Chapter 65: 65__The villain’s victory and loss

It had been near the end of the gruesome battle between him and the Cassius army that Rogan realized something with cold shock.

It had stopped him dead in his tracks, earning him a slash across the chest from a sharp dagger.

Slapping away the dagger, he’d further angrily slapped the Vampire who’d cut him, satisfied when the poor guy landed in Seth’s grip. Annoyed, Rogan had marched back through the battlefield, eyes wide as he looked at where she’d lain.

He stared at the ground, seeing nothing but his sorcerer’s robe where he’d laid it out for her.

Maia had disappeared.

Rogan walked angrily through the chaos now, smoke, ashes and crushed dignity in the air around him as the survivors of the Cassius army were forced to their knees.

They still had their magic at their disposal, but none of them wanted to piss off anyone in Rogan’s team, now that it was obvious they had lost the war.

Especially not when Rogan’s team consisted of a seven-foot tall Tigress, an equally large Panther, an even larger god of fire and his sister who could freeze them with a touch of her finger, not to mention the ruthless seven man Vampire army that killed first and asked questions later.

No, the Cassius army survivors were planning to be very obedient from here onward.

Not one of them moved an inch even when their Queen was brought screaming curses before them.

The people began to crawl out of their houses, that is, the houses that hadn’t gone up in flames. They heard the end of battle and wanted to see what would happen next. Fearful, they surrounded the town square, standing and watching from a distance. Nobody wanted to catch one of Rogan’s daggers by accident.

A brother of the legion had Diana in his grip, tugging her to the centre of the chaos even as she swore to cut off anything that made him a man.

“Let me go, you imbecile!” spat Diana.

“Xavier,” said Seth.

Xavier stopped and looked at Seth. At their leader’s nod, he unceremoniously dropped Diana to the ground.

With a gasp, she glared up at him. “I’ll have your eyeballs for this, you *twit*.”

Xavier bowed curtly. “Apologies, Queen Diana.”

She meant to curse him out more, but got no further because a huge shadow fell over her. Rogan’s presence swallowed her bravery whole as he stood there, towering over her.

Diana went cold and silent. She realized it then.

The destruction around her.

With a paling face, she looked around at the smoke, the fire, and the slain bodies of her army as the others kneeled in surrender. Her eyes beheld the defeat.

*Rogan.*

With rage turning her eyes dark, she raised her gaze to his. “What… have you *done*?!”

“Watch your tone,” Rogan snarled back. “You knew better than to provoke me, Diana.”

Clenching her jaw, she lashed a pointing finger out at her defeated army. “This?! *This* is the price?! For trying to take back what’s mine from that human girl, this is the magnitude of the punishment you give me?!”A trembling breath left her mouth. “Even if you’re cruel, Rogan… you cannot be that cruel.”

Rogan’s top lip twitched with concealed rage. He crouched and Diana saw it in his eyes, the fury he held back so carefully.

“You…” he whispered, the words making icy fear chill Diana’s bones. “Have not yet seen me *cruel*.”

Just then, there were gasps through the crowd as Vlad and Zen appeared, their hands grasped around a new prisoner.

Diana saw them and her eyes went huge. “P… Princess!”

They came to a stop besides Rogan, the only princess of Cassius held in their grip. She was unreactive, her eyes glazed over by the spell her mother had cast on her nearly a decade ago.

Diana looked at Rogan with hatred burning in her gaze. “What the *hell* do you think you’re doing, Rogan?”

“Where is Maia?” he demanded in return.

There was a glint in the Queen’s eyes. “How the hell would I know? You took her, didn’t you?”

Without a word, Rogan reached for the princess.

“Kill her!” blurted Diana, her eyes bright. “Kill her if you want. I don’t care! If you think that’s going to anger me in anyway, Rogan, you’re wrong.”

The crowd gasped, murmuring at their Queen’s public neglect of her only daughter.

Rogan looked at Diana. “Who says I was going to kill her?”

Diana blinked.

“I have no plans to kill her at all,” he said. “What I’m going to do…” Diana watched him lay a hand over her daughter’s unblinking eyes. “…is break that spell you put on her.”

Diana’s face paled with horror. “… w…. what?”

Rogan’s face transformed with a malicious grin. “That’s right. Not only does this girl know all your misdeeds, Diana… but also, you know very well that, when I’m done with you, you’re going to have nothing left. Except your daughter, since all your sons have long since left you. *Unless* I break the spell keeping her so obedient to you. Then she’ll also *willingly* abandon you without a second thought. You’re gonna have no one left by your side.”

Diana’s face grew tight, her mouth pressing together in a firm line.

Rogan’s stare bore into her eyes. “Where is Maia?”

“I-I don’t care!” the Queen muttered. “You can take all my children, I’ll still have my Kingdom! I’ll always be the Queen of Cassius!” She glared at the Legion around her. “You seven! You tell your king that, for butting into something that had nothing to do with him, I’m coming after him and the entire Onyx!”

With a scoff, Rogan lowered his hand from the girl’s face. He looked at her, seeing that the white over her iris was broken and the purple-green of her own eyes was visible. She didn’t even look at him, her gaze was glued to her mother’s face.

She didn’t move, neither speak, nor, from what Rogan saw, breathe. Only a single tear streamed down her face.

Diana looked at her daughter with wrath. She’d enchanted the girl for her own good! She’d been obsessed with marrying some Onyx boy who’d duped her and ran off to England. Diana wouldn’t have such embarrassment taint her family!

Wordlessly, the princess turned to Rogan and he watched her bow deeply.

He could tell she’d been locked up in her own body for years, and by her own mother too. The gratitude in her eyes as she bowed to him was more than Rogan had ever seen.

“Thank you… thank you so much, King Rogan…” she whispered tearfully.

Rogan’s brows lifted in surprise.

“What the hell do you mean, *King*, you brat?!” demanded Diana. “And don’t look at me like that, you know I did it for your own good!”

Wordlessly, the princess wiped her tears, turned around and disappeared into the crowd.

Rogan sighed loudly, looking at Diana. “You’ll obviously never see *her* again. But… how mean were you that even your own kids can’t stand you? Please, I’m really curious, I’ll even take notes. I mean... you’re a worthy villain, so I’m *strangely* proud of you right now.”

Diana scowled. “You thug!”

“No. I believe the term your daughter used was King.”

Diana’s face grew pale.

Rogan’s gaze darkened. “Didn’t I tell you, Diana? Countless times over the years, I told you! I told you the only reason you’re Queen of Cassius is because of what?”

She clenched her jaw.

“Because of *what*?!” Rogan demanded.

“Because you let me be Queen!” Diana replied bitterly, her heart trembling with fear now. He couldn’t take her Kingdom from her. He couldn’t!

“Right,” said Rogan. “And you’re so cruel to your damn subjects, but they put up with it, the idiots.”

The people blushed at being called idiots.

“Now I’m going to take the Kingdom from you,” he informed her as she grew paler.

The people broke out in noisy murmurings around Rogan, hearing of the changes being discussed right before them.

“You wouldn’t *dare*…” Diana said. “*I’m* their Queen. Listen to them murmur. You’re half an Onyx Vamp, born a bastard and known for your cruelty, they don't like you, they wouldn’t even *accept* you!”

Rogan’s rage soared, but before he could even think to throw a dagger through her neck, something beat him to it.

A wet, rotten tomato landed on Diana’s face with a nasty *splat*!

“Take that!” yelled some woman, her voice thick with emotion. “That’s Donna’s son, ye nasty hag! I’d rather have Rogan for King than you, ye slave-driving dragon!”

Rogan blinked.

“Y-yeah!” shouted someone else. “At least he wouldn’t increase taxes every damn week! I don’t *have* money to give ye, woman!”

“And he can protect us from the other kingdoms!! You lose every war!”

“And we *do* like him! He’s dashingly handsome!”

“He’s the most powerful Sorcerer after the late Princess Donna!”

“Be our King, King Rogan!”

“Cassius doesn’t need you, Diana!”

“Marry me, Rogan!”

“Shut up, he’s mine!”

Diana sat weakly on the ground, looking around as the people turned their backs on her, one by one. “No…”

Rogan gave her a sharp look. “There you go. You don’t know how to behave yourself… so I’ll take back what I gave you.”

She got on her knees. “No… Rogan, *please*! I’m begging! We’re almost brother and sist—”

“Where is Maia?!!”

“I don’t *know*!” Diana put her face in her hands, weeping. “I really didn’t take her!”

Someone hurried forward. “R-Ro-Rogan…”

Rogan turned on him with a dark look. “What is it?!”

The poor man almost withered away from fear, but managed to stay breathing. “Fo-forgive me! But… if it’s about the girl who laid covered in your sorcerer’s garment—"

“Where is she? Did you see what happened?!”

The man nodded urgently. “I was watching the battle from a crack in me window, Sir! And I saw the girl. She rose out of the coverings! She stole some weapons from a dead soldier and hurried off towards the Cassius forests! Drunk as a sailor, she walked—”

Rogan was already gone.

A flock of birds squawked in fright when he suddenly appeared out of thin air in the forest, marching through their little gathering.

Rogan wasn’t bothered, keeping his eyes peeled for her as he pushed branches out of his way and burnt up thorn bushes.

Cursing, he looked around the forest. Why did she run?

Where was she? He could… he could *sense* her. Far more strongly than he did before. He could *feel* her.

She was here somewhere.

He walked further into the forest until he sensed Maia so strongly, it felt like she was in his arms.

Rogan stopped. “Maia?!”

There was a low squeak behind him.

He looked behind him, seeing a trembling flower bush. Without hesitation, he stalked over and shoved apart the plants.

With a loud scream, Maia leapt out of the bush, dashing away from Rogan like he was a dragon. She stopped and stood a safe distance away before she saw his face.

Rogan frowned. “Maia, it’s okay! It’s me.”

She held her weapons tight, staring at his face with wide eyes.

Puzzled, he stared at her. “Maia.”

When Rogan took a step forward, her arms shot up, an arrow pulled tightly back on the bow. “S-stop!”

Rogan’s eyes narrowed. “Maia… stop playing games.”

She swallowed hard, her hand trembling on the arrow. “W-who… who are you?!”