Fresh meat," a gang of menacing figures surrounded them, some lurking in the trees while others skulked on the ground—these formidable individuals were nothing short of ruthless bandits.
"Forgive us, gentlemen, for trespassing in your territory. Please allow us to pass, and we will be on our way," Elaine spoke with a composed demeanor.
"So, the woman speaks for you, huh? Well, I'm saying, for your lack of bravery, men and boys, you are all going to meet your demise right here," the lead bandit declared with a tone dripping with disdain.
Elaine, displaying a level-headed response, merely shook her head, taking a step back—an indication that she had exhausted her attempts at diplomacy.
Finn, however, moved forward, his irritation mounting in the face of these audacious bandits.
"I'm going to give you all up to a count of 10 to run before I start extinguishing your lives right here," Finn declared with a stern, no-nonsense demeanor.
The bandits erupted in mocking laughter at Finn's ultimatum, taunting their impending doom with a carefree arrogance.
Meanwhile, Finn picked up a twig and began counting, each number punctuated by the bandits' uproarious laughter, growing even more uproarious as the counting continued.
"I warned you guys. Can you close your eyes for a bit?" Finn turned to Timothy and the others, his request met with confusion.
They complied with his instruction, and after a few seconds, Finn instructed them to open their eyes.
"Where did they go?" Ver asked, her surprise evident
"They ran away," Finn nonchalantly replied, though the discerning eyes of Timothy and Jake detected a trace of blood on his hands—a detail that didn't escape their scrutiny.
"Let's proceed," Finn spoke as they continued on their way. Night was slowly approaching, but they were not out of the woods yet. Instead, Finn took them to a beautiful river deep in the forest.
"We are here."
"Are we not supposed to be going to the capital?" Finn chuckled lightly as he walked into the river, followed by Elaine, as they disappeared into the depths of the river.
"So we were brought here to do what? Drown ourselves in this river?" Jake asked, feeling agitated. "What are you guys doing?" To his surprise, Timothy and Ver also went into the river, leaving him standing on the bank all by himself. He cursed and followed behind.
"What is this place?" Jake asked as he stepped onto the stairs that led down. He could see Finn and Elaine standing near a huge boulder with runes all over its surface.
"Hey guys, wait for me!" Jake quickly caught up with Timothy and Ver. They, too, looked amazed at the sight. They had clearly entered the river, but it seemed like the water on top was just an illusion. They weren't even wet, but when they looked above, they could clearly see aquatic plants and animals, which confused them.
"What is this place?"
"This is the gateway to the capital," Finn answered Timothy as he placed his hand on the boulder, activating the runes. The runes lit up, and a portal appeared on the rock. Finn and Elaine looked at their expressions, but both of them were surprised to see the teenagers looking abnormally calm.
"I thought you'd be amazed or shocked. I mean, any reaction I was expecting, but not that one," Finn spoke.
"We are literally under a river, but yet we are not soaked, and we can still communicate normally. I don't believe there's anything more shocking than that. But I do believe it's about time you start telling us the truth, and I mean the whole truth," Timothy spoke in a somber tone , his somber expression a reflection of his current emotions and determination to unearth the truth.
"Very well, I will explain everything to you tomorrow. For now, let's go in," Finn spoke before disappearing into the portal followed by Elaine. The teenagers quickly followed behind expecting the portal to be filled with dangers, but in reality, it was just like entering through a door with the only side effect being a slight dizziness.
"Welcome to the capital." Finn announced , right after they exited the portal gateway. Looking dumbfounded by the scene in front of them they all gasped . They were currently atop a mountain , and looking down below they spotted a majestic palace, standing tall and mighty. Built on high ground the palace overlooked the whole capital. In the center of the capital was the temple, the temple's architectural design was a Doric peripteral temple, which means that it consists of a rectangular floor plan with a series of low steps on every side and a colonnade (8 x 17) of Doric columns extending around the periphery of the entire structure. Each entrance consisted of an additional six columns in front of it. The rest of the buildings had a classical design and huge courtyards, but that was not what captured their attention the most.
"Am I the only one seeing this?" Jake asked with wide eyes staring at the sky.
"Nope," Timothy and Ver responded in sync , their expressionsno different from Jake's own.
In the sky above, many people were riding on flying creatures, mainly Griffins and a creature that looked like a hybrid between a beast and fowl. The flying steeds were huge , almost the size of a small house
"Uh, you think those flying steeds are impressive? Wait till you see mine," Finn spoke with a smile of anticipation plastered on his visage.
Four men in knight armor approached them from the sky , riding on Griffins. They didn't land but instead they circled them
"You there, state your business." The leader of the knights spoke , his domineering voice reverberating throughout the mountain.
"I have been gone for not more than a month, and you all have forgotten me? Well that is a shame." Finn let out a helpless sigh
"My Lord, forgive us. It's been a long time since someone used the ancient gateway to enter. We expected you to use the teleportation device in Sondor." The leader immediately ordered his men to land after recognizing finn.
"Whatttttttttttt!!!!!" The teenagers glared at Finn furiously , their eyes darting from Finn to Elaine .
"You should not have said that," Finn spoke , scratching the back of his head with an awkward laugh, shocking the knights with his reaction. Elaine quickly looked away with a "don't look at me" expression, making the three even more angry.
"Look on the bright side, we got to bond," Finn laughed awkwardly.
Jake glared at him with burning fury in his eyes , silently cursing hisfamily up to the seventh generation.
"My Lord, let us escort you and your guests." The leader of the guards spoke and gestured for them to get on the steeds.
"We will wal- okay fine, fine, suit yourselves," Finn changed his sentence midway sensing the burning gazes directed at him.
They rode on the steeds as each stead could carry up to three people. They took off flying towards the majestic castle , what awaited them was a whole knew world.
The knights gracefully deposited them at the castle gates, an imposing yet elegant structure that stood tall and mighty, radiating an air of majesty.
"Let's get inside."
Proceeding through the gates without hindrance, they observed the guards bowing in deference, sparking curiosity among the youths. Their questioning glances toward Finn, who appeared remarkably relaxed, prompted him to address their unspoken inquiries.
"Are you all just going to keep staring at me, or are you going to ask me what's on your mind?" Finn spoke calmly, his tone now carrying a touch of superiority.
Who exactly are you?" Timothy asked, as he had his own guesses but couldn't be sure until Finn answered him.
"Oh, that... you will find out pretty soon."
They walked into the palace with Timothy and the rest busy looking at everything within. Inside, there was a huge golden statue of a man holding a massive battle axe and a shield.
"To you, we are devoted."
Finn, Elaine, and Ver bowed to the statue, then turned to look at Timothy and Jake, who stood there watching them pay their respects to the deity Zebha.
"You are not believers?" Finn asked.
"No, I'm not," Timothy answered. "I believe... but not in him," Jake added, startling Finn and the rest.
As they stood in the majestic hall, footsteps resounded, and the doors opened. Four men and two women dressed in royal clothing approached them. The men wore crowns, and the women wore tiaras. All of them had a slight resemblance to Finn. The men's clothing consisted of a coat, waistcoat, and breeches, also including a pair of silk stockings, a jabot, a linen shirt with decorative cuffs, and a cravat (a neckcloth), with the only difference being the color of their coats. The women wore beautiful gowns and many accessories; their earrings were made of a rare material.
"Greetings, elder brother." They all bowed in sync as if every action of theirs was rehearsed.
Finn only gave a slight nod before looking at the teenagers behind him.
"These are my siblings, but it seems like one of them is not around."
"Elder brother, who are these fine young ones you've brought with you?" a man in a red coat asked.
"None of your business, Derrick. I do not answer to you," Finn replied.
"Forgive him, elder brother; it's just that we are all so curious," a man in a blue coat spoke.
"Derrick, Bernard, that's enough!" A middle-aged woman in a blue gown said as she descended the stairs. Finn seemed to resemble her a lot.
She looked at Finn with a smile before approaching him with a hug.
"Mother, how are you?" Finn spoke as he hugged his mother.
"I am fine, son," she said as she let him go before turning to look at Timothy and his two friends.
"Greetings, young ones. I am Queen Cassandra Zaloz."
"Greetings, noble Queen," they all said with a bow.
"I am Ver of House Potter," she said.
"I'm Jake, no family name," Jake bowed.
"Timothy, no family name," he bowed.
The queen looked at Timothy and Jake before speaking.
"You two resemble some of my old friends. Come, your father is waiting for you."
They all followed the queen up the stairs, while Timothy looked at Finn's back, seemingly proud that his guess about Finn's identity was spot on. They entered the throne room; it had three pillars and a curtain behind the throne that was on a huge platform with six steps and a red carpet. The throne had a round top, and on both sides of the seat were armrests, with a black dragon standing behind it, looking alive. On the throne sat a middle-aged man with short blonde hair and a scar on his left eye. He was wearing blue robes with a calm look on his face as he looked at them. This man was the king of Zebha and also the father of Finn.
"Greetings, father." Finn bowed his head, the grandeur of the throne room casting long shadows across the marble floor.
"Greetings, Lord Zaloz." The teens synchronized their bow, the hushed rustle of their clothing echoing in the regal chamber.
"You've returned once again, son. How long this time?" His father's smile illuminated the room, his deep voice resonating as though the very walls held tales of his rule.
"I do not know, father. Perhaps a mere span of days or weeks," Finn responded with a light chuckle, the weight of responsibility momentarily lifted.
"You must cease evading your duties; you're the crown prince, my successor." The king's words carried a weighty seriousness.
Finn nodded, then launched into the account of his perilous journey. Shock flickered across Timothy's face, realizing the near-fatal encounter at their desert camp was concealed from him. Finn concluded the narrative, meeting his father's initially stormy gaze, now calmed.
"It seems like the prophesied war has already started. Alert the dragons; we will need their strength. You are dismissed." The command echoed, punctuating the urgency of the impending conflict.
They all bowed and left. Finn led them to the guest wing and assigned them different rooms next to each other. The guest rooms bore the same design, a huge bed with the finest quality of sheets and not much furniture. Finn addressed them quickly ,
"Clean up and rest; I'll have your food brought to you. Oh, and don't wander around the castle... if you have anything to say, save it for tomorrow." With that, he turned around and left.
They all proceeded to their assigned rooms. Later at night Timothy laid in bed thinking about a single thing ,he didn't care too much about Finn's problems nor were they of any interest to him. The only thing that was occupying his mind was that strange dream.
"It doesn't help thinking about it; it won't help with anything."
He though to himself before getting up from his bed and immersed himself with training his body.
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