Chapter108Please respect copyright.PENANATEMCvOiIJk
43
He felt something warm and heavy on108Please respect copyright.PENANAq2M8IIxZXE
his chest. At first, he was confused108Please respect copyright.PENANAXyhZa0gbaY
because he thought that he had been killed, but he felt very much alive. He108Please respect copyright.PENANA8qGPVKkE0M
slowly opened his eyes, but promptly closed them again as the bright light108Please respect copyright.PENANArcccWqNqJP
blinded him. He stirred, but heavy hands kept him still.
“Your108Please respect copyright.PENANA8II71YHslL
wounds haven’t fully healed.” The man said. “You need to lie still.” He108Please respect copyright.PENANANFZlYx3i0L
recognized the voice of Topal which meant he had to be back in the Capital.
“What108Please respect copyright.PENANAN9EdKmuyBa
happened?” Vander groaned. He tried to sit up, but again Topal pushed him back108Please respect copyright.PENANAptyBx3kWcl
down.
“Don’t108Please respect copyright.PENANA3MkSCE1Fvg
worry about that now.” He scolded. “Rest and be well. There are plenty of108Please respect copyright.PENANApOEkt4APbV
people who wish to see you.” Slowly nodding his head, Vander drifted off back108Please respect copyright.PENANA5A6MqxY127
to sleep.
Over108Please respect copyright.PENANAvDnsODOcxZ
the next few days, he heard many people entering and leaving the room he was108Please respect copyright.PENANAYJYjR0MDpf
staying in, but he didn’t hear anything that was being said. The only thing he108Please respect copyright.PENANAUAoPEmsC9a
noticed was when Shea came in to sleep on his bed. He could feel how worried108Please respect copyright.PENANAmNMLKx8LuJ
she had been and how excited she was that he was back. He held her close, not108Please respect copyright.PENANAc68feveb5s
willing to be parted with her again. Alex came to visit him on the fourth day108Please respect copyright.PENANAVc06GFe8PU
to tell him what had happened.
“We108Please respect copyright.PENANATeGG02iEUM
came back as quickly as we could.” Alex sat in the chair; his hands clasped108Please respect copyright.PENANATogdA9eRKV
together. Since arriving he hadn’t looked his friend in the eye, not once.108Please respect copyright.PENANA3mT8X6vfSr
“After I explained what happened, the Commander came as well. He was worried108Please respect copyright.PENANAKneo8HJBe9
for you and when he saw you lying on the ground near death, he was beside108Please respect copyright.PENANAjFvQNVVgBo
himself. He wouldn’t stop until you could be seen by Topal.”
“What108Please respect copyright.PENANAgjrnWPIKpo
about Eve and Jogun?” Vander asked. “Where they found?”
“No,”108Please respect copyright.PENANATmWWqByfH8
Alex shook his head. “They were gone along with twenty other Serpents, but108Please respect copyright.PENANA664gYLoZj9
because of you we have vital intel about where they have been hiding out. The108Please respect copyright.PENANA00ibThgwBi
army has been dispatched to hunt them down.”
“That’s108Please respect copyright.PENANAexv4tpyoy4
a relief.” Vander sighed.
“It’s108Please respect copyright.PENANAsxLQunSk0b
in the hands of the council now. They will decide on our next steps.” Before108Please respect copyright.PENANAYkUIyuChYs
Vander could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Alex stood as Cuvera108Please respect copyright.PENANA5pSCH6xwZk
walked in with Kiara right behind her.
“My108Please respect copyright.PENANARYUbVpkeuo
prince.” Vander went to sit up, but Cuvera shook his head.
“Stay,108Please respect copyright.PENANA8O6wbcuXap
as far as I’m concerned, you’re a hero and I should be bowing to you.” Cuvera108Please respect copyright.PENANAiCp54O4wpR
looked at Alex. “Do you mind if we have the room?”
“Certainly.”108Please respect copyright.PENANAZzQLoV43HP
Alex bowed his head and shuffled out. Kiara slowly closed the door behind him.108Please respect copyright.PENANAsY0slLoVT9
They waited a couple of moments to make sure they were truly alone before he108Please respect copyright.PENANAHQHLWJwjtt
sat down in the chair.
“Thanks108Please respect copyright.PENANArHxmKqHkWB
to you, my Queen has returned.” Cuvera smiled. “If there is anything in the108Please respect copyright.PENANAZI0cgo29Ob
country you would like, it is yours for the asking. My family owes you an108Please respect copyright.PENANAMQWLoRyYI9
enormous debt.”
Vander108Please respect copyright.PENANA2IgxIn4lRW
took a few minutes to ponder if before shaking his head. “Nothing comes to108Please respect copyright.PENANAFB6uMmsQVd
mind. Can I think about it for a bit?” Cuvera nodded his head. He opened his108Please respect copyright.PENANAk8Krdu57D8
mouth to speak again but closed it shortly after. Vander could tell that his108Please respect copyright.PENANAEXpNvnt7h0
friend was fighting biting back his anger, but he didn’t know why.
“Perhaps108Please respect copyright.PENANANnkyIkVin8
I should be the one to tell him.” Kiara placed her hand on her fiancé’s108Please respect copyright.PENANArKTHL7vt3e
shoulder. He interlocked his fingers with hers but gave an apologetic smile.
“No,108Please respect copyright.PENANAIRIMsv3hR4
it’s better if it comes from me.” He took a deep breath. “Despite Peyton’s108Please respect copyright.PENANA68steQyDc3
betrayal there are still many on the council who blame you for what happened.108Please respect copyright.PENANA1oxTAxRNrR
They decided to keep you from the Blades since it was also one of your recruits108Please respect copyright.PENANAhOUZUwv1uL
who betrayed us.”
“That’s108Please respect copyright.PENANAYsPjt8wg1X
outrageous.” Alexander shouted. He came back in from the hallway angrier than108Please respect copyright.PENANA8aURMtdkpZ
Vander had ever seen him. “He saved the Queen and ousted a traitor. What are108Please respect copyright.PENANAa75Q1nOjit
they thinking?”
“Politicians rarely think, Alex.”108Please respect copyright.PENANAkhHHdjdNQG
Cuvera said. “However, that decision ultimately rests in my hands, so I have108Please respect copyright.PENANARuU2ZLaJj6
decided to ignore their judgement. Vander, this next part is for you to108Please respect copyright.PENANAcOkV6tetvs
decide.”
“Yes?”
“I’m108Please respect copyright.PENANAjooKoTAwfE
currently short a Commander, would you do me the honors?” Cuvera smiled down at108Please respect copyright.PENANAUkANsOBD4G
Vander, holding out his hand hoping his friend would accept. He didn’t even108Please respect copyright.PENANAoduN0run5g
have to think twice. He took the hand and smiled.
“Yes,108Please respect copyright.PENANA1SLHW1fTBl
my King.”
…
A108Please respect copyright.PENANAD9rbY1bGJx
week later Vander stood in front of the mirror struggling to put on his108Please respect copyright.PENANAFb9nir8iMu
uniform. Today was the day he would be coronated as Blade Commander and he108Please respect copyright.PENANAOXuNnvNsgt
wanted to do it right. It had taken a long time for Topal to give permission108Please respect copyright.PENANAt1ExT0nxET
for Vander to walk around, but it would still take a few more months until he108Please respect copyright.PENANAgIfJCBKpft
was back to normal. However, a couple of things did change. His hair had gone108Please respect copyright.PENANAyDwJL9gSnB
back to its normal color as the coming together of his demon and him changed it108Please respect copyright.PENANAfqU6grlWN0
back. It showed that he fully accepted his abilities instead of finding them.
The108Please respect copyright.PENANABTqcj0AZNv
other thing that changed came into the room and wrapped her arms around108Please respect copyright.PENANA09m6p6sG2w
Vander’s shoulders placing a kiss on his cheek. “Have I thanked you today for108Please respect copyright.PENANAH0ri1BlAf5
saving my life?” Eliza whispered in his ear.
“No,108Please respect copyright.PENANAQ2rS9e6jEK
but you can do so by helping me get dressed.” Vander said. “I have to be there108Please respect copyright.PENANA4ILEmJIwYd
soon and I’m nowhere near ready.”
When108Please respect copyright.PENANAqc5yI8oxl1
he awoke from his coma, he wasted no time marrying Eliza. Despite knowing each108Please respect copyright.PENANAT3sVsMOQSu
other for only a little while, he couldn’t deny there was a connection between108Please respect copyright.PENANAAPATHnWkDo
them that hadn’t existed with anyone else he had been with before. He had108Please respect copyright.PENANAo5XcD8Wqtv
nearly lost her once and he wasn’t willing to go through it again. Their108Please respect copyright.PENANAZOdxwTyF5Z
matching gold bands glinted as she fixed his baldric to his belt.
“Do108Please respect copyright.PENANATe6QYrL8ff
you still wish to go to the beach?” he asked her. Her golden eyes met his as he108Please respect copyright.PENANAtr3Ny3Dr7J
saw her smile.
“Are108Please respect copyright.PENANAxtu7OHm8Yh
we going there soon?”
“After108Please respect copyright.PENANATr8kdgaZgT
the ceremony.” Vander nodded. “I have a few months of vacation I have to take108Please respect copyright.PENANAlpOan61FER
to recover from my injuries. Alex, Chicken and Rooster will be busy reforming108Please respect copyright.PENANA136uZNbOnk
the Blades in my absence, I just must get better.”
“I108Please respect copyright.PENANACatvevtrJF
bought a new outfit I can’t wait to show you.” She teased him gently.
“One108Please respect copyright.PENANAfalmKKBJfF
thing at a time.” He smiled. “Let’s get through this.”
Hand108Please respect copyright.PENANA9Zy2GbPnPX
in hand, the two of them left the room and entered the throne room, which was108Please respect copyright.PENANALBTBacu9eo
filled with Blades and council members, many of which frowned at his entrance,108Please respect copyright.PENANAXqJuRaxEWO
but there wasn’t much they could do about it. This was Cuvera’s choice, it108Please respect copyright.PENANApI3qf9Ezf4
didn’t matter what they wanted.
The108Please respect copyright.PENANAdJOQGYanWq
Warden’s had all gone home to their territories to begin the hunt for the108Please respect copyright.PENANAHMNgiJgKJB
missing Serpents. No one would rest until they were caught and brought to108Please respect copyright.PENANAbU6hsHH9O9
justice. No one kidnapped the queen and got away with it. The Cranton family108Please respect copyright.PENANAmWe6dtrGKt
was also being investigated for their ties to the Black Order and Serpents, but108Please respect copyright.PENANAVVyGNE2fUV
nothing had come up yet. Cuvera wouldn’t rest until the matter was settled, but108Please respect copyright.PENANAmnHH6DfCM5
that was for him to do.
Eliza108Please respect copyright.PENANA0oBPJEU8IG
walked over to stand by Alex and Shea who couldn’t hide their pride at Vander’s108Please respect copyright.PENANAmiXOp5RdSO
promotion.
Vander108Please respect copyright.PENANAVN2HDH5pSC
walked up to the center floor, just in front of Cuvera, then got down on one108Please respect copyright.PENANAjYXadEl0Y9
knee and bowed his head. He heard the king remove a sword from his scabbard and108Please respect copyright.PENANAFSNRRbag9z
hold it aloft.
“Do108Please respect copyright.PENANAgsjHA8LBUJ
you, Vander, accept the title of Commander and everything that comes with it?”108Please respect copyright.PENANAzQAWIDJ5S9
Cuvera asked.
“I108Please respect copyright.PENANAKcdWiEbfOQ
do.” He shouted back.
“Do108Please respect copyright.PENANABxH05uI50E
you swear to give your life for me and the citizens of this realm if I ask of108Please respect copyright.PENANAHbDPaYHZff
it?”
“Only108Please respect copyright.PENANA75qGcEoO2n
death will release me from my vow.” He responded.
“Then108Please respect copyright.PENANAByevzie9NE
I name you Vander, my Blade Commander.” Cuvera said. “Please rise and accept108Please respect copyright.PENANALPb39BWWfZ
this sword.” Vander stood then walked up to the platform as the crowd cheered,108Please respect copyright.PENANAF9kUxUsS84
chanting his name. He accepted the sword that had been created for him. The108Please respect copyright.PENANAtBWckoIlFd
scabbard had been painted to resemble a white wolf while the weapon was made108Please respect copyright.PENANAPdzOQQa7PC
from white titanium found deep within the northern mountains. It was sturdy and108Please respect copyright.PENANA8O5sEJgFpW
resilient, just like him.
As108Please respect copyright.PENANAbr7zt0u3Wu
he looked over the gathered crowd, he knew the next few years would be108Please respect copyright.PENANAuGWvST7e8Q
challenging, but he would have to do his best to protect the people here from108Please respect copyright.PENANAhJDHv6cJFH
the vision Humi had shown him. He still hadn’t told anyone, and he likely never108Please respect copyright.PENANAneCMcP374W
would. This was his burden to bear and bear it he must. For he was the only one108Please respect copyright.PENANAl5ioekrZGf
capable of protecting them all.
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He108Please respect copyright.PENANA9e8n7m01pP
is, the Eluvian Blade.