The road to Hareville was indeed long and tiring, and during the whole trip, Beta Phillips and I hardly exchanged a word with one another. By the time we got near the Cleansing Temple, I felt a strange combination of fear and desire inside me. The temple was quite a large and beautiful one; its surface was stony, and it also had numerous carvings and ancient symbols. The temple priests welcomed us and guided us to a hall located at the center of the temple.
"I have come here to be cleansed, to see if I can be freed from a curse."
“You seem to have doubts,” one of the priests said softly but in a commanding tone, “You must meditate here for an entire day. Empty your thoughts and let the silence lead the way.”
I nodded, sitting on the golden carpet that lay before me. Phillips and the priests left me just then, and I exhaled deeply and adjusted myself into a comfortable position, and slightly closed my eyes to try to clear my thoughts.
At first, the stillness and quietness were quite awkward. I could not even hear a sound from the outside. The wind was up in my head, and all sorts of memories and concerns came to mind like ghosts. But little by little, as the hours went on, the perfect tranquillity descended upon me. However, the calm in my thoughts was short-lived, and my memories started to play in front of me like I was living in that moment. It was a bit hazy at first but soon became very clear.
The scene before me was one I had tried desperately to forget: my sixteenth birthday dinner.
It would be a tasteful room; they had elegantly laid the table and provided rich food. My father, King Alaric, sat at the head of the table, his face beaming with pride. He had a big smile as he raised his glass. "To my son, Dagen, and my heir, may your future be as bright as the sun and your reign as prosperous as mine.",
I sat beside him, feeling so proud and happy as we all clinked glasses. Standing to my right, with her gaze filled with affection, was my mother, Queen Elara. Opposite us were the parents of Beta Phillips, Lord Edvin and his mother, Lady Mirielle, with Edvin’s twin sister, Nydia. Nydia looked at me, and her dimples blushed out; she gave me a small smile that I returned. As of recently, I had started to have feelings for her, but no matter how hard I tried to get rid of them, they came back stronger, and it was increasingly hard to hide my feelings.
Edvin's eyes rolled, disgusted. He was looking quite unhappy with the developing bond between Nydia and me. We were always at loggerheads since he was always protective of his sister and did not like the subtle romance between us.
On the extreme left of the table were seated my uncle, Lord Terry, and his only son Tyler. Lord Terry had a piercing gaze, his lips thin and his movements calculated. For as long as I could remember, I had always had a bad feeling around him. I was not a fan of him and did not like that he was present at my birthday dinner.
During one of the meal courses, a spasm of coughing occurred interrupting the conversation. Lord Terry could barely choke the words out, and he had to hold his mouth with a napkin; he looked pained and a little pale. Concerned about his brother, my father stood up and gestured towards the maids and servants present to help him.
In an instant, chaos erupted as Lord Terry’s napkin dropped from his face and showed a wicked smile. My father slowly stopped in his tracks, he looked angry and surprised.
‘Terry, what does all this mean to you?’ he asked with furious anger crackling in his voice.
In response, Lord Terry suddenly pulled out a dagger from his belt and charged at him. I felt petrified and my muscles locked as the time appeared to come to a standstill.
The dagger finally struck at the right spot and buried itself into my father’s chest. He fell on his back, his royal garments sprinkled with blood, and he fell off the palace floor.
"Father!" I screamed but my voice was lost.
My mother also tried running towards my father, who was shaking and coughing up blood, but Lord Terry had no mercy. He knocked her out with a powerful, harsh punch, and she fell flat beside my father. My view of the world was fading as tears overflowed my face and it was extremely hard to grasp the nightmare.
During the madness, Lord Allan did not waste any time; Beta Phillips’ father was a fast man. He put himself to my front and, with a mighty effort, took the impact to his own throat instead of my neck. I stood with my mouth open and saw him fall dead because of his loyalty to me.
I was in so much shock.
"Dagen, we must go!" I turned to see Edvin. He took my hand, and Nydia took the other one, her hand clamped around mine tightly ensuring my safety.
The three of us ran through the complex of soldiers commanded by Lord Terry at that time. A place once considered to be safe and secure now looked like a war zone to me. Blood was everywhere as soldiers were rushing in to help.
It seemed as if my legs were governed by instincts that forced me to run. For the first time in my life, I was terrified and could barely even speak.
As we continued running, Nydia tripped and fell to the ground with a painful thud. Soldiers from Terry began to approach her.
I pulled my hand away from Edvin and spun towards the soldiers bearing down on her. I fumed with anger as I fought, trying to get her back on her feet. With my sword against theirs, there were ringing metallic sounds of swords hitting each other. Every swing was a revenge for my parents’ death. I imagined it was Uncle Terry.
"Dagen, we can't stay here!" He screamed, dragging his sister as well.