started as he stepped forward, away from his army, "I will not stand by and just allow you to speak so harshly of my people."

"Harshly?" The King scoffed, "that's hardly the case. What I say is the truth–"

"Then if you are truly the righteous and good-hearted King you try to make yourself to be then come here," Lumyryn started walking forward, his axe over his shoulder, "come down off your horse and face me like a man. Look into my eyes, the eyes you fear so much, and tell me exactly what you think of me."