"Are you sure that you are now feeling alright, your highness?" The Royal Doctor asked Ashleah for the 19th time ever since she woke up. The Princess chuckled lightly and nodded her head.
To be honest, she was experiencing some headaches but she can handle it for now. She does not wish to give them any problems. "His Majesty is currently on his way-" Axis could not even finish what he was saying when the door suddenly bursts up open revealing Gab and Kian who opened the door for Emperor Adler.
"Y-You are finally awake!" Ashleah was about to wave her hand to her Father, but suddenly with tears forming inside his eyes the Emperor almost ran to Ashleah and hugged her tightly. It felt like she almost died the way everyone was reacting.
"F-Father." Ashleah slowly tapped and tried to calm her crying Father down. Holding her closely, hugging her tightly like anytime she would disappear right in front of him. "Are you feeling alright Father?"
Emperor Adler pulled back and smiled. He kissed his daughter's forehead and sighed before hugging her again. Ashleah gave them this 'What really happened?' look, yet everyone inside the Emperor's chambers avoided her eyes.
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"WHAT?!" She almost choked while drinking her glass of water. Ashleah's eyes were wide open while trying to process what Nash, Axis, Prescott and her Father was trying to tell her. "That cannot be. I've been sleeping for days?!"
"Yes, we also think that it was all because of that small wound that was because of that arrow." Prescott sighed and shook his head. He sat down and ruffled his hair. "We might have been looking down at them too much."
"Then what? Are we going to change the plan? I do think it was very well-" Axis could not finish what he was saying when Emperor Adler suddenly spoke up.
"No, since we found out that there's more to them. Prescott, you better start explaining." Emperor Adler then glanced at Ashleah and took the vegetable soup from the side and smiled at his daughter. "And you eat while listening to his explanation."
"The man with the came, he does not want to confess. Axis on the other hand, prayed, begged, and prayed all over again for God to give him some clues or even teach him in his dreams how to control his holy powers-" Prescott took another deep breath because it felt like he was short for breath. "And it did happen, soon after that Axis used his powers to read the man's brain. There we found out that our calculations were indeed right."
Ashleah choked, making them stop. Emperor Adler gave her a glass of water. The Princess shook her hand, meaning that Prescott can continue explaining the situation that they are in right now.
"High Priest Rowen is indeed teaming up with the black magicians." Axis felt like his heart dropped all over again, it was like his own world stopped. Ever since he was a small child he always admired and looked up to High Priest Rowen, and now he has to stop the very man that he thought was a great role model for him.
"And the fact that the black magicians they have are the oldest ones, anytime they can attack us. Unfortunately, I am very sad and disappointed in myself to say this but; if ever they have the plans to attack the Imperial Palace we do not have any chances against them."
The chambers went silent, Ashleah stopped from chewing the small chunks from he soup. Emperor Adler froze on the spot. Nash's breathing almost stopped, Axis was taken aback and almost fell on the floor.
"Then how? What are we going to do?" Ashleah tried to act tough and all. Even though she knew that she was slowly loosing hope. Questioning, why? Why did she even have those thoughts that she can end their curse? Tears were about to drop one by one but then-
"Not until, there was something that Axis said while reading the man's mind that made me a bit shocked. I do know for a fact that Axis could not remember anything after reading the man's mind, but his Majesty himself said yes, that it indeed happened."
"Why?" Nash finally spoke up, a bit impatient to be honest.
"The reason why their target is Ashleah because she can be a sacrifice. Over the past years there were no daughters in heir to the throne of Genry."
Ashleah tilted her head with a confused look plastered on her face. "And what does that mean Prescott?"
"The very first ruler of the Empire had a wife that was believed a daughter of an Goddess that left for the first Emperor." Their eyes widened, Emperor Adler just puffed out a very conflicted sigh. "And the only one who can inherit her blood is a woman, through the years they waited.. and waited for that baby girl to come, and she did.. and it was-"
"-me?" She gulped with her eyes looking around, conflicted.
"Yes, and they need you so that when they sacrifice you and the powers that are still slowly awakening deep inside you, they can use it for their own greed. Ashleah, do you even know how much a threat and a warning this new source is?"
She nodded her head speechless. "How can we prevent it from happening? We cannot let them hurt Ashleah."
Nash's voice suddenly gave shivers down her spine, making Ashleah's eyes lock with Nash's cold bloody red eyes. He was so into the topic, she was.. indeed sure of it.
"Your highness, I do know that this will be a very hard decision for you to make; but it is for your best. You have to stay inside the Imperial Palace until we create a plan for you. Also, we have to train. Very.. very hard for this."
Prescott looked at his Master with very concerned eyes. Ashleah took a deep breath, smiling lightly, she nodded her head.
"Of course, if it's for the best what can I do about it?" Everyone inside the chambers sighed in relief. Prescott and Emperor Adler stood up.
He clapsed his hands together with a bright smile plastered on his face. "We will double the security inside the Imperial—"
"Father! No! We cannot let them know that there's a huge conflict and problem inside the Imperial Palace, there are still nobles against us and can use the situation to turn us around."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Her Highness is right about that, let us be more careful with our surrounding especially while training." Nash said, he sighed and sat down on the nearest chair.
"My, I also forgot. Axis is going to give you something." Prescott looked at Axis and smiled, the soon to be high priest nodded his head at Prescott and went outside for a bit.
"What is he getting?" Nash tilted his head, Ashleah shrugged her shoulders and continued sipping from the soup that she was eating earlier.
"It's a surprise, right Your Majesty?" Prescott raised both of his eyebrows to Ashleah's Father who responded with a bright chuckle.
Axis suddenly pops out of nowhere, with a sword on his hand. A black with gold and silver on it. Ashleah almost choked, her hands swiftly moved and gets the glass of water, chugging it.
"What is that Axis?" Nash blinked his eyes, confused. Axis chuckled and gave Nash the sword, as soon as Nash's hand was around the sword's handle, it flamed with purple blackish smoke.
"WHAT THE FUC—" Ashleah could not even finish what she was saying.
"A sword that's been blessed by God himself." Their eyes slowly widened even more because of what Prescott said, the man smiled like it was something normal.
