Chapter 11 - A Kingdom's Wrath
Once they arrived at the palace, Thegarroth who had heard everything that both Vhelgarr and Nailah did at the battleground, came out to talk to them.
When he arrived in front of them, his face full of smiles and delight, he said, "Well done kids. You have made this old man proud. And I am well assured that your accomplishments won't stop here."
Vhelgarr nodded his head with a smile on his face. Also, he felt that the ache of explaining the destruction that he caused to lots of properties was gone.
Climbing down the Scaledhorn Horse which was his Nexabeast, he walked into the Palace Hall where their mom, Arryhiarr, awaited their appearance.
When they arrived, she said to them with pride in her tone, "Children, I watched your battle. I was thoroughly impressed."
Looking at Nailah, she asked with a smile on her face, "Dear, have you been sneaking out for training? Or when did you develop the ability to kill without batting an eye? Because here I was, thinking it would be your first time being exposed to such a cruel thing, only for you to shock me on the battlefield where you slashed open our enemies' necks like they were nothing."
Nailah simply grinned.
Then she replied with a tease, "Mother, don't think too much about it. Your daughter is a natural killer."
Thegarroth looked at her and shook his head. Of course, he didn't believe her. But he wasn't going to press further. Their kids' secrets were their secrets. They had no business knowing about them, unless their kids openly told them about it.
Arryhiarr looked from Nailah to Vhelgarr, after giving her a certain look and said, "Son, you were really brilliant on the battlefield. You did well."
"Thanks mom." Vhelgarr said.
Then he spoke further, "I am retiring to my room. I want to change into a simple outfit."
"Go do so, dear." Arryhiarr said while Vhelgarr nodded his head.
Then he immediately turned around to head to his room. As for Nailah who wanted to follow behind Vhelgarr to change into a more comfortable outfit for the rest of the day, playfully returned the look that her mother used to gaze at her earlier.
Quickly, she swivelled, swiftly appearing in front of Vhelgarr who placed his arm around her shoulder.
Arryhiarr wanted to call her back for playfully disrespecting her, but she gave up and let it go.
"This girl..." She said, shaking her head.
Thegarroth saw this spectacle and beamed a smile. He was glad for the kind of family he had.
But, there was a great and towering anger billowing in his heart because of the sudden invasion and deaths that his people experienced in the hands of the Nhongluh tribesmen.
Looking at his wife, he said with a voice that was heavy and filled with indignation, "Those bastards, I am going to make them pay for what they did. In fact, I am going to eradicate each and every one of them, swallow up every portion of their land and make them branches or extensions of my kingdom. I guess it is time we expanded. We have been too small for a long time."
Arryhiarr heard this and simply nodded her head, giving her full support with just that gesture.
"Thank you, darling." He said after understanding this, while Arryhiarr softly smiled at him.
She was the only one who could stop him from embarking on such a quest. But she fully agreed with him.
Now, it was time they responded in kind and showed to neighbouring and distant kingdoms that they couldn't be messed with. If they came under attack by any invading kingdom or tribe, they would respond a thousand times with that same attack.
He left the palace hall to gather and address the soldiers who were still wrathful and exceedingly bitter over the deaths of their sisters and brothers in arms.
At the moment, they wanted nothing but vengeance, which Thegarroth was going to fulfill. He was their king and leader, and could tell how they felt.
Also, this reaction—counter-attacking and reprisal, was for the innocent people that were killed. He hadn't known the number of people that died yet as the bodies were still being counted, but he was going to make sure the tribe paid for what they did. And if any other kingdom was involved in this, they would also pay as well. No matter if they were hundreds or thousands, they would all pay.
After gathering a large number of soldiers, he appeared in front of them and said with grave seriousness on his face, "I am sorry about the deaths of our fallen brothers and sisters who did their utmost best to fight for the kingdom. Who did everything they could to stop the advance of those cruel and savage brutes."
"I heard tales of their deeds, of how when their arms were cut off, they bit into the heads of the evil, barbaric tribe to stop them. Of how they were impaled all over with spears, but kept on fighting for reinforcements to arrive."
"They gave up their bright and wonderful souls fighting for this land, which definitely wouldn't be in vain. So, to the enforcers of my will, the warriors of my land, my brave, gallant, and fearless soldiers, we will thunderously march out and evoke great terror in the lands of this demonic tribe."
"This will be the last time that they would ever invade another kingdom again." Thegarroth said, his eyes shining bright and emitting ripples of a strongly alarming dreadful power.
"Warriors, let's march out, cut through every odd or obstacle in our path and deliver justice in the best way we can!" He said loudly while the thousands of soldiers that had gathered before him, beat their drums, pounded the ground with the base of their spears and screamed to the sky, ready for heaven-defying retaliation.
They began to march out, many—the infantrymen, running on foot to the land of the Nhongluh tribesmen. While others—air cavalry, entered available ships that rapidly took into the air and began to sail through the sky at blazing speeds to where the Nhongluh tribe was.
As for Thegarroth, he climbed atop his beast, the Winged Blackflame Stallion, which was simply a giant, horse-looking beast that had six pairs of massive sharp wings that gleamed in the light of the sun, invoking the feeling that they were enormous swords shaped in the style of a wing.
Raaaaghhh!!
The beast let out a loud monstrous growl and quickly took into the air, flying swiftly under Thegarroth's guidance to the Nhongluh's land, seemingly wanting to unleash its own kind of wrath upon them.