Chapter 2 The hide and seek game

The grand palace court, an assembly of ministers and subjects gathered, their faces etched with tension and panic. The air crackled with hushed discussions about the previous night's invasion. King Judrith, a storm cloud of rage, sat on his throne. How dare someone attempt to take his life-to threaten him within his own walls? The bitter reality of the assassin's escape gnawed at him.

"I am so sorry, my king, but the man was incredibly skilled, with the best swordsmanship I've ever witnessed," Luke explained, kneeling before the furious monarch, his head bowed low.

"He killed ten of my men, and you let him go, you rascal!" the king roared, slamming his hand against the table with a resounding thud. Luke cowered, silently praying for his life. He knew the king never offered a second chance when angered.

"What were you doing? Almost fifty guards couldn't catch a single man! What a shame!" Judrith bellowed.

"Forgive me, my king, however-"

The sudden loud commotion and smashing sound outside distracted them, halting their discussion.

" What's going on outside?", The king's voice demanded, booming with authority.

" Check it out this instant Luke ", he ordered his head guard who bowed in response.

His gaze roamed around the court, " And where is Jade? He --", he trailed on his words. - The door pushed open violently.

Revealing a very wounded Luke, he bled profusely struggling to to be on his feet.

He held his bleeding stomach, he had been shot with an arrow.

His breath hard and heavy, " Your majesty",he groaned, stumbling on his feet.

All eyes on him, wondering what was going on.

" We are under attack ", he shrieked, his knee giving in. He fell with a thud.

The king stared, lost and curious .

" What do you mean? ", He demanded, his tone stern and hard.

" The - The palace is under attack", he managed to say . His words came out breathless.

Gasps filled the air, "Attack? Who the hell will walk to their death? ", the king shot to his feet, his eyes blazing with disbelief.

It was then the screams and sword clashing sound made sense. The cold feeling of reality coursed through him.

" Your majesty, we are really under attack", one of his ministers screamed, fear streaked his voice.

" We have to do something, my king. ", Lord Riverdale, the minister for war, said. His brave front concealing his own fear.

" Jade. Where is Jade? ", The king yelled, his breath heavy. His gaze on the writhing Luke, demanding

" He... he .... "

" And why is the king seeking my presence?"A young man stepped into the courtroom, his hand gripping the princess's neck , a trail of blood on her skin where his fingers dipped .On the other hand, is a bloody sword which in no doubt had killed many,

His gaze locked with his daughter's, and in their depths, he saw nothing but cold dread.

Rage shot through him, " And who are you? "

" Jade, " he answered, his gaze cold and savage. A mocking smirk tugged the corner of his lips.

The air grew tense and extremely quiet.

But before the king is nothing like jade, this man standing before him has not the huge knife scar which etched jade's face, nor the long thick beards and mustache and extremely long hair.

Before him is a more youthful man, his neatly packed hair shone under the hall's light.

A striking but unmistakable resemblance of jade, but a more older version of someone he knows too well.

" You... you are alive. ", He stumbled on his words, the intensity of his harsh reality almost choking him.

Prince Damon smirk widened, his grip tightened on the princess's neck the more, a painful whimper escaped her lips.

" I've waited for this day, judrith. ", He shoved the princess roughly, she almost fell face flat.

" Ahhjj " ,she shrieked in pain. The king stood rooted in disbelief, his mouth agape.

" Finally, judrith", He snorted, his gaze murderous and savage.

" You dare betray me !",

Damon snorted, a disgusted look on his face. His gaze was vengeful.

" I came to take what is mine. And trust me Judrith, no one here can stop me ",

Judrith yelled," You bastard! How dare you! You dare walk into my territory and try to humiliate me. ", His eyes bloodshot with rage.

"You think you deserve to live? After what you've done? Slaughtering innocent people and taking their home? Their land? ", Damon fired. His nose blaring with rage and loath.

" You deserve to die judrith. I am her to make you pay, for everything you did to me and my people. I promise you judrith, you won't go Scot free ",

Judrith burst into a loud depraved laugh, his subjects staring at him as if he had lost his mind.

Who laughs at a situation like this!

His laughter seized ,"You wish. ", he strutted down his throne.

An amused expression on his face .

" I will give you the credit, you really had me fooled.", he wore a sinister smile.

"You masqueraded, you wormed your way into my trust. All this time, a groveling dog, yet seething with vengeance. Impressive," he snorted, the word laced with venom.

Damon fumed, his jaw clenched. His words hit home .

" You should have stayed hidden, Prince Damon," he blurted.

Surprised gasps resounded, all gaze now fixated on the vengeful young man . The man who was the king's most trusted subject.

" You made a big mistake walking into my territory. I failed to kill you before but not again will I fail. ", He declared.

" Guards! ", He hollered. His gaze locked with the man before him.

Troops of soldiers streamed into the court , the sound of their unsheathing swords resonated through the air.

He smirked, " Capture the traitor here! ", his index finger shot out sharply pointing at Damon. No one moved.

He growled, " what are you doing? Capture him now! "

Damon, to his surprise, offered a smirk of his own, an evil glint dancing in his eyes. He swung his hand through the air, the soldiers moved immediately.

They marched past him, grabbed the king and forced him to his knee.

Murmurs among the ministers reverberated.

" Father ", princess Sabrina wailed, shooting to her feet.

A guard seized her, forcing her roughly back to her knee.

"You son of a snake! ", The monarch spat, anger and humiliation pricked his skin, flushing through his blood.

"You don't get to be in power here, judrith", Damon mocked.

"You think you can kill me and walk out of here alive? No fucking way ! ", He spat venomously.

Damon grimaced, "You really don't know what I am capable of, do you?"He gripped the monarch's throat, digging his fingers to inflict an injury.

" You bastard! ",The king spluttered out, his breath hitching with venom bordered with rage.

" I could kill you right now, cut your limbs and have your eyes and tongue plucked out and walk out of this fucking place untouched. ", He gripped his throat more tighter, making him gasp for breath.

" You know nothing of what these years of watching you wander around while I wait for this day has molded me to. I can kill you in the most gruesome way ever, like a fucking dog ", he spat with resentment.

The intensity of his cold gaze sent a cold thrill down to his very core.

He shivered with fear.

Prince Damon shoved him roughly, his gaze chilling cold.

" But I won't do that. Killing you is like doing you a favour. There's a lot of ways to make you suffer. And that I planned on doing", his cold gaze found the princess .

She shot him an hateful glare, her demeanor screaming defiance. He spun on his heel, taking measured stride towards the princess

" Don't you dare ", judrith yelled, struggling to break free of the guards' hold.

But he was no anywhere stronger than they were.

" Let me go", she struggled, but his hold was stronger .

" You know I always wondered why you didn't kill me that night? Why didn't you kill me even after you found out I escaped and was on the run?", He prompted, grabbing the princess forcefully, getting her to stay rooted.

She winced in pain, her gaze blazing with rage and unshed tears.

He was hurting her.

" You made me wander for a while then you made your hunting dogs catch me. You made me feel like I had escaped you while you had a good laugh behind, you were playing the hide and seek game. You threw me into the Dark dungeon and tortured me for TWO years. Made me fed like a dog. I was ten. A little boy who knew nothing. You made me suffer, but didn't kill me even while I begged for death. You kept me alive. Then it finally occurred to me that you had no plan on killing me, you wanted to destroy me . ", He paused, his jaw clenched in fury.

The rage emanating from his eyes made every single soul in the hall shiver .

Without ordering, the ministers went down on their knees, head bowed. A silent plea for their lives.

" So I am bringing back that same game you started judrith. The hide and seek game",