Ch. 83. The unknown man

(Unedited)

The land of the Vale, a kingdom that prospered through the power fo the dragon force. Greenery and crops were abundant, as the Origin dragon blessed the land, the dragon force permeating through every nook and crany to fill it with life.

The pokemon enriched the land even further, as both pokemon and people worked together to keep this vibrant lifestyle from fading.

The king of this land, Archibald the fourth, was known throughout this land as The king of the People of the Vale. He is a wise man, leading his people by example, as both him and his sons governed their people with kindness and wisdom.

Yet as of late, his sons had begun to argue.

One of his sons, William, sought nothing but the truth. He abhorred lies, deception and deceit more than anything, as they undermined his goal, to lead with justice and righteousness.

His other son, Adrian, sought nothing but to follow his ideal. He wanted to bring his people prosperity, following his ideals even if he had to deceive people, though the intention behind his actions were nothing but good in nature.

The clash between his sons kept going on for a while now, being the prime reason he, his sons and his ministers had gathered.

Yet that very discussion had gone awry when a stranger had appeared in front of them, petrified no longer.

As his sons had rushed to aid the young man. A healer arrived soon after, who paled at the sight and ordered the guards to rush the young man to the infirmary for emergency aid. The princes followed after the guards in a hurry, ensuring the injured man was being taken to the infirmary without any accidents, as well as to ascertain the situation at hand.

Meanwhile, Archibald had helped up the queen, who had fainted as soon as the bloodied young man had escaped his petrification. Catherine could not handle the sight of blood, as was apparent at her current state.

Fortunately she awoke soon after, though still pale an clearly nauseous.

Calling for her personal maid, Archibald let the maid escort the Queen out of the throne room to take some must needed reprieve of the current situation.

Not long after, the captain of the guard had returned.

"Your majesty, the unknown guest has been moved to the infirmary."

As if to attest to that, the older son William, returned not long after.

"Your Majesty, Captain. I have returned."

Archibald nodded slowly, his hand slowly combing through his long beard.

The room remained silent, as the ministers awaited for the king to speak. Yet the king did not, as he remained deep in throught.

Instead, an unexpected voice spoke up.

[The creator has spoken. It presented a glimpse of the unknown. The future is clouded, yet it can still regain its clarity]

Moving from behind the throne, the ministers scampered back as the protector of the throne came forward.

(Picture here*)

Massive in stature, its black and white body made a clear contrast to the colorful robes the ministers wore. A pair of eyes stared down at the king and princes, a hint of affection in the tone of the voice.

"What does this entail? Is the land in peril?"

Archibald spoke, rising from his throne as he laid a hand on the dragon's body.

[That is to be seen. Yet this unknown factor can bring the change you have sought.]

The dragon hummed, sparks of dark lightning flickering about as its head swept to the side, its eyes seemingly peering through the wall as it locked on a certain young man.

.

.

.

Peeking from the side into the throne room, a young girl spied on her father and brothers, wondering what was going on inside. 

Annabelle had never been one to listen to others, having disobeyed the order of her father, the king, to eavesdrop on the situation. She knew her brothers had gotten in more fights as of late, yet she didn't really know why.

Hence the reason for her unlayd-like behavior, her wavy blonde hair tied in a ponytail, her dress tied in a knot at her waist, while her high silvery heels were thrown somewhere behind a bush. She needed to be stealthy after all.

At her side was her trusted partner, Kirlia. 

Kirlia had put a barrier around her, ensuring the guards could not hear her.

Her plan had been perfect, yet before the discussion could really start up, a bright light had appeared inside the throne room, a statuette of a young man appearing in front of them. The statue was like nothing she had seen before.

It appeared as if it could start to move any time.

Annabelle could see her mother staring down at the spectacle in curiosity, having edged a bit forward. If she had done the same, mother would surely have scolded her.

Her father had fallen silent, as his eyes locked on the statuette, the guards coming closer as her two brothers inched closer towards the statue.

Adrian, her favorite brother, though obnoxious nonetheless, edged closer to the statue, his hands moving about at the strange contraption it was one.

With a single touch of the hand, the statue changed under the frightened eyes of the ministers and her family.

Annabelle almost yelped in shock, spotting the blackhaired youth fall to the ground.

She could hear her mother shriek in horror, as she had no doubt fainted at the sight of blood. Her brothers however, called for a healer soon after, both of them instructing the guards to make a move as they fetched a healer.

Within minutes the healer arrived, who paled at the sight before him, yet still ordered to guards around him to move the young man to the infirmary.

Followed closely were her twin brothers, as they came closer and closer towards her.

Gulping loudly, she rushed to hide behind a curtain, peeking just a bit past it to spot the youth lying on a stretcher. He was all bloody, the blood flowing freely, yet it somehow did not frighten her as her eyes followed the group pass.

[Follow then Annabelle. Look after the youth.]

The voice of their guardian, Vahirom, spoke to her. It seemed interested, as much as she was, in the youth that had appeared.

"I will!"

She had no reason to refuse, as her adventurous spirit was set ablaze.

Running after her brothers, Annabelle arrived at the infirmary. She had been spotted by a few guards on the way, yet they didn't stop her, as she was running to the opposite direction. She had been known for being a tomboy, now was no different than usual.

Hidding behind a potted plant, she waited for her brothers to leave, as they would surely ask her what the hell she had done now to get injured. She didn't have to wait long, as William left just a minute later. Glancing inside past the door, she saw her brother Adrian a bit to the side, conversing with the head healer about the situation.

Seeing her chance, she jumped to the side of the bed, keeping herself from sight as she hid beneath it, a playful smirk on her face as she continued to eavesdrop. She did not want to explain herself, opting for a scolding if she was found out.

"Your highness, the injuries are not as severe as we had once thought. If anything, they are healing as we speak under the influence of the dragon force. He should be as good as new in a week or so."

The healer moved to the bed, his feet appearing within Annabelle's sight, her brother joining the healer.

"The oddest thing of the situation are these little squares. From the marks on the body, they appear to have shrunken. They should have been about the size of a hand. Now however, they are but the size of a nail, imbedded into the skin. What they are, I have no idea."

Annabelle listen with rapt attention.

This was the most interesting thing that had happened inside of the castle for a while now. This just smelled of adventure and conspiracy. Plastering her ear against the bedframe, she continued her eavesdropping, yet was dissapointed it just resumed about recovery time and guard shifts.

Dropping back to the ground, she just waited again, until her brother would leave and she would have their unknown guest to herself.