Chapter 12: Aella's Doom 2
Kaelor Kingdom... Aella's Quarters
The air in the chamber was still.
Not the quiet of peace...
But the silence of suffocation.
Of rot beneath silk and perfume.
The golden curtains were drawn, yet no warmth seeped in.
Light trickled through cracks in the window, dim and lifeless, only enough to catch dust frozen mid-air...
as if time itself refused to move forward in this place.
This cage.
Aella sat at the edge of her bed.
Shoulders trembling beneath a black silk gown.
Breath shallow. Lips pale.
The sharp curve of her collarbone visible from the weight she'd lost.
She raised her trembling palm to her chest.
Over her heart.
She reached for mana...
for even a flicker.
But nothing came.
Nothing.
As if her very essence had been drained.
Hollowed out like a corpse that still breathed.
Her fingers curled slowly. Her red eyes narrowed.
"…What is happening to me?" she whispered.
"What have they done...?"
A cough tore itself from her throat.
Thick, wet, and heavy with blood.
It spilled past her lips.
Dark crimson. Painful. Unnatural.
The maid beside her caught it quickly with a cloth, her hands shaking, but steady from practice.
She had not left the princess's side for days.
Eyes swollen from sleepless nights.
Face pale, like death had passed through her as well.
She wiped Aella's chin gently.
"Your Highness... please... don't move."
Aella gasped for air.
Her body wouldn't stop trembling.
"…Did any letter arrive?" she asked, voice raspy, scraping her throat like shards of glass.
The maid hesitated.
"…No, Your Highness. I've checked every day. I'm still waiting."
Aella's eyes drifted to the shuttered window.
The room suddenly felt colder.
"What about the escort who came with me?" Her voice dropped. "I haven't heard from them since… since I was poisoned."
The maid's eyes flickered away.
"They… they left just before it happened. And they haven't returned. I've tried contacting them. But... there's no response."
Aella's lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line.
She closed her eyes.
It's all preplanned...
The escort must be in the same condition as me... or worse.
And this food… this water... they could all be poisoned.
She opened her eyes again. Her voice was flat.
"No escort. No reply. No allies."
She gave a short laugh.
But it was empty. Dead.
"Looks like I've been thrown to the wolves."
She rose from the bed, limbs trembling.
Her knees nearly buckled... until the maid caught her arm.
"Prepare to leave."
The words were cold.
Sharp.
Spoken like steel being drawn.
"I don't care what's happening to my body... I'm not staying in this place another night."
"B-But, Your Highness…"
"We're running. Now."
Her eyes blazed.
Even dimmed by pain, they burned like bloodied fire.
"I don't know how long I'll live in this condition... but if I stay here, I'll die a dog's death."
She turned to the window. Breathing heavy.
"…And one day… every one of these bastards will beg for mercy."
The maid stared at her in silence.
Then nodded.
"I'll make the arrangements."
____________
One Month Later
Ashkar Kingdom... Battlefield Encampment
Crown Prince's War Tent
The sky was a dull, iron-gray.
Clouds heavy.
Winds sharp and cruel.
But within the Crown Prince's war tent...
It was not the cold that suffocated.
It was rage.
Aven DragonBlood sat at the head of the strategy table.
One gauntleted hand pressed hard against the war map, tearing its creases with pressure alone.
Blood stained his armor.
Some of it was his.
Most of it wasn't.
He hadn't changed since the last charge. His shoulder still bled beneath the cracked plating.
Yet he sat unmoved.
Across from him stood Juliet.
Her once flowing blue hair had been cut short.
Not styled...
But hacked off, uneven, in the midst of battle when it became a liability.
Blood clung to her as well.
She looked exhausted.
Not broken. But dulled.
Her sword still hung at her waist.
"…Your Highness," she said quietly, "it looks like... many nobles from our side have also betrayed us."
Her voice dropped lower.
"We may have to fight them too."
In the shadows behind her, a cloaked figure knelt...
the one of the Shadow Guard's.
"Your Highness," he said low, "reports from the scouts have arrived."
"Speak," Aven replied.
His voice was calm.
But it boiled beneath the surface.
"More kingdoms have allied with Dravion. Small tribes. Mercenary guilds. Even rogue swordmasters from Kaelor and Valmyr. It's… coordinated. Every move we make is predicted. This war was planned well in advance."
Aven's hand curled into a fist.
"What about the southern front?"
"Outnumbered. Outflanked. Barely holding. Our reserves are bleeding."
For a moment, silence returned.
Only the rustle of the map remained.
Juliet said nothing. Her gaze never moved.
Then...
Aven exhaled slowly. His eyes sharpened.
"We end this. Quickly."
He stood, gaze cold as winter steel.
"We push them back before they can breathe. No more hesitation."
He turned to Juliet.
"Distribute the potions Aella sent to the frontlines. All of them. And bring some here."
He clenched his jaw.
"I'm killing every last one of them today."
Juliet nodded without a word.
The Shadow Guard knelt lower, but did not speak.
Then, suddenly...
Aven placed a hand over his face.
"…But where is Aella?"
His voice was quieter now.
"Father is dead. Second Mother is dead. That alone… is a wound we can't measure."
He looked away, eyes burning.
"I still haven't received a reply from her."
His words came slower.
"I don't know what's going on in Kaelor. But I can't lose her too."
He looked down at the blood-stained map once more.
"I'll end this war... and then I'll go.
____________
Few Days Later
Kaelor Kingdom… Duke Forest
Duke Forest was not just a barrier.
It was a graveyard wrapped in green.
A dense, ancient woodland that circled the heart of Kaelor like a noose... its twisted trees, towering cliffs, and beasts untouched by men for centuries made it one of the most feared regions in the continent.
But it was also Kaelor's shield.
A natural wall.
And now, a battlefield.
The air was still.
Heavy.
Silent.
Cold.
The scent of blood clung to the wind like a curse, thick enough to choke.
Trees stood shattered and broken, their trunks split by steel and fire.
The forest floor was painted red... bodies of knights lay scattered across the clearing, some whole, most not.
Blood soaked the roots.
Limbs twisted unnaturally.
Faces frozen in disbelief and agony.
Dozens more still stood.
Barely.
Breathing hard.
Waiting with trembling blades for their turn to die.
And in front of them all…
A lone figure.
The Second Princess of Ashkar.
Aella stood tall, though her body swayed with exhaustion.
Her breaths were shallow.
Her armor dented and torn.
Her blood mixed with theirs.
But she did not fall.
Her mana had long since abandoned her... cut off, shattered, like it had never existed.
Her heart pounded in agony, but her body moved from instinct alone.
Her sword trembled in her grip, but her red eyes burned.
Like a beast driven mad.
A voice slithered through the trees.
"You still stand?"
The sound was mockery wrapped in silk.
Calm. Cruel.
"You almost got away, you know. I would've been in trouble if you'd reached Ashkar."
Aella turned her head.
From the far end of the clearing, a man emerged.
Dozens of knights marched behind him, but only one walked without fear.
The Crown Prince of Kaelor.
Slow steps.
Hands behind his back.
A wicked smile playing on his lips.
He stopped a few paces away.
Clapped once.
Then twice.
The sound echoed.
"Truly a DragonBlood," he said, voice smooth. "Fighting this many knights alone, even with that shattered body of yours. You're incredible, darling."
He grinned.
"But your end… will be just as pitiful as your brother's."
Aella's lips parted.
Her voice cracked with rage.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Her blade lifted again, trembling.
"Speak properly… before I tear your filthy mouth apart. Don't think you'll survive after what you did to me."
The Crown Prince tilted his head, feigning innocence.
"Still unaware, are you?" he chuckled. "You haven't heard what happened to your dear brother, the Crown Prince of Ashkar?"
Aella's fingers tightened.
Her breath stilled.
He stepped forward, eyes glinting.
"He's dead."
Her eyes widened.
"What…?"
"Killed," he whispered. "His head… your beloved brother's head… was hung on the walls of Ashkar for all to see. Quite the display."
"You lie!" she roared. "You think I'm stupid enough to believe that?! My brother wouldn't fall so easily!"
"Oh, he didn't," the Prince said.
His smile never faltered.
"He almost annihilated Dravion's entire forces. Killed most of the swordmasters I sent. Even poisoned, he stood. He fought like a demon. Like a true DragonBlood."
He laughed.
"But the healing potion I gave him... in your name... he drank it. How stupid the bond is."
Aella's heart twisted.
That potion…
He thought it was from me?
"Yes," the Prince whispered, as if reading her thoughts. "Only we know how to disable a DragonBlood's core. And even then, he held the line. Fought until nothing was left."
His grin grew wider.
"And then he died… like a dog."
Aella's breath caught.
Her legs trembled.
Her knees buckled.
"No… my brother would never... he'd never trust..."
"Oh, but he did," the Prince sneered. "We spent weeks mimicking your handwriting. The seal. The scent. Every word, every flourish. One of our girls made it perfect."
He leaned close.
"Even you wouldn't have known the difference."
Her blade shook in her hands.
Her strength was gone.
Her training had been magic.
Never the sword.
And now... with her mana sealed... she was nothing more than a dying girl with a blade not knowing how to use.
The world blurred.
Her knees hit the bloodstained ground.
The Prince crouched before her, voice low.
"And now... you will follow. Your father? Dead. Your mother? Dead. Your brother? Gone."
He leaned closer, eyes gleaming.
"All that's left is your precious First Queen. But she'll fall soon. And then… Ashkar will burn."
He stood.
"But you, darling... I'll keep you alive just a little longer. I want you to see it. Their corpses. Their failure. Your pride... broken."
Aella's sword slipped from her hand.
Blood ran down her chin.
Her body gave in.
But her voice remained.
"So… you've nearly killed all the DragonBloods…"
She laughed.
Low and broken.
"Ha… ha…"
"Make sure to keep me alive, you bastard," she hissed, raising her head with a cracked smile.
"I want to see the ending."
The Crown Prince smirked.
"No…"
But her whisper cut him off.
"The ending of Kaelor."
And her eyes finally closed.
Her body collapsed.
Silence returned to Duke Forest…
but not peace.
Her final thoughts flickered like a dying ember.
"Looks like I won't be able to make it back to my kingdom...
Now that brother is gone too...
I leave the kingdom in your hands, youngest..."