The Blood King's Bride
Chapter Eighty Two

Three months later.

The blood Kingdom...

The soldiers lined up in the field, bustling with energy. The time for war had come. They

had been training vigorously for months, waiting for this period. The Allikans had started a full- blown attack on the other kingdoms, but they knew that their biggest guns hadn't been brought out yet. Commotions have been happening in the pathway close to the blood kingdom. Some of the warriors have been delegated to fight them off, and most times, they had returned successfully. Word had reached that the Kingdom of Pres and the Kingdom of Tush had fallen under the Allikans attack. The Kingdom of Neba still stood firm against their enemies, warding them off.

Every Kingdom was currently drenched in the scent of war. Men, women, and children

retired early. There were no more fun games and wooing of women that usually happened daily in the streets of the blood kingdom. The weather became even colder than expected, and the sky darker. Rarely anyone was ever seen on the road anymore.

Calhoun and Elena had rolled off from their matrimonial bed, putting on their fighting

gear. They were going to join the warriors in the field. The past three months were like heaven for the new couple. After their first night together, they both felt more secure in themselves than before. Calhoun ultimately laid himself at her feet, and his father never failed to tease him about it. According to him, Calhoun had sworn that there was no way he would be as henpecked as his father when he got married. But reality proved otherwise as always. His mother said it had something to do with the genes. Elena always laughed when it was brought up.

"So, are you ready?" Calhoun said, coming over to where Elena stood and placing a kiss

on her head. She smiled as she turned into him.

"Yeah." She hugged his waist. "I have been waiting months for it."

"I guess this is not the time to mention that I would miss our bed games," Calhoun suggested, smiling deviously.

"You tease!" Elena said, blushing heavily. Their night games were vigorous. Calhoun

was insatiable. It was like something broke in him on their first night after so many years spent being a virgin.

"You should hold on to the memories," Elena continued. "It would be a long time before

you get to play those games again."

"Sad," Calhoun said, pouting.

Elena turned again, her back facing Calhoun as she looked at the wall mirror in their

room. Calhoun looked at her through the mirror, his hands on her shoulders.

"So much has happened." Elena said. "Today, we would be heading towards the wastelands. The whole Kingdom would be on lockdown. No one in nor out."

"Hmm." Calhoun said, nodding his head.

"At times I can't help but feel like we have overlooked something." Elena continued. "Perhaps we have not considered an area that we ought to."

"It happens whenever you head out for war." Calhoun said, slowly massaging her

shoulders. "You start to question every decision you are about to make. My father said that to win a war, we need to let go of those kinds of thoughts."

"Have you fought in a war before?"

"No, but I have battled powerful beasts. When I started I found out that the more I

questioned myself, the more my attack became slower and easier to predict. So I go with the

flow, and worry about any risk later."

"This is going to be my first war." Elena said. "My first shedding of blood. Do you think something in me is going to break?"

Silence reigned around the room. The couple stood there, staring at each other intensely through the mirror.

"War is bound to change people." Calhoun started. "I don't think it's normal for any sane person to war and come back the same. Some pieces of us would break as a result of the excess blood we shed. But that is the sacrifice we pay for protecting our loved ones." He gently dragged his hands down Elena's arms till he found her hands. "But I am sure, if we face the same situation again, we would make the same choice we are making now." He gently turned her around to face him, clasping her hands.

"One thing we must never forget when on that battlefield, is ourselves. We must remember why we are fighting, and for whom we are fighting for."

When Elena and Calhoun were finally prepared, together they held hands and headed

straight to the field where their warriors waited. She found Elion with Aaron right behind her. The men shed turned into the Balaksa also stood with her. Forest was also there in the field, spreading words of encouragement. The past months he spent it trying to master the gift he was born with. So far, he had made improvements and was already in his intermediate level. Elion and her group would follow them to war, while Forest and some other warriors would remain behind to protect the Kingdom.

"Oh, there you are!" Forest said once he spotted them. Elion had already seen them and walked towards them, her followers right behind her. Forest also headed towards them, smiling brightly as he slowly approached them.

"All the men are ready." Elion said once she reached them. "It won't be too long before we have to start heading out."

"I'm going to miss you guys," Forest said, suddenly sad. "I won't see you probably for months."

Elena smiled softly. "I'll miss you too. You can be sure that I'll have you in my thoughts all through the battle."

"What of the Royal mother and father?" Aaron asked, spoiling the moment.

"They would meet us on our journey out." Calhoun replied.

Elena breathed loudly. "I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait for this war to be done with."

Calhoun grinned widely. "Such a huge faith you have there."

"Of course. I have faith that we would win this war. There is no doubt about it." Calhoun and Elena then headed to where their soldiers stood waiting for them. Thousands

of them remained, ready to be called for the battle.

Once they caught sight of Calhoun, they all fell silent. Calhoun faced them, his face etched in seriousness. He stood on a small bench to see over the heads of the soldiers. "Warriors of the Blood kingdom," he stated. "Today marks the day history is made." His gaze moved all over his warriors.

"We are going to battle, and we have reason to believe that it is going to be the bloodiest battle ever fought. Some of you have never fought in a battle. Some of you fought alongside my father, and the same goes for my grandfather. It might have been a long time since we ever experienced war, but I'm sure the memory still lingers fresh in your mind. But nothing of that nature is compared to what we are about to face. The Allikans have powers that you all are not blessed with, but we have found a way to counter those powers. Their arsenal is going to be our major opponent, but we are blood citizens, we never fret in front of our enemies." He paused, letting his words resound powerfully over them.

"The four kingdoms are under attack," Calhoun continued. "There have been strange occurrences happening in the wastelands. That would be the site of our battle. We would rather die than see some self-proclaimed leaders take over our Kingdom. We would fight them with everything we have, and we wouldn't even break a sweat. We would crush them like the ants they are, and we would drink of their decapitated bodies, why? Because we are the warriors of the blood kingdom!"

At that, thunderous shouts of pride emanated from the soldiers, and even the earth they stood on shook. The warriors roared and shouted, raising their weapons in the air. When they finally settled, Calhoun continued his speech.

"We fight with everything we have, but we would not easily lose our lives to them. We would not even allow them to take our lives. I expect to meet you all back here at the end of all these."

Elena watched as her husband addressed the warriors. He looked so strong, so determined. She knew that his last statement was made out of hope; no one would want to see their people die even if it was for a reasonable cause. She hadn't even faced the war, yet she could already feel its sombre mood. The warriors faced were etched with a dedication only those ready to give up their lives would have. She looked at Elion, whose face was also washed in seriousness; Forest, whose face was drawn sadly. She looked at the warriors that spanned across

the field, the way they held unto their pride even if they were heading unto death.

Then she looked at her husband, who stood tall in front of his people. She knew he would

do anything he could to protect them. The tales told of the blood king did not resonate with what she had seen.

And she should know. After all, she is the blood king's bride.

"I want you to remember your families, your loved ones. Those whom you are fighting

for. I want you to keep their memories close to you. Hold them, dear, to your heart as you fight,

and may the memories keep you strong. Now, we march!"

A thunderous shout echoed over the whole atmosphere, followed immediately by the heavy stomping of feet on the ground. Thousands and thousands of them slowly began to March out of the field. They were to head towards the bridge's path by the toxic river. Calhoun knew that was where his father was going to make a speech.

Servants and maids came out to watch the procession. Elena noticed the loving looks some of them passed to the warriors. Sadly, she knew that it was the last time some of them would ever see their lover again. The thought made her sad. She wished there was a way she could assure everyone's safety.

The match to the outer side of the castle continued slowly. Finally, it seemed like hours had passed, they reached the toxic riverside. Calhoun's father was already waiting for them at that site, atop a horse. The March came to a stop once they saw the past king. He had worn his ceremonial war clothes; a red fur hat, a crimson coat with brown fur-lined around it, and different medals lining it.

"Warriors," his voice boomed. He looked so fearsome in his attire that Elena could barely recognize the man who ran after his wife all day.

"A situation has called for our attention." He started. "Some people have been making series of disturbances outside of our Kingdom. They liken the blood kingdom to the other kingdoms, thinking we can easily be defeated and made to fear while forgetting why we are the most fearsome in all kingdoms. We should teach them a lesson, shouldn't we? The king said, grinning evilly while the soldiers hailed him.

"The blood kingdom has laid dormant for a while. We have been too dormant, that is why some people suddenly got the boldness to attack us in our own home! This is an insult we would not take lying down. It's time to bring awake, the power of the blood kingdom! We would not take this insult and those that carried it out, to them we would meet out punishments that would affect their future generations to come. Their generations would think about this day in history and would curse their forefathers greatly. We are going to raze them down and show others that we haven't forgotten what we are made of. Now, my blessings remain with you as you all embark on this journey. Hold onto your pride as blood citizens and vanquish our enemies!" All the warriors erupted a mighty roar.