The Heir of Depths

The usually quiet castle was filled with servants coming and going, cleaning and accommodating the dining and dancing rooms for the celebration. Tying up the curtains, embellishing the tables and tuning the instruments for the long night to come.

It was the first time Arline could roam around the castle without anyone noticing her. She didn’t search for Larsin nor Merrick and took advantage of not having to train. She walked around the hallways, admiring the paintings hanging on the dark walls as much as she could.

She got bored quickly and chose to go to the forest to kill the time until she had to go and get ready for the party. Arline went by the lake. It was also a great excuse for her to practice creating creatures by herself. She managed to get around sea otters and snakes, but nothing bigger than that. She understood the only reason her powers created that stallion was because Merrick was helping her, which she considered enough motivation to grow her own powers to match the Dark Prince’s.

“Nice job” Merrick surprised her. He was leaning on a tree and had been watching her for a few minutes now.

“What are you doing here?” She got scared and the otters blended back into the lake.

“I was looking for you, I need you in the War Room” she nodded, confused but followed him back to the compound.

“Why were you alone in the woods?” He wondered.

“I needed to get out” she tried matching his pace “What do you need me for?” She asked once in front of the door.

“I need you to promise me you won’t punch the person behind the door” she appeared confused “Despite him deserving it” Her mind started to ramble on who could it be and had no clue until he opened the door and saw the dirty blond hair and she pulled the strings together.

Aidan Farjo in the flesh was standing in front of them with a kind smile forming on his face. Arline wasn’t angry but her confusion was visible. She didn’t understand why the same person that had kidnapped them a few months ago was now sitting in the War Room, comfortable as a guest.

“What is he doing here?” Arline’s tone was angrily inquisitive as she approached Aidan.

“I know you must be confused” Merrick stepped in the middle of them “He is a dear friend” he explained.

“What a way to show it”

“I am not proud either” Aidan’s voice was different from the last time, this time he sounded like a person with critical thinking skills “Nice to meet you Arline, I have heard wonders about you” Aidan passed her his hand and out of courtesy, she took it, very carefully.

“What kind of wonders?” Arline asked him, not looking away from him.

“Just your ability to ridicule Princes” Arline softened her gaze and Merrick chuckled.

“He told me the reason of our kidnapping” Merrick said as they all took a seat.

“The High Council gave an announcement” Aidan began “Two powerful guardians sailing through the monstrous ocean to ally with Pelagius, and they must be brought before the Holy Messenger for punishment” he dramatized it a little too much Arline thought “I obviously knew it was a lie, Merrick would never ally with such thing”

The High Council was the equivalent of a Parliament, where decisions regarding the safety of guardians and deities were made. It was composed by a representative of each Kingdom on Earth, most of whom were not fond of neither the Dark Prince or Pelagius and his descendants. And the High Inquisitor, an powerful old man who acted as a messenger between deities and guardians.

“Show some respect Aidan” Merrick corrected his friend with a funny tone in his voice.

“Of course he wouldn’t” Arline said “After we escaped you, his little pet attacked the ship”

“Not to mention you were taken prisoner” Merrick reminded her.

“So you really are a Selected Child of Pelagius” Aidan asked her to which she just nodded “The Council wants you caged, both of you” he added, leaving aside his surprise with Arline.

“I am not surprised really” Merrick said with a boring tone.

“Of course you are not” Aidan laughed “You could take over the entire group of breathing gargoyles with a snap of your fingers, and yet you stand still”

“Sometimes I am thankful you weren’t given more power than you already have” Merrick confessed.

“Tua Nui interceded on your behalf, so did your father and some others who still consider you a good choice to rule Reiska” Aidan said “So for now you are out of danger, until something happens” he side-eyed Arline.

“What?” Arline asked him.

“Women like you start wars” Aidan said.

“I have no intention of starting a war” Arline straightened her posture on the chair and hardened her gaze.

“Really?” Aidan didn’t break eye contact and drew closer to her “How is Larsin doing?” He smiled at her, she felt like she could punch him and knock off his teeth.

“Careful Aidan” Merrick warned him “She can still stab you”

“You do realize your brother despises you right?” Aidan started approaching his best friend and Arline realized how graceful he looked, as a Prince out of a fairytale “And Larsin will take advantage of her eventually, just to piss you off”

“I don’t doubt it” Arline said “He’s been acting like a complete idiot lately and spends most of his time on the armory” she finished.

“I like her” the sincere tone on Aidan’s voice made Arline smile.

Time passed by faster than they thought and when they looked through the window, the Sun was about to start setting across the horizon in any moment.

“Pauline will be looking for you” Merrick advised her to go back “I will give you something before the Ball, just wait for me” She nodded and left the room.

“Not a word Aidan” Merrick could see the mocking grin forming on his friend’s face.

“About what? That she trusts you blindly?” Merrick didn’t say anything to that statement “Or the fact that you are willing to give up your power just for her?”

“Watch your tongue” the Prince of Reiska warned him.

Both Princes had been friends since birth and were raised in the same environment, learning the same lessons and fighting with the same swords. Aidan was closer to a brother for Merrick than Larsin could ever be.

“She is beautiful” Aidan admitted “And fearless, perfect Huntress”

“I know” Merrick simply said.

Pauline was finishing up with Arline’s hair. She had accommodated on a half up-half down style, with different braids. The breathtaking dress hugged her figure and kept her warm, despite the high slit and neckline. Her sword hung to her side.

A sharp knock sounded on the door. For a moment, she thought the Young Prince would be the one coming to see her, but it was Merrick who stepped into her room, carrying a big wooden box. When the Prince greeted her, he smiled for himself at how precious Arline looked. If someone doubted her being a water guardian, her radiating beauty that night gave it away.

“What’s in the box?” Arline asked and lightly stroked her hair.

“The necklace” he said while opening it “I know you are unsure but not only we can show the Water Guardian is on our side, it looks beautiful on you” Arline laughed. To her, this all seemed like a theatre play.

Merrick went behind her, holding the necklace over her chest and clipped it.

“One more thing” Merrick pulled out a dagger. His dagger incrusted in sapphires. The same dagger she committed her first murder with. That memory seemed so distant, despite only being a few months old.

“It looks beautiful on me?” She joked.

“I want you protected” he said with a soft gaze and tone “And consider it a gift”.

“For what?” She tilted her head.

“For trusting me and bare with me for the past months”

“Where do you suggest I should put it?”

“That’s what the slit is for” Merrick noted “May I?” He asked politely but with a mischievous grin. He was shameless and wanted to do it with every fiber of his body.

“My pleasure” she answered confidently to his surprise.

Arline stood on the stool, moving her right leg out of the slit just a little bit. Merrick reached for her thigh, and carefully started tying the leather holder. His touch was tender, which made her skin crawl, but measured, making sure he didn’t overstep.

“Comfortable?” He asked and she nodded while she admired how the fabric perfectly covered the weapon.

“Be safe and keep an eye open” he ordered her, at the end of the day, he was her General and she was his Huntress “Just inform me if anything happens, no matter who I’m with” he then left.

Loud music filled the Ball Room after dinner. The guests were dancing, re-meeting, exchanging gossip, flirting, each corner of the room had an activity for everyone to be entertained. Their Majesties were dancing on the center of the room, each Prince was away from the other and the Huntresses were walking around, guarding the scene in case something happened.

Prince Larsin was flabbergasted when he saw Arline that night, and didn’t stop staring at her, no matter what beautiful creature or Princess was talking to him.

“I do not like this one bit” Lara said to Aidan, alternating her view between the Young Prince and her newest Huntress.

“You do know she can kill people, right?” Aidan tried calming her down.

“She would never kill him, Arline thinks she owes Larsin her life” she rolled her eyes when she saw how Arline was being pulled away from her corner by no other than Prince Larsin Dortamus.

“She can handle it on her own” Aidan tried sounding confident but he really didn’t trust Larsin one bit either. Aidan knew that no matter the amount of enemies Merrick had, his younger brother was the biggest threat for his position in the throne.

“I don’t think she can Aidan” Lara felt worried for her and headed to the door of the room she got into, it was locked “They saw Larsin spending the entire morning on the armory, he is planning something and he just pulled out Merrick’s best guard”

What Lara said rang a bell to Aidan because Arline had said the same thing. Larsin was up to something and he had to let his best friend know he was about to be betrayed by his own brother.

“Stand by the door Lara” Aidan advised her “I will tell Merrick” he left and Lara stood guard outside, in case she heard something, but the loud music made it almost impossible to hear anything.

“What did you-” Arline was asking Larsin inside the room when he cut her off with a desperate kiss “What was that for?” She softened both her gaze and tone, even let out a smile.

“For everything” Larsin kissed her again and pressed her body towards the wall. He kissed her the same way he did the first time. Pulling her closer to him. Almost in a loving way. At least that’s what she thought until she felt an unbearable pressure on her wrists, almost like claws penetrating her skin.

“Larsin” she gasped at the constraint “You’re hurting me” she was fighting him, trying to pull away from him.

Larsin just looked at her, almost regretful of what he was doing but still applying pressure around her little wrists. The pain was unbearable and she started slouching and whimpering but couldn’t bring herself to scream. He threw her to the ground. Arline felt a strange wave of weakness across her limbs and stood in all fours, gasping for air.

“I just wished you would have stayed on my side, beautiful” Larsin said from above.

“What are you talking about Larsin?” Arline started to feel how her veins itched and the blood slipping away from the open wound.

“You picked his side Arline, when you could have been my Queen” he was standing next to her, looking down on her, at how pathetic the Heir looked.

Arline cursed her stupidness when she saw two pairs of boots standing in front of her. Silas and Alastair were chuckling at her.

“Not so tough, witch?” Alastair mocked her and kicked Arline right on her stomach, making her dizzy. She laid on her side praying someone might save her.

“I can still save you and make you my Queen if you swear loyalty to me” Larsin bargained

“Why don’t you fuck off, Larsin” she said with a mixture on anger and scare, and earned another kick from Silas and a stinging slap from Alastair, which made her lay on her back.

“Have respect for the future King” one of them said, Arline couldn’t tell which of the twins, but she just knew Larsin was smiling.

She reached for her thigh. For the dagger. Arline waited for the twins to get closer, to attack her at her weakest point. Arline knew the Prince was too much of a coward to inflict harm on her.

She felt how both of their shadows grew around her sides. Arline quickly stabbed one of them on the knee and grabbed the other by his shirt’s neck, slashing his throat. She managed to get up quickly but stumbling thanks to the dizziness, and then realized in how much excruciating pain she on.

“You really think you can win?” Arline asked him while pressing Alastair’s wounded knee with her boot, making him scream, but her view was getting blurry.

“If you are out of this game? Yes”

Arline then understood that her mighty savior had poisoned her. She didn’t know with what but she knew she had to get to Merrick or Lara if she wanted to live.

“Move away Larsin” she was pointing at him with the dagger. Her back was against the door, but she needed time to open it.

“I am not letting you leave Arline”

That sentence was enough for her to chose to throw the sharp weapon right at his chest but unfortunately, it landed on his left shoulder, a little above the heart. But it was enough for him to stumble back and buy her time to pass through the door as quickly as she could.

“Are you all right?” Lara asked agitated while Arline locked the door and managed to nod at her.

“We need to get Merrick out of here” she brushed away her superior’s worries and started looking for the Crown Prince.

“Aidan is working on it”

Vines started growing from the walls, with blossoming pink camellias hanging as they walked back into the Ball Room. Larsin was trying not only to warn his allies but to hold them inside the castle. Lucky for them, Aidan Farjo found satisfaction in burning things, especially things that threatened his life.

The King and Merrick guided the two women to the back door, alongside Aidan, who was having too much fun with his powers. They headed to the woods, lightly jogging across the trees.

“You are all going to Pozarite” the King said a little out of breath.

“You knew?” At this point, Arline was managing out words. The poison was slowly kicking in and had to tell someone about it.

“Of course we knew” Merrick said after whistling to the sky “Drink this” he passed her a small bottle with a lime green color. She swallowed it in one sitting and Arline felt how her body was brought back to life.

Aska and other dragon that she couldn’t totally dimension the size of came down from the night sky, with a loud growl.

“You’re coming with me” Merrick didn’t leave much room for her to argue considering he easily lifted her and placed her on the saddle. Lara hopped on the brown dragon, followed by Aidan.

“Only come back when you are strong enough” the King advised his eldest son and pat his back. It was rather a cold goodbye coming from a father but Merrick didn’t expect much from the King. He hopped behind Arline and they took off, away from the Kingdom of Reiska.

Arline was afraid of closing her eyes and her head had started to hurt, her heartbeat composing an unbearable melody on her temple.

“What did you give me?” She asked Merrick.

“A tonic to diminish the effects of the poison” he pulled her head to his chest for Arline to rest.

“How did you know?”

“I suspected it after you warned me” he whispered but Arline was fighting the urge to fall asleep “Try to rest” he insisted.

“I’m scared” she confessed.

“I am here Arline” he said to her ear, his voice soothing and calm “I am not letting you fall, I promise” that was the last thing she heard him said before her mind shut off.