Chapter 3 Sword attack

*****

Iris burst into an uncontrollable laughter as she saw him shouting, his mask flew off his face

"Oh the weak Prince Eleven" she said and started laughing again

"Take this thing off my neck!" He shouted in full fright...

Iris walked up to him and took the snake

" Now go away you little thing" she said and threw it away

The snake crawled out of the cave

"Did you just take that with your bare hands?" Eleven said, shocked

"What?, You want me to bring it back? " Iris said

" No!, I don't mean it that way, I mean, you took such a poisonous snake with your hands?, Who exactly are you? " Eleven asked

Iris smiled as usual

" What else?, I'm Iris, the only inhabitant of this cave, I named it cave of Iris already" she replied

Eleven looked at her strangely without talking for a while

He looked round the cave and sighed

"So you live here alone?" He asked

"Of course" she replied

" Your parents? " Eleven asked

" Parents?, Ion have any" she replied

" They're dead? " He asked

"Too many questions huh!, Well from the start I don't have parents, and that should be the end of your endless questions Mr Prince" she replied, sitting down on one of the small rocks

"sit" she said

He sat beside her and his nose immediately caught the scent from her body

He perceived it the other time when he caught her but it's not as crisp as it is now

"What's that scent?" He asked, sniffing her

"Scent?, Do I smell gross? " She asked, smelling herself too

"No, I mean, you smell strange... I don't blame that though cos you're strange yourself" he replied

Iris smiled

" Am I? " She said, looking at him

"Of course you are" he replied and they both laughed

"So why exactly are you here? ' she asked

" Oh that? " Eleven said, searching his head for excuses

" Oh, I was restless and can't seem to be able to sleep, that's why i.... Decided to take a walk and here I am" he replied

" Take a walk?, Round the forest? " She said, yawning softly as she started feeling drowsy

" I know it sounds strange but I.... Seem to be attracted to you, ion know why, I just.... I....

Iris's head fell on his shoulder, interrupting him from speaking further

She caught it before it'll fall off his shoulder and balanced her head on his shoulder

She's fast asleep

"Sleeping beauty" he said and smiled, staring at her beautiful face

The bright moon shone into the cave, making it look more radiant and it seems the cave is just extraordinary, he can just feel it

She slept on his shoulders and he kept shoving away the mosquitoes that are trying to have a bite of her ...

He felt his chest with his hand

His heart is beating wildly again

"It's her, it's really her, my bride" he muttered....

He left the cave in the early hours of the morning when Iris is still fast asleep...

He walked back to the palace gallantly and this time, he knows the way...

Eragon ran out to meet him

"My prince!, Where have you been?" Eragon said, standing in front of him

"That's how you greet your prince early in the morning? " Eleven joked

Despite being his protector, Eragon is his closest friend so they talk randomly most times

"Morning my prince, forgive my manners" Eragon said, bowing

Eleven giggled

He just feels happy this morning, maybe because he watched a beauty sleep

"I just took a walk round the forest, I left not long ago" Eleven lied

Eragon looked at him suspiciously

" Well that's not important right now, don't you know today is the first day of this month? " Eragon said

" So? "

" It's the empress sickness day again" Eragon said and Eleven's mood changed

Truthfully he can now hear the empress cry of agony, coming from the palace

"I don't care" he replied

"My prince....

" She deserves it, and you know it" Eleven interrupted and entered the palace to his dad's room

"Abeoji (father)" he said, bowing in respect to the emperor on his sick bed

"Eleven" emperor said weakly, smiling

"How was your night father?" He asked, sitting down

"You should be with your mum now, I can hear her screams of agony, it's her pain day again" emperor said, ignoring his question

"I don't want to" Eleven replied, looking away

"Eleven you know you can't, you have to stay with her even though she doesn't deserve your stay" emperor said, coughing

"She's not worth my staying with her and she deserves what she passes through every first day of the month like this, I'm not staying with her father, I'm not, I'll rather stay here with you" he replied defiantly

"Eleven...

"No father, I'm not going to mum" he interrupted as Aurora's scream came again...

A maid brought in his tea

*****

"Eomma!, Just be strong huh!, Today will soon be over" Lillie said, sitting by the empress side

"If only you know how much pain I'm passing through right now, if only you.... Aarrghgggggghhhh!" She shouted again, vomiting copious amount of blood and some came out of her ears too

"Oh hell, mother!" Lillie said

Aurora caught her breath after vomiting the blood

" The ... The emperor's tea,... has, has Dan served it?" Aurora asked in pains

" Oh Dan!" Lillie called as Dan came rushing

" Yes my Princess" she said, kneeling

"The emperor's tea" Lillie said

"It has been served" Dan replied

" Good, you can go" Lillie said

Dan rushed out

"My back!, Aaaaarrrrhg!" Empress shouted in pains

"And when the hell are we gonna get the only daughter of the Phoenix, oh God!" Lillie said in frustration as she watched her mother in pains

*****

Iris woke up and yawned softly

She found out she's sleeping on a leave bed

Eleven actually climbed a tree to pluck leaves to lay on the ground for her before leaving the other time

"So kind of Mr Prince" she muttered, stretching herself

" Another bright day, let's take a walk round the forest and say hi to the animals" she said and stood but then her nose caught the smell of something...a human

Another person is in the cave

And this is not Eleven..

She closed her eyes and a sword appeared on her right hand

She walked slowly to where she smelt the human from and sharply made a u turn

She placed the sword by the neck of the first person she met

An old man with white hair all-over his head and he's with a walking stick and a slingback bag across his side

"Iris, you're finally awake from your twenty years sleep" the old man said, pushing the sword off his neck gently

The sword dissappeared just the way it appeared

"Who are you, and how did you know my name?" Iris asked

" How can I not know your name when I wrote it on your palm myself" the man replied

" Huh?" Iris said innocently, giving him questioning looks

"I'm Andromeda, a monk, I've been guarding this cave for the twenty years that you've been asleep, you've been sleeping since you were born" Andromeda said, sitting down

" I've been sleeping since when I was born?" She said

" Yes, I know you have loads of questions about your existence but right now is not the time for me to answer them" Andromeda said

" Why?"

" Cos it's not time yet" he replied and brought out a cauldron from his bag

He gave it to her

"That's a disguise pellet, it'll help you keep off your powers from the eyes of everyone, anyone will think of you as an ordinary human if you use it always" Andromeda said, giving it to her

" I'm not ordinary?" She asked

He laughed

"It's not time to talk about that"

" And I'm glad that without anyone telling you, you know the use of your powers already, and by now you must have known the power of the blood in you" he said

" It brought a broken glass back together as one" Iris said

" Yes, your blood is pure and can heal any wound or ailment in a human" Andromeda said

" Oh" Iris said

" And one more thing, you can't eat apple, it's your forbidden fruit, any day you eat it, you'll be weak throughout that day and your powers will not work...that day" Andromeda said

Iris nodded

" I hope you'll be able to keep to all these, and please, keep off from any of the royal family, it's dangerous" Andromeda said

" Why?"

" It's not time for talks about it" he replied

" I'm sick and tired of that Statement" Iris said, sulking like a baby

" Just be patient, learn some patience" he said

" Ok. But why weren't you here since I woke up yesterday?" Iris asked

" I was on my way to a journey, but I saw your sun shinning brightly, I read the sign of the heavens and that's how I know you're awake, i journeyed back home I reached here not More than ten minutes ago, welcome to Meteor" he said

Iris smiled

" I hope he didn't see Eleven" she thought, smiling sheepishly

" And now you must stay in this forest, don't enter the city, don't associate with any of the royal family, and don't eat apple, don't save anyone with your blood yet, if you do, it'll be the beginning of your anguish..... please" Andromeda said

" Why are you saying it again?"

" Cos I need to make you understand the importance, and I need to continue my journey, I'll be coming back after three days, be safe please... Iris" he said and looked at her , he smiled before going out...

She followed him and stayed by the entrance of the cave, watching him go

"Andromeda!" She called suddenly

He looked back

"Come back safely!' she shouted

He smiled before moving

Iris sighed.....

*****

Diamond climbed the stage to give her first guitar performance as the crowd cheered

She scanned the crowd for Kingston once again but can't find him

"He's not here as promised" she thought sadly

" Go Diamond!" Isla shouted from the crowd

"Do it!" Cole shouted and the crowd cheered again...

"I can't do this without him here" she thought as she stood still on the stage, not making any move

" Do it Diamond!" Cole shouted again

The crowd of students started murmuring

"Have nothing to play?" The chief judge asked

She threw down the guitar and ran out of the hall

Isla and Cole ran after her

"Diamond!"

"He promised he'd come, he didn't, I just can't do my first performance without him" Diamond replied, trying not to cry

"I'm sorry, maybe he's busy" Isla said

"He always has no time for me" Diamond replied

"And here he is" Cole said as Kingston came rushing

" Look diamond, I'm so sorry, I had to....

Diamond ran off before he could finish

"Diamond!" Kingston called but she never looked back

"She'll calm down, just give her time, you know how she is" Isla said

Kingston only nodded...

*******

Eleven sneaked out of the palace tonight again despite the empress screams of agony

The pains won't stop till twelve midnight...

He sneaked out but Lillie saw him sneaking out

"Where the hell is he going?" She asked herself, getting curious as she touched her sword beside her

Not minding the empress screams, she followed him

Iris just finished taking the disguise pellet when Eleven entered the cave

"Go away" she said coldly

Eleven was taken aback

"What?, Why?" He asked

"Just go, it's dangerous for you to be here" she replied

" Why?, I...I plan on making you my bride" Eleven said truthfully

Iris giggled

" Bride?, How funny, you need to leave here now" Iris replied

" Oh, so this is it, my big brother is growing up, talking about making someone a bride" Lillie said, entering the cave

Jealousy clouded her mind Immediately she saw Iris, she's purely beautiful!

"How did you get here?" Eleven asked

"The most important question is that what is a whole Prince doing in this godforsaken cave with a lowlife" Lillie said, getting jealous of iris's excessive beauty

"Did you just call me a lowlife?" Iris said

" So what?" Lillie said

" You're daring, I hate people who don't know how to talk" Iris said

" Iris..." Eleven said

" Stay out of this" Iris said ....

" She's my sister" Eleven said

"Oh, really?, A princess?, I'm sorry but it doesn't suit you" Iris said

Lillie's eyes came wide

" What did you just say?" She demanded

"I can smell evil blood within you, your aura is dark too, being a princess is not for you" Iris replied boldly

Lillie walked up to her like she wants to confront her but she suddenly pulled out her sword and made to thrust it into her belly

Eleven pushed Iris away and the sword ran deep into his stomach instead...

"Eleven!" Iris screamed in shock.