Chapter 230 A Missed Chance
"Stop! Your men are falling." Regaleon shouted but the queen acted as if she didn’t hear anything and continued.
"Damit!" Regaleon cursed. "Disperse out. Don’t let yourself fall." He ordered.
Regaleon looked at the queen that was looking at him with a piercing gaze.
’I need to stop this lunatic and fast.’ Regaleon thought as he was thinking of a way out of this predicament.
The queen’s men together with his men are clinging for their lives in the splitting ground. Under them Regaleon can see molten lava flowing calm and steadily.
"My queen... help... ahh.ahhhhh." One of the queen’s men shouted. The earth he was holding on gave in and he fell and sank on the molten lava. "Ahh... help me..." The man’s screams seized after the lava swallowed him.
"Queen Patricia, are you crazy?!" I looked at her standing at the edge above them. "Your men are falling to their deaths."
"They are doing a big sacrifice to ensure your death King Regaleon." The queen smirked. "So just die!"
Regalon felt that this queen is so vicious, even to her own people. He has earth attribute magic but not that powerful. He tried to use it to make protrusions on the sides for the men to cling and climb on.
"If you want to live then climb with all your might!" Regaleon yelled.
Regaleon’s men did as they were told to, while the queen’s men were at a loss first.
"Dammit! I don’t want to die like this!" One of the queen’s men screamed and started to use the protrusions to climb as well. The others followed en suit.
All the men started to climb but then a rain of arrows came down from above.
"Be careful!" Regaleon ordered. "Dammit she really is so vicious."
Regaleon usd his fire magic to ignite the arrows raining towards them and burn them to ashes. This was the least he can do to defend his men.
"What are you doing? Kill them, kill them all!" Queen Patricia shouted hysterically.
The queen took a bow and arrow form one of her men and aimed it towards Regaleon. She shot the arrow herself.
"Go and die already!" Queen Patricia said while firing the arrow.
Regaleon was focused on the raining arrows on the other men that he was not attentive to the arrow aimed for him.
*Swoosh*
The sound of the arrow was heard by Regaleon a moment too late, but then an arrow from a different direction deflected it and Regaleon was safe. He looked up and saw one of the queen’s men that have climbed up from the pit was the one that shot the arrow that deflected the queen’s arrow meant for him
"Thank you." Regaleon mouthed his thanks and the man nodded.
"Grrr... how dare you!" The queen shouted in rage.
"I am sorry my queen but we have followed you to have a good future in the new world you have promised us." The man said. "But if you treat us like what the mad king did more than twenty years ago, then I will give my loyalty to someone else who I think is more suitable to be a good leader!"
The queen’s men that were out of the pit stood behind the man that just talked back to the queen.
"Y-You... traitors!!!" The queen shouted in rage. "Kill those traitors, kill them all!"
The men that were behind the queen were reluctant to do what the queen asked. The men that deflected were their comrades. And the queen just ordered to kill them.
"What are you waiting for? I ordered you to kill them all. Or do you want to die as well?" The queen looked back at her men and glared.
The men had no choice but to follow their queen. They pointed their bows and arrows towards the men that deflected.
When the queen’s men were about to release the arrows, Regaleon and his men was able to climb atop the pit to the side were the queen was.
"Stop them!" Regaleon ordered his men. And so they engaged in close combat. "Well Queen Patricia, good to see you up close."
Regaleon charged towards the queen who had her eyes opened wide in surprise and fright.
"My queen!" The vice admiral was there to block Regaleon’s sword. "Please go now. I will stop him."
"Y-Yes..." The queen turned around in haste that she stumbled to the ground but got back up in no time.
"You are serving a false queen vice admiral." Regaleon said while engaging in a sword battle with the vice armiral of the Jennovian fleet.
"I don’t know what you mean." The vice admiral said.
"She doesn’t care what happens to your country. She is just dead set in winning this war in any means possible." Regaleon said.
The vice admiral was at a loss for words. He doesn’t know the queen personally but because he serves in the military it was a given that he takes orders from the queen and to ensure her safety.
"I am not sure what you are trying to say but being a vice admiral it is my job to protect her majesty." The vice admiral replied.
"A pity... you look like a loyal man doing his best for his country." Regaleon said. He used his fire to overwhelm the vice admiral and let down his guard. He used this chance to knock the vice admiral down with his sword flying out of his hand.
"Ahh.." The vice admiral groaned in pain and was lying on the floor.
"I don’t have personal grudges against you vice admiral." Regaleon pointed his sword towards the vice admiral’s neck. "I won’t kill you tonight. But I suggest that you who are loyal to your country know what your queen is really up to. And if we ever meet again in the battle field and you are still loyal to your queen, then I will show no mercy and kill you by then."
The vice admiral looked at Regaleon in shock. Regaleon lowered his sword and looked where the queen ran off to and make his way to chase her.
The vice admiral looked at the retreating back of Regaleon. "He is a monarch that someone like me would love to have to serve to."
Regaleon’s charisma was felt by the enemies and some of the queen’s men who were Atlantian defected and was captured by Regaleon’s men.
**
Queen Patricia was running in the dead of night. She was running under the tall trees and protrude branches are grazing her, tearing her dress and giving her light scratches.
"Dammit!" The queen cursed. "This wasn’t in the plan. This shouldn’t have happened."
Then she heard footsteps gaining in on her.
"F*uck..." The queen ran fast as she could. She didn’t know who was behind her but just to be safe she wants to cross the border to Jennovia as soon as possible and get to safety.
The queen was running and panting very hard, when the running footsteps were just a few meters behind her.
"Sh*t." The queen turned around and used her magic to uproot the tall towering trees to block the way of the one that was chasing her.
*CRASH*
One by one the huge trees tumbled down to block the path behind the queen.
"That will stop whoever is chasing me." The queen said and was about to resume running when she heard something.
*SLASH* *SLASH* *BANG*
The tall trees that she used to block the path was being cut with force and fire started to spread. Fear enveloped the queen’s body. She knew where that fire came from. She ran as fast as she could just to further the distance.
"Just a little towards the border." The queen said to herself.
Because of the war, the borders of Jennovia retreated inland because of the wins of Grandcrest in every battle. But even the further she ran the person begind her was catching up.
"Damn." The queen cursed once again. How many trees have she uprooted to block the path behind her. These trees was huge but the person behind was plowing thru them like there were cheese being cut to pieces.
*BOOM*
The queen was swept away with the latest explosion and she was knocked towards the ground.
"Sh*t!" The queen cursed while she tried to stand up. She looked in front of her and a clearing was seen across the sea of trees from where she was.
Beyond there was the border of Jennovia. For sure soldiers are stationed there that can help her to get to safety. She ran as fast as she could towards her salvation.
"Where do you think you are going your majesty?" Regaleon’s chilling was heard in the cold night.
Queen Patricia was in the clearing but a wall of fire stopped her tracks, she couldn’t take a step forward. She looked around with fright. Just a few meters away from her, the young king of Grandcrest stands holding his sword. He was looking battered with dirt and blood staining his clothes. But even with this, he looked intimidating
"Y-You... what do you want from me?" The queen asked in fear.
"What I want from you?" Regaleon said with mockery. "After all the things you did, you ask me what I want from you. Well first, I want my fiancée back. Second, I want this war to end. Third, I want you to stop looking for the forbidden magic that can put all of our lives at risk."
Queen Patricia cringed after hearing Regaleon mentioned the forbidden magic.
"You know about the forbidden magic?" Queen Patricia looked at Regaleon with surprise.
"Well queen, I am sure you know I have Atlantian blood in me." Regaleon said. "My mother was from a branch family of the royal family and so she has told me many things about Atlantia and the Great War."
"I-Impossible!" The queen yelled in disbelief. She only thought that Regaleon was just an offspring of a regular Atlantian. ’No wonder his magic abilities are extraordinary and powerful.’ The queen thought.
But after the queen knew this, she saw Regaleon as more of a danger. The prophecy said about the chosen one being of royal blood, it didn’t tell specifically if it needed to be pure ore diluted like that of the branch family.
With his existence, there are two males with royal blood that can be ’The Chosen One’ of the prophecy.
’He really needs to die.’ The queen thought. ’He is a danger to Gladiolus’ future.’
The queen saw Regaleon taking a step towards her.
"D-Don’t come near me!" The queen yelled.
"Do not worry Queen Patricia, I don’t plan on killing you just yet. But I won’t promise you wouldn’t get hurt." Regaleon said with a serious face. "I need you alive to bargain with your son. With you in my hands, this war could end. That would be for the best."
The queen shivered in fear. The fire was blazing behind her, cutting her escape. She tried to use her earth magic once again and make the earth under the fire open up making the flames disappear. This gave the queen a chance to run.
"I won’t let you!" Regaleon charged towards the queen before she can escape. His sword was aiming towards the queens legs.
*CLANG*
Regaloen’s sword was stopped by another sword. When he looked up he saw of the siblings, Clara.
"I won’t let you hurt her majesty." Clara pushed Regaleon with all her might.
Regaleon was pushed backward a few steps. He saw Clara was covered with wounds and was panting heavily.
"You are in no condition to continue on fighting." Regaleon said. "Lower your sword and I won’t take your life."
"Heh, I would rather die than be taken in as a hostage." Clara said. She raised her hand and fired some sort of signal in the night sky. The signal put of a red light like fireworks.
Not long soldiers in horseback were racing towards where they were.
"Tsk... Jennovian soldiers from the border?" Regaleon was irritated. "They were racing so fast. I am not sure if I can catch the queen by the time they get here."
Even with the injured Clara blocking his advance, catching the queen who can still use magic will be difficult.
"Your majesty!" Dimitri came with his men at the right timing.
"Dimitri." Regaleon looked at Dimitri who was by his side in no time.
"I am afraid we can’t win against these many soldiers." Dimitri gave his assessment.
Dimitri and his men looked battered and bloodied after the fight. They can’t win a fight with soldiers who were a hundred percent okay.
"It is best to retreat for now." Dimtiri said.
Regaleon looked at Clara and the queen who were just meters away.
"I was so close." Regaleon clenched his fists in irritation.
"Big brother!" Clara yelled.
Regaleon looked at where Clara was looking and saw that Dimirei’s men were guarding an unconscious and tied up Jeremy.
"Let’s retreat for now." Regaleon ordered when the group of soldiers on horses was getting nearer.
"Yes." Dimitri agreed and gestured his men to retreat.
"Give me back my brother!" Clara launched an attack their way but Dimitri was fast to counter her.
With Dimitri and Clara’s clash, Clara was knocked unconscious.
"Bring her." Regaleon said and looked at the queen. "This isn’t over. I will come for you soon." He threatened.
Regaleon’s group retreated while the queen was rescued by the Jennovian knights that had just arrived.
"You will be the one to fall young king of Grandcrest." Queen Patricia said between her clenched teeth.
edited by:nalyn
https://www.ReadRead/amp/book/12507300405677105
Thanks,
Les01