MakiaVi: The Frozen King - Chapter Eleven (Patreon)

 
Edion laid in his bed with his eyes wide open. Moonlight shone through the room and illuminated the rack that his jacket hung on. He stared deeply into the magic circle that decorated its shoulder. “I wonder what my ancestors would think of this mess.” He let out a deep sigh as he stared at the ceiling.
“They would tell you to go to sleep!”
Edion jumped at the voice. He looked down to his hands recognizing the source as Lien. By The Six! You nearly scared me to death!”
The magic circle on his left glove glowed as Liara spoke. “Can’t sleep?” Edion ignored her question. “I always used to take a walk to clear my mind before a battle.”
Lien scoffed. “Please. A bit of snow whiskey is the way to go. It will put you right out.”
“We are trying to get the boy to sleep, not get him hungover!”
“Oh excuse me for not suggesting warm milk and cookies for the lad. This is how men deal with their problems.” Lien said.
“There isn't enough whiskey in the world to fix you Lien.”
Lien grumbled. “You know what-”
“Stop it! Both of you!” Edion said. “I think a walk would do some good.” Liara gave a smug chuckle as Edion stepped out of his bed to get dressed. He slipped a dark blue long sleeved shirt over his head, put on his white jacket and walked toward the door. When he opened it, Riza stood in front of him with her hand prepared to knock.
Startled by Edion’s perfect timing, she took a step away from the door. “Oh! Um, hey.” She stammered. “So, I sensed that um, you weren’t asleep either and then I heard talking so I figured I would check on you but you seem fine so I’ll just, go back to my room.”
As she turned around, Edion grabbed her shoulder. “Wait. I was about to go for a walk. Do you want to join me?”
Riza turned around and smiled. “Sure.” 
A light snow fell from the night sky. The full moon shone overhead. Above the streets hung small glowing crystals that lit their way. The only sound they heard was their feet crunching the snow and ice under them.
Riza spoke first. “It’s a beautiful city.”
Edion smiled. “I used to sneak out of the castle every chance I got. I once convinced a group of kids that I was the blacksmith’s son. We would fight with sticks and pretend to be soldiers all the time. Once day, my friend gave me a bruise on my arm. My mother threw a fit. I told her I got it from falling down the castle stairs. She then ordered one of the servants to carry me up and down the stairs until I was thirteen.” Edion let out a deep sigh.
“We will find her one day.” Riza said.
Edion dropped his smile and stared off into the night sky. “At the very least, Kardon doesn’t seem to know where she is either so there is a chance she is safe.”
“At least there is that. Any idea where she would even go?” Riza asked.
Edion shook his head. “She just told me to head south and find the MakiaVi. I assumed she would just meet me there eventually. Maybe if I fix the kingdom, she will come back.” 
The sun began to peek out from over the horizon as the castle came into view. Soon after, loud bells rang from the castle’s tallest spire. “It’s time.” Edion said. “Let’s go.” He flew towards the peak with Riza close behind. As they flew, many of the citizens exited their homes and flew in the same direction. They circled around the mountain until they reached its north side. Edion pointed to a large stone arena. “Over there.”
The arena was a giant circular structure with no roof and tons of openings in it’s walls for spectators to land. Edion and Riza flew down to a pair of large wooden doors on the south side of the arena. Two guards stood in front of it in full suits of armor. 
As Edion approached, one of them spoke. “My lord has commanded that we escort you to the battlefield.” 
Riza took a defensive stance and put a hand on her scythe. “I have that covered if you don’t mind.”
Edion put a hand on her shoulder. “Relax Riza.” 
The knight tilted his head to take a look at Riza then turned back to Edion. “If you wish my lord, your...companion may come as well.”
Edion gave a big grin. “See. There’s nothing to worry about.” Reluctantly, Riza let go of her weapon and followed the knights into the arena. They walked down a dimly lit hallway for what seemed like ages. It was just wide enough for them to all walk single file with one guard in front and one in the back.
“I don’t like this.” Riza whispered. “Something feels off.” The knights stopped in front of a small side door.
“What’s going on?” Edion asked. 
The knight in the front turned around and reached under his cloak. “Just following orders my lord.” Riza grabbed the knight behind her and flipped him to the ground, wrenching his arm to keep him in place. Edion summoned his gauntlets and uppercutted the one in front. The strike sent him flying into the air along with the shiny object that was in his hand. 
Edion snatched it out of the air. “It’s a key?”
The knight that Riza subdued groaned, “We were taking you to see my lord, Prince Edaro.”
Riza let of his arm and bowed. “I am so sorry! We thought you were attacking us.”
The two knights stumbled back to their feet. Edion apologized and returned the key to the knight. 
Inside, Edaro sat at a small round table with two empty seats opposite to his. “It is good to see you well brother.”
“Same to you.” Edion said.
Edaro looked over to Riza. “My dear lady, I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.” Edaro grasped Riza’s hand “I am Edaro. Third prince of Zekul.” He bowed to give the back of her hand a light kiss. “What shall I call you fair maiden?”
Riza blushed and giggled at his gesture. “My name is Riza.”
Edaro rose up. “Riza. Such a beautiful name suits you well.” Flecks of red appeared on Riza’s cheeks as she turned away from Edaro. 
Edion growled as he grabbed his brother from under his jaw and lifted him off the ground. “Enough with the banter. Why did you bring us here?” 
Edaro struggled to speak with his brother’s hands on his neck. He managed to spit out the words, “To..help...you.” Edion released his grip, causing Edaro to collapse to the ground. Edaro jumped back to his feet and brushed the dust from his blue tunic. “Such anger. I swear mother adopted you from a fire dragon clan. While you have been fighting, I have been reading. Would you like to know what I found out?” Edion gave his brother a stern look and left him in silence. Edaro pulled out a small book from his coat. It was so old, it looked as if it had fallen apart a few times already. The faded words “Royal Customs” were etched on the cover. “Well, it turns out that a battle for the kingdom refers to both seats of the throne.”
“What does that mean?” Riza asked.
Edaro turned to her and smiled. “Well my sweet lady, it means that by tradition, this battle is supposed to be a two on two match. A king and his queen fight the challenger and their would be queen. Meaning that if a challenger were to announce someone as their queen, they will be able to fight the match with you.” Edaro handed Edion the book. “It’s all there in black and white.”
Edion read the section and scoffed. “So you want Riza to fight with you so you can win the crown?”
Edaro furiously shook his head. “No you misunderstand me brother. I never was one for combat. But if you two were to take him on, I have no doubt that you would be victorious.”
Edaro was right. In a one on one match, Edion would most likely lose to his father. With Riza backing him up, they might be able to pull it off. Edion turned to Riza. “What do you think about being a queen?”
Riza’s face turned a bright red as she stammered, “Y-you mean us getting m-married?”
Edion and Edaro let out a hearty laugh. Riza looked at them in silence, still tense from their suggestion. Edaro wiped a tear from his eye as he spoke. “Oh gods no. The title of queen only means that you both agree to run the kingdom together. While traditionally the person a king trusted to rule with was their spouse, the title has not inherently grounded in romance.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Edion asked.
“To help the kingdom of course. Father is a terrible king. It’s time that he be removed.”
“I mean what’s in it for you? I have never known you to do anything just out of the goodness of your heart.”
Edaro grabbed his tunic above is chest. “Oh you wound me with your words brother. Though I must say, if you were to become king, surely you would have need of an advisor.”
“So that’s your game. You are looking for a seat on the royal council.”
Edaro gasped. “Who? Me? Why, the thought never crossed my mind. Although, I suppose I could keep track of the day to day activities if you were to return to your…  MakiaVi.”
Edaro would be decent a choice as any. He has the knowledge and the experience to run the country. Trusting him to do so is another matter. “Fine.” Edion said. “If we win, you can be my advisor.”
“Of course you mean when.” Edaro chuckled.
“Of course. How about it Riza? Do you want to rule a kingdom?”
“Sure. I’m not doing anything better with my time.” 
“We have a deal then.” Edion extended his hand to his brother. 
As Edaro reached for it, Edion snatched it back. “But, I want weekly reports sent to me about the kingdom’s status. I’ll also have Crea and Serada keeping an eye on you.”
“That’s more than agreeable.” Edaro replied. They shook hands. “Since that’s all settled, I believe you two have a match to win. Off with you now.” Edion and Riza nodded and strode towards the door. “And do give father my regards.”
Edion and Riza continued down the long hallway. There was a small dot of light in the distance. They heard the muffled cheers of the arena. “You ready for this?” Edion asked. 
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” They both looked straight ahead to the light and flew as fast as they could to the end of the tunnel. The light grew bigger and the crowd grew louder as they darted down the hallway. 
Once they reached the end, they were greeted to the loud cheers of Xarada’s thousands of citizens. Every seat in the arena was filled with even a few hovering above the stands. In the center of the arena was a raised platform made of stone. Kardon stood in the center with a greatsword on his back. Next to him stood a priestess in blue robes.
“So you actually showed up.” The king said. “Time for you to meet the gods boy.” 
Edion raised his hand. “Wait!” The entire crowd fell silent. Edion grabbed Riza’s hand and flew high into the sky. “I, Edion Xarzith, son of Kardon Xarzith and challenger to the throne, name Riza Rikara as my queen!” The crowd erupted into a loud clamor. “By the ancient laws of our people, she may join me in this battle and all battles to come.” 
Kardon’s face tightened. “Impossible! That can’t be allowed.”
Edion threw the book to his feet. “You should really brush up on your history.” 
Kardon picked up book and angrily scanned through the section. He grumbled as he found the correct paragraph but then his eyes lit up. “Wait! This also says that I may have my queen fight as well.”
Edion wagged his finger at his father. “If you remember, you divorced mother and revoked her claim to the throne the day we left. Even if she was here, I doubt she would fight with you. You’re all on your own old man.”
Kardon tossed the book aside. “No matter. I will dispose of you both.” He drew his greatsword from its leather sheath. Edion and Riza landed onto the platform and readied their weapons.
The priestess raised her arms as she spoke. “People of Xarada! Today we stand in the gaze of the goddess, for whom our fair city is named, to determine our new king. Long live the victor and may the loser find peace in her cold embrace.” 
The crowd stomped on beat as they chanted, “Drek-Vi-kal! Drek-Vi-kal! Drek-Vi-kal!” They grew louder until the entire arena shook with their chants. 
The priestess screamed, “Let the DrekVikal begin!”
Kardon darted straight towards Edion and swung his greatsword with tremendous force. Edion blocked the blow but was sent flying back from the impact. Before Riza could even react, Kardon swung at her with a barrage of quick attacks. Riza pedaled back as she struggled to dodge and block the combination. The moment Kardon broke her defence, Edion swooped in and tackled him before Kardon could strike Riza. Edion scraped Kardon against the floor for a bit until Kardon stabbed his sword into the ground and kicked the prince off of him. 
Riza rushed to Kardon and swung her scythe as hard as she could. Kardon blocked with his sword but was pushed back a few inches. With their weapons locked, Kardon swung his head back and slammed it into Riza’s face. The attack sent her tumbling back. She laid face down on the ground, stunned from strike. Kardon cracked a smug grin. As she got back to her feet, drops of blood trickled from her brow. She smiled as she wiped the blood out of her eyes. “Is that all you’ve got?” She taunted.
Kardon grimaced as he raised his blade. Edion flew towards him with his claws poised to strike. Kardon snatched his son by the throat and slammed him into the ground. As he raised his greatsword, Riza flew in and kicked Kardon in the ribs. He let go of Edion a stumbled back. She helped Edion back to his feet. “Are you alright?”
Through a few coughs, Edion said, “I’m fine. I’m fine.” Edion flew around Kardon as Riza took him head on. Riza clashed with his blade and Edion was locked by Kardon’s free hand. Before Edion could swing with his other gauntlet, Kardon spun around and threw Edion into Riza. They both slid across the cold stone floor.
Kardon laughed triumphantly as they got back on their feet. “All of that talk and this is the best you give me?”
“Not even close.” Edion said. The air grew colder and a mild fog spread across the platform. The wind began to whip violently around them as they focused. The spectators braced themselves against the storm. The winds abruptly halted as Edion and Riza lunged toward their target.
As they clashed, a powerful shock wave resonated throughout the arena. With their combined force, Riza and Edion send Kardon flying back several feet. Just as he regained his footing, Edion and Riza unleashed a barrage of attacks at breakneck speed. With every punch, kick and swing, they dodged and ducked to allow the other to attack. The pair fought in perfect synchronization, as if they shared one mind and body. They did not give the king a second to rest. Most of the attacks landed well with only a few being blocked or evaded by Kardon.
Riza gave a powerful swing of her scythe at Kardon’s head. As he dodged, Edion found an opening and fiercely punched Kardon in the stomach. With a loud grunt, Kardon slumped over in pain. With the king’s head now in range, Edion gave a Kardon a powerful uppercut to the chin, sending him high into the air. Before Kardon was able to stop himself, Riza appeared above him and with a brutal strike of her scythe, sent him back down to the arena. With a loud crash, Kardon hit the ground, causing a cloud of dust to kick up into the air.
Riza landed next to Edion. Both of them breathed heavily after their performance. The spectators waited in silence for confirmation of Kardon’s defeat. Edion squinted as he searched for some movement within the cloud. “Get down!” Edion tackled Riza as a razor sharp crescent-shaped blade of ice flew out of the dust, just barely missing their heads. 
As the dust cleared, Kardon walked towards his opponents. “What a nice little warmup.” He said as he cracked his neck. Edion scanned Kardon’s body and there was not a scale out of place. The only sign of damage was the shredded blue tunic that hung from his shoulders. Kardon pointed his greatsword at the duo. “Now it’s time to end it.” 
With a deep breath, Kardon built up his energy. A harsh blizzard whipped around his body. The winds were so powerful, Edion had to dig his claws into the stone to keep his ground. He held onto Riza with his free hand. A few of the spectators were tossed into the air by Kardon’s immense power. Kardon roared as the blizzard died down.
The king appeared in front of Edion and grabbed him by the skull. He violently slammed the prince into the arena, shattering the stone below him. Kardon dragged Edion through the arena for several feet, destroying everything in his path. As Kardon released his grip, his son laid motionless in the crater. The king chuckled. “It looks like that’s all you had after all.” As he raised his blade, Riza violently swung her scythe at Kardon’s neck. Her eyes widened as the blade simply bounced off of his scales. “I almost forgot you were here.” Kardon teased. 
Riza stepped back a few paces and stood between Edion and her opponent. Kardon smiled. “How adorable.” He made Riza stagger with a swift punch to the face. She wiped her wound and regained her stance. “Tell me. What do you expect to gain from this?” He said as he struck her again, this time with the back of his hand. “Did he pay you to fight?” He punched her in the ribs. “Hoping to make a name for yourself?” He punched her twice in the face but she still stood strong. She had a fierce look in her eyes. Her breathing was heavy and pained. Kardon grinned ear to ear. “I get it now. You are in love with him aren’t you?” Riza ignored his accusation. Kardon almost fell over in laughter. “You thought your prince charming was going to whisk you away like some fairytale.” Riza gritted her teeth as she lunged at him. “Well let me break something to you.” Kardon’s knee landed hard into Riza’s gut. As she hunched over, Kardon grabbed her by her hair and raised her to eye level. “A filthy mutt like you will never set foot in my castle.”
Riza cracked a small grin. She chuckled through her pained coughs. Kardon raised an eyebrow and pulled her closer. “What’s so funny?” 
With a twisted smile on her face, Riza mumbled, “This.” She breathed a small puff of purple smoke in Kardon’s face. He released Riza and began coughing violently. The king staggered back a few steps. Riza held herself up with her scythe as Kardon fell to his knees, now gasping air.
“What was that?” Kardon groaned.
“Just a little ability this mutt was born with.” Riza said. “I can make poisons in my body using viren. The longer I focus, the more effective they become. The second you picked me up, it was finally ready. Pretty soon, you won’t be able to even lift a finger.”
Kardon feebly crawled towards Riza. “I’m still...strong enough...to...to...” Kardon’s arms gave out as he collapsed on his side. With the last of his strength, he rolled over to his back, gasping for air. 
“You...Riza... come closer.” He mumbled. Riza limped over to Kardon and sat down at his side. The king’s breathing became steady yet weak. “When I was younger, I took a trip to the west. The day I arrived at a tiny village in Tutalga, I saw what they did to our kind.” Kardon’s face twitched. “I saw our brothers and sisters hanging in butcher windows being sold by the pound! I saw our skins being used for their armor and our teeth made into useless trinkets!” Tears flowed from Kardon’s eyes. “I saw them boil our eggs. Their children wore the skulls of our own young as maks.”
Riza sat his side, shaking from his words. “I...I had no idea.”
“Of course you don’t!” Kardon yelled. “Your precious MakiaVi doesn’t tell any of you grunts about this. They let you believe that you all are making such a big difference in the world when all you ever do is run away! Your little missions only save people when it’s convenient. What about the thousands that are trapped deep in the west? Where are their saviours? That day, I didn’t run away.”
Riza leaned in as he became silent. “Kardon?” She said. “Kardon, what happened?” Kardon turned his eyes away from Riza. “What did you do?”
Kardon stared her in the eyes. “I killed them! I killed every last one of them! Every man, woman and child in that village! I cracked their skulls with my bare hands! I tore them apart with my teeth! Buildings crumbled with a swing of my sword! In one day, I made more progress than you silly little club has made in years.” Kardon stared off into the sky. “I thought the crown would make me happy and for a while, it did. But I could not stop thinking about Tutalga. I knew that there was more that needed to be done. I told my wife Edirada my plans to take over the dragon slayer colonies, how I wanted to slaughter each of them for all of the dragons they killed. That night, she fled the castle with Edion, my first born. I swear if I ever see her again, I’ll...I’ll...” Kardon gritted his teeth as the tears returned.
Riza sighed. “You know, we aren’t so different.”
“I highly doubt that.” Kardon scoffed. “Just finish me off already.”
“No. I’m not going to kill you.”
Kardon grimaced. “So you are going to torture me for my crimes. Is that it? So be it. I don’t regret a single thing I’ve done.”
“Not even killing your own son?”
Kardon fell silent. His proud tone escaped him. “I didn’t want to kill Kulon, I had to. The day I destroyed that village, I realized that through rage, my power doubled. I tried to artificially recreate it in other dragons. If I could gather an army with that power, the dragon slayers would fall in a single day. As the experiments went on, almost all of them lost their minds in the process. They became beasts that tore apart everything in sight. We put a curse on them to seal the power, but it never got rid of the tremendous pain they were in. Kulon came to me after his defeat and begged me to try the experiment on him. I thought he would be able to make it, but just like the others, he lost his sense and began attacking the city. I did the only thing I could do and put them out of their misery.”
The priestess floated back to the arena and made her way to Kardon’s side. “Kardon, as you are unable to continue fighting, I must declare Riza and Edion the victors!” An eruption of cheers resounded throughout the arena. Edion shifted in his crater. Riza hobbled over to his side and pried him out of the ground. Edion’s breathing was heavy as he leaned on Riza for support. The priestess bowed before them both. “You may choose the fate of your opponent. Shall he live or die?” The audience yelled for Kardon’s execution, many pulling a finger across their throats. Edion grimaced at Kardon while clenching his fists. 
Before he could speak, Riza yelled, “We will delay our decision. For now, to the dungeons with him.” Edion tried to protest but only managed a painful cough.
The priestess gave a deep bow. “As you wish my lady.” With a wave of her hand, two knights walked up to Kardon and carried him off through a pair of large wooden doors.
Edaro floated down to the arena, slowly clapping his hands. “Well done. Well done indeed. I knew you two had it in you.”
“He wasn’t that tough.” Edion grunted. Even as he spoke, he winced in pain.
“You two must be exhausted. While the healers have a look at your wounds, I’ll drum up a feast in honor of your victory.” He clapped his hands twice and four dragons in white robes carried two stretchers into the arena. Edion and Riza each laid down one as they were rushed off of the battlefield.

Next Chapter:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/17277393