Chapter 8

As the blood kept spilling out of his body I put my hand to his stomach hoping I could stop the blood from escaping anymore. I begged for the gods to save him but I know they will never hear our cries and more importantly, they would only ignore us treating us like commoners.

"Marissa, get up we have to go!" Seth tried to pull me up but I pulled myself away from him as the tears of regret buried me.

"Don't even try! I have to stay with him no matter what!" Yet the blood just couldn't stop and General Helio was slowly dying as the seconds passed of his life drained away.

But Seth ignored my cries and picked me up on his shoulder running away from the body.

I shouted and kicked for him to put me down.

I told Helio to follow me out of the shelter but why did I say something like that.

I guess I didn't know what to do and the only thing I knew was getting to a safe place away from this mess.

"LET GO SETH WE CAN'T LEAVE HIM BACK THERE!".

"And what if we do go back! We will end up like him rotting on the ground!".

The words stabbed me in the stomach, piercing through me as I shut my mouth tight, biting my lip as the blood from my lip left a stain on Seth's shirt.

My dead and swollen eyes stared at the helpless people who were scared for their family and their lives.

Why was this even happening?

Maybe it was all a dream and today is yesterday or maybe Warren is beside me stroking my hair gently as I'm deep asleep. The screams drowned me suffocating me in an empty void.

I begged for their screams to end and that everything would return back to normal.

My eyes widened as I screamed in fear seeing a little girl crushed by a pile of bricks as her eyes had no sparkle in them and no heartbeat to even be seen.

This must end.

"Hang on Marissa I will find a way to get out of here don't worry!" He runs faster still holding onto me tightly as his clothes are covered in more ash.

But we can't make it out alive.

Not if there are terrorists everywhere aiming their guns ready at the scene.

"Put me down…" I said in a deep voice.

He accepts my command and puts me down staring down at my restless face.

I put my hand into my belt pulling out a gun.

Seth stared at me in shock holding the grip of my arm.

"What the hell do you think your doing!?". "Saving your ass that's what" I growled in an angry tone clenching my fingers tightly.

I looked at the gun and its phoenix print covering the whole of it and gold patterns surrounding the tip of it.

Before Helio found me at one of the stalls I bought a gun that the old lady bribed me for. At first I didn't want to buy it from her yet something in her eyes told me to accept it no matter what.

Either way I had to take it from her and I'm grateful that I did because now I have something to protect myself with.

Seth heard laughter from behind us and something inside of him made him frightened after hearing it.

He then held my hand and continued running as the smoke filled our lungs with despair.

As every assassin jumped at the scene Seth was leading the way as I was the ears and eyes shooting any red-cloaked person who dared to hurt my people.

The shops I used to visit were all gone and the people I knew were all probably dead. Helio was the only person who knew what to do in a situation like this yet the royal guards rushed to the scene fending off the assassins.

But without general Helio how will they fight without a leader?

It's like a kingdom without a king wondering how they will survive with the danger lurking outside the borders.

The bombs were falling slowly out of the sky making it easier for us to dodge them but for the citizens that never fought for their lives, it would feel like each bomb came quicker and quicker.

But the death of Helio was still on my mind and what I felt behind just for him. Before Seth could take my weak body away I took my necklace off laying it down on Helios hand giving a light kiss on his forehead for the respect and loyalty for the royals.

Remembering it now is like a lost memory yet I still think of his smell and touch as he guided me to a world of happiness.

I was locked inside my dream forgetting where I was now.

As we were about to enter the alleyway a gunshot was fired, shooting Seth in the leg.

He howled in agony falling to the ground. I couldn't let the same mistake happen, not again.

I took his arm and carried him to the alleyway making sure no one was following us.

Seeing the blood made me want to puke but I can't do that if someone's life was at stake.

I tore a piece of my dress using it to patch up his leg stopping the blood as I should have done but mistakes happen especially stupid ones. I put the gun down on the floor, tightening the knot.

He gritted his teeth in discomfort knowing that the bullet was deep and there was no way of healing it.

"Don't worry you won't die. I made sure you wouldn't lose a lot of blood" I continued fixing the knot keeping my eyes away from him. He knew that I didn't want to talk to him but we were in a death situation and he couldn't let something like this slide.

"As a princess shouldn't you know any affairs going on at the palace?".

I then sat next to him curling up into a ball digging my face into my legs as the screams were never-ending.

"Why would I know. No one takes me seriously. I'm only a child who thinks of the world as a peaceful place" I grumbled silently.

"Well, I guess we are the same then" He chuckles holding his leg firm trying not to show the pain on his face to me.

I finally looked at him realising the face he was plastering.

All this time I was thinking about myself that he was terrified and frightened trying not to get out of control.

I held his hand lightly as we both sat there puzzled on what to do next. "My mother only thinks of me as a puppet. Every time I tried to reason with her about helping the human nation she always laughs and talks about how they will soon die rotting like their ancestors did. But people like you are fascinating. Even though you all are weak you strive to become powerful and come up with so many machines that outdid us".

Hearing those words made me feel better and put a small smile on my face.

I wondered if there were any people who were like us wanting peace and justice. "You're not completely wrong. But why would you think highly of us? Don't you understand what we did? We are a selfish nation and nothing can change that" I felt hurt inside while telling the truth.

As a nation we can't even protect our people. So how can we even think about making it a greater place?

I didn't want to talk about the subject anymore so we were both tongue-tied sitting still as the noise was getting louder coming closer to us.

I peeked from the corner to see dead bodies swarming the place as the red cloaked figures were right near our noses. We couldn't hide forever and because of Seth's injured leg it will take us longer to escape.

But is there even an escape?

The whole village and castle is swarming with them, so how can we find the safe place we are looking for?

"Leave me i'll just slow you down" His hair covered his eyes as he stared down at the floor still holding his leg as the blood slowly stopped soaking his clothes.

"If I leave you here to die the nation of gods will come and kill us all. So if you think i'm going to make a stupid move like that then think again" I slammed my fist on the wall giving a deathly stare at him.

He was shaken to the core but he knew it was a stupid idea yet either way if we both die nothing good will come out of it.

All of a sudden a crackling noise came from behind us. I picked the gun from the floor, aiming at the black figure hiding in the shadows.

I pulled the trigger, missing my aim.

The figure stood there shocked and afraid.

"Your majesty I insist that you don't kill me in a time like this" The servant boy from the palace revealed himself and still startled from the gunshot that could have ended his life.

I looked at him with an apologising face wondering if he is now scared of me for what I did.

Even so he still wears that twinkling smile as if nothing had happened.

"Calem what are you doing here?" I say in a soft voice.

"Looking for you of course. Your father is worried and sick about you. Even your sister collapsed on the floor after hearing that you weren't with the king" He held a hand to his heart realising the pain he was in.

I remembered Calem's deepest secret and even though my sister was already in love with someone else I felt bad for him.

A servant boy falling in love with a princess who can't reach his feelings to her was something I never wanted to think about.

"Calem please tell me where everyone is" I lay a hand on his shoulder gripping it tightly.

"It must be a secret base" Seth finally started talking, holding himself against the wall for support.

"But how? We are a kingdom with no borders why would we need a secret base when we are protected from the outside world?".

"It's easy isn't it? But you aren't thinking properly. You're father hasn't told you about anything of the affairs at the castle so why would you suspect that he hasn't kept a secret base all this time" Seth answered that question for me as I stood there feeling embarrassed.

Why was I the only person being treated as a child?

I ignored what he said and looked back at Calem trying to hold him for support. I felt heavy on the inside like I was drowning in an ocean.

"Hey kid you better shut your damn mouth when talking bad about the princess because she doesn't deserve any of it. If you understood the position she was in you would feel ashamed of yourself" Calem already hated Seth's guts but was defending me gonna do anything at all?

I stood up straight back to my original self as I took deep breaths processing everything.

I couldn't believe that someone was trying to destroy us. We are the lowest ranking nation and trying to make up an act wasn't going to alarm the other nations.

I thought about it carefully putting the puzzles together as each new meaning had something behind it. That's when something clicked inside me, raising the fear inside of me.

Calem was worried about me but I myself felt disgusted and troubled by what I found out. "The Rose…" I whispered, only letting out a sigh. "Your majesty, what is it?" Calem asked. "They found out. The secret has already been found and now that they know about it they are trying to murder us all until they achieve their goal" I put my hands on my mouth trying not to throw up this time.

The food I ate at the festival was already rising inside of me.

It was my fault after all. If I wasn't so careless they wouldn't have killed innocent lives.

If it wasn't for me gentle lives wouldn't have been lost, if it wasn't for me no one would live in danger, if it wasn't for me everyone could be happy and if it wasn't for me I wouldn't be such a disappointment.

I fell on the floor to my knees crying loudly as I put my hands to my face covering my regretful face.

"Your majesty are you alright!? Did something happen!" Calem bent in front of me holding me in his arms as I screamed in pain. Seth walked to me holding me in a hug from behind.

"We make mistakes sometimes. Even ones that cause the deaths of others and no matter how painful it may be you need to move on. You can't keep holding onto them your majesty" Seth said calmly in my ear as Calem gave me a handkerchief to wipe my beady eyes with.

I always thought that killing others was a bad thing. But now I feel empty inside like it was all just a dream.

"Your majesty it's time to get going. The secret base isn't far from here luckily" He helped me get back up as I stared at Seth not breaking eye contact.

"Don't worry about me I'll be alright" He said as I let him grab onto my arm for support while walking to the secret base.

We had to stay quiet most of the time. The red cloak figures were standing in some kind of position like someone must have ordered them to.

I wanted to help the other villagers but Calem told me it was no use and saving myself would help the people and the throne.

The throne was something I never cared about but the people of my nation were like a big family to me.

But now that I have lost thousands of them it feels like an empty void inside of me that doesn't have the happiness I once had.

My legs were tired from walking a long way. I never knew how far away the base was from here, away from the village.

As I was about to give up Calem pointed at something on the ground yet me and Seth didn't understand why he was doing that.

We were already in an abandoned forest which was burnt years ago by the fire and the only thing left was ashes and dead trees.

"Why are we here? There is no shelter" Seth said calmly.

"That is what the others would think" Calem winked at us as he brushed the ash away from the spot he pointed at.

As he brushed the ashes away it revealed a secret door that no one had seen before.

"Why would a door be in the middle of no were?" I bent down to touch it as the symbol of the family crest was analyzed there. "There are a couple of them around the village and others in the capital. Your father thought if anything bad happened we could use this to escape".

"What the hell do you mean by escape!?! What kind of sick joke is this…" I stood back up horrified at what I had witnessed.

It may not seem like a big thing but to me it surely was.

As Calem had to find the right key to unlock the door with I stood there speechless crossing my arms in fury.

Seth looked at me as he put his arms around my shoulder trying not to collapse onto the ground.

"He lied to you didn't he? Everyone lied to you" He whispered in my ear feeling his breath brush against my shoulder.

"Of course they did. They mocked me while I did nothing".

"What so you're gonna just stand there and do nothing? Your father was right about you. Either way, you sit and wait until destruction happens and why is that?" Seth demanded as my face turned pale in fright, having the scenes play over and over in my head.

But he was right. All I did was stand there and play a child's game while everyone was ahead of me. My father knew the world of death and destruction using us like toys and my sister kept plastering a regretful emotion on her face as if she was keeping something from me.

Is this how the world really is or was it there from the beginning.

"I will never stand still and wait for something bad to happen. It is my duty to serve and protect the nation".

"Then be that person and stop hiding! You are Marissa Hollow daughter of king Hollow and next in line of the human throne destined to take back her rights as a human and to free everyone in the higher rankers grasp" I didn't look at Seth's gaze only thinking of the words he whispered in my ear gently.

He was right about one thing. I am Marrisa and there is no one in this world who can be her. I have control over my life so why do I force others to choose for me. After my mothers kidnap I should have understood the world but I never grew up at this stage.

Father was one of the deadliest men in the galaxy, mother was a magnificent and gorgeous woman, sister was a sly and smart woman and I was Marrisa a stupid, disgusting and dirty girl yet I was always ahead of everyone that is why I always win.

Calem finally opened the door after many minutes that had been wasted.

"Sorry if I took too long this goddamn door wouldn't open" He laughed in a weary voice embarrassed.

Seth pushed against Calem's shoulder going inside the door.

Calem scoffed at him while I was slowly making my way down to the shelter. It was cramped and dark filled with mud and vines.

"It will get dark for now but the main shelter is better than here" Calem was behind us as he locked the door as it was before.

I ignored the noise of the keys and continued walking down the muddy tunnel. Everything was connected together like a maze; there were gaps and extra tunnels probably connecting all the way to the capital and there were torches lit on fire from the people who came before us.

Seth was limping on one leg as the tunnel was getting wider and wider as we nearly entered the shelter.

"You guys better hold your breath. Once you enter the shelter it will feel like hell in there so you better ignore them" Calem said in a guilty voice.

"Seen them before, nothing new to me. They are just lost and scared people aint there fault this shit is killing us all to bits" Seth was in front of us as if he knew the way but I could tell he was lost himself.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"You will see" Seth and Calem said, synchronizing.

As the tunnel finally stopped we entered the shelter as the light was shining above us.

I thought the shelter was a place where everyone can think of life and hope. But to my surprise it was like hell. The screams of babies who were injured and children who were getting their leg amputated. Siblings who lost their family and dead bodies being covered by blankets.

Hospital beds were everywhere, doctors and nurses who were running around at a crazy speed trying to aid our people.

"This is what we were talking about" Seth squinted his eyes in pain trying not to stare at them.