Chapter 28 - Unforseen
▪️E I N A R R▪️
Surprised?
Indeed, I was, for I never thought that I would see the day. My younger brother, Edric, had finally fallen in love.
And with a human, of all things.
This only made my plot for revenge that much sweeter, as he now, had something special and precious. I could not wait for him to experience the pain of losing that which he most held dear, for his pain would finally mirror my own.
Lenna, that was her name.
I had heard Edric yelling at her to go back to the castle, but she refused and I found her sense of honour and duty inspiring. As I watched her fight against my werewolves, I had to admit, I was genuinely impressed by how strong she was.
The way she wielded her magic made me jealous, wishing that I had her on my side. If only I had been able to track her down faster, I would have gotten to her before Edric, and Lenna would have been the one to lead my army, not his!
Muttering under my breath, I looked away from my reflection.
Pacing about my tent, my thoughts were consumed by revenge and my hands fisted at my side; the need to punch something was overwhelming.
When the rumours surrounding the discovery of a purple-eyed human surfacing in the Malvar Empire reached us over the mountains, I knew that I would have had to bring my attack up sooner than intended, even if we had not perfected our magic.
The purpose of my assault tonight was simple.
I wanted to see how my latest batch of werewolves would match up against Edric and the other Lycans. After all, the element of surprise was long gone, which was another reason why I decided to announce our final attack in seven moons’ time.
It would give Edric and his men the necessary time to prepare and work up a battle strategy, while things on my end got finalised.
Even though I may have been ostracised and labelled as bloodthirsty and crazy, I still had some honour. After all, there was no satisfaction in winning through dishonest means.
When I would look into Edric’s eyes before killing him, I wanted him to know that he had been beaten fairly, and not because he was caught off-guard.
Having left the Malvar Empire years ago after killing my parents, I had escaped into the Soljord Mountains, quickly making my way towards the unmarked territories that lay beyond.
It was there, on that journey, that I stumbled upon the Lugarhou.
Their colonies were a far cry from what they had been used to. The territories beyond the Malvar Empire’s borders were not as prosperous and lush, and as a result, life was hard at times.
We were all victims of the Malvar Empire, in one way or the other.
The Lugarhou and their ancestors had been subjected to King Eberhard’s insanity. While I had been unfairly accused of possessing that very same ailment.
Yes, I may have shown a few early signs of similar symptoms that Eberhard displayed around my age. But my parents did not give me a chance to prove them wrong and show them that I was nothing like him.
Instead, they stripped me of my birth right, taking my crown as well as the only woman I had ever loved, and had given them both to my younger brother Edric.
When I had first laid eyes on Caelina, we were children. Despite our age, I had known immediately that I would love her forever.
As we grew older, so did our feelings for each other. The emotions in her eyes intensified, carrying the warmth and life of the fire that had set my soul ablaze. Caelina was my reason for living and it was because of her that I fought so hard against the disease my family accused me of carrying.
That was how I knew that I would have never turned out like King Eberhard.
Caelina’s love fuelled me.
It was because of her that I had a purpose!
She was the driving force behind me wanting to be a better person each and every day I spent in her presence. She brought out a side of me that I did not even know existed, but my parents did not give me a chance to show them this.
Even after she had been taken from me and given to Edric, our love for each other never wavered. I did not mind sharing her body, for I had no choice.
But her heart, that was mine alone, just as my own belonged to her.
However, on that faithful day when she died, everything had changed, and I would forever be damaged by her loss. There were no words to describe the aching grief I felt tearing me apart from the inside.
I had blamed my parents; it had all been their fault.
So as a result, they had been the first to die, and I did not regret it
As I continued to reminisce, my vision blurred, and it was then that I felt something wet against my cheek. With a huff, I quickly wiped the tears away, my sorrow turning into rage once more.
Picking up the nearest chair, I screamed as I began to throw things about my tent.
“They will all pay!”
It was a promise I had made to myself all those years ago; they would feel the sadness I continued to endure.
The Malvar Empire would fall.
Author’s Note:
Did you enjoy getting a peak into Einarr’s complicated mind?
This brings us to the end of this book.
But don't worry, this version of Edric and Lenna’s story was just a small glimpse into a wider world that is being created.
Currently, I am working on completely rewriting their story which will be a trilogy. Although, there might be as much as six books in total, including stories from other characters as well.
I will keep you all posted as things progress, such as the new book titles etc.
That way, those of you who are interested will have an idea of when things will be launched.
Much love,
KTM