Have you ever felt fear? Genuine unparalleled fear? That feeling that bites at your skin and makes every hair on your body stand up straight? Well that's exactly what I felt when I heard angry heels clicking down the hallway towards my study, being all too familiar with what would follow next. I swallowed, looking up from a document that I had been reading through when I heard her sharp voice slice through the air.

May Apollo bless my soul, I knew she'd find out sooner or later.

Before I knew it the door burst open and right there, standing between two very uncomfortable looking guards was Queen Peleth, my lovely mother. She was seething and though she tried to keep up her composure, I knew that she would much rather drag me to the courtyard and challenge me to a duel right this instant.

"Three days? THREE DAYS?! YOU'VE HAD THE VAMPIRE KING LOCKED IN OUR DUNGEONS FOR THREE BLOODY DAYS? WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE?"

I physically recoiled when her shrill scream pierced my ears, I may be king, but sometimes even I doubted who really was in charge.

"He was trespassing upon Appollonian land without warning or a permit, that's a violation of the truce-" I stammered, fruitlessly attempting to explain my case. My face heated up, the insecure tremble in my voice worsening each second I sought for an excuse.

"A violation of the truce- HE GOT LOST WITH HIS ENTOURAGE WHILE HUNTING, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, ARRIN!" My mother screeched, throwing her hands up before giving a deep exasperated sigh, deflating like a balloon. "My nerves, Arrin, my poor nerves, you know how sensitive I am to news like that" she lamented, leaning on one of the guards who would looked like he'd rather be walking his fish right now or something equally as important.

The queen slipped a fan out of her dress and started fanning herself, dramatically sighing again before shooting me a glare with those honey eyes of her.

"You're going to release him, immediately" she ordered and I stood up to protest.

"Mother- he-"

"He what? What did he truly do wrong?" Peleth snapped, throwing another accusatory glare at me while frantically waving her fan. Any faster and I swore she'd fly off.

I opened my mouth a few times, about to say something, face turning more and more red every time I closed my mouth again and had to admit to myself that I had no reason to keep him here. Sometimes I wondered why I kept pushing myself into these narrow corners.

"Maybe it's time you admit to yourself that you're just a childish and spiteful man, and all you really wanted to do was to intimidate that poor boy just because you felt like it"

She was right, of course she was right. But that "poor boy" didn't sit right with me. Sure, Ophyr had never hurt or insulted me before. Our most heated conversation had been three days ago when I locked him up here and his harsh words had been justified. But he was still Queen Diana's son and there was no way in hell that there wasn't at least a drop of pure evil in that pretty boy's body.

Despite how I felt or what I wanted to do, I knew my mother was right. Sareth needed it's king back and I had no reason to keep him here. Right now my decision was flirting with a breach of the truce and there was no way in hell that I'd let it get that far, So reluctantly I shoved my chair behind my desk and straightened my back, gesturing at the guards to follow me.

——————-

Being locked up wasn't fun. This cell was cold and I couldn't move around much due to the chain and the small size of the room. Worst of all, the blood they brought me wasn't of my preferred quality , I couldn't use my full array of powers and if that one annoying guard Dave decided to sing that one "ode to Apollo" song for the umpteenth time today I was personally going to skin him alive.

I had to admit however that is was nice to be away from work for a bit. Back at the castle there always was something to do. I had documents to look over, meetings to attend, events to organise and citizen's issues I had to listen too. Stress and worry had become two integral feelings in my day to day life. Of course I felt a bit guilty that I currently was rendered useless, but luckily my younger sister Lyliane had been notified of my arrest a few hours after I had been locked up here. She'd take over my title as ruler for a bit until Arrin decided that he had had his fun and would let me go.

Luckily the Appollonian king had been nice enough to release my entourage after a day, oh the bare minimum...

I was currently laying on my bed, dressed in a loose black robe that was made of fine silk. It elegantly draped around my body and I had to admit that Arrin certainly had an eye for good fashion. I hummed, gently running my fingers of my right hand over that of my left, pausing when I felt the familiar cool touch of my ring.

A smirk slid onto my lips as I slipped it off and held it up, watching the candlelight reflect off of it before I sat up and gingerly held the accessory in my left hand. "Let's check up on Lyliane" I mumbled to myself, gently tapping the three red rubies that were embedded in the silver.

It had been a gift made for me during my first diplomatic trip to Oddin, capital of Gadriar, the kingdom of mages. Never had I ever felt so ridiculously homesick than during that trip, so when a lovely local offered to make me something that would help me keep in touch with home I was beyond curious. A seer ring, it allowed the user to check up on what was going on back home. Most mages used one as a type of security system, so they could quickly make sure that their homes weren't being broken into while out or on the job. It was surprising how common this item was in Gadriar, yet in Sareth I (luckily) seemed to be the only owner of one.

Slowly after I tapped the rubies a small thin portal the size of a plate appeared right above my hands and soon enough I could recognise the corridor it was showing me. Softly humming a tune, I steered the portal around, sliding down the hall before finally reaching my sister's bureau.

It was unfortunate how discreet this portal was, the others in the castle couldn't see it nor could I directly communicate with it, but for now it was enough to just help me check up on those I held dear. The second the portal phased through the bureau door however my smile faltered.

Lyliane was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and a frown gracing her young face, a waterfall of ebony hair that matched mine cascading down her shoulders and back, her cold blue eyes however were fixed on another hooded figure, one that send chills down my spine.

"So when do you think he'll be back?" My sister said, venom dripping from each word. The figure opposite of her gave a deep raspy sigh, a skeletal hand appearing out of his bells sleeved robe.

No, it couldn't be.

"Soon..."

the creature rasped, gurgling that sounded like the bubbling of a swamp slipping out from his wretched mouth with each vowel that left his throat. "Patience-..is ...key" every word he spoke was slow and well articulated, as if it hurt.

From a tattered sleeve appeared a skeletal hand, moving towards the desk in the room before clasping around a small vile resting on the dark wood.

The ring in my hands trembled along to the shaking of my palms, fear crawling up my veins and seemed to paralyse me while my brain was still trying to comprehend the scene.

I didn't know why my sister was associating with him- hell I didn't even know that he could do anything else besides killing and controlling. Surly this was all an illusion, maybe the ring was broken, maybe it was just showing me my worst nightmares instead of-

"Once-...returned"

The vile reflected the candlelight dancing in the room.

"He'll sleep-..."

the monster paused to breathe, my throat tightened and I felt my eyes starting to water as my brain began to piece everything together. It was there, it was all crystal clear, but my mind refused to accept it.

I couldn't.

She was my sister, my favourite little Lyliane.

We grew up together, lived through the war together, we cried when watching mother descend into madness together.

"-....for ....eternity"

I saw a twisted smirk slide onto my own sibling's lips and my heart broke.

Blood is thicker than water they say.

Blood of the covenant and water of the womb.

"I'll be queen"

Never had three words dug so deep into my heart, like silver daggers mercilessly cutting my flesh.

She seemed so triumphant, so glad to in-vision and plan my death. I felt sick. I didn't know when I had begun to cry but I was suddenly aware of the warm drops of blood that slid down my pale cheeks, dripping down through the portal and landing in my hands.

"A Queen who will immediately search for the killer of her dear brother and beloved king of Sareth- a king who died just hours after returning from being locked up by those horrible paladins... the people of Sareth won't like that news and they'll want revenge"

A wolfish grin split a smile into her lips.

"And as Queen of Sareth I'll lead them to the gates of Appollis and we'll burn them down"

I couldn't listen anymore, I couldn't deal with these revelations. The initial paralysing confusion and fear was starting to wear off and I was able to raise my right hand, about to draw the closing rune when the hooded figure turned around

My breath hitched as my eyes met his.

A flash of hollow sockets, obscured by the shadow of a veil, mummified skin and gums tightly wrapped around the teeth of a corpse.

I knew he couldn't see mee, I knew he couldn't hear me.

Right?

With every last inch of willpower I looked away and drew the rune, successfully making the portal collapse and disappear, leaving me in a cold dark cell with my own thoughts and dried streaks of blood marking my cheeks.

Alone and terrified.

Sudden footsteps echoed through the dungeon halls but I was still too shocked to really register them, that was until the cell door got unlocked and flew open, revealing King Arrin and The Queen mother Peleth accompanied by two guards.

"King Ophyr of Sareth, I have decided that you shall be released this instant by the request of my dear mo-"

I didn't let him finish.

"My sister is planning to assassinate me and frame you for it"

My words sounded hollow, body numb as I cut the king off.

Instantly the mood in the room dropped.

"She wants an excuse to break the truce and attack Appollis, she wants to restart the war"

I took a shaky breath, looking back at the four who had come to release me from my prison, clutching that cursed ring in my unsteady hands. The image of that creature's empty sockets staring blankly into my eyes flashing through my mind and I repressed a sob.

"Lyliane is working with the lich"