Isle of the Damned

King Teo and Queen Braelynn

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" A strangers voice echoed through the chaos. Suddenly, all the guards froze in place. I hoped whoever it was would put an end to this madness. 

"WELL, WHAT IS IT?" He asked again, dissatisfied by the silence. 

"Intruders from the isle your highness. We were called by Kalen to assist him."

"Did they steal or harm anyone before you all attacked?" The males' voice quizzed.

"I'm not sure sir. You'll have to ask Kalen, he was the one who asked for the help," the guard quivered, aware of the fact they were about to be in trouble.

"Where is he? I wish to talk to him," King Teo asked. 

The guards suddenly parted, creating a walkway to Kalen. I was still staring at Evander who'd only just crashed to the floor. Alvaro was already tending to him. I dragged my eyes up to look at King Teo who was walking towards me. He was short with grey hair and a round face. A long, red cloak fell to the floor that screamed royalty and wealth. 

"Kalen? What did you do to him?" He questioned, looking down at the horror I'd created. I could see doubts start to fill his mind. It was obvious it was me who'd done this because I had the dagger in my hand and I was standing over him

"He attacked me and was about to make me watch my friends die so I stabbed him in the eye. I thought it was better than killing him," I said with a small shrug. 

"Why'd he attack you?" he probed as Kalen was still moaning with pain next to our feet.

"Because he thinks we're all filth. We did nothing to provoke him."

"Is this true Kalen?"

"They're vermin. They shouldn't be here," he spat through his pain.

"I TOLD YOU ALL THAT THEY WERE TO BE LEFT ALONE. ALL OF YOU WILL GO WITHOUT DINNER FOR A WEEK. ORSON, TAKE THE YOUNG MAN ON THE FLOOR TO INFIRMARY AND TAKE KALEN TO TO THE DUNGEONS. I DON'T WANT TO SEE HIM FOR TEN DAYS," the king shouted as he addressed his guards. It seemed he was taking us at our word. 

"I'm sorry about the start of your visit here. As you can see King Seth has a wide reach and unfortunately most seem to believe what he says," he said turning to look at me. 

"We're here to change that. Conflict can't be avoided. I just hope my friend, Evander, is okay," I said with a sigh. I looked around at my group, they were standing to the side waiting for instructions. 

"What's your name? I believe the Queen of Kamaria was meant to be travelling here," he said tilting his head to the side like a dog. 

"That's me. I'm Queen Arabella. It's nice to meet you," I greeted him, shaking his hand. 

"It's nice to meet you too. Follow me and we'll discuss things with Queen Braelynn. She won't be happy our guards went against us like this," he said motioning for everyone to follow him.

We followed down the hallway and took a left turn. He then entered a door on the right of us. Walking silently behind him I swallowed,  my anxiety was growing again. There was still a chance that in the end, that they'd want to kill us. Just because the King seemed friendly didn't mean the queen would be. 

"Braelynn, Queen Arabella and her companions are here," Teo said loudly. 

The room we had entered had two thrones. Queen Braelynn was sat on one of them with a raised eyebrow. She appeared slightly younger than the king and looked fierce. She looked as if she could move mountains and empty oceans if she so pleased.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a cool smile as she looked us all up and down, "Queen Helena told us to hear you out and so we shall. Don't expect any lenience though."

I walked towards her and bowed. The others followed suit and so with a deep breath, I began to explain who I was and what our situation is. I told her all about king Seth and how his lies were poison. I explained our plan and how we meant no harm. I even explained the situation with the guards outside. 

"So you're not cursed... or defective?" She asked upon the end of my story. 

"Of course not. Why would we be for our ancestors' actions? Who would even take the time out of their day to have cursed us?"

"It's not like our existence has affected you in any way," Myla added on the end. 

The Queen took a minute to process and quietly whispered to her husband. I hoped we'd put a strong enough case forward. If the Queen didn't believe us she'd almost certainly be hell-bent on killing us.

"We have decided to help you, though if king Seth comes after us personally we will not be able to assist you any further," she decisively stated. Relief spread over me. I was extremely happy that she didn't want to harm us.

There was a knock on the door and a man in simple clothing walked in. He had some blood on his shirt. 

"The new patient is in critical condition, your highnesses. I'm going to have to use some of our more expensive medicine, is that okay?" He asked. I assumed he was the doctor. 

"You have our permission," the king said. I was very grateful for their help in healing Evander. They could have easily refused since we aren't their responsibility. 

The doctor left the room in a rush. I hoped Evander was okay as he was loved by this group. Nothing would be the same if he were to pass away. Not to mention how devastated Alvaro would be, they were always together and shared such a strong bond. 

"It seems you will have to stay here until your friend is healed enough to travel. You all look like a few hot meals and a warm bed would do you some good. We promise to ensure you will not be attacked again by our guards," Teo said with a warm smile. 

We agreed to stay and utilise their kindness. It was all so nice and friendly but my gut told me it had been too easy. I wondered what would be in store for us next. I hoped nothing but fate had not been kind to us thus far.