The Witches' War : The Five Warriors

Chapter 18

Niel's POV

I opened my eyes slowly. I had to blink a few times to adjust my eyes to the bright sunlight which is entering my room from the tall glass window.

I tried to sit up but my body was very weak. My head aches. The only thing I'm thinking about is what happened. I couldn't recall what I was doing before I went unconscious.

Just then, Jack came into my room.

"Niel? You're awake! Are you okay?" he asked as he sat down on the chair next to my bed.

"I... I don't think so. My body really hurts. What happened?" I asked faintly.

"You don't remember?" he asked.

"No... If I did, I wouldn't have asked you..." I stated angrily.

"Do you remember that we were searching for the witch?" he asked.

"Yes... I remember... until I saw a cottage... My memory gets blurry after that..." I muttered.

"Well, you, Tiffany, Adalinne and I went inside the cottage. When we entered Adalinne's old room, we saw a strange door. Adalinne was forced to open it and Queen Serafine Laricienne was set free. You blindly charged towards her and got all four of us thrown out of the house by her dark magic. You were the nearest to the witch.. Maybe that's why you were the only one still unconscious. But don't worry, you'll be fine... For now..." Jack explained.

"How... How long... was I unconscious?" I stuttered.

"About two days..." Jack sighed.

"Two... Two days!? No... No! Serafine... She might have attacked the town... We need to protect our kingdom... What.. What are we going to do? We won't be able to hold her for long..." I mumbled. I was too weak to even do anything. I am a terrible king...

"Don't worry, Niel! Uncle Raymond is handling it for now. So far, there are no reports regarding an attack or anything... It's quite weird if I say so myself... I mean, the witch can take down the whole kingdom in one night. Why wait?" Jack stated.

"So.. You want our kingdom to be taken over by her?" I asked sarcastically.

"No! No!! I'm just saying..." Jack shrugged.

"You're actually right... I don't know what her motives are, but we should always be prepared for anything..." I stated.

Suddenly, a knock came from the door.

"Jacob? Sir Raymond wants to meet you in the meeting room." Tiffany informed.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes! Please call the royal doctor to check on Niel!" Jack instructed and stood up.

"I'll be right back, okay? Just take some rest." he said before walking out of the room.

So there I was, the useless and weak king, laying in bed while the others are preparing for the war.

Oh, father... You were right. I was never ready to be king. Now we are more doomed than before...

Several minutes later, the royal doctor came and checked on me. He told me that I did not suffer from any critical injuries and I would soon be able to join the others.

I was very relieved to hear that. In a matter of time, I would be able to fix my mistakes and protect my kingdom.

After the doctor left, Jack, Tiffany, Roselle, Susanna and Elianor came into my room. They stood there with sad and worried faces. I wonder where Adal is. She would've already came to visit me by now... Would she?

"We... Have something to tell you..." Jack muttered and turned his head towards the girls.

Elianor suddenly started crying. I sat up straight and my heart starts to pound faster. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Tiffany kneeled down to me and begged me as her tears start to fell. "Please... Your highness... I'm begging you... Please help us... Save Adalinne..."

"Adalinne? Where is she!?" I asked.

"The witch... She took her..." Susanna sobbed.

The witch... A powerful being that no one was able to stop... I would do anything to save Adalinne, but there was nothing that I could do...

All four of them kneeled down and begged me to save her.

"I... I don't know how to save her..." I sobbed.

"There has to be a way..." Tiffany insisted.

"I'm afraid, we couldn't go back to the cottage. In fact, we are no longer allowed to do anything..." Jack sighed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Uncle Raymond forbids all six of us from going out and joining the fight!" he answered furiously as he hits the elegant dark blue wall with his fist.

"Morever..." Jack continued, looking at the girls, "the five of them are no longer royal knights."

The girls hung their heads down. I could tell that they have lost their hope. Moreover, they had just lost two of the most valuable persons in their lives.

"No... It's not fair! It's not their fault! It was mine! If only I didn't charge towards the witch blindly, we could've negotiated with her..." I cried.

"I'm sorry, guys... But there's nothing that we could do..." Jack sighed.

"No... Guys, you don't have to worry... I have a plan. But it's all up to me from now on. The five of you should stay here and help the people to evacuate this kingdom. Do anything that you can but do not fight, unless necessary." I instructed.

The girls stood up and nodded.

"Thank you, your majesty..." Tiffany bowed, followed by the other three.

"Jack, you should follow and help them too. I'll tell Sir Raymond about this." I informed.

Jack nodded and all of them left the room.

I carefully stood up and walked limply towards the closet. I took out a light blue long-sleeved shirt and a pair of long black trousers.

After I changed my outfit, I went to meet Sir Raymond. My legs are starting to get better and I can finally walk properly after several minutes.

According to one of the knights passing by just now, Sir Raymond would be in the meeting room discussing about the kingdom.

After a couple of minutes, I reached in front of the meeting room. Sir Raymond would be in there along with some people such as the royal advisor (who was rarely around most of the time), two marquess and some dukes.

I knocked on the door before entering. About ten people are inside of the room, staring daggers at me.

I spotted Sir Raymond as he stood up and walked towards me.

"What are you doing here? You have done enough to try and help. From now on, the more experienced and wise people shall take over." Sir Raymond whispered.

"But Sir, I have a plan. I promise that I won't let you down again. Please... It's our only chance!" I begged.

Our only chance to save our kingdom... Our only chance to survive...