What Lurks Behind The Trees

False

-15 years ago-

The door slammed open, Edison rushed in, he was out of breath "Sir Dyron, take your family and leave!"

"Where is Julian?!"

"He's...he's safe, you won't be seeing him for a while,"

"What?!"

"Dyron, go! There's no time, he's taken everyone, you're the only ones left, go find a place far away," Edison said.

Dyron unsheathed his sword and held Laina's hand, Ada cradled Gregor in her arms and they all went out of the door with Edison leading them.

"We have to leave through the back, Randoul is keeping the search a secret, he doesn't want everyone in the castle to know and risk the secret being exposed," Edison told Dyron.

"Look, all the adults already knew, we just kept it a secret, it's all a misunderstanding. After his threat we stayed quiet," Dyron said.

"I don't think he's planning to take that risk, killing you is silencing you, all of you, all the Blackwoods and everyone related to them,"

"Father, who wants to kill us?" Laina asked, her lips jutting out in a pout.

Dyron cleared his throat "No one, my dear, keep your voice down,"

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Jarin Randoul sat with his head in his hands, he was distressed, worried that an eighteen-year-old secret was so close to being exposed. He knew that even if it did happen he wouldn't be affected, after all, he has the most power in the kingdom, but no one knew him, his power was concealed behind his ordinary face. He was someone who made the crown bow to his commands, made the king quiver in fear and do as he was told, but the castle had many eyes, eyes that could spread the word in a second, eyes that could destroy a whole kingdom with a single word, a single lie.

It was in the morning that Jarin had found out, Rogerus told him that he heard the guards speaking of that day eighteen, once informed, he knew instantly who might have done it, the Blackwoods, the queen, queen Flora Blackwood, the only other person that was present when it all happened. The only person that had her entire family living in the castle with her, her parents, siblings, her siblings' children, a family home for the Blackwoods, the only thing that stood in Jarin's way, the only way a whole secret could spread so quickly.

So he ordered Rogerus and a few of his trusted men to collect all the Blackwoods and question them, or kill them. The latter was a promising choice for Jarin, he couldn't risk Edmund's position, he was so close to becoming king. Murder was the safest option. Jarin was greedy for a position of higher power, he knew he couldn't just invade the capital, kill the king and take his place, he knew the people loved Richard shield, he knew Richard had four times as many men, he knew they would kill him with a snap of a finger, he knew there was no way of overcoming the king other than doing it in secrecy, where he gets no credit. That is what happened on that day eighteen years ago, Jarin couldn't let all that effort go to waste.

"Edison, bring me the rest of the Blackwoods, and burn them all, I don't want a trace of Blackwood blood in the castle. Let Richard watch, he won't be dying now," Jarin smirked.

Edison bowed his head "How will we be explaining it to the people? Flora is their queen."

"I know that you fool, you think I haven't thought of that? It's a stupid solution, but the people are stupid so I have no doubt that it'll work. It's simple," Jarin lifted his hands in the air and closed his eyes "The Blackwoods were having a feast, one of them had a disease which spread to all of them that night, so they all died after a nice feast!" he laughed.

Edison tried to stop himself from climbing over the desk and strangling him to death. "Yes, it's a good idea, sir," he gritted his jaw.

"Of course Richard is the one who will make the announcement, everyone believes him!" Jarin smirked.

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"Are they all in there?" Rogerus asked.

"Y-yes, all of them," Edison said.

Edison flinched when he heard the banging on the door, the screaming, he closed his eyes and looked down, guilty. Rogerus lit a torch and slid it from under the door, he looked at Edison, his face stoic and emotionless, Edison also tried to hold back his emotions to not give himself away. The banging on the door died down before it completely stopped. The silence was deafening, Rogerus was still looking at Edison as if mocking him. Rogerus dusted his hands and walked away. Edison collapsed to the ground and held his face in his hands, he couldn't believe that he had just betrayed the Blackwoods, but Jarin had his son, he threatened him. Though he did help Julian, Raymond and Dyron's family to escape, he still felt immense guilt, he let the queen burn, he was a disgrace.

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"Done?" Jarin's face was so close to Edison he swore he saw a green glint passing through his eyes. Edison nodded and gulped slightly.

"You're scared." It wasn't a question, Jarin knew he was scared "Don't worry, Darren is safe. Rogerus, bring that brave boy back to his father," he patted Edison's cheek slowly, his lips curled into a devilish smirk and Edison's blood was boiling.

"Now Edmund will live and become the best king there ever was! Edmund, come here son!" Jarin motioned with his hand and a young boy came and stood beside him. "Now son, nothing stands in your way, from now on, your name is Edmund Shield."

Edison's eyes widened, it was over, for him, for the people, for the kingdom. A king, the son of the most evil man, raised by the most evil man, its bound to get disastrous.

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-present time-

Gregor was speechless, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, he couldn't believe what his brother was telling him. "So the real king is no other than-"

"Raymond Shield" Julian finished

"Edmund...he's not the real king...all these years?"

Julian nodded.

"My aunt was the queen?! We lived in the castle?!" Gregor rubbed his face "Julian, this is too much for me to process. You're saying that my entire life was a lie, you're saying that I've lived all these years not knowing that the Blackwood family was part of the royal family...in one instant they were all wiped out, and the people believed his stupid story,"

"They weren't all wiped out Greg, we're still alive." Julian said.

"Who is this Jarin Randoul man?"

"We still don't know, and the fact that he made the king do whatever he wanted still bothers me to this day,"

"What are we going to do? Our family's life is in danger, Raymond could've been king by now!" Gregor said.

"What do you think I have been doing here all these years? I have been preparing, training, fighting, persuading the queen, waiting for Raymond to be old enough to take the crown back, and now that our father's life is in danger, we must speed things up a little bit."

"Julian, this is insane, I can't believe father hasn't told me anything all those years,"

"Father would've found the right time to tell you, you're too young and reckless," Julian ruffled Gregor's hair.

"Let's do this together then,"

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Plot twisttttt!

Guys, there will be more flashbacks that will explain what happened in order. 

Hope you liked this chapter!