1 The End - Part One

Bloodstained and exhausted, Princess Daphonnie, the future queen of Acnologia breathes a sigh of relief. Five hundred years of bloodshed is almost over, she thought. Many believed this day would never come. Yet, the war waged on between the nations of Acnologia and Codonia. Even after the lineage of their bloodlines lingered on the edge of extinction. No living soul could even remember what had sparked The Great War. Before his death, Daphonnie father told her that the hostility began over the heart of a woman. Love became hatred, which flourished into a massacre. That strife ends today if Daphonnie Acnologia can kill the love of her life.

King Whitney of Codonia bleeds out at Princess Daphonnie's feet. For a cowardly king, he was an admirable opponent. The Princess would never admit it though. This should have been expected considering they had both trained their entire lives for this very moment. Instead of bedtime stories, they were told legends of the Warzone. Kill, conquer, kill, are the narratives of their fairy tales.

The Warzone was once a prison for the world's worst criminals. Centuries ago, the top scientist and magicians from around the world came together to form the impassable mist which surrounds the Warzone. A mist that makes communication from outside of the warzone impossible. Which is no small feat considering the boundary surrounds an immense island. The only way to travel off of the island is with an aircraft which made it the most logical location for a never-ending war.

Daphonnie entered the warzone shortly after her seventeenth birthday due to the death of her father. He was slain by the hand of the late King Westly Codonia. In the beginning, she was shocked by the stark differences between the warzone and her home. She expected the warzone to be a wasteland defiled by the degenerates. Yet, when she finally built up the courage to venture into the small cities surrounding the Acnologian base. She found communities that relied on one another for survival.

The majority of people in the warzone were born inside their prisons cells. Although they were stripped of all modern comforts of life like electricity and indoor plumbing. The prisoners of the warzone stood hand in hand to create a peaceful home for the generations to come. Very few native Warzone citizens have seen the outside would. Most never want to see it. They merely wish to live their lives in peace.

Not every occupant of the warzone felt the same. Especially The Warden, the warzone's self-selected leader. After centuries of the great war wreaking havoc upon their home, someone had finally had enough. While their identity remains unknown, over the last ten years they have amassed a grand following which dwarfs that of the Acnologian and Codonian forces combined. Their primary objective is to destroy the mist by any means necessary. Once freed they plan to march on both warring nations to return to the pain and sorrow, they forcefully inflicted upon the innocent citizens of the warzone. It is only natural to loathe those who hold you captive.

What no one could expect was the wave of sympathy that would wash over Daphonnie as she watched King Whitney gasp for air below her. Maybe it was a symptom caused by his golden eyes gazing into her. The same eyes she met all those years ago. She always knew he would grow into an attractive man. In another life, they could have loved each other for an eternity. Unfortunately, in this life all they had to offer the other was death.

A brutal reality Daphonnie was forced to accept over the last decade. If only she could tell King Whitney that she loved him one more time. However, she would not allow herself to utter such sweets words. She decided long ago that King Whitney should never know that she was the girl he fell in love with under the moonlight. It would be his undoing

"Do it." Whitney whispers. The Princess barely hears his pleas over the clashing of swords.

"It is not for men to decide when they die. You are of no exception to this rule. You will die when I allow it." Daphonnie taunts.

"Rumor has it you once said killing me was your birthright," he mocks in return. "This war has waged on for too long. End it now. Then our country's can finally know peace."

The king failed to notice that the princess was still mentally convincing herself to take the fatal blow. Her hands had already been stained with the blood of countless men and women. All for the sake of my kingdom. That was her duty after all. She could do anything for her people, except killing the golden-eyed boy whose lips taste like the sweetest of honey.

"Your death will never bring peace. It merely brews sorrow." Daphonnie reveals in a moment of weakness.

"Millions of Codonians have died with the hope of a brighter tomorrow in their hearts. Be it with my life or my sword, I promised my people this battle would end with me." King Whitney pleads with conviction.

"We were delusional to believe that this war would end with our bloodlines. Just like I took my father's place, and you took your brothers, anyone can take ours. What if we are the only two who wish to stop fighting?" Daphonnie confesses.

"We're not, look at our men." King Whitney urges.

Daphonnie glances around them. The battle had ceased during her hesitation. Both sides watched on in anticipation of the final blow. The hopeful eyes of the men and women surrounding her renewed Daphonnie's determination to acquire peace.

"I was still a teen when I first stepped into the warzone." She states. "I remember being frightened by the sound of metal clashing. The cries of men dying haunted my dreams. For the first year, I hid inside my tent until I almost died. An enemy soldier found me after he singlehandedly murdered my royal guard. He mocked me too by saying the war was not a place for a little girl like me. Maybe he was right, but even with my eyes were filled with tears, I knew the man who killed my father stood before me. I am honored to say the first life I took was that of your brother, King Westley."

"And mine shall be your last?" Whitney asks bitterly sweetly.

"No, your life shall be the first I spare. This war will not end with my life or yours, but with our words." Princess Daphonnie tosses her sword and helmet to the ground. Instead of death, she offers King Whitney her hand.