Tales of the Children in Mavis Grove

The Tale of Lily and Kio (II)

Eight years past and they meet again.

This time in a prison.

Lily got herself cornered and recognizing Kio, she let herself get captured to return his keepsake to him. Lily Coranti did not like to borrow things for too long.

When she gave him back his keepsake, Kio couldn't believe his eyes. He had found the night stalker that he owed his life to. He remembered his debt and to repay it, he decided to help her escape.

When she escaped, he told her that the next time they meet they would be enemies. Lily did not say anything at first and when Kio turned to leave, Lily told him thank you and that he could keep her necklace.

Hearing her words, Kio realized that he had fallen for her eight years ago. He did not want to kill her. He promised her that he would be king of the dawn treaders and bring peace between their races.

Lily only nodded and left him.

Lily decided that if he did become king, she should endeavor become the Makir of the night stalker tribes. She doubted that the current Makir would be so friendly with dawn treaders.

And so, a promise was made.

After seven years, the two succeeded. 

With enormous effort, Kio finally became head of the military and in extension, king of the dawn treader society with Trent Licen as his right hand man.

Lily had to fight many other Makir hopefuls like herself and with luck, skill and cunning, she had bested her rival, Mazdur Elrohir and Lily was decared the first woman Makir of the night stalker tribes.

When the two announced their intention to make peace between the night stalkers and the dawn treaders, it was inevitable that they would be met with intense protests.

But in the night stalker society, a Makir's words were law. The night stalkers could only obey, it was tradition and until someone can best Lily in combat and kill her, they could do nothing else.

With the dawn treaders, Kio managed to convince the people to give the night stalkers a chance and they agreed reluctantly, knowing that Kio is a good man and his words can always be trusted.

The King and Makir met on neutral grounds and Kio could only smile as he saw Lily being the Makir.

They stayed in the neutral grounds for five days and five nights, discussing the differences of the two cultures and eventually, finding a compromise that the two races could agree on.

However, a lightning bolt strikes.

While the two rulers were negotiating and mediating arguments between other night stalker and dawn treader representatives, their guardians were slayed quickly and efficiently so as not to warn the negotiating parties.

They were completely overwhelmed by the coup. The representatives were killed except Lily and Kio and they were restrained but not after incapacitating several of the coup's fighters.

Trent and Mazdur revealed themselves as the ones behind the rebellion. They were brothers from a lost kingdom that was ravaged by the great war between the night stalkers and the dawn teaders.

They wanted to see both races burn and kill each other and experience the same pain they did when their home was destroyed.

Kio tried to explain that they were going to destroy innocent lives just for revenge.

"INNOCENT!?" Trent snapped. "We are all guilty, Kio Faitlin!"

"And we all have to pay." Mazdur sneered.

The two kept Lily and Kio alive to fulfill their sick plan. All they had to do was claim the night stalker Makir tried to kill their king and vice versa, and voila. Old flames will be reignited and all they had to do was execute them in the right time with just enough witnesses.

Kio had to die first, the brothers decided and Kio could only watch as something stabbed through his chest but all he saw was the terror in Lily's eyes.