Royal Flower

Chapter Two

Reese was muttering all the way back to the Red Phoenix hideout. The other members had left before him, accepting that their leader was dead.

Reese had his fists clenched as he remembered Flora's face. She had looked like a mad woman, as if killing his father had quenched her thirst. He was fuming, his eyes blazing with fury that could rival with Flora's eyes as she killed his father. He was even angry at the Azalea princesses. Sure, they hadn't been the ones to kill his father, but they had the nerve to just stand there and watch.

The Azaleas weren't just royalty, all of them had some sort of magic. Reese thought back to when the flowers bloomed around his father, and then the pyre was magically set ablaze. He bit his lip. Everyone saw the Azaleas as the lovely royals who protected the kingdom, but they were wrong.

His father had told him that Azalea magic would one day wreak havoc. Even with Basil dead, there were still nine of them. The citizens would be no match for Azalea magic if even one of the Azaleas lost control of their magic. People were just too blind to realize that, but his father did. Ever since that day, it has been known to all of the Red Phoenix members that the Azaleas must die for what's best for the kingdom. True, killing off the whole monarchy would also create chaos and disorder, but it would still be better than to wait for the day when their elemental magic would go out of control and destroy everything.

Reese finally returned to the hideout, a small cave in the forests that led to the large underground home. When he closed the door, everyone immediately stopped talking. Reese took no notice of this until a man around his father's age stood up and said, "We are sorry for your loss, Reese."

Reese froze in his steps and turned to see Bryan, a good friend of his father. Reese replied, his voice cracking slightly, "Thank you, Bryan."

"Your father was a good man," Bryan's wife, Tania, added. "He got rid of King Basil, and he died an honorable death." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"You mean being burned at the stake is an honorable death?" Reese unintentionally asked in a cold tone.

"What I'm trying to say is that Raymond was a good leader, but now that he is no longer with us, we follow you now," Tania explained herself.

Reese gasped and looked at everyone. They all nodded and muttered agreements among each other. Reese then asked, "Me? Surely there is someone else here that would do a better job."

"No, Reese. This is what your father would have wanted, and we have no objections," Tania smiled lightly.

At that moment, the cold feeling on his heart temporarily disappeared. He was touched that the other members now respected him. They chose to put their faith in him, and no one else.

However, that warm feeling soon vanished and was replaced by bitterness. He found himself saying, "We must take out Queen Flora." Everyone cheered at their new leader's decision. Reese then continued, "But the Azalea security is strong. We will not be able to even touch the queen as we are now."

Everyone then sighed, realizing that Reese was right. They may be a rebel group, but they were currently no match for the Azalea knights. It took years for Raymond and his friends to even gather members to join his cause. It was only a matter of luck and bravery that Raymond managed to kill King Basil, who had wielded lightning.

Reese clenched his fists. He glanced at the other members. Most of the people here were not capable of taking a life. Only a few members could fight on the same level as his father did, but even then killing an Azalea wouldn't be easy. Reese believed he could kill an Azalea if it came down to it, but he had never killed one before. He couldn't take the chance of storming the castle and losing more lives. He could never forgive himself if that happened.