Royal War: Sequel to Royal Secret

Chapter 36

My muscles tensed as my uncle Thadius stopped several feet away trying to convince me of his loyalty to me.  Too many things have happened between us since he was taken from me at the Halder Pack territory.  I barely could stomach the thought that throughout all these years he raised me, he was the reason that my mother and father were dead.  And for what, because he had a thing for my mother?  When the king first fed me that line, I didn’t believe it, but had to accept it when Thadius didn’t deny the king’s allegation. 

So now he stands before me and wants me to believe that it was a ruse to find the dagger.  It hurt that if what he said is true, I didn’t maintain faith in his true character and his love for me.  That fact alone was painful to think that I was so easily swayed by the mere words of the lying and treacherous king. It would take a lifetime to make it up to Thadius.

On the other hand, I could be playing right into Thadius’ hands by dropping my guard as he tries to get the shield away from me. The image of Thadius snapping Korin’s neck brought me to my decision.

I raised my sword getting into a defensive stance.  “You killed my mate! Don’t come any closer!” I roared at Thadius who still tried to reach me through his pleading eyes. A flash of movement upstairs had me running to the side to try and cut off the king’s retreat by making a dash down the side staircase. 

The king had essentially put himself into a corner; there was no outlet from the upstairs level of the library. “Not so fast!” The king reverse his route but stopped dead in his track as he faced Thadius glaring at him with his scythe in his hands. I slowly climbed the stairs putting the king between the two of us.

The king angled his body sideways pointing the dagger at me and holding his hand out at Thadius. “Celina, it doesn’t have to end this way.  Remember he is the one that killed your mother and father and your mate.” The king teeters from side to side as we moved in closer cautiously. “Celina, I surrender, please show me mercy.  I will laid down the dagger and end the fighting.  Just let me go.”

“Mercy? Like the mercy you showed my mother and father.”

“I told you that it Thadius who killed them, not me.”

“And you expect me to believe that, he may have been your instrument but he followed your orders!”

“He is lying Celina, I did not kill your parents.  I would never do that.  I was your mother’s captain of the guard I would die for her! Don’t believe him!”

“Stop it both of you! Thadius I will deal with you later, but first I will show you the same mercy you showed my parents, none!”  I wanted the king’s blood and I was steps away from finally achieving it.

I lunged forward with my sword swinging aiming for his chest.  The king quickly dodges away but unfortunately closer to Thadius who in turn swung at his head.  He ducked and we both attack the king from both sides and he immediately went on the defensive trying to dodge our blades and counteract with the dagger in his hand.

“Celina!” the voice of Korin screamed at me from below temporarily distracting me from the king.  I couldn’t believe my eyes that Korin was standing in the flesh and not dead.  Then that means, Thadius was telling me the truth.  He never betrayed me; he was protecting me this whole time. “Watch out!”

Korin warning came too late as I return my attention to the king and saw the flash of the black metal bearing down on me.  I didn’t have time to raise the shield as it was mere inches from puncturing my neck but it never made it.  Two hands wrapped around the king’s hands changing the trajectory of the dagger from me to the king’s exposed chest.  Thadius was quick on his feet and came up behind the king in a bear hug trying to force the dagger into the king. 

The king struggle against Thadius’ hold trying to stop the dagger from piercing his heart.  The point of the dagger was almost touching the king’s chest and begun breaching his armor.

“Celina, help me! We need to finish this now!” Thadius roared.  I dropped my shield and sword and added my hand on top of theirs applying more pressure.  The dagger scraped against the metal casing of the king’s body suit, it was going to take a lot of force to penetrate through the armor and into king’s heart.

“Mercy, please.”  The king tried to sway me with his pleading but sandwich between me and Thadius, I had no mercy left. I knew if I let him go as my mother did after his first attempt to overthrow her, he would return to try and overthrow me.  I couldn’t take that chance, and it was time to end his reign of tyranny.

“No mercy.” The dagger was long and I realized in order for me to completely ram it through the king’s chest Thadius would be pierce by it too. A moment of hesitation seized me that by killing the king Thadius would die too.

“Celina, look at me.  Let’s finish this.  You know what you have to do!”

“I don’t think I can.” I shook my head at Thadius’ words.

“I love you and I know that you are in good hands.  I completed my duty preparing you to be queen. He cannot live.”

“I’m sorry I doubted you. I love you.” I applied a little more pressure still not enough to finish off the king.  My eyes locked on Thadius, his face became blurry as tears swarmed my eyes.

“DO IT!” Thadius roared.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!” I jammed the dagger into the king with so much force it sliced through the metal armor and through his body into Thadius. For a second we all stood there and I watch both men eyes widen and then their life force drained from them.  They fell backward and I screamed falling to my knees.

The moon goddess words battered down on as I finally understood what she was trying to tell me. She warned me that with greatness comes sacrifice, now I know what the sacrifice was.  I finally got rid of the king who stripped me of my family but in doing so made me the warrior queen.  But it came at a price, losing someone that meant the world to me. My sacrifice, Thadius, who I always looked upon as a father figure and loved him like a father.  The man I betrayed but in the end was loyal to me and died for me.

I felt Korin’s arm lift me from the ground and I clung to him and cried.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay, Celina.  I got you.” Korin’s soothing words and comfort was what I needed to calm the torrent of emotions slamming through me.

((A/N))

Korin’s alive!!!!!!!

Ding dong the king is dead!

Thadius not a traitor after all, what a way to find out!

Tell me what you think!

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Nicci