Chapter 24 – The King’s Oath
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” is anyone there? Who is that?”
My entire body trembled violently in fear as I heard the sheathing of the sword. Who would want to kill me? Inside Natalí’s temple? I thought everyone in Nayak revered everything of Natalí’s as holy and pure. Who dares harm Natalí’s chosen queen? Before my thoughts could balance, a strike of the sword was aimed towards my head, I don’t know where the instincts to dodge in time came from but I was glad it overrode my tears. Even though it was dark and I couldn’t see anything, I was able to dodge successfully.
My hearing became twice as sharp as I listened to their heartbeats and I counted, there were five of them and with the negative energy and killing intents radiating from them, they were assassins. Who will send assassins to kill me? I don’t even know anyone except the king and Annalise. Could it be one of the king’s consorts? A member of the court? And since when can I sense energy and killing intentions? Does it have to do with Natalí’s powers?
Another swing came from my right and I stood up almost immediately to dodge it, my legs felt like jelly from kneeling for so long. I heard a whistle in the air as moved my body just in time to dodge a knife aimed at my heart. Who the hell sends five trained assassins after a weak little lady like me? While dodging the knife, I grabbed the wall for support forgetting that I wasn’t supposed to touch anything.
The tears stirred awake almost immediately under my touch, the light flooded the temple and I finally got a glimpse at my attackers, the five masked men were dressed in black and were armed with different weapons. They covered their eyes with their free hands as they shielded their sight from the sudden light. The green tears flowed towards me with a rush. They hummed as I stretched my hands to receive their powers, they molded on my wrists and stretched forward like a whip towards my enemies. I thought Natalí’s tears were meant to heal only.
The five men attacked me at once, I had no idea what I was doing, it felt like a dance while I was in a trance or something but I knew I could dodge their attacks. The screeches of the Green whip wrapped around my wrist contrasted greatly with the gentle purr of the tears when I used the powers to heal the king. Their noise was vicious and ear-deafening as they followed my body movement.
Even though the whip felt like gentle and soft cotton on my hold, when it landed on the assassins, their loud howl of pain made me realize that it felt like molten lava anything it came in contact with their bodies. One of them lay on the floor writhing in pain as the tears burned through his chest. I never thought there would be a day that I would get to witness Natalí’s other side. Annalise only told me of the goddess’s gentle and soft side not the merciless and protective side of hers.
The other four were obviously both surprised and scared at the same time but they were not planning to give up. Through their silent communication of sorts, they all nodded and they started forming a circled me. I felt so special that they had to form some sort of formation just to attack me.
They were about to attack me again when the front door of the temple suddenly flew open. Wait they didn’t even pass through the door, how did they enter the temple? Did they pass through the wall? Were they some sort of demons?
Every action stopped as I squinted my eyes to see the person who had barged into the temple. His handsome face greeted me under the green light as he stepped inside in all his glory. It’s not fair how a man could be that very beautiful. His beauty was very compelling even though he was a major asshole. I even forgot about the situation on the ground for a while as I stared at his powerful stance as he unsheathed his sword.
” I wonder if your mother dropped your head as a kid or she forgot to teach you that no one steps inside the temple on the night of the final rites of the chosen queen except the King but any other way, you are not getting out alive” His cold threatening voice chilled the entire air in the temple. The green whip stopped screeching and started purring instantly. What the hell is going on? I guess I wasn’t the only one that was excited about his presence.
” I see my queen has already been blessed by the goddess already,” He said with a smile pointing his sword at the whip in my hands.
” I …. Hmm they just came to me” I stammered as I felt my face heating up in a blush when he called me his queen. What was wrong with me? There I was surrounded by four assassins and I was blushing like a sixteen-year-old because he called me his queen.
Before one of the assassins could swing his sword at me. The fluid whip lashed out immediately and wrapped itself around his sword, I used the opportunity to drag him toward me while I swung the second whip straight at his neck. His screams filled the entire temple as I watched his body shake violently before he eventually stopped moving.
I only heard a few strikes of swords from the king and before I could drop the dead assassin on my hold, two of the remaining three already had their head separated from their bodies. Wow, the king was stronger than I thought, who knew under that pretty face and disgusting attitude there were smart and precise swordsmanship skills?
The remaining assassin moved backward as the king advanced toward him. ” Who sent you?” The king asked angrily. The assassin removed another sword from his sheathe hoping to defend himself with the twin swords but it mattered little to my strong king who came here to prevent his true queen.
He swung at the king who dodged his attacks effortlessly with his swords. Applying a crazy amount of strength to his strikes, the King disarmed him with ease by striking the swords out of the assassin’s hold. The king moved closer to him and held the assassin in a strangle.
” Who dares send lowlifes after my queen?” The king said placing his sword on the assassin’s neck as he removed his mask to reveal a young man with a scarred face. I doubt if he looks familiar to the king himself because, from the look on his face, he has no idea who the assassin is. Before the king could question further, the assassin bit his tongue and swallowed it immediately.
I gasped at the sudden action, even though my life had been hell through those years, I have never seen someone take their life in front of me before and I have never been surrounded with so many dead bodies before. I felt my throat constrict painfully as panic began to set in. The king dropped the dead assassin and rushed towards me. The tears already left my wrists and crawled into where they came from.
” Take a breath,” He said softly while rubbing my back. I felt my knees become weak under me as I struggled to breathe. His touch was comforting but I couldn’t help the tears that were forming in my eyes. I sniffed softly as I bit back a sob. I finally took a breath slowly at first before I became normal.
” Thank you” I muttered.
He removed his hand from my back as if something bit his hand. He stood up straight at once and glared at me. ” Don’t get ahead of yourself, I didn’t come here because I care about you or anything. I made an Oath to you the other day and I only came to fulfill my Oath” He said coldly and a bitter laugh escaped my mouth. Just when I thought there is a bit of goodness inside him, He reminded me of how much of an asshole he was.
” Yes of course. Like it wasn’t because I’m your queen, people are after my life” I said sarcastically while massaging my aching feet softly. ” You shouldn’t have come, I had it covered on my own. You only created a mess by coming” I said referring to the bloody mess on the ground while he lit the candles in the temple because the light from the tears had faded already.
” Will you shut your mouth? I have ways to do so if you won’t” He snapped and I stared at him for a while before the meaning of his words sank in. How can a man be so confusing?