VALKYRIE

Chapter 20: Eric's POV

"Where are we going?" I asked, ready to follow Juno wherever she wanted me to go.

"I want to pay an old friend a visit," she smirked. "I think it's time we get the Light Leader out of that dungeon she's in."

A smile grew on my face. I was catching on. "We can confront him and defeat him, right then and there," I suggested.

"Not quite," Juno said, continuing to smirk. "The Earth realm is being attacked, too.  Let's get someone very important to help us out. The Valkyries are finished with being attacked. They might be able to help us battle our way through the Dark Castle," she said, then turned around.

"Who's with me?" She asked, rallying up the Valkyries. "You can get rid of every soldier you see. We need to bring his army numbers down to zero. So what do you say? Will you help me defeat the Dark Leader once and for all?" She coaxed, raising her fist in the air.

All the Valkyries roared their approval. I nodded, and shouted mine as well. I couldn't help but admire the bravery and nerve of Juno.

Once she started something, she never stopped until it was over, once and for all. I was so proud of how strong she was.

I loved her so much, and my feelings intensified every time she got a chance to show off her courage.

"Okay. We're going into the dungeon first, to get the Light Leader. Then we'll storm the castle and attempt to steal the necklace. We'll return it to the Light Leader, and she'll stop the Dark One. Then we can go back home and finally live a happy life," Juno ordered.

"Everyone, wait here until I get back with the Light Leader, then we can carry out our plan."

Juno beckoned to me, and we held hands. Her rose necklace glowed, and we fell through an endless pit of darkness with a single tunnel of light at the end.

We crashed into the ground, and lay there for a while, sore. I only stood up when I heard a woman's voice, soft and melodic.

"What are you doing here?" Asked the Light Leader. Juno stood up.

"We've come to get you out of here," she explained, looking directly into the Leader's eyes. The Light Leader smiled.

Juno closed her eyes and a bright flash filled the room. When it stopped pulsing through the murky air, the Light Leader was standing up, stretching her arms, which were set free from the awful restraining shackles.

She looked at Juno, her face proud. She stood up straight, and took a deep breath. The Leader's hood was still over her head, covering the smallest bit of her forehead.

"Juno, you've come. We must get to the castle if we are to attempt to put a stop to the Dark Leader," she said, looking directly into both of our eyes.

I nodded.

The Light Leader raised her hands up in an attempt to transport us to the castle, but Juno stopped her.

"I think I can do it..." The Leader stopped, put her hands down, and softly smiled at Juno with and expectant look in her eyes.

Clearly she wanted Juno to do something powerful. Juno closed her eyes, and her necklace glowed once more. We were all transported to a dark corridor of the castle.

We all stepped into the shadows of the hallway, and watched as a minimal amount of soldiers marched past us in perfect unison.

I shivered as the temperature of the castle suddenly dropped several degrees for no reason. My hand felt around my sheath to make sure my sword was still there. It was, thank goodness.