Bringer of Destruction (The Bringan saga 2)

The Ucria A storm was sweeping over the capital, the sky was completely obscured by gray clouds that, from time to time, were illuminated by lightning that pierced the almost mystical silence of the city. The wind howled outside the fortress and slammed against the ornate windows painted in the colors of the royal family's coat of arms. The heavy rain poured down the glass, it was so copious that some rivulets managed to pass through the cracks of the doors, dripping on the stone of the walls, up to the floor, creating small puddles, almost invisible. The silence of the room he was in was filled with the sound of the skin of the gloves he was putting on. Her gaze was focused on the silhouette that slept relaxed in bed, wrapped in blankets and sheets, oblivious to what was happening around her. The king had not noticed that she had risen in the middle of the night, much less that she was preparing her things to disappear. She couldn't help but feel remorse when she looked at him. Her blond and gray hair was disheveled, she had run her fingers through it a short time before. The king didn't know it, but this last night, that last time, it had served her to say good-bye to him. He couldn't help but feel a tinge of remorse for the decision he'd made, but it was the right thing to do, he'd been saying it for weeks now. Ever since he had seen one of his brothers at the town market. The moment she became aware of his presence, reality had collapsed on her like a landslide, after a storm similar to the one she was witnessing at that moment. For years, perhaps too many, he had turned a blind eye, had ignored, even forgotten, the reason why he was in Mihdel; what had been his mission from the moment he had first bled out; When her father, as everyone called him, had decided that she was ready to fulfill the prophecy created thousands of years before. Her duty, the duty she had grown up for, the duty that all her people relied on, the duty that her sister herself had fought so hard for, the duty for which she had disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace behind. She had been selfish, she knew it, and she admitted it to herself. She had been selfish in abandoning her brothers and sisters for what they called a human weakness. After all the sacrifices and all the work they had done in those centuries, when the time had finally come to fulfill his destiny, he had failed. She had decided to give up what she had been created and raised for, she had decided to be selfish. But the moment she'd held him in her arms, when she'd looked into those innocent little blue eyes of hers, everything she had to do had faded into the background. The only thing that mattered to her, in that instant, was to protect the little creature she held in her arms. He would sacrifice the life of every single human being in order to protect it. He would have sacrificed his own sister if it had been necessary: all for his little child. He was so pure and innocent. He would never let them corrupt his soul, he would never let them use him as they pleased, he would never allow him to become one of them. All those years, in which she had seen the various sacrifices and attempts to create the Deorgh, the moment she had him in her arms for the first time, had seemed to her such atrocious rituals. That was the moment that had radically changed her life, when she had questioned every single belief she had grown up with; The moment when she had really wondered what she and her sisters were doing, if it was really worth making all those sacrifices just to bring destruction to this wonderful world. It was at that very moment that she had decided to be selfish and cowardly, to hide from them, to leave everything and devote herself to another life: a life she had never expected. But unfortunately you can never really escape from your past, you are never completely free. She would never be completely free, not when the Ukrainians, her brothers and sisters, were around, not if they found out about her baby's existence. He would never allow them to lay hands on him, to corrupt him, to use his essence to bring to life that diabolical creature they called "father." If she had to disappear forever to protect him, then she would do it without a second thought, she would sacrifice herself to make sure that he was safe. She looked one last time at the king, lying blissfully on the bed, before approaching and placing a light kiss on his soft lips. She rested her forehead on hers, feeling tears pricking her eyes and threatening to run down her face, but she couldn't. She could not show herself weak, otherwise she would never be gone, and she and the child would be forever in danger. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the sweet scent of her love fill her one last time, before standing up and turning her back on him. She left the room and never looked back, for she knew that if she did, she would never be able to leave. The fortress was deserted, the guards at the king's gate waving at her, their eyes doubtful as to whether she was leaving the king's chambers in the middle of the night. She didn't say a word. He strode toward the little prince's room. Other guards stood in front of the door, frowning at her as she approached. "I must check that the prince is asleep without any sign of fever," he said to the guards, when he stood at the door. The guards nodded and opened the door for her, which creaked. He took a deep breath and entered the prince's room. The baby slept blissfully in his bed, his blond hair disheveled, and his heavy breathing made the covers lift in time with his chest. Tears welled up in her eyes again at the thought that this little creature would be without a mother, again, because yes, even though she hadn't brought him into the world, she loved him as if he were blood of her own blood. She had taught him everything she knew, and she was sure that one day, when his time came, he would be a very good king, surpassing even her father. He only hoped that the fate of this nefarious world would not befall him and corrupt the good soul he possessed. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to her little body. She placed a hand on his cheek and gently caressed it, running her thumb under his eye. He was so identical to his father, he was so handsome. He felt a twinge in his chest, but he didn't let it fall. She approached his angelic face and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Beon a micel Koneg," she whispered softly in his ear. "You will be a great king." She ran her fingers through his silky hair and took a deep breath, before getting up and leaving the room. A lonely tear ran down her cheek, but she was quick to wipe it away with her thumb. He hurried out, waving goodbye to the guards and heading for the other room at the end of the long corridor. Another clap of thunder echoed in the sky, so loud that it shook the walls and lit up the corridor he was walking down, as if it were daylight, as she stood in front of the other room. There was no guard to protect him. No, no one was interested in protecting the king's bastard. He sighed and walked in silently. Her child was lying on his side, next to the pillow a volume explaining the history of their religion, a book she had given her that morning. He was so curious. This time he couldn't hold them back, silent tears began to roll down her cheeks and she put a hand to her mouth to keep the sobs from filling the room and waking him up. She leaned back against the wooden door, watching him sleep blissfully, as if there was no evil in the world to threaten him, and she would do whatever it took to keep it that way. He took several deep breaths, trying to calm down, to calm his heart, which was shattering at that moment. He approached the bed, removed the volume, and placed it gently on the wooden cabinet next to it. She sat down next to him and took a hand in his, brought it to her mouth and kissed the soft palm of it, before bringing it to her face. Her baby sighed relaxedly and she reached out her other hand to run it through his silky hair, the blonde and red locks framing his pale, angelic face. Her lower lip trembled as she was shaken again by tears and sobs. That would be the last time she would see him, touch him. She tried to imprint all the details of his face in her mind, knowing that she could never see him grow up and become the man she dreamed of. She would never see him again, she would not be present at his goals and failures, she would not be able to advise him in life's hardest choices. She just wouldn't be there again, it broke her heart thinking about all that she would miss, something inside her was tearing, but it couldn't stay. She reminded herself that she was doing it for himself, the king, the kingdom, and all of Mihdel. She sighed and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek, ran her nose over it, brushing against his rosy skin and savoring his scent for the last time. Then he stood up and turned and left the room with the knowledge that his heart would stay in there, with him. He closed the door behind him and began to stride toward the masters' wing. In one of the now disused rooms, behind a wall, there was a tunnel that led to one of the caves whose path led outside the city walls. The whole castle was full of secret passages leading outside, she had studied them all, when she was still thinking of carrying out her mission: passages upon passages that wound under the fortress, passages of which even the king was not aware and of which she had no intention of revealing. In the passage he had chosen, he had hidden what he needed to escape, some provisions and more suitable clothing. He knew no one would ever find him. She began to walk when a small voice called to her, causing her to stop on her steps. She turned and looked down at the little boy in front of her. His black hair was disheveled, and his golden eyes were tired and red, with a slight circle underneath them, a sign that he had not been able to sleep that night either. She bent down, kneeling in front of him so that she was the same height, and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Hey," she said softly, as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. "What are you doing waking up in the middle of the night?" "I can't sleep," he said, his voice barely audible. He knew what nightmares recurred during his nights, he knew how tormented that little soul was already at his young age. She saw him every time she looked into his golden, dull eyes, every time she saw him toiling in training just because of the blood running through his veins, treated as if he were the worst scum in the realm. It broke her heart every time she saw him suffer like that; when every time he did everything not to show anyone his suffering; how he kept everything inside and built an armor around himself to protect himself. Even though he was just a child. "Are you afraid of the storm?" she asked, ruffling his black hair. The boy shook his head. "I've had the same dream again," he said in a faint voice. "Every time it's worse, I try to run to him, to prevent him... But every time I see his body hanging and people screaming happily." She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying in front of him and sighed. "You can't change the past, Doreon. The demons around you will chase you all your life, they will try to make you weak to take advantage of you, you have to fight them, prove that you are stronger than them and write a better future for yourself. You have to show what you are worth and always follow your heart, don't let others change you, be yourself, even if it won't be right in the eyes of others. The only thing that matters is what you think of yourself and what's in here," she said, putting her hand to his heart. "But the others will never accept me," he said, looking down at the hand on his chest. "They judge me, they think I'm guilty even though I didn't do anything," the boy continued in a faint voice. "Let them think what they want about you, at the end of your life it won't be their judgments that will condemn you. The gods will judge you by your actions. Always be proud of what you do, walk with your head held high, and don't let the thoughts of others ruin your pure soul." The boy looked up and stared straight into her eyes, he could see how her words were imprinted in his head. Doreon was such a smart kid that he always understood what she meant. He nodded firmly and she smiled at him before reaching out and picking him up, even though it was too heavy and she shouldn't have done it. All he needed was affection. She rested her forehead on his and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm too heavy," the boy complained. "You seem too light to me for your age," she said, walking down the hallway. His rooms were in another wing of the fortress, so the council dictated. They didn't want a little creature like him to sleep near the prince, he could corrupt him, so they said. He went into his small, cramped room and made his way to the little bed, laying it on it and covering it with his blankets. She put a hand on his chest as he looked at her with his golden eyes shining. They rarely shone like that, she only let her emotions show when she felt safe. "Have you thanked the gods for the day?" she asked, and saw him frown doubtfully. "You always have to thank them, even if it was a hard day... it's their test for you, to make you stronger... to see if you're worthy," she explained softly. The boy nodded and saw him close his eyes before he began to whisper a prayer for their gods. She waited diligently for him, and when he finished, he opened his eyes again and looked at her with excitement, as he did every time he prayed. She couldn't help but smile at seeing him so cheerful and bent down to leave a kiss on his forehead. "Sleep now," she said. "Thank you," he said. She looked at him again. "Remember to always protect people like you, Doreon. Help them by all means possible," he urged him one last time. He nodded confidently and closed his eyes, finally abandoning himself to that long-sought sleep. She stood up and, heartbroken, walked away from their lives forever. Disappearing into the darkness of the night, leaving suddenly in the same way she had appeared. He knew there was only one place he could go to stay hidden, he just hoped she wouldn't kill her as soon as she set foot in her land.