Chapter72Please respect copyright.PENANApuyb4WOx1U
43
He felt something warm and heavy on72Please respect copyright.PENANAeYY78t0rWW
his chest. At first, he was confused72Please respect copyright.PENANAnX0hFJA761
because he thought that he had been killed, but he felt very much alive. He72Please respect copyright.PENANARuPTwHnr6n
slowly opened his eyes, but promptly closed them again as the bright light72Please respect copyright.PENANADq1R2TjJ7y
blinded him. He stirred, but heavy hands kept him still.
“Your72Please respect copyright.PENANAXT5c68SbG0
wounds haven’t fully healed.” The man said. “You need to lie still.” He72Please respect copyright.PENANAwJBLK0qouU
recognized the voice of Topal which meant he had to be back in the Capital.
“What72Please respect copyright.PENANAtcqT9C94Ok
happened?” Vander groaned. He tried to sit up, but again Topal pushed him back72Please respect copyright.PENANABdq5902jnB
down.
“Don’t72Please respect copyright.PENANAYd2QFM0he0
worry about that now.” He scolded. “Rest and be well. There are plenty of72Please respect copyright.PENANASv5eAbtDeT
people who wish to see you.” Slowly nodding his head, Vander drifted off back72Please respect copyright.PENANANNVCGsH36A
to sleep.
Over72Please respect copyright.PENANAKC4EWJVGua
the next few days, he heard many people entering and leaving the room he was72Please respect copyright.PENANATkubF1EXaV
staying in, but he didn’t hear anything that was being said. The only thing he72Please respect copyright.PENANAw0nEwtR1oQ
noticed was when Shea came in to sleep on his bed. He could feel how worried72Please respect copyright.PENANAnyau9DpEWf
she had been and how excited she was that he was back. He held her close, not72Please respect copyright.PENANATiCpSWQeA7
willing to be parted with her again. Alex came to visit him on the fourth day72Please respect copyright.PENANAgkv9DQ46yg
to tell him what had happened.
“We72Please respect copyright.PENANAl0j8Uxv2Gr
came back as quickly as we could.” Alex sat in the chair; his hands clasped72Please respect copyright.PENANANJQkF8jEZW
together. Since arriving he hadn’t looked his friend in the eye, not once.72Please respect copyright.PENANAXVGSZYRbFM
“After I explained what happened, the Commander came as well. He was worried72Please respect copyright.PENANA3ea0S3Qr4o
for you and when he saw you lying on the ground near death, he was beside72Please respect copyright.PENANApBOqfMYzCP
himself. He wouldn’t stop until you could be seen by Topal.”
“What72Please respect copyright.PENANAUlAgIbLJY2
about Eve and Jogun?” Vander asked. “Where they found?”
“No,”72Please respect copyright.PENANAJPB5g3rR9a
Alex shook his head. “They were gone along with twenty other Serpents, but72Please respect copyright.PENANA9bCmjK68gp
because of you we have vital intel about where they have been hiding out. The72Please respect copyright.PENANAlI6ElweHkj
army has been dispatched to hunt them down.”
“That’s72Please respect copyright.PENANAykAQpvsWPX
a relief.” Vander sighed.
“It’s72Please respect copyright.PENANAEf8uYWySsA
in the hands of the council now. They will decide on our next steps.” Before72Please respect copyright.PENANAk2aLr7b927
Vander could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Alex stood as Cuvera72Please respect copyright.PENANA1FVZI0MAyV
walked in with Kiara right behind her.
“My72Please respect copyright.PENANA6vYmOkqhWC
prince.” Vander went to sit up, but Cuvera shook his head.
“Stay,72Please respect copyright.PENANAWc9UyTxXEy
as far as I’m concerned, you’re a hero and I should be bowing to you.” Cuvera72Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4fWqzpB89
looked at Alex. “Do you mind if we have the room?”
“Certainly.”72Please respect copyright.PENANAM36SULRKBp
Alex bowed his head and shuffled out. Kiara slowly closed the door behind him.72Please respect copyright.PENANAoGQXuAKQxI
They waited a couple of moments to make sure they were truly alone before he72Please respect copyright.PENANApsOLDorq1z
sat down in the chair.
“Thanks72Please respect copyright.PENANA9l2CaP2xNi
to you, my Queen has returned.” Cuvera smiled. “If there is anything in the72Please respect copyright.PENANA0WPAIAFi0B
country you would like, it is yours for the asking. My family owes you an72Please respect copyright.PENANALqqqKrRsvf
enormous debt.”
Vander72Please respect copyright.PENANAfYh4eVI0Tf
took a few minutes to ponder if before shaking his head. “Nothing comes to72Please respect copyright.PENANAhTBWPZ9io5
mind. Can I think about it for a bit?” Cuvera nodded his head. He opened his72Please respect copyright.PENANA9ilKdgwEMZ
mouth to speak again but closed it shortly after. Vander could tell that his72Please respect copyright.PENANAh8qnSGNaUf
friend was fighting biting back his anger, but he didn’t know why.
“Perhaps72Please respect copyright.PENANANrAqS4YoxL
I should be the one to tell him.” Kiara placed her hand on her fiancé’s72Please respect copyright.PENANAVtij3tUnEY
shoulder. He interlocked his fingers with hers but gave an apologetic smile.
“No,72Please respect copyright.PENANA4bq1eQ8tJd
it’s better if it comes from me.” He took a deep breath. “Despite Peyton’s72Please respect copyright.PENANAVcCi9IBh3w
betrayal there are still many on the council who blame you for what happened.72Please respect copyright.PENANAgq12bsI1oi
They decided to keep you from the Blades since it was also one of your recruits72Please respect copyright.PENANAMFPTIEz3uG
who betrayed us.”
“That’s72Please respect copyright.PENANA5GbKl3Ka1p
outrageous.” Alexander shouted. He came back in from the hallway angrier than72Please respect copyright.PENANAzPjgVvAxpQ
Vander had ever seen him. “He saved the Queen and ousted a traitor. What are72Please respect copyright.PENANAMTR7LH18Ew
they thinking?”
“Politicians rarely think, Alex.”72Please respect copyright.PENANACwTy4nhUMI
Cuvera said. “However, that decision ultimately rests in my hands, so I have72Please respect copyright.PENANAtTbv21Pgsb
decided to ignore their judgement. Vander, this next part is for you to72Please respect copyright.PENANAV5UwaG8JRH
decide.”
“Yes?”
“I’m72Please respect copyright.PENANApkk4NJsaWp
currently short a Commander, would you do me the honors?” Cuvera smiled down at72Please respect copyright.PENANAZi9Dp7O7Kt
Vander, holding out his hand hoping his friend would accept. He didn’t even72Please respect copyright.PENANAWyxmj5qQ1v
have to think twice. He took the hand and smiled.
“Yes,72Please respect copyright.PENANA8oiwvqc3GM
my King.”
…
A72Please respect copyright.PENANA5tsxYBOAFP
week later Vander stood in front of the mirror struggling to put on his72Please respect copyright.PENANAmMfwtzu0Qv
uniform. Today was the day he would be coronated as Blade Commander and he72Please respect copyright.PENANAGelv4uLZuJ
wanted to do it right. It had taken a long time for Topal to give permission72Please respect copyright.PENANAEeGYb2L8VV
for Vander to walk around, but it would still take a few more months until he72Please respect copyright.PENANA1CZA8hwn99
was back to normal. However, a couple of things did change. His hair had gone72Please respect copyright.PENANAqhpLC7QQT1
back to its normal color as the coming together of his demon and him changed it72Please respect copyright.PENANAoeHJlSbgR5
back. It showed that he fully accepted his abilities instead of finding them.
The72Please respect copyright.PENANAI7FW5ojOsI
other thing that changed came into the room and wrapped her arms around72Please respect copyright.PENANAru3lcfpzeS
Vander’s shoulders placing a kiss on his cheek. “Have I thanked you today for72Please respect copyright.PENANAQy6Adb1rxr
saving my life?” Eliza whispered in his ear.
“No,72Please respect copyright.PENANAoqgXYRVNZr
but you can do so by helping me get dressed.” Vander said. “I have to be there72Please respect copyright.PENANAnKte6ISRRU
soon and I’m nowhere near ready.”
When72Please respect copyright.PENANANj0bPdjumG
he awoke from his coma, he wasted no time marrying Eliza. Despite knowing each72Please respect copyright.PENANAyJiP20qKU3
other for only a little while, he couldn’t deny there was a connection between72Please respect copyright.PENANAsntUK2rhxd
them that hadn’t existed with anyone else he had been with before. He had72Please respect copyright.PENANAYDKlaDbK8q
nearly lost her once and he wasn’t willing to go through it again. Their72Please respect copyright.PENANAuki8U47mkn
matching gold bands glinted as she fixed his baldric to his belt.
“Do72Please respect copyright.PENANAs6aZlExmSi
you still wish to go to the beach?” he asked her. Her golden eyes met his as he72Please respect copyright.PENANAK9KqdvAPhs
saw her smile.
“Are72Please respect copyright.PENANAdrN15NQ0qI
we going there soon?”
“After72Please respect copyright.PENANAFdrsajwNC0
the ceremony.” Vander nodded. “I have a few months of vacation I have to take72Please respect copyright.PENANARZZqyDBCJz
to recover from my injuries. Alex, Chicken and Rooster will be busy reforming72Please respect copyright.PENANAvkTQAPCVcR
the Blades in my absence, I just must get better.”
“I72Please respect copyright.PENANA5T6cwAbXpo
bought a new outfit I can’t wait to show you.” She teased him gently.
“One72Please respect copyright.PENANA8Gd5DNpJYL
thing at a time.” He smiled. “Let’s get through this.”
Hand72Please respect copyright.PENANAAB1vjPuWYU
in hand, the two of them left the room and entered the throne room, which was72Please respect copyright.PENANAT1iRRkQrr1
filled with Blades and council members, many of which frowned at his entrance,72Please respect copyright.PENANANtG2yT373D
but there wasn’t much they could do about it. This was Cuvera’s choice, it72Please respect copyright.PENANAHPCvMZ1iMh
didn’t matter what they wanted.
The72Please respect copyright.PENANAaGiQxywAvG
Warden’s had all gone home to their territories to begin the hunt for the72Please respect copyright.PENANAT7NyruQOdd
missing Serpents. No one would rest until they were caught and brought to72Please respect copyright.PENANAHe9zjnvLeY
justice. No one kidnapped the queen and got away with it. The Cranton family72Please respect copyright.PENANAKnG5aqhOVt
was also being investigated for their ties to the Black Order and Serpents, but72Please respect copyright.PENANA0ZFLrdVTKq
nothing had come up yet. Cuvera wouldn’t rest until the matter was settled, but72Please respect copyright.PENANAeULDdQpPEL
that was for him to do.
Eliza72Please respect copyright.PENANAS9cjkff3kl
walked over to stand by Alex and Shea who couldn’t hide their pride at Vander’s72Please respect copyright.PENANAYkkV7YSp0q
promotion.
Vander72Please respect copyright.PENANAbvqceEMjq5
walked up to the center floor, just in front of Cuvera, then got down on one72Please respect copyright.PENANAwKqOcIqhvU
knee and bowed his head. He heard the king remove a sword from his scabbard and72Please respect copyright.PENANAlDWQjfVyKi
hold it aloft.
“Do72Please respect copyright.PENANA8RfqSbqzHI
you, Vander, accept the title of Commander and everything that comes with it?”72Please respect copyright.PENANAoyzytCLd9d
Cuvera asked.
“I72Please respect copyright.PENANAtkLYu9SwSj
do.” He shouted back.
“Do72Please respect copyright.PENANAMDtrblc7bE
you swear to give your life for me and the citizens of this realm if I ask of72Please respect copyright.PENANAy8Peo1lfWr
it?”
“Only72Please respect copyright.PENANAT3QAztF01u
death will release me from my vow.” He responded.
“Then72Please respect copyright.PENANAMevhTwQgmb
I name you Vander, my Blade Commander.” Cuvera said. “Please rise and accept72Please respect copyright.PENANAYnBaZaSYRz
this sword.” Vander stood then walked up to the platform as the crowd cheered,72Please respect copyright.PENANAref8656Rpy
chanting his name. He accepted the sword that had been created for him. The72Please respect copyright.PENANAEr6AXrROxH
scabbard had been painted to resemble a white wolf while the weapon was made72Please respect copyright.PENANAEueAedu379
from white titanium found deep within the northern mountains. It was sturdy and72Please respect copyright.PENANAY2H1HbC2mO
resilient, just like him.
As72Please respect copyright.PENANA0x2KpCfFbv
he looked over the gathered crowd, he knew the next few years would be72Please respect copyright.PENANAu8WeABHdeu
challenging, but he would have to do his best to protect the people here from72Please respect copyright.PENANANYnvEbfVt1
the vision Humi had shown him. He still hadn’t told anyone, and he likely never72Please respect copyright.PENANAm8uwA2osc2
would. This was his burden to bear and bear it he must. For he was the only one72Please respect copyright.PENANAsFzOgy9U8J
capable of protecting them all.
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He72Please respect copyright.PENANA6ILkzbbPPz
is, the Eluvian Blade.