Caelum's Creed

Chapter 14: BloodFlower

The cold winds breeze through the beautiful Wing Light island. It was another peaceful night in the kingdom, yet as usual the Fay guardians stay alert with their wings draping behind them and their large spears and swords in hand. For some reason, the queen had all of them stay in guard even at a time of peace. What could be the demons be after at a time and place like this? They all thought.

The Fay guard walks around the castle halls, the cobblestone walls delivering an ominous vibe and the glass ceilings lighting the area with coloured moonlight. She hums a soft melody as an attempt to relax, as she places her sword tightly into it's leaf green scabbard. Yet her moment of relaxation was interrupted by the sound of heels stomping on the stone floor. Who could be up at this time of night? She grabs her blade and aims it at the direction of the sound.

"Who are you?!" She yells out trying to be intimidating yet fear can clearly be heard from the soft tone of her voice. The unknown figure replies with laughter that sounds like that of a woman. Chills started to run down her spine as the silhouette of a woman lounges at her with a long dark blade, she was too slow to react as it pierces her neck. The guard drops down, falling onto the cold hard ground as streams of red liquid pour, flowing through the gaps between the stone floor.

Meanwhile, Amber and Lycaen are still wide awake in their room. They seem to be crafting a flower crown of some sort, it was a halo of flowers ranging from white tulips to yellow dandelions.

"Mother is going to love this!" Lycaen cheers in excitement.
"I'm sure she will! I picked the best flowers for this one." Amber replies.
"They really are pretty. By the way, what's your favourite flower?"

The question rendered her speechless, reminiscing of the day she left Green Lake. It was her sign of awakening, being able to stand free after all the years she spent cooped up in that mansion. She remembers the pink petals that fell from the tree when she met the strange fox.

"Cherry blossoms, I just love the way they decorate the forest is all." She finally speaks up.
"Well, as for me. I love any flowers that are as white as my hair." Lycaen chuckles, her smile so innocent and pure.

"I know, that's why I picked the whitest and cleanest of tulips I could find. It was quite hard since I couldn't fly but I managed."
Lycaen stares at the flower crown they have weaved together. Wondering if the beloved queen will like it.

"Amber, let's give it to her now!" Lycaen yells.
"Now? This late at night? The Queen must be fast asleep! It's best if we give it to her tomorrow." Amber arches her brows, clearly disagreeing with the girl's suggestion.

"I'm afraid the flowers will lose their bloom tomorrow! Let's do it now!"
"But-"

Amber had no opinion in the matter whatsoever as the princess grabs her by her hand and pulls her out of the room, Lycaen's silver wings draping behind her back. The two rushes across the dark hallway, yet they were too distracted by the princess's excitement that they didn't feel a single wave of fear even in such a dark environment. Yet they were halted by a woman standing in the middle of the dark hall.

"Aren't you girls supposed to be in bed? It's quite late, you'll be in a lot of trouble if the queen finds out."

Amber finally gets the chance to speak up.
"Well, we were but Lycae-"
Amber's sentence was cut off as Lycaen covers her mouth with her palm. At first, she thought it was so they wouldn't get in trouble but upon further observation, the woman in front of them didn't have wings attached to her silhouette. They are so deep into the Fay Maiden's territory, how can a human enter without the Queen's knowledge? And most of all, what if she isn't human?

Both Amber and Lycaen fell silent as the woman gave off a fearsome and creepy vibe. They felt their knees growing weaker as they start to struggle catching their breath. The woman takes a step forward to reveal her appearance. She was a beautiful woman with bright red eyes and long black hair. She was wearing a black winged headpiece accompanied by a black shoulderless cropped top covering her breasts and her arms with a black skirt and gloves and stockings decorated with violet vine designs.

Though she was beautiful, she was equally terrifying. Amber was able to break out of the trance as she takes Lycaen's hand and runs as fast as she could. They still hear the woman's heels stomping on the floor which only scared them even more, causing them to pick up speed.

Yet what awaited them in the hall was the lifeless body of a Fay guard, her neck bleeding uncontrollably and her eyes opened yet lifeless.
The sight brought Amber to her knees as Lycaen follows by dropping onto the ground while continuously sobbing and screaming. The sight of the dead Fay maiden somehow erased all fear within Amber's heart as it is replaced by anger and a feeling of never ending power.

The demoness finally catches up to them as she grabs Lycaen by her long white hair and pulls her from the ground and up to her face causing the girl to drop the flower crown in hand, staring into her icy green eyes. "See what happens when pesky children like you misbehave?" She pulls out her long black blade and points it towards her neck.

Yet she was shocked as the flower crown glows and grows uncontrollably, binding her causing her to drop both the girl and her sword. Her eyes dart towards the room to see what could be causing such magic to appear all of a sudden. She notices Amber staring at her with a wrathful expression.

"Stay away from us!" The girl lifts her arm, causing the demoness to get pushed through the ceiling, leaving a tree off dandelions and tulips. She breaks free by letting out her red wings as she flies off into the night.

Lycaen still sobs uncontrollably while covering her tear ridden eyes with her hands. Amber pulls her into a hug before reassuring her.

"It's all going to be okay."