Chapter 18 She Is Clever

• The Damn Arkians are in the image of humans. They have hands and feet that look like humans but their fingers are claws. The Damn Akians walk and run like humans but their strength is that of a thousand men and their speed is the same as that of the Grim Arkians. Since the Damn Arkians look like humans made it easy for them to be able to use bows, arrows, and blade weapons. Even though they have hands and legs and do things like humans, the face of the Damn Arkians is horrific and their teeth are nothing but fangs. The Damn Arkians are a little bit taller than the size of humans and their bodies are also made up of what the Grim Arkians' bodies are made of.
• Hearing priestess Mary made everyone in the council hall crazily terrified and they all wondered if they were truly going to survive until the full moon. King Hartley anxiously asked Queen Rebeca and priestess Mary “what is it about the Arkians that look like us?”.
• “Upon seeing the Damn Arkians in the morning, I and Mary went back to the book and realize that we skip them. They are the first Arkians to be created and they are naturally crazy and more deadly” said Queen Rebeca.
• “The Damn Akians have the strength of a thousand men and they are way faster. Not only can they use arrows and bows, they can also use swords and battle axes” said Priestess Mary.
• “It is written in the book that whosoever created all the Arkians regret creating the Damn Arkians because they are brutal and leave no survivor. The Arkians' instincts and way of thinking are different from the other Arkians. The Damn Arkians' instinct is crazier than that of a predator animal because ending thing and burning it to the ground is their primary behavior” said Queen Rebeca.
• “The book also said that the first task of the Damn Arkians was to bring down a kingdom to its knee but instead, they lay waste to the kingdom burning everything to the ground. They are way more emotionless than we could ever think. The Damn Akians can be call them death themselves” said Priestess Mary.
• “The Damn Arkians are so strong that they can lay waste to the whole of our army in just a day. They don’t get tired or stop fighting, and no one here is a match for them. The Damn Arkians' fighting skills are out of our world and no one here can best in a fight. If anyone should try to challenge a Damn Arkian to a fight, the person will be killed in a minute, and that is even if the Damn Arkian wants the person to last till then” said Queen Rebeca.
• “It is also said in the book that the Damn Arkians love challenges but they have always easily won all challenges they have faced. It is said that the Damn Arkians always do what they like to win their war” said Priestess Mary.
• “The worst of it all is that………” said Queen Rebeca, and paused looking at everyone in the hall and saw they were all curious to hear what she had to say even though they were all anxious.
• Instead of Queen Rebeca talking, Priestess Mary said “the Damn Arkians can not be killed by any weapon made in our world. It is said in the book that the Damn Arkians can only be killed by dark creatures like them which is to say they can only be killed by beings created by dark magic like them”.
• “Our weapons are useless against the Damn Arkians but if a being that is created by dark magic picks up anyone of our weapons and stabs the Damn Arkians with it, they will die. Only beings created of dark magic can kill the Damn Arkians not us” said Queen Rebeca.
• While Queen Rebeca and priestess Mary were talking about the Damn Arkians to everyone in the hall, they all paid attention to what both priestesses were saying. When the head Queen and the priestess were done talking about the Damn Arkians, they all realize that they are doomed.
• There was silence in the hall because no one could say anything or ask the head Queen and the priestess anything. Most of the people in the hall were now beginning to picture how they were all going to die in the hands of all the Arkians. They all didn’t know what to say because they remained anxious and terrified after hearing what the head Queen and the priestess said. They all thought that it was now 100% sure they wouldn’t survive until the full moon or make it out of Arcadian alive.
• While everyone was in their thoughts, Queen Rebeca and priestess Mary looked at everyone in the hall thinking they had just given them the most terrifying and worst news of their lives but they had to know about the Damn Arkians to know what precautions they can take concerning the Damn Arkians.
• The silence in the hall took a long time before King Kung Lim fearfully said “we truly need to start running right now. Our things are already packed so we can just run through the east, north, or south great wall and leave Arcadian for good before we all lose our lives while waiting for the full moon”, and that brought the attention of everyone back.
• Hearing that got head General Ben angry and he said with annoyance to King Kung Lim “running is not an option right now so stop being a coward”.
• What head General Ben said got King Kung Lim and King Duran angry then King Duran angrily said to the head General Ben “what do you mean by coward? Don’t you hear the priestesses that there are Arkians out there that can not be killed by us and you are saying we should not run? We need to pick a race right now before we lose our lives to the Damn Arkains. You can stay if you want to die fighting for nothing”.
• What King Duran said got all the generals angry and that led to disagreement amongst all the council members because they all began to pick sides.
• While all the council members were on their feet fighting with words, threatening and condemning each other, priestess Mary and Queen Rebeca tried to stop them but they couldn’t. At the same time, King Hartley wasn’t not minding the council because he was lost in his thought, thinking of what has become of the kingdoms during his reign and what should be the next thing to be done now that the Damn Arkians has surfaced.
• After thinking for a long time without concluding what should be done, King Hartley stood up and began to walk out of the council hall but everyone in the hall was busy fighting each other and the two priestesses were so busy trying to stop the fight that they didn’t know when King Hartley walked out of the hall.
• King Hartley stood alone in his private pavilion which was built so high that one can see the whole of Arcadian and lands when standing there. King Hartley thought about how quiet, stable, and happy things were before the coming of the Arkians as he looked at the whole of Arcadian and the lands far beyond Arcadian.
• King Hartley was lost in his thoughts, thinking if this was how everything was going to end for all the kingdoms without a way out after years of defending themselves from the Arkians when Princess Aris touched him. King Hartley also thought he had failed his father and every other king of Arcadian before him.
• King Hartley regained consciousness of his surroundings when Princess Aris touched him and he looked at who touched him to see it was his daughter. King Hartley was surprised to see his daughter but then Princess Aris asked him “what got you miles away from home?”.
• Hearing his daughter, King Hartley looked forward back and asked Princess Aris “how were you able to pass the guards? I thought I told them not to let anyone in”.
• “Your order who have worked if they see me. I sneaked it so they don’t know if I am here or not” said Princess Aris with a smile to her father.
• “That is a lie, Aris. There is only one way into this place so there is no other way you could have sneaked in through” said King Hartley.
• “You got me. I lied” said Princess Aris.
• “So how did you get in?” asked King Hartley.
• “While coming I heard noises coming from the council hall but it is a place I dare not enter so I decided to be on my way since I don’t know what was going on in there. I was about to pass your pavilion when I saw the head guards, and wherever you are the head guard is sure to be there. I was surprised to see that you were here when the council hall was heating up so I came here to stylishly find out why” said Princess Aris.
• “I heard you. So how did you get in?” asked King Hartley.
• “I truly sneaked it because there is another hidden way into this pavilion” said Princess Aris.
• “I don’t understand. Make me understand, Aris” said King Hartley.
• “Promise you won’t punish me and I will tell you everything” said Princess Aris.
• “You know I have a lot I am dealing with right now so I won’t have time to punish you” said King Hartley.
• “Okay. Since you are always against me being anywhere except the palace. And even in the palace, there are specific places I can be. I plan with my blacksmith friends and carpenters. They………..” said Princess Aris.
• Princess Aris was cut short of words as King Hartley cut in asking her “wait. You have friends that are blacksmiths and carpenters?”
• “Yeah” said Princess Aris.
• “How are you able to make friends with your status? It is always hard to make friends with the royals because you will have to respect and obey them. So how are you able to make friends?” King Hartley who was surprised asked his daughter.
• “First of all, my friends are not someone of my age. They are all older men and women. Even if you choose not to believe, I am sure you have heard of the rumor that men fall for my beauty. And as for the women, I was able to make them loyal to me by words” said Princess Aris.
• “You know you are surprising, Aris. So what did you and your friends do together?” asked King Hartley.
• “We create secret passages in places I can not access in the palace so I can be able to access the place. There is a secret passage here in the pavilion. You also forbid me from entering the library saying women don’t need to know about history since I am not a priestess, so I create a secret passage there to be able to access the library. For all the places I can’t access in the palace, I make sure there are secret passages I can always take there. I even create a secret passage to your room. The council hall is the only place where I don’t create a secret passage because it has no hidden areas. With the help of my blacksmiths and carpenters, everything was done smoothly” said Princess Aris, and then became scared realizing she had just revealed everything to her father.
• King Hartley was astounded to hear all those things from his daughter and then burst into laughter. Princess Aris wondered why her father burst into laughter but then King Hartley stopped laughing and asked his daughter “first, how are you able to make the blacksmiths and carpenters loyal to you that they forget the fear that have for the head King and did what you want? Second, how were you all able to carry out that operation without anyone knowing?”
• “They were afraid at first that they couldn’t do what I requested but I told them that I was going to come to you and lie to you so you can get them locked up. Hearing that they were all afraid knowing you wouldn't believe them if they tried to defend themselves but then I also told them that, they have nothing to worry about since I am of royal blood and if they do what I requested and you find out, I will protect them and took all the blame. I told them that once I took all the blame, my father would have no choice but to let go of everything. With that, I was able to convince them to do what I requested…….. We were also able to carry out the operation every night while you were asleep by getting all the guards drunk with the help of my loyal maids” said Princess Aris.
• Again, King Hartley was so astounded to hear what his daughter said and couldn’t believe his ears. King Hartley asked his daughter “how old are you, Aris?”.
• “Did you forget my age, Father? Well, I am 18” said Princess Aris.
• King Hartley was surprised to hear his daughter's age and said “how can you be 18 and be clever and pretty smart like this? I truly do not know you”
• “You are the one that has never tried to know your daughter. You are always about Ranork. Ranork this, Ranork that. It is always about him that you forget he is not the only child you have” said Princess Aris unhappily.
• “Are you trying to say I should look more to your side and be proud of you?” asked King Hartley with a smile.
• “Why not? I am way smarter than you think. The secret passages are things that were built a year ago. I have been way ahead of everyone since I was 16 which was the same year I made friends with the blacksmiths and the carpenters” said Princess Aris boastfully.
• King Hartley smirked and said “don’t forget your brother is the heir to the throne”.
• “That is what you always say. I am way better than him. What is it that he can do that I can’t?” said Princess Aris proudly.
• King Hartley smirked and said “this is you making it known to me about your interest in the throne right? This is treason and I should lock you up for that”.
• “I am just stating a fact, father. I should be your favorite child” said Princess Aris boastfully.
• “It would be another case if you were man, Aris. It is not that I don’t want to know you more or love you. It is just that Ranork is the heir and he needs all the help he can at this age to know how to rule so he doesn’t fail. You should also support him and stand beside him. After all, he is your big brother” said King Hartley looking at his daughter.