章 44: The Real Demon (4)

The carriage wheels turned at a lazy pace. Snow covered the whole road and the group inside the vehicle were all wearing thicker clothes and boots.

"She was the North Kingdom's number one knight and I haven't even found out. I could feel that she was thinking about her position when she found out about what happened to our family. It was not really her fault. She could be the best in the kingdom, yes, but she could not protect everyone at the same time. In the end, she is also just a normal human like us." Theoden smiled. He recalled the determined face Yllana showed him while she sent them away. There was a throb of pain as he let her go yet again.

Inside the carriage, Prince Devon and Shiiba stayed at the farthest sides of the seat trying to keep out of reach of each other. They were both silent the whole time while listening to Theoden and Yrah.

"Father, do you remember that one time that mother yelled at Yana and called her a demon? Yana told me back then that she kept on dreaming of that moment and she promised that she would hunt down that demon king who terrorized our kingdom. She did what she promised." A glint flashed across Shiiba's eyes when she heard Yrah.

"What happened to your wife? Why is the demon king involved with your family?" Shiiba's eyes turned round with anticipation. She even placed her chin in both of her hands as if waiting for a good story. Theoden's heart ached at remembering that memory. The sadness will never fade in the years.

"I thought I would forget that day, but I guess it will not really just go away easily." He took a deep breath. "The North Kingdom carved it in its history. All the Northerners know the story so there is no reason for me to hide it. It all started hundreds of years ago. The Northern Kingdom has always been ruled by a Grand Witch. The imperial family has this powerful bloodline about it and the ruler then wanted to expand the territory up to the Cursed Lands. At first, the villages near the borders have been successfully subdued. Ruler after ruler, there was a great succession of conquered lands. All fell under the command of the rulers. But a few decades ago, the empress unexpectedly gave birth to a son. Something that has never happened for generations."

Prince Devon snorted; he knew this story all too well. He looked at Shiiba and saw the frown in her face. "The empresses have always been giving birth to daughters to pass down the powers of the Grand Witch. So if a son was born, he will never be given the powers since only powerful women can inherit it." He explained.

"Only women can be witches? Why is that so?" Shiiba was curious to know too. There never was a man who has been identified as a witch.

Theoden smiled at the Shiiba's curiosity. "Because the power can only be given while inside the womb. If it will be given to a man, then that would be the end of the inheritance line. And the imperial family had never failed in giving birth to women. It is like their bodies are enchanted with some sort of magic so that they would only carry girls not boys."

"Is that so…" Shiiba nodded slowly as she digested their words. Yrah sat quietly and smiled from time to time. She has heard her father talk about these events when she was as innocent as Shiiba.

"An oracle betrayed the empress and said that she was carrying a girl. So, the power was passed on to the child while in the womb. When the empress gave birth to the next heir, she was devastated but she still let the boy live. But she was never able to give birth afterward. When it was the king's time to conquer the territory of the Cursed Lands, he failed. And he was captured by the demon king. Since he was the only heir and the power of the Grand Witch is still within him, the imperial family tried to get him back, by all means, necessary and that meant war against the demon clan. When humans entered the Cursed Lands, the demons learned the weaknesses of humans and tried to use it against the North Kingdom. The captured king was never taken back. And when the demon king knew about the inheritance of the Grand Witch, he started trying to find the bloodline again. He kept abducting women and tried conceiving another Grand Witch for their clan. Their mother…was abducted twenty years ago. She was new in the North Kingdom, so it was too late for me to warn her. The knights got her back, but ever since then, nightmares haunted Naia."

"She was abducted but the demon king did not get to lay a hand on her," Yrah added. "It was what the knights of the kingdom said. Our mother was crying and shouting over and over again, the war almost destroyed her mind, but she got through after years of nurture and support." She reached out for her father's hand and squeezed it tight. Those were the dark times for their family. But they got through it and moved on.

"That is also the reason we became traveling merchants, she had to get away from the kingdom from time to time so the memories will not haunt her so much." It was also the reason that the siblings grew up without seeing their parents much, but they both knew what it was for. And they have learned to stay strong.

Prince Devon lowered his gaze. He felt a sense of guilt after Theoden told the story. He was part of the royal family. But he was just a son of a concubine. It was the same with Blanche. "I'm sorry," he whispered. It just came out of nowhere and he felt surprised with himself.

All of them turned their heads toward the prince. Their awkward looks made his face bright red. "I-I mean, it was my ancestors' fault. B-but I never had anything to do with that! Even the previous empress's plot! I was not aware of any of it. S-she just gives me news about y-your family when she feels like it."

Theoden rubbed his chin. His beard has grown a little longer now and his cheeks have gained more flesh than when they were held captive by the previous empress. After a while, he remembered something and faced the prince. "I remembered the princess talking about something in her hands that the empress wanted. I wonder if you know anything about it?"

Prince Devon tried to think. "The giant mirror, the empress wanted that, but I do not know why. Blanche never said anything about it too. She is too secretive."

"Why don't you just admit that you are not that close with your sister?" Shiiba smirked. It was common for siblings from royal bloodlines to be hostile with each other. "Nobody will get surprised, trust me." She added. The prince kept stealing glances at Yrah. Shiiba caught him and with her lips shaped in a letter "o", she figured out why he was trying to cover up that fact.

"The empress never had a child, why is that?" asked Yrah trying to change the topic.

"She never wanted one," Prince Devon's answer surprised them. Don't royal families want to have children to inherit the titles someday? There really is something wrong with the previous empress. "She wanted to bring back the power of the Grand Witch, that is what I heard from Blanche last time. Ask Kheera, she was sent by Blanche. Maybe she knows something about her." Their mind went back to the carriage following them. Inside, two people lying in mattresses are recuperating from injuries.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Kheera is an enchantress. The empress is now keeping an eye on you. Do you know why?" Midel asked while walking beside Yllana. They have arrived at a village near the foot of the mountains. They are replenishing their supplies as they would travel again to find the ingredients of the sight spell.

"If I do anything that will compromise the safety of the kingdom, she will lift the spell on my soul to erase my position as her knight." She answered flatly. "I do not really care if she wants to keep an eye on me. But as much as possible I am done with the royal family of the North and I just want my family to be safe."

The streets of the village market only have a few buyers from the odd-looking stands. There were bits and pieces of things that travelers mostly look for. The thin layer of snow piled up in most roofs of the makeshift stalls. And the soft glow of the morning sun gave the village a warm picture of a quaint place with simple folks around.

"But you are going back to the North Kingdom, right?" Midel asked.

"If you have seen it in your foresight, do I need to answer your question?" Yllana asked in return. "I told you, I do not care about what happens to the north."

"And you still carry a grudge with the south?" Midel's sudden question made Yllana stop. Lucien stopped walking at the same time.

"Only the heart can tell," They noticed the glances of some of the villagers when Midel asked his last question. Lucien looked at Midel.

"You should not have come just to irritate other people," his eyes narrowed as he gazed intently at Midel's smiling ones.

"I was simply asking," he answered politely.

"If you want to start a rebellion, do not count us in. I have no plans on going to another war yet," she pointed at her scars and bruises.

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