Between Five to Six AM.
When the sun didn't rise but the birds began chirping when the night fury was still covering the sky, but the people with a few pennies in their hands or a lifetime of loyalty were forced to leave their warm mattresses.
There was an eerie silence around...
A silence that alarms the disaster.
The prison guards yawned as they groggily strode inside the prison while fixing their belts. They took over the position of the night guards as the night guards yawned and strode out of the prison to have their cup of sleep.
Three of the guards halted in front of a particular prison and arrogantly stared at the huge man kneeling on the dirty ground, tied with shackles. One of the guards throatily chuckled before spitting on the side.
"Look at this cocky bastard. He thought he had us, huh?"
All three of them began to laugh while looking at him.
Their laughs echo in all the ten directions of the prison. "Let's beat him to a pulp. This way, we can exercise and stretch our muscles." One of them snorted and extended his hand towards the guard that was guarding the prison room in which Luan was held.
"You can not touch him again without the prince's order." The guard said and all three of them looked at each other before breaking into a laugh, a nullified sound coming from their chest as they laughed.
The young boy who was guarding the prison was yanked forward by his collar.
"Stop looking at us as if we're doing something wrong." One of the three guards said and yanked the key out of his pants pocket before pushing him away as he stumbled back and fell on the ground, flat on his ass.
"What a loser, now we are hiring weaklings. Explains why the kingdom is fucked up." All three of them snickered arrogantly and stepped inside the prison. They closed the prison door behind them and surrounded Luan whose head was low all this time.
"Are you dying?" The second guard asked but was badly ignored. At the moment they were feeling like a god, thinking of the man in front of them as nothing but a peasant.
"Say something, little shit." The first one smacked him on the head and before their filthy hands could touch him again, he effortlessly rose to his full length as if he wasn't forced by the shackles to kneel down. "Where are his wounds?" The third one asked in a sudden panic.
All of their eyes widened as they examined his huge body before they crooked their heads up to look at him.
"What did you call me?" Ragnar asked, peering down at the man with his head low.
The young boy stood up from the dusty ground and dusted off his clothes while wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. While he was just in pain, the door of the prison creaked open.
He thought they came out faster than expected but when he turned his head to the right to look at them, his pupils slowly dilated as a shiver of fear ran down his spine.
Ragnar stood at the door, his huge silhouette covering the boy's whole existence. He was drenched in fresh blood, but that blood didn't belong to him because he looked completely unscathed. Even the wounds from last night were healed to the point as if they never existed. He quietly peered down at the now trembling boy before quietly passing by him.
His mere existence made the huge prison look small. The young boy couldn't stop him, heck, he couldn't even utter a word let alone think of anything. Once he was gone from his sight, the young boy immediately turned to look inside the prison because he couldn't hear the three who went inside.
What he saw next made him fall back on the ground with a cry. All three of them were ripped to pieces with their heads in each corner of the prison room and their eyes almost popping out of their sockets as they stared right at the boy.
The sun hasn't hit the castle yet, but the fire has begun to extinguish the castle from within.
The boy stood up on his trembling legs and started to run out of the prison but on his way, all he saw were dead bodies of the guards scattered around. Though, they were in one piece unlike the three of them. Tears streamed down his eyes, he tried to breathe but he didn't stop running.
All he saw were dead bodies on his way.
He needed to reach the alarming drums.
Ragnar walked out of the castle, his long nails were extended and were covered in blood. Splashes of blood were all over his pale skin. He walked to the main doors of the castle but not a single guard standing there panicked after seeing him.
Instead of panicking, all of them bowed at him.
The head of the guards approached him.
The same man who helped Sasha to find the child. "My Lord." He bowed in front of Ragnar. "They are here." He said and Ragnar nodded at him. He had a blank look on his face but his eyes were glinting in exciting evil.
Just as the guard said this, a huge quantity of men began to jump down on the castle ground by climbing the huge wall from outside. All of them were wearing black cloaks with their pale faces covered with a napkin, only their eyes were exposed. They bowed at Ragnar as one of them approached him.
"My Lord." He bowed at him.
He looked like the leader of the troop.
He had dark black long hair which was braided back in many stripes. He had pale skin. He possessed golden eyes but his face was covered. His gait was screaming dominance even when he stood in front of his lord. His height was the same as Ragnar's.
"Mason, did I make you wait too long?" Ragnar asked and he lightly shook his head but in a slow motion. "No, patience brings more ecstasy." He muttered and Ragnar snickered.
"Then you are free, set the havoc to your liking."
"I won't disappoint."
Ragnar smirked and turned towards the castle as the large gates of the castle were opened behind him by his men. The guards guarding the castle from outside were the only ones who were here with him all the time. They even went inside the castle with him to cause destruction. The ones inside and the ones at the borders were still the loyal dogs of the kingdom. They soon would be set free from slavery.
"See you soon, my Lord," Mason said and turned towards the open gates where his troop stood in huge manpower.
"Let's have some fun," Mason whispered under his breath and twisted his neck while smirking under his mask.
*******************
The morning light was peeking through the curtains but the sun was yet to rise.
Sasha's eyes snapped open as her whole body jolted upon hearing a faint shrill scream coming from outside her window. She abruptly sat up on her bed and looked out her window. Without a second thought, she shuffled out of the bed and stumbled towards the window. She roughly drew the curtains away and looked outside.
Her pupils dilated and her eyes widened in sheer shock as her throbbing orbs stared at the horror before her. Fire...smoke was rising from every other corner of the city, the market before the castle was in the same condition. Screams...she could hear horrifying screams of her people.
Where were the royal guards?
She abruptly opened the window, injuring her hand in the process but that went completely unnoticed by her. Her eyes were wide and her heart was thumping in her ears, it was banging against her ribcage, ready to burst out. She moved forward and looked at the main gates of the castle.
"Ha...ha..."
Her wide eyes turned red in tears when the traumatizing scenery fell before her eyes. The royal guards, their dead bodies were merged together forming a mountain of dead with their bodies, one over another as the whole ground was covered with blood as if the slaughtering happened there. It seemed like it was happening for a while now and all of them were unaware...or was she the only one?
Tears streamed down her eyes...as she stepped back while shaking her head.
"Father...Mother...Leo...Wynter...the baby...granny...my p-people. W-Who?" She was in so much shock that she completely went numb. Her mind stopped processing as she stayed rooted to her spot while staring at her kingdom burn. The terrifying screams of her people were taken over by her wild heartbeat.
Her surroundings turned hazy.
She needed to pull herself together...
She needed to...
"Ahhhh."
She flinched when she heard a manly scream coming from within the castle. Before she knew it, her body was moving on its own. She threw her armor on herself and grabbed her sword but before she could leave her eyes went onto something besides her pillow.
Something that went unnoticed by her.
Walking up to her bed, she grabbed the rose with her trembling hands that were placed beside her pillow along with a small piece of paper. Her hands were trembling uncontrollably when she opened the paper.
'Surprise, my little missy.'
"Little missy." Her lips trembled when she read that. Fury like never before coursed through her whole body as she crumpled the paper and threw it in the corner of the room. She ripped the flower apart and threw it on the floor, aggressively stepping on it several times.
Her breath turned rugged.
"I will kill you, you arsehole." She gritted and dashed out of her room. Her fury began to merge with sheer sadness.
Anger.
Sorrow.
Fear.
Guilt.
Whatnot.
Her heart was ripping apart with each dead body she passed by. She was dying second by second as she passed by each one of them. Every other corridor was filled with dead bodies.
Maids, and guards, were found dead in each corner. She even checked on a few, who looked better in condition than others to see if they were still alive but unfortunately, none of them were.
Her anxiety was growing.
Her hands were trembling.
Did the alarming drums not ring?
She ran up to the alarming drums and saw a young guard lying dead right next to it. His eyes were wide open. It seemed like he was here for the alarms. Sasha walked up to the drums and kneeled down next to the boy. With her trembling hands, she closed his eyes.
Tears stream down her eyes.
A sob tore through her lips.
No.
It was a roar filled with mixed emotions.
She stood up on her trembling legs and grabbed the drum bats. Though, it was too late for that but the fight began from here. She raised her teary eyes, they were filled with anger and sadness as she stared at her burning kingdom. She raised the bats and banged it against the drums. The loud sound echoed in the surroundings, taking over the screams as it roared in the surroundings.
The sound of footsteps from behind her, had her dropping the bats as she unsheathed her sword and turned around. Her eyes flew wide and soon turned teary when she saw the people from her troop. They were covered in blood.
They were attacked out of nowhere.
They either had a mole in their kingdom or the enemy was stronger than their imagination.
"They are not humans." One of the guys from the troops said.
"What are they?" Sasha asked for the confirmation.
"Vampires."
"That Luan is their king."
Her eyes flew wide.
Not even a vampire but a vampire king.
They had a king?
Didn't they become extinct dynasties ago?
They were hiding all this time among humans.
"Where are the others?" Sasha asked as all of them ran downstairs. Their silence was enough to answer her question. She tripped on her numb legs but the guard helped her up. She was losing her mind. She was desperate but didn't even know where to start saving her people.
Things were almost out of her hands but she forced herself together.
"Where is the King and the Crown prince?" Sasha asked.
"Along with the higher-ups, they are being held hostages in the main hall." It was like a bomb was dropped right on her. Her whole existence rattled in shock when those words entered her ears. They were being held hostage, the king was being held hostage...that alone was screaming the great disaster they were falling in.
"The queen?" She asked,
"Most of them are in the secret underground room."
"What about the borders?"
"Taken over by the enemies."
Sasha decided to help the remaining people evacuate the kingdom through the secret passage. As long as the king or the crown prince were alive, the land was still there to come back to.
"You three will guide them through the secret passage and lead them to the safe house. Stay there and protect them."
She ordered.
Soon all of them reached the secret room in the undergrounds of the castle while Sasha made sure no one was following them. Upon entering the room, the first thing she saw was her mother being surrounded by maids and servants.
Her right arm was clawed so badly to the point that meat chunks were dangling. Sasha's wide eyes stared at her mother as she ran up to her and kneeled down in front of her. Barely looking at the wound. The pain Scarlet was going through was undeniable
Sasha was on the verge of tears but she didn't let a single one fall because her people were watching her. A physician was standing beside her mom, trying to wrap her wounds even though he had nothing good enough to wrap that heinous wound with.
Her mother caressed her cheek. Although tears were streaming down her cheeks, she still smiled at Sasha. "I-I'm sorry." Sasha breathed in a broken voice. Scarlet shook her head at Sasha. Her mouth was tightly sealed, she was afraid a painful cry might tear out of her lips and drown her daughter in the sorrow of guilt.
On Sasha's order, the group inside the secret room walked through the secret passage that would lead them to the safe place specially designed for these kinds of outbreaks. There her mother might get treated since they had resources stored in the secret house.
Sasha went to her brother's Chamber.
Her mother told her that Wynter and Granny were still there.
Strangely all she saw were dead bodies, she didn't come against a single enemy. Her brother's Chamber was in the same bad condition and she prayed that the two of them along with the baby were alright.
When she reached the room, her eyes flew wide when a little cry fell on her ears, she burst through the door and saw the baby along with Wynter and Granny on the floor.
A baby?
He was crying.
Sasha took a deep shaky breath and walked up to them, she put her sword on the floor and grabbed the wet and blooded baby in her hands. Tears began to stream down her eyes when she found the baby all healthy unlike what the healers were saying.
But his mother.
Wynter's lower half was drenched in blood as if she forcefully pushed the baby out of her. Sasha held the baby closer to her chest and before she could straighten Wynter's body, her eyes went to Wynter's hand that was on the floor.
She wrote something on the floor with her blood.
"He made us pro---"
Sasha's ears began to ring as she stared at it for the longest of times.
'He made us proud.'
Tears were streaming down her wide red eyes as she straightened Wynter and checked her pulse with her trembling hands. A sob escaped her lips when she didn't feel her pulse.
The enemy didn't come here and that was the reason, the baby was still alive. Wynter had no wounds on her indicating that she died while pushing the baby out. Why was the old lady fainted on the floor like that?
Sasha couldn't stop her tears.
She was barely holding onto the strings that were keeping her sane. She tried to wake the granny up and after a few shakes to her body, the granny finally woke up and was left flabbergasted by the scene before her.
The old lady told her that Wynter was trying to run out to Leo once she came to know that Leo was caught. The old lady tried to stop her but Wynter pushed her away and ended up falling herself as well but the granny fainted once she got knocked against the cupboard..
The old lady cried with sobs and blamed herself for this. They made Wynter lay on the bed and covered her body with the blanket. Sasha wrapped the baby in his mother's shawl. She grabbed her sword and immediately left the room with Granny.
"You will go to the secret room with the baby. A guard will be standing there, he will guide you through the passage." Sasha told the granny. The granny nodded her head meekly as her wide, horrified eyes took in her surroundings.
"The baby must stay alive at all costs."
Sasha said upon reaching the end of the corridor.
"Cross this path and the stairs will lead you downstairs to the room," Sasha said and handed the baby to the granny. The old lady nodded and hurried away. Sasha stood there making sure no one came their way or even found the secret passage.
Once she was sure the granny reached her destination she made her way towards the main hall.
But...
Once she reached the huge gate, two tall men while wearing their guards uniform were standing on either side of the gate. Sasha first stared at them, wondering how they were alive but once she realized the true reality behind this, her face ashened even more.
Before she could attack them, they opened the huge gate. One of them grabbed her arm and harshly pushed her inside in less than a second. She came stumbling forward and almost fell on her face. While she barely grabbed her bearings...(that alone made her realize how strong they were) her eyes went straight to the throne and fury like never coursed through her veins.
She saw no one in there other than him.
Blood was splattered everywhere.
The disaster made the grand and luxurious hall look unrecognizable.
He was sitting on her father's throne.
His clothes were new and he was all in a fit and tidy outfit, unlike last night. His legs were spread wide and he was sitting like he owned the whole world. He silently stared at her ashened face. She already looked older than her age because of the stress she went through in a short span of time.
But her eyes were saying the opposite.
They were red in rage. She was breathing heavily as she strode her way up to him.
Her speed was fast.
He liked the gait as she walked in.
He liked the way she was looking at him.
He liked all of her.
Even the look of hatred she was giving him, he loved it all.
She looked rebellious...that was because she didn't know who she was standing against.
She didn't know what this man could do to her with a flick of his finger.
Today she would be given her first and most probably the last lesson.
"Where is my father and brother?"