The Blood King's Bride

Elena slowly opened her eyes, trying to get her surroundings. She tried to move, but the

pains that racked her body caused her to wince, advising her to remain in the position she was in. "Elena? Elena, it's me." A voice said to her. She tried to move her head, but it was

impossible. She could only stare straight at the tent ceiling.

Noticing her dilemma, the voice owner bent to look properly at her. Elena started crying

once she saw the face; the tears came out slowly before they poured down like a flood. "Calhoun!" Elena said, her voice hoarse.

"Yes, darling. It's me." He answered. He had also teared up; the joy surrounding his heart was encompassing.

"I thought... I thought you were gone."

"You stupid girl." Calhoun said, gently removing a tendril of hair from her face. "That

isn't enough to kill me. I am the blood king remember? I might not have been as strong as Firoza, but that doesn't mean I can't protect myself from attacks. I have powers too."

Elena smiled and sniffed, dragging her gaze across his face. "I was so scared. I thought I would never see you again."

"If I had died, you would have felt it through the bond."

"I tried tagging you through it, but you didn't respond."

"I was unconscious then, but not dead. I got out of it pretty quickly and I assisted you despite being buried under."

"I should have known." Elena said, thinking back to their fight. "I was suddenly able to fly on air."

"That's thanks to me." Calhoun said, grinning.

"I wish I could move my body, but everywhere hurts." Elena said with a wince.

"I know." Calhoun replied, frowning. "When I saw you bloodied on the field next to

Firoza, I was so scared. You were hurt badly."

"I can tell. What of Firoza? Have you all dealt with her body?"

"We were waiting for you to wake up." Calhoun answered, adjusting himself so it would

be easier for her to see his face. "We want to burn her body. We don't want any repeat of her disappearing and regaining strength again."

"For how long was I unconscious?"

"Ten days."

"Over a week?" Elena exclaimed. "Wow. That's long."

"You're saying. Imagine how I felt."

Elena grinned. "I'll make it up to you once I regain my strength."

"Of course you will." Calhoun said with an evil smirk.

"What about Slovic's body?"

"It's been carried away. He was the one that was controlling the non-Allikans, so his death freed them."

The thought of the non Allikans reminded Elena of her father, and she frowned, sadness radiating off her.

"What's wrong?" Calhoun asked her, worried.

"I killed my father, Calhoun."

"You know that wasn't your fault."

"Had I been a bit slower, I would have been able to knock him out."

"Or you would have been killed." Calhoun countered. "You were just regaining your

strength from an attack. All your senses would have been on alert."

Elena remained silent. "You know what scares me the most?" she asked after a while. "What?"

"Apart from guilt, I don't feel anything else. No anger or sorrow. Just plain guilt. Does that make me a bad person? Shouldn't my reaction be more than I am expressing?" "Darling," Calhoun said. "What else do you expect to feel? That man wasn't even in your life since the time you were born."

"It was not his fault..."

"That doesn't change the fact, that for almost all your life, you didn't know him and neither did he. To you, he is basically a stranger."

Silence enveloped their tent, and the only sounds heard were of the bustling happening outside the room.

"He thanked me." Elena said, knowing that he would understand who she was talking about. "Then he apologized."

"See? He doesn't blame you." Calhoun said, gently caressing her forehead. "So do not blame him. If it makes you feel better, you can give him a befitting burial."

"I would. Thank you so much love." Calhoun bent down and kissed the side of her lips. "Your uncle wished to see you once you wake up. But I'd rather you rest a little more. Let me go look for something you can eat."

Elena smiled, then sighed once she felt him leave the room. There was finally peace in all the lands.

A few days passed since Elena woke up. She was slowly regaining her strength, and she could finally sit up and walk a few meters from her bed. Her husband had been assisting her whenever she wanted to clean herself up. At first, she felt embarrassed, but that was completely flushed out when he reminded her that they had done much worse than him escorting her to ease herself. After saying that, the evil smirk he had plastered on his face caused her not to bring the topic up again.

Wazir had come at different times to see her. He told her how he had been boasting to others that he was the one who had trained her and how proud he was that his niece had defeated the Allikans and Firoza. Elena simply smiled, telling him that there was no way he would have done it without their help. She asked after her grandfather, and he replied that he was still recovering. The war had taken a heavy toll on him, and he would not be doing any fighting for a

while. Elena felt bad for her grandfather, but he was alive, which was what mattered. The day Elena looked at her appearance, she winced in pain. Several parts of her skin had been burnt off, and her face had a very huge scar caused by Firoza's last attack. She wasn't a vain girl, but the injuries she suffered were enough to make her a bit conscious of herself. "In the blood kingdom, we admire women with scars." Calhoun said when he noticed her worry, kissing her wounds one by one. "It shows that they are strong women, who cannot be easily detained. Our female warriors would look up to you like a god now."

"You don't care about the wounds?" Elena asked him.

"Darling, to me you are even more beautiful. These scars would go. But for the ones that remains, they would remind me day after day, throughout our lives together, that I married a powerful woman." He gently kissed her lips. "I have never been more proud, or honored." He whispered.

"Thank you." She said, relieved.

"No thank you," he countered. "For being with me."

Several more days passed. Calhoun had decided to burn the body of Firoza and Slovic. He decided on the date because Elena was finally strong enough to appear in front of all the warriors. Once Elena left the tent, accompanied by her husband, who she leaned on, all the soldiers and warriors on the field erupted in shouts of praise and victory. They hailed her as she walked amidst them, singing praises with her name. Elena blushed through the whole ordeal, but she was pleased.

When she reached the front of the crowd, she met her grandfather, who was being

assisted by Wazir. She quickly walked towards him, not minding the slight pains in her body and started crying. She didn't know how much she had been worried for her grandfather until she saw him. Her grandfather opened his arms wide, and she walked into his embrace. "My daughter," he said, caressing her back as he laughed proudly. "I am so proud of you. Severely." She broke away from their hug to look at him and saw the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Grandfather..."

"How I wish your mother was here to see us. She would by no doubt be extra proud of

you." He said, grinning proudly. "My granddaughter, not only defeated the most powerful being,

but also saved us from their mind clutches." He said, gently raising both his hands and placing them on her shoulder.

"You are a hero. The four kingdoms will forever have your name written in their history books." He quickly wiped the tears that had managed to fall from his eyes.

"Go now. Do what you have come here to do."

Elena didn't know what to say to her grandfather. Overwhelmed with the love he felt for her, she simply went with her heart and leaned to kiss his face.

"Thank you," she whispered. "So much." He grinned and nudged her to her earlier goal. The crowd gathered to watch the final end of their enemy. While Slovic's body had

started to decay, Firoza's body remained the way it was. Her eyes were now closed, but the black vein lines on her face hadn't receded. She looked at peace, and Elena wondered how someone that evil could look so innocent.

Slovic and Firoza's body had been placed on a pike, and Calhoun quickly lit it up. The

whole crowd joined then to watch their bodies disintegrate, watching as what had caused them severe loss and damage burned to ash.

When their bodies were totally gone, the crowd remained silent. Then they erupted in shouts of victory.

Calhoun walked back to his tent with his wife. She had gotten tired from over-exerting herself, so she had to lean on him throughout their journey back. Once they arrived at the tent,

Elena quickly laid down on their make-shift bed and fell asleep.

The next day, Wazir came to visit her. Elion was just finishing her meeting with Elena

when Wazir came in.

"I'll see you later. I have to go check on my warriors." Elion said.

"Thank you so much again! I would make sure to see you all when I fully regain my strength."

Elion smiled at her, nodded at Wazir when he came in and quietly left the room.

"Hey," he said, taking a seat next to her. "How do you feel now?"

"I'm good." Elena replied, smiling. "The pains don't hurt as much now."

"Good. That's good." He said, nodding his head.

Calhoun suddenly walked into the tent. "Hey, good day." He said, greeting them both. "Hello." Wazir said, and Elena simply smiled. Calhoun walked over to his wife and

placed a kiss on her forehead. Satisfied, he took the other spot next to her and sat down. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you." Wazir started.

"What is it?" Elena said, curious.

"Just how where you able to defeat Firoza?"

Calhoun faced Elena to see her reaction. He had also been wondering how she knew Elena's weakness.

"You know," she started. "I heard a voice while I was lying on the field, trying to regain

my strength as Slovic attacked me. The voice kept on screaming about how only I could end it and how a bet on me has been placed. I asked the voice how to defeat Firoza, and she said the answer has always been my sword. Only my sword can pierce through her body." The three of them turned to look at the weapon hung on the wall after removing it from Firoza's body. It had been cleaned till it shone, and it hung proudly where it was. Suddenly, just as Wazir was about to talk, the room was enveloped in white light. After protecting their eyes from whatever had appeared, they all stood alert, wary of the being who was in their room.

Wazir's eyes widened when he saw who had appeared.

"You?" he exclaimed, surprised. The woman with flowing white hair and white eyes. She wore a flowing black gown that accentuated her shape. When she finally landed on the ground,

the light receded. She was beautiful in an ethereal-looking way.

"My bet paid off at the end." She said. Elena's eyes widened, understanding what she

meant.

"You are the one who kept talking to me." She stated, not asking. The woman nodded. "You have lots of questions. I am here to answer them." She looked at every one of them intensely, then she started.

"Elena, your sword was the only thing that could kill Firoza, because it had been doused with the essence of a hundred souls."

"S-Souls?" Elena stammered. The woman stared, then continued.

"I used the souls of the member of the outlaw city who had died under Firoza. I had always known that the supreme being of the Allikans was planning something huge, but whenever I tried to look into it, it seemed impossible." she walked gracefully to the other end of the room, where she saw a stool and sat down.

"One day, I received a vision that I should appear in the Outlaw city. I came just as the

last couple killed themselves. I felt life, and saw Firoza in front of a tent, marvelling at what she had done. My guess, is that was her first mass killing. She was preparing herself for what was to come. But alas, she was not yet powerful, as the last living man saw her, and seeing her expression, regarded her as a witch and the cause of the death of everyone." The woman crossed her legs.

"You see, Firoza's weakness was metal. Anything iron causes severe wounds to her body. The man used a weapon made of metal to beat her, causing her to weaken. I was hoping that she could die from it, as someone that powerful wasn't meant to live. But you came along." She said, staring at Calhoun. "And you took her in. As you all left the city, that was when I had the vision I had been wishing to see; the beginning of the end." "There were two parts to it, and they all contained Elena as the main lead. One led to victory, and the other led too the downfall of everyone. It would have been a much longer route you all would have taken to gain victory, and so I decided to help in my own way. Through the vision, I gained insight that the only way to defeat Firoza, was to use a sword which has been cleansed with the essence of a hundred souls. The bodies of the outlaws proved to be a good advantage at that time, and so I did the ritual, changing the course of history." She sighed, looking thoughtful.

"It was a huge risk, leaving the sword I had created in that shop. If someone had bought it before you and figured out its uses, the world would have been in a much dangerous state. But I

had seen in my vision that you would be coming there, and I only had to hope. I am a seer, and

so there is a line to how much I can involve myself in people's destiny."

"Why did you tell me to defeat the Queen of Pres?" Wazir asked.

"All these started with her. It is only right that she dies too. Besides, it paved the way for

Elena's destiny; to combine the four kingdoms and rule as one."

"What?" Elena exclaimed. The woman peered at her intensely. "Your father has placed a royal decree, that at his death, you are to be crowned the next ruler of the kingdom of Neba. He wouldn't have lasted anyway. He was going to end his life after he came out of the curse and realized what he had done."

The woman sighed, then stood up from where she sat. "With your husband and your uncle's help, it should be much easier for you to achieve it. All the kingdoms are in turmoil. It's about time they become under one ruler."

The woman started to leave before Elena immediately stopped her. "Who are you?" she asked. It was the only thing she had been able to say properly since the woman's appearance. She looked at Calhoun and replied, "I am the direct descendant of the Blood seer." She replied, then disappeared.

Wazir and Elena turned to look at Calhoun. "Do you know what she meant?" Wazir asked him. Calhoun sighed, dragging a hand over his face.

"That is a long story, one I would rather tell another day." He looked at Wazir. "So you know her? This lady?"

Sheepish, Wazir scratched the back of his head. "That too is another story. That is how

she is though. Always appearing and disappearing whenever she likes. I am sure this is not the

last we would see of her."

"Yeah, I surmised." Elena said. Then she sighed, leaning on her husband.

"So my journey hasn't ended, rather it's just beginning."

Calhoun bent to kiss her on her forehead. "Remember, I am with you always."

"We," Wazir corrected.

"Yes us," Calhoun agreed, gently caressing her arms. "We are with you every step of the

way."

Elena smiled, grateful for their support. Not too long ago, she was less than a servant,

living in her father's castle. Now, she not only has friends and family but citizens who adore her.

She couldn't be happier.

Epilogue

Two months later...

It was finally the D-day for Elena and Calhoun's wedding. It has been two months since

the warriors and soldiers of the Blood kingdom and the Kingdom of Neba all returned to their kingdoms, respectively. When Elena and her husband arrived back in the Kingdom, the people shouted in joy, chanting cheers of victory. Elena felt overwhelmed by the praise. She wasn't used to that many people liking her.

The past king and queen of Neba welcomed her with open arms. They had heard about what had taken place on the field, and they were extremely proud. A vigil was held for the

warriors who had lost their lives in battle, and a monument with their names on it was erected in their favour. Families of the late warriors were taken under the care of the Royal family. Once they finally had some private time to themselves, Calhoun didn't waste any more time and immediately started to ravish her. He missed her; immensely. As he held her tightly in

his arms, he poured out the fear, the desperation, the pride and the anger he felt on the field. He

was relieved that, in the end, his love was okay.

They were both okay.

The preparations to start leading the four kingdoms started almost immediately. As Elena

was now connected to the three of them, the only one she thought she might have a problem with

was the Kingdom of Tush. Surprisingly, their king gave up without a fight. The fight with Firoza had apparently traumatized him.

Elion and Aaron started to build their small Kingdom of Balaksa. They decided to build it

in the forest surrounding the King's Castle, as the Balaksa were originally the guards of the blood

king.

Calhoun gave his wife more power than he usually did when they were in the early stages of their marriage. Then, he was afraid that she wouldn't be able to take the bulk of it and that she wasn't strong enough. Still, Elena had proved to herself time and time again that she was not to be overestimated. Because they spent most of their time working, Calhoun's mother suggested having a wedding. She said that though Elena's family never said anything, they would wish to attend their daughter's wedding. Calhoun didn't have a problem with it, and shyly, so did Elena. Satisfied, the queen proposed a date sooner than they had expected. Invitations were sent out to the King and Queen of Neba, Wazir, Mac, and a few other officials in the Kingdom. Some other officials in Pres were formally invited to her wedding, and the same was said for the Kingdom of Tush. Elion and Forest helped her prepare for the wedding, and it was fun watching Forest panic more than she did. Forest had grown more beautiful, even mature, since the war's end. He was now a beauty, and women drooled wherever they saw him. Forest, of course, enjoyed the praise, but she and Elion suspected a woman whose praise Forest liked more than others. They

had teased him about it several times, but he brushed it off, blushing heavily. When the day for the wedding arrived, the castle was filled to the brim. Elena had her grandmother, Elion and Forest with her.

"Oh my dear," her grandmother said, wiping off her tears. "I always hoped that this day

would come. I didn't think it would come any sooner."

Elena hugged her grandmother. "You know, you can come over anytime you want.

Calhoun's mother is probably tired of her husband following her around, and you both seemed to

hit it off once you met each other."

"Yes. Surprisingly we have a lot in common." They both giggled. There was a knock on

the door, and Elion opened it, inviting the visitor inside.

"Mac!" Elena exclaimed once she saw who it was. Mac walked over to her, teary-faced,

and enveloped her in a hug.

"Oh, my dear. I can't believe I am not going to see you again." He said. Elena found herself tearing up. When she left the Kingdom of Pres, Mac was the first father figure she had. He had a special place in her heart, and that was why she helped him broaden his restaurant, "RED QUEEN," in all the four kingdoms. The restaurant never lacked customers and was the most popular in all the kingdoms. Mac had changed from being the restaurant owner of a building on the verge of collapse to being the richest restaurant owner ever. One could even see his wealth pouring off him in the attire he wore and the way he had fattened up tremendously. "Your restaurant is now in all the kingdoms, you can always have an excuse to visit. Whenever I also come to Neba, I would make sure to make a stop at your restaurant too." "It's our restaurant. You own it just as much as I do." Mac said, smiling proudly.

"Okay guys," Forest called out. "It's time. Let's start moving."

Mac hugged Elena for one last time, and her grandmother placed a kiss on her forehead, then they both left the room. She remained where she was, trying to curb her nervousness. Then when she had gotten most of it under control, Elion and Forest escorted her to the main hall. They handed her over to her grandfather, who would walk her down the aisle. "You are beautiful." He whispered to her, pride in his eyes. Blushing, Elena thanked him. The music began, and her grandfather gave her his arm, which she gently held unto. They slowly walked down the aisle, and Elena saw the faces of the friends she had made and her family; she saw her grandmother, Mac, even old man Porv. Her eyes widened when she saw him, and he passed her a discreet wink. Some of the officials from Pres were also there, like Cotan Loki and his son, Afang Loki. They bowed to her once her gaze passed them. She saw other friends she had made in the blood kingdom, and finally, she saw her husband. He was majestic in his traditional suit. Elena had always thought him broodingly handsome, but now, she knew that was an understatement. The way he looked at her caused her

to blush profusely. Knowing her husband, she already knew what was going on in his mind.

Her grandfather handed her over to Calhoun and went back to join his wife.

Calhoun's father was the one to lead the ceremony, and he smiled at her once she reached

the altar.

Once he started all the formal sayings one does at a wedding, Calhoun looked at her intensely, holding her hands in his and whispered,

"I love you."

She smiled, trying to hold in her tears, as she replied, "I love you too."

And at the end of the day, when all was said and done, she again became, The Blood

King's Bride.

THE END.

BONUS