Kill or Die!!

Kill or Die!!
Natasha’s POV

Rhaegar looked at me with wide eyes once we finished with Mycelle, and relief flooded his features.
“Are you okay?” he mouthed the question. I nodded, and he leaned forward to hug me. “But how did you escape Uncle Louris?” he asked.
“Um... that was both badass and utterly disturbing...” I said.
“What do you mean?” he asked warily, already suspecting that what I was about to say would not be good news.
“Well... I cut off his balls.”
For a moment, he was shocked and speechless at what he’d heard. His expression shifted from relief to dread.
“Right, well, in that case, we will be dead soon if we are not already dead, because now we don’t just have a beast to fight... but a raging beast to survive.”
“Noted, now come on, time to run,” I said as the beast’s voice echoed through the tunnels, shaking up the foundations of the palace. Seeing no other way out from the beast, we started making our way towards the stairs.
“Do you think we will make it?” I asked Tasha when suddenly a couple of Aurora’s creatures appeared before us out of nowhere.
“Erm... that would be a no,” Tasha muttered. Before I could react, those creatures were already on the floor with scattered limbs. Turning around, I saw Rhaegar using his tunic sleeve to wipe away the dark liquid.
We ran together, sharply turning left through an arched door into a new castle section. Our moment of relief ended abruptly with the pounding of feet, forcing us to hide quickly behind a barrel. An army of creatures arrived, grabbing weapons and preparing for war. I can hear whispers reverberating around the room.
“The realm is breached by a few intruders.”
“There is no way they can break the barrier.”
“Morrighan is missing. What if she breaks through it?”
That’s when it hit me: I needed to help Damon and Lukas break through, but the enraged king caught us. He advanced on us, fully armoured and prepared for war.
“You!” he roared at me the moment he saw me, now shouting, “Bitch!” His armour clanged like a war drum behind me as he ran, drawing his sword, prepared to attack.
“Try to bring out the power,” Rhaegar shouted. I tried to concentrate, mustering all my energy, yet the sparks I produced vanished before reaching their target.
“Fuck! I can’t!” I yelled as we kept running from him, then I noticed an open window and thought it could be our chance to get away. We both exited through the window. We barely managed to come back on our feet, then suddenly the ground started to tremble, and I couldn’t help but comment, “Not a good sign, Rhaegar... definitely not a good sign.” This was when everything around us suddenly began to vibrate as if some giant monster had been awakened from a deep slumber. The trees and the bushes started swinging violently, and a swarm of rotting silhouettes appeared, dragging their twisted limbs across the palace grounds. Unnatural jerks made their limbs twitch, and their snapping jaws revealed slick teeth. They crawl towards us with a sickening speed, even though few have broken limbs and shattered spines. However, the worst part was the overpowering smell of rot emanating from them, which agitated my nerves. As we ran, creatures began falling from the trees above, encircling us. I froze, my body braced itself for the impact, pain and damage those creatures bring.
“Be ready, Natasha,” Rhaegar whispered in a deep voice, his eyes still scouting the creatures.
“Ready for what?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. He brought out his swords and looked up at me, his eyes telling me to trust him on what he was about to do.
“Run!!” He screamed with a voice that sounded unworldly. The incoming hordes of creatures were sliced apart by a deadly force. I looked around to see Rhaegar leaping high in the air, and he was godly. Raw energy coursed through dark red veins, making his upper body glow. His sword-laden hands and feet were positioned outwards, launching the attacks. His body seemed as if it would explode with the fire under his skin. His human form was completely overtaken by his chimaera form as he crashed into a dozen creatures, shattering their bodies. A destructive grin, one of pure rage, split his face as his paws slammed into the throat of a gigantic creature, his fangs ripping through bone. Advancing, he crushed the oncoming creatures; his swords sliced through their flesh, his elbows snapping their bones, disabling them. I pushed myself to match his speed; there was no time for thinking or breathing. It’s a fight to the death; a massive horde of snarling, gnashing creatures has surrounded us. He moved with impossible speed, spinning, ducking, and slashing to kill all the oncoming creatures. Dodging, flipping, and landing on his paws, he unleashed his fury on his enemies with every muscle. Blackish fluid sprayed onto me with every strike. He was fighting with instinct, but still, his swords found their targets. The creatures squirmed around, and their high-pitched squealing got deeper and sounded more like howls. Agonised cries, ripping flesh, and shattering bones filled the entire place. I felt sick at the sight of black fluid, meat and body parts being ripped apart by chimaera.
“Impressive, Rhaegar,” King Louris said, dislodging a pile of bones with his foot. “You didn’t forget your training, even after being caged for centuries.” His body was loaded with muscles, and his chest rumbled with the energy building inside. His veins were brimming with grey liquid, leaking from the area where his balls had been. His skin, tough and rubbery, seemed almost invulnerable.
“Come now, uncle... that was just foreplay,” Rhaegar replied, his body erupting in red fire, as power spread through it. They circled each other, seemingly plotting their next move.
“I dare you,” Rhaegar growled, forcing the king to make the first move, swinging his sword towards Rhaegar’s head. But his speed was unbelievable; in a flash, he was positioned behind the king. Unlike the heavy-handed, brutish king, Rhaegar moved with the grace of a trained fighter. Leaping into the air, the king crashed down on Rhaegar, who nimbly dodged the attack, sending the king sprawling and creating a small crater. They moved closer, their weapons meeting with a clang. At one point, I thought Rhaegar had been hit, as he fell backwards, bending at the knees. But I saw the sword swing round a fraction from his bent body, and I realised he was just avoiding it. He swiftly righted himself, whirling his swords, only inches from the king’s neck. He stumbled, but quickly recovered his balance.
“You have learned some more skills,” King said, seeming impressed.
“Life didn’t give any other choice!” Rhaegar spat out at him.
King, circling him, looked at me and said simply, “Yeah, I can see what life’s given you—a whore.”
“She is my mate! You do not get to speak about her!” he shouted, and it was the first time during this fight that he lost his cool.
“Oh, bearing the offspring of your foe, engaging in sexual activity with three men simultaneously!” The king’s icy voice made me tremble.
“She was sleeping with her mates, not another man’s wife,” Rhaegar declared, regaining his composure, which only heightened the King’s fury.
“I will do whatever I want!” he roared, before charging at Rhaegar with his sword held high, ready to strike. To maximise the impact, he ran and jumped at him. However, Rhaegar countered the move with a raised sword. I shrieked in horror at what I saw. King’s frustration mounted with every unsuccessful strike against Rhaegar, but his technique was flawless and relentless.
Rhaegar faced more of the creatures, adding to his fight against the King. His movements got even faster, and I could hardly make out the blur of his glowing shape, twisting and slicing through body after body, but it felt as if he was losing his energy. I wasn’t certain when he’d run out of energy. While he was busy dealing with the creatures, the king swung his weapon around, letting it crash into a massive tree trunk, causing it to split and sending half of it to slam down where Rhaegar stood. Though it narrowly missed, the impact made him lose his balance. King jumped forward and knocked him again to the ground.
“No! Rhaegar!” I screamed out.
“Natasha, run!” Rhaegar ordered, trying to gain back his footing.
“I won’t leave you,” I whispered, trembling uncontrollably with fear.
“Natasha, listen to me. I will deal with him. Do not fear for me. You must go now. Damon and Lukas need your help.”
“He... he will kill you. I can’t leave you.” I begged, but he replied, “Do you trust me?”
“Yes... But...”
“Natasha, run! Don’t look back!” he urged, his eyes blazing with renewed power as he prepared to confront the king.
I ran towards the scent of Damon and Lukas.