4 Funeral

"Hummm... it has single large berry and purplish and hairy steam, it must be 'ginseng'. No, wait...that's wrong, its goldenseal" Silver thought.

"Ahhh!Why do I have to do all the chores ? I mean I'm the prince, aren't I ? I should be living in luxury with few servants at my command" he seemed to be disappointed.

"It will take forever to collect all these herbs in the list. A-r-rh! I can't even find them. I might not be able to collect them by today. No, I have to.""It was a challenge to me from my mother and I have to show her that I can do it" he had fire in his eye.

"I should stop doing that, talking to myself. And I'm still taking to myself saying it. Whatever the hell is wrong with me ? Aand I'm still doing it. Stop it !!!!" he smacked his head with his fist.

Then silver started to wonder around the forest looking at different herbs and picking few of them, enjoying the birds singing and whistling leaves.

Kara arrived at the gate after walking quite a distance. There she metSer Thomas Davis standing near to the gate waiting for her.

"I heard the news my lady. And I'm truly sorry for your loss" Ser Thomas gave his condolences.

"Are you now, Ser Thomas" she replied sadly.

"Yes, my lady"

"Open the gate" She ordered gatekeepers who were at the top of the wall.

"Yes my lady" they shouted.

Then gatekeepers moved the hilt together and the gate started to open. When the gate opened there were Ser Jones and Ser Vlad standing at the front. Behind them were four men carrying a red casket . There were about 50 soldier at the left side and 50 at the right side of the the casket and an army of two thousand behind them.

"Ser Jones.Ser Vlad." she greeted both of them looking at them respectively.

"My Lady" both of them replied at the same time bowing their head down.

Ser Jones looked at lady Kara eye to eye "I am sorry to be bearer of such a sad news for you, my lady."

"Ser Jones, what is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of bringing such a large army at my village gate? Specially, today of all days. It's making me feel somewhat uneasy."

It was the day of summer solstice, not just the longest day of the year but was also considered to be the darkest day of water villagers for it was the day of the sun, when the entire villagers' connection to the water is blocked. It was the day when villagers were at their weakest.

"Forgive me my lady for my incompetence but these are not my men. They are all lord Armin's men. They begged me to bring them with me. They wanted to bid their final farewell at his funeral" Ser Jones replied politely.

"There is nothing to forgive, Ser Jones. So these are all my husband's men. I am very pleased to see their loyalty" tears rolled down her eyes. "May I see my husband please."

"I beg your pardon my lady but I advise you not to see your husband's body. You may not be able to handle yourself to see the state he is in." said Ser Vlad

"I want to see his body" she ordered furiously.

"Yes, my lady. But please don't touch his body. The poison spreads like a plague even with touch. Three of of our men died because of it.Luckily we managed to stop it before it spread." he warned her and then ordered his men "Bring the casket to her and open it."

Those men approached Kara slowly and opened the casket .There he was with his eyes open. His skin had melted away and turned black.There was a smell of dead rat mixed with rotten cabbages. He was almost unrecognizable and yet lady Kara knew it was truly him seeing a black star shaped birthmark in his left eye. She almost fell on the ground and brust in tears but she pulled herself together before so happened.

"My love, what have they done to you,"she talked to him looking at his eyes. "Who.... did.... this..... to..... him ? Tell me you have found the culprit?" She asked as tears rolled down through her eyes.

Ser Vlad looked at his feet and said, "I'm sorry my lady but we haven't."

"W-what do you mean you haven't found them yet. They killed my husband, damn it."

"We don't know who the culprit is yet. But we are following the leads. We will find them sooner than later."

"When you find them, I want them dead.I want that luxury for myself," Said Kara fiercely.

"No my lady. Death is far too easy for what they have done to out king. I have far too worse in store for them than death. You may do as you please after we are done with them."

"Fair enough,"she replied. Drop the barrier. she shouted at gatekeepers.

So the golden coloured barrier that surrounded the village disintegrated into glittering dust's and vanished.

' Firestone ' an magic item was given to the water village by the king many years ago, when the village was just founded. So that they could be safe during the period of summer solstice. It is an impregnable barrier magic of element , fire. It can only be activated during summer solstice. When thrown into the flames it is activated and deactivated by removing it from the flames.

"Ser Jones.Ser Vlad.—we humbly welcome you to our village. Please Ser you may enter now," Ser Thomas invited them politely.

"Thank you for inviting us, Ser Thomas."

"It's but my pleasure,"he replied humbly.

After walking a long distance they reached to the castle. Inside the castle there was one huge hall. It was completely empty and had always been used for funeral. There were paintings of Jesus and Cupid's all over the walls.

"Ser Thomas, inform all the villagers about this and find my son as well." She ordered.

"But of course, my lady."

After two hours, all the villagers had arrived outside the castle gate and each of them were holding a burning candle. The army oftwo thousand were standing around the villagers doing the same. Inside the hall there were about two hundred members of royal family standing in the middle holding a flower in their hands. Hundred soldierwere standing next to the royal families at three sides, except at the front that is. The casket was at the front of the royal families band there was a balcony above it. Where the lady Kara was standing. Ser Jones and Ser Vlad were standing beside her at her left side. Ser Thomas arrived at the side of lady Kara a few minutes later.

"Have you informed the village?" she asked.

"Yes my lady. They have all arrived outside the castle gate."

"What about my son, where is he?"

"Well about.... prince Silver, Mm...we were not able to find him. We searched the entire village, even the forest but he was nowhere to be found. ( he replied hesitating )

"Not again, where in the seven hells could he have gone this...."

Ser Jones interrupted lady Kara, "I beg your pardon, but is there something wrong my lady."

"No, none at all," she replied with fake smile.

Ser Vlad walked towards Ser Thomas and stood beside him at his right side.

"Then it is time to began the funeral, don't you think so?"

"Yes, ...." Chills went right down to her spine as Ser Jones placed his right hand on her's right shoulder with his mouth very close to her cheek.

"But before we began I have a question for you my lady."

"What would that be?" She asked. Her face had turned red.

"Do you remember what I told you last time we saw each other —That you should not have trusted noone and loved anyone other than your very own children —Yet you didn't heed my warning even after what had happened last time —Still you trusted us and loved a dead man —You should not have trusted me" He whispered as he said so to her he held a knife at her throat barely not cutting it.

Ser Vlad did the same thing to Ser Jones but he slitted his throat and let him fall on ground instantly.

"Let the massacre began —huhahaha?" he shouted with an ugly laugh.

"So it was all just an act, a plo..... plot to kill us all. If I'm to be killed, I Want to know why?" She asked with disappointed and sad voice.

"A-r-rh! please have mercy on us." They screamed and tried to escape.

"Waa—ah!" childrens cried.

The soldiers surrounded the royal families. The families were way too scared, they didn't understand what was happening. Few werebegging for mercy, few were screaming, childrens were crying, and others fell on the ground with hopelessness. Mother's were trying to make their children fell safe saying, " It's all right mama is here nothing is going to happen to you,you are safe with me" .

"We were ordered to do so. I am not in liberty to tell you why even if you're going to die" he replied..... "Kill them all," He ordered to his soldiers.

The soldiers opened their mouth wide open and fangs appeared in their mouth.

"No, not them too. They have done nothing wrong . Just kill me and be done with it but please have mercy on them... kill me instead. Please I'm begging you.... Noooooo,please don't hurt them. Noooooo...."

She cried and cried, begged and begged as the vampires bit in their neck and ripped their head apart one by one as if they were nothing but dolls. They ripped their head apart but they didn't not drank a single drop of their blood.

At that moment she fell in the floor being hopeless as he heard her family crying, screaming and begging to ho have mercy in their child at least.As she learned there was nothing she could do to save them . A few moments letter entire royal families were slaughtered and the floor was coated crimson with their bloodband out side the gate of castle entire villagers were captured in the matters of minutes.

"How naive you are do you really think your live has value equal to all two hundred people —A single life has value of single life alone, nothing more and less —Oh ! I almost forgot that you still had an alive child —Where is he now? —We can not find your son anywhere. What was his name again? —Oh ! yes Silver.

She spitted in his face, "Rot in hell...." she cursed him.

At that instant she was happy that they didn't find her son.

"I does not matter to me even if you tell me or not —I know he is still in this village so we'll find him sooner or later —So you are quite use less to me.

He killed her by slowly slitting her throat.

As her consciousness faded away,"My son, you must survive this ordeal, you must hide and must never be founded — and you must always remember that your mother loves you. She died with tears in her eyes while praying for hers son's survival.

But it was just the beginning of the true horrors. They hanged the villagers upside-down slowly cutting in their entire body while they were still conscious. They seemed to be enjoying itThey collected every single drop of blood spilled from their body in some kind of wired vessel. They did same thing to every villagers again an again until every single villagers died being entirely drained of blood. It was a true nightmare. Not even childrens were spared.

Ser Jones looked at lady Kara,"Lady Kara, for you loved a dead men and trusted someone like me, when you were at your most vulnerable the great water village, which is considered the most powerful village in entire world, was completely massacred by such a weak army which other wise would have been impossible —It was yours and yours foolishness alone that led to the distruction of your people.