The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Ninety Two

This was the second time that the Crown Prince was shot by an arrow so it was only natural for me to panic and become hysterical. Everyone knows that a crossbow is stronger than a regular bow and arrow, which made me furious because if it hit the Crown Prince on his heart he would have died. Luckily for him, it hit the center of his chest, although that was not good either.

The floor was now starting to slowly get covered with dark, red liquid coming from the Crown Prince who instantly passed out from the arrow shot. My eyes were literally wet with angry tears while I watched him lie there beside me--- chained and unconscious and bleeding. He will die soon if he is not given first aid. He needed medical attention, but Jack was just there standing in front of us with his crossbow in his arms. He seemed to be satisfied with what he did because he was smiling and that was the last straw for me.

"How dare you! Are you really going to kill the Crown Prince?" I was infuriated that a commoner just like Jack Bloofire would dare hurt a member of the Royal Family. I have never been this angry before. I think I can kill anyone right now, as fury coursed through my body like it was my blood.

"I have no other options left, Rainha. The Crown Prince has to go. Do not worry. After I get the information from you, you will follow your Crown Prince. The news will break out tomorrow, and it will go this way: 'the Crown Prince and one of his court servants found dead in the middle of an abandoned park. It is speculated that they were secret lovers and had snuck into the abandoned place to have a secret date.' Isn't that fascinating to hear? People will talk about that breaking news for years..."

"And you think people will believe that kind of news?" I hissed back at him. "Not everyone is as stupid as you might think they are. People are bound to question that. Investigation after investigation will commence if that will ever happen."

Jack laughed at what I said. He seemed to be enjoying the scenarios he created inside his twisted mind that he was planning to turn into reality. "And you think because people will try to investigate this matter, I will be linked to your deaths? Steffan and the other Royal Researchers will deal with those. You don't have to worry about me getting caught, Rainha," he added with a sarcastic smile on his face that I badly wanted to punch.

"KIng Luander will not tolerate this!" I said, trying to scare him away with the fact that the King is still Prince Kao's father. Surely, no matter what is the bad blood going on with the two of them, King Lunader will not wish for his only son to get killed, right? I mean, all parents love their children. Can a father really live with the idea of his son getting killed? Is there such a person? Even if King Luander is evil by nature, does he really want Prince Kao gone? "The King and the Crown Prince may be on bad terms right now, but I am sure that both of them do not want the other to die this way! Tell me, did the King really order you to kill the Crown Prince? I do not think that such an order from him actually exists!"

I wish somebody had asked the King that question because I feel that he is just being blinded by the power that he has right now. But deep down, I am sure that he loves his own child. I am sure of it. I don't think that the KIng wants to wake up in the morning with the news of his only son dying. That is so ridiculous.

"What you have to understand, Rainha, is that even if the King does not really want for his son to die, he can no longer change what will happen if he will only learn about it after it has been done. He might get angry tomorrow once he learns about his son's demise, but he can no longer change his son's fate. All he can do is grieve and then move on."

"So I was right. There is no such order from the King to kill the Crown Prince! He just wanted you to stop Prince Kao from what he is doing! Aren't you scared? The King will punish you once he discovers that you killed him! So if I were you, I will now bring the Crown Prince to the nearest medic before it's too late!"

"Let him be, Rainha. We do not need the Crown Prince anymore... Do not also worry about who will ascend to the throne now that he is dying... I have always loved the idea of being the next King. Once this is all over, I will go and ask the KIng to let me be the next King by assigning me to be his adopted son. How cool is that? From an abandoned child coming from a family of failures and goners, I will become the next King of this country!"

It no longer surprised me that he has this ambition. It now makes sense why he wanted the Crown Prince to die. He wanted to replace him as if he could do that easily. I will never allow anyone else to become the next King. Only Prince Kao will become the next King of this country. I just need to free myself from these chains and bring the Crown Prince to the nearest Health Pub. I have to save him. Ha cannot die in this place!

"Now, Rainha... Please tell me the truth or else you will soon follow the Crown Prince. Now tell me... Where is the gold bracelet? Answer me!"

I told him the truth. "How will I know where it is when you just silenced the only person who knows where it is?" For a moment he looked confused by my answer, but when he understood what I meant he suddenly looked worried. "That's right, you fool! I do not have the bracelet with me! The Crown Prince borrowed it from me because he wanted to study the markings that were engraved on it! And he has yet to return it from me!"

Jack looked as if he just failed the test to become the next King of Aure. "No! You know where it is! Don't lie to me!"

I could not help but chuckle at his stupidity. "I just told you that I do not have it! The Crown Prince was keeping it safe for me because those goons that you sent for us when we were at Kajos tried to take it away from me! And I have agreed with him keeping the golden bracelet for me because it was safer with him!"

He was speechless after I said that and I know that Jack was now panicking. And he should be because if the Crown Prince dies, he will no longer know where the golden bracelet is. And I am sure that he will not risk the possibility of the Crown Prince dying without the latter telling him where he kept the bracelet. I know that the key was important to him, and to the King. I reckon that if Jack wanted to impress the King (to make him his 'adopted son') he has to accomplish this mission as smoothly as possible. But now all of his efforts are threatened to be thrown away into a bin because he was stupid enough to try to kill the Crown Prince before interrogating us first.

"What are you waiting for? If you really want to know where the golden bracelet is, you have to save the Crown Prince's life!" I yelled at him with all my might that I think the veins in my neck were already showing. "He might have hidden the key in a place that only he knows! You will lose the chance of getting it forever---!"

"Silence!" he bellowed which made me stop. His whole face was now red and I know why. He knows that I am right and that he committed a blunder. He then went to the door and shouted to someone outside. "Danley! Come here and take the Crown Prince to Carmel's Health Pub fast!"

When he said that it felt like a thorn inside my chest was slowly removed. Good thing that he listened to me even though he looked hesitant. Maybe he is still thinking that I am trying to trick him by acting that the Crown Prince is the only one who knows where the golden bracelet is because, to be honest, I have an inkling of where the Crown Prince might have kept it safe. Though I am not a hundred percent sure because we never really talked about it.

Thankfully, the man called Danley came and rushed to the Crown prince and took him out of the room with the help of another man which I presume are Jack's men. He also went outside with them, perhaps giving them instructions of what to do. They left me in this room worrying about the Crown Prince. My worst fear is that Prince Kao will not make it. I think I cannot forgive Jack if Prince Kao dies. I will forever curse him. How I wish that someone would come here and help me with these chains, but I knew that we were in a faraway place with no other people near us, so there are no other people here who would p[potentially help me. The only silver lining in this situation is that I was able to save the Crown Prince from an untimely death. I hope that they can save him still.

I was starting to get impatient because Jack seemed to be tasking his time when the door slowly opened and I saw two silhouettes of men come inside. At first, I thought that they just might be Jack's goons, but when they got closer to me I saw that they were Harvey and Calyx!

"Rainha! Thank God, you are alive!" said Calyx who looked so worried.

"We thought that they already killed you," Harvey added. They quickly went over to me and tried to free me from the chains. But as it was locked, they had a hard time trying to unchain me. And while they were trying everything that they can to remove the chains,, I just stared at them with my jaw dropping with disbelief. How can they be here?

"Hurry! We have to free her before they come back here! They will be back here once that guy notices the unconscious men that we knocked down outside!"

"I can't remove the chains! Let us just take her with us with the chains!"

They agreed and then helped me stand up and Calyx carried me on his back. It was only when we were already outside in the cold when I was able to find my voice. "You guys... how---?"

"There is no time for an explanation right now, Rainha!" said Harvey who I noticed was holding a sword. "We have to get you out of here!" The three of us were moving quietly (which I realized was my mistake as I just talked loudly) to the exit of this old theme park. These two guys were trying their best to save me and I could not help but shed tears of relief that someone had come to rescue me. But just as I am relieved that they came to save me was my fear that this might mean that the Crown Prince will be left behind and who knows what they will do to him once they find out that I just managed to escape.

"Where are we going now?" I can't help but ask them while we walked to safety. "We cannot ask the help of the Royal Guards. Some of them are traitors---"

"We know," said Harvey. "I had overheard Steffan talking to someone back there at his house when we were about to leave there. That is how I discovered that they were planning something bad."

"Really? Is that why you are here?"

"Yes," he replied. Then they suddenly stopped walking and I saw why. Three armed men were in front of us, pointing their bows to us.

"Who are you? You're not going to take away that girl!"

"Shoot him!"

It was chaos again as we scurried away from the flying arrows. I was scared that both Harvey and Calyx might get harmed too and I think I can never forgive myself if they die here with me. And I think that was the trigger. The fear that my friends will perish right now, right when they were just trying to save me--- materialize into something.

Something hot.

Something bright.

Suddenly I was burning.