Bridge Of Legacy

Chapter - 26

Two weeks had passed since the council meeting and the incident in the forest. Time was passing like sand and the anxiety of a certain person rose by the second. In the eerie silence of the night, a figure vigorously punched the punching bag, her body drenched in sweat as she continued to land punches, pouring all her anger and resolve out. A fire was burning inside Crystal, her resolve to win the duel solid as a rock. She didn’t care for the crown earlier, but now it was the question of the safety of the people she cared about. With one last punch, the bag came undone, taking deep breaths as Crystal eyed the now shattered bag. 

“It’s enough, you need to take rest for tomorrow's event” Fiona spoke inside her head.

Crystal had channelled Fiona’s energy to pour out her anger and frustration. The fire ignited inside her would only be satisfied by the defeat of her beloved brother. Crystal walked over to the bench and picked up the bottle, downing large gulps of water. Fiona slowly retracted back to her mind, leaving her with her thoughts. This intractable fire was ignited by Bennet himself when he crossed paths with her a week back. Crystal laid down on the floor thinking back to her first proper conversation with the Prince.

Flashback:

It has been a hectic week for Crystal. The Alpha King had pushed her into tedious hours of paperwork, forcing her to learn about the patterns and operations of the pack and the Werewolf kingdom. “It’s your training for becoming the Queen,” he said, unaware of the fact that his daughter had planned to lose the duel and let the Prince become the next King. She was never interested in royalty. The only thing she wanted was to reunite the two kingdoms and fulfil her Grandfather’s wish. It was the least she could do to return the favour of Antonio, and she believed her brother was well capable of doing that since it's what her Father wanted. Crystal’s mornings comprised training with Hunter, which she sometimes ditched with the help of Jay. Her evenings comprised tedious paperwork, which she couldn’t ditch these as her Father supervised  personally. 

Today was no different. After the training session with Hunter she now sat with her Father trying hard not to doze off to sleep as he explained ‘how the policies of the sovereign worked.’ 

“And... Crystal!” Frederick called as he watched his daughter dozing off.

“Yeah, I am listening.” 

“I think you should go rest, we’ll continue tomorrow.” He said  feeling sorry for pushing her into this. He could notice the exhausted look on her face, but this was necessary to protect her and the kingdom. 

Crystal groggily walked towards the door, exiting her Father’s study and strolled towards her room. Hunter had increased the level of training today since she had ditched it yesterday. Her body ached from all the fights and exercises. She didn’t understand why it was so important for her to ascend the throne; she agreed with the council's opinion to let Bennett rule. He knew how everything worked, and was far more acquainted with the people as compared to her. She was happy being just a Princess. Lost in her thoughts and sleepiness she failed to notice a figure approaching her, resulting in her crashing into them and falling hard on her back. Flinching, she got up and took a proper look at the intruder. 

Standing in front of her in all his glory was none other than Bennett, displaying his dimpled smile. She had met him only once on the training grounds, and he appeared a very obnoxious and arrogant person. Crystal tried to steer clear of his path after coming to know that the duel was his idea. She was sure that he disliked her from the core. 

Bennett looked at his sister, the one that was so prized even when she wasn’t present. He could see the resemblance between her and the Queen, and he could also realize why everyone loved her. She had this pure look on her face that could melt away the coldest of hearts. 

“Watch where you are going sister, we don’t want you to be injured before the duel.” He smirked at her.

“I could say the same to you.” Even though Crystal knew she should try to get close to him, she couldn’t help but be snarky.

“I would be more humble if I were you.” Bennett mocked. 

“And I would be a bit more polite if I were you.” Crystal retorted.

Bennett’s eyes gleamed changing colours startling Crystal, she wasn’t afraid of his wolf rather she was shocked by the mismatched eye colour. To any onlooker, it would seem that Bennett’s wolf was angered by Crystal’s disrespect, but it was quite the contrary. His wolf was delighted to find his sister. He never enjoyed being alone. He knew his sister was the cure for his family. 

The Prince pushed his wolf back before he jumped and hugged the girl. He masked his expression, returning to the blank look that he had mastered during the past years. Crystal looked confused at her brother. She could tell that there was more about him than what met the eye. They both stood there staring at each other for a minute. Crystal heaved out a sigh and started leaving before the Prince killed her with his stare. 

“You better prepare for the duel, if you don’t want to lose your beloved warlock friends.” Bennett suddenly spoke as she tried to sidestep him.

The words froze Crystal as a shiver of fear ran down her body. She spun around to look at him, to notice a menacing glint in his eyes. 

Bennet let out a chuckle, seeing the pale expression of the Princess. “When I become King, the Warlock kingdom will be washed away.” He added before trudging down, whistling. 

Crystal stared after the disappearing silhouette in a daze, her brain trying to analyze the statement. Fiona raged inside her head, blurting profanities at Bennet. She realized that her brother not only hated her but also the Warlock kingdom. He would destroy them if he ascended the throne. ‘was this the reason Father was pushing my limits?’ She thought. Everything made sense now, her Father’s hatred towards his son and his persistence to make Crystal the Queen. 

Crystal sped walk towards Hunter’s room, her sleep was long gone. Reaching the Beta’s room, she rapped her knuckles against the mahogany door, creating a series of rhythmic knocks. A groggy looking Hunter opened the door, revealing a messy room behind him. 

“Princess?” He asked once he noticed his visitor. 

“Tomorrow we’re going to practice from dawn.” Crystal said and left, leaving a confused Hunter behind.

Flashback ends.

Crystal took a shallow breath as she got up from the floor and collected her belongings and walked out of the gym. She had been pushing herself and Fiona both to win the duel, as it was the de facto of the future. Her mind wandered and she grew anxious for the duel tomorrow. She only hoped that she can win, to ensure everyone's safety.

A mismatched pair of eyes smiled from among the dark shadows of the hallways as they watched the Princess enter her chambers. 

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A/N : What do you think about Bennett and Crystal's relationship? Are Bennett's actions justified?

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