Chapter 86

"Princess!!! Look out!!!"

A man took an arrow for her, the arrow stabbing him in the heart and he went down quickly.

Arya screamed in horror but her voice wasn't her own.

She felt as if she was observing from a distance through someone else's eyes.

She dropped down onto her knees and cradled the dying man in her arms.

The man looked up weakly at her.

"Live princess and I can die without regrets."

"NO!!!"

Arya's voice and Persephone's mixed together as one as she watched the man die in her arms in a battlefield as war raged on.

Arya was yanked out of the vision into another scene.

She found herself seated at a dining room table with several men and women complete strangers, but who looked to be at least high-ranking nobles judging by their finery and appearances.

A man sat on her right and a woman on her left. A large steak with baby potatoes was in front of her but it was untouched along with the dishes on the table. The atmosphere of the room seemed sober and intense. Servants stood in the background, still and silent as the paintings and tapestries decorating the walls.

One man sitting spoke up. He was sitting the furthest away from Arya and the closest to a middle-aged man who Arya assumed was a king judging from the crown on his head.

"Father, we can not let such a good opportunity to enrich our kingdom go!!! Who cares about those savages and monsters? They have been living off of our generosity for far too long!!! What's wrong with making them give up their land which is rich with gold and precious resources to us?"

The man nodded and he smiled.

"Yes, as expected of my eldest son and heir!!"

Arya swore she could see the greed and 

Murmurs of agreement and approval rang out across the dining table.

Arya gulped. She had a good understanding of what was going on now.

This was a royal family dinner and there was a serious political discussion going on right now.

Arya may not have liked politics but she loved history.

She spent hours combing through the royal libraries for books to read.

Novels. Textbooks. Anything she could get her hands on.

One interesting piece of history that she learned was the existence of monsters and other non-human beings hundreds of years ago.

But the book didn't talk much in detail about what happened to them or anything about them at all and her efforts to uncover more facts about them was a failure.

Arya-or Persephone-turned her head towards the king.

"Father, please, it's not worth it. Think about the cost of blood being shed and destroying the peace if we start a fight with them!! We can negotiate and maybe peacefully-"

The king slammed a fist onto the table so hard that the plates, silverware, and the dishes defied gravity for a few seconds as they floated a couple inches in the air before coming back down to earth once again.

He pointed a finger at Persephone/Arya.

"STUPID GIRL!!! HOW DARE TALK BACK TO ME!!!"

Arya gritted her teeth. She wanted to scream back at this old geezer but she couldn't as she was merely relieving Persephone's memories from her perspective.

"Father, I didn't mean to insult you. I'm merely looking at things from a much wider perspective and I know very well that they're not going to give up their land that easily if we force them to!! Why do you want to start a war with them? Trading peace and happiness for war and blood?"

Arya nodded her head in approval. This girl had a point.

The king's expression turned cold and hard.

"Get out."

Those words were blunt and cold as he dismissed her so quickly and easily.

The other princes and princesses, 13 in total not including Persephone, started to giggle and smirk.

"As expected of a bastard bitch."

"She's not even a proper princess since her mother was a servant."

"Who does she think she is to talk back to father like that?"

Persephone left without a single word.

She walked down a long hallway and stopped in front of a mirror that happened to be hanging in front of her.

Wow, she's beautiful.

Long locks of golden hair that fell down her shoulders and down her back in gentle waves. Bright blue eyes that shine like jewels. Soft and delicate looking features.

But power and strength were also engraved into her blue eyes.

Arya thought that the two of them could pass for sisters because while their hair and eye colors were different, their faces were quite similar and almost identical.

Arya was dragged off into another memory.

Persephone was walking silently and solemnly in a field of grass and watching the sun set.

It would have been a rather peaceful and beautiful scene if Persohpone was covered head to toe in blood and holding a sword.

Red blood stained the front and skirts of her dress. It covered her face and hands and the sword.

"I can't….I can't do this anymore…..I killed them….."

Arya took another look around her and saw the bodies of demons, werewolves and goblins.

Persephone must have killed them all.

She looked up at the setting sun.

"I'm the only one left so I have to end this war."

Arya was suddenly bombarded with so many memories that weren't her own.

A little girl reading books all by herself in a library by candlelight.

A young girl at a party but everyone was ignoring her and she slipped away unnoticed.

A young woman fighting on the battlefield.

She watched others die and she survived.

Arya screamed as the rush of memories swamped her.

….

"Little bitch, I'll kill her."

He rushed over as best as he could with his bad leg to where Arya laid still and unconscious.

Except he was suddenly blinded by a flash of light coming from Arya's body.

He screamed but a woman's voice came out of his throat instead.

Arya suddenly appeared in front of him and her fist connected with his face.

He was sent back flying by the powerful punch. A blossoming bruise was forming on his face.

Arya's eyes were glowing bright green.

She brought her leg down on his head and his head went slamming against the ground with so much force that an earthquake took place.

Ezekiel was knocked off his feet several miles away as the ground cracked and split opened under him.

Everyone screamed and moved to avoid getting swallowed up by the large crack in the ground.

Arya, Ezekiel thought, she's so strong. My faith in her was well placed.

Arya stood over the king with a look that was both sad and understanding.

"I'm sorry but this story has to come to an end."

The king smirked as he got up.

"Yes, it does. Right here, right now."

"I regained some old memories of mine and I know just how strong I am now."

The king smirked but inside, the demon woman processing him was getting scared.

She's so strong and powerful now that the power she showed earlier was just a mere fraction of it.

But…I'm much stronger.

The two charged at each other.

Their fists connected and the blast of the force was enough to knock down trees.

Arya landed a sidekick on him. The force of the kick sent him flying backwards.

"I'm not done with you yet."

Arya charged up to him and leaped up onto him while he was still flying in mid-air.

"Eat this."

Arya balled up her fist and she punched as hard as she could at full power.

A woman's scream could be heard and then it was dead silent.

Arya lifted up her fist and saw that the ground was completely shattered and destroyed by her.

The king laid unconscious and still but still alive.

She hoped she took care of that bitch.

The snow was falling more gently now.