The Blood King's Bride

Outskirts of the Blood kingdom.

The Wastelands...

The harsh sun shone brightly on the dry atmosphere, the sands were baked hot, and there was no water in sight. Dead trees could be found in various areas of the never-ending desert, along with carcasses of dead animals. A smoky stench surrounded the atmosphere, and a dense fog could be seen further into the desert.

Calhoun, along with his two-man guards, trotted slowly into the wasteland. They had consumed almost half of the food and water they brought along with them, and it eventually became a scarce commodity they didn’t dare use anyhow. He cursed his father again for making him go on this stressful journey, wondering how he would help his guards as he was the only one capable of surviving the deserts.

The guards put up a blank face, but Calhoun knew that they were barely keeping it together. Unlike him, who, thanks to the power he was born with, could survive the harshness of the boiling sun, his guards weren’t blessed with that power and so had to cover themselves to prevent their skin from frying under the sun. That didn’t make it any better for them, though, as the cloth they had used was woolen, and the excess heat caused by the combination of the sun and the woolen shawls was not something to be trifled with. They felt as if their skin was bitten by hundreds of ants when they put on the shawl, and when they removed it, it felt like they were being fried.

Calhoun couldn’t blame them. The Guards he brought with him were young blood; they have gone through the severe training every Blood soldier had to go through, but they haven’t been in an actual battlefield. As the weather in the Blood Kingdom was always freezing, they did not know that the outside world won’t be as cold, hence packing for themselves woolen coats and shawls. Calhoun reminded himself to train his Soldiers in the Wastelands once he returned.

The wasteland served as a border between the Blood Kingdom and the other kingdoms. It made the entrance into the Blood kingdom impossible due to its harsh sun and the severe lack of water. Despite these reasons, the worst would have to be the length and breadth of the whole land. It would take between a week and two to get to the Blood Kingdom, supposing the person was on a horse and galloping at full speed nonstop. But one can’t achieve that because excessive riding would cause the horse dehydration, and carrying water would slow the person down. Whoever also crosses the wasteland is liable to be robbed and killed by outlaws who have been thrown to the wasteland by their kingdoms. They are criminals who have committed several heinous crimes; felonies against their kingdom and their crown. So they are considered to be the most dangerous people in all four kingdoms. Calhoun wondered why they go through that stress; he just kills the criminals. Problem solved.

The wasteland had always been used as a battlefield. For ages, countless battles have been raged on that place, hence its brutal atmosphere. Most are battles related to the Blood Kingdom, while some aren’t. That place has recorded the most blood ever spilled, with the Blood Kingdom coming out as the cause. Thanks to that fact, the Blood Kingdom became the most fearful kingdom in all the land; and its citizens preferred for it to be kept that way.

“Come on, we don’t have all day. Let’s go.” Calhoun said as he nudged his horse, causing it to go on a canter. His guards followed his lead, and they cantered away on their horses into the desert, going towards the fog. The deeper they went into the fog, the worse their eyesight became. While Calhoun could still see the outlines of some trees, his guards could barely see anything.

“Keep up if you don’t want to spend your last day here.” He told his guards. They immediately put on a brave front and started to rely on the training they had received.

The walk through the fog felt like ages. The deeper they went into it, the denser it became. It never affected the heat enveloping the atmosphere, though. The wasteland was an unusual place, so Calhoun wasn’t concerned. It took three days before they could come out of the fog, without Calhoun and his men ever taking a rest.

Once they came out, they found themselves in another surrounding. It was still a desert, but this time filled with rocky hills, caves, and tent settlements made of animal hides. Calhoun immediately surmised that they had reached the territory of the Outlaws. There was no soul to be found in sight as he walked down the sandy streets. The sun wasn’t as terrible as it had been when they first entered the wasteland; it probably had something to do with that fog, another mystery of the wasteland.

The sky was bleeding red, and desolation could be felt enveloping the whole atmosphere. The small society felt like it had been rampaged on. Most of the tents were broken down; some were burnt, and some just had the poles used to make the tent stand.

Calhoun trotted his horse to a stop and then jumped off. He knelt and felt the sandy street. Immediately, his power awakened, wanting him to immerse himself more into the sand. It took a reasonable amount of control before he could force it back down, and then he knew.

Blood had been spilled there.

He wondered what caused such huge destruction that caused no soul to be seen. Suddenly, he stood up. His guards had joined him ever since he got off his horse.

“My Lord...” One of them said, and Calhoun nodded. He had also heard a sound.

“Let’s go check it out. Move silently.” He commanded. He ordered the other guard to take care of their horses. Calhoun and his first guard moved towards the sound they had heard earlier, keeping their ears open in case they should hear it again. They moved slowly, their feet barely making a sound on the sandy street. They entered what looked like an alleyway, just a small road between two rocky hills. It was leading towards a much higher cave than the ones they had earlier seen.

Calhoun motioned for them to be silent as he hid behind one of the huge rocks, his guard right beside him. There they stood, silently waiting for the sound again. It felt like ages, but luck was on their side as they heard it again, but this time, as a scream for help.

“No one can help you!” A loud voice boomed from the inside. Calhoun made a sign, and his guard nodded once. The guard moved towards the tent entrance with movements similar to that of a snake. When he reached the place just barely into the cave entrance, he hid beside the rocky wall that was standing close to it. He stayed there silently as they both listened to the silent pleas and loud shouts coming from inside the cave. The guard made a sign to Calhoun, which he responded to by going to where his guard stood. When he reached there, he could see what was going on inside the cave.

A small fire had been lit, showcasing the features of the people in the cave. A woman was on the floor, a huge man over her with a belt in his hand.

“Are you going to do it or not?” The man said. Calhoun could see that despite the intense fear the girl exuded, she still didn’t want to give in to whatever the man’s demands were.

“Go over there and find out what is going on,” Calhoun whispered to his guard.

“Kill him if he doesn’t co-operate.” The guard nodded his head in response then made his way into the cave. Immediately his presence was felt, the man stood at attention, though not giving up his victim.

“Who are you?” He asked, his belt still pointed towards the woman on the ground. The woman looked up to see who had entered, and as though she had seen her lifesaver, she struggled to crawl on her knees.

“Please help me. I beg you. Please- ”

“Shut up you demon!” The man rebuked, slapping her face with his belt. The woman screamed and covered her eyes, her cheeks already bleeding from the impact. The guard looked at them without any form of emotion.

“What happened to this place?” The guard simply asked. The man looked curiously at him but didn’t let down his guard.

“Who are you?”

“Who I am is of no concern to you. I just wish to ask about what happened here, then you can go on with your business. I do not need much of your time.” The woman and the man looked at the guard strangely. They were not expecting his response at all.

“Are- Are you serious?” The man whispered. The guard looked at him.

“Why the hell would I believe you? You are working with this woman, right? Then no problem. You deserve to be killed!” Immediately, he threw a knife at the guard. The guard quickly dodged it.

“I do not come to cause you harm.” He dodged another blade.

“I just want to find out what happened here.” He dodged another again.

“Is that too much to ask?” He caught one, holding it tightly in his hand as he brought it down. He looked at the man who attacked him, then at the woman on the floor.

“You- You are not normal. Certainly, not anyone can catch my blade. You are working with this evil witch! Why else would you be here?” The man shouted erratically.

The guard scrunched his brows, confused. He had no idea what the man was talking about. For all he knew, the man was probably crazy, with the way he looked and all.

The man’s clothes were torn. He looked like he had been in a brawl all his life. His face was bushy, with dirt and sand stuck to it. His hair was wildly in disarray, sticking out from all sides. His eyes were moving about as if expecting something to attack him from nowhere.

He looked.....Scared.

That came as a surprise to the guard, as the man was the one with the weapon, and there was nobody else around save for that woman.

He looked at her closely. He wondered what caused the man to become so scared to attack anything. The woman was pale, her lips and cheeks were bleeding, and her eyes were swollen. There were cuts and lashes on her skin, the sign of her being struck several times. There was also a strange birthmark on her neck. It looked like someone had carved a drop of blood on her skin. Noticing the guard’s strange interest in her mark, the woman tried weakly to close it. The guard quickly removed his eyes from her and faced the man.

“If you tell me what is going on, I promise I would leave you be without harming you-. ”

“AHHHHHHH!!!” the man screamed, coming at the guard with his knife. He kept on slashing at the guard, trying to leave a mark on his skin. The guard continued to evade the knife but did not attack. Suddenly the knife attacks became quicker. It was as if the man was possessed and crazy, not caring what would happen to him.

Eventually, he got tired of evading the attack and began his attack. He dodged and bent down, using his leg to swipe the man off his feet. Once the man fell, the guard quickly jumped on him and sliced his throat with the blade he had caught earlier, giving him a quick and clean death. The man gurgled, blood choking him and pouring from his mouth and neck. In a poor attempt to stop the bleeding, the man placed his hands on his wound. However, it didn’t take long before his body finally became limp.

The guard stood and went out of the cave. He went to where Calhoun stood and bowed his head.

“I apologize for taking your time, my Lord.”

Calhoun nonchalantly waved his hand and walked into the cave. He approached the dead man’s body, and the closer he was towards the corpse, the more his power surged to be released. He took steady breaths as he walked and finally stood before the dead man. The man’s eyes were still open, and so Calhoun signaled his guard to close it. The guard bent down and shut the man’s eyes, his last offering of respect towards the dead man. He had fought bravely, despite his fear.

Calhoun and his guard made their way back to the cave entrance when they heard a voice.

“P-Please, can you guys help me? Please?” The woman called. They had forgotten another person in the cave as the woman never made a sound. Calhoun paused his walk and turned back to face the woman. Taking in her bedraggled appearance, he looked at the woman and studied her expression. Calhoun didn’t know why, but something about the woman called to him.

“Who are you?” He asked her. The woman trembled in fear upon hearing his voice but still answered.

“Firoza. I am Firoza.”