Chapter 33 - The Dondoyle

The king's death shocked the whole kingdom of Arimelari. The whole kingdom was officially opened day and night as the law for the people to change their way of life was taken with the king's word and after his death, it was lifted. The people of Arimelari moaned the death of their king.

The prince stayed in his room and refused any visitors in. He kept to himself for days in his palace. He would be a human by day and turn into a dragon by night. He was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened.

"Francis," Olivia called out to him. "I need your help," she said to him.

"What can I do for you princess?" he asked her.

"Alexander, he needs to come out of seclusion. There are many things that he needs to take care of. He needs to be here to guide Arimelari in this trying time," she said.

"Get him out of that room, he refuses to listen to anyone else," she added.

Francis stared at her for a while and went back to gazing at the sun. "Did you not tell me to stay away from him. What were your exact words," he said and paused to think back to what she has said? "He is mine and only I know what he needs," he stated.

"The kingdom is in danger and the people are dying but all you care about is your pride?"

"My mother and sister are dying of thirst too. They haven't had a sip of water to drink since the water was cursed. I am just as worried as you are," he said to her.

"Prove it and get Alexander out of the room," she challenged.

Francis got up from his seat and walked away, he headed to Alexander's room. He felt nervous about meeting the prince, he had done everything that he could to avoid meeting him after their last talk. But he set aside all his fears and walked into the room.

"Alex," he named getting inside the room. He looked around the room but the room was empty and the one he was seeking was nowhere to be seen. He rushed out of the room immediately.

"I knew it, you wouldn't do it," Olivia said appearing from behind the door. "What do you want to achieve by being stubborn. Think about the queen who happens to be your favorite. She won't have the honor of watching her husband's last rites being performed unless the prince does so," she said so in one breath not giving Francis to speak.

"The prin..."

"Yes, the prince. He is the only one who can help us all right now. Please, just set aside your ego and talk to him," she scolded angrily.

"Shut up," Francis yelled. "If you just listen to me then..."

"Then what? Do you think that you can frighten me from speaking the truth by shooting at me? That won't happen, Francis, I will tell the truth whether you want to hear it or not," she said confidently.

Francis walked away not seeing the point of trying to tell that the prince was missing. He ran around the whole palace asking about the prince. Everyone he asked gave him the same answer that they had not seen the prince. He searched the whole palace but the prince was nowhere to be seen.

He went over to the queen to inform her that the prince is missing. He arrived at her chamber and entered the room. He found the queen with a glass of water ready to drink. His heart fell to the bottom of his stomach. He sprinted to her and slapped the glass of water away from her.

He took into his arms and hugged her, he held her in his arms without saying anything. He couldn't come up with anything to say that will make her feel better after everything that had happened.

"Where is Alexander?" she asked after a while.

"Resting, he was feeling down today so I asked him to rest," he said lying through his teeth.

"Everything is falling apart. Help me, Francis," she begged to hold on to him.

"Everything will be a fine mother. I will take care of it," he said and helped her to lay down. He stayed by her side until she fell asleep. She had bags under her eyes so Francis could tell that she hadn't been well.

He took off from her room and went to the royal physician. He requested him to make some sleeping syrup for the queen and have it sent to her.

"Where are you Alexander?" he asked himself while trying to figure out what to do in the prince's absence.

'Dondoyle,' he had a whisper as he walked on. 'Kill the dondoyle,' the voice came again. He ignored it and went in search of Malcolm, the prince's right hand. If anyone would know where the prince was it had to be him.

'Kill the dondoyle,' the voice kept getting louder and louder. He tried to ignore the voice but it was getting harder. It was getting harder for him to see where he was going. The mark behind his head started glowing, he held on to the wall to keep himself on the ground but fell to the ground.

'Kill the dondoyle,' the voice screamed at him.

Francis got up from the floor, reached out behind his back and his sword appeared. He took hold of both of his swords in his hands. The swords glowed for a minute before he flew away from the palace.

He flew over Arimelari and headed towards the island of the dead souls. 'Kill the dondoyle,' he heard again. The louder the voice became the faster he flew towards the island.

He reached the island and landed on the ground. He walked on to the center of the island were six stones around it. He stood in the middle of the stones.

"Come out," he shouted at the top of his voice.

"And why has the chosen one decided to pay me a visit so suddenly?"

"My visit is not sudden. You should have expected it when you decided to send a dondoyle after me," he said.

"But you are still here are you not?" she questioned.

"But you won't be for long. Where is the dondoyle?" he asked her. She stopped him from talking by walking to him. She held him by the hand.

"Why are you so offended Francis?" she asked him seductively.

"Where is the dondoyle?" he inquired pushing her away.

"I don't know. I wasn't the one who sent him," she said but Francis was not buying it. "I swear that I was not the one who sent him.

Why would I, just look around? Because of his attack, my island is full of dead souls that I have to take care of. Do you think that I would give myself so much work only for one life?" she explained to him.

"If not you then who?"

"I don't know that but a dondoyle needs trapped water where it doesn't swim a long distance. That way it can keep releasing its poison," she said.

"If it's you that has poisoned the water that is killing people then I won't hesitate to end your life, Marga," he threatened.

Francis left the island and flew to the skies. 'Kill the dondoyle,' he had the voice again. The voice was so loud that he lost his balance and fell back down to the ground.

"Let me help you up," Marga said running to him. Francis took her hand and got up from the ground. 'Kill the dondoyle,' the voice said again this time with confidence.

Francis looked up at Marga and a wicked smirk appeared on his face. The grin disappeared as fast as it appeared on his face.

"Appearances can be deceiving am I right?" he asked her. He clutched his sword and pushed it through her heart. The sword glowed in her and shattered her soul and body and reduced it to ashes.

"A dondoyle taking the form of the high priestess. What in the world is going on?" he asked himself confused.

He went over to the stones and tapped on all of them, the stones remained still. The balance was broken, he could feel the pillars that maintained the balance of nature were not stable. The dark forces were finding holes that they were using to crawl up into their world and they are causing harm to people.

As the chosen one it was his responsibility to ensure that there was balance in the world. He sighed thinking about all the work that he would have to do and all the mess that he will have to clean up.

'Destroy the dragon king,' the voice started again. 'Kill him now,' it demanded from him.

Francis held his head trying to fight the urge that was demanding for him to kill the prince.

He let go of the swords and thought of happy things and came back to normal.. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness.