10 battle is over...

There was finally a winner...

The king and queen sat quietly in their seat believing strongly their son was safe.

Sir Adin reached the scene the same time as Lord Zadok.

Fear registered in both their hearts. They feared to have hope that Zaccai was going to be okay. Winning wasn't exactly their concern.

"Zaccai!" Sir Adin checked his body for where the cut was and found none.

"My lord there's no injury on him."

"What?" He pushed sir adin aside.

Zaccai. Wake up. He had fainted. But opened his eyes for a second. "Crown." He said before shutting his eyes again to the world around him.

"Prince Zaccai won." Sir adin announced. "The battle is over!"

The silence was first replaced with shock as the crowd who thought the win already belonged to the Ai's realized how wrong they all had been... Loud cheers followed and applause erupted like thunder. The two men rose up from the scene as guards finally rushed to the side of Prince Bani.

Zadok carried his son and walked towards the king and queen as reality was starting to set in...

"You have until sunrise to vacate the seat of power, A min more and I will rip your heads off myself!"

He walked away from the ring, to his wife as the family headed out of the arena towards their home.

Bani laid in a pool of his own blood. His left arm almost severed from his shoulder, he passed out from the pain. The ability to heal himself lacking at best.

What happened in there? Was the question on the minds of many as they found themselves witnesses to the start of a new rule in the land of Tahu.

_

They placed Zaccai in his bed as his wounds slowly healed itself.

"Get me the medicine man, now!" she ordered one of the servants.

"Calm down woman, he can heal himself." Zadok argued.

Lieve ignored her husband. "Zaccai, you did amazing son. It's time to wake up," she whispered to him cleaning his face with a wet towel one of the servants had provided.

"He will be well, my Queen. He just needs to rest." Sir Adin remarked.

"Ok. We will be here until he comes to."

Lady Lieve still couldn't believe her son won the fight but she was grateful. Very grateful.

ASHFORD

Crown laid in the witches bed passed out cold. She had been carried back to her parents home after the incident of the night before but woke up screaming twice before fainting again.

Now on the second night, she wasn't any better.

There had been rumors of a witch who lived at the edge of the forest, some say she lived at the edge of Ashford. Some called her a spirit and the reason why the beasts of Tahu hasn't invaded their city yet.

Wherever she lived, whatever she was, Kish and his wife sought her out in secret for fear of what more could be said about them and they found her.

Tiny bloodstains on her dress and the fear in Crown's eyes told the story of what she might have seen for she said not one word to anyone at all. The inhabitants of Ashford whispered and complained with some fearing Crown may have opened a gateway for the beasts of Tahu to pounce on their peaceful life, but her parents couldn't worry about that yet.

"We believe she must have seen a beast of some kind... from Tahu," her parents told the woman.

"Her nightmares, please make them stop." They pleaded.

"She fears for someone, worries for someone," the old woman spoke slowly.

"Who?" her mother asked.

"A beast as you call them," the old woman replied not breaking her gaze from Crowns cold face.

"Why would she worry for...for a beast? Why?" her father's voice laced heavily with worry and confusion.

"We can hide the memory which is the source of the nightmare." the old woman spoke after a moment's silence, ignoring the last statement Kish had spoken.

"But this I think you should know. She is already on the right path to her destiny."

"Her destiny?"

"Yes. A glorious ending indeed but... a truly challenging and difficult journey...hmmm," she took a deep breath. "She may suffer worse fate if we steer her away from it."

Her parents looked on helpless.

The witch placed crowns tiny hands on a mirror three times before looking into it.

She looked at it for a little while before sighing.

"She came home with a globe... Find it, keep it. It's important. She cannot loose it, ever!"

They nodded.

"Are you certain you want to do this then?"

"Yes. We want the pain to stop. Please."

"Okay then."

The old lady started a low humming that flowed into an incantation. She touched a slender and bony finger to Crown's forehead three times.

A little while later, Crown woke up. A blank stare in her eyes.

"Mama. Father. Where are we?"

"It's okay my love. You are okay now," Her father carried her in his arms and she placed her head on his shoulder, weak and tired. Her eyes swollen from all the tears she had shed.

"This you should know. She will fall, thrice in this lifetime, and on all times it will be for the very same reason. One is already done, two more to go. You must not deny her when the time comes, or push her in the opposite direction. For the sake of all," her voice trailed off.

"What reason. Fall for what? And what do you--"

"That will be all." she cut them off.

"Leave the offerings at the door."

Kish Lod and his wife walked out of the cold home dropping the items they brought at the door. They turned back after taking a few steps and saw nothing. The home they had just come out from was gone and so was the woman.

TAHU

It wasn't until midnight that Zaccai woke up. He had a bad dream. In it was Crown, but when he had run up to her she had turned her back to him. Her eyes bloodshot red, she had been crying, she mourned what they had and now lost. And he did too.

"Zaccai! oh thank Heavens." his mother held his face in her hands.

His father sat at the foot of his bed with worry plastered over his face.

"Did we win?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes my son. You did it. You actually did it." Lieve praised him.

He hugged his mother crying. "My friend mother, I want to see her. She told me how to win the fight. I want to see her. I want to go see her."

Lieve released him immediately with surprise in her eyes. "You cannot be thinking of a human right now Zaccai! What is wrong with you!"

His father looked helpless as his son grew more restless...

Sir Adin felt guilt afresh.

"Listen to me Zaccai. We are now the Royals ruling this kingdom. You will not be found wandering around with humans ever! You cannot be friends with them, you must forget this girl or so help me I will deal with you myself. Do you want her to die?" she asked.

"No! I can't let anyone hurt her." he replied truthfully.

"Then stay away from her. Got it!"

"Yes mama. She doesn't like it when I cry."

His mother smiled weakly. "Then don't cry, that is what she would want right?"

"Yes."

"Dry your eyes.Get someone to get him ready for bed." she ordered.

"When the sun rises, it will be the start of a new dawn for us all. We will all act accordingly, are we clear?" she asked the three men that were present.

"Yes your highness." "Yes my Queen." Sir Adin and Lord Zadok replied in unison.

"Do we send our thanks to this human, whoever she is. If our son is right, then we owe her." Lord Zadok asked his wife later that night when they walked the halls to their bed chambers.

"We owe her nothing. She's the reason our son is in this mess in the first place."

"Don't do that. Our son left home, he didn't go searching for her. Neither did she. You heard the full story, their first encounter was when she only a baby." 

'I don't care!" she shouted halting in her tracks.

"Fine, we owe them nothing. We do nothing but simply live our lives as we always have. Yes my queen?" Zadok sheepishly smiled at his wife.

"Thank you." She said stubbornly as she finally left to her own room to retire for the night.