War in hearts

Prologue

(Edited and revised). This will be the first and original copy of "War in Hearts." Enjoy.

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In the kingdom of Evon, a tense silence had resided upon the royal members of the Stone Table. 

"What did you say?" King Tryton said with his eyes fixed sternly on the ancient sorcerer, Niklaus. Although there is a tremor of fear in his voice, he won't let it be shown to the faces of his royal members, afraid to break the facade of a strong, wise king everyone expected him to be. 

And he should be.

Niklaus raised his hands to touched King Tryton. The rest of the members watched in silence as Niklaus murmurs an ancient spell while creating hand gestures on top of the king's open palm. He was predicting his decision. The king watched in silence as a transparent smoke erupted from the gap underneath the stone table, and from the gaps of floors, walls and ceiling. The rest of the members looked in panic, Draco the head knight had steadied his hand on the gilt of his sword in case the scene turns out to be a danger. The king looked around his members and convince them of its safety, as he had been through it before. Just as that, he felt a tiny vibrations running down from his arm and all over his body, getting stronger and stronger as Niklaus provided him with a vision.

The king found himself alone in the Moor, blood and dead bodies of humans and animal alike scattered the perimeter of the forest. He looked around in horror as he noticed a distinct dead body covered in gold armour, his sword lifeless on his hand. He stepped closer and discovered with utmost fear that it was indeed, himself. Lying lifelessly on the ground, eyes rolled out and blood trickling from his mouth and soaking the grass. Slowly, he backed away as he had been touched by a strong evil force coming out from the deep, dark, side of the moor.

"Tryton."

"Tryton."

"Tryton."

So it called.

With every whisper, the king's head went numb and he can't hear a thing, the pain in his head grew bigger and more painful. He dropped to his knees while holding the sides of his head that started to bleed a dark, blue blood. Its an omen of close death. He writhed and screamed soundlessly in pain for help, trapped in his vision of nightmares and his anxious thoughts until a softer voice, called out to his name, dragging him out from the pit of the pain.

"I can save you. Let me save you,"

"Davina?" The king's voice echoed back, although he did not open his mouth to speak. "Davina, is that you who came?"

The voice did not answer him, and it replied with the same voice, just a bit more.. sad.

"I can save you, Father. Please, let me save you!"

A shrill scream echoed throughout the moor as the king once again attacked by the numbing pain of his head. It grew stronger and more painful, until he slipped into unconsciousness.

"Tryton! Tryton wake up your highness!" Niklaus appeared blurry on Tryton's vision. He closed his eyes and rub them, feeling the small headache on his head.

"What the hell was that, Niklaus? I don't understand one damn thing." King Tryton said in anger. He felt his throat dried up as if he had been screaming for an eternity.

Niklaus stood up from his crouching position and walked around the stone table, all his eyes on him as silence thickened. The king grew more impatient and more angry, he slammed the stone table as he shouted,

"I said, what the hell was that! I heard my daughter's voice and saw dead bodies everywhere, will you please explain to me!" King Tryton bellowed, his breaths coming short and fast. The members took a step back in fear of their king's wrath, however, Niklaus seemed unfazed.

Niklaus looked at the king, and said, "You need to give your daughter away. She was the key to this ancient war. She shall be our saviour."

The king eyed Niklaus as he took out a paper scroll from his leather pouch, he tossed it to the table and it opened to a script of handwritten ancient rites.

"The war had started long before your reign, and there were never once, a right time to defeat the other." Niklaus started, "I was here before your ancestors were even born, and I decided to serve your family to pay back the good deed I was granted with by your ancient great grandfather. However, as two allies kept getting stronger, so did the war. As you had noticed, we almost ran out of soldiers and the Kingdom of Dorin was getting stronger. So your great grandfather made a huge prophecy to change his destiny, by marrying your great grandmother."

Niklaus pointed to one of the drawings in the script, a drawing of a girl in the moor resembling to the vision the king had, and he noticed the girl resembling his daughter. With her flowing red hair and the ivory dress she often favoured.

"Princess Davina, your daughter, will fulfil the prophecy made by your great grandfather. When the sun started to set and the moon started to rise, the sky would be the fusion of both colours. It signalled the end of a day, and the start of the night. At that precise time, leave your daughter in the moors, alone. A prince from Dorin will discovered her on his hunt, and would took her in as his wife. She will then be able to destroy their castle from the inside, and Evon would had won." Niklaus said. He then rolled the script back and tie it with a string.

"I don't understand, why does the plan not executed since long ago? Why my daughter?" The king asked with fear and anxiety in his voice. This time, he did not care who had heard him in his weak.

"A fragile bone and big compassion." Niklaus said. "Your ancestors did not dare to leave their daughters behind for an enemy to marry her off. They cherished them hard enough not to do that."

"I did too! I love my daughter than any love known, and I had proved that when I became a father." The king protested, cutting Niklaus off his words.

"However, that quality did not suit in a king. A king must be fearless and dare would do anything to save their people. A small sacrifice for the greater good, its what your ancestors had failed to do over the centuries. Till now." Niklaus said and locked eyes with the king with certainty.

"You will choose wisely, my Lord. For all our lives is on your hands." Niklaus said and bowed his head, before making his way out of the door.

As the door closed marking the sorcerer's departure, the Stone Table was left with an intense silence. The king's thought must had rung loudly for everyone to hear.The king was torn, if this is the price he had to pay to become king, then what is the joy in ruling? What did the get in return? Is this his karma from sacrificing his people to Dorin? But right now, time is cruciall and he needed to decide, and decide well. Before he was a father, he was a king to Evon. 

"So.. what is it gonna be, my Lord?" Draco spoke first, breaking the tension in the room. Everyone looked at their king in anticipation for his order, although they are hoping the king would find any alternative ways they had not yet explored. But all to be said, there was none left except the final choice Niklaus gave.

The king balled his fist on the table, tears threatening to escape his eyes as he saw the maps of his kingdom and beyond, pinned for war in gold and silver pins. He can't afford to lose anymore innocent men to the battle his ancestor started. It's not right.

"Amara," King Tryton spoke, calling the head war strategy, alert.

'Yes, my Lord?" Amara said.

"Prepare the horses and our female spies, tell them to prepare for the biggest undercover mission they will ever went through." The king ordered and he looked up to meet Amara's eyes sternly, "Quietly. Words shall not spread throughout the palace, do you understand me?"

Amara bowed, "OF course my Lord. I shall alert them immediately." she said before quickly exiting the hall.

The king closed his eyes, visibly in pain that would scarce him forever till death. May she forgive me for what I had done.

-

Outside, Niklaus cackled as thick black smoke enveloped him. Two dead soldiers had their eyes gauged and their screams silenced. Niklaus watched with its beady eyes as he clapped his wings, ready to fly back to report his duty done.

The new war had started, he needed to alert his master.