Logan's Journey: Chapter Nine

WRITTEN: 9 December 2012
==Chapter Nine: A Sibling War==
Three days later, the Auroran Healer in charge of Walter’s health decided that it was time that he should wake up. To do this, she would be performing a secret ancient spell. If the spell did not work, then Walter would be lost forever.
As the Healer performed her magic, Logan and Ben hovered around her anxiously.
‘How is he?’ Ben asked, while Logan sat next to Walter, his eyes fixed on his tired face. ‘Is he going to make it?’
‘I do not know,’ the female Healer admitted. ‘The darkness is deep within him. Few ever wake.’
Logan looked up sharply at this.
‘But he’s improving, right?’ Ben pressed on, hoping to give his friend some good news. ‘I mean, you’re doing your thing and he’s getting better, isn’t he?’
‘I do not wish to give you false hope as you are trying to give your friend,’ she said bluntly.
Logan looked back at Walter.
‘Don’t worry,’ Ben said to Logan, while giving the Healer an annoyed look. ‘He’s a tough old man. He’ll pull through.’
As though to prove Ben’s words, Walter started coughing and slowly opened his eyes.
‘Oh, balls to you all,’ he groaned. ‘You’re not burying me just yet.’
Logan let out a strangled laugh, his eyes unusually wet.
‘See? I told you!’ Ben laughed, thumping Logan on the back.
‘Yes, and it’s a shame my first sight had to be your ugly mug, Ben,’ replied Walter.
‘At least we know you still have your sense of humour,’ Ben said cheerfully.
‘I’m sorry I left you, Walter,’ Logan said, head bowed.
‘You did all you could,’ Walter smiled comfortingly up at him, ‘and don’t think I don’t know it. If I hadn’t urged you to leave me, you would have stayed by my side until death. I told you you’d make me proud.’
Logan smiled as he and Ben helped Walter to sit up.
With Walter now awake, Logan and Ben introduced him to Kalin and told them that they were all ready to go to battle.
Agreeing that it was now time to remove Lillian from the throne, Walter, Logan, Ben and Kalin all boarded an Auroran ship to head back to Albion. However, they were not going the entire way. It had been decided that they would meet Page and the other allied leaders in the middle of the ocean, between Aurora and Albion in order to avoid drawing attention to what they were planning.
The moment they arrived at the meeting point, the Auroran fleet stopped, and Walter, Ben, Kalin and Logan climbed aboard the Albion ship that had been waiting for them.
'Thank goodness you have returned safely,' Page muttered, walking over to Logan and embracing him. ‘I’m glad that you two are safe too,’ she added to Walter and Ben.
After all the pleasantries and introductions had been made, they got down to business. All of them took their places around a small table holding a map of Bowerstone and the castle.
'Alright, I've got it,' Page said an hour later. 'I take a small group of soldiers down this route -' she pointed out the route on the map '- and blow up the west barracks. It will draw their attention and open up the main route.'
'How is that better than my idea?' asked Ben.
'We will last longer than a few seconds,' Kalin said bluntly, saying what everyone was thinking.
'Oh, well, now you're just picking holes,' muttered Ben. The group had already had a lengthy conversation telling Ben why his plan would not work.
'Give it up, boy,' said Sabine. 'What I want to know is what my men need to do.'
'That is for the future King to decide,' said Walter, looking over at Logan.
'Page knows the city best. We'll follow her plan,' Logan said firmly.
'Fine,' Ben sulked. 'I only put mine forward to annoy her anyway. Besides, we all know why you are agreeing with her. She is your future wife, after all.'
'I see you've really matured on your travels,' Page said, looking over at him, before turning back to the map, unconcerned. 'If you look at the map, we can go through the details.'
'My ships will take you to the beach here,' Kalin motioned.
'We can expect heavy mortar fire, but most of Lillian’s soldiers will be busy dealing with Page and her men,' said Walter.
‘Let’s hope the guy firing has Logan’s talent,’ Ben joked, making Walter laugh and Logan groan.
'I want to be in the thick of the smoke and the fire and the glory,' Sabine said stubbornly. 'If Page takes the west route, it's only fair I take the east.'
'Which leaves the centre to Walter, Logan and I,' said Ben, before adding, 'Less chance of getting lost.'
'Then, we've agreed?'
Everyone nodded their heads.
-----LOGAN’S JOURNEY-----
Logan sat nervously on the Auroran ship next to Ben, while Walter went below deck to have a quick nap. He still hadn’t recovered from his time in Shadelight. Page and Sabine had returned to their men and were currently making their way to the west and east routes. Logan, Ben and Walter were not to act until they got the signal from Page that they had destroyed the barracks.
'You nervous, Logan?' asked Ben.
'Is it that obvious?' Logan said with a nervous chuckle.
'Just a little bit.'
'Everything I have done now seem pathetic compared to what I am about to do,' Logan admitted. 'I mean, I'm attacking my own kingdom… my own sister!'
'You're only doing what must be done. The people will understand and they will be happier with you as their king than Lillian as their queen,' Ben said softly.
‘I guess,’ Logan sighed. ‘You know I never wanted to be a king,’ he informed Ben. ‘I had Dad put it in his Will that when he died, Lillian was to be the next ruler with me as her Heir until she had a child. You know, sometimes I wish that I had never fulfilled my father’s dying wish by ending his pain. Sometimes I think I should have just let him suffered. Things would have been simpler that way.’
‘Are you sure about that? We can never know how things would have turned out. And for what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing fulfilling Sparrow’s request.’
‘Are you saying that just to make me feel better?’ Logan asked suspiciously.
‘Yes, but I’m also telling the truth.’
‘You’re a good friend, Ben,’ Logan said before looking back towards the land mass of Albion.
-----LOGAN’S JOURNEY-----
Three hours later, they received a signal from Page and the Auroran ship carefully got them to the land outside Bowerstone Old Quarter. Sadly, Lillian’s soldiers were there waiting for them as were the Albion guards that normally guarded the palace. To Logan’s great surprise, the guards turned on the soldiers and pledged their allegiance to him. Word had gotten out among the guards and they too wanted a new leader. Together, Logan, Walter, Ben and the Albion guards fought their way to the Bowerstone Old Quarter gates, leaving a massacre behind them of soldiers and guards. 
Once inside the city, the league pressed forward, smiting every enemy in their path until they were outside the castle gates where they met up with Page.
'Always with the damn gates,' Ben cursed, when he found the castle gate locked.
'What we need are explosives,' said Page, 'but I used mine up on the way here.'
'If only we knew some sort of tiny, crazy old man who enjoyed blowing things up...' said Ben, clearly still thinking about how Sabine nearly blew them up on the way there.
Next minute, the castle gate was blown off its hinges and pieces of wood went flying everywhere. 
'Ha ha! Did you see that, Boulder?' Sabine laughed as he walked towards them from the other side of the blown up door. 'Let the whole city bow to our thunder!'
'Hang on,' said Ben, once his initial shock of their appearance had passed. 'How did you get to the other side in the first place?' he asked, voicing what they were all thinking.
'Dwellers have their ways, my boy.' Sabine shrugged, looking around. 'Is there anyone left to kill?'
'There will be soon,' Page answered. 'More troops are on the way. Kalin's fleet got a fair few, but not all.'
'We will hold them off, Logan,’ said Ben. 'You and Walter go find Lillian.'
‘Then let me save you the effort.’
The rebellion turned around and watched as Lillian walked towards them threw the recently blown up gates. She was wearing tight midnight black pants, black boots and a black, revealing crop top.
‘Out of all the clothes she most likely owns, she had to wear something revealing,’ Logan grumbled. ‘Seriously, Lillian, go and put something appropriate on!’
‘You’re not the boss of me, Logan,’ she snarled. ‘I’m a grown girl. I can make my own decisions.’
‘You may look grown, Lillian, but you know nothing of responsibility,’ said Walter. ‘If you did, you would not have allowed your people to suffer. Now step down and allow a true monarch of Albion to step up.’
‘You surely cannot be talking about my brother,’ Lillian said as she walked over to Ben and began to inspect him. ‘Hmm, you’re cute. I might actually allow you to live.’
‘I don’t know if I should be grateful or not,’ Ben muttered, edging away from her.
‘Surrender, Lillian,’ Walter ordered. ‘You are outnumbered.’
‘True, but you are out matched.’ Lillian smirked at them as blood red Will lines appeared on her dead-like skin. They then watched as dead balverines appeared.
‘Oh dear,’ Page said, backing away. This they hadn’t expected. How was Lillian able to use Will when her blood hadn’t been awakened?
Lillian stood there watching as her enemies tried in vain to fight off the savage beasts. Sabine ended up being knocked out cold with Boulder desperately trying to protect him. Page was backed up against a wall frantically trying to escape, while Walter and Logan were back to back fighting them off to the best of their abilities. Ben, however, was left alone due to Lillian’s desire for him. This allowed him the chance to shoot them, but because they were dead, nothing hurt them. Thing meant that Ben had to defeat the source.
As he turned his gun on Lillian, a balverine charge at him and sent him flying to the ground. Lillian walked confidently over to him.
‘Now that wasn’t very nice,’ she purred, bending down next to him. ‘If you weren’t so cute, I would have had you killed right here and now.’ Her fingers reached down and began to trace patterns on his face. ‘I don’t know what lies my brother has told you, but you should leave his pointless cause. You belong by my side. I can give you whatever you want.’
Ben looked over at his friends. They were losing badly. He then looked back at Lillian. He now had a plan, which resulted in him doing something he really did not want to do, and probably in Logan killing him.
‘You’re right, my Queen,’ he said with one of his charming smiles that seemed to work on all ladies, except Page. ‘I don’t know what I was thinking.’
Smiling triumphantly, Lillian dismissed the balverine pinning Ben to the ground, and allowed him to stand with her. She then snaked her arm around his neck, fingers intertwined tightly in his hair, and pulled his head down into a very passionate kiss, with their bodies pressed together. Her other hand was on his bum.
Too interested in Ben, Lillian accidently dismissed her dead soldiers.
‘Where did they go?’ Logan asked nervously, looking around.
‘I don’t think they will be bothering us for a while,’ Page muttered staring at Ben and Lillian.
Logan looked at her, before at his sister. His jaw dropped. He was sure he was dreaming. He’d never thought he’d see Ben in that position.
Opening his eyes, Ben looked at his friends and gave them a retreating sign. He would distract Lillian while they escaped. 
Nodding their understanding, they hurried off to rally their troops and make it safely to the Resistance Headquarters.
-----LOGAN’S JOURNEY-----
‘I hope Ben is alright,’ Kalin commented an hour later as they waited for Ben to return. ‘What do you think Lillian has done to him?’
‘Change of subject, please!’ Logan exclaimed loudly. ‘I do not want to imagine what my sister is doing with my best friend!’
‘I don’t even want to know what you are imagining.’
‘Ben!’ Logan exclaimed, whipping around, to see a tired Ben walking towards him. ‘Are you alright?’
‘No,’ replied Ben. ‘I am never doing that again.’
‘You didn’t -’ Logan trailed off, but Ben didn’t need him to continue.
‘No, ew, no. I managed to escape before she could force me too. You’re not going to kill me for kissing your sister, are you?’
‘No, I know why you did it, and we are all grateful for it. None of us would have survived if you hadn’t.’
‘So what’s the plan now?’ Ben asked, collapsing in a chair.
‘We don’t have one,’ Walter admitted.
‘What, with all the brains we have in this room, no one can come up with a plan?’ Ben looked disappointed and amazed.
‘Lillian is more powerful than we ever imagined,’ Walter sighed. ‘The only way I can think of defeating her is by having someone of equal power fight her.’
‘Well good luck finding someone like that,’ Logan commented. ‘The only person that would stand a chance against her is herself. I want to know how she can even use Will in the first place. I thought that your blood had to be awakened.’
‘Maybe it has been,’ Walter muttered thoughtfully. ‘I remember your father once having a lengthy conversation with her about touching his Guild Seal. Apparently she stole it a month before he died. Maybe her blood was awakened, unknowingly, then.’
‘Even if that is true, how can her Will be stronger than Logan’s?’ asked Page. ‘She is doing magic without gauntlets.’
‘I have no answer for that. All I can suggest we do is lay low, and hopefully a solution will present itself.’
Surprisingly, one did present itself a three months later.
The day started like any other. Logan and Page would awake to each other’s warm bodies pressed up against each other, before getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. They would then listen to any Resistance reports and have brainstorming sessions for overthrowing Lillian, which would always result in arguments, hopelessness, or ridiculous ideas. After these meetings were done, Logan and Page would spend the rest of the day together. Of course, this didn’t happen every day, seeing as Logan was still Albion’s Hero and was needed elsewhere at times.
However, on this particular day, they were having one of their daily meetings when Kidd came charging into the room yelling, ‘Logan, you have to come quick!’
‘What’s happened?’ asked Page.
‘Bowerstone Market is under attack by some bird-like statue warriors! There are all these shadows running around killing people too!’
‘Dark Minions,’ Logan muttered, gathering his weapons, ‘but what are they doing here in Albion?’
‘Maybe they seek to create misery and death in Albion as they have done Aurora,’ Kalin suggested, also gathering her weapons.
Logan looked around and saw that everyone had their weapons ready. He smirked.
‘Okay then, let’s go and give them a proper Albion welcome,’ he said, leading the way to Bowerstone Market.
When they arrived, they saw the Dark Minions Kidd spoke of and immediately engaged them. As they fought off these monsters, many guards came charging in to give them a hand. Logan even noticed a young woman pitching in out the corner of his eyes, but he paid her no heed. He had to focus on the Dark Minions.
In the end, it was only Logan and the woman fighting the creatures off. Everyone else was either dead or nursing wounds, and when there was only two Dark Minions left, Logan spared the woman his attention briefly before doing a double take. 
I must be seeing things; Logan thought when he recognised the woman.
Even though her hair was now light brown, her skin tan and eyes sky blue like Hammer’s, he was still able to recognise her anywhere. And judging by the looks on the faces of the bystanders, they recognised her too.
Logan couldn’t understand what he was seeing, but he knew what he was seeing was no hallucination. 
Lillian was there fighting to protect the people.