The Three Realms

Chapter 14- So Perish All Traitors

I'm really sorry that I haven't posted a chapter in a while, I've been really busy but here you go! I hope it makes up for the wait!

It did not take long for the survivers of the commonly called 'Battle of the Plains' to reach Octiura, but the leaders were all still at a loss for what they would do upon their arrival. What they found was shocking to say the least. 

The Guards who had woken up when their bonds died had taken over the capital and manned the walls, along with civilians who volunteered to fight. The warlock and wizard army was hammering away at the gates, only minutes away from breaking through it. The Guards were shooting many volleys of arrows but to no avail. The wizards had set up a thick shield to protect their fighters, and Fraya could see that her people were only wasting their ammunition. 

She marched up the hill leading to the clearing in front of Octiura and stood there in plain view, her hands on her hips. When Fraya saw a tall figure with jet black hair and a silver crown strutting along the crowded clearing, a deep growl emenated from her throat and the girl raced into the fray. 

Luca followed her, quickly calling for their troops to attack immediately. As soon as Jade confirmed his instructions, the warlock sprinted after Fraya, who had stopped short not too far ahead of him. Luca stopped beside his friend, breathing hard, and put a hand on her arm, ready to tug her away. Then he saw why she had stopped. Standing next to the Prince was a shorter man with snow white hair, dressed in finery that did not fit on the field of battle. The King. 

From there, things seemed to go in slow motion. Luca's eyes travelled from the King back to Fraya, his hand tightening on her arm, but not before she ripped it away and stalked toward her traitor king and father. 

"Coward!" She called, her voice cutting through the sounds of battle as the warlocks finally broke through the gate and her fighters engaged those not entering the Realm. Elessar whipped around, his sword drawn and Fraya replied in kind. The Prince rushed toward his sister, ready for the kill, when Fraya suddenly sidestepped him and kept on walking, her gaze locked on the King.

"Traitor!" Fraya screamed. "Your people trusted you! Loved you! But it wasn't enough for you, was it? They would have remembered you fondly once they had another ruler and the magic was restored, but you. You just couldn't let it go." With each word she stepped closer to the man she had once looked up to, her sword pointed in front of her. The King looked around desperately for someone to protect him, but all his men were storming the realm he had sworn to protect.

"Power," Fraya spat. "An infectious disease that corrupted even you. My King, my father." 

By this time, Luca had almost reached Fraya, but Elessar stood in his way. The Prince shot a quick glance at the King before deciding to engage Luca, who had to draw his own sword or be skewered.

Just then, the King turned slightly and before anyone knew what had happened, was slicing at Fraya with the sword he had just drawn. The girl desperately parried the blow and continued to defend against his lighting attacks. Just a few steps away, Luca screamed in frustration as Elessar prevented him from getting to Fraya. Then the King swung again, and Luca knew his friend had no hope of evading this strike. He desperately slammed into Elessar and kept going, leaping in front of Fraya just as her father's blade reached her neck.

Suddenly with no warning what so ever, Luca exploded with a golden light, his magic reaching out and freezing the King.

Golden tendrils whipped across the King's body, viciously stripping him of skin while he screamed in pain and anger. He tried to rip away the magic but was powerless to intervene. His hands were reduced to bone yet he still clawed at the tendrils, his face nothing more than a grinning skull. Then the magic thinned, exposing the King's black, rotten core. Finally, with a scream that echoed across the countryside, he disintigrated.

Fraya watched all this with wide eyes that could not cry. Luca had sacrificed himself to save her, consumed by his own magic. The girl collapsed onto her knees, still in shock when hands clamped around her shoulders, lifting her up onto her feet. The girl looked up morosely to see Luca, his eyes rimmed with gold, smiling down at her. Fraya laughed and cried at the same time, hugging her savior desperately. "I thought you died!" She cried, fingering the large golden tear shaped gem hanging around Luca's neck. Then Fraya's eyes focused on the gem and looked back up at Luca. "It's you," she whispered. "The King couldn't kill you because you are his successor. The Higher wouldn't allow it." 

Luca nodded and Fraya backed away from him, "You're the new king of Octiura..." She murmured. "The king was a traitor. My own father tried to kill me..." She chuckled hysterically and turned to face Elessar, who had just picked himself up off the ground. "And you truly are my brother, you worthless bastard." 

The new king of Octiura walked almost hesitantly over to Fraya, "I'm still the same person!" The girl turned on him, her cheeks completely dry, "You are not! You're a king. You have responsibilities to Octiura and to her people. You're not just the annoying warlock I found in Octiura's dungeons who helped me escape. Who saved my life."

The two were blind to the war raging around them as they stared at each other. Elessar was plucked up by Jade, and the warlocks left outside Octiura's gates had already been killed, most by the dragons who had found their strength again once Luca realized he was king.

"Fraya, with the king gone, we won." Luca whispered. "You're home." He reached his hand out to hers but she slowly moved her own hand further away. 

"I have no home." Fraya said bitterly. Then, without one more backward glance, the girl walked away from Luca, Octiura, and everything she had ever known.

"Where are you going?" Luca called after her. "Somewhere far away from here." Fraya said. "Somewhere I can forget." 

Luca stood there for a long time staring after her, and even after she was out of sight, he stared at the last spot he'd seen her beautiful fiery hair. Finally he heard cheers from Octiura and he figured the war was over, but who had won?

Just before he turned away, Luca said something he should have said to Fraya a long time ago and now would probably never have the chance to, "But I love you." He whispered.