Chapter 4: Mother Dearest

In front of Asher stood a large mansion , built with an iron gate and thick walls that seemed to encircle the whole place. 

 

A man dressed in all black, his hair was slicked back so tight he probably didn't have any natural strands left. When he smiled, the light reflected off his teeth as well as the smile he gave Asher when he came into view. His eyes were cold, but they sparkled when Asher met them. 

 

He recognized the man instantly watching the well-dressed servant smile with his sharp fangs as his sharpened nails protruded through his gloves.

 

"You're going to be a fine prince one day." He said before walking away, leaving the prince stunned at the door.

 

"Asher!" Came a voice calling from inside. "Come on! We've got a lot to catch up on since we last saw each other!"

 

His mother's face popped out of one of the many windows and she waved at him frantically, her grin broad. 

 

Asher let out a sigh before walking towards the door and following the man. When they arrived, Asher was shocked by how different this place looked from the castle. It was huge and intimidating with tall stone pillars lining the sides of the wide driveway. A large gate covered it completely, with a huge guard station at its entrance. In front of them was a white marble statue with a small boy sitting beside it. 

 

The little boy held a toy sword; as if he were preparing for a fight Ash felt gripped by watching almost tranced. Forced into a strange new world and suddenly learning his Mother wasn't who he thought she was, Asher still couldn't figure out what to think or how to react.

 

He just hoped he wouldn't make a mistake this time. Once he made it past the guards, they passed some servants doing the same things they were before. Their clothes looked similar, like that of the royal palace back home. One of the men looked up when they entered the building, and gave a friendly nod to them.

 

The palace was even more extravagant than Asher imagined. He never even dreamed the kingdom had something like this.

 

He walked until they reached a door with a large sign.

 

'The Great Hall' 

 

The name sounded so grand.

 

The servants stopped before another pair of large oak doors. They knocked twice and waited patiently until a servant opened them. 

 

"Your mother is here, Prince Asher." He informed them respectfully before ushering them in.

 

Inside the hall was filled with rows upon rows of chairs where many people sat. Some were talking amongst themselves while others wore a serious look. 

 

"I think I am gonna leave..." Ash said nervously. 

 

The door slammed shut behind him, and his hand moved instinctively towards the hilt of his sword. A crowd of maids and butlers pulled out weapons before their eyes widened.

 

Ash had to draw his blade quickly when the first maid with short brown hair threw a punch, but it barely phased him. The second threw herself at him, aiming to break both his ribs. She landed two hard kicks to his stomach, but he barely staggered backward.

 

He raised his sword once again to block her next attack only for someone else to block the way and push him down onto his knees.

 

"Stop! This doesn't need to happen!" A voice called above the chaos. It was followed by a loud gasp.

 

Looking up at the throne. He saw the queen standing there looking regal as ever, but her expression was a mixture of worry and concern.

 

"You are such a bad boy, Prince Asher." She scolded lightly, placing a cool hand on his cheek. She examined his injuries carefully and smiled gently.

 

His mother took a step back from him, lowering her head and taking a deep breath. When she lifted it, her blue eyes shone with tears. "Asher... I'm so sorry.... You see-" she began, trying to find the right words.

 

"Does this have to do with me looking for my sister?!" He shouted.

 

"Do you really think you will be able to find her?" She snapped angrily. "Even if you manage to survive the journey, do you really think you will leave here with her?" 

 

The room went dead silent as everyone stared at Asher. His breathing quickened as the room went deadly quiet, as though someone had killed all the animals in the room.When the moment finally ended, they broke eye contact with him and lowered their heads. Everyone except for the Queen, who stood in the middleof the crowd, staring at him with a stony expression on her face.

 

"You could have ruled peacefully" she growled. 

"What is going on with you mother?" Ash yelled. 

 

"Who do you think you are?!"

 

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She closed her eyes and breathed heavily through her nose. "I am your mother Asher." She replied evenly. "And I care about you." Her eyes softened as her tone shifted to a softer one. She sighed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

 

"Then why won't you tell me anything?" Asher questioned. 

 

A mysterious figure burst through glass of the mansion's windows, startling everyone. When the sound of breaking glass reached his ears, he knew whatever was happening wasn't good. He turned around quickly to see a man wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie holding a sword as if his life depended on it. 

 

“What the fuck?!” Asher yelled.

 

"Prince Ash we need to leave now!" The man said rushing towards him. As the intruder drew closer, Asher could feel his blood boil at the sight of his face. He knew this man from somewhere, but he couldn't place where.

 

"How dare you interrupt a royal convention!" The Queen shrieked. "Get out of my sight this instant!"

 

"You can't order me around anymore Your Highness." The intruder sneered.

 

"Get them immediately!" The queen demanded. 

 

The maids and butlers charged the intruder and Ash hurling chains and weapons at them attacking the intruder and Asher could swear he saw him use a magic spell as he sent a maid flying across the hall. With all the fighting, Asher lost track of his senses. The intruder was too fast for him to follow and every time he tried, he would get blocked by a maid or butler. There were too many of them.

 

"Leave this to me, Prince Asher!" The intruder bellowed as the maids and butlers fell apart from his blows. He swung his sword, sending maids flying everywhere, and sliced through butler after butler. 

 

The intruder continued to advance until finally, one of the maids jumped onto him with everything she had. She used her fists to knock him down, and managed to land a powerful kick on his abdomen. The intruder groaned and she stepped back. With the distraction from the maid, another maid attacked, grabbing his sword and slashing the intruder.

 

Asher rushed forward as the intruder struggled against the maid who was holding onto him by his collar.

 

"Give up!" She screamed.

 

A knife came slicing out of nowhere, slicing across the maids arms and cutting deeply into flesh. The intruder' grip loosened and allowed the maid to pull the knife out of his throat. Blood poured out of his neck and stained his white dress and the floor beneath him, but he did nothing to stop.

 

In an instant he flipped the maid onto the ground and plunged a dagger into her heart. The maid gasped and tried to scream, but no sound came out. She grabbed his arm to try and pull away from him, but he didn't budge, and the stab was deeper.

 

Her hands dropped lifelessly to the ground, and her eyes grew dim. Suddenly, he pulled the knife away from the maid and turned to the next person. The next maid was cut in half before she even realized what happened. 

 

As soon as the maid's body hit the ground, another maid charged at him. Asher slashed her, sending her across the hall to the floor where she laid motionless.

 

The intruder's body vanished in a heap of smoke to appear on the other side of the room holding the large sword up to the queen's neck. His mask covered his entire face. The queen stared at him with wide frightened eyes. 

 

"We're done here…come Prince Asher" He stated firmly turning back to the butler that stabbed him. The butler shook slightly and slowly lowered his weapon.

 

The queen seemed frozen on her throne until her maids ran to protect her in a chain side by side, the queen moved the others out of the way dragging a weapon behind her back in anger. Before either of them could reach the exit, three women jumped down off the steps and headed straight to him.

 

They surrounded Asher, blocking him from escaping with their spears. 

 

"No!" The intruder protested raising his sword.

 

Just then a bright flash blinded the guards, leaving their vision blurry. Asher was held still by his mother's hand slamming the discolored tip of the spear into his back many times laughing out loud angrier than she had ever been before.

 

"Let go of him!" The intruder shouted furiously.

 

"No..it has come to an end." The queen replied calmly, removing her hand from his head and allowing him to move freely. "Take him away. You may not be needed any longer. The prince will be under my  protection."

 

Asher was too weak from blood loss to fight anyone off dropping the sword from the palm of his hands. The queen strolled over revealing the true face of the intruder. 

 

"Rian...How could you do this me?" She frowned.

 

“May your kingdom fall my Queen!” He threatened. 

 

“Now, let us begin the process of your punishment.” The queen laughed cruelly.

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