“...Ladies first,” said Ashen.
He was a bit more exhausted than she was, his torso heaving up and down under his armor. Cessilia was glad the one she had picked was perfectly protecting his injury, but also helping his posture. Whoever had crafted this truly knew the needs of a dragon warrior.
She stepped ahead, and kicked the door open for the two of them, her weapons at the ready for the next fight. Luckily, there were less soldiers guarding the entrance of the castle; the room being too large and circular had probably convinced them there was no point in defending such a vast area. Moreover, from there on, the castle was going to be divided in narrow corridors, enclosed spaces, and a handful of large rooms. There would be more than enough places more efficient than there to put a defense up. In fact, Ashen and Cessilia left the Cheshi fighters that had come with them to deal with those, while they were still catching a break, glancing around.
“...Chances are those rotten bastards are hiding in the throne room or the banquet hall,” he said.
“They will t-try to keep us from k-killing your adopted brother,” nodded Cessilia.
“They can try. I can’t wait to get rid of that wretched bastard once and for all, if he really is alive...”
That was what they had heard so far. Cessilia herself was surprised, if that was true. From what she had seen, his body had been crushed by rocks. Perhaps he had survived, but he ought to have lost a limb or two, at the very least... She couldn’t understand why the Yekara Clan Leader was holding on to that man instead of taking the throne for himself. He could have simply taken over, declaring he had been named by their fake, very brief King to take his succession. Or was it that he doubted he would be recognized as a legitimate leader? It turned out Ashen’s brother wasn’t much more welcomed by the people, though... No one was blind as to who was truly behind all this.
“Cessilia.”
Ashen gently called her name, and extended his free hand for her to take. Together, they climbed the stairs first, trusting the Cheshi would catch up with them, or spread out in the castle to get rid of more Yekara soldiers. This was more their kind of battleground, after all. Unlike the plaza from earlier where they had been completely exposed, this time they could execute lightspeed attacks and disappear right after.
While climbing up, Cessilia tried to catch sight of what was going on outside through the windows. Not only in the Central Plaza, which she could spot in a blink, but also farther away, where her brothers and the dragons stood. She could see more fights going on, and Kian’s shiny figure defending one of the bridges. It was harder to figure out the situation on the other one, but Darsan seemed to be doing fine, standing in the middle of the bridge, the bright orange armor shining through while dozens of little silhouettes were regularly thrown off to fall into the river below. She couldn’t see Kassian’s situation, as her brother’s location was caught between all the buildings, but she could guess. It was probably like everywhere else, dozens of citizens flocking the streets to fight back with them, and Lady Bastat’s tribe gathering at his side. So much had happened during such a short amount of time; Cessilia could only hope the losses on their side would be minimal. She could also see more people gathering outside the Outer Wall, hundreds of little dots moving toward the doors. Who knew how long the bridges could be defended before people managed to force their way in…?
It wasn’t as if Ashen and herself weren’t busy as well. Cessilia was astounded with how many people got in their way. How long had the Yekara been preparing this? How many people had they corrupted to make the castle so guarded? At each new corridor, there was another fight. Ashen’s castle had suddenly turned into a maze that was not welcoming them back. Not only that, but Cessilia realized there had been a lot more fights than she had thought after they had fled the cave; there were signs of battle almost everywhere. They even ran into some Royal Guards’ bodies abandoned here and there, most likely those who had tried to resist.
Ashen’s anger gradually rose as he saw more and more of them. When they pushed the door to another room, finding three more bodies and a lot of blood spilled everywhere, the furniture wrecked, the floor and walls covered in blood, his piercing black eyes stayed on the bodies.
“If only I had gotten rid of the Yekara earlier... I should have known they wouldn’t be satisfied with a seat and a title. All my guards...”
“...You c-couldn’t have known,” gently muttered Cessilia, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You needed their help b-back then. It isn’t your fault.”
“No, it is, Cessilia. It’s been my mistake all along. I refused to handle all the responsibilities alone, and I tried to persuade myself I could let the leaders decide with me to divide the burden. That was so wrong. Not only did I let those bastards do what they wanted under my nose, but I didn’t even get to do anything worth it for all the tribes that deserved it.”
“That’s not t-true. It’s not as if the tribes resent you, and they know you d-didn’t just give in to the Yekara either.”
He closed his fist and didn’t answer, but Cessilia could tell from his expression that he wasn’t satisfied with that. Ashen was carrying his guilt all over his face, but that was his burden to bear. Cessilia knew he had faced too much at way too young an age. She knew most of the Lords didn’t blame him, but at the very least, recognizing his own wrongs would only make him a better King... even if it was another painful lesson learned.
She looked down. He had let go of her hand again. She frowned and suddenly grabbed his face between her hands, forcing him gently but firmly to look at her. Ashen opened his eyes wide at her, stunned. Cessilia actually took him by surprise.
“You may not have b-been the best King,” she said, “but you are a g-good man, Ashen. So please, d-don’t close yourself to the p-people who want to help you. I will b-be with you from now on. I’m not leaving you. If you made mistakes, we c-can repair them, together. I want t-to stay by your side.”
“...I know,” he muttered.
He gently held her hand against his cheek, and moved his head slightly to kiss her palm.
“I d-don’t think we have a lot of time for that,” Cessilia blushed.
“Later,” he whispered. “After all this is over, I want to spend all the time I have with you.”
“It’s a p-promise, then.”
“It is.”
She smiled, feeling a bit shy. It felt almost outrageous that the two of them could still be so loving toward each other in such a situation. Yet, her heart felt as if it was overflowing with love for him. Ashen had changed and, if possible, he had become even more handsome in her eyes. She really wanted to hug him, but they didn’t have the time for that. Instead, she put a quick kiss on his lips, leaving him with a smile on.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
“For what?”
“For being so patient with this stubborn lover of yours.”
Cessilia blushed and chuckled, and they finally parted, although still holding hands, tighter than before. As they were just about to leave the spot they were in, a loud dragon growl was heard in the distance. They ran to the closest window, immediately spotting the large red fire Naptunie had just set as a warning. At least, she was fine. Meanwhile, their eyes quickly found the large Black Dragon next, exactly on the bridge they had positioned it at, being assaulted by a myriad of strange ants. The humans had found ways to breach the gate, and began crawling onto the bridge, trying to get past the large dragon. They would probably take a while before managing to get past Krai, but that still wasn’t anywhere near good news for them. It meant the Yekara allies had already won over that side of the Outer Capital...
“...Let’s get going,” groaned Ashen. “The sooner we finish things here, the sooner we can go and get rid of the ones outside. ...Will your father’s dragon be alright?”
“Of c-course,” nodded Cessilia. “It’s my father’s d-dragon, after all. Darsan p-probably told him not to use his fire, b-but there is no way Krai will lose t-to a group of humans.”
Ashen nodded. He knew the power of the dragons enough himself.
They turned away from the window, and began running up the stairs again. They were now more eager than ever to end this, especially as they could hear the ruckus echoing throughout the castle, coming from both above and below. Had more of their allies entered the castle as well? Or were those the Yekara reinforcements coming to take down the King? Hard to tell, as all the sounds were distorted and echoed irregularly, but it only made them speed up.
The fights encountered on the way were easy, but they were slowly wearing them down for sure, which somehow seemed to be their goal. All the soldiers they ran into were primarily aiming to end Ashen’s life, targeting his injury and trying to injure him no matter what, which made Cessilia suspect they were afraid of him getting upstairs the most. The real, legitimate King being alive was a huge thorn in the Yekara Leader’s plan, and his adopted brother’s. They needed to get rid of him, to end the fights outside and prove the King was dead. There probably weren’t enough men in the whole castle to stop their duo, though. After many fights faced together, against one to a dozen people at once, Cessilia and Ashen had already found the best ways to work together, now forming a perfect pair of fighters. Even in tight areas, or against several scattered enemies, they were undefeatable. Following her brother’s suggestion, Cessilia wasn’t restraining herself anymore and, when she truly hesitated again, Ashen was there to give the finishing blow. His presence was making her more determined, especially as they were protecting each other. She was keeping his injury in mind, and trying to cover any blind spot of his in each fight. It was also a huge advantage that they had both been trained by the War God himself; like Tessandra and her siblings, their fighting style was suitable to complete each other efficiently.
“We’re almost there,” he announced after another set of stairs. “The next one is the throne room...”
Cessilia hadn’t had enough days to accustom herself to the complex castle structure, but she did recognize the corridors they had been in for a few minutes now. Her blood rushed even faster in her veins, her stomach burning at the thought of the upcoming, final fight. They hadn’t caught sight of Jisel yet, but she didn’t doubt that the woman was there. From time to time, they could hear Jinn climbing around the castle, the Red Dragon’s claws making a terrible ruckus against the castle’s weaker stones. Cessilia just couldn’t call out her brother’s dragon for help yet. First, she didn’t know how Kian and Kassian’s fights were going at the moment, and secondly, she still wasn’t sure about Jisel’s real intentions of coming back to the castle. Something definitely felt off about her dragon’s presence, and Cessilia wanted to make the situation clear before killing her...
Ashen pushed the door, and without much surprise, they found the room filled with more Yekara soldiers or hired mercenaries and, at the very back, Lord Yebekh, standing next to the throne with Ashen’s adopted brother on it. A strange silence followed their arrival. Cessilia roughly counted about twenty fighters in the room, but her eyes were more attracted to the duo hiding at the back. Lord Yebekh had a vicious smile on, his arm leaning against the throne. ...Had he been injured too? He looked like he was leaning strangely, but then again, he was wearing a long cape hiding most of his body. Next to him, Ashen’s adopted brother, on the other hand, was in a terrible state, just as she had imagined. It was unbelievable that they had just propped him up there, on the throne, when his condition was that bad. He was missing an arm and leg, and the half of his body she had seen crushed was now covered in bandages soaked with blood. His eyes were open, but his lips were purple, and his eyes looked strange, as if he couldn’t focus them properly. Even from across the room, Cessilia could guess he had a fever. Strangely, though, something that looked like a wooden and metallic leg was laid against the throne, as if it was ready to be used... A prosthetic? What were they expecting to do with that? That, and the strange bottle he was holding in his only hand, were confusing Cessilia, making her even more nervous.
“There he is!” exclaimed Lord Yebekh with an amused expression. “The White King defies death, yet again. ...And he returns with the War God’s daughter by his side, of course.”
His eyes went to Cessilia but, far from the theatrical impression he was trying to put on, he couldn’t help but glare at her. Cessilia withheld his hateful gaze, not impressed in the slightest. She was more intrigued about what in the world that mad man had done to Ashen’s adopted brother...
