Chapter77Please respect copyright.PENANANshpPR2v6B
43
He felt something warm and heavy on77Please respect copyright.PENANAIyFZXssrJt
his chest. At first, he was confused77Please respect copyright.PENANAKWoT42nSGt
because he thought that he had been killed, but he felt very much alive. He77Please respect copyright.PENANAIOxNLvrZXe
slowly opened his eyes, but promptly closed them again as the bright light77Please respect copyright.PENANAHizATzD1Yk
blinded him. He stirred, but heavy hands kept him still.
“Your77Please respect copyright.PENANAXZmY5Cmrzq
wounds haven’t fully healed.” The man said. “You need to lie still.” He77Please respect copyright.PENANAKrcW35S54l
recognized the voice of Topal which meant he had to be back in the Capital.
“What77Please respect copyright.PENANA5orScArQ1e
happened?” Vander groaned. He tried to sit up, but again Topal pushed him back77Please respect copyright.PENANASv9NNwbYps
down.
“Don’t77Please respect copyright.PENANAfxYAGfuK9p
worry about that now.” He scolded. “Rest and be well. There are plenty of77Please respect copyright.PENANAKjcwZv4XDr
people who wish to see you.” Slowly nodding his head, Vander drifted off back77Please respect copyright.PENANAUXp150k2uY
to sleep.
Over77Please respect copyright.PENANAoC9vYRBaA7
the next few days, he heard many people entering and leaving the room he was77Please respect copyright.PENANAdWsmuNVU5H
staying in, but he didn’t hear anything that was being said. The only thing he77Please respect copyright.PENANANGB63qBAdU
noticed was when Shea came in to sleep on his bed. He could feel how worried77Please respect copyright.PENANA22fOFM3T3x
she had been and how excited she was that he was back. He held her close, not77Please respect copyright.PENANAZ6ggewW6Eh
willing to be parted with her again. Alex came to visit him on the fourth day77Please respect copyright.PENANAkHByHELKfs
to tell him what had happened.
“We77Please respect copyright.PENANA952AMuxqpc
came back as quickly as we could.” Alex sat in the chair; his hands clasped77Please respect copyright.PENANAg0Avrck4gf
together. Since arriving he hadn’t looked his friend in the eye, not once.77Please respect copyright.PENANA3VyBsnMTa5
“After I explained what happened, the Commander came as well. He was worried77Please respect copyright.PENANAq0O50u1tVZ
for you and when he saw you lying on the ground near death, he was beside77Please respect copyright.PENANALYvFhd192c
himself. He wouldn’t stop until you could be seen by Topal.”
“What77Please respect copyright.PENANA7qzlD05EkU
about Eve and Jogun?” Vander asked. “Where they found?”
“No,”77Please respect copyright.PENANAW08owmXpCI
Alex shook his head. “They were gone along with twenty other Serpents, but77Please respect copyright.PENANAK6b5iKXnaB
because of you we have vital intel about where they have been hiding out. The77Please respect copyright.PENANAiMPw7rMVuk
army has been dispatched to hunt them down.”
“That’s77Please respect copyright.PENANAOhQNPUj7aq
a relief.” Vander sighed.
“It’s77Please respect copyright.PENANAzEDWatU5KI
in the hands of the council now. They will decide on our next steps.” Before77Please respect copyright.PENANAsHRAhX1USk
Vander could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Alex stood as Cuvera77Please respect copyright.PENANAyKNBbJQVmG
walked in with Kiara right behind her.
“My77Please respect copyright.PENANARvWYwOVGj6
prince.” Vander went to sit up, but Cuvera shook his head.
“Stay,77Please respect copyright.PENANApL347i4f6s
as far as I’m concerned, you’re a hero and I should be bowing to you.” Cuvera77Please respect copyright.PENANAKUNjJxLAMw
looked at Alex. “Do you mind if we have the room?”
“Certainly.”77Please respect copyright.PENANA68vYvBy84h
Alex bowed his head and shuffled out. Kiara slowly closed the door behind him.77Please respect copyright.PENANA0xeNxhTHgJ
They waited a couple of moments to make sure they were truly alone before he77Please respect copyright.PENANAJWYwwDImZp
sat down in the chair.
“Thanks77Please respect copyright.PENANARVxyhczgle
to you, my Queen has returned.” Cuvera smiled. “If there is anything in the77Please respect copyright.PENANAu6MidimKqx
country you would like, it is yours for the asking. My family owes you an77Please respect copyright.PENANAuMEiD1SJia
enormous debt.”
Vander77Please respect copyright.PENANACZVSYoeCTj
took a few minutes to ponder if before shaking his head. “Nothing comes to77Please respect copyright.PENANAei63TNP5hu
mind. Can I think about it for a bit?” Cuvera nodded his head. He opened his77Please respect copyright.PENANALSqdMzWiXf
mouth to speak again but closed it shortly after. Vander could tell that his77Please respect copyright.PENANAK8lyX6z8eu
friend was fighting biting back his anger, but he didn’t know why.
“Perhaps77Please respect copyright.PENANA2HsK5gkvYO
I should be the one to tell him.” Kiara placed her hand on her fiancé’s77Please respect copyright.PENANAqTepW555hF
shoulder. He interlocked his fingers with hers but gave an apologetic smile.
“No,77Please respect copyright.PENANAIBAgyULIp3
it’s better if it comes from me.” He took a deep breath. “Despite Peyton’s77Please respect copyright.PENANAgXfMef12Ku
betrayal there are still many on the council who blame you for what happened.77Please respect copyright.PENANA56tjWg9B6J
They decided to keep you from the Blades since it was also one of your recruits77Please respect copyright.PENANAlIz7q0zNO7
who betrayed us.”
“That’s77Please respect copyright.PENANAq8KBUZHYVX
outrageous.” Alexander shouted. He came back in from the hallway angrier than77Please respect copyright.PENANAAXznZOXKCL
Vander had ever seen him. “He saved the Queen and ousted a traitor. What are77Please respect copyright.PENANA5owU17msa2
they thinking?”
“Politicians rarely think, Alex.”77Please respect copyright.PENANAIPyG5Wc1ft
Cuvera said. “However, that decision ultimately rests in my hands, so I have77Please respect copyright.PENANAghWrki4hjz
decided to ignore their judgement. Vander, this next part is for you to77Please respect copyright.PENANAvfWST9oEcl
decide.”
“Yes?”
“I’m77Please respect copyright.PENANA73ToYA2Fc2
currently short a Commander, would you do me the honors?” Cuvera smiled down at77Please respect copyright.PENANAXtSoklTrhs
Vander, holding out his hand hoping his friend would accept. He didn’t even77Please respect copyright.PENANAgqJ0nnZpnC
have to think twice. He took the hand and smiled.
“Yes,77Please respect copyright.PENANAM8fOCCcrDX
my King.”
…
A77Please respect copyright.PENANALmCIYMTuQQ
week later Vander stood in front of the mirror struggling to put on his77Please respect copyright.PENANAoATtNAeNeo
uniform. Today was the day he would be coronated as Blade Commander and he77Please respect copyright.PENANAmusDS6hWCE
wanted to do it right. It had taken a long time for Topal to give permission77Please respect copyright.PENANALV2Nbpae4O
for Vander to walk around, but it would still take a few more months until he77Please respect copyright.PENANAp11IEtlsu6
was back to normal. However, a couple of things did change. His hair had gone77Please respect copyright.PENANANrFTkSMyJa
back to its normal color as the coming together of his demon and him changed it77Please respect copyright.PENANAgQLq5HFWzy
back. It showed that he fully accepted his abilities instead of finding them.
The77Please respect copyright.PENANAHdOFWLs3Gf
other thing that changed came into the room and wrapped her arms around77Please respect copyright.PENANAlXoZ11jl3T
Vander’s shoulders placing a kiss on his cheek. “Have I thanked you today for77Please respect copyright.PENANAszrUK9yOhg
saving my life?” Eliza whispered in his ear.
“No,77Please respect copyright.PENANAnVGAezWmdB
but you can do so by helping me get dressed.” Vander said. “I have to be there77Please respect copyright.PENANA24WTgJ9r6y
soon and I’m nowhere near ready.”
When77Please respect copyright.PENANAL1FC4boKXv
he awoke from his coma, he wasted no time marrying Eliza. Despite knowing each77Please respect copyright.PENANANhUDKeeni7
other for only a little while, he couldn’t deny there was a connection between77Please respect copyright.PENANAp19OG58jhk
them that hadn’t existed with anyone else he had been with before. He had77Please respect copyright.PENANAza5d0ezR23
nearly lost her once and he wasn’t willing to go through it again. Their77Please respect copyright.PENANACpowsI2uGR
matching gold bands glinted as she fixed his baldric to his belt.
“Do77Please respect copyright.PENANAkE6tC4mO8h
you still wish to go to the beach?” he asked her. Her golden eyes met his as he77Please respect copyright.PENANATihvtWo5JH
saw her smile.
“Are77Please respect copyright.PENANAh1I1DISCQO
we going there soon?”
“After77Please respect copyright.PENANA9JOp9FqL0D
the ceremony.” Vander nodded. “I have a few months of vacation I have to take77Please respect copyright.PENANAUJRuJZsrTT
to recover from my injuries. Alex, Chicken and Rooster will be busy reforming77Please respect copyright.PENANAzqwIw3tE7J
the Blades in my absence, I just must get better.”
“I77Please respect copyright.PENANAChYDzb2gfY
bought a new outfit I can’t wait to show you.” She teased him gently.
“One77Please respect copyright.PENANATGoS0NsBWX
thing at a time.” He smiled. “Let’s get through this.”
Hand77Please respect copyright.PENANAMHpKaER3Oz
in hand, the two of them left the room and entered the throne room, which was77Please respect copyright.PENANAhlMLGNr9Vb
filled with Blades and council members, many of which frowned at his entrance,77Please respect copyright.PENANADBYD433Yq1
but there wasn’t much they could do about it. This was Cuvera’s choice, it77Please respect copyright.PENANAA9Vv0f9FtK
didn’t matter what they wanted.
The77Please respect copyright.PENANACfF4BXD7Vk
Warden’s had all gone home to their territories to begin the hunt for the77Please respect copyright.PENANAzMJocPiJOW
missing Serpents. No one would rest until they were caught and brought to77Please respect copyright.PENANAF7czVureRN
justice. No one kidnapped the queen and got away with it. The Cranton family77Please respect copyright.PENANA9uLG6nk54y
was also being investigated for their ties to the Black Order and Serpents, but77Please respect copyright.PENANAgY0saoVDKL
nothing had come up yet. Cuvera wouldn’t rest until the matter was settled, but77Please respect copyright.PENANAeiYCmokAcG
that was for him to do.
Eliza77Please respect copyright.PENANAvnXQgkS8f1
walked over to stand by Alex and Shea who couldn’t hide their pride at Vander’s77Please respect copyright.PENANANoOU8HekuG
promotion.
Vander77Please respect copyright.PENANAOyeIoW13NC
walked up to the center floor, just in front of Cuvera, then got down on one77Please respect copyright.PENANAMBRETG38T5
knee and bowed his head. He heard the king remove a sword from his scabbard and77Please respect copyright.PENANARyzuMQoUoV
hold it aloft.
“Do77Please respect copyright.PENANApw1KLLVjzJ
you, Vander, accept the title of Commander and everything that comes with it?”77Please respect copyright.PENANAh2IK0k7eKe
Cuvera asked.
“I77Please respect copyright.PENANAV7IIZwxzxh
do.” He shouted back.
“Do77Please respect copyright.PENANA6eKvAQaysN
you swear to give your life for me and the citizens of this realm if I ask of77Please respect copyright.PENANAls5TVz2z4p
it?”
“Only77Please respect copyright.PENANAzFwkj4KZtm
death will release me from my vow.” He responded.
“Then77Please respect copyright.PENANAbh7CWOWAzg
I name you Vander, my Blade Commander.” Cuvera said. “Please rise and accept77Please respect copyright.PENANARbjsoxpAiv
this sword.” Vander stood then walked up to the platform as the crowd cheered,77Please respect copyright.PENANACwFJ2qFdqS
chanting his name. He accepted the sword that had been created for him. The77Please respect copyright.PENANAvdTkH1IdYh
scabbard had been painted to resemble a white wolf while the weapon was made77Please respect copyright.PENANAGUoLoOlcMy
from white titanium found deep within the northern mountains. It was sturdy and77Please respect copyright.PENANAgkCHXMHURN
resilient, just like him.
As77Please respect copyright.PENANA0R5YAOtoUH
he looked over the gathered crowd, he knew the next few years would be77Please respect copyright.PENANAX3dTZm3sGs
challenging, but he would have to do his best to protect the people here from77Please respect copyright.PENANAyuKTnSFdCi
the vision Humi had shown him. He still hadn’t told anyone, and he likely never77Please respect copyright.PENANAGRIdeWkGxj
would. This was his burden to bear and bear it he must. For he was the only one77Please respect copyright.PENANAcEp5lAkrFg
capable of protecting them all.
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He77Please respect copyright.PENANAPK94HYHApi
is, the Eluvian Blade.