The Blood King's Bride

The Kingdom of Pres.

The King's Castle...

Svetlana reached the palace's outer wall and headed straight for the meeting point of her and the spy the king of Neba had sent to aid her. Svetlana knew with a look at the spy that he was someone she shouldn't joke with; something was deceiving about how he carried himself. Their meeting place was in a house very close to the forest that led to the border between Pres and Neba. It was an ordinary-looking house, one that wouldn't garner much attention. It wasn't easy to get that house, especially with the Allikans roaming the streets. But the king of Neba surprised her by pulling strings, and she was able to get the house with no problem. She arrived at the house, then studied the environment. When she was sure that no one had come there, she entered. The house was bare, relatively empty. There was nothing aside from the small table in the middle of the room with two chairs by its side. Svetlana hadn't made time to check the other rooms in the house, as she barely spent time there and was always in the palace. The spy was the one who had spent more time there, gathering information from the villagers and those of the lowest level of the castle.

They usually meet by the end of the week as it was such, and so she took out a chair and sat on it, waiting for him.

She thought back to the last event she had come across before her journey to the hideout. She couldn't stop the shiver at the memory, remembering that once, she was trained just to be like that female soldier. That was until tragedy struck.

She remembered it like it was yesterday. Most people do not know, but Svetlana and her Dad were what one would call royalty. Just as a Duke or Duchess is related to the King, Svetlana and her Father were related to one of the highest entities of the Allikans; the Chosen one. Svetlana was her niece. Her father was the Elder brother to the chosen one and one of the most powerful soldiers of the Allikans. He was once a high General, commanding all the armies of the Allikans.

The Allikans had three high powers, none the higher and each equal in their position. The

first was the androgynous being, who took up the form of half-man/woman and half-snake with the pointy end of a scorpion. Her father had only ever seen the being once and described the experience as extraordinary. According to him, no one had ever seen the face of the being, and you couldn't tell the gender because its form, motion, and voice were both male and female. The being was the provider of the powers the Allikans harnessed, and they were given to warriors, male warriors only when they reached a certain age and performed a particular deed. Females were also given powers, but unlike the male warriors who were freely given at a specific age, the females were given the powers when they agreed to become a charging point for the warriors. They provide the warriors with extra powers through sexual relations, and the females also gain powers through that course.

Svetlana's father told her that her mother, the love of his life, was the only person he

relied on to fuel him and him to her. He never took anyone else, even after her death, and although he didn't recharge as much as he used to, that still didn't mean he wasn't as powerful as he used to be. He was a very fearful general, and most tried their best not to get on his wrong side.

The females prepared as chargers for the warriors were called 'Shërà,' an Allikan term for 'pure ones.' Svetlana wanted to feel closer to her mother, so she joined the group of women willing to be trained to become one. Her father was against it at first, saying that her marriage at the end may not be like the one he had with her mother, as any warrior can claim her, and he wouldn't be able to protect her if the warrior was a wicked man. He also claimed that she could be one of many wives, just to be used as a recharge point, and she would not have the love her parents had. She was stubborn. That didn't break her morale; it made her want to be trained

more.

Knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop her, her father let her be. She was thrilled when she joined and had made several friends. Those were good times. The second highest being was the holy messenger. He was the closest person to the Supreme Being, as he was the one who always passed across messages from the being to the Allikans. He was always wearing a long white robe that covered almost every part of his body and a tall-looking hat that her father said was used to represent his status and power. No one knew how the holy messenger was chosen. Rumour had it that the being gave the position to whomever he wished.

The third highest was the chosen one. She was the most powerful female Allikan. Unlike the messenger who is selected at random, the Chosen ones come from a chosen bloodline, which has a particular type of energy that is compatible with the being itself. No one knows the true extent of her power. Even the holy messenger, as powerful as he is, still paid her the proper respect she needed as when due. Like the attire of all Allikans, they always adorn a white robe and a veil that covers the mouth and lands on the chest.

Svetlana's trouble started the day the Supreme Being ordered the holy messenger and the chosen one to mate. No one knew what was going on in the mind of the being, but no one was against the order. No one could go against it, even if they wished to. They mated, and the following year, the chosen one gave birth. That day was extraordinary, as, on the hour of her birth, everyone could hear the cries of the being from his cave. It was a screeching, howling sound. No one dared to laugh during that time. The screams went on for days before it finally stopped.

Svetlana never saw the baby the first days it was born. She never saw it at all. She was focused on continuing her journey as a Shërà, hoping to draw closer to her mother the more she improved. The following months were relatively peaceful, though she knew that all the peace she felt at that time was a calm facade. Her father always came back worried, and during the middle

of the night, she would always wake up to find her father pacing the whole house, his face a mixture of anger and worry. She didn't know what was going on, and one day, she even asked him about it.

"Do not worry, dear," he had said. "Everything would be alright." The next two weeks became a blur. Suddenly, her uncle, her father's younger brother, Slovic, challenged her father to a duel for the role of a general. It was typical between the Allikan ranks, but she was surprised that her uncle had done that, although her father looked like he had expected it.

The fight took place the next day after the duel was announced, and her father defeated her uncle in an hour. Furious at the embarrassment, her uncle stormed out of the duelling field. Svetlana was happy about her father, but how her uncle looked at him made her nerves rise in shackles. All was well in the next few days.

One day, a stranger from another kingdom, who called himself a prince, came to their land. He asked for help from the elders to support him in his quest for the throne. They refused. Svetlana had a glimpse at the man once and agreed that he was handsome. Her aunt, on the other hand, Navina, saw him once and was utterly besotted. She tried everything she could to make him fall for her, but none of her tactics worked as far as she could remember.

She had never liked Navina. Though their relationship was an aunt and a niece, there wasn't much difference in their ages. Since the strange visitor visited their lands, Svetlana hadn't seen her father. She didn't take it seriously since he was typically sent on missions that may take weeks to complete. So she saw it as nothing different.

After a few days, the strange visitor finally agreed to marry Navina. Svetlana was shocked. She couldn't imagine who would want to marry someone like her. She was tempted to look at the man again, trying to see if she would find the reason etched on his face. She was even surprised that the elders allowed her to marry a stranger. One of the rules of the Allikans was that you could only marry someone who also was an Allikan, or had the blood of an Allikan, as it made their bloodlines stronger. She decided that the elders had their reasons, as they were always right, so she let them be. The next day, the man and her aunt departed for the man's kingdom. Her father still hadn't returned yet.

Several weeks had passed when the elders called her to their meeting place one day. Svetlana was surprised, as she had lived a relatively quiet life, keeping to herself and not drawing unnecessary attention. One was only called to the Elders' meeting room when found wanting. She remembered dressing prettily that day, making sure to look acceptable, before trudging to the elders' tent. When she arrived, she paid her necessary homage and knelt on the ground, bowing as customary for females. She can still remember the words that they spoke to her as if it were the day before,

"Female," one of them called out. "We have news for you."

Svetlana remained quiet, waiting for them to continue what they wanted to say. One can't

speak in front of an elder except when asked.

"Your father is dead." Another deadpanned. "He failed his mission woefully, and were it

not for his brother, the plan would have come back to attack us all." Svetlana could not breathe. Her chest was choked up, and she became dizzy.

"You have been put under the care of your uncle. You will continue your training as a

Shërà with him as your guardian, till the day you are to be betrothed. You may leave."

She couldn't remember how she stood or how she walked to the tent's entrance. When she came out, she saw her uncle standing outside. His telling smile said it all. Her father wasn't killed by enemies,

He was killed by his brother.

Svetlana couldn't believe it. She was tempted to avenge her father then and there, but she knew she didn't have even a quarter of any power enough to defeat him. One thing her father had taught her, a predator always bide its time before it catches prey. She would stay with her uncle until she could find something strong enough for her to use to defeat him. Fortunately for her, her uncle barely paid attention, and she had enough time to sneak around, knowing his schedule and what he did and didn't do. One day, when her uncle returned home- she was already living with him- Svetlana noticed that he was moving strangely. She paid him no particular focus till he entered his room. Then she overheard him cursing her father. He hadn't gone down without a fight. That caused her a small measure of satisfaction. That was until he said,

"You're lucky you escaped my final blow. Your head would be hanging in my cell by

now."

Svetlana had never felt as shocked and happy as she did that day. She had lived several months, looking for ways to avenge her father, only to realize that there was a tad bit of hope, that he may still be alive. She made up her mind to look for him.

She would stop her training. She would leave the Allikans. As she was making plans to

go, the news of the chosen's one death was announced the next day. Svetlana had never really associated with her aunt, so she felt no special towards her. She did feel for her daughter, who was now without a mother.

As was traditional for chosen ones, they weren't given names until they were given the

title. Her little cousin had gone by the name "heir" throughout the days she was born, or "the next chosen" as she was formally called.

Svetlana never attended the ceremony crowning her little cousin as the new chosen one.

When the ceremony was going on, she prepared her things for her journey.

Imagine her surprise when her uncle returned much earlier, carrying a girl not yet up to a

year. She had a huge birthmark on her neck, taking the shape of a drop of blood. It was red and significant, though she didn't know what it stood for.

"Her name is Firoza," her uncle had said. "And you would take care of her till she is

called by the Supreme Being."