The Rings Deception Claiming The Ring

Not Human

Chapter 4: Guess I'm Not Human After All...

Anderson could hear the goons fight amongst themselves; he knew then that someone close to him had done this. "Is this how you treat your king?" he asked. "We're sorry, Your Highness. What would you want for breakfast?" Prince Anderson could feel the sarcasm dripping. "Hey, the boss is calling." The goons moved to a corner far away from him.

"I hope you have not touched a hair on his head. The search party is heading towards the mountain. I need you to be there within an hour and wait for my signal." The call ended. The leader of the goons had a mind of his own. When he was younger, the king tortured his father until death; wouldn't it be wise to do the same to the king's own son?

"But Prince Terry is dangerous. If we double-cross him, we will lose our lives," the other goons tried to speak sense into their leader's skull, but he had made up his mind. "Hey, Nick, I think he's gone crazy; we need to save ourselves." The other two goons tied up their leader and taped his mouth. Then they carried Prince Anderson on their shoulders and headed towards Terry's description.

"Do you think it's wise to bring him down from there? I'm terrified," Nick spoke to his partner; he was no warrior. "Relax, he's outnumbered with two hands tied behind his back." The goons carried him; surprisingly, he did not resist. Anderson wanted to know where they were taking him. "Told you, there's nothing to worry about."

The goons arrived at the designated area. They shivered as they heard the horses approaching. "I think we should leave him here and make a run for it. Who knows what you know whose plans are," Nick said thoughtfully. Terry could end up betraying them and arresting them just to make himself look great.

The goons were still lost in thoughts when Anderson united the ropes with his hands and stole their horse. "Hey!" they shouted in unison. Terry raised his hands in the air, ordering the soldiers to stop. He saw someone riding towards them. Was that? "Looks like you were not needed after all," Princess Aria mocked him. Terry frowned and turned his horse around. He would not be present to experience this humiliation.

"Brother!" Prince Anderson called out... "I must have scared you all; it was just a friendly prank. I wanted to see how much you cared. Looks like I'm still the baby you once carried." Terry sneered and rode away silently without saying a word.

Princess Aria stared at him; something was fishy about this Terry guy. "Really, I never knew I was that important to you," Anderson teased, but Aria simply walked away.

_The Box_

In Prince Anderson's room, the spy sat down and read the writings on the box. She could see the blurry writings in a strange language but did not understand what they meant. The silence in the palace could be felt; ever since the queen's mysterious death, the once lively palace was now cold.

Jeff lay on his bed, recalling earlier events of the day. He thought of quitting or making an alliance with Anderson – an offer he once rejected. First, Anderson threw him down a flight of stairs, then his uncle almost put him on house arrest. "I've got it!" The spy yelled uncontrollably. Jeff sat up. Who made that sound? He spoke to himself, walking slowly, he listened.

"Oh, what the heck? There's no one here. I can be as free as a bird." The spy jumped and threw things in the air. Jeff sighed. "Of course, it's coming from this room; it's always this room. Why should I even check? He won't even appreciate anything I do for him." Jeff turned around, but his heart stopped him; he opened the door slowly.

"Who are you?" The spy froze; she was in big trouble now. She thought no one was home; where did he come from? "I won't ask nicely again," Jeff's eyes darkened; it was a secret he had held onto for years, and of course, it was not going to be revealed today – and that too, a stranger.

Gazing out of the window, he saw the search party arrive with Anderson, and so did the spy. Jeff held her hand tightly. "Let me go." A purple mark appeared on her arm; none of them were aware of it yet. "Your Highness!" Jeff called. Anderson lifted his head and saw him holding a lady. Anderson jumped down from his horse and ran in.

Princess Aria sensed that her spy would get caught if she did not act fast. Her eyes glowed, and the palace doors were shut. "What's this?" Anderson walked back to his room; he was still outside. His eyes locked onto the stranger. "Who are you?" Jeff's hands refused to let go. "I told you that woman is a sorceress; you ignored me." Prince Anderson stared at Aria; she was in trouble as well now.

"That's a lie; why would you even listen to a word he says," Anderson stared closely at Aria. Every sorceress, according to legend, had a scar on their back that glowed under the sun. "Take off your shirt," Anderson ordered. Aria's father was stunned.

"How dare you speak to my daughter in that tone? I did a good deed by giving you soldiers and horses, weapons," Anderson punched the air. "That was not a good deed; you want me to marry her. We don't even like each other." Aria nodded; for once, she agreed with him. "Call off the alliance, Father," Aria pleaded. But her father was doing this not just for a good deed; he wanted to help his daughter get the ring.

She held him close and whispered into his ears, "I will find another way." Princess Aria winked at her spy. Her spy, knowing they were distracted by Jeff, said, "Ow!" Jeff threw a tantrum. Anderson rolled his eyes, turning towards Aria. "This is goodbye, then." The princess's purple eyes glowed. The wind surrounded them, and they all disappeared.

"Ha! Told you," Jeff clapped his hands. "Shut up," Anderson warned.

_Terry's Rage_

Terry secretly went to the goons he hired. They all shivered, knowing they had disappointed him. "Who wants to stand before me first?" Terry asked, caressing his sword.