Leaf Clan

I followed behind Ignitus, who led the way through the long hallway. As we approached the double doors at the very end of the hall, our Firebrand guide stopping to grasp the handles, I cast a nervous glance around at Heart and Nick. This was odd... all of it. The ambiance was eerie and quiet, with naught a noise but the Felshifter who Nick had taken down minutes ago. Where were the other guards? I let out a sharp gasp as Ignitus suddenly yanked on the handles, and swung the doors open.

We made a mistake.

As we entered the room, at least eight Felshifter guards greeted us, their blades drawn, and their lips split with wicked grins. I bit back a yelp and held my sword a bit shakily between my fingers, as Nick came to my side, ready for battle despite his condition, which worried me more by the moment. Ignitus gave an angered hiss from in front of us, his gaze on someone I couldn't see. Suddenly, the guards shifted, and Lord Temnota stepped into sight.

We made a terrible, terrible mistake...

My heart dropped as we had fallen into a trap. The multiple Felshifter guards that surrounded us had shifted, forming an opening to the approaching Lord Temnota. Fear rose as I saw his face again. His emerald green eyes pierced into mine, frightening me as he gave me the look of false empathy he had shown many years ago. The Felshifter lord smirked, his sharp fangs pointed out of his lower jaw line. 

"It has been awhile, hasn't it?" Lord Temnota spoke, his voice stone cold as it brought back the memories of the day that changed everything for me. "My, you've grown so much since the last time I have seen you. You look so much more like your father now." He continued, his piercing eyes shifting as he looked over me. The Felshifter lord's words taunted me, causing my entire body to quiver, as if I couldn't hold back my fears. It was what he wanted, as his smirk only grew as he watched my shaking body.

"I see you brought others along as well," Lord Temnota spoke again, his eyes now shifting over Icecream, Nick, and Ignitus. "It was to be expected." His talking was getting to me even more. "Why did you wish to see me?" I said, doing my best to control my shaking. For now, I ignored his comments on the current situation. "Of course." Lord Temnota said, pacing closer towards me. It made me uncomfortable as he grew closer, but I stood my ground showing no reaction.

"I know you are aware of what I wanted on my last trip to Glaciem. If you want your people, and all the other kingdoms in the area saved, you will give up your leadership to your people, and give the land to me. If you do so, I will get rid of the heat, and restore all the damage my people and I have caused." Anger began to rise, my fear slowly fading. All of this was over a feud the Felshifter Lord refused to accept. He had lost years ago, but yet wanted to strive for something that was not coming to him.

"I'd rather die then give up what I have lived my entire life for." I said sternly, throwing the Felshifter Lord off guard a bit. "If you wanted resources from our land years ago, you could of listened to my father's simple agreements." I said. Lord Temnota was lost for words briefly, however, his smirk returned, along with a slight chuckle. "That can be easily arranged just for you, princess."

"I think not," a snarl escaped Nick's lips, as he brought his blade in front of Princess Heart in a protective gesture. His red gaze bore into Temnota, sharp and deadly, his fangs bared in anger. I hadn't remembered seeing him move from my side at the approach of the Felshifter Lord, but suddenly he was there in Heart's defense. "Touch one hair on her head, and you and your men die."

Something hard slammed into the back of my head, making lights dance before my eyes. I barely had time to let out a yelp before the the world started to topple. An arm suddenly wrapped around my waist, drawing me upright, and I blinked, straining to see who had grabbed me. Ignitus, his gaze narrowed and cold, though for a brief moment I thought I saw a hint of concern, before it was gone. "We're surrounded," he whispered, quickly tearing his eyes away from my face to the door behind Nick and Heart. I followed his gaze, and if my head hadn't been spinning like a top, I might have gasped at the sight. Four more guards stood behind our companions, flanking them like wolves descending upon a flock of sheep.

Nick didn't move from where he stood, still gripping his sword, protecting Heart. He briefly whipped his head around to look at a Felshifter guard who had taken a step too close, and gave a chuckle that sent shivers down my spine... one that I recalled all too well. "You are a foolish man, Lord Temnota," he said, his voice lethally soft. When he fixed his gaze on the Felshifter Lord once more, he looked truly dangerous, his mouth gaping ever so slightly, his fangs showing. "All of this for your own selfishness... What kind of leader leads his men to their doom? Such a waste..." With that, he lunged toward Temnota, clearly aiming for the Lord's throat.

Something silver caught him in the shoulder before his fangs found their target, and I screamed as he was forced to the floor with a sickening crack.

"NICK!"

A figure loomed over him, one of Temnota's guards, his dagger buried deeply into Nick's shoulder. I wanted to cry as he twisted the blade, drawing a pained groan from the Ice Vampire. Ignitus held me tighter as I struggled. He said something to me, but I barely heard him. It was most likely a warning that I would die if I attempted to help, but I didn't care. The guard grinned as he gripped Nick's head, and dragged him away from Temnota. "You won't be needing this anymore," he said, tearing Nick's sword from his hand, as he tried to resist. I flinched as he recieved a punch for his efforts, and stared in horror as my love kneeled before the guard, looking deathly sick and bleeding from his nose. His sword hit the ground with a loud clang. "What will you have me do to this one, my Lord?"

"Keep hold of him for now," Lord Temnota demanded, as he turned to the beaten Ice Vampire. Everything seemed to have happened in a flash. Nick had went to my defense, but it was a grave mistake as he attempted to attack Lord Temnota, being torn down by the many guards. I looked around, seeing a barely conscious Icecream being held by Ignitus. My anger rose. No, no. He can't win. If he wins, everything is over for the innocent in this room.

I couldn't keep my anger bottled up anymore. Seeing my loyal friends in danger threw me over my limits. I lifted my sword, a shriek of anger errupted from my throat. Then, I dashed, an attempt to hit Lord Temnota, or even any Felshifter guard. However, before I could be a few inches closer to the Felshifter Lord, two of the surrounding Felshifter guards had grabbed hold of my arms. The near Lord chuckled under his breath, turning his attention back to me. "Fighting is useless for someone like you here, but I'm impressed any of you got close enough to me." He taunted, as I attempted to struggle out of the grips of the guards. 

Turning back to the injured Ice Vampire, the Lord smirked. "I am not the foolish one. I may be selfish, but my selfishness is for a reason to keep my kingdom alive, and a way of surviving. Foolishness is someone who is willing to be killed over someone, who is much more insignificant then yourself." He said, his face turning into a look of displeasure. "Feelings such as compassion, selflessness, and even love are just for the weak minded, thinking that saving others will make them feel stronger or important. Pathetic."

Lord Temnota's emerald eyes scanned over us, yet his vision still seemed to be primarily focused on Nick. "A good example of that is right now. My spies have seen what you all have done for each other, it's sickening. The Night kingdom would of been a perfect place to attempt to ally with, but no, apparently both princes of that kingdom had fallen in love with a mere Ice Crystal. And look where that resulted to. Kasai is no better, the Firebrand prince leaving his people behind because of a personal connection with the princess of Glaciem. Disgusting." Lord Temnota's face of displeasure turned back to a malicious grin.

"The Ice Vampire can go rot in a cell here for now. He can have time to think over who is the real foolish man here." He said, and turned his gaze back to me. "Perhaps we could do something more interesting with you then death. After a measly threat from the Ice Vampire, instant death does not sound enjoyable anymore." My body began to quiver in fear yet again and I tried looking away from the Lord's gaze. However, one of the guards smacked my face, and gripped their hand under my chin to force me to look at the Felshifter Lord. "How about put you in the same fate as your father? That would make my collection perfect." Lord Temnota said, his smirk growing at my rising fear. My eyes widened, and I protested. "No! Dear God, no!" I panicked, unable to hold back my fears toward Lord Temnota. He only chuckled at my panicked words.

Nick watched Lord Temnota with a furious glare, though his red gaze wasn't as bright and full of light as it usually was. It was dull, whether from the current events, or his sickness, I didn't know. I struggled harder in Ignitus' hold, my heart skipping a beat as the Felshifter guard started pulling Nick to his feet, with the intention of throwing him in a cell somewhere. "No!" I cried, and cast a desperate glance at Ignitus from over my shoulder. He didn't look at me.

Nick hissed in pain as the Felshifter guard tore his dagger from his shoulder, and shoved him forward. He stumbled, nearly collapsing back to the floor, and for a brief moment, I caught him eyeing Heart, where she had been seized by two other guards. "You are wrong," he said suddenly, turning his attention back to Temnota. "Me and my brother had no intention of falling in love with an Ice Crystal, but we did, nevertheless. Not... not because we needed to feel stronger. No, we were strong on our own. A life of two hundred years in the shadows, where you are feared by any mortal being, tends to do that to you. But you... you speak of keeping your kingdom alive." Hunger flashed in Nick's eyes, as he cast them over his shoulder at the guard behind him. "Tell me," he added, looking at Temnota once more. "If you succeed with this plan of yours... If I rot in a cell for the rest of my life, how will you keep your kingdom alive? What you do not understand, Lord Temnota, is that my people are so loyal to me that they will take matters into their own hands. They will flood your streets and devour your people, and they will not think twice about it. Why? Because you will have taken what they looked up to and respected, and you will have destroyed two of their allies. That is what you call love, compassion and selfishness. Those three things which you despise so much, shall be your demise." Nick raised a hand. "Oh, and one more thing... I am not a prince, not anymore. I am a king." He suddenly whirled on the guard behind him, and lunged toward his throat. His fangs pierced their target in a blur of gray and white, and when he was done, the guard dropped to the floor. Nick turned, blood streaming down his chin, his lips smeared with crimson. He laughed, retrieving his sword from where it had been forced from his hand, and grinned in all his wicked glory. The hunger in his eyes was intense, a burning flicker of starvation, the craving for his enemy's blood. "You see... I am quite used to taking lives. Let Heart go, before I rip your men apart and paint this room red."

I watched as Nick was able to fight back, taking down the guard using his sharp fangs. A slight smile formed on my face as he stood before Lord Temnota. Even when sick and injured, the Ice Vampire was not afraid to stand up for those he cared for. Lord Temnota had no reaction toward one of the many Felshifter guards falling to his enemy. His smirk remained, turning his attention back to Nick. "If you think I can be stopped that easily, even by your loyal people, you have much more to expect from someone like me." He said, his smirk growing. 

"My people are aware they have much to risk with my actions. They don't mind, of course. We all live by the same saying, it's kill or be killed, and are willing to die to my actions. I do not care what happens to my people, and they know. My job is only supposed to keep Trabeakot living, even if it means all my people die." Lord Temnota continued. Reaching to his side, he grasped the hilt of his sword, pulling it out of his sheath. It was the weapon he had use many years ago, an onyx long sword that glistened in the light of the castle. "I do admire your strength though. No matter what position you are in, I am capable of killing you. If I was able to defeat a king, I can easily do it again. If you wish to save the princess of a pathetic small kingdom, be my guest." My heart dropped yet again, Lord Temnota's taunting words making me fear for the worst. I wanted to help, but struggling in the grips of the guards seemed useless. My struggling only resulted in another Felshifter guard coming over and restricting me. I refused to give up, and continued to fight against my restriction. 

Nick flourished his sword in a swift, circular motion, his red gaze locked on Temnota as the Felshifter Lord drew his own blade. "You truly are a sick and twisted man," he said, his voice sharp and loathing. I caught him looking briefly in my direction, and watched as he hesitated. Then, he looked away, and let out a chuckle, all traces of hesitation gone. "It truly is sad how quick you are to judge," he added, baring his bloody fangs in a grin. "I may go down, but I promise you I will take you with me. There is no way in hell I will leave these ladies in the hands of a bastard such as yourself. Fireass over there, on the other hand, can fend for himself." He ignored a snort from Ignitus, and took a deep breath, steadying himself as he stumbled back a few steps, growing dizzy from his sickness. "After all, I am as good as dead anyway." With that, he lunged toward Lord Temnota, slashing at him with a furious hiss.

The Felshifter Lord lifted his sword as Nick lunged at him. Their swords clashed against each other as Lord Temnota blocked Nick's slashing at a swift pace. There were moments when Lord Temnota would fail a block, cuts on his armor and even a cut appeared on his face that dribbled with blood slightly. Pieces of cloth began to scatter through the air. It was unknown to me at first how they appeared as they fluttered down to the ground. Until I realized, it was pieces of Lord Temnota's black cape. Pieces were cut by Nick's slashes at times, the pieces scattering as if they were butterflies fluttering in the air. I was beginning to have hope as the Ice Vampire continued his fight with Lord Temnota. Would he be able to stop him? 

However, my sense of confidence faded, with fear rising as Lord Temnota was able to dodge one of Nick's attacks, grabbing a hold of his arm. The Felshifter Lord then tossed the Ice Vampire King over himself, pinning him down with his foot. The guards holding me began whispering amongst each other, mumbles of words I could not understand. "You did put up a fight, it was fun awhile it had lasted." Lord Temnota taunted. Fearing for the worst, and with the guards distracted with their quiet whispering, I elbowed the one Felshifter guard that had a grip on my arm that held my sword. The guard retaliated a bit, catching him off guard as I quickly knocked him off his feet using one of my legs.

The guard collapsed, my sword now in free use. Quickly, my sword pierced into one of the other Felshifter guard's chest. He collapsed as he began gasping for air, the flesh wound he had filled his pierced lung with blood. The remaining guard had reacted faster then I expected, resulting in his silver sword piercing my arm. With a groan, I slashed at his neck, causing him to grab at his throat to attempt to stop the bleeding. At this point, I did not feel any guilt over killing the guards, my fear long gone. My main priority, save the one who saved me.

My attention turned toward Lord Temnota, his sword raised in the air, about to pierce down onto the fallen Ice Vampire. Without any other thought, I lunged at the Felshifter Lord, causing him to turn his attention toward me. His sword pulled away from Nick, only a mere inches that would of killed him, which blocked my incoming sword. Stepping back, my focus was on the Felshifter. "I'm surprised you're starting to fight back now. I was waiting for the day when you would truly fight back." Lord Temnota taunted. Keeping my sword in front of me, I lowered my eyes at the Felshifter Lord. The time of being a coward was over for me.

When Ignitus finally let go of me, I tore away from him, rushing across the room to where Nick lay, unmoving and bleeding through tattered clothes. I collapsed beside him, gently lifting his head into my lap. He looked up at me through half-lidded eyes, beads of crimson bubbling into the corners of his mouth. "Hello... beautiful," he said weakly, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "Save your strength," I told him, and looked over my shoulder to Ignitus, who was staring in horror at Heart and Temnota, as they prepared to fight. "Ignitus!" I shouted, making him flinch. He quickly came over, helping me get Nick across the room, away from the two. 

I settled down beside Nick once more, after we had gotten a safe distance between us, Lord Temnota and Princess Heart. "I have to—" a spluttering cough interrupted his words, and I frowned, looking down at him, worry gripping my heart. "No," I said, knowing what he had been about to say. 

"This is Heart's battle," Ignitus chimed in, surprising me. He stood next to us, his daggers drawn, daring the few guards that remained in the room with us to try anything. They didn't, much to my relief. "You did well, Ice Vampire. But now, as much as I hate to admit it, Heart has to be the one to end this." He blinked, briefly lowering his gaze to us. "We'll get you some help. When Heart wins, and she will, we'll save you. Try not to die just yet." With that, he focused his attention on the two combatants across the room from us. His eyes narrowed, and suddenly, he was back to being serious and uncaring.

I lifted Nick's shirt up, being as gentle as I could. I wanted to have a look at his wounds, to see how bad they were. He grunted as I did so, and I whispered an apology. As I looked over his injuries, wiping blood away to see them more clearly, I breathed a sigh of relief. They weren't deep, and didn't appear to need immediate treatment. "Thank the Gods..." I murmured, as Nick coughed again. I jerked my gaze up to his face, expecting to see him in pain, but he was just smirking at me — a lazy, devious twitch of his lips. "Wow, love... if I did not know better, I would say you were eager to get me out of my clothes." I gaped at him, as his smirk grew. He chuckled ever so slightly. On normal occasions, I would have given him a light slap for his comment, but I was so happy that he was alive after what he had done for the Princess, that I no longer cared. My cheeks burned as I leaned down, pressing my lips gingerly to his, ignoring the taste of blood. I expected him to kiss me back, which he did, but what I wasn't expecting was for him to sit upright, and pull me into his lap. He barely made a sound as we shared a moment of soft bliss, though I was sure I saw him wince once or twice. When we pulled back, Nick was smiling, and I giggled, as he held me close, his arms snaking around my waist. I rested my head on his chest, felt his arms tighten ever so slightly in a protective embrace, and felt his chin on my shoulder. I knew he was watching Heart and Temnota, and I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the fight. I was tired of it all... I just wanted things to be back the way they were.

I smiled over at Nick, Icream, and Ignitus. They were safe now, and that's what relieved me the most. The Firebrand prince kept the guards at bay as the two lovers embraced in each other. Lord Temnota slightly glanced at them, but kept his focus on me. His face turned into a form displeasure again. "Absolutely disgusting," He spoke, his voice in a different tone, a tone of building rage. I did not respond, not wanting to feed the attention he did not deserve. Any reaction the Felshifter Lord could use against me, I did not want to lose focus on my main priority. 

The Felshifter Lord lunged at me with his long sword. I moved my sword swiftly, blocking the incoming sword. A large crash sound of clashing metal emitted from our coliding swords, showing both our strengths as the sound echoed throughout the castle. Lord Temnota continued lashing at me, doing my best to block each attack and retaliate. There were at times I failed, resulting in minor cuts that were fortunately not too deep or life threatening. However, it was an issue I could not stop the bleeding by forming ice over my wounds, the heat in the Kasai castle made my powers of ice completely useless. A thin layer of ice would easily break due to my swift movement to stop the fast moving Felshifter in front of me. 

I gasped in pain as Lord Temnota was successful with his next slash, his sword strong enough to cut threw the steel plated armor I was wearing over my chest. A long gash across was now visible, with blood slowly pooling out of the fresh cut. The Felshifter Lord smirked, but faded briefly as I regained my composure and fought back yet again. "You do not give up, do you? Just like Maite, he kept fighting until he failed," Lord Temnota spoke, as our swords collided as we blocked each other's swords. His words had no effect on me, even the mention of father no longer bothered me. By giving him no response, I could see rage building in his emerald eyes as we continued fighting. That was all he wanted all along from me, keep me scared for as long as he could. As the Felshifter Lord's scare tactics failed, so did his patience with me. 

Lord Temnota managed to kick me down, resulting in me colliding down onto the hard flooring of the castle. The Lord panted, out of breath from the long going duel between us. He pointed his sword at my face, preparing to strike. With no time to react, I quickly kicked his hand, his sword falling out of the grip of his fingers as he pulled his hand back. Getting up, I quickly my raised my sword, and slammed it as hard as I could into the Felshifter Lord. There was a moment of silence as my sword managed to pierce threw Lord Temnota's armor, quickly being stained by his crimson blood. The Felshifter Lord remained still, as I kept my grip on my sword. It was lodged inside the Felshifter, a direct hit. It was over. However, my fears rose as Lord Temnota's bloody lips raised, forming a smirk. He slowly lifted him hands from his sides and onto the blade of my sword. "That was a good try," He tauned.

Immediately, my eyes widened as my sword was quickly engulfed with stone. I let go of my sword still lodged in the Felshifter, however, my right hand did not move in time. Panic rose in me as all the fingers on my hand were engulfed by the stone formed by the Felshifter Lord. They were stiff, unmovable, and I could no longer feel them. My right hand, now useless. I backed away from Lord Temnota as he laughed as if he had lost his insanity. "You did put up a longer fight then Maite, even hurting me directly," Lord Temnota taunted, pulling my sword out of his chest. His wound pooled blood, but was quickly covered by forming stone to stop the bleeding. I looked down at my hand, afraid I was going to suffer the same fate as father had. My fingers remained the same, fortunately the stone had not traveled down my hand. "I think it's time you stop your revenge kill against me, unless you have a death wish still."

My fears rose, but I quickly closed them off, spotting the fallen sword of Lord Temnota. I ran over to it, quickly picking it off the ground. Now, we were using our own weapons against each other. It was going to be more difficult though, I was much more used to fighting with my right hand then my left. "This battle is not for my father, he would never want me to do that as he did not support revenge killing," I said, regaining my compsure yet again. "This battle is for those I care about, for my people, and for Glaciem. If I die, you'll still be stopped by those who oppose you." The Felshifter Lord laughed yet again, his laughter filled with anger and desire to kill. "Yet again, quite pathetic." He said, as he raised my sword that belonged to him now.