Part 34~Will There Be War?~

Part 34~Will There Be War?~



The king tried to remain impassive and control his fluctuating emotions, his eyes darted over to the alleged imposter sitting alongside his eldest son with a faint smile on her mouth.
If this wasn't Shandy then who the hell was this deceiver? Whomever it was had the ability of shape shifting...the true identity of this person could be a man or a woman. Shifters could take on the appearance of either sex. All they had to do was touch the person and wallah!...they would be them in every visible way.
Donovan noticed the bemused look on his fathers face, as he stood like a statue grasping onto the small piece of paper in his fist.
Donovan immediately shot up from his spot on the sofa rushing over to him reaching for the small note he clutched tightly inside his hand. The king was motionless.
"Father...let me see it!" He whispered shouted, pulling the king out of the nonplussed condition he had succumbed to.
Donovan uncrumpled the paper his eyes skimming over the words and growing double in size by the time he had finished reading.
"Father...is...is that a shifter I...i've been sitting--?" He broke off, sucking in a deep breath.
"Yes son, I do believe there is a fair chance of that being a fact." The king confirmed, rubbing a hand over the graying stubble on his chin.
shifting was an extremely rare ability that most thought to be an evil curse...while others thought it to be a high gift from the gods. Only the purest royals could possess the power of shape-shifting. There were some commoners in the kingdom that were born with abilities...but only if there were a person of royal blood, they or someone in their immediate family had to have mated and bore a child with, and it happened more often than not. However none were ever blessed with outstanding powers, like the full blood royals were.
He and his father excused themselves from the others, yet the king made certain there was a guard stationed by the door to ensure that no one left the room.
"What are we gonna do about this!?" Donovan paced back & forth in front of his father, worry growing exponentially just knowing the girl sitting in the other room may not be his betrothed at all and could still be in the company of that madman in Elayzia.
"I've gotta return father....I..I can not stand here doing nothing!" He spoke, becoming more and more agitated.
"Calm down son....we have to be 100% positive that...or she is indeed a shifter before we go jumping to any unnecessary conclusions....this could very well be a trick to turn us against Shandy. There is a simple test we can do that will concrete our suspicions, and she...or he won't even realize it's being done. Shifters reflections show their true self....so...we need only a mirror to get the answers we seek.

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*Meanwhile in the kingdom of Elayzia*


Shandy ran as fast as her legs would carry her away from the looming castle. A chamber maid had assisted in her escape while Jackson was having a meeting with his army.

Jackson knew that once the Kimbers received his little note and learned their plan to snatch Shandy from him had been a huge failure, he also knew that the king of Rolod would come and help retrieve his sons precious betrothed. This would be the war that ended King Darren Kimbers and his sons, and he would get away with it. Once they stepped foot into his kingdom he had the legal right to kill them.
He couldn't wait to slaughter each one of those bastards. He may possibly spare Jayzon for his sister Zylvia, so they could rule Rolod...but ultimately he'd be in charge of both kingdoms as far as he was concerned. However if Jayzon came with them in this fight ...he too would die. This was Jackson's plan to annihilate the entire Kim family and he had shared all the gruesome details with Shandy.


When the chamber maid had come with food, Shandy had pleaded with her to help save the lives of so many that would indeed die if a war broke out between the two kingdoms and it had actually worked in Shandy's favor.
The girl had shown her a secret passage inside the room that no one knew of and would lead her out into the forest away from the palace and its many guards. The girl went on to explain that If Shandy was quick she'd have time to get past the borders and back into Rolod hopefully making it in time to put an end to this war before it even began.
The girl was pregnant with Jackson's child, and had been in love with him for the past 2 years and would do whatever she needed to keep him safe.


Shandy's legs ached & throbbed as her feet slammed against the ground in her desperation to get away from this place, she kept running, tripping and fumbling as she made her way toward the dark woods. She made it to the dense forest fighting to get through a large patch of dead thickets as sharp limbs and thorns tore at her delicate skin.
The weather was bitter cold leaving her tears feeling frozen to her cheeks. She had no choice but to stop for a moment and catch her breath as her lungs burned painfully.
Clouds of thick cold smoke puffs rushed from her mouth while she leaned forward trying to warm the tips of her fingers between her thighs. Her toes already felt completely numb, but she had no time to worry with it...she had to keep moving..
After a few moments she began to move at a steady pace through the darkening forest once again, a foreboding feeling clinging to her with every step she took, fear that Jackson would suddenly appear and tote her back stayed in the back of her mind. After what seemed like an hour she finally came to a wide open field. She was almost to the border where the kingdoms separated. It should be Just a couple more miles from what the girl had told her after she made it through the forest to the clearing.
She paused, taking in long breaths of air to push her further and force her frozen limbs to move faster. She felt as if she were running in slow motion, with every step becoming more and more of a challenge.
The dark of night would fall upon her soon, which meant she could not stop to rest anymore.
Just as the evening sun began to slip from the edge of the violet sky she finally reached the border and saw a large sign that read "Welcome To The Kingdom Of Rolod." Tears of relief bursted from her eyes, freezing as they ran over her blood red stinging cheeks.
This wasn't over yet...she still had quite a journey ahead of her.
She did her best to move as fast as she could. Suddenly the muscles in her legs began to seize up as she shrieked out in pain.
"Help meee! Pleease somebody!.......anybody! She yelled out falling to her knees unable to walk another step as she crawled along the dirt pathway, sharp gravel stabbing into her knees, however she couldn't feel it over the numbness and pain she was already experiencing
Suddenly she heard the thundering sounds of horses hooves steadily hitting the frozen ground getting closer & closer as a wave of pure terror gripped her entirely. She clawed at the ground trying to hide. Oh God what if it was Jackson and his men coming for her.
"No...nooo...noo, please noo!" she croaked out frantically as the rider came up beside her frail, exhausted body laying out on the cold hard ground whimpering as she still tried to crawl along the dirt path to escape.
She couldn't fight anymore....all her will gone...Shandy was completely impoverished.
She felt her body being lifted from the frigid ground she lay upon, feeling as if her soul was leaving her body.
Shandy was seated upon a horse, feeling the welcomed heat from the animal beneath her and the body behind her keeping her steadied. She fell forward, unable to hold herself up any longer. A blanket was wrapped about her trembling body.
"P....please....King of Rol---" her voice stopped.
She felt the icy air slicing over her face like daggers....the animal underneath her galloping so fast it felt like heavy thunder beneath her. She began to slip into darkness.....then the muddled sounds of frantic almost angered voices, yet she couldn't make out what was being said. Oh God please don't let it be Jackson she screamed inside. All at once a cocoon of warmth surrounded her form. Then suddenly it was lights out and the darkness stole her away once again.


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Donovan and his father stood in the hallway when all at once a swarm of guards came rushing inside snapping both men out of their heated conversation.
"King! There is a man here that has a young lady on his horse and shes in pretty bad shape. The fella says she kept mumbling about the king of Rolod before she completely lost consciousness, so he brought her here immediately.
Donovan sprinted out the castle entrance, his heart slamming so fast he thought it would explode inside his chest. His eyes landed on the the small shape of his betrothed being lowered from the horse. Her clothes were torn to shreds, her face blood red, lips blue. Deep bloody gashes covered her limp body. She looked as if every bit of the life had been drained from her.
"Shandy!! Oh God's noo!" Donovan yelled out grabbing her motionless body from the guard and immediately carrying her inside the castle like a newborn babe.
He couldn't stop the tears that erupted from his eyes at seeing her in such a pitiful condition.
"Shandy! Sh...Shandy! Pl....please be ok my love. Don't leave me when I've just found you!" He cried out helplessly. His heart felt as if it had frozen and shattered into a million tiny sharp jagged pieces that were slicing through his insides.
Donovan's father helped him get her to the bedroom assuring his son that all would be fine.

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An hour later Shandy lay with warming blankets piled up around her frail body, iv's attached to her arm and a monitor beeping a slow weakened heart rythum. She was alive, but still unconscious.
The doctor had checked her and determined she was suffering from extreme physical exhaustion and exposure to the winter elements. She had damn near gotten frostbite on her fingers and toes, yet the doctor informed them that she should make a full recovery with proper rest and care. Now it was just a waiting game to see if she would awaken from her comatose state.
Donovan lay beside her, his eyes swollen from the non-stop tears of distress for the woman that held his heart in her tiny frozen hands.
He stroked her flushed face, his body wrapped around hers, wishing he could exchange places with her.
"I love you so much Shandy..so so much.. Your home now....you're safe and I won't let anybody hurt you again my precious love." He whispered in her ear, softly kissing her temple.
Her eyes fluttered, slowly opening halfway and seeing the love of her life next to her. Tears instantly poured from her sky blue eyes, her body beginning to shudder with her sobs of relief.
"D...Donovan....is...is this real? Am I here...wi...with you?." She whimpered, her voice nearly gone. She slowly lifted her wrapped fingers up to stroke his tear stained face.
"Heyyy baby...yes it's real...you....you're here wi...with me now. You made it...my fierce little queen. You're safe....you're safe. I've got you my love....I'm here. No one's gonna hurt you." He choked up on his words, gingerly pulling her closer into the protection of his arms.
They lay silent as Shandy drifted back off into a peaceful sleep tucked safely in the comfort of his love and care.
The doctor walked up beside the bed they lay in.
"Mr. Kimber's. She'll sleep for many more hours sir, my nurse and I will be here with her if you need to step out for a bit. We'll watch her closely." He spoke with care & understanding.
Donovan didn't wanna leave her, yet he knew he had to put a stop to Jackson ever trying to come and take her away from him again. He'd kill that son-of-a-bitch before he'd ever lay another finger on her.


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The king had already imprisoned Jackson's sister in the old cells down in the lower level of the castle that had once been used to hold the law breakers in the kingdom many years ago. Zylvia had been the shape shifter, however he knew the young girl had been intimidated by her brother to do his bidding, since the girl had no other family left.
Jayzon couldn't help himself but to go and sit on the other side of the bars with the girl he loved, as she leaned against the cold metal so he could hold her trembling body, her love for him showing in her tear filled eyes. He couldn't believe that this girl he was so in love with was a shifter, and how her own brother had thrown her under the bus to get what he desired.
She had been nothing but a pawn in Jackson's ruthless cunning.
The Kingdoms now had the peacemakers that took care of criminals and the king was awaiting their arrival. He knew this would be the only hope of keeping his eldest son and the son he'd never known from killing one another.
Once the peacemakers became involved where heinous crimes had been committed. no army would dare to go up against the unbelievably expansive, well trained army the peace makers were made up of.
It was a matter of time before Jackson would face his punishment, since he had been the one to use his persuasion so maliciously on numerous innocent people, and ultimately caused the death of two people...and possibly even more they didn't know of, and had been the reason for Devin to turn against his own brother.....the price he'd pay would undoubtedly be severe.