Chapter 33

The last chapter of Part 2. Part 3 will be up soon! I hope you really enjoyed this really long section of the book lol

Michael opened his eyes slowly. He was suprised that he was looking at the canopy cover of a bed. He looked to the right and saw a door about twenty feet away, surrounded by a white wall with red surrounding curtains. He looked to the left and saw a blue dresser on which a large mirror stood. He would see himself in it.

He sat up quickly and yelled out in pain, clutching the left side of his body. He heard someone walk into the room.

"Lay back donw!"Amber ordered sternly, glaring at him.

"No!"Michael protested."Where am I? Where's Taira and Rene...and the others?"

"They're all here,"Amber said."Don't worry. They're all safe and fine. To be honest, you're the most beat up of them all."

"Ok,"Michael said slowly, laying back down and wincing."So where am I?"

"We're all still in the Sacred Palace. We are in one of the hidden rooms situated on the ground floor,"Amber explained.

"Hidden rooms?"Michael asked quietly. His head was pounding all of a sudden. Amber nodded.

"This palace is where many kings and queens come. Naturally, it would be rigged with lots of hidden passageways and rooms in order to keep the king and queen safe in case of an emergency."

Michael didn't say anything, but instead looked at te canopy of the bed.

"Where's Taira?"he asked, still looking at the canopy.

"Everyone's just outside this room,"Amber said quietly, starting to walk away."If you want, I'll send them in."

"No,"Michael said quietly,"It's okay."

Amber shrugged and left the room. Michael looked at the door and started to let his thoughts wander.

Who saved me? Michael thought to himself. The last thing he could remember was Angel raising her knife above his head...and then an arrow hit her hand and she dropped him.

He say up slowly, wincing in pain, and began to climb out of bed. He grabbed his shirt from the edge of his bed, threw it on, fixed his hair and walked out of the room.

Immediatly, Taira hugged him, squeezing tightly.

"Ow, ow, ow-"

"Sorry!"Taira said, letting go of him. He looked around and saw that they all appeared to be in a room that would be used for meetings. A long table was in the middle of the room, and multiple other doors branched off from this room. A door waas straight across from him.

"Michael, you're okay!"Daniel said happily, waving to him. Ralph was sitting in a chair right beside him. Roran was standing by Amber, who was standing by the wall to the right.

"Where's Rene?"Michael asked."And how did I get here? What happened?"

"Well,"Daniel said, standing up and stretching,"Basically, Ralph managed to bring Taira hiere and Amber carried you here and Roran held Angel off."

"So where is Angel?"MIchael asked quietly. A grim silence met this question.

"Did-did she manage to get Rene?"

Taira shook her head.

"Roran managed to hold her down with some heavy netting,"Taira explained."The ropes were too thick for Angel to cut, but..."

"By the time the police had arrived,"Ralph continued,"The only thing left was a bunch of cut up ropes."

"So we've come to one conclusion,"Roran said."Angel must have some kind of outside help."

"You came up with conclusion in about ten minutes?"Michael asked.

"More like twelve hours,"Taira said quietly.

"T-twelve hours?"Michael said in disbelief.

"Angel did quite a number on you,"Rene said, entering the room from the door across the table."Lucky for you, Amber is a pretty good doctor of some sort and managed to patch you up. After that, we just waited."

"So, now what?"Daniel asked."From what we've all heard and gathered, it seems that Angel wants to be queen, but I don't get it-isn't she going to be queen since she's the oldest?"

"I've been wondering that as well,"Ralph said."She must have another reason for trying to kill Rene, but why?"

"That's not right,"Rene said, stepping forward."I haven't been completely honest with all of you."

"Why not?"Taira asked."I thought you had told them?"

"Told us what?"

Michael, Roran, Ralph, and Daniel all stared at Rene.

"Normally, Angel WOULD be the queen,"Rene said,"However, because there are three candidates, it wasa up to our mom to decide her successor. Long ago, just before her death, she told us that I was to be queen upon her death."

"So that's why only you were going to make a speech?"Ralph asked."I thought Taira was just too young to be queen and Angel was nowhere to be found so..."

"I chose not to make a speech,"Taira said."If mom was still alive, we could all make a speech and she would decide based on our public popularity, our goals for the kingdom, and on other factors, but since she's gone now, Rene's speech was just to tell the public about her goals and to make her well known to the public."

"So why does Angel have to kill Rene to be queen?"Daniel asked.

"Because that is the only way for her to be queen now,"Amber said."I may not be royalty but I know the rules. Since Angel is the oldest, she would be queen if Rene became incapable of doing it and Taira can only be queen if both Rene AND Angel die."

"How come Angel doesn't just hire someone to kill Rene for her?"Michael asked.

"Because the last two queens, our grandmother and our mom, were some of the greatest queens in Arisenian history,"Taira explained."Queen Sandra, our grandmother, ruled for about sixty-two or sixty-three years, and our mom had gone for about twenty. Together, they almost made a whole century of a golden age for Arisen. The people assume that any one of us will be just as great."

"So, you all have expectations,"Roran said. Taira and Rene nodded.

"But why does Angel want to be queen so badly?"Amber asked.

"Probably for the power,"Rene said."Angel is extremely power hungry. She's willing to kill for it. And as she told Taira, apparently, she has done just that."

"We must do whatever it takes to stop her from being queen,"Taira said.

"Why?"Michael asked. Everyone stared at him.

"Michael-"Taira began.

"I know she's going to have to kill Rene to become queen, but couldn't Rene just willingly give her the throne?"Michael asked.

"Why would I do that?"Rene asked in disbelief?"She killed our mom just to be queen? Why would I ever allow a person like that to step up to the throne?!"

"Sorry, sorry!"Michael said, putting his hands up innocently."I spoke without thinking. Sorry!"

"You always do that,"Taira said and she kissed him on the cheek."Now go to bed!"

"Did you just-?"

"Yes! Go to bed!"

"I'm going, I'm going!"Michael said and he walked back into his room and painfully laid donw.

"Maybe I should start talking with thinking more often,"Michael said aloud."It seems I get more kisses that way."

And with a chuckle, he turned on his side and went to sleep.

 

"What are your plans now?"the young man asked.

"I don't know yet?"Angel said. She and her newest apprentice had escaped underground. It wasn't her favorite place, but at least they had escaped.

"I have an idea,"Angel said slowly."Why don't you infiltrate them for me?"

"Is that your desire?"the young man asked.

"Yes,"Angel said.

"Very well,"the young man said again and he started to leave.

"Do not fail me,"Angel said.

"I will not, master."

"Very good, then,"Angel said."I really hope not, my little protoge...

"Dante."

Author's Note

And that's that! The Princess of Dawn arc is now over and the Angel's Gamble arc is up next! Dante's working for the bad side, Rene is scared for her life, and the Michaels and the others are involved in it all...what to do, what to do...just a warning now, A gay character will be introduced in chapter 1 of Part 3 ^_^

Reviews

[Sseoni]

OMG! I loved it! It was so... so... surprisingly awesome! I just love all of the drama, romance, comedy, and drama! Oh the drama! I seriously can't wait until number 3 is out! I bet it's going to be super duper fantastic! :D