Savior (A Yogscast Fairytale)

Chapter 30

At the last second Lalna's hand moves, stabbing the knife into Zoey's arm. She screams in pain, and Lalna shoves her arm across her chest, smearing blood over it. He looks at me, his evil smile fading into remorse. "I wish I didn't have to do this, Rythian, I really do. She will wake up. But it will be too late then." He says. He touches Zoey's head, his hand glowing, and her eyes close. Lalna then unlocks the cell and unfreezes me. "Xephos is a tyrant. You have more allies than you think, Enderborn." At that, he slips the knife into my hand, running out of the dungeons. I sit for a second, thinking about what he said. Did Xephos force him to do this? And the more important question, why would Xephos order the death of his only child?

I crawl over to where Zoey lies on the ground outside my now-open cell. Her eyes are closed, but she is breathing softly. Barely enough to know that she's alive. And not enough for her to be alive much longer. I scream in rage, at Xephos, for ordering this, at Lalna, for carrying it out, and at myself, for not being able to do my job: protecting the princess. I throw the knife, and it sticks into a wall next to door, right before the door slams open. Lalna appears again, shooting me a sad look before turning to Xephos. "Look! He killed her!" He yells. I freeze, but in my mind, it all starts making sense. There is only one way that anyone can be hated universally by every kingdom, almost immediately. And that is by killing a beloved member of royalty. And Xephos just managed to frame me for doing just that.

There are two guards standing behind Xephos, and they run at me. I carefully set Zoey's body behind me, then my eyes flare purple. I am sick of all of this. To break the prophecy, I have to marry Zoey. No one ever said I had to be in a kingdom, or loyal to one. One of them raises his sword, and I attack, smiling as my magic hits him in the chest, throwing him backwards. His head hits the wall, and he sinks to the ground, out cold. The other guard raises his sword as well, then surprises me by turning and clonking the king on the head, knocking him out. He removes his helmet, and I see a glint of blond hair. "Rythian, get Zoey. We're getting out of here." Hannah says, putting the helmet back on ad running toward the door.

Lalna puts a hand out, stopping her and me. "I'll get Zoey, pretend to have arrested Rythian. It will be easier to escape if it seems like we aren't on Rythian's side." He says. I have to say, it feels weird having Lalna on our side. He seems like a bit of a backstabber, so I really don't want to trust him. But right now, I have to. So I carefully pick up Zoey, watching as Lalna takes her from my arms with equal care. I put my hands together, and Hannah cuffs them, grabbing the chain that connects the cuffs. Then we walk out of the dungeons.

"Make way for Prince Lalna!" Ravs yells as we pass. Lalna reaches the infirmary and stops, smiling. "Get Minty. Tell her that it's time." He says. Hannah pulls me into the ward, where Minty is waiting. "It's time." Hannah says. Minty smiles. "Good luck. I have to stay here, but don't worry. Hannah and Lalna will tell me what happens when they return." She says, slipping something into my hand. I clutch it tightly, and we leave the room. Lalna takes us to the gates, and we step outside. The guards eye me warily, but let us pass. We disappear into the forest, and Hannah takes off the cuffs. Lalna hands me Zoey, and I hug her to me. "Go to Martyn and Toby. They know what to do. Goodbye, Rythian Enderborn." Hannah says, walking away. As soon as she disappears into the trees, Lalna's smile drops and he walks toward me. I instinctively walk backward, hitting a tree.

His face takes on a sad quality. "I'm sorry. The prophecy twisted the story to me. I thought that you were the evil one, trying to take the girl I was madly in love with. When Nilesy told me the truth, I snapped out of it. Although," he adds, glancing at Zoey, "she is quite pretty. I'm sorry. After you  two get married, please come back. It should be safe, because the curse will be broken." I arch an eyebrow, and he sighs. "Has no one ever told you?" I shake my head, and Lalna smiles once again. "I guess I get to do the honors. None of us can lead normal lives. We are tormented by pain, constantly. We learn to hide it at a very young age, and the magic helps a little bit. But Zoey has it the worst. She hears things, things no one else can. Little voices of things, whispering, waiting for her to give in. That's what happened to her grandmother. This prophecy is enacted every other generation. And every time, the princess's father was able to prevent the mage from ever meeting the princess. He often died at a young age. I believe the most recent one, two generations ago, was only two when he was killed in the Great Fire." Lalna is silent, and I think about the stories I read in the castle library about the fire. It was a truly amazing fire, coming up out of nowhere to wipe out almost all of Sips and Sjin's kingdom, and a lot of Lalna's. Thousands of civilians died that day, and the fire was thought to be an accident. "The king was the one who started that fire, with magic. Beware, for Zoey's sake, of what Xephos can do. You were supposed to die when you were three, to fall victim to a plague in Lalna's kingdom. But you weren't there. Instead, you were saving Zoey. And the moment you met, the prophecy knew that it had a chance to be fulfilled." Lalna walks away, leaving me alone in the silent forest. I look at the spot where he once stood until the light starts fading from the forest. Then I turn, walking to Martyn and Toby's camp, and whatever lies beyond it.