The Signet Ring

Cassandra

" Majesty... Amita, why did you say the ring had chosen me? " Neji asks Cassandra. He knows he could not question the Queen but deep inside he's scared to inherit the throne.

" I don't have the right, how about your twins?",  he pleads. Cassandra turns to him smiling. She stares at her nephew's face. This frail-looking man still looks young and inexperienced for the responsibility that he's about to embrace.

" How could you say it has chosen me? The ring has supposed to speak itself of it, not just some kind of dreams or..."    Cassandra grasps her nephew's hand.

" The ring will speak of you when it's time"   she interrupted him.

" For now, the land needs something to look forward to, something that they can hold on to, please accept it when the time comes"   She looks at her nephew's face. She has seen this coming and has is still to come. She looks at Neji's face in perplexing expressions of joy and sadness.

Neji could not argue anymore. He loves the land. But there's this question in him why his aunt looks at him with sadness in her eyes and a smile on her lips? It's taking away his confidence to assume the throne.

" Your Highness, they're here",   the chamberlain bows at her as she announces the arrival of the Kings of the Three Kingdom.

Cassandra glances one more at her nephew, slightly shakes her head signaling him to follow to proceed to the meeting room.

" I'll be there, " Neji assures her. Cassandra then immediately walks out.

The meeting room in the Royal Capitol is extremely wide and extravagant compared to that of the Three Kingdoms in Velaris. It must be because in this Kingdom of Royal resides the Queen and ringmaster.

" Your Highness!"   The three Kings bow at her as she enters the room. Cassandra gracefully walks in and sits down at the chair reserves for her at the head table.

" Shall we start?",   she flashes a gentle smile at them.

" So when will Neji officially assumes the ring?"    Zair, the King of the Elves Kingdom asks without hesitation. Cassandra looks at her. His shoulder-length black hair that is neatly tied, he's probably an elf in his 40's and his green eyes sure reflect his fierceness and cunning. He's really an elf his green eyes and his temper tells it.

" When I come out dead from the land of the giants you find someone to assume the throne even just for a while, in case Neji refuses to take the ring" she answered without blinking, her eyes looking straight and her face is firm.

" What did you just say?   Lumus' eyes widened

" You're going to the land of the giants without even consulting us?" Lumus, the King of the Light Water Tribe could not believe what he's hearing. So as the other Kings, he could see in their faces how they were stunned.

" But ... you're majesty, that land is forbidden, no living being can come out alive from it", Firmis, the King of the warrior tribe tries to change her mind.

" I know", Cassandra butts in. She'll not change her decision. She's going there.

" I have to go there for the continuity of Velaris" She continues without glancing.

" Asmodai will withdraw the poison curse he had put in our waters once I go there for a battle with him" she had now revealed the real problem

" What? Our waters are poisoned?" Lumus is even more shocked.

" Perhaps our tribe could do something about it", he's groping for a solution.

" None, because the poison had already entered in your body without you knowing it, and Asmodai will just utter the curse himself to awaken it."

"It's end game for us", Cassandra explains to them.

Zair, hearing those, anxiously rose from his seat, walks back and forth, and hit the table so hard that they flinch.

" Please takes care of Velaris. Never let it be divided", Cassandra pleads softly at them.

" Majesty, how about your twins?" Firmis changes the topic.

" I arranged everything for them", she replied.

There's no one to takes care of the twin. His husband had gone missing for 10 years long before the twins were born. She felt that Kapono could be trusted more about the twins.

Neji could hear everything from behind as he leans on the wall of the side of the entrance of the room. He's about to enter a while ago, but when he heard about where his Amita is going, he decided not to go inside. He may not contain his emotions. The twins. I must look after them. He thinks.

But still, he could not erase in his mind the looks in Cassandra's eyes as she stares at him. Sadness. Isn't she happy that the ring chooses me?

The Kings had left already. Cassandra is left alone in the room quietly sitting, rubbing hands together as she's thinking deep. Neji has not seen the Queen in such gestures especially in front of the crowd. Only now, when she's alone. She must be really upset. He thinks.

Cassandra feels like someone is watching her back. She turns her head and glances at the door on the side.

" Neji?", she calls out as she looks at that silhouette popping out from the side.

Neji gently comes out from hiding his hands are kept. He's a picture of a frail young man.

" I told you to attend the meeting", Cassandra glances at him as he walks slowly to sit on the chair in front of her.

" Amita, what will happen to Velaris in case I refuse the ring?", Neji asks her.

Cassandra stares at him for a second. That serious stares again. Neji thinks to himself.

" Are you doubting that the ring had chosen you?" she asks.

" Yes, because it should have shown signs or displays its powers at the ceremony if it had really chosen me" now Neji's voice is clearly showing his doubts and hesitations.

" The Kings had not said anything against your succession", she answered.

" Yes, but I ... ", Neji wants to raise his point but her Amita cut him off.

" Enough!, it has been already decided! Please remember that revelation comes first before the ring's time of choosing. " she huffed.

Neji was left stunned. Deep inside his intuition is telling him something is not right yet he couldn't just voice it out.

He remembers how her Amita always told him that Tribes has nothing to do with the ring's choice. That the ring's decision cannot be influenced by Tribes or powers, someone needs just to be worthy of the ring.

"Worthy? That word is even harder to tame than ring" he whispers.

The next night there is a commotion in the Royal Tribe for the phoenix is seen in the sky. They all know that the magical bird is only summoned when there is a great battle, but now in the midst of a silent stary night, its fiery wings afloat in the sky. It's kind of alarming to the people.

Without them knowing Cassandra had just left for the land of the giants.

" You came here to be slaughtered to death!" Asmodai's voice howled over the place, causing Cassandra's heart to beats faster. No, she's prepared for this. She's not scared to die. She thinks.

Looking at him sharply, Cassandra's black warrior suit changes its color, and the sword in her hands returns to its original form a thick silver metal embedded with gems on the center, breathing out fires when she smashes it.

" I came here not to give my life, but to give you a hard time taking it" she answered with a slight laugh, then she attacks him with her sword, continuously smashing him in an instant speed. Asmodai manages to escape, his smiles show he's unbothered by her attack.

And the whole place is filled with howls, shouts, and groans.

Asmodai pushes her so hard that her feet scratch on the floor yet she's able to keep her balance raising her sword still in defense of an attack. Yet she sees Asmodai stretches out his arms and on his palms pops out a black long thin spear.

This is it, his real strength. She thinks. Asmodai struck the floor with his spear and it rips off devastatingly up to where Cassandra is standing causing her to be thrown upward. Her back landed on the far side of the place, she's off guard, wiping some blood on her head, she tries to stands again and pointed her sword. Help me. She whispers to her ring.

Asmodai cackles seeing her state.

" Is that what you've got? Ringmaster?", he mocks her.

Without a hint, Asmodai throws his spear at her. The spear rushes towards her rapidly. She did not see this coming! It's moving powerfully. It's too late to avoid it. In a second she felt its edge piercing her heart slowly taking away her strength.

Asmodai's laugh echoed loud. He feels delighted seeing her losing her strength. He walks slowly towards her pulls the spear on her, and kick her, and step on her. As his feet press hard on her neck Cassandra struggles more with her breathing. She looks towards the sword on her side.

Come to me. She commands at it on her mind. And the sword disappears.

" You cannot take back the deal you swore on the ring," She said to Asmodai.

" I know dear, no worries now I'm renouncing the curse to have no power on your waters" he answered.

Asmodai squats and whispered at her.

" Besides seeing you dying, is more enjoyable than seeing your land perishing" and he cracks a mocking laugh and stabs her once more.

Blood spits out of her mouth. Her vision is getting blurry. She can hardly breathe. Her body is getting weaker. It feels like her eyes are dragging her into a deep sleep. She could not almost feel how many times she was stabbed again.

And she sees this thick darkness that seems like a blanket coming to cover her.

" Phoenix now is the time", she said in a whisper. She's not even sure if she's made a voice. Then she closes her eyes and her breath gives up. Darkness. Emptiness. Silence. That's all there is.

She did not even witness what the Phoenix did to her spirit.

Three Days Ago

" Surely I will die if I battle with Asmodai in the land of the giants. He controls that place"   Cassandra spoke to the Phoenix.

" You have to help me",  the Phoenix shrieks in response.

" We have to become one, our spirit has to become one, that's the only way I can come back to life," she told the bird.

Again it just made a sound. But she understands its language.

" No worries, you will exist to live again at the time of my rebirth",  she smiles at it.