Into the Darkness

Chapter Four

In the morning, I woke up, chained and I tasted blood down my lip. Chained? How am I in chains? Then my mind flashed back to last night where I was violently kidnapped.

"Open the door. I want to see the Princess." The husky voice said on the other side of the door. The door opened and I didn't look up.

"I finally caught you. You will make an amazing trophy next to your parents." He told me, coming closer. I gulped and sighed. He crouched down in front of me and he touched my chin. My breath became unsteady and he made me look at him. No way!

"I can't believe it." I smirked.

"What?" He wondered.

"You actually conquered something." I smiled wider.

"Shut up." He said.

"Well, there was legends back when the world was in peril under all of your attacking. It just amuses me after 60 years in mortal years, you actually conquered something. I'm impressed." I replied. He rolled his eyes and stood back up. His blue eyes averted to something bothering him.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yes." He smiled. I shrugged and adjusted myself.

"Just a little warning, tomorrow is your execution." He smirked. He walked out and I groaned. I sighed and tried thinking of something to do.

"Psst." I heard through the window above me. I raised and eyebrow and stood up. I turned in a uncomfortable position and got on my tippy toes.

"Hey. We're here to rescue you." James smiled. I sighed and chuckled.

"All you have to do is use your earth powers. This castle is made out of brick and earth." Candy instructed. I breathed and pulled. Footsteps came closer as an alarm of some sort went off. I pulled harder and the brick that held me, crumbled and guards came in.

"Stop!" One yelled. I whipped the chain around his neck and brought him toward me. I grabbed the end of the chain and pulled it till he choked to death. The other vanished in fear and I turned to my friends.

"Get on." Candy instructed. I mounted and clicked my tongue. Candy steered the horse through the trees and I raised an eyebrow.

"Where are we going?" I wondered. At that moment, I saw Tolken waiting at the gate, arms crossed and he had his glare on me. I groaned as soon as we stopped. I dismounted and passed him.

"What were you thinking?" He called, catching up to me.

"I thought there was a way out." I sighed, seeing people were watching me and him.

"Aaliyah. You got caught." He told me.

"No. I hadn't noticed." I said sarcastically.

"I'm serious." He said.

"So am I. I want to be away. So far, this isn't my fight. It's your guy's fight. I can't just have something suddenly thrown on me." I yelled. It got quiet and I breathed deeply.

"Do you know why it's your fight? Here's a little story. My son died because he got to close to the leader. No one has ever come out alive when he has captured them or killed them on the spot. It's what he does. I am surprised James and Candy came back alive. They risked their lives to come save you. You're the prize." He snickered.

"But I don't want to be here in this damn place. I want my life back. This is too much pressure for one person that just found out she is supposed to save the world. Okay, I didn't purposely come in here. No one told me anything about where I came from. My mother, the Queen here before he came, didn't leave me a note saying hey this is what you are and this what you have to do. I'm just not your puppet. What I am supposed to do while I am protected? You guys want me alive, I get it. But how am I supposed to save your world when I am just sitting around, being protected?" I raised my voice. He was speechless and I stood there waiting for him to answer me.

"You can't leave. The invisible wall will be gone until you finish your task of bringing back the light." He told me.

"So if I can't leave, what do I do?" I wondered.

"Practice your skills and work out war plans." He said.

"What war plans?" I wondered.

"It's a tradition to go into battle to reconquer our world. It takes a week to do so. And if it doesn't get conquered in that week, the leaders have to duel. Only one survives." He explained. I nodded and sighed.

"Why a week?" I wondered.

"First, we don't fight everyday. About four of the days in planning and healing. Kendall and Candy with James are the healers and the messangers. Kendall has been the messanger for a long time and Candy since she immortal and can't die, she is the healer. James in usually the war commander." Tolken sighed.

"So the messangers won't be hurt, right?" I wondered.

"Right. That's why we have Kendall in that spot. None of those three will be hurt. If your hurt, your far beyond Candy's experience and expertise." He responded.

"Then I guess I have to be careful." I gulped.

"Yes. My wife will take note of toughness of the material while making your war outfit." He smiled. I smiled and raised an eyebrow at the word outfit.

"We have the best material, Princess." She bowed.

"Well, we better get started on this skill and war planning." I sighed. Tolken waved me and James with him. I walked to the village townhouse that is abandoned.

"This is where we meet due to the fact it is the safest place. They don't expect us to be in here." Tolken told me. I nodded and there was a nice table in there. There was two regular chairs and one much better than the other two.

"That is your's." Tolken told me. I sat down in it and it felt right to be in the lead spot. Tolken rolled out a map of the world and I examined it.

"Why is there a black line on the map?" I wondered.

"You came in that way." He said.

"That is the invisible wall?" I raised an eyebrow and he nodded.

"That is also the divider between other villages. They are suffering right now. Most are starving and don't have enough money to pay for taxes. They are mostly homeless." James told me.

"Taxes?" I wondered.

"We have silver, bronze and gold pieces for our money. Those people used to be rich and living life better than today. When your parents died and he took over, taxes went up and they are really poor. Even we are richer than them." Tolken replied. My eyes started watering and I bit my lip.

"Aaliyah, are you okay?" James asked.

"Yes, go on." I sighed. They started telling me everything that happened in the past hundred years and Tolken handed me a handkerchief by the end of it.

"There is one place where we can practice your skills. He doesn't go there because there are rumors of really big wolves. But being me, I am really good friends with those wolves." James smiled.

"Okay but question? Where are we having this battle?" I wondered.

"Right here." Tolken pointed to a really big field between the castle and our forest.

"But first, we need to declare war." Tolken handed me a scroll. I opened it and looked it over. I smiled and nodded.

"I got this." I got up.

"It's dangerous." Tolken warned.

"I know. But I want to see his face." I sighed. He nodded and I walked out. I put up my hood and mounted my horse. Scarlet immediately took off and weaved through the trees. I came into the field and my mind turned to sadness.

'So many people are going to die here.' I thought to myself. We got to the other side and soon I was at the gate.

"Who are you?" A guard wondered.

"Just let me in and no one will get hurt." I responded. They got a frightened look on their faces and let me in. The streets of the castle town was very quiet and it made my trip faster. I came to the doorway and dismounted. I opened the door and saw him in the middle of a meeting.

"Who are you?" He wondered.

"Any of you and your lords come near me, I will cut off your head." I sighed, taking off my hood. Now I was face to face with Loki Laufeyson.