PoV: Grian

I run.

A scream behind and the room goes silent.  I'm outside the doors, skidding to a stop, not knowing  the way, watching from a safe distance. King Cub stands, panting, hand out to where a guard slumps, impaled by crystal. Murmurs, terror, backing slowly towards me. I'm still stuck staring at the king of Adamas, transformed into a sorcerous monster.

Cub screeches, as though hurt... I see a guard lower a crossbow, the arrow lodged in his shoulder. His eyes and hands glow, fog rising around him, strange creatures. For a moment I think they're the harmless allays Prince Scar showed me earlier. Until Cub screams again, sending the fog and creatures out. They fly for the guard who shot.

They're dead in seconds.

The crush hits me.

I'm dragged along with the tidal wave of yelling, screaming bodies, stumbling backwards, feet fumbling on the ground as I try not to trip and get crushed to death... Somehow I manage to shift around, joining in running properly, forced forwards.

Blue covers my vision as the choking fog reaches us. More screams. The terrifying creatures screech and laugh behind and I swear they're upon me... All I can do is keep running, keeping going, surrounded on all sides by terror, screaming, people, yelling, death, blood. I can't even breathe. All I can do is run until-

Space. I break free of the crush, but still don't stop... I vaguely recognise the coronation hall around me, but have no time for anything else, fixed on the doors ahead... Outside, I dare a look back. The fog's still coming. People still falling to the demon creatures. It's only then I start thinking about if people I know died... Where's Pearl? Where's Watcher Potentes? Did they die? What about King Ren? Or his advisor BigB, who I was getting on well with...

The fog's nearly reached me again. Others have left the courtyard and I join them, sprinting for freedom... Someone drags me through the gates to safety. I turn just in time to see the finale of this horror show.

A wall of sharp crystal grows from the ground around the courtyard, blocking the exit for the few who hadn't yet escaped. But we can still see through, left watching as they're slaughtered by the creatures. 

'Oh my goodness... oh Notch... Oh Notch that...' King Ren's half collapsed against the wall, Martyn and BigB next to him. The guard Skizz paces ahead, blue eyes flashing with fire.

'Would anyone care to explain what THAT was?'

'That was the power of the Curse King Cub and all his ancestors have that I've desperately tried to stop,' Watcher Potentes replies. I hear the fury and blame in his voice beneath the calm. 

'That was the KING?!' One of the Emperors I managed to speak with - Joel of Mesalia was it? - appears. 'He nearly killed my BLOODY WIFE!' He signals to a pink-haired woman on the ground, surrounded by her guards and a guy with blond hair and scaled brown and green clothes.

'A-are we safe here?' he questions.

'I'm sure we'll be fine...' assures the blue-haired Emperor next to him. 'We'll be fine, won't we? Because Rivendell is rather close to The Rift.'

'I can assure you, that everything will be fine!' The blonde guard insist, 'If we stay calm. Cub is still king of Adamas, despite...'

'The Curse took over. This land isn't safe. And if Adamas isn't safe, none of us are!' Watcher Potentes snaps back.

'Even across the Rift?!' Another one of the Emperors with long dark brown hair questions. 'I'm not putting my people in danger!'

'We don't know the limits of this magic, but what we know is that it is dangerous. King Cub might strike again and destroy this side of the boundary too.'

'And Prince Scar?'

'If he's not dead, I reckon he'll be just as dangerous as his brother.' 

I don't speak, staring through the crystal at the castle beyond, blaming myself silently.

I told Watcher Potentes about Scar's magic.

I'm the reason he challenged them.

That's why King Cub let the Curse out.

But... He was going to do it anyway. The Curse was dangerous. I didn't choose for Cub to attack us. He did. He hurt us. Drove us out of the castle and now...

'Grian?' 

I turn to see Pearl, smiling weakly.

'It'll be ok. We're safe.'

'I spoke to Scar. He seemed really nice.' It sounds hollow. Even now I realise it could've all been a ruse... was this planned? Or was King Cub just too stressed and Watcher Potentes's actions were too much to handle? 

'You know how dangerous the Curse is. You've heard what Potentes always said about it... we need to do something about this!' Pearl declares. The crowd around murmurs and nods in agreement. 'We can't stand here, knowing what Cub has done... how many lives has his magic taken from us today?'

'Pearl is correct.' Watcher Potentes agrees. 'We can't let that tyrant remain on the throne.'

'But how?' Martyn argues back. 'We've seen what he's capable of! He could kill all of us right now with those little things!'

'I'm not risking my king's life for this.' Growls Skizz. 'We've lost too many people already.'

'Then stand back and watch as Adamas is destroyed by the chaos and darkness you've allowed onto this throne. For too many years we have allowed The Curse to fester and corrupt this kingdom. But now Celestus has had enough!' Watcher Potentes declares. 'We will watch no more. We will fight for this land. We fight for peace, and order, and the end of the Curse!'

A cheer rises.

'I have enough guards here in Adamas to send a fighting force into the castle again. Anyone is welcome to join us, or accept aid and supplies from Celestus. Our borders are open to anyone who wishes to flee this horror.

He walks away, but signals for me, Pearl and my guards to follow him away from the terrified people.

'Pearl, you will protect the people outside. Support them, offer aid and rest on the ship to anyone who needs it. I'll lead the attack on the castle.'

'What about me?' I ask.

'My guards have claimed to see a pair of cloaked figures fleeing on horseback. If Prince Scar escaped, he'll be one of them. You will lead a team to follow after.'

He places a sword in my hands.

'And you will kill him.'

This got a little more intense than Frozen all of a sudden...

:)