The Kingdom

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper ground his teeth in the silence, still soaring through the air though he no longer needed to. He had to break the silence though Sparks had seemed to end the conversation all on her own.

"Angel, I- I didn't mean to... Becoming king was my intention, I won't lie. But I didn't mean to so quickly! Armi wasn't listening to me! He had no mind to hear out a prince and I didn't think things through when I did that! I'm sorry, and I'm well aware of the situation I've gotten myself into, especially with me being inexperienced at everything... But I had to get back to you three... I didn't want anything to happen to Max or Eli... or you."

His voice broke on the last words and he turned to the beach starting to descend.

"I didn't mean to do this but please Angel. I need you now more than ever."

He listened for her to say something as he folded his wings in and hit the ground, running for a moment before he was able to stop. He slowed down but kept walking, his wings held in so that they barely showed.

[crimson92]

"Right, I understand," Sparks answered flatly, quickly slipping off of Vesper's back and stumbling a little bit.

She caught herself and straightened up, walking beside him quickly, maybe a little too quickly, "You were only worrying about us and wanted to get to us quickly, I get it."

She turned on the dot to face him, grabbing his large head and making him stop walking while looking at her at the same time. She stared into his scarlet eyes for a moment before forcing a smile on her face as she rubbed his snout.

"And I promised I would help you, didn't I?" she reminded him, no longer looking him in the eye, "And I'm going to keep that promise until it's been fulfilled. I'm going to stay right here, with Max and Eli, until we're all assured that you can handle things on your own, okay?"

She searched his face for a moment, trying to hold eye contact again, but found herself unable too without feeling like she was going to cry. So, she pet his nose one last time before continuing to walk down the beach.

"We were going scouting after flying, right?"

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper laid his ears back and watched her keep walking, helplessness building in his chest. In a split moment he'd made a decision and was trotting towards her, transforming just behind her and becoming human. Before he lost the nerve he reached out and roughly turned her around, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her deeply.

She fought against him at first and shocked him slightly, but he still held on until she relaxed. Finally he pulled back and stepped away. He turned around and his voice was shaky when he spoke.

"The beaches will be fine. Max and Eli are probably wondering where we are."

He kept his back rigid and continued walking in the opposite direction. He didn't want to turn around and see if she was angry or not. Eli was smart but perhaps Vesper's own intuition was right. Maybe she really didn't want him like he wanted her.

[crimson92]

Sparks, left speechless after that unexpected kiss, could only stand and stare at a retreating Vesper. He was getting farther and farther away from her and she felt irritation growing in her chest along with the overwhelming emotion of affection...and love.

"...Wait a minute," she whispered, walking after him, "Wait a minute, Vesper...Wait...HEY!"

Finally too frustrated to keep any actions to herself, she whipped her hands out and sent two tendrils of electricity towards the boy, barring him back and keeping him from going any further. Finally reaching him, she forced him to turn around and face her.

"You kiss me like that and think it's alright to walk away?!" she exclaimed, frustration still evident on her face, "Well, if that's not the coldest thing you've done to me thus far!"

He said nothing still and she was glad because it gave her the opportunity to grab him by his collar, pull him down to her level, and kiss him passionately, just like he had done with her. When she finally pulled away, slowly and gently, she cupped his cheeks in her hands and pressed her forehead against his.

"The least you could've done was wait for me to answer," she whispered with a small giggle, "You would've been happy."

Just a little ways away, just beyond the trees and the bush, Eli and Max sat waiting and watching, the girl grinning deviously to herself at what she had just witnessed.

"That was awesome. It's about time one of them admits their feelings to the other," she told her dragon friend, shaking long, black curls from her face.

[❖Amani❖]

As Vesper and Sparks stood on the beach, eyes peered out from the treetops above Max and Eli. Their owner snickered grievously and continued to crouch on the branch. Before he knew it, Tafe was on the ground grimacing and looking at the happy couple once more, before shooting off towards them in a silver blur. He shot in between them, knocking each of them back onto their backs and returning to his form in a swirl of silver mist. He looked at them sternly, mostly focusing on Vesper, the corners of his mouth drawn down in a permanent scowl.

"Well it's a comforting feeling to know while the King's Men fall to pieces, their King and Queen are kissing on the beach of some forgotten island."

He mockingly shook his head and looked up to the heavens.

"This is who Rajus picks to succeed him? My God we're all doomed."

He disappeared and circled around Vesper, frustrating the boy and finally stopping beside Sparks, laughing.

"You have a lot to learn boy and even more to live up to. Tell me you've got help."

Vesper held his hand up but Tafe interrupted him.

"Other than Rajus! He's currently unavailble... which come to think of it, that's probably why I'm here. This territory belongs to me. He wasn't supposed to be here but he managed to guide you here."

Tafe wrinkled his nose at Vesper and turned to Sparks.

"Sorry to have to interrupt you two dear. But it's been mandated to the Kings, we have to help this scrappy pile of flesh over there."

He sighed and rubbed his temples.

"You know, things truly weren't this crazy when I had the throne. It all went to pot when I left."

He casually walked behind Vesper and clasped his hands behind his back. Every move Tafe made commanded respect, even if you hated the man, and his features were strikingly familiar. Including the deep sapphire eyes.

"Well from here up until the Capital is my territory. Then the Capital itself is shared by all kings. Someday, though I should hope it's a long ways off, you'll have a peice of territory yourself. Perhaps even share it with another former King."

He huffed and absently popped his fingers.

[crimson92]

"Oh this is just great. One surprise after another."

"I thought you liked surprises, Max."

"Only when cake, candy, or money is involved. This surprise...I'm not exactly sure what to make of it."

"I suppose we should just take it in stride."

Max nodded at Eli's words, turning her attention back to Sparks as said girl sat up and huffed loudly, blowing a strand of blue hair out of her face as she stared up at the newcomer.

"I shouldn't even be surprised any more, but am I? Kind of!" she muttered to herself, standing up and dusting herself off before she stepped closer to Vesper, protecting him if need be as she addressed the new body among them, "Okay...I can tell that you're a king...and from the looks of it, a dead one."

She looked him up and down with a thoughtful gaze, "Who are you? Your name, I mean. And might I add that shoving us apart was VERY unnecessary!"

Then, as she thought back to his words, her cheeks began to burn with a rosy blush, "And I'm not his Queen! At least I don't...think I am! I mean...agh! Now I'm all flustered!"

[❖Amani❖]

Tafe looked at Sparks tiredly and shook his head mournfully.

"A king yes. Unnecessary, no."

Tafe waved off Sparks' open mouth and walked over to Vesper.

"And from the looks of it," He shot a meaningful glance back at Sparks. "You are the Queen. At least his Queen, anways. Trust me, I've seen that look before."

He sternly took Vesper's shoulder in his iron grip and nodded to her.

"She's going to be your greatest asset... Now, while those gutless dogs try to dock on this island-" He glanced out at a small dot on the horizon and sniffed. "Tell me what you know. Tell old Tafe what the deal is with this Sovereign Right you've pulled..."

Vesper froze, wide eyed and cold at the mention of his name. He actually looked at the figure, fully this time shaking his head when he realized.

"Tafe... You're Rajus' real father! The one he talked about all the time! The one he-"

Vesper stopped himself short, catching what he nearly blurted out and looking down to his feet. He mumbled something to the effect of "Of course...", before smiling at Sparks and reaching for her hand. He pulled her over to him and tentatively wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Tafe simply gave a distant chuckle and nodded.

"Rajus and I have made peace. I'd hoped it would be a while longer before that happened... But we have."

Tafe smiled and sighed.

"Despite it all."

[crimson92]

"Wait...you're King Rajus' real father? But wait, I...I'm confused. Again," Sparks said as she turned to look at Vesper, "It's just one surprise after another when it comes to you, isn't it?"

She then turned to King Tafe and nodded, giving him a small smile, "Well, since we're here, I might as well introduce myself formerly. They call me Sparks, so you can too, and I'm here with my friends Max and Eli who you may or may not have seen, hehehe. It's nice to meet you, King Tafe."

She stopped and looked between the two kings, feeling the slight tension and noting how King Tafe looked down at Vesper with almost a disappointed look.

"You said you're here to help Vesper, right? Or at least guide him in his new responsibility? How are you going to do that? What can I do to help? I had a plan, but...certain actions have delayed it," she spoke, looking pointedly at Vesper as she said this before turning back to King Tafe, "And where is King Rajus again? When can we see him?"

[❖Amani❖]

"So many questions is not good for the soul. That's most likely why the inquisitive die young."

Tafe ignored the shocked look the girl shot him and turned back to Vesper with a bland face. He circled him once more out of habit and continued to size him up, taking his time to reply to Sparks. She wasn't the very top priority at the moment. He stopped moving and suddenly swirled to face the girl.

"Did you know, the connection between a true king and his people is strong? But his connection with the other world is overpowering. There are three worlds to be exact my dear. The one you belong to, the one you are in now, and the one where the dead and Council dwell. Your man here,"

Tafe fixed Sparks with a taunting look.

"Is privy to knowledge from them all if he so chooses."

Tafe's look faded to that of a teacher patiently talking with his confused pupil.

"In other words, that's why I'm here. That's how I'm going to help. I can teach him how to access these three worlds and guide him along those paths. You can't do that because you don't know yourself how to do this. However you can do something else. You and your friends are going to teach him to harness his powers aren't you?"

He smiled graciously at her nod.

"Then you'll have fufilled your part. I can't help him until he learns this. That's where you come in, though I'm fairly sure you already knew that part. But now you know how we connect to each other through Vesper."

He suddenly inhaled deeply and looked over his shoulder at the salty waves intently. He grinned and returned his attention back to the two. They were bickering on their own. He sharply began speaking despite this though.

"You my dear, are very easily confused are you not?"

[crimson92]

"I wouldn't say easily confused...just not well informed," Sparks answered back, tilting her head to the side and narrowing her eyes, "I'm not an idiot, no matter what you think. I've just been...deluded of answers ever since I got here. Even though I've been told that I'm here for a reason, that I'm needed in order for Vesper to get stronger, no one has made it truly clear how so I've just been kind of guessing this entire time."

She looked out at the ocean as well, breathing in deeply the smell of saltwater and letting it calm her down considerably, "Is there anything else I need to know before Max and I put the new 'King' through his new and improved training regiment?"

"Yay, I'm being acknowledged!" Max whispered excitedly from her place behind a large rock, her arms holding her up as she and Eli watched the scenes unfold before them.

[❖Amani❖]

Tafe appeared to think for a moment before he spoke.

"Yes... I suppose there is one more thing."

He smiled at her. A smile that said he knew something she didn't and was reveling in the fact before he had to share.

"You are not that far from the Capital. When you arrive you're going to have to wait nearly a week, if my estimates are correct, before you can go to Hasi's Burial Grounds."

He noticed her confused look and held up his hands.

"Answers, yes, I know. Hasi's Burial Ground is where the god of deceit was legendarily dethroned and stripped of power by the Council unfairly. It's a desolate place, but a sacred one. If Vesper wishes to truly be accepted as King, he must travel there, lead by former Kings, and be accepted by Hasi himself. There he will receive his life's task; his duty to the people and what he himself must do to improve the King's Men so that they thrive."

Tafe looked out to his left to see men approaching them at a run. Vesper looked as well and sighed in relief.

"That will be my cue to leave. I'll visit you again soon my friends. And Vesper,"

Tafe eyed him carefully.

"A Queen will make your life much easier."

He softly nodded his head in Sparks' direction before winking and dissipating into mist that thinned out until it disappeared. Vesper was left staring at the place where he'd stood with a red face and sheepish grin. He looked back at Sparks and chuckled.

"Well, my heaven sent angel. What do you propose we do after I send these men away? Begin training? Talk to Max and Eli? I'm at a loss here."

He finished with a frown and a wary eye for the men still a few yards away.

"I know I've got very little time to spare here because a week isn't very long. And it takes even less time to get to the Capital. It won't take forever to learn to control myself, will it? I'm not going to have to wait forever, right?"

Vesper suddenly blanched in tense apprehension at the thought of missing his chance at the one thing he'd left home for.

[crimson92]

"N-No, it shouldn't take very long. Not as long as you do exactly as you are told," Sparks answered, looking away in embarrassment with hot cheeks, "The best teacher you'll have in controlling your powers is Max. She's amazingly strong and really good at provoking others into anger only to turn around and force them to control it."

She looked back at Vesper and smiled, "Of course, we can get started as soon as possible, once you've sent your men away."

She stepped closer to the king and placed her hand on his cheek, leaning up to kiss the other one softly and with a slight blush; "Deal with your men. I'll be right over there with Max and Eli trying to figure out what to do next."

With that, she backed away from him and disappeared among the bushes where she found her two friends lounging behind the boulder they had once been sitting upon, a silly grin on Max's face as she laughed.

"Oh man. Of everything that I've seen, this is the one that makes me giggle the most," she said, referring to Vesper and Sparks, the new happy couple.

Sparks cleared her throat and Max looked up, staring at her for just a moment, before she spluttered and laughed into her hand. Sparks then just rolled her eyes indignantly and crossed her arms.

"Alright, alright, now we need to get down to business," she tried to say firmly, "It's almost time for his training to begin. Are you ready to help the new king of this land?"

"Depends. Is he ready to go through hell's fire?" Max replied with a cheeky grin before jumping up and facing her friend, "I'm ready to help him whenever he's ready to actually get the help. This will be interesting, ya know? I've never met someone who's emotions control the weather and has a deeper, darker power as well. This will be fun!"

Sparks shook her head at Max before turning back to see...her King. She blinked slowly before smiling softly, a blush coloring her cheeks at the thought of being his 'Queen'. She only snapped herself out of her thoughts when Max walked around her and through the foliage, making her way towards Vesper and then standing closely behind him to watch how he would handle the soldiers coming towards them.

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper shot a sideways glance at Max as she approached close behind him, making him slightly nervous. He sighed and shook his head turning it back forward to face Armi and his crew. He forcibly cleared his mind and focused on staying calm, taking a few steps towards Armi and a nervous Rofus. It wasn't that Rofus obviously showed it; simply that Vesper knew him well enough to tell from his eyes. Armi however, bravely displayed a bold show of anger and fire, secretly filling Vesper with a dread. He strode up closer and Armi stopped before the young King, both authority figures staring each other down. Vesper was thankful for Max staying put where she had stopped and instantly fought down the wave of rage when Armi spoke.

"Well I suppose we finally caught up to you... I would love to know what in the blazes you think you're doing! On MY ship, no one-"

Rofus began to cut in but Vesper held up a hand and he quieted. Becoming more agitated, Vesper fixed Armi with a steely gaze.

"Let him finish Rofus. I'm curious to hear what he has to say now."

The underlying tones in his voice were uncharacteristically acidic and angry. Armi ignored this though, mistakenly looking at the figure before him as a young, inexperienced boy-prince.

"AS I was saying, you have a lot of nerve just leaving like that! When you are on my ship you will behave as I tell you!"

A voice began whispering in an infuriated Vesper's ear. A voice oddly like Tafe's.

"I don't care who you think you are! You-"

Without another word Vesper's hand shot out and wrapped around Armi's throat. He raised his upper lip and let his elongated canines glint, testing out his claws once more by digging them into the soft skin of the sides of Armi's neck. He half-stepped closer to Armi and pulled the man the rest of the way to him. He suddenly no longer looked like a boy-prince, but instead a formidable, angered king. He somehow seemed taller in a matter of seconds and in a rough move he had the man on his knees before him, clawing at Vesper's hand and trying to lift his head as high as he could to alleviate the burning in his throat. He hacked and sputtered trying to breathe. Vesper took the moment to slowly lean down and growl in his frightened face.

"I am sick of your senseless, snide comments. You may be he captain of your ship, but as soon as I arrive you answer to ME. I invoked the right of Sovereign Rule and no matter how incompetent you mistakenly think I am, you will obey me. I'm tired of your attitude Armi. I think I would fix that up if I were you. From now on you answer to ME, as your KING."

He looked up, scarlet eyes blazing with stripes of black seared into them, and fixed the entire group of men before him with a challenging glare.

"From now on you ALL answer to me as your KING. Understood?"

They all stared at him, frightened and jumpy like sheep. He looked back down to the figure of Armi under his hand and he sneered.

"I'm tired of you forgetting who orders who around. Mind yourself, rat."

He squeezed one last time before throwing the man back. Armi scrambled up and cast a scornful glance at Vesper before slinking back slowly like a dog with its tail between it's legs. Vesper noted that he would have scars on his neck where his sharp claws had ripped into the tan skin, but he didn't dwell on it long. He lifted his head and squared his chin, now in a bad mood.

"Now I want the rest of you to head inland and find the town. Wait for me there and when I arrive we'll set off for the Capital. When I arrive, that is, and not a moment sooner. It's time you all started acting properly around me."

He finished and suddenly calmed considerably to where he registered their retreating backs with a hefty breath of relief. He betrayed nothing in his dark red eyes, suddenly catching Rofus' eye. He released a pent up breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, as he realized what he'd just done. Now there was definitely no turning back. But as he turned half of his body back towards Max, he caught the encouraging shine in Rofus' eyes and sighed with slight relief. Now to get that training going...

[crimson92]

"Impressive," Max said with a smirk as she watched the soldiers make their way back to the ship, "though it could use a little refining. First step of intimidation: tone of voice and gleam in your eye. You've got the tone and the gleam, both made more formidable by the powers that you have, and they would have sufficed. As King, you never want to lay your hand on another person unless it's absolutely necessary; don't want to be hated before you even get a chance to rule now, do you?"

With that, she turned back towards Sparks and Eli, beckoning Vesper to follow, "Let's go then. You don't have a lot of time and there's much work to be done."

The four of them then went on their way further into the island, Max just letting instinct guide her to a place that she felt would be perfect for training. Eli wrapped himself around her neck again and rested for a spell, Sparks hanging back with Vesper and keeping close to him. They walked for what felt like a little over an hour before Max finally stopped, smiling to herself as she looked around.

"This is perfect," she said, spreading her arms out as the group surveyed their surroundings.

They appeared to be standing in what looked like a clearing, though a small one, with large and tall trees all around them, the leaves and branches almost covering the sky, but not enough to obscure the azure color from being known. Max turned around to face Vesper and Sparks, Eli climbing down from her shoulder and settling on the ground beside her.

"This is where your training begins," she started, hands on her hips as her smile grew larger and with an unnerving tinge of excitement, "You will learn to control your anger, your powers, and also learn how to switch from defense to offense quickly. Prepare yourself."

Eli was encased in a ball of black and orange fire, the orb growing in size until the beast was larger and taller than Max, standing at least four feet above her. The shadows began to shiver and tremble, taking shapes of various beasts with demonic, insane red eyes. There was a cackle in the air as the shadows zipped here and there around their mistress and as for Max, her eyes began to change color until they were as red as the fresh blood spilled from a victim. She grinned like the cheshire cat.

"There's a lot to learn, King." Her eyes snapped towards Sparks and suddenly, the pink and blue haired girl gave a cry of surprise as her arms were forced behind her back and bound with a black, misty sort of material that was close to impossible to break.

"Lesson number one!" Max started as Eli and her little minions melted into the shadows again, hiding amongst the darkness of the trees, "Defense. You're surrounded and you're going to have to stay on your guard because not only will YOU be attacked, but so will Sparks and she has no way of defending herself. She can't use her powers unless her hands are free and you can't free her without, first, hurting her and second, leaving yourself open for a fatal attack. Be wise and stay in tune with your surroundings. One surprise attack will lead to another and before you know it-"

She snapped her fingers and a flash of black whizzed past him and knocked Sparks to the ground.

"They're on you."

More beasts left the sanctity of the shadows and pounced on both Vesper and Sparks.

[❖Amani❖]

Vesper felt himself morphing as he hit the ground, pinned by a large monster. His brain suddenly scrambled at the sudden turn in events. He hadn't expected nor seen it coming and as the beast lunged for his throat and he dodged, he doubted for a second if she was really just training. But he didn't have time to think on it as he kicked the beast off with his hind legs. He was just standing when he felt another weight on his shoulders, nearly crushing him to the ground again. He twisted around and clamped his teeth down on the being to drag it off, only to have his jaws snap on open air. But the weight was back when his head fell back down again.

If it was going to dematerialize every time he tried to get at it, he wouldn't be able to defeat it. Besides, Max had told him it wasn't just about strength or power, but strategy as well. So in a split second thought he realized he might not be able to defeat a shadow monster, but another shadow monster could and it was obvious they were trying to get him to the ground so the defeat would be easier. With a swift growl he locked gazes with another monster and tried to ignore the blood seeping from his fur.

The monster he was staring with, was beginning to get very agitated and he silently let out a squeak of joy when it sprang for him. Taking a risk, he dived to the ground at the very last moment and felt the weight relieved along with the sound of a yelp. For a moment he had a brief respite as the other monsters looked in confusion at their comrades. Disorder in the ranks could throw your mind, Vesper remembered that lesson and cast a glance at Sparks. If she could hold out a few more moments he could confuse the attacking monsters, because if he lunged to protect her now the monsters would ready to hurt them both and he would have condemned them both to "death".

He felt a strange lightness in his chest and looking before him he dived into the group of monsters snapping at one and feeling surprised when it didn't dematerialize fast enough. However, for that one bite he felt five more in various places and it took all of his strength not to attempt to flee. Instead he shut his eyes tightly and let them all take flying leaps at him, save for a few. As soon as he felt them upon him he used every last ounce of strength to skim over the ground out from the dog pile. Though they realized he'd escaped their grips, they were still a bit too slow in closing their jaws. Biting one another on accident distracted the mass of dogs while the select one or two began racing toward him. He growled and shot for Sparks running at her head on. He opened his mouth and hoped the yell was loud enough.

"Dive to the ground!"

She obeyed and he soared over her, hitting the ground behind her and turning in the same motion to jump back in the direction he'd come from. The shadow monster was bit slower though and, jaws open, caught the black magic binding Sparks' hands with it's teeth, ripping the stuff and freeing Sparks' hands. Vesper landed back heavily on the ground and noticed Sparks' on her feet beside him now.