THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Beyond What’s Past

Chapter V

The elves are magical creatures. Their humane features closely resembles the humans. But they are more radiant and more adept. Their amazing agility allows them to move swiftly and imperceptibly light during combat. Best in archery and sword wielding. But the world lost them after the Death of the previous Elven king. And Shuixron is the one reason. The new Queen despises war. Everyone in Adelfa is completely aware of it. Before the war between the elves and Shuixron began. She already knew that this will only lead them into a downfall. It is not because they couldn’t fight them head on, but, the Kingdom itself was cursed. And also, that big tragedy happened. That day, when she realized that her time in succeeding the throne is too soon.

The Queen decided to separate themselves from the mortals, and so, after the war, she was automatically enthroned as the new Queen and declared such as her first order.

That elf who traveled across the kingdom of Qionar into the inmost borders of Shuixron to capture the man he believed to be responsible of the Queen’s actions, arrived at the tail of the silent river “what do you say, Arman? The strongest warrior of the barbaric tribe, the last Gathom, those names are nothing anymore aren’t they? But don’t you worry- I will make you regret everything that you did to my family. To my kingdom” said he, not expecting for an unconscious body to answer. Nonetheless, he continued make glances to his captive “I am not my sister, I know you and your vicious king—you can never fool me” his glare on him is becoming more and more ardent. He will make sure that—that man will pay the price of his crime — referring to someone he abhorred more than the man on his hippogriff.

  The road towards Adelfa is a gigantic fallen tree that serves as a bridge towards an enormous coverture—a water fall—that seems falling to an endless barranca. Inside are woods with straight and narrow trees forming a line to cover the inner village. The elf cast himself off the hippogriff and drop his unconscious prisoner on his shoulder. He walk pass through the lining trees when another Elf appeared and is seemingly displeased. The elf is taller than him wearing grey silk clothing and golden hair that as brilliant as his “I believe you must show him to the Queen first” said the elf, quite dull yet stern. 

“For what? For her to ruin my plan?” 

“Ruin or not she is the Queen or so…”                                                                                                                                                

“Who are you with, Aheim? Are you not in the side of Justice?”

“Justice? What sort of justice are you talking about? The one that protects us or the one that Condemns us”

 “But don’t you-----                                                                                                                                                                            

“Even so. Besides, there are many different ways to establish oneself”

Aheim is as sharp as ever. He has always been the one to catch him in his every scheme, and always’ve been the one to admonish his plans.

The guards declared his arrival, and before the Elven Queen, Prince Qardolan presented his gift.   The queen realizes it is Arman he is carrying the moment he entered the room, “what is this?” she was confounded as she confirmed the man’s identity. It was the man she fell in love with many years ago. A love that was fostered by guilt and lies                            

“What happened?”

“I took him. Found him in the forest of Asca and took him to give to you”                                                                                   

 “Qardolan, I never ask you--- 

“Yes. You always were, that’s why we are here, hiding ourselves instead of fighting”                                                                   

“that is two different matter”                                                                                                                                                           

“now that we have him, shall we fight them? We no longer need to hold back”                                                                            

“we were not holding back, we are doing what is right”                                                                                                              

 “right? What right is to hide and pretend to be not existing in the world our ancestors risk their lives for” his angry words stopped her from countering. She must have exhaust him from all of her resolutions of avoiding war. Though she is aware of its inevitability in any forms.

 The queen walk towards the man to see him closer “he is as handsome as when I met him” Qardolan on her side made an awful grimace. She smiled to him expressing how grateful she is now that after so many years she finally see Arman again. Even though his eyes are close she can feel the tantalizing attraction rested inside of him 

“He was alone” says Qardolan 

“alone?” the queen shifted her attention back to Arman 

“Shuixron must have given him another mission to be there”

“I did not kidnap him for your satisfaction, we will use him against them—he is the only Gathom left” 

The Queen never really compromises any of Qardolan’s tenacities, since it is always against her side. She view her brother as a spoiled prince wanting only revenge for their deceased parents. Though there is no exact explanation of how Shuixron became their enemy and why they attacked them unexpectedly, the prince still blames all the wrong verdicts to Shuixron. 

As of her, who’s still weighing all the possibilities of their father’s shameless judgements, became ignorant of their own beliefs and principles. When she saw everything in the face of the man she loved lying in front of her, unconscious “what do you want me to do then?” the queen stir up to meet her brother’s temper with a soft convincing voice everyone knew about her too well “you know that I deserve the Lauran than Khanis” said the prince “I know, and I will give you that—Someday” Qardolan forced himself not to react over the Queen’s another lie.

He knows she thinks silly of him and will not accomplish anything in a pointless argument, on whether they should fight to recover their name and everything they owned or hold back because of the wile stories about the kingdom to scare the world—to expand their influence and power.   

The Elves of Adelfa once ruled a great kingdom called ‘Altagan’. Centering a City known as the white cardinal. It was the home of the Elves and nymphs whose existence vanished after the war—which very much affected their symmetric lifestyle –Prince Qardolan hated Shuixron for as long as he can remember. But it was when the war was declared between Shuixron and Qionar against Altagan.

At that night, when he was asleep, the castle was encroach by an upheaval. The voice of his mother—the late Elven Queen—hurriedly heading to his quarters and slams the door open ‘Hurry!’ he was forced awake when he saw his mother aggravated by the whole commotion, which everyone seems likely to be, including his Father. In his young age, Qardolan couldn’t understand how things happened on a blink of his eyes. Her mother was pulling him. Her hand holding his was the only thing clear to him. The next thing was a query. The warm of his mother’s hand faded when a woman came to block their way. He was so sure it was summer, because he would ask Aheim to play with him on the river bank that day. But, the gust of the cold wind suggests different from what he thought. A freezing air following the trails of the woman’s foot-steps flooded the area. The woman who’s as pale as an Ice was carrying a newborn whose hair is as grey as silver metal and eyes red like a blood. The infant pointed his tiny finger towards them. His mother pushed him backwards, and blocked the dark force that seems racing towards them and cast her to death. He saw the woman mutter a few words that unfortunately failed to reach his ears. His consciousness was also fading the moment he saw his mother gravely stunned and wounded before falling into the ground. Qardolan crawl back to his mother attempted to wake her up. Though he can no longer feel her breathing, he embraced her, crying and shouting for help, not sure of what is going on. Is his mother really is dead? Did the infant really killed her? Cause either way, none of them seems real and acceptable.

It is always a nightmare to remember the horrifying grin of that infant’s eyes, and he knew it was the prince of Shuixron. Everyone in Shuixron is deceived by his kind and heroic play. Shuixron is surely admirably wise in misleading their people away from the hideous identity of their sainted prince. This was the mistake the queen fell into. Letting them possess the scroll is the most devastating decision a ruler could ever make, and his sister is in the first line to ever commit.

 In replace of the man she thought she can be with, before realizing the man’s connection to someone. Her reason is never acceptable. She may say ‘the scroll was never theirs in the first place’ but it was on their hand at the moment, and all of this is coming back to him. He view it as a consequence for not being there when the land—the elf land—needed him most. He view it in the sky with his thoughts filled with anger and revenge, as he lean his arms on the parapet near  

the corridor where he last seen his mother alive and speaking to him “can I join you?” oddin, an adviser of the queen joined the prince to his loneliness, upon seeing him distracted by the past again. Qardolan took a glimpse on him  

 “what are you doing here?”                                                                                                                                                                 

“Why? Can’t I have some time with my nephew?”                                                                                                                           

“What do you want?” oddin took a deep breath to compromise his nephew’s cold response                                              

“the Lauran huh? Khanis will be furious about it if he’d learn that the queen is thinking to give it to you”   his uncle is trying to capture his attention, and it works all the time                                                                                                                  

 “ I deserve it”                                                                                                                                                                                             

“how did you find him?”                                                                                                                                                                             

“In Asca”                                                                                                                                                                                                        

“hmm… Interesting. You went to Shuixron again? You are not just risking your life by doing that you are also risking your kingdom’s safety” to Qardolan, he only sounds more like the queen                                                                                  

“Whatever you say… I have to find him”                                                                                                                                                      

“I don’t know about that. He is more powerful than the entire elf kingdom, how will you stand a chance against him?”  A deep question for him to answer, but he has to, not only to satisfy his uncle’s enquiry but also to prove himself 

 “everyone has a weakness, I will discover his weakness and destroy him” by that, everything came clear to him. All his anger is caused by one person, and that person is someone that holds a great power. But he will never stop until this everything will bring to a close.