The guards around didn't know what to do. The queen ordered for the princess to be killed while the crown prince ordered to not to.

"What are you waiting for?! I am your queen." Queen Patricia looked at her men in rage. "Do as I say!"

The guards with bows readied their weapon and aimed their arrows on Alicia.

"NO!" Gladiolus let go of his mother and tried to stop the guards from shooting. His face was full of fear.

But Gladiolus was too late. The arrow flew into the night sky and was heading to Alicia. He held his breath preparing for the worst but then the arrows disintegrated when it touched the force field around Alicia. Gladiolus' face eased up some tension and he released a sigh of relief.

"What are you doing mother?!" Gladiolus turned around and looked at his mother. He cannot hide the anger on his face.

"She… she will steal everything that should be yours. She must die!" Queen Patricia yelled.

Gladiolus' face was etched with anger and confusion. "I do not understand what you are talking about. Alicia is the live of my life, if there is something that she will steal from me then I will gladly give it to her whole heartedly."

"You don't understand…" Queen Patricia was trying to find the words to explain to her son.

The queen had always thought that the chosen one in the prophecy would be her son. Gladiolus is the last Atlantian left with pure royal blood and the only male descendant of the All Mighty One that is left in this world. She never would have thought that her niece who was only a half blooded royal and a female at that, be the chosen one.

'I might be mistaken." Queen Patricia thought to herself.

But looking at the white light engulfing Alicia with her own eyes, she can't dissuade herself in thinking that the chosen one is none other than Alicia. She felt bitter inside, she can't but felt robbed of the position.

'No, this can still be corrected.' Queen Patricia thought. 'That girl hasn't awoken her magical powers yet. If I kill her here and also other potential candidates, then that only leaves my son Gladiolus which would inherit the power.

"Kill her… you have to kill her no matter what it takes!" Queen Patricia ordered her men.

"No, stop this mother." Gladiolus was now pleading in front of his mother. "Please don't do this mother. Don't kill the one I love."

The guards started to fire arrows towards Alicia continuously but every arrow cannot pass the force field and just disintegrates to dust.

"You are not in your right mind son." Queen Patricia said. "She is now a threat to your throne. She cannot be left alive."

"It is you who is not in the right mind, mother!" Gladiolus yelled at his mother.

Queen Patricia was surprised and taken aback with Gladiolus. This was the first time her son shouted back at her. Her face was so distraught.

"I don't know what you are thinking but if you hurt her, I will never forgive you!" Gladiolus said full of emotion. He ran towards where Alicia was taking the sword he has taken from a guard.

"Gladiolus stop! where are you going?" Queen Patricia was full of fright when she saw her son ran where arrows was raining down. "Stop… don't go there, Gladiolus!"

The queen was about to follow her son when High Priest Hector held her firmly to stop her.

"Your majesty, you can't." High Priest Hector said. "You can get hurt."

"Then stop him, stop my son!" Queen Patricia said.

"This was his choice your majesty." High Priest Hector said. "If you want to keep him safe, then let the guards stop attacking the princess."

Queen Patricia grimaced with what the high priest advised. She wants to kill Alicia as soon as possible because she was the chosen one. If only she was able to get Alicia to her side then she wouldn't have thought to kill her. But after two years of living here in Jennovia, she still has her heart set with the king of Grandcrest. She is a traitor that needs to die.

Gladiolus on the other hand was volleying the arrows that were coming Alicia's way. He doesn't know how long the force field would last and he doesn't want to take any chances of arrows coming inside the force field and hitting Alicia. He was able to volley the arrows but some of them grazed his body in the process.

"Stop firing!" Queen Patricia ordered when she saw her son full of grazes while trying to protect Alicia.

The guards listened to the Queen's orders and stopped firing. Gladiolus still stood his ground, not yet sure if his mother will still do anything after ordering the guards to stop.

"Gladiolus, my son. I won't kill her, just come back here where it's safe." Queen Patricia said with heartfelt please.

"Let the guards fall back first." Gladiolus said, still doubting his mother.

"If that is what you wish." Queen Patricia nodded. "Fall back." She ordered the guards around.

The guards listened to the queen's order and retreated. When Gladiolus saw this he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Come now my son." Queen Patricia said sweetly to Gladiolus.

Seeing that his mother has come back to her senses, Gladiolus slowly walked back to where his mother was.

"Thank you mother." Gladiolus said once he was just near her.

"You know that you are everything to me my son." Queen Patricia looked at her son livingly. "You are all that is left of your father top me. I will do everything in my power to give to you what is rightfully yours."

Queen Patricia caressed her son's cheek lovingly and smiled to him sweetly. But deep inside Gladiolus, his mother's words was suspicious. He can't erase the doubt that his mother can still hurt the one he loves.

"Just stand here and I will erase the existence that threatens your destiny my son." Queen Patricia's sweet smile warped into a cold sneer. Gladiolus cannot believe his mother's sudden change of personality.

"No…don't to this mother." Gladiolus said. He tried to move and stop his mother but he was pinned down in place. "No, why can't I move?"

Gladiolus looked at his mother suspiciously and knew that this was his mother's gravity magic.

"Mother, let me go…. don't do this." Gladiolus tried to escape but he can't even move a muscle. His pleas were sent to deaf ears and the queen stepped forward.

From nowhere, Queen Patricia was holding a bow and arrow in her hands and pointed where Alicia was. The arrow glowed with a dark purple hue while the queen aimed for Alicia.

"No, mother please don't…" Gladiolus was now shedding tears, pleading for his mother. He tried to move but still was unsuccessful.

*Shwung*

Queen Patricia released the arrow with her gravity magic and the sound that came with it resounded in the area. It passed thru Alicia's force field and the arrow struck Alicia's shoulders. Blood trickled from the wound where the arrow was sticking and the force field was simmering.

"NO!!!...." Gladiolus screamed in agony. It was as if he was also struck with the arrow. "Stop it… MOTHER!"

"It has been a while since I practiced archery." Queen Patricia said and took another arrow and put in on her bow. "I won't miss this one."

Alicia's force field crumbled after sometime and the wound on her shoulder was bleeding. The queen pulled the bow and aimed at her again.

Alicia's consciousness was starting to return. She can feel the excruciating pain on her shoulder. Her eyes were blurry at first but were now starting to get cleared by time. By then she saw Queen Patricia at a distance, aiming an arrow at her. By the time her eye sight became clear, the queen shot the arrow with gravity magic once more. She saw Gladiolus was screaming to his mother to stop, she can see he was pleading in agony.

'Is this the end?' Alicia thought.

The arrow was heading straight to her heart.

edited by: nalyn

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