Prince of Laskerville.

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.

.

A loud cracking sound abruptly broke the deafening quiet that had been in control of the room since the letter arrived.

"You said the well is secure now that he isn't there anymore and won't return to his hell.'

"My child still has to offer more despite all the sacrifices he has already made for this land. "Why?" Isabella shouted while crying and crouching down.

Carlos dashed toward Isabella and tried to hold her but she slapped his hand away and when she tried to slide back to get away from Carlos, she got hurt by the scattered pieces of broken teapot that Isabella threw away before.

Isabella shouted once more, her hand bleeding, "All of this is your fault."

With shocked and anxious looks on their faces, Eragon and Nicolas were seated still.

"My queen, your hand..." Carlos began to speak slowly but stopped when he noticed his lovely wife giving him a furious glare.

In a fit of wrath and sorrow, Isabella went without waiting any longer. Carlos was looking at the door that slammed shut in front of him as he was firmly clutching the letter in his hand.

"Carlos, are you all right?" Nicolas questioned as he moved closer to him.

"How?" Carlos grumbled.

Nicolas stopped when he noticed Carlos' face had the most unusual look of all the ones he had ever seen. He had seldom seen Carlos being irate.

"How did my 10 years of laborious effort on the abyss end up being so useless?" Carlos erupted.

"The void you made is perfect, there must be something more that we are missing that led to their being there," Eragon remarked as he turned his attention from the map to Nicolas seated next to him.

"What are you saying?" Nicolas enquired.

Eragon approached Carlos and put his hand on his shoulder to soothe him and get his attention.

"The mountains could still have some of his supporters there after the chasm was built, and they must have paved a passage for him to enter so that he might be close to Lydan," Eragon replied.

After hearing Eragon, Carlos and Nicolas' eyes widened as they understood how silly it was of them to have missed such a simple issue.

Carlos looked toward Edward and questioned, "How did something so evident..." before Nicolas interrupted him.

"Are I correct, Eragon, that although we didn't forget to do it, someone else forced us to do it without our knowledge?" Nicolas enquired.

Carlos questioned, "What do you mean?"

"Nicolas, you are correct, but there is also a solution," Eragon remarked.

Nicolas whirled around to face Eragon and was startled to hear hurried but muffled footsteps coming from the hallway.

"What is the solution if someone is not with us and is in our way, as you claim?" Carlos enquired.

Eragon said as the room's door suddenly slammed open, "The holy power."

To everyone's surprise, the door to the room crashed open, and a servant hurried in, stopping at the entryway and bowing as he entered while panting profusely.

"Your highness, pardon my intrusion, but the queen..." The menial paused in mid-sentence to take a breath. Hearing the menial made Carlos nervous.

...

The queen was ready to board the carriage, which was stationed in front of the castle's main entrance with a few attendants and servants waiting for her.

Carlos sprinted out of the castle as the front door crashed shut.

"My queen!" said Carlos. Isabella paused at that.

Carlos approached Isabella, his face etched with worry. The fact that the servants were standing beside her prevented Isabella from shaking his hand this time, so he held onto hers.

"Your Majesty, what is it?" Isabella enquired.

Isabella patiently listened as Carlos nervously squeezed her hand and described the ideas Eragon had given.

Carlos grinned as he noted Isabella's glare growing warm and relieved.

"If you go to our son like this, he'll undoubtedly get suspicious, and we have the battle to rush to too," Carlos remarked.

Finally consenting to Carlos' frantic request, Isabella groaned heavily and entered the castle.

A dense black fog gradually began to encircle the whole continent of Dragmire, as if indicating for someone, who was about to arrive.

…

After a couple of months.

"Why is he coming here?" Ophni yelled.

All the other royals sat on the divan in the main hall, which reverberated with the sound of his words.

Sebastian stated, bowing before leaving the room, "This is the only message we have gotten from the head of the academy."

"Why in our academy?" Ophni yelled once again.

Despite their scarlet faces, Arlo and Lynorr were doing their best to contain their laughter.

"Who is he?" Lydan made a gesture toward Ayrton, who was seated next to him.

Ayrton said with a smile, "He is the prince of Laskerville."

Ophni was brooding as he circled the royals back and forth.

"It is the Holy Power Kingdom, am I correct?" Lydan gestured once more.

Being oblivious to Ophni's babbling for a bit while reading his book, Feron eventually took a deep breath, closed the book in his hand, and turned to face Lydan.

Lydan's eyes lit up as Feron said, "Yes, and he is famed for possessing the strongest holy power in the entire kingdom."

Ophni, who was restless, abruptly came to a stop next to Lydan. Because of the overwhelming sea of wrath, he was in, he had faint red smoke traces in his eyes.

"Do you hear me? That weasel from that ant-like kingdom is a pervert." Lydan was surprised when Ophni yelled.

Arlo and Lynorr, who had been trying to rein in their laughing, suddenly gave in to fate and began to horselaugh, which reverberated throughout the whole main hall.

As Ophni ran toward Arlo and Lynorr, the crimson smoke that had been barely discernible in his eyes was now flashing high, activating their flight reaction.

Arlo and Lynorr both utilized their respective wood control and water abilities to leap out the window as a furious Ophni pursued them.

Lydan laughed, looking at the three of them running out of the window, and didn't notice Feron and Ayrton, who were anxious.

To be continued...