In the darkness of the forest, the morning breeze brushed past Martel. It was so early that the sun had not yet risen, but that had become his daily routine for months. He would spend the time to practice his Ki usage, specifically the basics. Though he had found that, while the amount the training increased, his Ki had diminished, his control had improved continuously. He didn’t have much else to do with his time as he was awake twenty hours a day in a world without electronics.

His current training was an attempt to see with his Ki. It was a concept based on Markers, which were a combination of Magic and Ki that let you monitor the area you left them in. He extended his Ki out into my surroundings like feelers. The area that surrounded him came into his consciousness as a blurry outline.

As he trained, he heard voices in the far distance. When he opened his eyes, saw a light in the direction of the voices.

[Strange, it is too early for sunrise. The shouts are coming from the direction of my base.] He thought. When he heard more shouts, he took off in a sprint toward them. His heart sank when he saw the place he called home on fire. Thankfully, the only part of it that was on fire was uninhabited. However, the fire itself was strange. It was far too large to have been an accident and was in separate areas. Many rooms were on fire with an intensity that betrayed accelerant use.

With magic, Martel gathered the flames and snuffed them out. Given the number of rooms that were on fire, it took some time, and Martel was exhausted as a result. As he finished, he noticed a group of individuals who hastily make their way toward the house. He jumped out and met them, which emphasized the feeling of mental strain from the continuous use of magic. The men were guards who made a surprised expression.

“Hero! We heard there was a fire.”

“There was. I just finished putting out. I believe it was an intentional fire set as there are traces of an accelerant.”

The men’s’ eyes went wide.

“I also believe that to be the case.” A new voice rang out from behind.

Shiro, Caelia, and Cali made their way towards him while they dragged a passed out man, who had shrouded himself in dark clothing, behind them.

“After we realized there was a fire, we noticed an individual who is acting suspiciously. After a short chase, we managed to knock him out.”

“Oh? That makes this easier. Good job.” Martel said with a nod. He took some rope, tied up the man, and struck his Ki point to wake him up. As he began to stir, Martel slammed him into the ground. “What are you doing here?” He said intimidatingly.

To the question, the man just smiled, swallowed something, began to convulse, and died.

“Suicide? Through poison?” Martel exclaimed. “This reeks of another country’s espionage, but for what purpose? The rooms that were on fire were all empty, and it only caused a minor inconvenience and best.”

As he pondered, one of the soldiers spoke up. “A distraction, sir?”

“Yes, that would be most likely,” Martel said as he turned to the girls. “Where is Morgan?”

They shook their heads.

“Princess Morgan personally came and got us. I believe she is staying behind at the palace.” One of the guards said.

“Wait, you guys are from the palace?” Martel asked them to which they nod in response. He gritted his teeth. “Caelia, Shiro, and Cali will go and maintain a perimeter around the area to see if there are any more spies around. Do not engage unless you deem it to be necessary and do not fight a battle you cannot win. Be careful as we do not know how many enemies there are.

“Guards, split up to take care of this body, check the burnt rooms for embers that could potentially restart the fire, and help the girls maintain a perimeter. I’m going to the palace.”

“Understood.” Various voices rang out as Martel dashed away. He couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my heart. [I can only hope that my worry is for nothing.]

A short time earlier, while Martel put out the fires, Morgan had sat down to rest after she had informed the guards about the fire. After she had rested for a few minutes, she heard some strange noises, like the echoed sound of metal as it struck the floor in the distance. Slightly tired, she decided to investigate. After several minutes, she heard a crackle, as she rounded the corner and froze at what she saw. On the floor were dead guards, clearly illuminated by a light which came from her parents’ room. At the doorway was Grandma, who stood there frozen. The realization of what had happened finally hit her. With haste, she rushed into the room.

“Wait, Morgan!” Grandma finally managed to say as Morgan rushed past her and went into the room. The fire momentarily blinded her eyes as she entered. When she looked at the bed, she saw her parents, dead. Their throats were slit as they lay on the blood-stained sheets.

“Mother, Father.” She got out weakly as her stomach churned. She grabbed it and her mouth before she vomited on the floor. Grandma led her out of the room.

“Why? Who?” Morgan managed to get out as tears covered her face.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out,” Grandma replied with a facial change and tone that made Morgan flinch. “Go to the guard station and hide I’m going to deal with this.” She continued as she began to dash towards the newest fire across the palace, notably a normal one.

Morgan turned to leave but then stopped. “Freyja.” She said as she turned around and made her way toward Freyja’s room. She was so weak that she had to use the wall to support her.

Meanwhile, when Martel had entered the palace, he noticed that there was a lack of guards. He rushed through the palace to where the Royal chambers were. HIs worries came to fruition as he saw dead guards in front of the Royal chambers and the sound of fire as it emanated from the room. When he entered through the open door, he was struck speechless.

The heat and brightness of the fire momentarily stunned him as it was a white magically fueled that burned hotter than an ordinary flame. The smell of vomit and burnt flesh filled his nostrils as he saw the figures of the King and Queen in the fire. He covered his mouth and resisted the urge to vomit.

[Freyja!] He realized as he turned out of the room in a panic. In his haste, he barely noticed the dead guards strewn about his path. The only thing that registered in his mind was Morgan, who he quickly passed. In the instant that he passed by her, he noticed how tired and pale she looked. He swallowed the urge to help her and continued to go to Freyja’s room.

The sounds of fire crackled around the final corner.

As his vision entered Freyja room, his heart sank as time slowed. In the room illuminated by white fire, he saw the shine of a blade as it slowly came down across Freyja’s body. Blood spilled as she slowly began to collapse toward the floor. In his panic and shock, his mouth opened, and no words came out. He rushed toward her as he slammed into the door. Just before she fell to the floor, he caught her and time was restored. When she saw him, her face went from shock to a soft expression as her blood flowed to the floor.

If Martel’s heart could drop anymore, it surely did when it saw her wound. It was a clean-cut diagonally across her torso.

“What’s this?” Freed laughed with a warped expression. He was wearing the uniform of the guard. “Were you hiding outside? How lucky for me. If only she hadn’t scorned me and had come with me to be mine, I would have spared her. Unfortunately, she spouted some nonsense about ‘being only his’ and ‘would rather die.’” He put his hand to his ripped and bloodied chest. “I was only returning the favor.” He said with an evil smile.

Martel was frozen. Freed’s words barely registered in his mind. He could only assess Freyja’s wounds as his heart broke.

Morgan had finally made her way to the open door, which led to Freyja’s room. As she looked, all the air escaped her lungs. When she saw all of the blood, she knew it was too late. From her position, she could barely see Freed. [He’s the one? He’s the one killing my family?] Upon this realization, she began to hyperventilate and then collapsed to the floor. She clutched her head as she started to panic and cry.

Suddenly, part of the bed frame, which reached to the ceiling and was on fire, gave way and fell. It struck Freed, bounced off of him, and broke the window.

“Ouch! It hurts hurts hurts!” Freed exclaimed while he violently put out the fire on his arm before he finally used magic. “Well, whatever,” He said after he had regained his relative composure. “I suppose I should just leave you to your grieving.” his expression revealed he was enjoying seeing Martel’s pain. “Such a pity. She was the reason I agreed to participate in this nonsense. Say, I remember hearing that she has a sister. Perhaps she will be more… Willing.” He said as he jumped out the window.

Martel didn’t care about Freed’s departure as he desperately tried to see if he could save her. Tears started to stream down his face as he gingerly held her. He felt an indescribable amount of pain as if her wound was his. She had several broken ribs, one of which had pierced her lings. Freed’s Ki had also severely damaged her other internal organs, so she was bleeding internally from many places, including her heart. He knew that Freyja at her best couldn’t heal such a wound, much less himself. Even if all the healers in Albion were in the room, they would most likely be unable to save her. At best, he could prolong her life by a couple of minutes, but it would all be for not.

Freyja weakly lifted her other hand to his cheek. “Tears, for me?” She said with a weak voice and smile.

“Of course.” He barely managed to get out.

“I’m happy,” She replied as blood began to spill from her mouth. She coughed weakly. “Please. Protect Morgan. Please protect them.”

“I will,” He replied as he moved in. The smell of smoke, the sound of flames, and the taste of iron filled his senses as he gave her a final kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too, My Hero,” She said with a painful and beautiful smile. “Please go, there isn’t time.”

He set her down gently and turned to leave. Fire blinded his eyes, and its crackle filled his ears. Before that moment, Martel would never have thought that hell was colored white.

Martel left the room and found Morgan curled up at the doorway. “Sorry, I have to go make sure the others are okay,” He said to her as he picked her up before he took off into a sprint. He already knew Morgan was there, and could only leave Freyja as he couldn’t separate from Morgan and needed to protect the others. As far as he knew, Freed was heading to the other girls so he could only get there as quickly as possible.

Morgan could barely think. Her vision was blurry. As he ran, all she could hear was the beat of the heart in his chest, a crackle like fire, and explosions in the distance.

She did not know what happened next. Eventually, the sting of the night air came upon her cheek, and all she could see was darkness. She knew that hell was colored pitch black.

Freyja lay dying as the white fire approached her. Martel had just left her to protect Morgan.

[I know he will. He will protect her.] She coughed as blood leaked from her mouth. Her body became cold and numb as tears fell from her eyes. [I do not wish to die. How I want to live. I want him to hold me. I want him to kiss me again. I want him to embrace me. I want to feel his warmth. I want to be his completely. I want to have his children. I want to grow old with him. I want to love him more. How cruel that I cannot even die in his arms. Is the world so cruel to deny me that? Is there no one who will answer my wish, my prayer?] With that final thought, when an illusion that defied her senses and responded to her prayers appeared before her, the cold blackness of death embraced her and she died with a smile on her face.

...

The sun had finally risen as Martel, sat limply in a chair. To him, this night was the longest he had ever experienced. After the fires had been contained, they revealed entirely burned rooms. There was nothing but ash; no bodies were left to bury. Not even the bones remained.

Freed had never intended to go after the girls. Instead, he intentionally mentioned that he would to spread misinformation, most likely to confuse reinforcements. Because he was spreading more fires to create more cover for his escape, he had run into Grandma. Unfortunately, they were a decent distance apart, and a few Carlisle plants intercepted her and Freed got away.

As Martel sat limply in the chair, he looked over at Morgan with his dull and swollen eyes. Similarly, Shiro had fallen asleep in Caelia’s lap, and the two of them fell cried themselves to sleep. Caelia looked exhausted, and bloodshot eyes revealed she had shed tears. She occasionally gave a worried glance at Martel, who took no note of it. Cali rested on Martel’s arm expressionless as always. However, she was not completely emotionless as she attempted to deal with the strange sense of loss. Time slipped by them, unnoticed.

The door opened, and Duran walked in, paper in hand. Though he tried to hide it, he also showed signs of tears. When he saw the women were asleep, he made his way to and spoke softly to Martel.

“A report has come in. Carlisle is invading. They do not even give us time to grieve.

Martel looked at Duran, then rubbed his eyes. “What happened.”

Duran sighed. “It was a long premeditated plan; long before you even showed up. They planted and bribed staff and guards for years. After administering a slow-acting poison that causes lethargy earlier to the guards, they practically walked in with a disguise. In their drowsiness, if not sleep, the guards were quietly killed by Freed. They planned this out as they couldn’t have gotten the news of success by the time they invaded. It would happen regardless.”

“How about the people responsible.”

Duran’s expression became heavy. “We managed to catch a couple who weren’t willing to commit suicide and informed us of the secret paths, but everyone else was long gone.” Duran looked intently at Martel.

“I should have done something about Freed.”

Duran shook his head. “There would have been no point. We would have suffered a massive backlash and Carlisle would have declared war anyway. You can only say you should have in hindsight. Besides, this plan has existed for years. They knew and had infiltrated the castle so thoroughly that they would have succeeded regardless of Freed’s participation.”

“Is there nothing we could have done?”

“Instead of thinking about what we could or should have done, we should think about what we need to do now. Martel, Camelot needs its Hero.”

“No, no, they do not. What they truly need now is a king, a leader. That is not me.”

“Though that may be true, right now I need you. We do not have the military power to hold them back at this time. By the time Roxburghshire sends aid, Carlisle will have reached here unless we stop them. Please fight with me, let us avenge them.” He said with anger.

Martel looked at him with the sorrowful expression. “And what good avenging do? Will it bring them back? No. Tell me again, why should I fight with you?”

Duran took a second to ponder what Martel said. “Fight with me to protect those of us who are still alive.”

Martel looked at the young ladies in the room. “While I have no desire to fight, that is the only reason worthwhile. I’m going to have to bring them with me.”

Duran nodded his head. “They will probably be safest in your care with that bastard still about. We must leave immediately. The river is slowing their advance, but we need to reinforce our frontline before they get past the mountain choke point if we are to have any chance of victory.”

“I understand. We are going to gather our things.”

Martel helped the young ladies prepare to leave. Thankfully, Caelia was still coherent enough to help them out. After they had prepared, Martel made his way to his room. From underneath his bed, he pulled out a case that was not from this world. Martel unlocked the case and looked at the contents inside.

“You’re wrong, Duran. What Camelot needs isn’t a hero. It needs a king… And it needs a monster.”

...

Time seemed to pass slowly as the five of them made their way to the front lines. Though they traveled quickly, Duran took off ahead with his guards. There were many towns along the way, so they planned to stop at local taverns. At the first tavern, they rented three rooms. For the first time, Martel slept alone. He even asked Cali to sleep in Morgan’s room. As he lay in his bed and drowned in his thoughts, he barely registered the figure that entered the dark room and sat down next to him. Morgan gently tugged on his sleeve and Martel meekly looked at her. She showed him an expression he had never seen before; A face of extreme loneliness, sadness, innocence, and vulnerability.

“Hey, can you make me feel better?” She whispered.

Martel tilted his head in confusion.

“You… You can do whatever you want to me.” She whispered detachedly.

Martel did not know what came over him as he forced her down on the bed. The desire to forget everything just took over both of their actions. In the next instant, Martel found himself on top of her. He looked at her for a short time. Her body shook, she held her arms across her chest, and her eyes flickered closed.

Martel stayed there frozen. When the slight drip of his tears struck her face, she opened her eyes. He adjusted his position and sat down next to her and gently stroked her cheek. “Sorry,” He said meekly. “We’re both dealing with quite a bit, aren’t we? We can’t do something that I know the both of us will only regret.” He made a small smile. “I love you too much to do that to you.”

Tears slowly started to run down her face until she began to cry in earnest. Martel gently laid down next to her, hugged her, and joined her as she wept.

After some time, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

End of Day -166