C2 The Fall of Kingdom Knossos

I

Alondra with tears after looking at her captive mother and hearing her words, immediately runs as fast as she can. She cannot help her Queen Mother if she will be caught also. As one arrow speedily dashes through the air, Alondra who was at her back running, did not see it coming. She suddenly felt the pain that rushed through her body as the arrow hits the mid section part of her back. Princess Alondra fell to her knees almost at the verge of fainting. Just a minute before her sight totally turned to darkness, she saw a big beautiful bird whose feathers are exactly similar to her hair, which swiftly scooped her and speedily flew going up. She smiled at Phoenixia, her twin Phoenix. Her timing was perfect. The Sentauros were so surprised. They tried to harm the big bird too but it flew too fast that their arrows could not catch it anymore.

At the Knossos Palace, the King and his remaining six warriors has been held captives already. All were being tied and has been down to the ground with bended knees.

After a while, five Sentauros arrived, triumphantly swinging their swords and shouting that the Queen is with them.

Upon hearing those words, King Alexios tried to stand up but one Sentauro kicked him hard making him fell to the ground again, groaning in pain.

His six warriors shouted in anger as they saw how their King has been mistreated by these beasts. But like their King, they suffered hard kicks from the Sentauros.

Few remaining people were all held incarcerated. Mostly, were on the ground lifeless, old and young.

The King closed his eyes. He cannot take to see his dead people scattered all over his Kingdom and his heart could not accept this defeat. They were so relaxed not to even realize that these beasts might attack in their moment of celebration and joy. His heart bleeds as he saw his wife being hugged with malice by the Sentarous’ Army Head, Chief Kornofo.

And her Princess daughter, where is she? King Alexios could not fathom the darkness he is into at this very moment.

“Set the fire!” the Sentauro’s Army Head Commanded.

The King’s head almost exploded in fear upon hearing those words, especially when his Queen has been dragged beside him by two laughing Sentauros.

Then fires have been set encircling them while Sentauros around them are all readying their arrows with fires at its tips.

“Kill!” the Sentauro’s Army Head shouted and so the arrows flew one by one hitting King Alexios, Queen Aglia and the six remaining warriors; the fire encircling them started to grow bigger and bigger until it swallows them like hell.

Princess Alondra, who is up in the sky at that very moment, riding at the back of her twin Phoenix, Phoenixia, shouts and cries in total dissolutions as she witnesses the killing of her beloved parents. The pain she felt in her heart is more excruciating than the pain she felt when she was hit by a burning arrow at her back.

Princess Alondra’s anger is too strong now that it can move mountains. She swears to take lives of every Sentauros without sparing anyone, even up to their last offspring. She will be back to claim her throne and rebuild their Kingdom. As she shouts in full anguish, her weak body slowly slumps over the back of Phoenixia and her soul slowly rises to the realm of darkness.

II

Phoenixia brought the Princess to their Phoenix Place called as Paradise. It is at the top most part of the Greece’s highest mountain, the Mount Olympus, where no humans yet ever set foot. Alondra was in her near-death condition.

All the Phoenixes get out from their cave homes and gathered at the centre part of Mount Olympus’ peak, where the sacred garden abounds with flowers and fruit bearing trees can be found.

Phoenixia laid down Alondra at the midst of the sacred garden and all the Phoenixes encircled them. The Phoenixes outstretched their wings as a sign of respect to Phoenixia, their phoenix and human queens - Phoenixia and Alondra.

“Alondra,” Phoenixia whispered in her mind her human twin’s name. It cannot bear seeing Alondra in her near death condition. Like rivulets, Phoenixia’s tears rolled down. As the Phoenix tears fell down to the half-dead lying princess, slowly, her breathing became normal. All the Phoenixes then started to sing their magical song. Rays of light envelops Alondra’s body as the Phoenixes continued to sing.

The Phoenixes’ tears can bring back a person even from the brink of death and their song will increase the strength and courage of a good human.

Slowly, Alondra’s eyes open.

Phoenixia flipped its wings with happiness, “Alondra is alive!” Thereafter, all the Phoenixes flipped their wings too as a sign of praise.

“Phoenixia and to all of you my beloved Phoenixes, thank you for saving me, but the King and Queen; we were not able to save them.” The princess started to sob as she embraced Phoenixia, which automatically clipped its wings to welcome the embrace of its human twin.

As Alondra cried in despair, Phoenixia’s heart was also in great pain. The Phoenixes tears fell down.

“Phoenixia, I promised to the graves of my King Father and Queen Mother, No Sentauro will leave when my time of revenge came! Not even their children!” Anger is evident in Princess Alondra’s cries. Her madness is uncontrollable. Phoenixia flipped its wings and shook its head, as if saying that she should not be as mad as that; she needs to forgive to heal her pains.

Phoenixia could only watch her twin human with sadness. But it promised that in all Alondra’s endeavours, all the Phoenixes will be there to help her and make her triumphant, no matter what would be the cost.

ONE YEAR LATER…

Alondra might have been revived but deep within, her heart and soul became dead and unforgiving. Her death within became the paranoia not only of any Sentauro but to anyone who will put mankind in turmoil and death. Alondra would not think twice to kill any Sentauro or anyone who’s bringing destruction to mankind.

Phoenixia’s kind heart on the other hand bleeds as she witnessed the anger controlling the whole being of her human twin.

In the Kingdom of Gladians, King Liomo made an announcement, that on the day of the greatest Gladiator battle in his Arena, anyone in their captive Gladiators who will defeat his four strongest and best Gladiators plus his three eyed Giant Monster, shall be freed, taking with him one hundred soldiers as his slaves, a ton of gold and shall take over the Kingdom in the North of Greece, which he won in a battle. His announcement was written in every wall of Gladian’s Kingdom and has been signed and witnessed by Kings and Queens of other Kingdoms, who confirmed to be present during the greatest Gladiators’ Battle.

One of the imprisoned Gladiators is Attikus. Their small village has been attacked by the Evil Sentauros, killing almost all his co-villagers including children. Only three of them survived and were held captives. Later on they were sold to King Liomo as Gladiator Fighters. His two companions died during their last fight in the Gladian’s Arena. Their bones were broken by the three eyed monster of King Liomo and their heads where cut like that of chicken.

On the day of the Greatest Gladiator’s Battle, Attikus volunteered to take the challenge of King Liomo. For almost an hour the fight continued; Attikus has been wounded, but one by one the King’s four strongest and best Gladiators fell to the ground, dead.

Attikus was about to be killed by the three-eyed monster, when from nowhere, a burning arrow speedily landed nearby the monster, defocusing him. Attikus took the opportunity to slide down and using all his strength, he swings hard his sword cutting off the right leg of the monster. As he made another swing, the other leg of the monster has been cut off. The monster growled in pain and fell down. Without giving the monster a chance, Attikus swiftly swung his sword, beheading the three-eyed monster. Cheers and uproars of onlookers filled the arena as Attikus stood up, showing to all the head of the monster.

Attikus could not forget the woman at the back of the Phoenix who shot the burning arrow, during his fight with the three-eyed monster. It was like a flash, in a moment the woman and the Phoenix were nowhere of sight. He owes his life to that woman.

The brave Gladiator promised to himself that he will search for the woman and her Phoenix and will gladly give them his loyalty.

“Hail to the new King of Greenorth! King Attikus!” King Liomo who went down from his throne and came beside Attikus at the Gladian Arena, held and rose up unto the air, the latter’s right hand as a sign of his triumph.

The spectators shouted and clapped in unison as King Liomo was raising Attikus’ right hand.

Only then that Attikus was awakened from his deep thought about the woman and her Phoenix.

“Hail, a new King has been born!” the loud shouts of the people in the Gladian Arena.

From her seat, the beautiful daughter of King Liomo, the crowned Princess Hernane, stood up and clap her hands, with sparkles in her eyes while looking at Attikus with endearment.

King Liomo could not contain his smile when he saw what her daughter did. It seems like, her daughter found her man after all.

As promised, King Liomo freed Attikus, taking with him one hundred soldiers as his slaves or people, a ton of gold and crowned him as the new King of the Greenorth Kingdom at the North part of Greece.