Hero Dyes - Blue

Bridget: I had done it… I slayed that foul and beastly creature. It wasn’t a man. It was a monster. The thought of seeing Magnus as he truly is, was repulsing. An orc of all things to be ruling over my beloved kingdom. How could Damaris recruit such a hideous ogre? I mean, he wasn’t all that beastly, nor was he an ogre. Sure, his posture was more perfect than any human I’ve ever seen. His bluish complexion instead of pale green flattered his big muscular body. I’ve never seen such fine cut detail of an orc’s body before. Come to think of it, I’m sure no one has ever seen an orc to speak of. His hair was messy and tamed, as if one stroke of my hand could move it in any direction without much effort. I didn’t know orcs even had hair, let alone a splendid color like autumn red. I wish I could have seen his eyes without so much pain coursing through them. They were a glossy forest green only when the sun hit them, but otherwise a dark burning red. Without his cloak the light shining from the window revealed such a wonder to me. Even more so when I drove my twin swords through his chest, inches away from his face, I saw the beauty of the transformation within his eyes. Now, no one will ever see them again. I had killed my first tyrant and yet, I don’t feel like I’ve won.

“What a wondrous thing it must be… To die and live no more… Goddesses, please embrace me one day. Take me away from this hell…” I heard the sage speak to himself as he gazed out the window. I wasn’t expecting for my foe to evaporate into thin air. Nor was I expecting those that died by the tyrants had to join him in the cloud of mist. It was then that I realized the grave mistake I had made. Once the mist cleared, the dead bodies that were piled upon each other were gone. All that remained were the knights that were protecting Magnus. I started to feel sick as I only counted about fifteen or twenty dead knights within this large corridor. Before that, the amount of bodies that laid lifeless thanks to Magnus, was uncountable. I held my stomach as it flipped about seeing the room so empty, when moments before, the slaughter that took place was gone.

“Now you get it.” The sage addressed me. I held my head high as I adjusted my posture and glared upon him.

“They all died for your cause, sage. They believed in you, grand master of the ages. This was not my doing.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Don’t worry, one day you’ll be as numb as I am.” His words irritated me as his smug look boiled the blood within my veins. Before I could engage in a barking match with him more knights showed up to aid Lord Magnus. They suddenly stopped and tried to assess the scene before them.

“Halt! You shall go no further! If you enter that throne room, we will have no choice but to end your lives!” A knight shouts as they prepare themselves to attack. I smirked at their comment as I twirled my dual swords. I walked the other way and swayed my hips to taunt these fools. Once I reached the double doors I sheath my weapons and pushed open the doors. I continued my stride and soon placed myself upon the throne room chair. I beckoned for them to come in as I crossed my legs and waited for them to enter. The sage signaled them to follow and soon they were before me, putting their weapons away and ready to kneel.

“Lord Magnus is dead, my dear knights. You are now free of his evil grasp. No more shall you report to him. A new lord will take his place and command this land.” I smiled as they dropped to one knee and bowed.

“All hail Bridget, the Twin Blade Knight!” My smile quickly dimmed as my eyes widened with fear. I quickly stood up and shook my head frantically.

“No, no! I’m sorry, I got ahead of myself. I won’t be ruling over this land. My apologies!” I announced bashfully. They all stood up slowly and confused as they looked upon each other for the answer to my riddle. I rolled my eyes and huffed as I placed my hands on my hips.

“I have already selected a lord to rule over this land. Fetch me Ulrik! Also, a priest to officially bless him as our new lord!” I demanded. The knights shouted a unified ‘yes’ and hurried off. I sighed with relief as I knew Ulrik would kill me if I stole his dream.

“You’re going to hold a ceremony for Ulrik to become lord?” The sage asked, as if I just didn’t state that very fact.

“Well, yes… Why not?” I asked, to which he simply looked away and continued to gaze out the window.

“What of the families you’ve torn apart because of your victory? Are you going to take responsibility for their deaths?” I glared upon the old man as I could hear the animosity within his voice.

“Like I stated before, sage, they died a noble and brave death. They gave their lives to vanquish the evil tyrant. Their families should be proud of the actions they took in order to bring them freedom.” I boasted as I held my head high. Before the sage had a chance to say another condescending word, I spoke again.

“Also! Ulrik is our new lord. He will express his deepest sorrows to the families that need to be comforted.” This only enraged the sage as he scowled deeply. He motioned to speak but I’m assuming he decided against it. Perhaps it clicked in his mind that I was right about this topic. He resorted to rolling his eyes and folding his arms in front of him as he waited for me to lead the way. This action of his baffled me. I realized at this moment I hadn’t a clue on what to do next. I gave an order to those knights and yet they still haven’t arrived. Was I to wait even longer for their arrival with Ulrik at their side?

“Sage, where is your son?” I asked, realizing the young man wasn’t present. Surely he would take my side and see my point in all this.

“I haven’t a clue. He backed out before the battle took place. His expression was disagreeable to what was about to ensue.” He paused as he looked towards the double doors leading to the corridor where I slayed Magnus.

“He was very wise in doing so. Now his mind won't be filled with the horrors that took place in that hall.” The sage added as he glared a look of disapproval towards me. I had just about enough of this old man and his constant jabs at my efforts to free this land of the evil that controls it.

“Listen to me, old man-”

“No, Knight of the Alliance Bloodshed. You will listen to me.” His voice changed as his eyes started to glow. I felt something grip my heart as I heard two beings speak whenever words would come from his mouth. I began to sweat as he took a step towards me. He wasn’t that close, in fact we were a good distance apart, yet I felt a terrifying aura emitting from him. My eyes widened as his golden hair flared a burning red color. I blinked a few times to see if I was mistaken. I wasn’t… Flames replaced his hair.

“My son gave up something valuable in order to protect your life. He is forever changed by his actions. Just like the men and women here, they gave up something so priceless, yet each of them are fools for letting you lasso them in your lies.” My lips quivered and my body trembled with each word that was produced. The most terrifying aspect of this display was that floating behind the sage were two feminine beings. Both were of a fiery color, one more yellow than red. They wore no clothing yet their naked bodies were coated in flames. They spoke in unison with the sage. In fact, his voice wasn’t audible, only their voices could be heard.

“You mock their families and spit on their triumph as if you won this battle alone. Had it not been for them, you would have died before setting foot within these walls. The Dark Geminis have failed in selecting you as their champion. You will die, and what a glorious day that will be for us. Unless you prove us wrong, silence your tongue until you’ve earned your own victory.” My vision became blurry as my trembling brought me to my knees. My jaw vibrated with fear, as if wishing it could take back every single word I spewed out. I quickly blinked to correct my vision so that I could gaze upon the majestic beings.

“All hail, Lord Ulrik!” A voice interrupted as I quickly fixed my sights on the double doors. The knights from before entered with Ulrik following behind them. He wasn’t wearing his Geminis armor but his normal High Knight one. In haste I shifted my eyes back to the sage to see if the marvelous display remained. I sighed with disappointment, and yet relief swept over me.

“Bridget, is everything alright?” Ulrik asked as he slowly approached me. He was most likely wondering why I was on my knees with watery eyes. Most likely my skin was pale white to add another reason to be concerned. I slowly regained myself as I cleared my throat. Instead of standing however I sat properly and sighed once more.

“Yes, my love. I’m fine. Just weary from the battle.”

“Tell him how you won it, then tell him how weary you truly are.” The sage spoke rapidly after I did. I glared upon him as Ulrik displayed a confused raised eyebrow.

“I will collect my son and leave. Find me when you’re done with your ceremony. We have much to prepare for.” The sage spoke in our silence. Ulrik stepped towards the old man and questioned his words.

“Why are you so quick to move on already? Allow us to properly set things in motion before you steal her away and venture towards your next target.” His protest was met with resistance as the sage shook his head no and turned around to start walking away.

“We don’t have the time to waste. Lord Mangus’s death will reach the other tyrants. Once that is done they will come for her. If not, they will prepare for her arrival which makes our task even more harder than it already is.” He informed us as he began to walk away.

“Have your ceremony, declare Ulrik as lord, then find me to continue our task. The longer you wait, the stronger they become.” With that warning beating against our hearts, the sage left the throne room and out of our sights. I could feel the struggle within Ulrik as he looked at the floor while frowning.

“I know this is hard for you, revisiting this event again.” I told him, motioning him to come closer to me. As he did I waved off the other knights to leave so we could be alone.

“I can see it in your eyes. You do not agree with this, but it must be done. This time will be different. This time, we have a better chance at succeeding.” I smiled lightly as I held his chin gently and gazed into his eyes.

“How can you be sure you will survive this madness? What assurance do you have?” He whispered as he held my hand in his, disregarding the armor that covered it.

“That sage is blessed with the Fire Geminis. I witnessed it myself. If I can prove my worth to them, then surely along the way, I’ll reclaim Excalibur. With it, I’ll be able to free the land of every tyrant with ease.” My smile dimmed as he sighed with annoyance. He slowly pulled away from me and stood up. After shaking his head a bit, he reached down and smiled lightly.

“When will you learn, little fox. You are stronger than you think.” My smile returned as I blushed and took his hand. He aided me to my feet and escorted me out of the throne room to prepare for his ceremony. Afterwards, we’ll celebrate in his private chambers. Just us, alone, body to body, soul to soul. Passionate love, to complement my victory…