The next morning had been hectic. Word about Mike's visit had spread throughout the whole castle and everyone was shook with fear. Blu had returned to the servant's room and no one could help but stare at her as they eyed the diamond ring on her finger.

Some envied her. Others didn't know what to think of her.

She could feel her cheeks burning as everyone's eyes were on her. An unsettling feeling lodged in her stomach. She couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, eyeryone," she spoke up. Every head in the room snapped in her direction. Their eyes were wide because they were shocked she even had the courage to speak up. Their heads and feet came to a pause as they listened to what she had to say.

"Instead of staring at me like I'm a freak, why don't we work together." A silence. All she received were blank faces. She could see Rachel in the corner, squinting her eyes into slits as if she was trying to figure out some sort of equation.

"If you were wondering, yes Jona- I mean the king asked me for his hand in marriage. And I am not afraid or ashamed to say it," Blu exclaimed, her chest puffed up.

Not a single word. Did these people have mouths to speak with? She was getting frustrated.

"Why should we help you," one servant spoke up. Her voice contained hate and anger. Blu threw her hands up in the air in more frustration.

"The king is not the same evil man he used to be. You cannot deny that, I am sure." There were a few nods from different servants. A feeling of hope boiled inside of Blu. She was satisfied.

"We are all working together. Us servants, the king, and the guards. We are not against each other. We are a- a team," she spoke. The servants listened to her motivational words. Each one having second thoughts about her. Blu sighed.

"The council's soldiers are coming. The only way we can defeat them is if we work together." Although her words sounded a bit cliché, the servants luckily agreed with her.

"And what if we don't work with you," one servant snarled. Blu snapped her head towards the voice. Rachel.

Her fists tightened at her sides. Each minute passed by like seconds. They had no time to fool around.

"Well then good luck working on your own," Blu said. "All I'm saying is that we can easily defeat the council if we work together."

Rachel's eyes lingered on Blu's until she finally looked away. They were running out of time.

"Since when did you have the authority to tell us what to do? Rachel suddenly continued. A burning feeling rose up in Blu's stomach and she felt like she would burst at any second.

"I am not telling you what to do. I am saying what we should do." She sighed. "Now can we work together?" She prayed they would say yes. Her stomach tightened as she awaited their reply.

Another silence. She thought all hope was lost.

After a few seconds however, every head in the room started to nod. A wave of relief crashed down on her. It was comforting to finally see that they were agreeing with her. She smiled brightly. Her head cranked towards Rachel Who was staring right at her. She seemed to be conflicted and didn't know what to say. But Blu immediately turned her attention back to the other servants.

"Well, there's no time to lose. Let's get this started."

* * *

Everything was happening so quickly. Guards rushed back and forth through the castle. Frightened servants scurried all over, helping the guards prepare for battle.

"Please be careful," Blu said, standing in front of Jonathan I'm his shiny armor. They stood at the main entrance along with four other guards. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Jonathan's face tightened and his jaw tensed. She looked into his determined eyes, searching for fear. But there was none. His face fell as a soft sigh escaped his lips.

"I will," he said seriously. "But you must listen to me carefully." He focused his sight on her. She stared at him with anxiety and fear. "You must not step foot outside this castle. Not one foot. Understood.

Blu readily nodded.

"If you die, then there's nothing left fighting for." His cold hand cupped her cheek. She let her eyelids fall and let out a sigh.

Yes Jonathan, I understand." He nodded with a grunt. Blu glared at the sword dangling by his side. She wondered how many lives would be killed with it; how that shining blade would be soon be smeared with a dark, inky red. A sickening lump settled in her throat. She swallowed it down with a loud gulp.

Noticing her panicked expression, Jonathan embraced her in a tight hug. Her chest pressed against his hard armor. She squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the thought that she might never see him again. Her one true love.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered softly in his ear as her voice cracked. "You can't die out there." She felt his chest fall. Even though his armor, she could feel his heart beating rapidly.

"I am not going to die," he soothed as he held the back of her head in his hand. "You don't have to worry about anything." Although he tried to cover it up, Blu could just barely hear the uneasiness in his voice.

He tucked the strands of hair behind her ear and lifted up her chin with his finger. He tilted towards her face ever so slowly. Blu let her eyelids fall as did he. It seemed like ages before his soft lips met with her's. A tender feeling of passion slowly stretched from their hearts all the way down their feet. They held the kiss for many long seconds, not caring if the guards were looking.

Jonathan parted from her, but quickly pressed his lips on hers once more, realizing he may never feel them again. But then he mentally slapped himself. Of course he would survive. He was King Jonathan Dennis, King Delirious. He would survive. He had to.

"Your highness!" A loud voice boomed. Jonathan's lips abruptly withdrew from Blu's and an emptiness entered her stomach. "Your majesty!" It was a guard. Sweat trickled down his forehead, his hands were trembling. Jonathan's heart leaped in surprise. He studied the guard who seemed to be having trouble getting words out of his mouth.

But Jonathan didn't need words to tell him what he was going to say. He already knew. He averted his gaze from the guard looked at Blu.

"They're here," he said. This time, she surprisingly did not hear fear in his voice but rather perseverance.

"My helmet please," he said motioning his hand to a guard holding a gleaming helmet in his hands. The guard strode over to him and placed it in his hands.

"Are our soldiers ready for battle?" He asked solemnly. The guards at the entrance nodded.

"Good," he responded. He rose his helmet above his head to put it on but hesitated. He looked back at Blu one last time.

"I love you Blu Ayala, and whatever happenens, you will forever be in my heart," he said with vehemence. Blu's heart cracked in two.

"And you, Jonathan Dennis, will forever be in mine," she replied. This couldn't be the end. It couldn't be. It wouldn't be. He would go out there and defeat the Council. Or at least that's what she kept telling herself over and over and over again.

He took his first step with trepidation. The tall doors cranked open with a loud groan.

"Get my horse," he told one of the guards.

The guard made a slight bow and responded, "Right away your majesty."

Blu watched as Jonathan slid his helmet on, shielding his beautiful face. He strode slowly out the door, many guards following behind him. She watched until his body was no longer visible, until the crowd of guards blocked him from view. Her heart sunk.

She could hear the faint sound of horses approaching the castle. She wanted to fight. She wanted to help Jonathan, to make sure he would be alright. But she listened to his commands and promised to remain inside under any circumstances.

The doors creaked shut and Blu was left alone, standing in front of the entrance. She frowned at the ground. She felt so small in such a big world. The sound of hooves beating the ground gradually became louder and louder. The sound was in sync with her heart beat. Thump thump. Thump thump.

A sudden terror washed over her. She spun around and started to walk quickly to the viewing tower. She had never been up there before, but she wanted to keep an eye on the king as he started his army fought the Council's soldiers.

The sound of clanking and the yelling slowly evolved from the silence. This only made her walk even faster.

"Please don't die out there Jonathan," she whispered to herself under her breath. She passed by countless guards who were guarding every single door in the castle. They all looked at her until she was no longer visible to them anymore. She ignored their stares. This was something she had gotten used to.

Her feet pounded on the floor as her walk turned into a run. Her breaths became sharp and stung her throat every time she inhaled. Blisters began to appear in her feet from the tightness of her shoes. She groaned in frustration as the stinging became greater and greater. She bent down and in a swift motion, ripped her shoes from her feet one by one. She threw them on the ground and continued to run down the hallways. Her bare skin made contact with the ground and a cool prickling sensation start to trickle up her body. The floor was as cold and hard as ice. But all she cared about at the moment was getting to the viewing tower.

Running up the stairs, she stumbled for a moment, but quickly recovered. Almost there. She gasped for air, eager to see how this battle would go down.

One final step. She had finally reached the top.

Her hands rested on her knees as her back bent over. Deep breaths escaped her lips. She was panting like a dog.

Her eyes shifted upward to take a look at the small, cramped space. From there, you could see all the way to village and beyond. It would have been a beautiful view if a battle hadn't been going on at that very moment.

What startled her the most were two figures standing before her.

"Blu, what are you doing here?" A manly voice said over the loud yelling and shouting from below.

"Same thing as you," she responded to the boy. "Seeing what is going on outside." She focused her attention the figure standing beside him.

Rachel. Of course. Those two were a thing now weren't they? But  that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered was what was happening on the grounds below.

She stood beside Ohm, not saying a word to to Rachel. What could she say?

She rested her hands on the stone wall peered over the edge. A cool breeze burst in her face causing her hand to flow behind her. The sight she was looking at was complete horror. A bloodbath.

Soldiers on both sides were scattered across the whole area. The king's army collided with the Council's soldiers. They seemed so small from up there. Swords slashed and clashed each other making loud clanging sounds. Screams and groans from the injured could be heard from miles away. Men fought in the garden, splashing the white roses with red. She heard a scream and watched in terror as a sword impaled a soldier's body, driving right through his flesh. He collapsed on the ground and remained motionless. The soldier who had killed him was part of the Council. He bent down over the man he had killed and removed his bloody sword from the body.

Blu winced at the scene and couldn't bear to watch any longer. She averted her glance to Ohm and Rachel who were staring at the sight in pure fright. This isn't right.

"We can't just stand here and do nothing!" Blu complained. The two heads spun towards her.

"Well what can we do?" Rachel asked. "Nothing! We'd be dead in a matter of seconds if we went out there!"

Blu admitted to herself that she could not argue with her. She looked back at the horrific scene. Bodies were falling to the ground. Blood was spraying on the green grass. The cries, groans, and moans of soldiers filled her ears.

"This doesn't feel right, we have to do something," Blu cried. She could almost feel the soldiers' pain. She felt as if she were dreaming. As if she was looking at something she was forced to watch. She could even hear the evil laugh of the head of the Council, Mike Misetich, playing over and over again in her head.

"Like what?" Ryan asked.

Blu ignored his question. Instead, her eyes scanned the grounds of scattered people, looking for a certain someone. At the corner of her eyes, she caught a beautiful white horse, and on its back was that certain someone. The king. With his sword in his right hand,  he brought down every soldier on the opposing side that was in his way. He lashed and stabbed violently as if he had been fighting battles his whole life. Every movement was skillfully done, not one mistake made, for if he had made one wrong move, that would be the end of him.

He grabbed the horse's white mane as it started to gallop towards another horse coming his way.

A black horse.

And there was only one person that Blu thought could be on that horse.

Mike Misetich. That evil man. Wanting all of Jonathan's power for himself. He didn't deserve it. Any of it.

From a distance, she saw the two men clashing their swords together, each on horseback. Although she couldn't hear them, they seemed to be shouting awful things to each other. She could hear her heart beating inside her chest despite the loud noise that was filling the air.

Mike lunged his sword at Jonathan, but he threw his head back and dodged the strike. Jonathan quickly tried jabbing at Mike's side but he blocked Jonathan's sword with his.

"Come on, Jonathan," Blu whispered to herself anxiously. They continued to lunge at each other each time, either of them dodging or blocking the blade. Her eyes widened as she saw Mike's blade slash Jonathan's hip.

Even though she was at the top of the viewing tower, she could hear his ear-spitting scream. A hurricane of fear crashed through her whole body. She gasped and covered her mouth as a sort of evil entered her.

Jonathan fell of his horse and lied on the ground in pain. Mike side off his horse gracefully and approached Jonathan's body. Jonathan stumbled to his feet and swung his sword in vicious moments.

B

lu didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that she was running down the stairs as quickly as she could. Her feet would not stop moving. Down the stairs she went, skipping steps until she finally reached the bottom. Her feet padded on the marble floor as if they knew where they were going but she did not. Her anxious breath became louder as fear pumped through her blood, through her veins.

Then out of nowhere, a body tackled her to the ground and pinned her shoulders to the floor. The force of the fall knocked the wind out of her and she struggled to fight back. She threw aimless punches through the air, but they were no use.

This soldier must have somehow snuck in the castle. But how? There were guards at every single door.

The man crackled in amusement as he watched Blu try to wrestle him.

"What a weakling you are," he sneered. He took out his knife and pressed it along her cheek teasingly. Blu shrieked in pain. She kicked her feet and shook her head, doing everything in her power to get this man off of her.

"Agh, stop!" She shouted. "Let go of me!" But the man only pressed harder and let the blood slowly ooze out from her flesh.

She screamed in his face as she felt the sharp, stinging pain. It was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. She was doomed. The man rose his knife above her frail body. Where were the guards? She needed someone's help. But the viewing tower was far from the main part of the castle. There mustn't be many guards in this part of the castle.

And finally, Blu let the muscles in her body go loose. She gave up. This is how she would end.

"It's too bad you're a pretty girl," he snarled. He rose the knife even higher above his head, preparing for the descent. All the feeling in Blu's body have left her. She had lost hope. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Thud.

It happened so quickly.

In a split second.

It was all a blur.

Her brain couldn't process what had happened.

All she saw was black.

She opened her eyes.

Above her was Rachel who was reaching her hand out to her. Beside her, was the man's unconscious and lifeless body sprawled on the floor. Her eyes widened and looked back at Rachel.

"Come on, we're not safe here," Rachel said as she reached for Blu's hand. She grabbed her hand and was pulled to her feet. She looked at the man on the floor in amazement. She didn't know what to say. Rachel had saved her life.

"Thank you," were the words that escaped her lips. Rachel gave her a small smile.

Blu then remembered why she had come down from the tower in the first place. Jonathan. He was in danger.

"Oh no," she muttered. She let go of Rachel's hand and started to sprint to the nearest exit.

"Wait!" Rachel yelled from behind her. "Where are you going! You're going to get yourself killed!" Blu ignored these remarks and continued to run. She turned this corner and that, until she finally found a door guarded by two guards.

Crap. How would she get through? The guards looked at her alarmingly as she came to a halt in front of them.

"You can't go out there," one of the guards said. "King's orders." Blu frowned.

"I just came to tell you that a soldier has snuck into the castle. You might want to check to see if you have every single door guarded," she said slyly. The two guards  exchanged glances and gave her a threatening look.

"I'll go," one of them said. The other guard nodded as he walked away. Now his eyes narrowed on Blu.

"Now don't take one step clos-" Wham.

Blu promptly swung her fist at the guard's head with such force, it knocked him to the ground. The guard groaned and she grabbed his sword from his side.

"Sorry," she said quietly as she took his sword from him. She was surprised at how heavy it was.

"Hey! get back here!" The guard yelled. But Blu was already out the door. She was blown away by what lay before her eyes. A total bloodbath. What was she getting herself into? She knew she was risking her life. But she was risking it for Jonathan. Jonathan.

She spotted him from a distance. He was still alive, clanking swords with Mike. But he looked in pain, like he was about to shut down at any moment. She watched as Mike tripped him with his sword. He came hurling down on the ground. That's when Blu ran. She screamed.

"Jon!" She cried. She zipped through the crowd of soldiers, feeling the heavy weight of the sword in her hand. A solider approached her and tried slashing her skin, but she swatted his sword away with her's. She continued to run, Jonathan's figure becoming clearer to her. She could see Mike hovering above him, his sword ready to strike.

He wasn't quick enough.

Blu swatted his sword to the side with her's.

"Don't kill him!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Mike looked at her in surprise. Blu kept her sword pointed at him. Jonathan looked bewildered.

"Blu! What the hell are you doing here?" He shouted angrily. "Get back in the castle!"

"Well, well, well," Mike Smirked. "Blu is it?" Out of nowhere, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted his knife to her throat. She still held her sword tightly but she could not move her arm. Jonathan hopped to his feet and grunted.

"Let go of her!" He barked as spit flew from his mouth, he lunged towards his body, but Edgar only pressed the knife on Blu's neck. She whimpered, feeling the cold, freshly-cut surface on her neck.

"Take one more step Dennis and I'll end her life now!" He snarled. Jonathan hesitated. His eyes were full of fury. He looked at Blu as if he was trying to tell her something. Just by looking at him, she knew what to do.

"Go to hell Mike," Jonathan yelled. Blu then  kicked him between his legs. Mike groaned and loosened his muscles around her.

Jonathan slashed at his side leaving a large gash. He screamed, catching his soldiers' attention.

"Retreat!" He yelled. "Retreat!"

And that's when Blu fell to the ground, engulfed by an infinite darkness. Her body made contact with the grass and her vision became blurry. The last thing she heard was 'retreat, retreat' before she was completely disconnected from the world.

____________________________________
Woah this was crazy intense

What are your thoughts on this chapter? On Mike? What do you think is going to happen next? And btw Mike is Sattilizer games, he usually plays with ohmwrecker and also Mike Misetich is his real name.

The updates will be slow. Also, there will only be a few chapters left of this book. 😔 I've been working so hard on this story for a very long time and it has come a long way. Thanks to everyone who has supported this story and my work. :)

I'll try to make these next few chapters long like this one. Please don't abandon this book you will fully appreciate it if you read it til the end. ☺